Chapter 91 - 0091: You Were So Good Up There (r18+)

Chapter 91: Chapter 0091: You Were So Good Up There (r18+)

Elena’s Point Of View

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the Chief Executive... Elena Sinclair!"

The room erupted into a wall of thunderous applause. Warm, golden chandelier light flooded the grand ballroom, catching the amber reflections in hundreds of crystal wine glasses. To my left, Graham didn’t even look up; his face was washed in the pale, cold glow of his phone screen, his thumbs flying across a glass keyboard.

He was present in body only, fulfilling the absolute bare minimum required of a supportive husband. I had long since stopped expecting anything more from him, though some small, stubborn part of me still ached at the sight of his indifference.

I stood up slowly, smoothing the cool silk of my deep emerald gown over my hips. My hands lifted with practiced, regal deliberation, smoothing my hair back... just far enough to ensure the dark strands concealed the microscopic earpiece buried in my left ear canal. My heart was already racing, though not yet for the reasons it soon would be.

The applause swelled as I walked toward the oak steps leading up to the stage.

"Look at you," Jaxx’s voice slid straight down my auditory nerve, low, smooth, and laced with a rich, dark velvet warmth. He didn’t sound frantic; he sounded like a man sitting comfortably in a high-backed leather chair, watching a fine piece of art. "An absolute vision in green. Every single eye in that room belongs to you right now, Elena. And you handle them like you were born to command."

A small thrill ran through me at his words, equal parts pride and something far more dangerous. I reached the podium, placing my hands lightly on the polished mahogany. I drew in a steadying breath, letting my lips curve into a warm, confident smile for the sea of suits and evening gowns spread out before me.

"Good evening, everyone," I said into the microphone, my voice carrying clear, crisp, and completely unwavering through the speakers surrounding the hall. "I am... deeply honored to stand before you tonight."

"You possess such natural grace when you speak," Jaxx murmured softly over the line, the sound of his low, calm breath rustling like a physical touch against the nape of my neck. "So composed. So elegant. They see the brilliant CEO who turned a failing regional corridor into a multi-billion dollar expansion. But I can hear the subtle hitch in your chest every time you take a breath. I know how fast your heart is beating against that tight lace."

I kept my eyes fixed on the crowd, nodding toward the board members in the third row, the very men who had doubted me most fiercely two years earlier. "When we first announced our intent to expand into the Eastern market, the consensus in this very room was that the risk far outweighed the yield. They called it overly ambitious."

"Let them call it whatever they want," Jaxx’s tone dipped, growing heavier, thicker with an unhurried, intoxicating heat. "They don’t understand the kind of iron ambition you have. They don’t know what you’re capable of when you decide to take what’s yours. Just like you know I’m going to take you the second you step off that stage. You’re standing there talking about strategy, Bambina, but all I can picture is pressing you flat against the mahogany in the green room, pulling that emerald silk up to your waist, and feeling how wet you’ve gotten just listening to me."

A sharp, secret heat pulsed straight down between my thighs, so sudden and intense my knuckles turned white where they gripped the edges of the podium. I swallowed hard, forcing my expression to remain entirely serene, entirely in control, though inside I felt like a woman standing at the edge of a cliff.

"But today," I continued, sweeping my gaze across the applause-ready crowd, my tone rising with calculated inspiration, "I stand before you proud to say that we proved the consensus wrong. We did it."

Polite, enthusiastic applause rippled through the hall once more, a wave of validation that should have filled me with nothing but triumph.

"Look at your husband," Jaxx said softly, his voice dripping with a quiet, dangerous amusement. "He isn’t even watching you triumph. He’s looking at a screen while you burn under my words. You deserve a man who watches you like you’re the only source of light in the room, Elena. A man who knows exactly how to make you melt."

The words landed harder than I wanted to admit, striking some old, tender wound I’d tried for years to ignore. I shifted my stance behind the wooden barrier, pressing my knees firmly together beneath the cascading fabric of my skirt.

The ache between my legs had deepened from a dull hum into a heavy, throbbing pulse. I felt the horrifying, utterly electric warmth of liquid slipping against the delicate lace of my underwear.

My breath caught in my throat for half a second before I forced another polished sentence out. "And though the path was filled with unforeseen obstacles, every single hurdle was worth the outcome."

I cleared my throat lightly, lowering my head just a fraction to make it look like a moment of sincere humility, hiding the slight flush creeping up my throat. "I want to extend my deepest gratitude to my executive team..."

"Tell them how much you appreciate them, Bambina," Jaxx rasped softly, his tone turning dark, thick, and filthy with restraint. "While I think about sliding my fingers inside you the minute that door clicks shut. I’m going to taste how slick you made yourself for me while you stood up there playing the untouchable queen."

My legs trembled beneath the dress. I held onto the wooden podium like it was the only thing keeping me upright in a stormy sea. "Without your tireless dedication, none of this would exist. Thank you."

The room broke into a final, standing ovation. Clapping echoed off the high ceiling, blinding warm lights reflecting off every surface. I bowed my head gracefully, offered one last dazzling, flawless smile to the crowd, and turned smoothly away from the microphone, my pulse hammering with an emotion far more complicated than pride.

Every step down the wooden stairs felt like walking through deep water. I maintained my posture, nodding politely to a few lingering executives as I glided toward the side exit, slipping quietly past the heavy velvet drapes and into the private corridor. My skin felt too tight, my thoughts scattered, my composure hanging by the thinnest of threads.

