Penny stepped into the foyer of the expansive home where dozens of well-heeled people mingled about like schools of privileged fish and she chafed at the intense discomfort of feeling out of place. Everywhere her wandering gaze settled she found evidence of how out of her league she was in her surroundings. She tried not to fidget but her fingers itched to curl in the fine fabric of the designer dress clinging to her generous curves, pushing up her breasts like twin offerings on a carnal plate so that they swelled obscenely over the edge of her dress. Goodness gracious, her nipples were nearly exposed and she’d said exactly that when Vince had presented his gift to her. But Vince had simply smiled as if he’d been perfectly aware of this fact — and he’d approved.
Was she honestly the same woman who’d gone from wearing boring beige panties on a typical day to wearing expensive panty and bra sets that cost more than some people’s salary? She shifted and grimaced as her thong wedged itself more firmly up her tush and for a split second she longed for the comfort of her boring, beige granny panties. But boring beige wasn’t sexy. Tiny, scraps of lace climbing up your ass crack was very sexy, even if it was annoying as hell to feel as if you were constantly fighting a wedgie.
And damn it, if there was one thing she was desperately trying to learn, it was how to be effortlessly sexy. Oh, like her…Penny couldn’t help staring just a little at the lithe woman who glided by with a champagne flute in her hand, her willowy figure everything Penny would never be, as she commanded the attention of every set of male eyes in the room. Penny had never commanded a room. She hated being the center of attention, mostly because she feared people were judging her but also because she was a bit shy, if the truth were known. And this party was like scrubbing sandpaper across a raw wound, she thought grumpily.
“You’re probably the only person in this room who can actually move their facial muscles enough to furrow your brow but why mar such a lovely face unnecessarily?”
Penny jumped at the sound of Dillon’s voice at the sensitive shell of her ear and shivered as a secret thrill chased her consternation that Dillon, Vince and Nolan’s oldest brother, had somehow crashed this exclusive party.
“What are you doing here?” Penny asked, determined to keep things frosty between her and Dillon. She belonged to Vince and Nolan, the twin Buchanan brothers and there was bad blood between the twins and Dillon, so that meant she automatically owed her allegiance to the twins. “I thought this party was by invitation only?”
Dillon produced a slim, hand-written invitation in fussy calligraphy between his index and middle finger then with a flick tucked it back into the dark confines of his tailored suit. “Seems there are a few people who still enjoy my company. My brothers notwithstanding, of course.” He gave the room a cursory glance. “Speaking of, where are Frick and Frack tonight? Surely, they didn’t think to leave their little lamb in the company of wolves? Particularly when the wolves are hungry.”
Penny’s breath hitched at the bold way Dillon’s gaze skimmed her curves before returning to her astonished eyes. She struggled to catch her breath when her heart rate threatened to spike to an unacceptable level and tried to ignore the flutterings of arousal that always sparked to life whenever Dillon was within two feet of her.
“Are you feeling all right, dove?” Dillon asked solicitously, though his handsome mouth twitched with knowing. She glared and jerked a nod, swallowing and looking away to compose herself.
“My dress is tight,” she muttered. “And it’s hot in here.”
“Of course,” he acquiesced though in truth, she knew he was simply agreeing with her because he enjoyed toying with her. Dillon Buchanan was the worst sort of man — handsome enough to make a girl forget just how bad he was and just bad enough to make a girl think of terribly sexual things with a smoldering glance — and Penny had to check herself each time he poked his head into her life. Which, as of late, seemed like a lot.
“Stop it,” she said, shocking him with her terse demand. “I know what you’re doing and I’m not about to fall for it.”
“Oh?” One dark slash of an eyebrow lifted in mock surprise. “Do tell. What am I doing aside from providing you with a little friendly company in a room filled with strange faces? Perhaps I was mistaken in my assumption that you looked ready to pass out from sheer terror.”
“I did not look ready to pass out,” she said indignantly, but it was probably the fact that he was right that bothered her most. She had felt ready to crumple to the floor in a puddle of Vera Wang couture.
Penny swallowed and desperately searched for a familiar face, or more specifically, two intimately familiar faces before she tumbled into pure panic. Of course, they couldn’t arrive together. No one could know about their arrangement — technically, it was illegal to own another human being, even if that human being was a willing participant — so that meant Penny had been forced to arrive on her own to a party where she knew no one aside from Vince and Nolan Buchanan, her Masters.
“Tell me, Penny, what is it about me that makes you so jittery?”
Her nose twitched at the sharp tang of his cologne as well as the subtle but alluring scent of pure masculine skin and she had to scowl to prevent herself from leaning in for a deeper inhale. “Perhaps I just don’t like you,” Penny replied with a cool smile that belied the heat curling in her belly. There was something about Dillon that stole her breath and made her think of things best left alone. Guilt sharpened her tongue as she added with a lift of her chin, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to find Vince and Nolan. They’re probably looking for me as we speak.”
