It was probably the right move. He couldn’t tear her apart if she was with Weston. He wouldn’t have to make the hard decisions Tag had talked about. He could shove her to them, give her over, and just worry about himself.
He could become everything Tag accused him of being.
But just for a while, he’d been something more.
“No. Watch out for her, but she stays with me. If you try to go above my head and get Nigel to move her, I’ll remove you from the operation altogether. Are we understood?”
A smirk curled Ian’s lips up. “Good to know. Maybe I was wrong about you not being right for the New York job. You know you don’t always have to accept the long, slow slide into crap, Knight. Sometimes it’s all about finding the person who won’t let you go dark. When you find that person, you can’t let them go.” He shivered a little. “God, that was gross. Can we be done with this now and you tell Charlie that I’m a perfect angel and you’re the devil who broke her friend’s heart?”
“Sure.”
“Charlie’s the one who set her tits free, though. By the way, they look good. Totally real. It’s the only way to go. See, I feel so much better talking about your girlfriend’s tits than the emotional crap.”
He ignored the idea that Penelope was his girlfriend and concentrated on the fact that she was apparently being allowed to run wild. “What the hell is your wife doing?”
A grimace took over Tag’s face and he ground the word out. “Makeover.”
Damon didn’t understand. Penelope was lovely the way she was. Yes, she was understated, but he liked her that way. Perhaps a better grade of clothing was called for but nothing more than that. “She doesn’t need to be made over.”
A long sigh left Tag’s mouth. “Apparently when a chick gets her ass dumped, all the other chicks swarm in and there’s tears and tequila and makeup and really low-cut shirts. That’s why you should avoid her tonight. Although her tits looked good.”
He was losing his bloody mind. “You are going to have to explain that to me.”
Tag cupped his own chest in a deeply juvenile gesture. “Tits. Breasts. Women have them. They’re fun to play with.”
“Why would you know what Penelope’s breasts look like?” Damon asked through gritted teeth.
“Cause she’s naked downstairs. Charlie’s makeovers can get out of control. Did I mention the tequila?”
He forgot about the glass and just took a swig from the bottle. It was going to be a long damn night.
Chapter Eleven
Penny woke up warm and happy, cuddled up next to Damon, his arm wrapped around her as he cradled her against his chest. She breathed in his scent, loving the masculine, woody smell that seemed to cling to him.
Without moving her body, she lifted her eyes up to look at him. He seemed younger sleeping, as though his cares had all fallen away. She wanted so badly to reach up and brush her hand against his jaw. It was covered in the beginnings of an inky black beard. He would get rid of it as soon as he woke up and showered, but she liked how it looked. Less civilized.
So ridiculously gorgeous it made her heart skip a beat.
He’d been passed out in bed when she’d finally made her way upstairs. Charlotte had enlisted the aid of the other women of The Garden, and her makeover had turned into a party with Chelsea and the Dom in Residence’s two subs, Lora and Anita. Penelope found them charming and open and more than willing to talk about the lifestyle and everything involved. It had been such a difference from the bland discussions she’d had with other women. They had laughed and talked about sex.
After a couple of tequila shots, Simon and Jesse and Ian had escorted them all to the nearest clothing store where Penelope had bought a bunch of clothes she would never have thought to even try on before.
It had been such fun. By the time she’d used her keycard to let herself into Damon’s rooms, she’d been ready for a fight. She’d come up with all her reasons for staying close to him.
He’d been asleep wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and his socks, a half-empty Scotch bottle next to him. Some super-agent he was. She’d pulled his socks off and tucked him into bed, then got ready and climbed in next to him.
It hadn’t been more than two minutes before he was rolling over and cuddling up to her and murmuring her name.
At least he was honest when he was asleep and drunk. She rather thought she would get a fight out of him this morning.
His hand moved along her side, and she felt a little moan leave his chest, though his eyes didn’t open. He sighed and Penny looked down. Sure enough, there was his morning mate. His cock was tenting up the sheet admirably.
Brave. Bold. That was the way she was now. Penny, the Brave. Penny, the woman who boldly stroked the cock she wanted to keep forever.
She let her hand run down his ripped abs to feel the tip of his dick as it stretched out of the top of his boxers. It reached almost to his navel and was so thick she could barely get her hand around it. Would it fit in her mouth? She wanted to try. She’d loved the way he’d licked and sucked her pussy. She wanted to pay back the favor, to learn his taste.
She wanted so much more, but she doubted he would let her have anything other than the physical for now. If he would allow her even that.
She wouldn’t know until she tried.
“What are you doing, Penelope?” His voice was a sexy rumble.
She forced herself not to move. Calm. Patience would win this battle. Patience and playing her part. Except she was beginning to understand it wasn’t a part. It was who she’d never known she was. “I was thinking about playing with your cock, Master.”
He hissed a little. “I meant what are you doing in my bed.”
He hadn’t moved an inch, hadn’t shifted away from her or pushed her back. He simply lay there, waiting for her answer.
It was an easy one. He hadn’t spoken much to her after the episode in Nigel’s office. “I did what you told me to. You told me I was to sleep in your bed, and I wasn’t allowed clothes.”
His eyes closed briefly. “Naturally, you’re naked.”
“It’s what you commanded, Master.” Charlotte had explained that men like Damon grew deeply aroused with the idea of command and obedience. He needed to think he was in control of her and the situation. To a point.
“And if I ordered you to leave me alone?”