Blissful Awakenings

by Penny May

  After some hemming and hawing over the huge selection of sexy outfits, she finally selected a bright blue silk teddy with a matching thong and requested that it be sent to her room.

  She almost spilled her wine at the chime that came out of the OCS. She looked down at her tablet to find that someone had responded to her request. Her partner, a man named Raife, had set the encounter for an hour from now and suggested a neutral bedroom environment in the Temple of Pleasures.

  “Holy shit!”

  Dot jerked awake in the chair across the room.

  “Holy. Shit,” Courtney said again. Should she cancel the encounter? She wasn’t ready, was she?

  Daniel’s words echoed in her head, “Not that any of them will want you…”

  Now, it seemed that someone did want her. Someone named Raife. Would she continue being unadventurous and never try anything outside of her comfort zone? Or should she start living a little? Honestly, there was no safer place to try something new like this than in Temple Pleasures.

  But what the hell would she wear? She flipped back to the list of clothes and looked at the delivery estimates. The blue teddy wouldn’t be ready before her scheduled meeting with Raife.

  “Shit!”

  She leapt up and ran into the bedroom. Twenty minutes later, she finally decided to wear the red lingerie she’d brought from home. After a quick shower that didn’t include her hair, she brushed her teeth, put on fresh makeup, pulled on the lingerie, and slipped one of the little black dresses from her recent shopping spree over the lingerie.

  Looking at herself in the mirror, she felt sexy.

  She just hoped her partner felt the same way.

  Ten minutes later her hands shook as she scanned her card to open the door for the appointed location in the Temple Pleasures. The man working the front desk of the Pleasures level had been completely professional when he let her through the door and guided her to the room.

  The room was simple with a four-poster bed covered in a white comforter. There was a bathroom off to the left and a plain, wooden desk against one wall with a plain wood chair. Other than that, the room was bare—

  —Except, Courtney realized, for the rings mounted in the ceiling, the walls, and even two on the wooden desk.

  Seeing the metal rings made Courtney reassess the situation. She started to retreat, stumbling a little on what she thought of as her tall “fuck-me” heels, but the door suddenly opened behind her. She spun to find an imposing man in the doorway, wearing a leather mask that covered most of his face, leaving his mouth and nose exposed. His chest was bare, showing off a set of six-pack abs and a rock-hard chest. His tight leather pants left little to the imagination in the size department.

  “Um,” Courtney said, “Raife?” The man nodded, pulled the door closed behind him, then put a finger to his lips as he stalked into the room after his prey.

  In his other hand were pieces of silk material. Courtney’s heartbeat quickened at the sight of the silk ties.

  Maybe level two was a little much for her first encounter?

  It seemed that it was too late to back out now. And honestly, as Raife slowly approached, his muscles contracting under his leather pants as he walked, Courtney wasn’t sure she wanted to back out. She had her safe word if she needed it, right?

  Raife stood awkwardly in front of her for a moment, then moving slowly so as not to scare her, he reached out and ran a hand from Courtney’s shoulder, down her arm, to take her hand. The move slipped the strap of her dress down her shoulder, exposing the red lingerie underneath. Raife’s eyes warmed at the sight and wonder of wonders, she thought his bulge somehow grew larger under those leather pants.

  Clearly, here was someone who wanted her after all.

  She closed her eyes at his touch—

  Raife suddenly yanked her toward him. She let out a little yelp of surprise and opened her eyes as he pressed her against his naked chest. His hands moved down her back until they reached her butt to pull her more firmly against his member.

  Courtney gasped and closed her eyes again. Suddenly his mouth was on hers, demanding a response as one of his hands slid to her breast. Something about Raife’s roughness sparked electricity through her body, and she responded, pressing her herself against his erection.

  Still kissing, he slipped one of the pieces of silk over her eyes and tied it on as a blind fold before slowly walking her backwards toward the bed. When her back met one of the bedposts, he pulled his mouth away from hers and raised her arms over her head, gently pinning them against the bedpost.

  “Keep them there,” he ordered as a whisper in her ear before kissing her neck below her earlobe. She shivered as his hands slid down her arms, caressing her body, until they’d reached her thighs. Then in one sensual move, he slid her dress up over her head and over her upraised arms.

  This is moving so fast, she thought, heart racing in anticipation.

  Then his mouth was suddenly back on hers, and she could only imagine Bo and how this might feel with him. Before she could put her arms down again, he grabbed both her wrists in one of his hands and pressed himself against her again.

  Sharp need rose up as he seemed to press just the right buttons, and she wrapped a leg around his waist.

  He let out a little gasp of his own and pulled away again, this time to tie her hands to the bedpost. When that was done, he slowed down, taking his time now. His hands slid down, first caressing, then squeezing her breasts through the lingerie before pulling the fabric cups down and closing his mouth on one nipple while gently rubbing the other. She rocked her hips toward him, wanting more as electricity danced from her nipples to her groin. She couldn’t help letting out a gaspy moan.

  He pulled away again, and Courtney suddenly realized that there was something terribly erotic and exhilarating about not knowing what was going to come next. She’d given herself up to the darkness of the blindfold, and she didn’t regret the pleasures it brought one bit.

