NOTE BEFORE READING: This chapter contains some light bondage (as in blindfolds and handcuffs).

Chapter Nine

The penthouse had two bedrooms: the master and a smaller room that was technically "hers", although Layla could probably count on one hand the number of nights she had actually slept in it. She debated for a moment which one they should use, deciding it was probably best just to use the smaller one. The thought of having sex on her father's king-size bed was not the most appealing.

The second the door closed behind them, they began kissing again, Layla reaching up to undo his tie.

"Wait." He took a step back and reached for the loose tie hung around his neck, yanking it off. "May I?" he asked, holding the tie up to Layla's eyes.

Layla nodded, allowing Yuri to blindfold her with the tie. He then placed his hands on her upper arms, gently guiding her backwards. It was alarming at first, not being able to see, but Layla trusted Yuri, following his directions until she felt her back pressed up against a wall. At that point, he began kissing her again, his lips moving from place to place, up and down her body. She never knew where he would go next, and each surprising brush against her skin sent tiny shockwaves through her nerves.

After a while, Yuri reached for the hem of her body-forming dress, pulling it up over her hips and revealing the tiny black thong she wore underneath. His hands grabbed her butt cheeks, and Layla whimpered in anticipation of what he planned to do to her next.

"Yuri…"

Yuri's tongue trailed up her neck. "I want to taste you, Layla," he said in a voice somewhere between a whisper and a growl.

A pleasant shiver travelled up her spine at his words, and Layla nodded, giving her consent.

Yuri fell down to his knees in front of Layla, spreading her legs apart and placing his mouth over the scrap of fabric that covered her entrance. His breath was hot against her, his tongue fighting against the barrier, and a moan escaped Layla's lips as she felt a wetness forming between her thighs.

Slowly – almost too slowly – Yuri ran his hands up her legs, not stopping until they reached the waistband of her thong. He then hooked his thumbs around the thin string and dragged it down to the floor. Layla stepped out of them, kicking them out of the way, and braced herself against the wall as Yuri lifted her left leg and placed it over his shoulder.

Yuri's mouth was in the optimal position to resume what he had started earlier. Layla drew in a sharp gasp as he licked her, more turned on than she ever remembered being in her life.

"Do you like that?" he asked.

Layla could only nod and whimper in response.

His tongue explored deeper inside her – teasing, prodding, swirling. Layla brought a hand to her mouth and lightly bit down on the knuckle of her thumb, fighting back the urge to gasp every time he flicked over one spot in particular. However, it wasn't the most relaxing position, and despite her athletic prowess, Layla's leg soon grew tired of having to hold herself up. Blindly, she reached down and tugged on Yuri's hair, signaling him to stand back up.

Back on his feet, Yuri pulled the blindfold down and kissed Layla, giving her a faint taste of herself from the slick that coated his lips. She could feel his erection pressing against her through the fabric of his slacks. Her hands fumbled to release it, Yuri moaning into her mouth.

Layla knew from previous experience that he usually kept a condom on him. She slid a hand inside his right pocket, happy when her fingers touched the distinctive foil wrapping. She pulled it out and tore open the packaging, rolling the condom onto his erect penis.

Until then, Yuri had been mostly in control of the situation, but Layla decided it was time to turn the tables. She wrapped a hand around his shaft and guided it toward her entrance, skimming his penis against her wet folds a few times before allowing only the head to dip inside to rub against her clitoris.

"Layla, you're killing me here," he groaned, resting his forehead against her shoulder. "Please."

"No. Not yet."

"Please."

"No," she repeated, lightly pushing him away from her. "Now, get out of those clothes and on the bed."

Yuri rolled his eyes, but a smile danced across his lips as he shrugged of his jacket and tossed it aside.

"If I must…"

Yuri finished stripping out of the rest of his clothes in record time and laid down on the bed as Layla had ordered. He wasn't sure what she had in mind, but it excited him to see her take charge.

Layla, still wearing her dress pulled up over her hips, kicked off her heels and soon joined him, straddling his stomach as she undid the knot of his tie around her neck. Yuri assumed she was going to blindfold him as he had done to her, but was surprised when she wrapped one end of the tie around one of his wrists instead. She then threaded the other end around one of the bars of the brass headboard behind him and tied it around his other wrist so that his hands were pulled above his head.

"Is that too tight for you?" she asked. "I can loosen them if you want."

