Max pulled her into his side as a brisk wind kicked up. He hurried them toward a jewelry store two doors up. Callie recognized the name. Very exclusive. Very expensive.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t used to being around money. Her parents had money. It was just that Callie didn’t. Not that she couldn’t, but from the time she’d been old enough to understand that her parents were wealthy, she’d always been determined to pay her own way. Much to her parents’ dismay.

With three fathers all dying to spoil their only little girl, Callie had put a kink in their plans by refusing to let them pay for anything.

These kinds of places made her nervous. Not that she hadn’t been in them. But they made her feel like a fraud.

They went inside, and an older gentleman in an expensive suit immediately came forward to greet Max.

“Good to see you, Mr. Wilder.”

Max took his outstretched hand and shook it briefly. “And you, Winston. Do you have them ready for me?”

Winston nodded and motioned for Max and Callie to follow him into a small room off the main showroom.

“Please, have a seat.” He gestured toward two plush armchairs in front of a highly polished executive desk. He then walked around to sit behind the desk and he opened one of the drawers.

He drew out a velvet case, much larger than Callie would have imagined. She raised an inquisitive brow in Max’s direction. He only smiled and directed Winston to open the box.

Winston complied and turned the box around, pushing it in Max’s direction.

Inside were two intricately designed bracelets. Although they were much wider than a typical bracelet. They looked more like cuffs.

Max pulled one of the pieces of jewelry out of the box and held it up. He looked at it from side to side and then made a sound of approval before picking up the second one.

“Put your arms out, dolcezza.”

She did so without hesitation. Max first clasped one around her left wrist and then placed the other one on her right wrist. The cool metal closed around her flesh and to her surprise, he took out a tiny key, inserted it into the clasp and locked it.

“I considered gold, but platinum looks more beautiful on you,” he said. “It suits you.”

He raised both hands to view the jewelry on her wrists. Satisfaction lit his eyes and then he glanced at her. “Do you like them?”

She carefully pulled her hands away from Max so she could study the intricate designs on the bands. Along the bottom of the left cuff was inscribed: Two halves of a whole. She glanced at the right cuff to see inscribed: We are one.

And on the inside in flowery script: Max and Callie.

Tears shimmered in her vision and she lifted her gaze to Max. “They’re beautiful.”

Max raised his hand dismissively, and Winston hurried out of the office, leaving Max and Callie alone. Max returned his attention to her and gathered her hands in his.

“You’ll wear these as long as we’re together. You’ll not take them off. Ever. We’ll both have a key, but know that you voluntarily taking them off will mean that you no longer want to be with me. In my eyes these are more binding than a wedding ring. They signal my possession. My ownership and your acceptance of that. Do you understand?”

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak around the knot in her throat.

He raised her hands to his mouth and pressed a kiss across her knuckles. “I love you, Callie. This more than anything else is a symbol of that love.”

She smiled brilliantly, until her cheeks ached with the effort. “I love them, Max. I’ll wear them always.”

His eyes lit up and his smile was as broad as hers. The joy in his expression made her heart clench, and a giddy thrill rushed down her spine. He loved her. She made him happy. It was almost too much for her to contemplate.

“Are you hungry? It’s getting late in the afternoon and I have yet to feed you. I’m neglecting my dolcezza.”

“Starving,” she admitted. “Being naughty is hard work!”

His laughter filled the room and he stood, pulling her up next to him. He caught her against him and tipped her chin up to receive his kiss. “You are so perfect for me, Callie.” He squeezed her one last time and then ushered her from the office and out to the waiting car.

Chapter Twenty

On the drive back to Max’s apartment, Callie battled the blanket of lethargy that settled over her. But the moment they arrived and took the lift up to his penthouse, anticipation replaced the threads of fatigue.Her body hummed with excitement as she remembered the promises he’d made for when they returned.

The doorman accompanied them up, carrying the many bags with the extravagant purchases Max had made. Max directed him to drop them just inside the door, and then the doorman made a discreet exit, leaving Max and Callie standing in the foyer.

“You may leave your clothing here,” Max said as he pointed to a coat rack and a small wicker basket placed strategically by the door.

Callie quickly undressed, hanging her shirt and skirt on the hook. She slipped off her bra and underwear and let them flutter from her fingers into the basket. When she would have discarded her heels, Max put a hand to her wrist to stop her.

“Keep the shoes. I find I quite like them on you.”

She smiled. They were killer. Total fuck-me shoes. Red stilettos with three-inch heels. They complemented her legs, making them look much longer and sleeker than they were.

He gestured for her to walk ahead of him into the living room, and she set off, the heels tapping across the polished floor.

She stopped in the middle of the room, unsure of where he’d want her. She turned to find his gaze fixed solidly on her. He seemed to be contemplating… What, she wasn’t sure, but it sent a trail of chill bumps over her shoulders and down to her breasts until her nipples beaded and puckered.

He smiled lazily. “I don’t know whether to wait and make you anticipate what is to come or whether to give in to my own impatience and begin now.”

She remained silent, watching him and waiting. She was a very impatient person—always had been—but she found with Max that she was perfectly willing to await his pleasure.

“Tell me, dolcezza, have I tired you out too much today? Do you need to rest for a while?”

Trust Max to be ever so considerate. He was always concerned with her needs even when they might contradict his own wants. She trembled under the steady weight of his gaze. Her body was alive with anticipation. No, she didn’t need rest. She needed him.

“No,” she said softly. “I need only what you want to give.”

The pleasure in his eyes warmed her straight through.

