I rubbed a hand down my face, chuckling despite myself. “Y’all ain’t shit.”
“No, we’re realists,” Maverick said, smirking. “You been trying to play captain of the universe your whole life, I say it’s time you let somebody else drive.”
Mav had no idea how right he was. Caleb added, his voice softer but still teasing, “You’ve been holding your breath since I met you, James. This thing with my sister and Amiyah? Maybe it’s the first time you get to exhale.”
The words settled in my chest. They weren’t laughing at me; they were encouraging me to breathe and embrace what was turning out to be a beautiful surrender.
I lifted my glass again, smirking around the edge. “Y’all got jokes, but I’ll say this, between Calla and Amiyah, I don’t know if I’m in love or in trouble.”
“Both,” everyone said in unison, causing the table to erupt in laughter yet again. “Definitely both,” Mav said with a smirk. The laughter and brotherhood was just what I needed to end the night. I walked out of Noire feeling lighter.
Not fixed. Not free. But lighter.
The knock at my door came just as I finished tying up my hair. A tall, white box sat waiting for me on the stoop, its satin ribbon tied in a perfect bow with a card tucked inside. I already knew who it was from, Calla.
Inside was everything she wanted me in tonight. A strapless blush gown that pooled like liquid silk when I held it up, the bodice ruched just enough to shape my curves without squeezing me, with a sweeping side drape that gave it a dramatic, almost ethereal flow. At the bottom of the box sat a delicate lace mask dusted in crystals, a pair of Jimmy Choo Verity sandals in macaron, the softest, sweetest blush shade, and a tiny box that made my face heat just opening it, vibrating panties.
Her note was short and precise: Put it all on. Don’t think, just obey. James is covering your accessories. A car will be waiting at eight.
My doorbell chimed minutes later. James. A velvet box this time, delivered by courier. Inside glimmered a diamond set, earrings that caught the light with every turn, a choker-style necklace that felt both decadent and possessive when I clasped it around my throat, and a bracelet that winked with every move of my wrist. Together, it was enough to make me catch my own reflection and whisper,Damn, girl. You look like a princess, which was fitting considering I was her Princess.
When the luxury car pulled up, its sleek black body gleaming like onyx, my heart was already pounding.
The venue was a dream pulled straight from the pages of a fairytale. Midnight in Bloom. Thousands of flowers in every shade of midnight blue, amethyst, and ivory cascaded from gilded trellises. Candlelight flickered in tall crystal holders, reflecting off mirrored tables lined with orchids and roses that seemed to glow under the chandeliers. The air was sweet with blooms and buzzing with secrets, laughter, and the low hum of strings in the background. It was opulence with a pulse.
The usher led me to a long, curved table draped in rich velvet. My heart nearly stopped when I saw them, Calla radiant in her gown, James in an all black tux that looked cut to his frame like second skin, Caleb flashing his easy grin, Yanna and Dana whispering something that made them laugh, Ajaih leaning back with a glass in her hand sipping delicately, Maverick brooding but magnetic, Knox polished and commanding, Ahmir looking like he belonged in a magazine or someone’s runway, and Calil and Lena tangled together like nobody else in the room mattered.
And then there was me, slipping into my seat on the other side of Calla. At the same time, James licked his lips as he watched my every move, heat crawling up my skin under the table, because I could feel the weight of their presence and the secret pressed against me with every subtle vibration.
Nerves twisted my stomach, but I refused to shrink. Not tonight, not anymore. The love blooming in me for both of them was too big to hide. If this gala was about masks, then mine was coming off.
The clink of crystal and the low hum of voices wrapped around me as I tried to steady myself in my chair. The room glowed golden under chandeliers, laughter bubbling from every direction.
Then it hit me.
A sharp pulse deep in my core, sudden and unrelenting. My back arched just enough for my breath to catch, and I barely bit back a gasp. Calla’s manicured fingers were casually adjusting the clasp of her clutch on the table, but I knew better. I shot her a look, and she smirked, slow and knowing.
She leaned in close, her perfume wrapping around me, her lips brushing the shell of my ear. “Breathe, Princess. James is in the same state as you; he’s wearing his own little toy tonight. A vibrating cock ring controlled by me.”
My eyes went wide, the words ricocheting through me like lightning. “Both of you,” she whispered, her voice soft as silk, but filled with authority. “Your pleasure is mine tonight. Because you belong to me.”
Heat surged up my body so fast I swore my chest was glowing through the diamonds clasped around my throat. My thighs pressed together under the table, trying to ground myself, but the next jolt rolled through me, and I knew my face betrayed me.
And just like that, I caught it, the glances around the table. The crooked smile tugging at Caleb’s lips. Yanna’s raised brow, Dana’s barely-contained laugh, Maverick’s sharp smirk as he tipped his glass in my direction. Even Knox’s eyes glinted with the knowing that made me want to disappear and bloom all at once.
James satimpossibly still, his jaw clenched tight; the only giveaway was the way his hand flexed on the table like he was holding on for dear life.
I swallowed hard, my voice catching in my throat before I managed to steady it. “I—uh…” My fingers tightened around the stem of my glass, knuckles white as I tried to speak to everyone, but the pleasure surging between my thighs was betraying me. In this moment, all I could think about was hiking up this gown and bending over the table with my ass and pussy in Calla’s face and making her watch me come.
Calla simply leaned back in her chair, serene as a queen on her throne, sipping her champagne like she hadn’t just handed both James and me over to fire.
And in that moment, with the weight of every smirk, every stolen glance, I realized something undeniable: I didn’t care who knew anymore.
The next pulse tore through me so sharply I nearly dropped my glass. My nails tapped against the crystal to cover the sound that escaped my lips, but it was too late; half the table was watching me with open amusement.
Caleb leaned forward, grin wide and wicked. “Damn, Beautiful, you straight over there? You look like somebody just whispered sweet nothings and paid your bills at the same time.”
Lena choked on her champagne, laughing into her napkin.
