Isle of Sin: A Standalone Dark Romance

Asher wasn’t in the bedroom when I finished my shower.

I combed my hair, leaving it down to dry, and pulled on a dress without bothering with undergarments.

Then I wandered downstairs toward his study.

“Yes, that’s acceptable,” I heard him saying. “I’ll make arrangements for them as well.”

I paused in the doorway, and he glanced up at me from his desk as a male voice replied, “Mr. Rose will appreciate that.”

My limbs locked into place, my breath stilling at the mention of my father.

“He may wish to bring Mr. Huntington as well,” the voice added.

Asher leaned back in his chair, his focus returning to his screen. “I may not have a villa available for Mr. Huntington.”

Silence followed.

“That may not be acceptable,” the male eventually replied.

Asher lifted a shoulder as though he couldn’t be bothered to care. “I didn’t find Nathan Spencer’s actions acceptable either. And I associate those actions with Taylor Huntington and your organization, Mr. Jovanni.”

“Actions our organization has confirmed we knew nothing about.”

“Hence the reason I’m allowing you to visit my island next week, but that invitation is limited in number.”

Another beat passed before the male said, “I see.”

Movement behind me had my heart kick-starting in my ribs.

Asher’s gaze lifted again, not to me but to the presence at my back. He nodded once.

I frowned, not understanding.

A hand went to my hip, causing me to jump, ready to fight, but all he did was gently move me to the side as he entered the office.

“Are you giving Julian a hard time?” he asked conversationally.

“Hardly.” Asher smiled, but it wasn’t anything like the one he’d displayed earlier. “Just providing information regarding the accommodations here on the isle.”

“He doesn’t seem keen on allowing Mr. Huntington to join our party,” Julian added as the other man stepped up to Asher’s side.

“I can’t imagine you’re too disappointed about that,” the dark-haired male drawled, his easy candor suggesting he knew the man on the phone—who I assumed was on the screen facing Asher.

“No, I can’t say that I am,” Julian admitted. “But Mr. Rose will be.”

“Then he should have considered that before he authorized this training expedition on my island,” Asher interjected.

“I’ll pass on that message,” Julian conceded. “But be prepared for his response.”

Asher smiled again, the expression almost chilling. “I’m prepared.”

“You’re not,” Julian replied. “But Bryant will ensure you are.”

“He’ll be ready,” the other man said in a sobering tone, his gaze intent on the screen. “Is there anyone else joining the party?”

“Is that your sly way of asking after my wife?”

“I do prefer her to you,” the newcomer replied, a hint of teasing in his voice now. “I’ll handle her entertainment if you bring her.”

“More like she’ll handle yours,” Julian returned, leaving no error for interpretation of their conversation.

I knew who Julian Jovanni was and what his family did. They owned the Elite Bride program.

And Julian’s wife definitely came from my world.

The fact that this newcomer knew her said he knew about that life.

And he’d probably tasted it, too.

Which contradicted everything Asher had said to me thus far about not being part of this world.

Unless this newcomer was here as some sort of facilitator?

A trainer?

My blood went cold. My new trainer.

Asher’s brow furrowed as he looked at me. “I need to see to Adalyn, Mr. Jovanni. Is there anything else you need from me?”

The newcomer followed Asher’s gaze to me, his own smile disappearing at whatever he saw on my face.

“Is she there?” Julian asked, his tone taking on a strange note that I couldn’t define.

“She just stepped in, yes,” the newcomer replied.

Oh God. Part of me wanted to run before they could say anything else. But years of training held me stationary at the door, awaiting the next directive.

I already knew what the directive would be.

“May I see her?” Julian asked.

And there it was.

I shivered, my hands lifting to my shoulders in preparation to remove my dress. Because that was what he meant by see.

I wasn’t ready for this with my damp hair and lack of makeup, but I didn’t have time to prepare.

“Adalyn.” Asher’s demanding tone held me captive, my fingers frozen against the straps of my sundress. “Leave your dress on and come here.”

I swallowed, his words wrapping around me and forcing my feet into motion.

My head bowed as I neared him and the one who I suspected would become my new trainer. My knees bent when I reached Asher’s side, my need to resume a requisite position overpowering my every move.

But Asher’s arm snagged me around the waist before I could kneel. I jolted a little as my ass met his lap, not from pain but from shock.

His arm tightened around me as his opposite hand went to my chin. He pulled my gaze to his, his eyes searching mine.

Silence fell, everything seeming to disappear around us. All that mattered was Asher and his intense gaze. His beautiful face. The way his thumb caressed my jaw.

“I’m starting to understand why Mr. Huntington may not be welcome on your isle,” Julian said from the screen.

“When a man values something, he doesn’t leave it in a place where others can take it,” Asher replied, still looking at me. “That’s how you lose valuable possessions.”

