I’m out of the car like a shot, practically kicking the doors of the Balconnet down. The doors close behind us, and Monster and I are ensconced in a dark little room. I can hear the faint throb of music coming from beyond the doors before us.

A party rages within, it seems.

I seethe silently as we’re handed masks by a footman. Of course, I should mostly be mad at myself for what happened in the car.

I slipped and forgot my place, lulled by a false sense of growing emotion. But just because I feel something for Monster, doesn’t mean he has to feel anything at all for me. I forgot that for a while, but no longer.

Monster doesn’t say anything as we both slip on the plain silver masks. The footman opens the door before us, and we look out into the foggy dimness. Monster puts his hand on my lower back as I step forward.

Then a second set of doors opens, showcasing the entirety of the club’s main room. Though dimly lit, the room sparkles and glints with strobe lights and mirror balls overhead. The music blares, a version of I Put A Spell on You set to a frenzied dubstep beat.

Everywhere I look, elegant people in ballroom dresses and tuxedoes gyrate in their masks. Monster puts his hand on the small of my back again, guiding me down a few steps and right into the fray.

There is a long wooden bar lining one wall, and he steers me toward it. My eyes widen when I see two women dancing together, grinding ecstatically. They’re both partially naked, their fancy dresses pushed down in the front, baring their breasts.

What kind of ball is this? I glance at Monster, moving closer to him despite being angry with him. I don’t feel safe here. A couple of men writhe in time, tongues down each other's throats.

At the bar, I have a drink, something Monster calls an amaretto sour. It’s actually pretty good, so I sip it while Monster looks around. I stiffen when I recognize his brother Damen coming our way, leading a waifishly thin young brunette by the hand.

Monster and Damen make eye contact, both nodding. Then Monster begins pushing me through the crowd, propelling me toward the back wall. He finds a room that’s set off the main one, leading me inside. Damen and his girlfriend come in right after me, which makes me stiffen.

Monster closes the door behind the girl, turning to introduce himself.

“I’m Arsen,” he says, not bothering to extend his hand to her. I catch my breath; this is the first time he has identified himself as anything other than Monster in front of me. “And this is Fiore.”

I extend my hand to the girl careful not to catch Damen’s eye. “It is very nice to meet you…”

She jumps in. “Bianka. Pleased to meet you. I imagine you already know Damen?”

I grit my teeth, willing myself not to bare them. “Yes, we’ve met.”

Monster snakes his arm out and pulls me close. I avert my face, heat blooming in my cheeks. I can see Bianka trying to make a connection between Damen and me, but I just keep my mouth shut.

Monster clears his throat. “Damen’s going to play nice. Isn’t that right, brother?”

Damen looks to Bianka. “I’ve got other things on my mind. Right, Bianka?”

She smiles. “Yes, daddy. That’s right.”

Damen leans in and kisses her, which makes me shudder. And she just lets him… hell, I think she actually likes it.

“I need a drink,” Damen says, not breaking the eye contact he’s making with Bianka. “And then I need to dance with my girl.”

I have never worked so hard to repress an eye roll before. Monster looks at him speculatively.

“We’ll talk later,” he says. He looks down at me. “I have things to attend to, but don’t leave town without talking to me, Damen.”

If Damen responds, I don’t hear it over the sudden blare of music as Monster opens the door again. We head back out onto the dance floor.

I pull Monster to a halt, going up on my tiptoes and pressing my mouth to his ear. “I want to leave.”

Monster considers that his eyes scanning my face my face for a long moment. “All right.”

My eyebrows lift in surprise, but he just turns and makes his way through the crowd, gripping my hand. We discard our masks as we step out of the noisy club.

“Come on,” he says, guiding my shoulders as we head away from the entrance. “The car is over this way.”

It starts raining suddenly, that heavy New Orleans kind of rain. Icy wet drops, already beginning to fill the gutters as we dash to the SUV, soaking my hair and my heavy ballgown. I slide inside the door that Monster holds open for me, grinning.

When Monster climbs in, he snakes his arm around my waist. “Take us to a hotel. I want to be catered to tonight.” He looks at me, his eyes glinting with a new kind of mischief. “How do you feel about ordering room service so late at night?”

Biting my lip, I lean close to whisper in his ear. “How late do you think they’ll be open? I want waffles… after I work up an appetite. Any ideas on how I’m going to do that?”

He laughs, his eyes crinkling. “I can think of a few. I can tie you up. Truss you and fuck you?”

My eyes widen a little. He runs his fingertips down my arm, then up to toy with my collar. He considers me as I shiver with pleasure. “Mmm, or maybe I can dominate you in other ways? We haven’t tried breath play yet…”

His fingers slide around my throat, a teasing imitation. My breath catches in my throat. I stare up at him, watching his steel grey eyes.

He smirks, drawing his fingertips down my collarbones, to my neckline. He traces the expanse of skin he finds there. “I think you’d like that too much. Would you do that with me? Maybe I could watch your touch yourself first?”