But as she took a step away, Dillon’s voice trailed at her back in a silky murmur that for all its soft delivery may as well have been shouted. “Or maybe, you like me too much…” he suggested and she shuddered, melting into the crowd of people as if the devil was on her heels.
She found Nolan laughing and chatting with a group of women but as soon as his gaze found hers, his eyes warmed with subtle heat. Although he couldn’t exactly sweep her into his arms in front of everyone, she told herself she didn’t need that to know she was their girl. Still, it would be nice to not have to hide in the shadows, a voice reminded her quietly. Don’t be silly. Your life is the stuff of fairy tales. How many people do you know who get to pick from the newest fashion designers without wo
rrying about the price tag?
“Ladies,” Nolan drawled with a slight nod as he excused himself to join Penny at the bar. His gaze raked her body, settling on the plump pillows of her breasts and she blushed when his smile turned decidedly aroused. “You look exquisite. I told Vince that color would suit you.”
Penny smiled and smoothed her hand down the burgundy dress. It really was sublime. In her past life she never would’ve dreamed of wearing such a bold color but it seemed appropriate given her relationship with the twins, which was sordid and wonderful at the same time.
“I’m happy you approve,” she said, preening just a little. She could weather a little discomfort if it meant she was rewarded with wolfish smiles from the twins. Just seeing that subtle twist of their lips reminded her of the things they liked to do her in the privacy of her apartment, locked away from the world and anyone’s judgment. If only she could escape the small voice in the back of her own mind that sounded a lot like her Papa’s. She was a grown adult, not a child. She could sleep with whom she chose, she thought guiltily. But it wasn’t that, exactly, and she knew it. It was the fact that she’d allowed the brothers to buy her. Like an expensive whore. Or, as the twins had put it, as a highly sought-after courtesan. Somehow that sounded much less…well, whorish. Still…
“You’re not enjoying yourself,” Nolan said, troubled. She glanced up with a start and realized she must’ve allowed her thoughts to reveal themselves in her expression. Nolan leaned forward and whispered for her ears only, “I would die a thousand deaths if I thought you were miserable in our company. What can I do to put a smile on that gorgeous face of yours?”
Her breath caught and she smiled tremulously. “Nothing so dire,” she murmured with a shy glance. “I’m not accustomed to such an environment. You travel in vastly different worlds than me. My idea of a fancy dinner party might include a get-together at Red Lobster, not an exclusive party where everyone looks as if they were peeled from the pages of Vogue magazine.”
“Darling, that’s half the reason I adore you,” Nolan said.
“What’s the other half?” she asked, curious.
“I’ll give you a hint,” he said in a low, seductive tone that caused shivers to dance on her spine. His voice tickled her ear as he added, “it’s between your lovely thighs.”
She sucked in a wild breath and her eyes widened with shock at his bold admission but even as her cheeks bloomed with heat, she smiled with delight. Nolan always knew how to shock and arouse her at the same time. “Can we leave?” she asked.
Nolan sighed and pulled away with open regret. “I would love to but I’m committed to making the rounds. That’s part of the gig. Networking with people who have money is what keeps us rolling in it. And trust me, with Dillon around, we’re going to need to up our game.”
At the mention of Dillon, Penny tried to sound casually interested as she asked, “Why is Dillon here? I mean, back in the States? He doesn’t seem the type who’d enjoy pushing paper all day.”
“He’s not,” Nolan agreed, his demeanor changing quickly. Guilt, perhaps, flashed across his face but he shut it down quickly as he graced her with another dazzling smile meant to distract her. And it usually did. But Penny couldn’t help the feeling that Nolan and Vince were deliberately keeping her on the outside of something important. It also hurt that they didn’t trust her with whatever big, bad secret they were keeping. All she knew was that it centered on Dillon. Something in their past. But what? It was on the tip of her tongue to admit that she’d seen Dillon at the party but for some reason, she kept that information private.
Penny worried her bottom lip in spite of the exquisite make up job that’d been applied to her face courtesy of the hair and make up artist Nolan had hired to help her with the intricate up-do that exposed the column of her neck in a way that made her feel graceful and thin, when in fact, she was really neither, but stopped when Nolan gave her a look. “You have no reason to feel substandard to anyone here,” he reminded her. “Hold your head up — you’re gorgeous. And you have something none of these women have…”
Penny looked up, meeting Nolan’s semi-serious gaze. “What’s that?”
“You have the Buchanan brothers wrapped around your finger,” he answered, stealing the breath from her lungs. He grinned and leaned forward to whisper, “I know a way to liven up this party. Meet me in the restroom in two minutes.”
Her eyes widened at his suggestion and she was shocked to see he was totally serious. “You mean?”
He grinned and walked away.
Two minutes seemed a heartbeat away as she made her way to the restroom and quickly locked the door behind her. Suddenly, Nolan’s hands were cupping her breasts from behind, squeezing the plump flesh that filled his palms. “Have you ever had a quickie, separated by the unsuspecting public by a single door?”
“No,” she admitted breathlessly.