He leaned forward to brush his lips against mine, the touch so beautifully tender that it brought tears to my eyes.

This man made me feel special.

Cherished.

Owned in the best way.

But why is the new trainer here? I wondered.

Asher cupped my cheek and pulled my head to his shoulder, holding me in his lap as he faced the screen again. “Is there anything else to discuss, Mr. Jovanni?”

I closed my eyes, allowing Asher to surround me with his strength. Safe, I thought. I’m safe.

“Not right now. I’ll follow up with Mr. Rose regarding the accommodations,” Julian said. “I’ll also comment on the value of possessions as well. Perhaps there is a valuable item you wish to require for your official entrance into our organization.”

Asher moved his hand to the back of my head. “Perhaps there is.”

“I’ll be sure to mention it,” Julian said. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Sinner.”

“Thank you for your time as well, Mr. Jovanni,” Asher replied.

“Bryant,” Julian added.

“Julian,” the male beside us replied. “Send my love to Bria.”

“Hmm,” the other man hummed. “I see you miss our sparring days. Perhaps I’ll arrange one during my visit to Sinners Isle.”

The male—who I now realized was Bryant—chuckled in response.

I opened my eyes as he moved to do something with the computer. “Sorry, Ash. If I’d known he was calling, I would have been over here sooner.”

“I suspect that was the purpose of his unannounced video chat,” Asher replied. “He wanted to meet me without your influence.” He ran his fingers through my damp hair, his focus shifting to me. “Are you all right, Adalyn?”

“Yes, Sir,” I replied softly.

“We’re not scening, darling. It’s ‘Asher’ here.” He kissed my temple. “Do you mind giving us a moment?”

“Yep.” He’d already started walking toward the door. “I’ll just be in the kitchen harassing Caylin.”

“I’m not paying for damages if she stabs you,” Asher called after him.

Bryant chuckled in response and disappeared into the hallway, the door closing behind him.

Asher continued running his fingers through my hair for a moment, his opposite arm still supporting my back as he held me on his lap. “You were fine until Bryant mentioned Julian’s wife,” he finally said after a beat. “Was she an Elite Bride?”

I blinked up at him. “I imagine so, yes.”

He nodded. “I imagine so, too,” he echoed. “But from what Bryant has told me, Julian and his wife have a good marriage. So are some Elite Brides treated well in the program?”

This type of question only proved how little Asher knew about Sin Cave. If he was playing a game with me, he might be able to make a few of these moves believable. But to consistently ask these types of things while also acting the way he did? That couldn’t be faked.

And if it was somehow not real, if he was somehow just that good at this game, then he deserved to win at this point.

“Adalyn?” he prompted when I didn’t reply.

I pulled back a little to look at him. Really look at him. That handsome face. Those perfect cheekbones. His sinfully dark eyes.

Such a beautiful man.

Strong. Dominant. Currently arching a brow at me in expectation.

My lips curled at that look, the defiant part of me wanting to push him to play a little.

But this was too serious a discussion for me to provoke him now.

He needed to understand this world. It was the only way he would survive it.

“Arrangements are made between the families,” I told him softly. “And all the power is given to the male heir. So in my situation, Taylor said what he wanted, and the program molded me appropriately to suit those needs.”

“And what was it that he wanted? A slave?”

I considered that and nodded a little. “He wanted someone willing to be shared. A masochist, specifically. From what I understand, that’s a pretty typical request. But there are those who prefer to train their own wives. And not all requirements are the same.”

“But what if the arranged bride isn’t a masochist? She’s just forced to become one?” A touch of incredulity underlined his tone.

“Yes. That’s what the training does.” I couldn’t feel pleasure without pain now. I wasn’t sure if that had been my preference all along or if Nate was the cause of my kinks.

Regardless, it didn’t matter.

There was nothing I could do about my past or who he’d made me.

I am who I am, I thought, unapologetic about it.

“I don’t know much about the other Elite Brides, as I was kept away from them. But I did meet a few of them early on, and I remember some of them were excited about their matches. I don’t know if they maintained that excitement, though. Because everyone went down their own paths. Mine led me to Nate, and…” I trailed off because Asher could guess the rest.

“I see.” His fingers slipped beneath my hair as his palm curled around my nape. “Would it help you to learn my preferences? Rather than guess at them?”

“You’re a sadist,” I whispered, fully aware of his preference for pain.

“To an extent, yes. I like giving pain to intensify the results.”

“The results being your pleasure?” I guessed.

“Not exactly.” He considered me, his midnight gaze assessing. “It’s all about edging for me, knowing that I’m in control of when the woman falls apart. I can fuck with her senses, drive her to a point of agony, only to soothe her torment with the most intense orgasm of her life. That’s true power. That’s what I enjoy.”

