The play was a wonderful love story, both witty and sigh-worthy. Damian held my hand the entire time. During intermission they brought a fancy dinner to our private box. Damian was ever the gentleman, helping me know what to do with the foods I was unfamiliar with, always a happy smile on his face. It was nice. I’d expected scorn when he discovered I didn’t know the rules of etiquette, but he never once seemed frustrated or disappointed in my lack of knowledge.

“My parents are going to love you,” he murmured as we watched the end of the play, his hand firmly grasping mine once again. “I didn’t tell you this, but we’ll meet them in their country home tomorrow night. Part of the reason you needed more clothing before we get back to our apartment.”

“Oh.” I quickly nodded. “That’s fine. Makes sense that they’d want to know what’s going on.”

“Well, they knew I was coming out here to find a bride. They both agree I need a good woman by my side in order to win the election next year. I think they wanted to pick one for me, but I refused.”

“I see.” I shifted slightly in my seat, resting my head against his shoulder as I continued staring at the stage below us. “You said they’ll love me, but if they wanted to choose your bride, what if they hate me?”

Damian disentangled his fingers from mine, very slowly putting his arm around my shoulders. I appreciated how slowly he moved, giving me a chance to speak up if I didn’t want him touching me like that.

“They’ll love you,” he repeated, stroking my hair while my heart fluttered at the sensation. “The second I saw you, it was as though we were meant to be. I’m happy that I found you, and I know they’ll be happy for me too.”

He almost sounded like he wasn’t considering our relationship a mere contract. He’d also said something like that back at the hotel. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. First impressions were great. I totally loved the gentleman he’d shown me today, but that could all change in the coming weeks, months, or even years. Why was he so determined to romance me?

“I feel a little ungrateful, but I’m confused,” I said. “Didn’t you want a contract bride so she’d do whatever you wanted? You don’t have to go so far to romance me. I’ll play my part perfectly, both in front of voters and in our private life around friends or family. You don’t have to pretend this is something more.”

“I...” He shook his head, resuming the long, gentle strokes against my hair without speaking.

Deciding that might be all I’d get out of him at the moment, I returned my attention to the stage, watching the exciting climax of the story. The heroine found out the man wasn’t the person she thought he was. She stormed off, heartbroken, only to have him chase her down, making a grand declaration of love. As the actors threw themselves toward each other in a passionate kiss, the stage lights went down, and the crowd erupted into pleased applause and cheers.

I smiled happily while clapping my appreciation to the actors. If only real life worked out that well. If my life with Damian were a play, we’d end up madly in love, we’d overcome any obstacle life put in our way, and we’d live happily ever after. It was a nice dream, but we’d signed a contract. I couldn’t help but feel like Damian wasn’t being entirely honest with me.

There was no way he really felt something for me, not in a few hours. Was I overthinking this? Should I just go along with it and see what happened?

“Are you happy?” Damian asked, making no attempt to move from his seat as the rest of the viewers outside the private boxes scampered for the doors.

“I’m happy,” I agreed. “This was fun. Still, I have to wonder at your motive.”

“My motive?” His deep chuckle again rumbled his chest, doing funny things to my insides as the vibrations transferred to me, still tucked safely beneath his arm. “I have no motive other than making you happy. I told you that.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” I protested, unable to let it go after all. “I know I said I wouldn’t argue about being romanced, but I’m not sure why you want to spend so much extra money on me when I’m already a sure thing.”

“You deserve it, okay? I want to do this.”

“But, that doesn’t make any se—”

“Enough!” Damian’s shout cut off my words, and suddenly he had me in his grasp, pulling me toward his lips.

His mouth crashed over mine, hungrier and needier than the sweet kiss we’d shared earlier. He took my lower lip in his mouth, sucking on it until a low moan erupted from me. Taking that as the consent it was, Damian pulled me toward him, lifting me off my own chair and onto his. He greedily took my lips, then sucked my tongue into his mouth.

His hands went crazy. He stroked my back and down further, caressing my bum and making me moan again. What the heck was this? We were in public and he’d said before he wanted to take things slower. As he broke off the kiss and attacked my neck, I didn’t have the brain capacity to question it any longer.

Intense pleasure coursed through my body, his lips and fingers magical on my skin and over the top of my designer dress. After a few more indescribably sweet kisses, Damian sucked my earlobe into his mouth, provoking a squeal of delight I couldn’t quite hold back.