  His next move was to pull her hips toward him while he kissed her again, so deeply that she was left gasping for air. While they kissed, he’d reached underneath her lingerie and shimmied her thong off. Now all she wore was the scanty piece of red fabric, and even that was barely covering her.

  When they met again in a kiss, he pressed his hard erection against her, still locked inside his leather pants. She felt him fumble for the zipper, and when he was free, she locked her legs around his waist again and he held her up, pushing her against the bedpost.

  She gasped in surprise and pleasure as he entered her. Though she’d expected it, not being able to see what was happening was amazing. She tried to match his thrusts, wanting him to fill her up, but couldn’t get much leverage.

  Gently, he pulled out of her and set her down so she was standing again, though somewhat shakily and breathless. After a second, she realized he’d untied her hands from the top ring and had moved them to a lower one.

  His lips found hers again as pressed his now completely naked body against hers once she was secured to a lower ring in the bed frame. His mouth left hers to kiss her neck, then her collarbone, and finally lock around her other nipple.

  “Ohh. Don’t stop,” she said, breathlessly trying and failing to pull him toward her with her tied hands. To get him inside her once more. Instead, he pulled away.

  “Shhh,” he quietly said in her ear. The sensation and the message sent tingles of pleasure and anticipation down her spine.

  The message was clear: He was in charge here.

  As if to prove the point, he roughly spun her around, pushed her against the bed, hiked up her lingerie and entered her from behind. She gasped, and he pulled back only to thrust into her again. One of his hands snaked around to squeeze her breast while the other moved between her legs. It was almost the same move, she realized, that Franklin had used earlier.

  His fingers found that sweet spot, and she groaned as their movements fell into sync. Him thrusting into her at the same time as he rubbed his fin
ger against her clitoris. She began pushing back into him, wanting him deeper inside her as the pressure built. Just as she was about to climax, his hand slipped up to cover her mouth and stifle her cry.

  For some reason, that was even more erotic to her mind. She bucked against him as the orgasm carried her away on a wave of pleasure. He came a moment later, then leaned against her, breathing hard.

  After a moment, he pulled out of her and smoothed her lingerie back down. He disappeared for a moment, and it sounded to Courtney like he was putting his clothes back on. As if to prove that he was still in charge, he untied her hands and turned her to face front again before pressing her back against the bedpost for a last, lingering kiss that promised future pleasures.

  He then put his mouth to her ear while her eyes were still closed from the kiss and whispered. “A pleasure, Courtney.”

  Her name on his lips sent a shiver down her spine, and her eyes snapped open, catching a glimpse of his roguish smile.

  Before she could respond, he turned and disappeared out the door.

  Courtney sat in a tub full of bubbles, replaying the scene in her mind. Had she really just done that? Had she really just had sex with a complete stranger? She didn’t even know what he looked like.

  Then again, did it matter when the sex was that good?

  She put a hand to her face and laughed. “Claire will never believe me,” she told a disapproving Dot who glared at her from the doorway.

  It had been a little while since she’d had sex, and she’d never had sex like that before, so she was a little sore. A soak in the tub, followed by lounging on the couch in a bathrobe while drinking the rest of the wine Bo had sent up was just the thing she needed.

  She was just thinking of turning in early—after all, it had been a long, but very exciting day—when a message popped up on her tablet.

  Raife: Being inside you was a pleasure. I’d love to do it again sometime.

  Courtney caught her breath. Her first reaction to his message was embarrassed repulsion that it was so sexualized, then she thought, What’s wrong with that? She’d just been willingly tied up and taken from behind—and had loved every second of it. It might have been different if he hadn’t given as much as he got. But he’d been a very attentive…what? Lover didn’t quite sound right. Maybe partner?

  Instead of ignoring the message as her prudish self might once have done, Courtney took another sip of liquid courage then typed back: The pleasure was all mine. I’d love a round two. Have anything in mind?

  It was a few minutes before he wrote back: I’ll look over your desires, but I think I have a few ideas. Tomorrow night?

  Courtney almost told him yes but remembered just before hitting send that she had a “date” with Bo tomorrow. She felt torn but knew she’d also enjoy her time at the theater, though probably not as much as she’d enjoy another session with Raife.

  Before she could change her mind, she beat back her prudish nature and replied: Can’t tomorrow. How about Sunday? That will give you some time to send me something to wear.

  She added a winking emoji followed by an eggplant emoji. If he didn’t know what that meant, he could look it up.

  His response was swift. Courtney’s face turned beet red.

  Raife: Yum. I have just the thing in mind. I look forward to filling you up again.

  And just like that, Courtney had more dates set up in two days than she’d had for most of her entire college experience.

  Chapter 7

  The next day flew by in a blur. Courtney ordered breakfast on the OCS, and afterwards she decided to go explore the gym. She was a little intimidated by some of the weight machines and stuck with a short stint on the elliptical.