Yuri yanked against the handmade cuffs, testing them. They were secure, but loose enough that it wouldn't cut off his circulation. "They're fine."

"Good."

She rolled off of him, positioning herself next to him on the bed, and started off with a kiss, a hand pressed against his bare chest. If Layla could feel his heartbeat start to race, she made no mention of it, moving her hand in a slow circle across his skin before roaming downward. Yuri unconsciously held his breath in anticipation, but her touch only went as low as his navel, resting there for a moment before she placed her hand on the other side of the bed and propped herself up.

Her lips left his, and she told him to close his eyes. As he had done to her earlier, Layla began randomly landing soft kisses on various parts of his body – some dangerously close to the spot he wanted her to touch most. Yuri squirmed, wishing he could just grab her head and guide her mouth even lower, but the tie wrapped around his wrists kept them locked firmly in place.

"Layla, please," he begged once again. Her delay tactics were fun at first, but now they were just borderline sadistic.

"Please, what?" she asked, staring down at him as he opened his eyes.

Yuri sighed. "You know what I want."

"I want you to say it."

"Layla…"

She raised an arched eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're embarrassed, Yuri Killian. After everything we've done, this is what makes you blush like a virgin schoolboy?"

"I'm not blushing!" he said, even as he felt his cheeks warm. "Just blow me already, okay?"

"What's the magic word?"

"Oh, for the love of – Please!"

Layla scooted down the bed, and after a second more of hesitation, she bent down and finally took him into her mouth.

Yuri inhaled sharply. It was the first time Layla had ever given him head, but she had a natural talent for it, knowing exactly what spots to focus her attention on to give him the most pleasure. In the back of his mind, he wondered if Mateo the waiter had taught her what to do, but he quickly pushed that thought away, not wanting to know the answer if he had.

Instead, he focused on the strong sensation building inside him, his fingers wrapping around one of the bars of the headboard in lieu of Layla's hair. His breathing grew short and shallow, and he was just on the very edge of coming when Layla abruptly pulled away, causing Yuri to yell out a vulgarity in frustration.

"I swear, Layla –"

"Just a minute," she said, straddling his hips.

Layla reached for the bottom of her dress and yanked it over her head, tossing it aside. Her pink nipples were already hard and erect, and the teardrop diamond that still hung between her breasts sparkled against her skin.

"Wow, you are beautiful," he murmured, wishing he could caress her. He forgot his irritation, drinking in her incredible beauty. "Touch yourself for me."

Doing as she was asked, Layla licked her pointer fingers, then cupped both of her breasts, using her wet fingers to trace circles around her areola. Yuri greatly enjoyed the view, but it wasn't quite what he had in mind.

"No, lower."

"You mean…"

"Yeah," he said, smiling when he saw a rare blush come to Layla's cheeks. He considered it payback for before. "Show me what you do when you're alone."

Hesitantly, she slid her right hand down her flat stomach and in between her legs, inserting a finger inside herself. Her other hand remained on her breast, fondling it, as she fingered herself below.

Yuri stared, completely entranced by the erotic act she was performing – something so personal, no one else had ever seen her do it before. Indeed, after a couple of minutes, he suspected that Layla forgot he was even there, too caught up in her own pleasure to be embarrassed that somebody was watching her. She had closed her eyes, and her breath was coming in short gasps, her plump lips forming into the shape of an "O".

"Stop," he said once he suspected she was close to reaching orgasm.

Layla's eyes fluttered open, her cheeks going flush again when she looked down at him, but she didn't break her gaze, reaching in between her legs once again. That time, however, she wrapped her fingers around his shaft, guiding the tip toward her entrance. She then leaned forward, grabbing the top of the headboard as Yuri slipped inside of her.

Yuri moaned as Layla began grinding against him, her necklace swinging back and forth between her breasts over his face with every thrust. The diamond caught his eye. He attempted to catch it with his mouth, but the movement was too unpredictable for him to get the timing right, so he gave up on the idea and simply enjoyed the view.

Layla started slowly, gradually picking up the pace until they were both breathing heavily in the throes of passion. She came first, sitting up and arching her back as she let out a voiceless scream, but Yuri was soon to follow, bucking his hips as his bound hands strained against the tie. It was often said that good things came to those who waited, and he had to admit in this case it was true, for it was one of the most intense, powerful orgasms he had ever experienced in his life, like a volcano erupting after a long period of dormancy.

"Wow," was all he could say when it was over.