The heavy oak door of the VIP green room slammed shut behind me, cutting off the roaring sound of the banquet hall into absolute, sudden silence.

I leaned back against the solid wood, my chest heaving, air tearing in and out of my lungs in ragged, unpolished gulps. The polished mask shattered instantly, leaving something rawer and far more vulnerable in its place.

I reached up with a trembling hand, ripped the microscopic earpiece out of my ear, and threw it with all my strength across the room. It bounced off the far leather sofa and fell uselessly into the thick carpet.

"Damn you, Jaxx," I breathed into the quiet room, my palms flat against the cold door behind me. "Damn you to hell."

The green room was my sanctuary. No one came in without my permission, not even my assistant. I was safe her, and alone.

I pushed off the door and walked on unstable heels toward the center of the room, turning down the brass wall sconces until dim, amber shadows swallowed the space, cloaking me in a secrecy I desperately needed. My legs parted the moment I sank back into the couch, my head falling against the cushions. The air was cool against the lace of my panties, but my body was burning up, every nerve still singing from the torment of his voice.

My body was buzzing, a live wire of sheer, agonizing friction and unresolved heat. The lace between my thighs was soaked, warm, and desperate. I couldn’t stand it. With a sharp breath, I slid a hand beneath the fabric and pressed against my slick folds.

"Just one touch," I whispered to myself, my voice cracking in the quiet space. "Just to make it stop. No one will know."

I gathered the smooth emerald silk of my dress, pulling it up over my knees, my thighs parting instinctively in the cool air of the room. I slid my trembling hand beneath the hem, fingertips brushing over the damp lace of my panties. A ragged, helpless sigh escaped my lips at the sheer relief of the pressure.

I pushed the silk aside, sliding two fingers down, finding my own swollen, slick folds. A moan broke from me, soft but humiliatingly needy.

"God... I can’t believe I’m doing this," I whispered, even as my fingers pushed inside me. One at first, curling, pumping, but it wasn’t enough. It never was. I shoved in another finger, the stretch dragging a gasp from my lips. My hips bucked. The couch creaked beneath me, the small sound obscene in the silence.

Faster. I needed to go faster.

"Faster," I begged myself, my voice breaking. My head fell back, lips parting around a strangled moan. I could feel it, the edge, the fire climbing higher, ready to consume me entirely.

"Ah... God," I whimpered softly, my hips arching slightly off the velvet as I began to move my hand, curling my fingers, desperately trying to chase down the edge he had built inside me for the last forty-five minutes.

"So close... oh God, I’m so close..."

Smack.

A sharp, authoritative sting radiated across the back of my wrist as my hand was firmly knocked away. Before I could even gasp, a large, broad hand took its place, heavy fingers sliding directly into my heat, plunging deep, filling me completely in one smooth, ruthless drive.

"This pussy isn’t yours to touch, Bambina," Jaxx’s voice rumbled right beside my ear, dark, deep, and thick with an absolute, terrifying authority. "Not without my permission. It belongs to me."

My eyes snapped open. He was there, looming over me in the shadows, his tailored dark suit jacket unbuttoned, his jaw set in hard, sculpted lines. His dark eyes burned down into mine, entirely unhurried, entirely in command, as though he had all the time in the world and intended to spend every second of it unraveling me.

"Jaxx..." My voice broke on a high, desperate sob as his hand shifted, his fingers curling deeply inside me, pulling a wet, heavy sound from my body. "How... the door was locked..."

"Do you really think a brass lock is going to keep me away from you when you’re standing on a stage dripping for me?" he asked smoothly. He didn’t rush. His thumb found the sensitive peak above my center, applying a slow, deliberate, punishing pressure that made my toes curl inside my heels. "You’re mine, princess."

"Stop... please." I gasped, my fingers reflexively clutching at the thick fabric of his lapels, caught between trying to push his broad chest away and pulling him closer.

"Stop?" Jaxx repeated softly, his lips brushing the shell of my ear, his breath hot and devastatingly calm. "Then why are you fucking my fingers like a needy little slut? Your mouth is telling me to stop, but your body is gripping my fingers like you’ll die if I pull them out. Look at you, Elena. You just gave a speech to the highest-paid board in the city, and now you’re squirming on a velvet couch because my hands are inside you."

He flexed his wrist, driving his fingers deeper, setting a steady, relentless rhythm that shattered whatever was left of my pride.

"You were so good up there," he murmured, his voice velvety and rich with dark approval. "So perfect. So regal. And the entire time, you were soaking through your clothes just listening to my voice. And now look at you... my mess, my ruin. Say it, Elena. Tell me who this body belongs to."

Tears of absolute, overwhelming sensation pricked the corners of my eyes. My hips rolled involuntarily against his broad hand, chasing the friction, completely unable to lie anymore.

"Never..." I choked out, my head falling back against the sofa as his thumb circled my clit with merciless precision. "You’re an idiot, Jaxx... God, please..."

"Then I’ll make you beg without words," he whispered darkly against my throat.

He increased the speed just a fraction, his thumb pressing down hard right as the wave broke over me. A muffled scream tore from my throat, instantly smothered as his free hand clamped over my mouth, catching my cries while my body convulsed wildly beneath him, shivering through a violent, endless release.