Buttons and Lace (Buttons 1)

The second we fell silent, my eyes drooped. Exhaustion crept over me, and I felt my body slip away. Slowly, I drifted until conscious thoughts ceased. I fell into a dreamless sleep.

Thanks to him.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Crow

I sat in my study with my bottle of scotch beside me. I was going over this month’s margins for the winery and was pleased to see that the new distribution center was a success. The generated revenue was worth the expense.

Lars’s voice came over the intercom. “Your Grace, Cane just approached the gate.”

My blood went cold when I realized what he said. “Thank you.”

“Shall I let him in?”

“Stall for two minutes.”

“Of course, sir.”

I abandoned my office and went downstairs to her room. She was probably reading on her couch. She hadn’t spoken to me since last night. She didn’t hide her loathing of me. In fact, she despised me at the moment. But that would change next time I got between her legs.

I didn’t knock like I normally did. I burst through the doors.

She was sitting on the couch, exactly where I expected her to be. “Uh, have you heard of knocking?”

“Come with me. Now.” I snapped my fingers and pointed to the door.

Her eyes widened in offense. She opened her mouth to give me back talk.

“Cane is here.” That was all I needed to say.

She set the book down and came to my side, panic in her eyes.

“I know he’ll come in here looking for you. Follow me.” I headed back up the stairs to the third floor with her close behind me. I went to the hallway on the right, away from the one where my bedroom was located. I pulled a key out of my pocket and unlocked the large green door.

She stood beside me, eyeing the door with uncertainty. “What room is this?”

“It’s one he won’t go into.” I stepped inside and shut the door behind us.

She gasped when she saw the leather straps hanging from the ceiling, the king-size bed in the corner, and the shelves of sex toys and whips. “Oh my god...”

I hadn’t invited her to my playroom because I knew she wasn’t ready for it. But I didn’t have a choice now. “Just stay in here until I come back for you. Make yourself comfortable.”

“I’m supposed to make myself comfortable in here?” she asked incredulously.

“Unless you want to go down there with me?” I threatened.

She shot me a glare before she walked to the bed. She sat down and pulled her knees to her chest.

“I’ll be back in about an hour.”

“Okay.”

I left the room and locked the door behind me. The steel door would keep Cane out. I didn’t want his hands on my slave. I didn’t want him touching my possession.

I walked to the other side of the mansion until I met Cane in the entryway. He wore one of his finest suits, looking like an upstanding citizen. His jaw was cleanly shaved, and his hair was styled.

“Hey, bro. Long time, no see.”

“Hello, Cane.” I hid my annoyance as best as possible. When he knew he got under my skin, he just irritated me even more. “Miguel told me they received the first shipment. Loved the product.”

“They should.” He stood with his hands in his pockets. “It’s the finest machinery the world has ever seen. Nothing Bones can compare with.”

“Bones can’t compare with anything.” Talking about business was the one thing Cane and I could do civilly. We had the same best interest in mind, and we worked well together. Once it became personal, we butted heads. Ever since Vanessa passed away, things between us had been worse. She was the glue that kept us together. She was the disciplinarian that kept us in line, probably because she resembled our mother so well.

When I thought about her too much, the pain welled inside me. I felt the grief seep out of my skin. The agony was too much to bear, so I pushed it to the darkest recesses of my mind.

“So...where’s your little plaything?”

“Tied up somewhere.”

He grinned just like an excited boy. “So, you finally grew a backbone and knocked her around a bit?”

The most I’d ever done was spank her—and that got me rock hard. Her skin grew red from the bite of the leather, and I thought I was going to come in my boxers just from thinking about it. “You could say so.”

“How is she?” he asked. “Is she a crier? A screamer?”

The question was way too personal. What Button and I had was intimate. She was mine, and I didn’t want to share her with anyone. I didn’t even want to share stories of her. “Did you come here for a reason?”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re lame.”

I waited for him to answer my question, not caring about the half-assed insult.

“I want a go. That was the deal.”