by Hélène Soper
“Gen, you remember Avery Lewis.”
“I sure do. I love your dress, Avery. May I pour you a glass of wine?”
“Thanks, Gen. You look great. I’d love a glass. I understand you’re planning on taking over the winemaking duties from your father.”
“Give her the Estate Bottled Chardonnay,” Luc said. “And yes, we can’t wait to have her home for good once she finishes up the harvest in New Zealand.”
Gen poured the wine and handed the glass to Luc who took it by the stem. His elegant long fingers cradled the delicate crystal with such reverence Avery mused what they would feel like tracing patterns on her skin. Would his hands be soft or calloused? Would he be gentle or demanding? Would his fingers or tongue get her hot faster?
She held out her hand, her gaze never leaving his, as he handed her the glass. Sizzling electricity wound its way up her arm from where his fingers brushed hers. A patented Luc half-smile curled his lips. And it was directed at her. That was enough to make the dampness between her legs feel like Niagara Falls and anything she was thinking about vanish into the mist.
Gryff’s phone buzzed, breaking her delicious spell. A grim look overtook her friend’s face when he read the text.
“Sorry, Avery, it’s work. I have to go in.”
“Is everything OK?”
Avery hoped her voice didn’t betray her sudden anxiety at him leaving her at the event before she was able to call it a night. She still had several more producers to interview. She had a job to do and couldn’t let stupid, irrational fear get in her way. She was a professional, damn it!
“Yeah. Possible lead on a case we’re working.” Gryff sighed and put down his wine glass. “Let me arrange for a cab to take you home when you’re ready.”
“Don’t worry, brother. I’ve got her. I’ll make sure she gets home safe and sound,” Luc said as he stepped closer to Avery and put his hand on the small of her back.
Decadent heat radiated outward from his palm, like the sun’s rays her eight-year-old daughter, Cassidy, drew in her pictures. The tension in her shoulders eased and the heartbeat that threatened to strangle her esophagus managed to relocate back into her chest.
“Perfect. Thanks man.” Gryff turned to Avery and brushed his hand up and down her arm. “I’m sorry I have to leave. But I know you’re in good hands with Luc. You don’t need to worry about a thing. Enjoy your evening. I’ll expect a full report tomorrow. Who knows, the big guy may even give you an exclusive interview.” Gryff nodded toward his buddy as he said his good nights and strode with purpose out of the ballroom.
Avery sighed. One day she wouldn’t be that woman who still needed to be taken care of by her big bad cop friend. She was a grown woman, a survivor, a professional journalist, not a basket case. Damn it all to hell and back.
“Thanks, Luc, but I’m a big girl. I can take a cab. The newspaper will pay for it since I’m here on official business.”
“Like hell I’m letting you take a cab home.” Luc’s dark eyes bored into her, leaving her a little breathless. “When you’re ready, I’ll drive you home. It would be my pleasure, Avery.”
His alpha male tone made her nipples harden into granite and her clit throb. Why did her body react to Mr. Bossypants like she was some wanton sexpot who would obediently drop to her knees at his feet at the first sign of authority?
Simple. Avery had discovered a long time ago she was a submissive. But that precious gift wasn’t cherished or respected by the Dom she’d chosen to help her learn about the lifestyle. Now, Avery equated submission with relinquishing her humanity. And she’d vowed to never dip her toe in that pond again.
But her body didn’t get the memo. Luc’s deep, authoritative tone quelled her anxiety brought on by Gryff leaving her at the event. Luc’s apparent need to make sure she got home safely flipped her sub switch on and into the fully locked position. She yearned for a caring, protective Dom like she’d read about in her smutty novels. Yet, she couldn’t risk falling under the spell of another commanding asshole pretending to give a shit about her and her daughter.
She needed to get her head out of her own ass, pronto. Luc wasn’t commanding her to strip and present. It was just a ride home. Once she was safely ensconced in her own bedroom, she could use her plug-in magic wand to ease the ache Luc ignited. There she would have control over her body and its reactions, restraints not required.
