A Possessive Demand

Author's POV.

After spending ample time freshening up in her meticulous new replica room, Aria finally stepped out into the quiet hallway. She walked toward the edge of the second-floor landing and stared down at the daunting, massive staircase leading to the ground level. Even though taking the elevator would have been an easier option for her tired body, she stubbornly chose the stairs. She gripped the polished mahogany banister tightly and began her slow descent. By the time her bare feet hit the cold marble floor of the main level, she was visibly panting. The physical effort required to conquer those countless steps left her lungs burning and her chest heaving for oxygen. She followed a pair of uniformed maids carrying a trail of covered silver platters down a wide corridor, figuring they were heading straight for the dining hall.

She stepped through the grand arched doorway and froze in her tracks. Her mouth dropped open in awe at the new heaven staring right back at her. Every inch of Vance's dining hall was made of pristine glass and decorated with heavy gold accents. The massive crystal chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling cast a warm, luxurious glow over the long table. Vance's house was the pure definition of paradise.

"You really need to get a lift for your house." Aria breathed out roughly.

Vance was already seated at the head of the long table, a plate of food in front of him. He paused with a glass of fresh juice in his hand and raised his gaze to meet hers. His dark, predatory eyes did not stay on her face for long. They instantly dropped downward, locking firmly onto the exposed, soft curves of her bare belly. She had deliberately chosen to wear a stylish, tight white crop top and a pair of blue distressed denim shorts. The raw hem of the fabric perfectly showcased the smooth curve from her heavy breasts down to her slender hips. The revealing sight got him instantly hooked. Slowly, he batted his dark eyelashes and took a calm, measured sip from his glass.

"I would do anything for you, baby girl." Vance murmured smoothly.

"Stop calling me that, Vance." Aria snapped, pulling out a heavy chair and sitting down a few seats away from him.

"Pretense will be the end of you, Aria. Do you enjoy hearing me call you that?" Vance teased. His lips twitched into a mischievous smile as he watched her reach for the serving tongs.

Aria simply rolled her eyes in response. She lifted the lid off a silver platter and began dishing a generous portion of roasted chicken and pasta onto her porcelain plate. A fragile silence settled over the opulent dining hall as they began to eat. They fell into a quiet, peaceful meal. Only the sharp clinking of silver spoons and forks scraping against porcelain plates echoed through the massive room.

The awkward quiet dragged on for several long minutes, thick with unspoken words. Suddenly, that fragile silence was abruptly shattered by the loud, upbeat ringing of Aria’s cell phone resting on the table. She wiped her mouth with a linen napkin and picked up the device. Seeing the name of her boyfriend, Preston, flashing brightly across the screen, she let out a happy, genuine giggle.

Across the table, Vance noticed the soft, joyous look on her face. His handsome features darkened into a furious, menacing frown. His jaw clenched tight, and his knuckles turned stark white as his hand tightened fiercely around his fork. He glared at her, wondering why she was grinning so happily at a glowing piece of glass.

Aria swiped the screen to answer the call and pressed the phone to her ear.

"Hello, babe." Preston's tinny voice came through the speaker.

Aria smiled brightly and took a quick sip of her orange juice to wash down the food stuck in her throat. She knew she had to reciprocate his pleasantries, but she felt uncomfortable being in the same room as Vance while speaking so affectionately to another man.

"Excuse me." Aria mumbled.

She pushed her chair back, fully intending to leave the table and take the private call out in the hallway. Vance shot her a terrifying, dagger-like glare. His dark eyes were freezing cold, and his stern, emotionless authority paralyzed her with fear.

"Where do you think you are going?" Vance demanded.

Aria gulped down the thick knot of panic rising in her throat.

"Hello? Aria, are you there?" Preston's worried voice echoed from the phone.

"Take a seat." Vance firmly commanded.

His voice left no room for negotiation. Aria had known Vance all her life, and she knew better than to question that specific, dangerous tone. Her bottom hit the upholstered chair heavily. She was trapped under his ferocious, unyielding gaze, forced to answer the call right there at the table. She internally wondered why he was acting like such a ruthless dictator.

"Hello, babe." Aria breathed out quickly into the receiver.