Yes, I could feel the evidence of that enjoyment growing against my ass. “Oh,” I whispered, my own body reacting to his words. I’d experienced a little of that with him yesterday in the pool, but it’d mostly been about pleasure.

What would he be like in full Dom mode? I wondered.

“What about you, Adalyn? Is sharing one of your kinks?”

My lips curled down. “I… I do whatever I’m told.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“I know… I just… I don’t know.” I wasn’t sure how to answer him. “I don’t mind submitting—”

“But do you like it?” he interjected. “Do you like giving a man control? Letting him bind you? Tell you what to do? Dictate when you come and how hard you climax?”

My cheeks heated, his words igniting a flame within me. “Yes,” I whispered. “Yes, please.”

He arched a brow. “Which part?”

“All of it.”

“Yet you reacted to me binding you yesterday in the pool. Was that only because you thought I intended to waterboard you?”

I dipped my chin a little. “I… I don’t like water play.”

“What about breath play?” His palm went to my throat, giving it a little squeeze. “Do you like that?”

I swallowed, my heart picking up a little in my chest. “With you? I think so, yes.”

“But not with others?” he pressed.

“Not with others,” I admitted. “I…”

I’d never been allowed to say this.

I’d never been allowed to question anything regarding my needs, to voice my desires, to utter comments about what I truly wanted.

But Asher was giving me the opportunity to do so now. And something told me he might actually respect my preferences.

“I don’t like being shared,” I confided in the softest voice I could muster. “I would prefer you not to share me, Sir.”

My gaze fell, my heart suddenly in my throat.

Because I’d just admitted the one way he could break me—by doing the opposite of what I’d just requested.

“I’ll never share you unless you tell me otherwise,” he promised, causing me to freeze. “It’s not one of my kinks. I enjoy exhibitionism and letting others watch, but once a woman is mine, I won’t let anyone else have her unless she asks for it.”

I blinked. “I’ll never ask for it.” I’d been forced to do that too many times in my life, always expressing desire for the men Nate had chosen for me to please.

But I’d never wanted any of them.

The only man I’d ever actually wanted, the only one I’d ever somewhat chosen, was this man. Asher Sinner.

“Then no one will ever touch you without your permission again,” he vowed.

I frowned. Because that couldn’t be true. I might be his for the next week, but beyond that… “You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep, Asher.”

He studied me for a moment, his gaze hardening. “You don’t know me very well, Adalyn, so I’m going to let that insult against my character slide. But when I vow something, I mean it. And in this case, it is a promise I will keep. Because I intend to tell the Elite members that you’re mine.”

His grip on my throat tightened again as though to punctuate his statement.

I stared at him. “Yours?”

“I told you that was my intention, Adalyn. They owe me recompense for what happened on my isle, and you are the payment I intend to accept for their slight against my business.”

My eyes widened. He had indicated his plans before, just as I’d picked up on the subtlety between him and Julian during the call. I was the valuable possession he’d mentioned—the one that had been left on this island for another man to find.

And he was that man.

“I told them I would pick up your training,” he continued. “And that intrigued them enough for you to stay. It’s all part of my plan to offer you freedom. But I need your help, Adalyn. You know this world better than I do. Likely even better than Bryant does. If you help me, I can help you.”

My brow furrowed. “Bryant’s a trainer. He knows the world as well as I do, maybe even better.”

“A trainer?” he repeated, his lips curling down as he released my throat. “You know Bryant from the program?”

Uh… “No. No, I just met him today. But he’s here to train, right?”

Asher blinked and then he smiled. “No, Adalyn. Bryant is the head of my security on the island. But he worked for Julian before coming here. And I’ve gathered he knows his wife well, but not as a trainer.”

“Oh.” My nose scrunched. “So he’s not here to train me?”

“The only one who is going to train you is me, darling.” He tucked my hair behind my ear and palmed the back of my head. “And you’re going to train me, too. On your world and what the Elite will expect from me. Because I need to play my part convincingly to be believed. And in return, I’ll give you safe passage on my island.”

Safe passage? I thought. “Safe passage to do what?”

“To live in peace.” His palm left my head to settle on my hip. “And if there comes a time when you can safely leave, I’ll help you then, too.”

I considered that for a moment. “But there’s nowhere for me to go.” And there likely never would be.

“That’s something you obviously knew when you killed Nathan Spencer.”

“Yes,” I admitted. “But I just didn’t care. I wanted out. I wanted away from him. I didn’t want this week to happen.”

“And you won, Adalyn,” he told me. “But that was only an initial battle. Help me win the war, and I’ll let you stay here. Unharmed. Untouched. To live however you want.”