She took in a deep breath and held her head high. “Fine. Let me do my job then I’ll meet you back here. Say, in an hour.”
“One hour. I’ll be here.”
Avery strolled to the next table on her mental list. No matter where she went or how many wines she tasted over the next sixty minutes, she felt Luc’s laser-like glare heating up her backside with every step she took. Shit, she was more annoyed with her recalcitrant body for answering his carnal draw than she was with the man himself. She used every minute away from him to attempt to clear his voice, his touch, his scent out of her brain so she could get a ride home from the sexiest guy she’d ever known without bowing her head and calling him “Sir”.
No pressure.
2
Sixty minutes felt like an eternity. Luc’s gaze was glued to her every move as she worked the room like a pro. She took her time giving each winemaker her full attention. He watched in fascination as she stopped at specific tables and deftly evaluated each sample — gentle swirl of the glass, glass to nose, deep inhale, glass to lips, swish sample to coat mouth, then spit or swallow. She shined as brilliantly as the harvest moon rising in the night sky.
Since when did the process of critically evaluating a wine become a sensual act? He’d seen people swirl and suck wine his entire life — hell, he’d done it thousands of times. Yet, no one else made his cock stand at attention the way she did when she swirled and sucked. And how she used just her fingertips to hold the stem of the glass evoked visions of those slender fingers stroking his shaft. His erection strained against his zipper to the point of pain. Thank God his tux jacket covered his crotch. He slipped his hand into his pocket while he stood behind the Sky Hill table trying to adjust himself to a more comfortable position.
Not a chance. Only one thing would relieve this throbbing. How sweet would her nipples taste as he nipped and sucked? How gorgeous would she look when she flew apart as her pussy milked his shaft buried deep inside her? If he didn’t get his mind off her he would explode in his pants right in the middle of the ballroom. Not exactly how he wanted to be remembered by his new colleagues.
A flash of blonde hair in the crowd caught his attention. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. Only one other blonde had elicited that reaction from him, and no way she would have followed him to Niagara. They hadn’t exchanged last names when they played at a party before he moved home. And she knew the deal — once and done. He shook off the odd sensation and resumed surveying the room for Avery, the only blonde he wanted in his sightline or imagination. She caught him looking and a sweet crimson hue made its way up her throat to flush her cheeks. He loved to see that color on a woman. Correction. On that woman.
Avery held up her hand, splaying all fingers indicating she would be ready in five minutes. He managed to give her a curt nod, not bad considering every muscle in his body was as taut as a vineyard trellis wire. Anticipation of touching her silky skin and her summer-fresh scent filling his nose sent tendrils of lust through his body, twisting and turning, latching onto any anchor it could find so it could grow toward the source of its sustenance. Her.
Everything about Avery called to Master Luc. The way she reluctantly met his gaze, how the pulse point in her neck throbbed when he kissed her cheeks, how her pert nipples pebbled at the sound of his voice. He’d been a Dom long enough to recognize a sub’s response. His curiosity was as aroused as his dick.
Avery had matured into a beautiful, desirable woman, but this wasn’t just lust slamming his system. A tentativeness telegraphed from her like a beacon — like she was unaware of how she affected
men in her orbit. Fascinating. He certainly saw how masculine eyes, and a few feminine ones, followed her graceful curves as she moved from table to table. Yet, the naïveté he remembered remained. Nothing like the trained submissives he played with who understood their power and knew how to wield it.
Whoever the men were in her past were idiots if she questioned for a second she wasn’t a goddess who deserved to be worshiped. Luc wanted, no needed, to be the Dom to peel off those layers of insecurity to reveal her radiant core. Ideas for scenes floated through his mind like a steamy, intense, and wickedly pleasurable movie. Each time negative thoughts or feelings of embarrassment invaded her mind she would earn his punishment. Picturing the mark of his hand on her ass made his cock pulse in time with his heartbeat, the echo hammering inside his chest. A scene or two wouldn’t be enough to satisfy this craving.
