7

Lily

Our arms are overloaded with bags as we make our way out of the mall, laughing. Bella keeps the jokes going, and I’m grateful for her energy. When I check the time, it’s already 8 PM.

She drives me back to the penthouse, and I manage to carry the bags up myself. The elevator dings and I step inside the quiet, dark apartment. Something about the silence feels off. I place the bags down gently and begin searching for the light switch.

Click.

The room floods with soft light—and I jump when I see him.

Sebastian is seated on the couch, still and silent, a glass of whiskey in his hand. The shadows cling to him like smoke. His black shirt is unbuttoned at the top, his dark hair tousled, eyes unreadable.

“Where the hell were you this entire time?” His voice is low, dangerously calm. Cold.

My heart skips a beat. “I went out with Bella,” I say quietly.

“Why didn’t you call and tell me?” His stare doesn’t waver.

“You said I’d have my own space in this relationship,” I remind him, trying to keep my voice even.

He stands slowly, places the whiskey glass on the table, and steps toward me. The air between us tightens as he stops in front of me. He lifts my chin with two fingers, forcing me to meet his eyes.

“You’re supposed to tell me everything,” he says, voice low and firm. “I’ve been waiting for you since four o’clock. Where did you go?”

His hand slides to my lower back—tightening—until I squirm in discomfort.

“Bella booked a spa for us,” I manage to say. “After that we went for dinner… then shopping. It just took longer than expected.”

His eyes search mine, unblinking. Then his hand glides down and slips beneath my dress. He grabs my ass roughly, fingers pressing deep.

I gasp. “Sebastian…”

“You should inform me before leaving this house,” he growls.

I wince. “Okay, Sebastian… you’re hurting me.”

“This is a punishment,” he says, pulling me closer. Then he lowers his head and presses a kiss to my forehead—cold and possessive.

My breath catches in my throat. I don’t know whether I should push him away… or collapse in his arms.

Sebastian’s grip lingers a second longer before he slowly steps back, eyes never leaving mine. His fingers slide up the side of my thigh and curl around the hem of my dress.

Without a word, he lifts it—deliberately, slowly—and slips it off me. The dress pools at my feet, leaving me standing in my underwear under the dim golden lights of the penthouse.

The silence between us is thick.

His voice comes low, commanding. “Go kneel on the couch, with your back facing me.”

My heart pounds.

I hesitate—but something in his gaze tells me resisting would only provoke him further. He’s calm, in control, but there’s a fire burning just beneath the surface. A storm waiting to break.

I turn slowly, feeling his eyes on every movement I make. I step toward the couch, my knees sinking into the soft cushions as I lean forward, my hands resting on the backrest, spine straight, just the way he silently expects.

I hear the faint sound of his belt loosening.

My breath catches.

The air around us grows heavier, and I can almost feel the heat of his presence behind me.

“Do you think I’m the kind of man you can just ignore, Lily?” Sebastian’s voice is rough, low, laced with that dangerous calm he wears like a second skin. “I was waiting for you. Wondering if something happened. Wondering if someone took you.”

His anger doesn’t explode—it coils, tight and controlled.

“I told you I needed space,” I whisper, but my voice falters.

“That doesn’t mean disappearing without a word,” he snaps. “You are mine now. And when you leave, you tell me.”

Before I can say anything else, the leather of his belt whistles through the air.

Then—crack.

Pain explodes across the back of my thigh and I cry out, my body jolting forward. My fingers dig into the cushions, and a tear spills down my cheek before I can stop it.

He stands behind me, breathing hard. “That’s for scaring me,” he says, and there’s something raw in his voice now—like this fury is more than just control. It’s fear twisted into anger. Possession fused with vulnerability.

Another smack. I gasp again, my whole body trembling.

“I need to know you’re safe,” he says more quietly. “I need to know where you are. Always.”

There’s silence then—tense, aching.

He drops the belt on the floor. I hear the soft thud of it hitting the carpet.

He massages my ass where he smacked me. The touch is completely different now—warm, grounding. He kneels beside the couch, reaching for me, pressing his forehead against my shoulder.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he murmurs. “But I will never let you go. Do you understand?”

Tears fall freely now as I nod, not sure if it's fear, confusion, or something else tying me to this man.

“I understand.”

He then remove my panties and spread my legs. He sucks my pussy.

I moan and my fingers grab his hair.

He licks me down there building the pleasure then he slides a finger inside of me.

“Sebastian…” I moan out loud.

“Fuck.” He whispers while fingering me roughly. “Why are you so tight?” He meets my gazes and I look at him while still moaning.

“I…I’m a virgin.”

“Fuck Lily.” He withdraws his finger and licks it clean with his mouth. “You taste so good.” He sits beside of me. I feel my cheeks are hot. He made me kind of shy.

“You should’ve told me you’re a virgin.”

My ass is stinging and I will not lie that it felt so good.