Layla nodded her agreement, climbing off of him and rolling over on her back beside him on the bed.

The two of them stayed like that for several minutes, trying to recapture their breath, until Layla sat back up and reached for her discarded dress on the floor.

"We should probably go back down to the party," she said, shimmying back into the sexy dress. "People will start wondering where we are if we don't."

Yuri would have much rather stayed in bed, fucking Layla until morning, but knew she was right. They had already taken a big risk as it was. "Mind letting me loose?" he asked, tugging on his tie. "I can't exactly get dressed like this.

"Oh, right."

She crawled back onto the bed and fiddled with the knot she had made, cursing under her breath.

"Uh, Layla, you can release me, can't you?"

"I'm trying… Hold on a minute…" she muttered just as they heard a third voice calling out Layla's name from the living room.

They looked at each other in horror, Yuri fighting back the urge to violently swear.

It was Mr. Hamilton.

His career – and his ultimate goal of getting revenge on Kalos – was over.

Shit!

What was her father doing here? He was supposed to be on his way to London right about now.

"Layla, untie me. Now," Yuri ordered in a low, harsh voice.

Her heart pounding and with shaking fingers, somehow Layla managed to untie one of the knots just as her father knocked on the door to the bedroom.

"Layla, are you in there? It's me."

"Uh, coming!" she called out, not knowing what else to say in the situation. Since they had left the light on in the living room, there was no point trying to pretend she wasn't there. "Just a minute."

She helped Yuri gather his clothes from off the floor, then pushed him in the direction of another door on the other side of the room. "Closet," she whispered. "I'll think of something, so don't worry."

He didn't seem so confident, but did as she told him. When she was certain there was nothing else in the room to betray Yuri's presence, Layla smoothed down her dress, took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and finally opened the door.

"Oh, um, hello, Father," she said. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be at the airport by now."

"I'm on my way right now," he replied. "The car is waiting for me out front. I just wanted to say goodbye before I left." He frowned. "Why did you leave the party? As Kaleido Stage's biggest star, you should be a part of the anniversary celebration."

"Oh, I had the most awful splitting headache," she lied, thinking quickly. "I came up here to take some aspirin and rest for a few minutes before going back down, but I must have fallen asleep. I'm sorry. I should have told you, but I didn't expect to be gone so long."

"It's fine. I was worried when I couldn't find you, but I'm glad that's all it was." In a rare gesture of affection, her father brushed a strand of loose hair out of her eyes. "Is your headache any better now? I can walk you back down to the party before I leave."

Guiltily, Layla glanced over her shoulder at the closet. She hated lying to her father any more than necessary, but she couldn't exactly leave Yuri locked in the apartment. He didn't know the necessary codes to escape. "Actually, it's still pretty bad," she said, rubbing at her temple. "I'm not really in a partying mood. Would you mind if I just stayed here for the night?"

"I don't know if I like the idea of you staying here all alone, Layla."

"Father, as I reminded you earlier tonight, I'm almost nineteen years old. I'm not a child anymore. Besides, nobody can get up here without the codes. I'll be completely safe."

"I know, I know…" He sighed, looking down at his fancy Rolex watch. "Fine, I suppose it'll be okay. I really need to get going, though. I'm flying commercial, so the plane won't wait."

"I'll walk you to the elevator."

After saying goodbye to her father, Layla returned to the bedroom to find Yuri sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. He was already dressed except for his tie, which she suspected had been ruined by the knots she had made earlier.

"That was too damn close, Layla," he said, looking up when she closed the door behind her. "If your father had caught me in bed with you…"

"I know. I-I'm sorry. I really didn't expect him to come up here."

Yuri sighed and stood back up. "I should get back down to the party. If anybody asks, I'll say you had a headache and decided to leave early."

She nodded. It was a good idea – the smart idea. After the lie she told her father, she couldn't rejoin the party herself. Besides, Mateo was still down there. At least if she stayed in the apartment, she wouldn't need to worry about their paths crossing and the inevitable awkwardness that would occur after their one-night stand. Sending Yuri back down on his own was the best way to quell any rumors that may have arisen if anybody had noticed their absence.

But…

"Wait." She grabbed the sleeve of Yuri's jacket as he brushed past her on the way to the door. "Don't go," Layla said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Stay."

What was she doing? She was acting like a girl begging her boyfriend not to leave her after a huge fight, which was ridiculous because Yuri was most definitely not her boyfriend. She had made that perfectly clear when they started their arrangement.