I am too excited and nervous to speak my mind in front of the driver, so I just nod. He leans down, catching my chin, and places the lightest kiss on my lips. I sigh, sinking into it, opening my mouth to his invasion. More than that, I welcome it. Beg him for it.

Demand it.

His mouth tastes sweet, his tongue finding mine. He makes a noise as he grips my arm, holding me down a bit. Dominating me with his touch and his kiss.

We pull up outside the St. Pierre hotel, a little place on the edge of the French Quarter. Inside the rather boring beige facade is a heart of gold; everything I see from the second I walk into the lobby is gold, or a mirror reflecting some gold surface.

The room is sorted very quickly, once Monster throws a wad of hundred-dollar bills onto the counter in front of the front desk person. Before I know it, we’re being let into the presidential suite on the top floor. It’s much classier and more subtle here than in the lobby. It’s rather modern, with an elegant black bed frame taking up one whole wall on one side and a set of gray couches on the other wall. Between them, a spotless white rug stretches across the hardwood floors.

The second the door begins closing behind him, Monster picks me up, his mouth descending to cover mine. He moves across the room. Staring up into his eyes, I am on fire for him.

I need him, need him to dominate me and make me feel like only he can. I giggle when he deposits me on the bed, my skirts flying everywhere.

“You laugh now,” he intones, stepping back to strip off his coat. “But we’ll see who’s laughing when you’re bent over my lap, being spanked. I know that you’ll like it. I know that it’ll get you wet, but you won’t be laughing at me anymore.”

My mouth drops open, my eyes widening. “You wouldn’t.”

He grins wickedly and begins rolling up his sleeves. “Oh, there isn’t much I wouldn’t do to you, princess.”

That nickname only comes out of his mouth when I’m about to do something dirty. At the sound of it, my core tightens. Everything is suddenly sensitive; the brush of the fabric at my neckline against my breasts, the feel of the satin of my panties against the crinolines under my skirts.

The chill of the white gold collar at my throat. My fingers come up to touch it as I nervously lick my lips.

Monster considers me for a moment, taking off his shoes and socks. “Turn around. Let me help you take off that dress. You won’t be needing it anymore.”

My heart in my throat, I shake my head. “No.”

His brows shoot up. “I’m sorry, what did you just say?”

Feeling bold, I repeat myself. “I said no. What are you going to do about it?”

He lunges forward, I let out a scream as he grabs me by the ankles. I kick and thrash as he pulls me to the edge of the bed, turning my body over.

“No!” I protest, continuing to struggle as he throws my skirts up, baring my white lace panties. “Monster…”

He grabs me by the hips, raising them while pushing my head down. “You talk too much. Did anybody ever tell you that, princess?”

When he uses that nickname again, I grimace, pressing my thighs together. As if that was enough to stop me from making a damp spot in my panties.

I gasp as Monster grasps my panties, yanking them down around my knees.

“Mmmm, what a pretty little pussy you have,” he murmurs, drawing his fingers across the back of my thighs. My core tightens as I grip the comforter.

He nudges my legs apart, spreading my pussy further for his viewing pleasure. Then he grips my hip, raising his hand. It lands with a startling smack on my ass cheek, stinging a little. I’ve no doubt that the impression of his hand is still there in scarlet.

“It’s nice, how your ass wobbles when I teach you your lessons,” he muses.

Then, without warning, he hits me again. Smack!

My fists bunch in the blankets. I can feel my juices start to drip from my pussy onto my thighs. I’m not sure why, but I fucking love every second of what he does to me. What he’s doing to me now.

Smack! Smack! He hits me again and again. I find myself loving that bite of pain, leaning into it as I clamp my eyes and my mouth shut.

I almost come off the bed when he finally touches my pussy with two fingertips, seeking out my aching clit. Fuck, that’s so good.

“Ahh!” I cry, pressing my face into the mattress. I moan needily for more.

Monster unzips his pants and pushes the blunt head of his cock against my throbbing pussy. I groan and push back against him. He thrusts inside, filling me up like no one else can.

No one will ever give so much pleasure as this man does, I swear.

He grabs a fistful of my hair and rams himself into my body, again and again, being as brutal as possible. And I love it.

I live for it.

He knows my body all too well, knows from the way my pussy clenches him that I am almost there. Almost…

“Fucking play with your clit,” he grits, hammering my body roughly. “Get yourself off, you little slut.”

I slide my hand up and touch my clit. A few strokes is all it takes, and then I am spasming around his cock, screaming into the comforter.

“Fuck!” he whispers, his voice gone to gravel. “You’re going to make me come.”

A few seconds later he tenses then slams into me, his voice hoarse as he bellows his release. He withdraws and sinks down onto the bed next to me, his eyes closing.

I scoot a little closer, and his arm comes up, automatically sliding around my shoulders. We lay like that for a long time, our breathing ragged.