  Next time, workout first, then breakfast, she thought when she started to feel her stomach protesting the workout. On the way out, she stopped and signed up for a session with a personal trainer. It was kind of intimidating since she’d never had the money to work one-on-one with a trainer before, but since it was on the house, she figured she’d try to step outside her comfort zone.

  Then again, I was pretty damn far outside my comfort zone last night, she thought with a slightly embarrassed smile.

  After a quick shower back in her room, she only had a few minutes before Olivia arrived. She flipped through the OCS system, looking at outfits and potential encounters. Now that she’d already experienced one, the others didn’t sound so intimidating.

  Her doorbell rang, interrupting her exploration into what the Temple had to offer, which was probably for the better since she was starting to feel the stirrings of lust again just looking at the options. She needed to be focused for the day ahead, not sit around longing for another round with Raife.

  “Any exciting plans for today?” Olivia asked when Courtney opened the door.

  “I was thinking of checking out a casino or two this morning.” Courtney shrugged. “Maybe play some slots.”

  “Are you sure you want to do that? Bo sent me a message that he was setting up some private training sessions for you here.”

  “I know, but that’s for card games. He said there weren’t any slot machines here. And honestly, it’s less about the gambling and more about getting the Vegas experience.”

  Olivia gave her a sideways look. “I’m not sure you’ll get that at ten in the morning. Unless the Vegas experience you’re looking for is a late morning walk of shame and watching grandma gamble all her retirement savings away on slots.”

  Courtney laughed. “Actually, I kind of just want to check out the casinos and see what they’re like inside. Like, what’s going on with that fake Eiffel tower I can see from there?” She pointed at the balcony. “If I’m gonna treat this like vacation, then I want to go see the sights.”

  Olivia glanced out the window but still didn’t seem convinced. “Okay, but just remember that people might recognize you.”

  Courtney waved away the notion. “If it’s really as dead out there right now as you say, then the people who would recognize me probably aren’t up yet.”

  Olivia smiled. “True. Okay, let me request a car. If we’re back here by four, then that will give you time to get ready for tonight.”

  Half-an-hour later they walked down the mostly quiet strip, Courtney staring at the sights. She took some selfies in front of the Paris Hotel’s Eiffel tower and then again at the Arc de Triomphe. After some cajoling, she convinced Olivia to go inside with her for crepes but only because coffee was involved.

  At Caesar's Palace, Courtney gambled away ten bucks on penny slots which took about an hour. When she looked over at Olivia, she noticed the woman looked rather bored, and she started to feel bad for dragging her around all day. They left after that and grabbed some Chinese takeout for lunch at a fast-food court.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Courtney asked Olivia, waving her chopsticks around to indicate the food court.

  “We’re kind of already here. And honestly, it’s been a while since I had Chinese food. It’s a nice break from the Temple.”

  Courtney nodded and decided to ask what she’d been thinking about all day. “It’s kind of weird, right, that you’re being paid to hang out with me? I feel like I’m kind of wasting your time by dragging you around.”

  Olivia started to shrug off Courtney’s concerns, but when she caught the other woman’s eyes, she decided to be up front. She sighed. “It’s definitely not what I’m used to doing. To tell you the truth, I was a little, ah, miffed—"

  Courtney lifted an eyebrow at the PG word.

  “Okay, pissed off at Bo for assigning me to you. It felt like he was punishing me for something by asking me to babysit the contest winner.”

  Courtney cringed at the idea that she needed a babysitter, but the truth was that if Olivia hadn’t been with her in New York, she would absolutely have drowned in that sea of fittings and styling appointments. She definitely would have felt obligated to buy that terrible lime green dress. Here, though, now that she felt a little
more in control of things, it did feel like Olivia babysitting her.

  “So…” Courtney ventured, truly curious. “What happens if I don’t need your help for something? Like, what would you be doing if you weren’t here showing me the sights?”

  “Normally, I’d be arranging Bo’s schedule for some new projects—"

  “Like the one in New York?”

  Olivia gave her a surprised look. “He told you about that?”

  “At dinner the other night in New York.”

  “Huh.” Olivia was silent for a moment before picking up the thread of conversation again. “Anyways, I would probably be helping with that, but I’m not sure he’ll assign me anything like that right now.”

  “You mean right now while I’m here,” Courtney said, trying to keep any emotion from her voice. She didn’t like the idea of being the reason that Olivia wasn’t getting more interesting assignments that were more on her level.

  She wasn’t able to hide it from the hawk-eyed Olivia though.

  “Look, don’t feel bad about this. Yes, I would probably be doing something different if you weren’t here, and yes, I might have been pretty pissed at the assignment initially—"

  Courtney looked up from twirling the noodles around the bottom of her takeout container to give Olivia a look that said, “give me a break.”

  “Okay, yes, I’m still a little pissed at the assignment,” Olivia amended with a small smile, “but today was a nice break from the usual hectic schedule when I’m back here in Vegas.”

  “But you wouldn’t want to do this every day.”

  “Would you?”

  “Not really. There’s only so many sights to see. Three months is a long time. I feel like I need to pace myself. And while it was fun having you with me today, I can also do things by myself. I mean, I lived in New York City, I think I can find my way around Vegas on my own.”