"Layla…"

Embarrassed, she let go of the grip she had on his sleeve. "Sorry. I don't know – " She shook her head and took in a deep breath to calm herself. "Never mind. You should go back to the party. Come on, I'll get the elevator working for you."

Yuri reached into his refrigerator and pulled out a can of beer.

It was his second since he woke up thirty minutes ago.

Kalos had shut down Kaleido Stage for the day, giving those who had overindulged at the party last night a chance to recover from their hangovers. Yuri hadn't been one of them, sticking to just one glass of champagne since he was driving, but if he kept up with his current pace, he wouldn't be surprised if he woke up with one tomorrow.

Still dressed in the pajama bottoms he had changed into after he returned from the party, Yuri walked out onto the balcony and pulled back the tab on the can. The mid-August temperature was warm, even so early in the morning, and the cold liquid felt wonderful running down his throat as he took a large gulp.

Sighing, he leaned his forearms against the railing and stared out at Kaleido Stage in the distance, barely noticing the beautiful sunrise.

He had almost forgotten again. His ultimate goal.

He needed to end his arrangement with Layla. It wasn't just the fact that he almost lost his job last night – although that was certainly part of it. Yuri wasn't particularly religious, but he thanked whoever – or whatever – was in charge of such things that Layla had managed to untie that knot just in time, before Mr. Hamilton walked in on them in bed together.

No, what ultimately scared him was that they were only supposed to be "friends with benefits". As long as things stayed purely sexual between them, he thought he would be able to handle it, that it wasn't that big a deal. But…

Yuri squeezed his eyes shut, trying unsuccessfully to block the memory of Layla asking him to stay the night with her, despite it being her rule in the first place that they wouldn't do sleepovers. He suspected that her feelings for him were growing beyond mere "friendship", and if he was completely, one-hundred percent honest with himself –

"Dammit, I'm not in love with Layla Hamilton," he muttered to himself before taking another swig of his beer.

He went back inside and laid down on the couch, setting his half-drunk beer on the coffee table. As much as Yuri hated to admit it, maybe his mother had been right about him having feelings for Layla after all. He hesitated to call it "love", but he did feel something toward Layla, something he had never experienced with any other woman.

He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. How could he have let this happen? Falling in love…lust…whatever it was he felt toward Layla was not a part of his plan.

The first thing Layla saw when she woke up was the digital alarm clock on the nightstand.

It read 9:37 in bright red numbers.

She sat up with a start, mentally swearing at Macquarie for letting her sleep in so late. But as she took in her surroundings, Layla realized that she wasn't at home, but at her father's luxury penthouse at the hotel.

"Oh, right, I spent the night," she muttered to herself, memories of what had happened coming back to her.

Sighing, Layla drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Since she didn't keep any of her clothes at the apartment, she had borrowed one of her father's pajama tops to sleep in. It was several sizes too big for her and kept sliding off her shoulder, but she barely noticed, her mind elsewhere.

I am such an idiot, she thought.

It was supposed to be a simple arrangement. No feelings, no commitments... Just two friends sleeping together, no strings attached.

So why was everything suddenly so confusing?

Was it possible that she was falling in love with Yuri? That wasn't supposed to happen. The whole point behind the arrangement was that she didn't want to fall in love. A boyfriend was a distraction Layla didn't need at this point in her life. She needed to concentrate on her career, needed to keep working to become an even bigger Kaleido Star than she already was.

But…

Layla shook her head, refusing to even consider the possibility. Besides, even if she did feel that way about him, that didn't mean Yuri felt the same about her. For all she knew, he had gone back down to the party and found himself another girl to take home last night. Maybe that pretty Russian juggler who was always trying to flirt with him…

No, she needed to end things with Yuri. The arrangement wasn't working anymore.

It was as simple as that.

DISCLAIMER: "Kaleido Star" doesn't belong to me.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! I really have no idea when I'll be able to post the next one, since I'll be busy the next couple of months working on fics for various challenges. One of those challenges, though, is Kaleido Star Week 2020 over on Tumblr, so you will get at least one new KS fic from me! It's starting February 10th and lasts until the 16th, so if you enjoy creating fan-made content, check out the rules on Tumblr, username: kaleidostarweek2020.

Also, feel free to follow me on my Tumblr! My username is kaleidodreams.