“Put your hands above your head and brace yourself with the wall,” he instructed softly as the sound of his fly opening sped up her heartrate. Was he really going to…? She swallowed a gasp as he lifted her dress to her hips, baring her behind to his gaze. Yes, he was. “Spread your legs, sweetness,” Nolan said, positioning himself behind her, his cock nudging her entrance, begging for her hot sheath. Nolan’s fingers gently parted her folds and used her own wetness to ease his way and within seconds, he’d pushed himself inside her.
She stifled a groan as his cock stretched her channel, feeling deliciously impaled on his shaft. There was something wonderfully naughty about the realization that they could be caught at any moment and the fear heightened her arousal as Nolan quickly began to thrust hard against her. She bit her lip as he buried himself inside her, quick thrusts in and out, everything becoming wetter and slippery inside, increasing the pleasure. She tried not to make a sound but when Nolan whispered, “God, I love to fuck you!” she dissolved into a mindlessly dirty girl intent on one thing: cumming. “That’s it, baby,” Nolan coaxed, his voice tight. “That’s it…cum for me, baby. Show me how much you like my cock. Are you my dirty girl?”
“Yessss,” she admitted with shameful abandon, gasping and not caring if God and country heard her cries. Within seconds, she shuddered as Nolan’s cock hit the right spot to send her tumbling over the edge into a sweet orgasm that stole the strength from her legs and nearly sent her collapsing to the floor in a heap. Nolan’s hard thrusts rocked her body until he grunted in his effort to keep his cries muffled as he came hard inside her, filling her with his warm seed. He blew out a long breath, still buried inside her and he leaned over and kissed her on the side of her neck. “That my darling, is how you spice up an otherwise boring party,” he teased, slowly withdrawing and tucking his spent cock back in his trousers. She turned and sagged against the wall and he grinned. “You look gorgeous after a good fuck, you know that?” He smoothed a few hairs that’d sprung free from her complicated up-do and then after straightening himself, gave her quick brush across the lips, saying, “Clean up and then have fun and mingle, but if you want to leave early, the limousine is at your service.”
“Are you going to visit me tonight?” she asked, hopeful. She hated sleeping alone and it’d been a week since either of the brothers had visited. “I miss you,” she added in what she hoped was a seductive tone rather than a plaintive whine.
“I miss you, too, sweetness,” he said. “I’ll try but don’t wait up, okay?”
She tried not to let her expression show her disappointment as she pasted a false smile on her face. “Of course.”
“That’s my girl,” Nolan smiled and left to disappear into the throng of people.
The minute Nolan was gone, she dropped the smile, sorely disappointed. The moment the arousal faded, she felt oddly out of sorts. Staring at herself in the mirror, she quickly repaired the damage to her make up and hair, cleaned herself and then went straight to the bartender for a drink. If she were going to torture herself and try her hand at mingling, she’d need a little assist
ance. “Gin and tonic, please,” she said to the awaiting bartender. She rarely drank but tonight seemed an appropriate time to get a little tipsy. Maybe then she wouldn’t care that the brothers were too busy to visit her and it’d been too long since either had paid much more attention to her than they would an expensive lamp. It was Dillon’s fault, she groused as she sipped her drink. Before he came along, they’d been inseparable. Her body had rang with pleasure as each had taken their turn with her. She longed for that sweet oblivion and it irritated that they’d simply put her on a pretty shelf to await their return as if she were a toy, easily bought and easily forgotten. And as fun as the bathroom quickie was, it was no substitute for what she truly craved: quality time.
Dillon’s words had worked like poison on her mind and she gasped at her own poutiness. Goodness gracious, she was becoming a petulant child. She supposed she was still getting used to the perimeters of their relationship and she’d become spoiled with their constant, almost fevered attention. Although she’d rather poke one of those tiny shrimp forks in her eye than mingle, she steeled her nerves with the help of her drink, and forced herself to smile, laugh and — good God — flirt. She stuffed away her natural inclination to retreat from such crowds and by her third gin and tonic, she was feeling quite chatty. Downright extroverted.
From the corner of her eye she saw Vince and Nolan but she made no overt show of recognition. No one would ever guess that she was their willing sex slave behind closed doors. She smothered a giggle and realized that she was more than a little tipsy — she was nearly drunk.
But it felt good to just let go and relax. She was about to order another drink when she realized she was wobbling a bit in her expensive heels.
“Whoa there,” a voice said as she stumbled into the arms of a man who happened to be in the right place at the right time to prevent an embarrassing spill on her behind. She started to smile blearily at her savior when she realized with a fluttery start that she’d landed in Dillon’s arms. “My brothers are not taking very good care of their pet,” Dillon murmured low enough so that only she could hear. She frowned but in her current state she was too inebriated to refute his claim. In fact, she agreed just a teensy bit. But that was bad of her, wasn’t it? Why was Dillon so beautiful? Why couldn’t he look horrid? With a limp and a lump on his back? “Perhaps you should call it a night,” he suggested when all she did was stare.