Chapter five

He moved closer, his tall frame towering over me. "Strip. Both of you. Now."

The coldness in his voice left no room for argument. My hands trembled as I reached for the zipper of my gown, the emerald necklace catching the light.

Beside me, Harris fumbled with his belt. Once we were both bare before him, Sterling circled us slowly, appraising. "Good. Now kiss."

My stomach churned. This was beyond anything I'd imagined. "Sterling, please."

"Kiss. Him. Now." His tone brooked no refusal.

I closed my eyes, tears pricking at the corners. Slowly, hesitantly, I pressed my lips to Harris's, tasting salt from his nervous sweat. Behind us, I could hear Sterling's breathing, measured and controlled.

When we broke apart, Harris looked at Sterling desperately.

"Mr. Sterlings, please, I don't understand"

"Again," Sterling commanded. "Deeper this time."

Sterling's command hung in the air like a death sentence. I looked at Harris, my ex, my secret, the man I'd risked everything to be with and then back at Sterling, whose expression was carved from stone.

"Do you have any idea what you're asking?" Harris said, his voice cracking.

"Oh, I know exactly what I'm asking," Sterling replied, moving to the edge of the bed. He sat down, crossing one leg over the other, settling in as though preparing to watch a film. "I've asked you both to fuck. Right here. Right now. I want to see it, Vanessa. I want to see how much you actually care about him versus how much you care about keeping your life intact."

My legs felt like they might collapse. "Sterling…"

"On the bed." His voice was icy. "Both of you. Now."

Harris looked at me, searching my eyes for some signal, some permission. I couldn't give him either. Not because I didn't want to, I did, God help me but because Sterling had positioned us in a corner where every choice felt like surrender.

I crawled onto the bed, the silk sheets cool against my bare thighs. Harris followed, still shaking, positioning himself beside me. Our eyes met. In them, I saw fear, guilt, and something achingly vulnerable.

"Don't be gentle," Sterling instructed from his chair. "Vanessa has been denied enough pleasure. Give her what she craves."

Harris swallowed hard, placing a trembling hand on my waist. I shuddered at his touch not from cold, but from the electric awareness that this was being watched, orchestrated, permitted only because Sterling allowed it.

His hand moved higher, cupping my breast, thumb grazing my nipple. I gasped, arching involuntarily. Beneath us, I could feel his hardness pressing against my thigh.

"More," Sterling ordered.

Harris rolled on top of me, positioning himself between my legs. His cock nudged against my entrance, hot and insistent. I bit my lip, fighting the wave of arousal that crashed through me. This shouldn't feel good. None of this should feel good.

"Inside," Sterling commanded.

Harris pushed into me with a single, slow thrust. We both moaned him from relief, me from the overwhelming fullness.

I wrapped my legs around Harris as he sank deeper, the stretch sending white-hot sparks up my spine. His rhythm was hesitant at first, each thrust tentative, like he was bracing for Sterling to stop us at any moment.

"Harder," Sterling said flatly.

Harris obliged, picking up pace, driving into me with increasing urgency. The bed creaked beneath us. My moans grew louder, unashamed despite the audience. Harris's hands gripped my hips, pulling me into each collision of our bodies.

"That's it," Sterling murmured, his own arousal visible through his trousers. He shifted in his chair, spreading his legs slightly. "Fuck her properly."

Harris flipped me over, pulling me onto my knees. From this position, I could see Sterling's face reflected in the vanity mirror across the room, eyes dark, lips parted, one hand resting on his thigh. The sight sent a confusing jolt through me.

Harris entered me from behind, and I cried out, gripping the sheets. His pace quickened, each thrust bottoming out inside me. The sounds filling the room were obscene flesh slapping, my whimpers, Harris's ragged breathing.

"Touch yourself," Sterling commanded.

My hand slid between my legs, finding my clit slick and swollen. I rubbed in circles while Harris pounded into me, chasing the release that was building like a storm. Sterling watched it all, his expression a mask of possession and perverse satisfaction.

"I'm close," I gasped, not caring anymore who heard.

"Together," Sterling directed. "Wait."

Harris slowed, gritting his teeth against his own orgasm. My body screamed for release, every nerve ending screaming.

"Now," Sterling said.

Harris drove into me one final time and came with a guttural roar.

The feeling of him pulsing inside me tipped me over the edge. My orgasm ripped through me violently, waves crashing as I screamed Sterling's name, his name, not Harris's even as my body convulsed around Harris.

We collapsed together in a heap, panting, sweating, tangled in each other.

Silence fell again as the gravity of what we'd done settled over us like ash.

Sterling stood, smoothing his suit jacket. He looked at Harris with cold disdain. "Get dressed and leave. You're not welcome here."