Chapter 1
Mallory’s stomach was in knots as she walked tentatively through the hotel foyer, Jake leading her by the hand. He was gripping it firmly, stilling her trembling fingers. How could he look so calm and cool when she was a mess of nerves? Mallory peeked up at him, taking him in.
His eyes twinkled down at her, two points of blue-green light standing in contrast to the black mask that covered the upper half of his face. Jake looked more than just cool and collected; his graceful, fluid movements coupled with his heavily muscled physique gave him an aura of power and danger. This was only enhanced by the fact that he was dressed as a sixteenth-century Venetian nobleman. He wore a black leather jacket with stitched vine-like patterns at the collar and cuffs over a simple white tunic. The top of it had been left untied, and it fell open to reveal his chiseled chest with its sprinkling of dark hair. Tight black trousers showed off his taut ass, and the tall black leather boots he was wearing clicked ominously on the tiled floor as he led her out into the terrifying night.
Where Jake was a dark prince, Mallory was a decadent courtesan. A beautiful Venetian wooden mask hid her identity, covering the top half of her face. It had sweeping curves, and it was all white with gold and light-blue accents that brought out the sky blue of her eyes. She was tightly cinched into her corseted gown, her br**sts threatening to spill out if she so much as breathed too hard. It was uncomfortable, but at the same time there was something erotic about how it restricted her. Jake had insisted on lacing it up for her, and as he had done so a pleasurable and unexpected warmth had pervaded her sex. It was as though he was giving her a constant, physical reminder of his dominance over her body, controlling her every shallow breath through constricting her in the corset.
A bellhop opened the door for them with a slight bow. It opened directly onto the canal, where a gondola was waiting for them. Waiting to take them to a fetish ball. Mallory could hardly believe this was happening to her, that she had actually agreed to this. She felt detached from her body, as though she were watching someone else gripping Jake’s hand like a lifeline as she was lowered into the boat. The salty, earthy smell of the city enveloped her as she sat down on the cushioned bench seat. Although there was no chill in the air, Mallory was shivering.
Jake gave her hand a little squeeze, looking down at her kindly. “You’re fine, Mallory.” His eyes turned hungry as he took her in. “You look beautiful.”
Mallory couldn’t help blushing at the compliment, distracted from her fear by his obvious lust for her. “I’m nervous, Jake,” she confessed, a bit ashamed to admit her uneasiness. Among her friends, she was usually the daring one when it came to sexual matters. She had had to practically drag her best friend Sally into her first sex shop to buy a simple vibrator, and she had even been to a strip club with one of her ex-boyfriends.
But the thought of going to a strip show paled in comparison with where she was going now. The disparity between the two was almost laughable. Well if this isn’t daring I don’t know what is. What had she let Jake cajole her into?
Jake gently rubbed the pad of his thumb over the back of her hand. “It’s okay to be nervous,” he assured her. “I was nervous my first time.”
She blinked up at him, startled by his admission. She couldn’t imagine a nervous Jake; he was always so confident. “Really?” She asked, disbelieving.
Detecting her doubtful tone, he laughed softly. “Despite what you may think, I have insecurities just like everyone else.”
Mallory’s eyebrows rose. “Yeah, that’s so obvious,” she said sarcastically.
But Jake’s eyes were sincere. The real man behind the arrogant mask had come to the fore again, but that aura of power still surrounded him. Mallory realized in that moment that his Dominant nature was more than just a persona that he assumed to protect his vulnerability; it was an intrinsic part of him. And rather than being irked by it as she was by his cockiness, she found it… comforting. And arousing.
He flashed her an easy smile, and the wind was knocked right out of her. God, he was sexy when he smiled like that. “Don’t worry, Mallory,” he soothed her. “Nothing will happen if you don’t want it to. We can leave at any time if you feel at all uncomfortable. You have your safe word, remember?”
Mallory let out a small sigh of relief. Knowing that she had an out eased her nerves. “Yes, I remember: ‘red.’”
“Do you want to use it now, Mallory?” He asked, spearing her with an earnest gaze. “The last thing I want is to upset you. I’m taking you to the ball because I think you will enjoy it.” His grin turned a bit wolfish. “And because I want to show up with the sexiest woman there.”
Mallory blushed, deeply complimented but not quite believing his words. She had always considered herself pretty, but she knew that she was far from gorgeous. “No,” she whispered. “I don’t want to use my safe word.”
“Excellent,” he beamed. He leaned into her slowly, and she came forward to meet him. Heat swirled in her belly as his lips took hers gently but firmly. As he kissed her, his powerful aura washed over her, making her feel protected, reassuring her that she could make it through this if he was by her side.
After a few sweet minutes, he pulled away, leaving her wanting. He gave her a small, knowing smile that made her sex clench. “We’re here,” he said softly as they stopped before a door that opened directly onto the canal. He stood and knocked sharply on the door in a peculiar pattern.
Mallory’s heart suddenly leapt up into her throat, beating wildly. She clung tightly to Jake’s hand as he pulled her to her feet, helping her step up out of the gondola and through the door that had opened to admit them. He linked her arm through his, his stance formal and assured. Mallory struggled to match his composure as they walked through the marble-floored entranceway. There were two men in identical full black-and-white masks waiting to admit them to the main room. Mallory almost wished that those double doors would never open, that she could stay suspended in this moment rather than face what was behind them.