Only for Him

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Interests:

• BDSM
• Billionaire Romance
• Contemporary
• Enemies to Lovers
• Free
• Suspense

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Vic looked out over the crowd gathered at Fredrick Mahler’s house and wondered how long he had to stay. Typically, he’d be at Capital Punishment, the BDSM club he owned, but he couldn’t help but attend the party. It had nothing to do with Mahler being a managing partner in his firm.

Addison.

She was becoming an obsession he couldn’t seem to control. For a man like Vic, it wasn’t something he liked. He could have easily gone to the club and found a willing sub for the night, but he knew from experience he wouldn’t enjoy it. He’d been going through the motions because of the woman in question.

She was on the opposite side of the room, trying to avoid talking to anyone. She’s been holding the glass of champagne for at least twenty minutes and barely drank from it.

It had been an odd experience watching her tonight. Usually, the tall brunette—at least that was her hair color at the moment—was so active. She always seemed to be in motion. She’d dressed for the party. The bright red dress barely covered the most important parts…parts Vic wanted to touch. But she seemed so solemn. Not at all the Addison he knew.

“There you are, Vic,” Mahler said as he slapped him on the shoulder. Nothing like getting caught by the object of your lust’s father. Vic sighed inwardly and reminded himself to keep his mind on more important matters.

“Good evening, sir.”

“Oh, there’s no sir tonight.”

Vic glanced at the man he thought of as a mentor and noticed the frown. Vic followed his line of vision and realized he was worried about Addy.

“It’s hard on her this time of year.”

“I would think a woman like Addy would love this time of year.”

“She used to. Oh, lord, she used to drive us crazy about Christmas and New Year’s Day, but we’ve too much lost the last few years. She misses Marjorie.”

Vic nodded and studied his boss. A former Attorney General, now constitutional law expert, and one mean son of a bitch to face in the courtroom. But at the moment, he looked like a man who had lost so much.

He must have felt Vic’s study because he looked at him with a sad smile. “We lost Marjorie on New Year’s Eve. She didn’t want to die before Christmas, but in a way, losing her to cancer like that brings back too many memories for Addy.”

“They were close?”

He nodded. “Yes. God, they were two sides of the same coin, those two. Margie was a free spirit. Kind of kept me on my toes.” He sighed. “Then, we were in the middle of New Year’s dinner when the news came about Drew.”

Vic didn’t have to ask if she had been close to Drew, the brother she lost to a drunk driver. He’d been her twin.

Vic glanced over the crowd and saw some pretty boy making a beeline for her.

“You better get over there if you want to get a dance from her. She’s about to bail if I’m reading her right. And I usually am.”

Vic paused and turned to study his mentor. A knowing look in Mahler’s eyes told Vic he knew of his attraction. Vic shook his head and smiled.

“I don’t know if she will ever give in, Vic. Know this, though, if you go after my girl, don’t hurt her. I know how to make bodies disappear.”

Then, as if he hadn’t just threatened a junior partner, Mahler smiled at him, punched his shoulder, and walked away whistling.

Vic shook his head and turned to find Addy again in the crowd. She was in the same spot frowning at the man trying to get her to dance. He set down his drink and headed over to her.

Addy’s face hurt from smiling. She hated this time of year, especially New Year’s Eve. In the back of her mind, she regretted not going to Hawaii as Amanda had suggested. The idea of warm sand, cool drinks, and time with her bestie had tempted her. The itching to get away from DC and the memories this time of year brought on had almost overwhelmed her. But…she couldn’t leave her father alone. He held this party and pretended everything was okay, but it was just as hard on him as it was on her.

With a sigh, she sipped her warm champagne and made a face. She’d been holding the damned glass for so long she’d almost forgotten about it.

“Addy, babe, I can’t believe you came stag,” a voice said from behind her. She made another face before turning and acknowledging Trevor Thompson.

He hadn’t changed a bit from their time in high school. She’d never liked the butthead. He was rude and a bully. Plus, he had Ken hair. It looked plastic, as it never moved. How did he do that?

“I don’t think I gave you permission to call me, babe.”

He frowned as if he were confused. Maybe she used words he didn’t understand. Think was probably a word that puzzled the idiot.

“It’s a term of endearment.”

“I don’t like you. I don’t feel any kind of feeling like that toward you.”

He leaned closer, and she curled her fingers into her palm. It was the only way she could keep herself from smacking the jerk. He had his teeth capped. She was pretty sure of it. If they lost electricity, he could illuminate the entire room. He looked like Matt Dillon in There’s Something About Mary.

“You’re not still mad at me because of high school, are you?”

Trevor had been one of the worst of her tormentors. She had been beyond awkward in high school. Prep school jerks like him didn’t appreciate her brand of quirkiness.

Who named their kids Trevor anymore? Sure, if he was an English lord or something, but a conservative senator, that was wrong.

“No. I just don’t like you.”

He chucked her under the chin. “You don’t know me.”

“Oh, but I do. And even if I didn’t, I’m not interested in a man who uses more dye on his hair than I do.”

He looked upset. “What the hell do you mean by that?”

She opened her mouth to respond but felt someone trail a finger down her bare arm. Without looking, she knew who it was. Heat simmered inside of her, and suddenly she felt breathless.

Vic.

Not tonight. She couldn’t deal with him seeing her deal with Trevor the Twit.

“Having a problem, Addison?” Vic asked, his whisky voice dancing over her nerve endings. The man had her hot just by asking her a question.

It didn’t matter that he used her proper name—which she hated. He knew it irritated her, but it also made her gooey inside. No one called her Addison. It was as if it was a pet name, which was silly because she hated it. But, when he said it, with that flat Maine accent of his, she turned to butter.

“Nope, no problem here, Vic.”

