Chapter 151

Erik looked at Pearl. She hand both her hands over her mouth. The shock of what has just transpired was more than she could process.

"Come here." Erik said and pulled her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head and then her forehead. He moved down to her arms, kissing them, which were still throbbing where Rhys grabbed her and shook her. He took her face into his hands and asked "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you had to hear and see that. And do that. I feel awful. I never meant to involve you in this." She said, tears running down her face.

"You're apologizing to me? Are you kidding me? Only you, nightingale. You just had your heart and soul ripped out and the first thing you are worried about is how it affected me?" Erik wiped her face. "Well, let me tell you how it affected me. I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all. I didn't like the way he talked to you. I didn't like the way he turned everything around on you. I didn't like the way it made me feel, I felt so helpless to see you treated like that. I don't ever want anything to happen to you. I wanted to kill him. But I was also relieved and grateful that I was here. For once in my life, I know I am right where I was supposed to be." He took her in his arms. "Don't you ever apologize to me. Not for this."

"Thank you." Pearl said. "For saying all of those things about me. For standing up for me. I'm not used to that." She said "It means everything to me. Thank you so much"

"You should be fought for, and defended. That's the kind of woman you are." He said. "I'm not leaving you tonight. I'm staying here with you."

"Ok." Pearl said.

"Tomorrow, I'm going back to Florence to pick up Auggie. He was hoping you were still in town and that we were still spending time together. He would like to come to the Villa for holiday this weekend. Would that be all right?" Erik asked.

"Of course." Pearl said. "I adore Auggie."

"He has a a girl he was hoping to bring. He says he is ready to introduce her to me. She will be driving herself here later in the evening. Apparently they've been seeing each other for a few months now, but he's a little nervous about going public." Erik explained. "He thought this might be the perfect place for us all to get to know one another."

"Oh, well, that makes one of you that is nervous about something being public." Pearl jested.

Erik smiled. "I have no shame showing off a gorgeous woman like you on my arm." He looked into her eyes. "Are you sure you're alright." He asked.

"No. But I will be. That's one thing you can be sure of. I'll always be ok." She said.

"Ok isn't good enough. I want you to be happy. Incandescently happy." He said. Pearl smiled.

"Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice." Pearl said.

"And she loves books, too." Erik said with a smile. "I'm taking you to bed. I am going to lay you down and bring you so much pleasure and care that you'll forget about every single hand that ever touched you in vain." He whispered, kissing her neck. He took her hand and led her away to the bedroom.

"I love this house." Erik said and they relaxed in the hot tub later that night.

"'Me too. It's perfect. Not too large or too small. The view is incredible." Pearl said. "Erik.." she hesitated.

"Yes, nightingale?" He asked, moving over to her.

"When you said 'kinky and dark' about your previous encounters... what exactly did you mean?" She knew she was completely out of line to ask, but it was plaguing her mind. She saw something dark in his eyes that night at the piano and she saw it again earlier when he was standing over Rhys.

"I'm sure that isn't something you want to know about." Erik answered.

"Actually, I am curious about it. Do you like it? I mean, is it a kink for you?" She asked, remembering him tying her up and blindfolding her their first time making love.

"I told you why I did it. That being said, are you asking if I also enjoyed it?" He moved even closer. She felt her skin flush against the warm water.

"Yes. I guess I am." She asked.

"Then yes. I did enjoy it. And I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about what it would be like to enjoy it with you. But I wouldn't want to disrespect you in any way. I wouldn't want to strike you or hurt you. The thought of that isn't a turn on for me." He said, moving his face to her ear while he said it. She felt chills run up her back.

"But what if I wanted it? What if I wanted you to do that to me? I mean, it wouldn't be a way to build a wall between us, right?" Pearl asked.

"No. Not at all. That part of me died the night I first had you in my bed. Anything we do together now would only bring us closer, I'd imagine." He said and raised an eyebrow. That look, Pearl thought. Damn.

"So, if I were to want to experiment with your 'dark and kinky', what would you do to me?" She asked, biting her lip.

"Well, I would do things like tie you up, blind fold you, you seemed to enjoy that, no? And I'd also take you over my knee like I told you I wanted to the first time you rolled your eyes at me in LA. Or after you smacked my bottom the other day. I wanted to throw you on couch and spank you silly." He said, dead seriously.

"So, I would be ok with you doing that, I think." Pearl shyly said, her voice quiet. "I think I'd like to try some of that with you." She said, looking away.

He moved in front of her, and she could see a spark in his eyes.

"Really?" He asked, looking more excited than a child on Christmas morning. "Are you sure? Really sure?"

"Yes. Really." She said.

He kissed her hard. Pulling her body to his. He grabbed her ass and lifted her up, so he could lean her up against the hot tub wall. He lifted her bikini top up and took it off, squeezing the water from it and tying it around her eyes as a blindfold. "Erik..." she started to say and she put his hand to her mouth, quieting her.

He slipped her bottoms off and used them to tie her hands to the ladder to enter the hot tub, a few inches above her head. He pulled his shorts down and immediately began fucking her. Pulling her into the water and pounding into her and then moving her up against the wall. "Oh god. Erik." She moaned. He turned her over, her hands still tied. Her lifted her hips and smacked her ass, hard. She cried out. "That's for rolling you eyes at me." He said. She begged for another. He obliged. "And that's for liking the first one." He said, with a devilish smile. He placed her hands on the lip of the tub and proceeded to pound her from behind. "Erik, don't stop." She begged. He continued relentlessly fucking her until she heard him cry out and felt him empty himself deep into her. "God, you are incredible." He said, pulling out of her and kissing the back of her neck. He flipped her back over and lifted the blindfold, kissing her. She kissed him back and said, "I think I'd like more of that, please." He untied her hands and pulled her onto his arms. "I will gladly give it to you." He said, kissing her again.