“Shhh...” he murmured. “We don’t want anyone looking up here. We didn’t pull the curtain.”

Realizing he was right, I untangled myself enough to snag the edge of it, pulling it closed as best I could.

His chuckle shook both our bodies as he drew me back to him. “Don’t want any looky-loos, huh? That’s okay, I’m not into that either.”

As though the curtain were enough modesty for him, he pulled me back more firmly on his lap, slipping his hand inside the slit up my dress to caress the skin of my inner thighs.

“Oh, Damian,” I breathed, knowing I probably shouldn’t give myself over to the pleasure right here in the playhouse, but somehow unable to tell him to stop. “I think you’re just trying to distract me from my questions.”

He breathed heavily into my ear. “Is it working?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

One hand continued stroking my thighs, while the other snuck between us to paw at my chest. My nipples immediately formed into stiff peaks and I tipped my head back, gasping in pleasure at his touch. “That feels so good.”

He licked the hallow of my throat. “Is this why you don’t want romance? You prefer hot sex?”

Despite the provocation of his words, they didn’t make me angry. Instead, I laughed. “Maybe I want both.”

Deciding he shouldn’t be the only one working to make me feel good, I ran my hands over his chest, then untucked his shirt and slipped my hands into the band of his slacks. I teased at the skin there, caressing it just like he stroked my thighs, hoping it was driving him just as crazy as his touch did me.

“Damn, Bella, we have to get out of here. The hotel isn’t far, but I don’t know if I can make it that long if you keep touching me.”

I covered his lips with mine, taking the initiative to kiss him deeply. “Let’s go,” I whispered, surprised at how husky my voice sounded. “I want you to make me yours.”

He helped me stand, straightening my dress before standing beside me and tucking his shirt into his pants. “I’ll text the driver. Let’s hurry.”

Even though he’d effectively stopped me from expressing my concerns or question his motives, I no longer cared. Whether his nice persona was an act meant to impress me or if he was truly a sweet man who I could see myself easily falling for, none of that mattered.

For now, I wanted to get back to our room and enjoy our wedding night. Earlier, I looked on it as a duty. Now, I could hardly wait, anticipating the pleasure we could give each other.

DAMIAN

Damn, but Bella was more persistent than I’d thought. I feared she’d soon realize why I was being so nice. She never stopped questioning me. The only way to shut her up was to kiss her. Luckily, my touch seemed to excite her as much as hers did me. If I could keep her believing I was a nice guy, pampering her out of the goodness of my heart and not because I felt so damn guilty, that would be ideal.

However, it was hard to remember I should feel guilty when she touched me. Her hands were small and soft but felt so amazing against my skin. As soon as we entered our hotel room, the ban we’d both put on touching in the limo was finally over.

I scooped her up in a bridal carry, giving her a second to adjust while I made sure I hadn’t provoked any bad memories from the past. When she smiled and reached her arms around me, kissing my neck, I decided she was fine. I hurried through the living room, heading for the bedroom and the king-sized bed inside.

I tossed her lightly onto the mattress, kicking my shoes off before climbing up beside her. Slowly, I slipped one black Prada heel off her, bringing her foot to my face and kissing her plump little toes.

“Eww!” She giggled while pulling away. “I hope you don’t have a foot fetish. That’s gross!”

I joined in her laughter, pulling off the other shoe and tossing them off the bed. “I’m willing to kiss every inch of your body. Whatever you want, your wish is my command.”

It sounded funny coming out of my mouth. I’d never really cared what my sexual partners wanted. However, I wanted Bella to have a perfect life. That included our nighttime fun.

Bella flashed a dazzling smile, the one that turned her looks from merely pretty to as beautiful as the beauty queens she said I should have gone after. “Do you know Prudence at Millionaire Partners calls you clients the masters? She says we’ll be mastered by our new husbands and to get used to following orders.”

I grimaced, her words ruining the sexy mood I had wanted to create. “Why are you talking about something like that now? I thought we were in the middle of something better than talking about that woman.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to mess up your moves.” She giggled, reaching out for me. “Come here. I’ll make it all better.”

She slowly stripped off my jacket, then went to work on the buttons of my shirt. My heart thudded at a rapid rate, thoughts of making things perfect for her rapidly dwindling. I struggled to retain any thought beyond lust, stopping her hand when she began undoing my pants.

