His button pushing irritates the fuck out of me.
The lounge is decorated in the same expensive understated tone as the main room. Sturdy leather furniture, thick carpet, dim lighting except for the trio of sculptures lining the back wall. I hate the low lighting. It gives the feeling of not being able to see the truth, and I have to keep reminding myself not to squint and give even that much reaction. I prefer to see everything in startling clarity. Hades is a fucking romantic.
He waits for us in his favorite chair, a giant piece that could easily fit three people fucking. It has in the past. Tonight, he’s got Meg kneeling at his feet, the very picture of a subservient submissive, her eyes downcast and her hands neatly folded in her lap. Hades sits forward as we cross the room, and I have to fight the urge to step in front of Jasmine to shield her from his gaze. He claims to know what his people want before even they do, to divine kinks as if by magic. The truth is he’s simply excellent at reading people and body language. No magic required.
It doesn’t stop him from dazzling newbies.
“You’re right, Meg. She’s exquisite.” He turns that penetrating look in my direction. “It would take someone special to sideline our Jafar, though, so I suppose that’s to be expected.”
“Hades.”
“Let your baby girl come closer, Jafar. I want a better look at her.”
I bite back a sigh. I shouldn’t be surprised that Meg basically sprinted back here to report on everything we spoke about. She’s Hades’s creature, through and through. It’d be a damn shame if she didn’t seem so pleased by that fact most of the time.
“Go ahead,” I pitch my voice low, though there’s no way Hades won’t hear. No doubt he can see the fine shakes working through Jasmine’s body from where he sits. Desire, yes, but she’s taking in so much, so fast. Too fast. Something else I should have anticipated. The woman has been locked up her entire life, and introducing her to the world outside her father’s walls should be done in small sips, no matter how she chafes at the restraint.
Bringing her here is the equivalent of throwing her off the deep end and expecting her not to panic. At least she trusts me enough to find my touch anchoring, even if she doesn’t realize that’s what’s happening.
If anyone realizes how precarious our balance is at this moment, it would be child’s play to knock us both on our asses. I hold myself perfectly still, as if she is just another sub, I’m just another Dom allowing the master of this place to investigate my property.
“Come closer, child. I won’t bite.” Hades grins, his white teeth flashing against dusky skin. “At least not unless you ask very nicely.”
Jasmine takes the last few steps that bring her nearly close enough for Hades to touch. He doesn’t. He’s too well-mannered for that under usual circumstances, though I can see the calculation in his dark eyes, already considering how to use this development to further his interests. “Jasmine.” He says her name as if he can already taste her on his tongue.
I take a step forward before I catch myself. Damn it.
Hades grins at me. “Got you.” He turns back to Jasmine. “Jafar has been a hard nut to crack. He fucks like a champ, but getting into that deliciously conniving brain of his? Impossible. And here you come, this near-innocent with a taste for …” He inhales deeply as if taking in her scent. Her very soul. “Rough play. Very, very rough play. You like him to force your subservience.” His voice deepens. “I approve.”
“That’s enough, Hades.” It doesn’t matter how he figured it out. I won’t have him stripping her bare here, not while she and I are on such fragile ground.
Hades’s grin turns knife-sharp. “Caged birds always crave the sky, Jafar. You’d do well to remember that.” He takes Jasmine’s hand and presses his lips to her knuckles. “You’re always welcome here in The Underworld, Jasmine Sarraf. If you ever want to bargain, I’m more than happy to make time for you.” He grins against her knuckles. “And if you want to play with our Meg, I’d be delighted to arrange that as well.”
“Hades.”
“Yes, yes, I’m overstepping. Can’t let your prisoner know that there’s a trap door within reach, can we?” He finally releases Jasmine’s hand, but he coasts his thumb over her knuckles in a casual move that sends my blood pressure through the roof. There’s no reason for it. Hades is casually intimate with everyone until he’s not. His touching Jasmine means nothing. Her catching her breath at the feeling of his lips on her skin means jack shit.
I have absolutely no reason to be jealous.