He slipped his arm around her waist as if he owned her. Her skin prickled. Dammit, why did it feel right? She felt out of control whenever he touched her as if she wanted to run away screaming, but there was always this rightness. Like he was supposed to be doing it.

Then, Addy noticed that Trevor had gone pale.

“Uh…I think I see someone I know.”

Then the bastard abandoned her. Okay, she didn’t like him to begin with, but dammit, he could have stuck around. With a sigh, she finally looked up at Vic. Big mistake. The man had to be the prettiest male human she had ever seen.

“What are you doing here?”

He smiled at her, and her heart did a little tap dance. Dammit.

“I think I was saving you from pretty boy there.”

She chuckled. “It’s funny to hear a man who looks like you call another man pretty.”

He frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

Oh, lord, now she was going to have to explain herself. “Okay, don’t make much of it, but you are kind of pretty yourself.”

But not in the way Trevor was. Men like Trevor never interested her because they were perfect. Perfectly aligned teeth, hair that didn’t move, and well…she was sure Trevor had already been dipping into the plastic surgery fund. On the other hand…there was nothing perfect about Vic. He was pretty, that was for sure. But there was a sense of character to his features. The rawness of his beauty—and it was beauty—drew her in all the time. She had seen him in a suit, in jeans, and now she was facing him, dressed for the night.

Vic Walton was pure seduction in a tux.

“Pretty?” he asked, his accent thickening and drawing out the word. Oh, someone did not like being called pretty.

She shrugged and looked out over the crowd. Arguing with him was just a form of foreplay, or so her friend Amanda claimed. Maybe she should just let it go and be nice tonight. Too much was going on inside her, and there was a good chance she would do something stupid.

“No answer?”

She didn’t look at him when she responded. “I didn’t think it needed explanation.”

His fingers twitched against her waist, and she wondered about it. He always seemed to have control of every emotion. She got it. Being a Dom and one that owned a club would imply that the man would prefer to dominate most situations. That is probably why he was such a good lawyer.

“Where did you go off to?”

She shook herself but didn’t look directly at him. She couldn’t, especially while he was wearing that tux.

“Sorry. Just thinking that both your professions lend to you being a control freak.”

When he said nothing, she took a peek and watched as his lips curved.

“I guess that means I’m good at it.”

Addy couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Lord, and that arrogance goes along with it.”

He laughed. Not the usual controlled chuckle but a loud laugh that drew attention. Several people gave him curious looks as if they were somehow upset with his laughter. Addy didn’t understand. It was a wonderful sound.

“How much longer are you hanging around here?”

“I was calculating how long I had to stay before Dad would let me go.”

“Do you have a ride home?”

“I was going to catch a Lyft.”

She didn’t like driving on New Year’s Eve. It made her nervous being out on the road with so many drunks.

“How about we both ditch this shindig?”

Addy leaned back and looked at him. “Don’t you have more people to impress with your pretty face and brilliant mind?”

“The only person I’m here to impress needs a ride home.”

She thought he was kidding, but when she looked closely, she realized he wasn’t. Her heart was now tap dancing furiously. He kept looking at her like that, and she didn’t know if she would be able to walk straight.

Vic leaned down closer, and she caught his scent. He wasn’t a man who wore a lot of aftershave. It was pure red-blooded American male. Dark, rich, seductive. God, he was killing her.

“Cat got your tongue, Addy?”

His breath tickled the outer rim of her ear.

“Uh…”

Oh, brilliant, Addy. But no one could blame her. The man had caused her brain to stop working, and her whole body was lighting up. Heat surged through her blood as her nipples tightened painfully. It took all her control not to reach up and give herself relief.

Vic Walton was lethal.

“Vic…” she stopped talking because he nibbled on her ear. The small gesture had

“What?” His voice was a soft growl that did funny things to her insides. Like, turn them to Jell-O.

“I told you before this wasn’t going to happen.”

“I know, but you can’t blame a guy for trying.”

She sighed. “Just…not tonight, Vic. It’s too much.”

He hesitated and then pulled back, but only a little bit. “Fair enough.”

And for some reason, it made her sad that he listened to her. Why? Probably because she was an idiot.

“Ready?”

She blinked.

“What?”

“I think we can get out of here without too much trouble.”

“I have to say goodbye to my father.”

He nodded. “I’ll get my car. Meet you out front.”

He gave her waist one last squeeze and then let her go. She watched as he walked through the crowd of the powerbrokers of the DC elite. People instinctively moved out of his way. It wasn’t something a person saw a lot of in DC. Most people would want to establish their Dominance, but when faced with Vic, some of the most influential people in the country deferred to him.

“I take it you’re leaving.”

She hadn’t heard her father approach. What was it with the men in her life sneaking up on her? Wait, Vic isn’t a man in her life. Right?

She pushed those thoughts aside and glanced at her father. He was still an attractive man. Tall, a full head of dark hair with a few threads of silver and considered a catch…but he said he wasn’t interested.

“I just need to get out of here.”

He nodded. “I understand, Addy. I assume Vic is going to give you a ride home?”

She nodded. “Don’t get any ideas. It’s just a ride home.”

He chuckled. “I was just glad you both made it tonight.”

He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “I love you, Addy. I just want you to be happy.”

Tears burned the back of her eyes. Her father was a hard ass, but she knew he did things for her because he loved her. They were intrusive and irritating, but he did it out of love.

“I love you too, Dad.”

“Go before Trevor finds his balls and comes back over here to bug you.”

She laughed and gave him a big smacking kiss.

“I’ll call you in the morning.”

“We’ll be doing lunch around one.”

She nodded and walked out of the ballroom, ignoring the people who tried to talk to her. She needed to get out of there, back to her little house, and relax.

End of Excerpt