Vance bit down on his lower lip hard. Hearing Aria call another man that intimate pet name sent a spike of possessive rage through his chest. He cast her another hard, punishing glare. Aria was quick to stare away, forcing herself to ignore his oppressive presence.

"What's happening over there? Are you in Seattle already?" Preston inquired.

Aria inhaled a shaky breath. She hated being put in a tense situation like this. Vance was acting no different from her controlling father, suffocating her life and dictating her moves at every given space.

"Where do I start, Preston? You have asked me so many questions already." Aria replied.

"It's okay to start from anywhere, babe." Preston said softly.

"I am in Seattle already. But I won't be seeing you until tomorrow. I am being forced to stay with a close relative per my father's strict orders." Aria explained.

She desperately tried to ignore the ferocious glare burning into the side of her head from across the table. Preston let out a heavy sigh over the line. Aria could hear his evident disappointment and his bubbling jealousy over the phone, but it was not her fault she was trapped here.

"I am sorry." Aria breathed out softly.

"It's okay. We have school hours to ourselves tomorrow." Preston muttered.

"Yes, we do." Aria smiled softly.

She took another nervous sip from her drink.

"I will call you later tonight. I have to go now. I love you, baby." Preston said.

Preston was far from believing what Aria had said about staying with a relative. He deliberately used the declaration of love to mark his territory and ensure she was not hiding a secret guy in the background. Aria hated that she had to reciprocate the words in front of Vance. She knew Preston was the jealous type who would pick a fight if she did not reply properly. At the same time, she was hyper-aware of Vance watching her every move. She did not want to upset the man she loved, even if Vance felt like a suffocating guardian.

"I love you too." Aria forced the words out before quickly tapping the red button to hang up.

The second the call ended, the temperature in the room plummeted dramatically.

"Who was that?" Vance fiercely demanded.

His gaze was rigidly fixed on his plate of food. He scooped a large spoonful of pasta into his mouth, refusing to spare her a single glance. He was fighting a losing battle to hide his raging jealousy, trying his hardest not to look affected.

"It is none of your business." Aria argued defensively.

Vance snapped his head up and shot her a dangerous glare. It was the kind of look that explicitly warned her to either speak the truth or shut her mouth and never question his authority.

"I have every right to know. You are in my house, and it is my duty to watch over you as your appointed guardian." Vance coldly invoked his supreme authority.

Aria shoved her food around her plate with her fork, feeling backed into a tight corner.

"Who else am I supposed to be saying 'I love you' to?" Aria muttered.

"Girls are unpredictable these days. For all I know, you are practicing lesbianism behind closed doors." Vance replied.

His stern voice was dripping with thick, crude sarcasm. Aria had initially thought his anger stemmed from simple guardianship, but this felt personal and petty.

"I am not a lesbian, Vance. I was speaking to my boyfriend." Aria bluntly confessed.

Upon hearing that confirmation, Vance's heart stiffened painfully in his chest. A dark, ugly monster clawed at his insides. He shot her another dagger-like stare, unable to believe she had hidden a two-year relationship from him. He had waited so patiently for her to grow up, keeping his distance, only to find out some other punk had claimed her time.

"So you have a boyfriend now?" Vance asked.

He masterfully masked his inner emotional turmoil. His tone made it sound like she had committed a massive, unforgivable sin.

"Is there a problem with that?" Aria fired back.

"How long have you known him?" Vance asked, ignoring her question entirely.

"Roughly two years." Aria stated with firm confidence.

Vance scoffed loudly. He reached for his glass of juice, using the drink to suppress his frayed nerves.

"I hope your boyfriend is hitting the spot really well." Vance stated.

Aria shot him a look of sheer disgust. Her cheeks burned hot.

"Not everything in life is about sex, Vance." Aria fired back defensively.

Vance let out a dark, mocking grin. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes scanning her exposed skin.

"What else is it about? Your boyfriend is clearly not man enough. It is physically impossible to have such a hot cake like you without ramming into her one or two times per day." Vance boldly declared.

Aria foamed with anger. Her hands shook as she stared at him in disbelief.

"What the fuck, Vance!" Aria yelled.