He’d had only one committed D/s relationship, with Sydney. And they’d learned the ropes together. Since then, he’d negotiated pick-up play with experienced subs on the spot. One sub for one scene. That was it. Somehow, Avery felt different. Guilt slammed him in the gut. Wanting more than a scene with Avery was tantamount to betraying his vows with Sydney. His wife.
Luc sensed Avery’s presence before a gentle touch on his elbow signaled her return to his side, completely distracting him from the conversation he was having with a colleague. All the blood in his body coursed straight to his groin but the gaping hole in his heart pounded with the intensity of a bass drum at a rock concert. Luc had become the master of control, cool under pressure, the Master novice Doms and subs turned to for advice. Somehow Avery knocked his control on its ass. It was time to lock down his surging desire and regain control of his wayward head, both big and little.
“I’m ready when you are, Luc. But don’t rush on my account.”
Her voice drifted over Luc like a gentle summer rain, sparking life into his soul that had been dormant for so long. With a tilt of her head and sweep of her lashes Avery gifted Luc with a smoldering smile that melted the lock on his beast’s cage. It wasn’t a contrived or deceitful look. It was an honest-to-goodness sweet glance betraying that her quiet reserve was still underneath the professional and friendly demeanor she exuded. How she maintained that modesty from high school he would never know, but it did something for him. In a big way.
“Before we go, can we set up a time this week for me to come by Sky Hill to interview you, Gen, and your dad? I’m working on a piece about generational change in the wine business, and your family would be perfect.”
Luc’s father responded before Luc could get his voice to cooperate. “Of course, Avery. We’d be delighted to chat with you. I’m heading to our place in Florida in the morning, but I’ll make myself available by phone any time this week, whenever you and Luc and Gen find a time that works for you.”
“Thank you, Billy. I’m looking forward to it. Have a safe flight and enjoy Florida.”
Luc couldn’t wait any longer.
“Good night everyone. Time to get Avery home.”
He placed his hand at the small of her back to guide her toward the door before his dad and sister could say their farewells. His mom would be disappointed in his lack of manners, but at this moment he didn’t give a shit. He ushered them from the room at warp speed.
The tension in Avery’s muscles eased as she relaxed against his hand. Such a beautiful response. One that only served to feed his beast.
Avery was taken aback by the urgency of Luc’s hand pressing at her back, steering her toward the ballroom door. Her strappy heels, which looked spectacular on the store shelf and matched her dress perfectly, were definitely not made for a brisk walk anywhere.
“Slow down a minute, Luc. What’s the rush?” Avery slipped her hand between his torso and arm to latch onto his bicep in an attempt to staunch his pace. “Would you mind if I made a quick pit stop into the ladies’ room before we hit the road?”
Luc abruptly stopped and blinked several times as he looked down at her. She would have been flat on her ass if she hadn’t been holding on to his arm.
“Of course. No problem,” Luc said as he shoved his hand through his hair.
“Thank you. I’ll just be a minute.”
“Take your time. I’ll be right here.”
Avery ducked into the bathroom to gather her thoughts. She stopped in front of the row of designer sinks artfully attached to the natural-colored engineered stone counters and waved her hands under the chrome faucet to start the flow. Cool water engulfed her hands, snapping her swirling thoughts to a halt. She gave up trying to decipher the words Luc said and the emotions his eyes left unsaid. She had to be reading more into what she thought she saw. Luc was happy to see his old high school friend. That was it.
The sound of a stall opening caught Avery’s attention. Over her shoulder in the mirror a lithe, drop-dead-gorgeous blonde sashayed to the counter. The obvious platinum color-job didn’t detract from the woman’s star quality sex appeal. Her high cheekbones, plumped crimson lips, and full, high breasts fit with the persona she exuded. She was sexy, and she knew it. And not afraid to wear it like a badge of honor. This was the type of woman she pictured at Luc’s side. Confident. Powerful. Seductive. Catching her own image in the mirror Avery sighed and pulled her hands away from the sink to reach for paper towels, fighting the encroaching anxiety heralding a looming panic attack.