“Wait, Bella. You’re going too fast.”

She let out a sexy giggle as she ran her hand up my chest. “Isn’t that the woman’s line?”

“I want tonight to be good for us both, not just me.” I stopped her hand again when she tried to resume work on my zipper. Reaching around her back, I slowly lowered the zipper of the dress, lightly stroking her skin while I peeled the fabric away. “Tell me what you like. Tell me what turns you on. Also, I want to make sure I don’t scare you, so you have to be vocal and tell me what you need.”

“You’d do all that for me?”

Her eyes went wide and without warning she lunged at me, pressing her mouth into mine with so much force our teeth bumped. She let out another laugh, but I didn’t let her go, holding her tight and kissing her deeply. The taste of an after-dinner mint on her breath tantalized my senses. Without breaking off the kiss, I drew the dress down her arms, slowly revealing her lacy white bra.

Her nipples already jutted outward, ready for more of my touch. I might have thought her proportions were slight when looking at her pictures earlier, but having her in my arms, she seemed just right.

With expert movements, I unfastened her bra and yanked it free, immediately going for her breasts as I laid her against the pillows.

She moaned and squirmed beneath me, her face the image of pleasure. When I lifted her hips to finish removing the dress and panties, she arched upward to help me.

My hand sought out her privates, and she was already slick with wetness. Satisfaction flooded through me, knowing I was the one who’d turned her on that much. “You’re already wet, Bella. Do you like this that much?”

“Yes,” she moaned, nodding as her warm eyes gazed at me. “You feel good, Damian. I want more. Touch me more.”

Not needing further encouragement, I buried my head between her legs, lapping up her sweet nectar. The smell of her arousal made my cock strain inside my pants. She was ready for me, and I was more than ready for her.

I teased at her opening with my fingers while I licked and sucked at her, loving the way her body twitched when I hit the right spot and how her gasping breaths made sweet music that filled the room.

“Damian,” she panted, “I want so much more than this. Please, make me your wife in every sense.”

Flicking my tongue faster against her tight clit, I couldn’t help but be proud when her breathing changed into loud moans and she writhed on the bed, hands clenching in my hair.

“Oh, oh, Damian. I’m going to lose it. You’re making me lose my mind.”

I slipped my fingers inside her, continuing the attack with my tongue.

Her moans changed to a shriek and she sat up half way, holding me to her as a deep tremble went throughout her body. After a few seconds, her shaking stopped, and she dropped against the bed, breathing hard.

Taking that as my signal, I quickly shed the remainder of my clothes, slipping up her body as I slid between her legs with a sense of homecoming. Why did this seem so right?

Bella’s hands ran down my back, making me even hotter. “Kiss me!” she demanded.

I hurried to comply, pressing soft pecks into her mouth as I prepared to enter her. She wrapped her hands around my head, once again gripping my hair as she held my mouth against hers, sucking on my tongue and moaning like crazy.

It was too much. I couldn’t stand it any longer. As gently as I could in my frantic lust, I guided myself into her opening, entering her slowly.

She let out another gasp, then wrapped her legs around my back, pulling me more deeply inside. “I want you. Show me what my husband’s made of.”

Smiling against her mouth, I held myself up with one arm while I tweaked her nipple with the other.

As we moved together, the sense of rightness grew. I’d never been this in sync with a lover before. It felt like Bella could anticipate my motions, matching the rhythm and kissing me in between each thrust.

In no time at all, we both panted, and I was so close. I wanted her to finish again in sync with me, so I held myself back as much as I could.

“Bite my nipple,” she said, reaching down between us and pinching it as she pulled it up toward me.

I was uncertain how much she meant what she said, but she must know what turned her on more than I did at this point. Cautiously, I thrust myself roughly inside again and brought myself into position. I gently bit down on the pink, peaked flesh.

“Yes,” she moaned, her fingernails digging into my back. “Harder, Damian, harder.”

I wasn’t sure if she meant the bite or the thrusting, so I did both as best as I was able. Within moments, I could no longer hold back, and I stopped biting her, thrusting with all there was in me.

“Yes, yes, yes,” she moaned, again marking my back. “I can’t wait any more. Yes! Do it as hard as you can!”

