1
Prologue – Jackson
Dahlia’s been mine since the second I saw her.
My doll.
She opened her mouth to whisper something, but I stop her by taking her lips for the kiss I’ve been waiting all week to give her. I wrap a hand around her waist, gripping the small of her back as my tongue parts her lips. She molds to my chest as much as she can with her bindings, yielding to each swish of my tongue as I explore every contour of her mouth. Tasting her for the first time is more intense than I expect. I want to cover every inch of her body with mine and impale her hard without holding anything back.
Moving deeper into the kiss, I support my weight with one arm and stretch out beside her. She can’t turn to face me, but she does what she can with her legs, sliding one up and down between my ankle and calf through my pants. I have to pull away, so that I don’t end up ripping off my clothes and burying my cock deep inside of her. The entire night is ahead of us, so I plan to pace myself and taste every inch of her before I fuck her hard.
I pull apart from our kiss, and smile as she takes a breath and runs her tongue over my bottom lip, eager to continue. I’m just as ready to devour those lips again. Raising off the bed, I move to the spot between her knees, parting them to make room as I bury my hands into her long, raven tresses, and tilt her head up sharply, crashing my mouth over her lips.
Her feet slide up the bed, and she presses her thighs against the outside of my legs. Heat radiates from her center and in an instant, I’m rock hard. Gripping her back with one hand, I lower my torso and hips to her body, letting my full weight rest on her as I grind my cock at her barely legal pussy, separated only by my boxers and slacks.
Dahlia is hardly breathing, surviving on the lungful of air we share, and manages a whimper that sounds like words. I want to stifle out the sound, to keep this kiss going, but she repeats the words.
“Sorry, what?” I ask, pulling from her mouth to let her speak.
“I said, I haven’t been with a man…like this. I just wanted you to know.”
There’s no stopping the ringing in my ear that sounds like I’m in the middle of a room during a five-alarm blaze. Lifting up off her torso, I study her face. “Did you just say you’re a—”
“A virgin,” she answers, finishing my sentence. “Yes. I’m…that.”
A slew of questions starts to surface, along with two urges fighting each other in every single cell in my body. The one hardwired to my dick wants to end her virgin status right this second. Right here in my bed.
2
Dahlia
“Be good, you hear? Or there won’t be any special treats for my darlings. Give me a kiss, babies. Give Mommy a kiss. I love you all.”
Is Vivian ever going to leave?
I nod repeatedly with a polite smile lifting my lips. This is my attempt to keep a look of professionalism on my face as my part-time boss, Vivian Chandler, lowers to the floor to dole out embraces and kisses to her little ones in the hallway outside her penthouse condo front door. Well, not all so little. She still babbles on and on to me with instructions about her fur babies before she flies off for a three-week trip to Europe. Preston, one of the more senior condo concierge staff, waits patiently with her mountain of designer suitcases stacked on a shiny gold-plated rolling luggage rack at the elevator on the opposite wall.
After some more cuddling, the pampered pooches go back to what they were doing. Vivian rests her Salvatore Ferragamo designer handbag on the threshold and starts to put on her plush, all-cream fur coat. That’s progress.
“All the emergency numbers are in the email I sent you, and in the top drawer beside the fridge,” she reminds me again. “And upstairs in the dogs’ room.”
“I’ve got them right here in my cell,” I tell her, pulling my phone from the pocket of my sweatpants. “And the dog monitoring app is installed from the last few times I was here. Even while I’m on campus, I’ll know what they’re up to, and I’ll be close enough to get here fast if they need anything.”
“Great, and don’t hesitate to put them up in their playroom if you’re at school for more than a couple of hours. It’s one of the few doors Daisy still can’t open on her own. Just remember to fill the food and water dispensers, and they’re all set to stay in there for a while.”
“Sure. I’ll do that.”
“But make sure you take them out after they eat and drink. We want to minimize any accidents…especially on my Persians on the landing.”
“Got it.”
Vivian stares longingly past me at her three pets. Sheba, a tan-colored Shih Tzu, is at the far end of the expansive condo living area, bouncing off the floor every so often as he paws at the all-glass sliding door to the balcony. Bailey, a white Bull Terrier, is waiting in the middle of the marble foyer, sitting dutifully beside Daisy, the black-and-white spotted Great Dane that stands at almost my full five-foot-six in height. Like I said, not so little.
“I’ll take great care of them, Ms. Chandler,” I say for the hundredth time. “I promise.”
“And you’re sure you don’t mind sleeping here while I’m gone?” she asks with concern as she picks up her purse again, eyes fixed on her pets while distractedly sliding the leather straps over her shoulder.
“Not at all,” I say, beaming. And my expression is authentic, too, because who wouldn’t want to stay in a multi-million-dollar penthouse condo instead of a tiny, cramped Brooklyn walkup apartment for a few weeks. “In fact, it’s a big help. This building is fifteen minutes from Columbia, so you’re saving me a fifty-minute train ride each way from Brooklyn. Trust me, I intend to be here whenever I’m not in lectures. All the time. Day and night. Don’t worry, Ms. Chandler. They’ll be fine.”
“I’m going to miss you, my babies,” she whimpers out, a little choked up. “So much! But I’ll be back in a few weeks with all your favorite imported treats, my darlings.”
Daisy, Bailey, and Sheba more or less ignore her. They’re used to me being around. I’ve been pet-sitting off and on for Vivian for more than a year a half. That’s almost as long as it’s been since I moved from Cedar City, Utah, to New York to complete a degree in Veterinary Sciences at Columbia U. These dogs are practically my family. I’m also the only person Vivian trusts to take care of them. Which is why I got this gig.
Mind you, this is the first time that I’ll be with them on an extended overnight basis. The last time Vivian had to go out of town, she left them at the doggy spa. They were fine, but Vivian was not happy about Bailey losing a couple of pounds while she was away. She almost sued them for negligence, but changed her mind when I reminded her that Bailey has a history of picky eating, which was echoed by her vet.
Gosh, I hope she doesn’t sue me after this pet-sitting gig.
Vivian’s sure paying me enough. This will be the most money I’ve ever earned in one job. Five thousand dollars. I still can’t believe that round-the-clock pet-sitting pays this much. Vivian spent more than double that amount to keep them at the doggy spa last time. It’s expensive, owning three pets here in Manhattan. Daily boarding rates per dog can run in the hundreds. For me, the five grand will go a long, long way. My tuition is taken care of, thanks to scholarships and such, and my folks back home send me what they can, but I cover my own rent and other expenses. Even in Brooklyn, living expenses aren’t cheap.