No one knew how she fought the gnawing fingers of trepidation from claiming her every time she stepped into public. At the first sign of their usual barrage of twists and pokes in her stomach she would close her eyes, take several deep, cleansing breaths, and start her “leaving the house” checklist, whether she was at home and did it live or visualizing the process wherever she was at the time — bathroom water off, vanity doors closed, counter clean, lights off. Next, she would straighten her duvet cover, line up the pillow stacks the cat, Mr. Chester, invariably had toppled over, put the dress hanger back in the dress section of her closet, and close the door. One last scan of her room would satisfy her inner neat freak sufficiently that everything was in its proper place, so she could leave her house with her sanity relatively intact. At least it would appear that way to anyone who casually observed her. She closed her eyes and in her head ran through one of her checklists.
One more cleansing breath and her heartbeat downshifted back into the normal range. Avery slipped her clutch under her arm, gave herself one last check in the mirror to make sure everything was tucked in and smoothed down. She gave the other woman a polite smile in the mirror before she left and was miffed at the cold stare she received in return. She never understood how some women treated every other woman as if she was a competitor to be distained. Avery shook her head and walked out the door. After all, her secret crush was waiting to drive her home. Who was waiting for blondie?
3
Luc peered down a darkened corridor that led toward the ballroom service area. It was empty. He grabbed Avery’s hand and pulled her behind him.
“What the hell are you doing?”
She tried to pull her hand free, but Luc squeezed and looked back, capturing her gaze.
“Come with me.”
His voice was firm, direct, and an octave lower. She hesitated for a split second, but he saw the moment she stopped her internal battle and gave over to him. Fuck, that was sexy.
Halfway down the darkened corridor, in a spot where a faint glow of light gave way to sultry shadows, he spun her around, took her upper arms in his hands and pressed her back against the wall. Tendrils of light caressed her delicate skin barely revealing her features.
“Oh!”
He slid his hands over her shoulders, up her neck to cup her cheeks, tipping her face up for their eyes to meet. “I’ve been watching you all night.” His voice sounded like he gargled rocks for fun.
“I noticed.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
They were nose to nose, breathing in each other’s essence. Shallow, rapid breaths told Luc she was either
nervous or aroused. Which one?
“I’ve been dying to find out how your skin would feel under my tongue since the moment you walked into the room tonight. I’ll bet you taste like heaven. If you don’t want me to touch you, tell me now.”
Luc waited a few heartbeats and watched as her pupils swallowed the sky blue of her irises. Bingo. Definitely arousal.
“I…I thought about you, too. I should have been focusing on the wines, but for some reason I was a little distracted.”
“Distracted, hmm. What if I feathered my fingertips down the graceful slope of your neck, like this, and continued to trace a line to your beating pulse at the base of your throat? Or how about instead of my fingers I used my tongue to gently trace the path?” He used the tip of his tongue to illustrate his point. “Would that be a distraction?”
“Oh, definitely.”
Ravenous with need, fueled by her sighs, his arousal rocketed into the stratosphere. She smelled and tasted divine. As he braced his forearms against the wall on either side of her, Avery’s head lolled to the side, exposing her neck for his taking and her eyes fluttered closed.
“Open your eyes, Avery. I need to see your eyes. I need you to see I’m the man who’s making you ache to be touched.”
“Oh God, Luc.”
The spot behind her ear felt as soft as a baby’s belly, and just as sensitive, judging from how her breath caught when he nuzzled his nose against it. He continued exploring her elegant neck from jaw to collarbone, marking his favorite spots with a nip of his teeth and a soothing lick. Her heartbeat pulsated in a steady rhythm along her neck and her eyelids threatened to obscure her vision.