Letting go of any fears, I pounded her as hard as possible, flinging one slender leg over my shoulder and thrusting for all I was worth.

She pulled her own nipples and in a few moments her climax took over. She let out a shriek as she wrapped her arms around me to dig into my back again. Her scratches stung in a way that made me cum harder as we trembled in each other’s embrace.

BELLA

Once I caught my breath, I had the presence of mind to feel embarrassed. I hadn’t slept with many partners in my short life, and some of them found my desire to be bitten a turn off. I was glad Damian did as I asked, but I wondered if he disliked it.

For some reason, I seemed to live on the edge of life. A balance was needed between pleasure and pain for me to truly enjoy any sexual experiences. My roommate had theorized it was due to my trauma. She thought that maybe I needed something to truly prove to myself I was alive, thus needing the pain before experiencing the ultimate pleasure. It was as good of an explanation as I had and sounded entirely plausible.

Still, I hadn’t meant for Damian to find out about it, especially not on our first night together. He’d told me he wanted to please me, and I had to admit that the first orgasm he gave me was wonderful. It just didn’t quite take me to the heights that feeling the sting of pain could do.

I stroked his head cautiously as he lay next to me, clearly exhausted. I could tell he’d been holding back for a while, trying to please me again before taking his own pleasure. The way he’d held himself back was the only reason I’d let him in on my dirty little secret.

After a few seconds, his breathing gentled and he propped himself up on an elbow, staring down at me with a huge smile. “So, pretty lady, how’s married life treating you?”

I laughed, finding it hard to be too embarrassed when faced with his clearly pleased attitude. “It’s treating me very well, if I’m honest.” I looked down, feeling my cheeks flush. “Was it okay for you? I wasn’t... too weird?”

“Weird?” He captured my mouth, giving me a long, slow kiss. “Weirdly wonderful, maybe?”

“But, I worried the biting...”

He kissed me again. “I told you I’d do whatever you wanted. If that’s what makes you scream so loud and scratching my back like that makes you feel good, I’m happy to oblige.”

Laughing again, realizing there was nothing for me to feel ashamed about, I met his gaze. “Good. I was afraid you’d be turned off by that. I teased you about a foot fetish, but I’m actually the one with a fetish. The pain helps me focus and then the pleasure is so much more intense.” I paused, shaking my head. “That’s weird, right?”

“Hmmm...” He flopped down beside me, pulling me against his chest without being as cautious with me as he’d been earlier. “Does it matter if it’s something different from most people? What matters is me and you, right?”

I nodded. “For the next ten years, yes.”

He sighed. “Can we stop talking about the contract? I know we’ve only been married half a day, but I don’t like thinking about this as just a contract.”

I placed my hands on his chest, propping my chin on the back of them. “I guess that makes sense. If it was just a few months, it’d be important to remember it wasn’t really real. I guess we’ll be spending a lot of time together.”

And, at the end, he would pay me seventeen million dollars. It was hard to believe, but I was now part of the rich class. I could be comfortable from now on.

Damian caressed my cheek, his brow furrowed. “Can’t we just let this relationship be real?” he asked. “I want to take you on dates and get to know you. True, we’re both bound by a contract, and we both have obligations to fulfill due to that, but is that really the only thing you want?”

Of course, it wasn’t. I’d always dreamed of finding love. But I was so weird. Who could love the screwed up girl who needed pain to feel pleasure and had a complete breakdown if she was left alone in the dark?

Still, if Damian wanted me to quit talking about the contract, if he wanted to work toward something real, who was I to argue?

“Fine,” I agreed, relaxing against his chest and absently stroking his very firm abs. “You’ve got a rockin’ body, you don’t have issues pleasuring me, and our date was really fun. I guess we don’t have to label this as just a contract.”

His muscles relaxed a bit beneath me. “Good. If it ends up not working, then we’ll figure something out, but for now, don’t put ‘contract’ before marriage when thinking about our relationship. We are married, and I’ll make you ridiculously happy.”

Even though I didn’t figure I deserved his kindness, I couldn’t help but be drawn in by it. “Thank you, Damian.” Squirming my way up his body, I kissed him to seal the deal. “Let’s sleep now. We have a big day tomorrow, convincing your parents that we’ll make a great couple.”

“Don’t let that worry you.” He gave me a couple more kisses, his lips tender against mine. “Everything’s going to be fine.”