“Turn around.”

Slowly she turned until her back was to him. She heard him close the distance between them and then his hand cupped her behind. Lovingly he caressed, smoothing over one cheek and then the other.

She barely had time to suck in her breath before he issued a sharp blow with his palm. She jumped but he was there to steady her.

“Careful. I’ve asked you to remain in the heels, but I won’t do so to your detriment.”

A warm buzz spread over her ass as the burn faded into pleasure. He rubbed and caressed the spot he’d struck, and then he smacked her other cheek. This time she was prepared and stood her ground.

Her eyes closed as he continued to caress her throbbing buttocks. Twice more he delivered a measured smack to her ass and each time he soothed the hurt with gentle caresses.

“I love seeing the imprint of my hand on your beautiful, soft skin. I enjoy watching as the hurt turns to pleasure as your body relaxes and your breathing changes. You like the pain.”

She nodded.

“You also love the pleasure.”

She nodded again.

He took her elbow and guided her toward the end of the couch. “Bend over and place your hands on the cushion. Let the arm cradle your belly.”

She did as he asked and settled over the end of the couch until her ass was perched high in the air.

“I’m going to start slow and work up as I see how well you tolerate the pain. I’m not going to stop until your ass is completely red and you’re begging me to fuck you. Can you take it, Callie? Dare I see just how far I can push you?”

Oh yes. God yes. She was nearly panting and he hadn’t even begun.

“The words, Callie. I want to hear the words.”

“Please, Max. Do your worst.”

He chuckled then. “You have no idea what my worst is. You aren’t ready for that. But you will be.”

The dark thread in his voice completely contradicted his husky laughter. She was so on edge, so keyed up by what was to come that she could orgasm right now with only one touch. And maybe that was why he was so careful not to do so.

The first smack was light. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of his palm against her flesh. He delivered another to the other cheek and she moaned.

True to his word he began slow. Measured. Never twice in the same spot. He methodically covered every inch of her ass, meting out blows with the same force.

Her mouth was open and she panted softly, wanting, needing. It was on the tip of her tongue to beg him to fuck her now, but that would only disappoint him. He wanted her to take more. A lot more. She wanted to give him what he wanted.

And she absolutely wanted to see just how much she could take before she gave in to the urge to plead.

He picked up the pace and the blows became harder and more painful. But with each one, the burn was quickly replaced by soft euphoria. Almost as if she floated out of her body on a cloud of never-ending pleasure.

She closed her eyes and sighed dreamily even as the blows came faster. Harder.

The sound of the smacks rose in the quiet room. Her entire body jiggled and lurched forward, forcing her to brace herself against the cushions.

No longer could she differentiate between the blows. It was all one hazy, edgy sensation that blended in a long trail of pain and indescribable pleasure.

She floated higher and higher. Her mind was no longer her own. All she knew was Max. Max’s hand. On her body. His pleasure. His belonging. His body. Not hers. She was his.

“I wish you could see how beautiful your ass is. Rosy red. So red that you can’t tell one mark from the other. It glows. Just like you.”

She moaned as he began again. Harder this time. Deliberately punishing. He was driving her further and further to her breaking point.

She bit her lip to keep from crying out. She wouldn’t. Not yet.

“Give me the words,” he demanded. “I won’t stop until you beg me. And then I’m going to fuck you until we both drop.”

It was her undoing. She opened her mouth and the words spilled out.

“Please, Max. Please. Fuck me. Take me. Make me yours. Please,” she said brokenly.

He left her immediately. Before she realized he’d quit, his fingers wrapped in her hair and yanked her head to the side. She was still positioned over the arm of the couch, her ass throbbing, aching, thrust high in the air, when he gripped her hair and shoved his cock into her mouth.

As he’d promised, he wasn’t gentle. He fucked her mouth as ruthlessly as he’d fucked her pussy and her ass in the past. She couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything but lie there, his hand twisted tight in her hair as he thrust deep to the back of her throat.

He leaned over the couch so his angle was better. His body covered her face and his hips slapped against her as he pushed into her over and over until she wasn’t aware of breathing, only of receiving him.

He was exerting his dominance. There was no doubt as to what he was doing. He wasn’t making love to her. He was possessing her. Showing her that she belonged to him. That her body belonged to him and he could do as he liked.

She lay there, reveling in that possession. She was more than willing for him to mark her, brand her, own her. He’d never hurt her. She knew that. He’d take her as far as she could go, but he’d stop in a heartbeat if she asked him to.

She was equally determined that those words would never pass her lips.

With a harsh groan, he jerked away, leaving her to lick her swollen lips, nearly numb from the force of his possession.

He walked behind her again and rubbed over her still-throbbing ass. She gasped when he issued several sharp blows in succession.

Only when he’d worked her back up to the haze where the line between pain and pleasure was blurred did he spread her legs wide and slam into her from behind.

It was too much. She was too on edge. As soon as his cock thrust deep into her body, her orgasm rolled over her like a tidal wave.

She cried out as her body tightened, drew up, painful in its intensity. Then as if a sharp knife cut cleanly through the taut rope holding her captive, she shattered.

She screamed, the sound sharp through the silence. Her body wasn’t her own. She couldn’t control her reaction, couldn’t hold her release at bay.

Through it all, Max hammered relentlessly, thrusting, pushing her further and further over the precipice.

She could hear herself begging, just as he’d vowed she’d do, but she had no idea what she begged for. She pleaded, wanting more, not wanting him to stop even as her breaths tore raggedly from her nose and mouth.