"Your boyfriend doesn't know how to fuck you right, baby girl. I could easily take Preston's place in your bed and show you what a real man feels like. How many times have you two had sex?" Vance interrogated ruthlessly.

Aria hated how raw and filthy he was. She had tried her best to adapt to his boundary-pushing nature over the years, but he always went too far.

"We have not had sex yet. I am a virgin." Aria inadvertently admitted.

Vance accidentally choked on the juice in his mouth. He swallowed hard, his dark eyes snapping back up to her face. A sudden wave of intense happiness and profound relief flushed through his veins upon learning she was untouched. The crushing weight on his chest vanished into thin air.

His dark eyes blatantly and hungrily raked over her body. His gaze dropped from her neck, lingering heavily on her large breasts pushing against the tight fabric of her crop top, before trailing down to her exposed thighs. The thought of being the very first person to bury his hard cock deep inside her tight pussy gnawed relentlessly at his brain.

"What are you thinking about? Why are you staring at me so quietly?" Aria asked.

"I am simply examining your physique. I am openly wondering how it would feel to be your very first. Perhaps I am the one whose sex would reset your factory and keep you properly in check." Vance murmured.

His husky, gravelly voice sent electric chills straight down her spine. Aria faked a look of extreme annoyance at his raw, filthy words, rolling her eyeballs dramatically.

"You sure haven't changed a bit. You are disgusting." Aria muttered.

Despite her outward protest, a secret, undeniable thrill pooled deep in her lower stomach. She internally hated herself for genuinely enjoying his dirty, possessive talk. The oppressive dominance and thick jealousy were rapidly morphing into undeniable sexual tension, thick enough to cut with a knife. Vance chuckled darkly.

"Do not ever take phone calls at my dining table ever again. I will not hesitate to smash that phone into pieces and buy you another one." Vance strictly and coldly commanded.

His stern authority left no room for argument, but the soothing, possessive undertone in his voice left her quivering. The tense, charged meal finally concluded in heavy silence. Aria finished the last bites of her food, eager to escape his suffocating presence. Exhausted from the travel and the emotional whiplash, Aria pushed her chair back and stood up. She decided it was time to retreat to her bed and sleep so she could wake up early for school.

She walked out of the dining hall and reached the bottom of the grand staircase. A wave of dread washed over her as she stared up at the towering steps. The sheer height of the stairs looked like a massive mountain. She refused to use the elevator out of pure stubbornness.

Taking a deep breath, Aria attempted to conquer the massive staircase once more. She grabbed the banister and began the agonizing climb. Her thighs burned with lactic acid. She stopped every few steps to catch her breath, panting heavily. Halfway up the curving wooden steps, her quivering legs gave out. Her knees buckled beneath her.

Before she could hit the hard wooden steps, Vance's strong, muscular arms wrapped tightly around her waist from behind. He had followed her out of the dining hall in silence. With effortless strength, he swept her up off her feet, pulling her into a secure, romantic bridal carry.

Aria gasped softly in surprise. At first, she wanted to struggle and demand he put her down, but the overwhelming warmth radiating from his large body sapped the fight right out of her. She settled submissively into Vance's solid embrace. She wrapped her slender arms securely around his thick neck, uncontrollably taking in the intoxicating, masculine scent of his expensive cologne mixed with his natural musk.

Vance began carrying her up the remaining stairs with ease, his broad chest rising and falling rhythmically against her side.

"You are so feeble. I wonder how you would ever be able to take my dick if you cannot even take these stairs." Vance murmured huskily right against her ear.

His hot breath fanned over her sensitive skin. The explicit, dirty talk caused her heart to race wildly in her chest. Her mind immediately drifted, painting a vivid picture of just how massive his thick cock must be beneath his tailored trousers.

"I am not feeble. I am just soft." Aria pouted.

As she whispered her weak protest into the quiet air, she shifted her weight and pressed her body closer to him for balance. Vance sucked in a sharp, ragged breath. He felt the distinctly soft, heavy weight of her breasts pressing flush against his rock-hard chest. The intense physical sensation sent wild sparks shooting through his body. The close proximity and the undeniable friction were far too much for his self-control. Within seconds, his heavy erection instantly hardened visibly, straining aggressively against the front zipper of his dark trousers.