I squeeze my eyes shut and try and think of something other than the sexy timbre of his voice and how it’s precisely tuned to have the maximum effect on me.
“You’ll be so slick you better be careful at work. None of those suggestions I used to fill your mind with.”
I bury myself under the covers in a lame attempt to escape him.
“Don’t worry. I’ll have you screaming soon enough.” He snaps the sheets back, divesting me of my temporary hiding place. He dresses and then offers a chase kiss in parting before heading out the door.
Once I hear the front door close, I venture into the spare room to see what I’ll be wearing today and this evening. Two outfits are displayed against the wardrobe door. I can’t miss them, but when I see my evening’s attire, I wish I had.
A sheer lace robe drapes from the arms of the hanger. A wide edge of black silk is the only solid part of the outfit. Filigree and patterns adorn the full length of the gown but offer no concealment. My heart beats loudly in my chest at his challenge. This is by far the most revealing of anything he’s laid out for me in the past.
I slide it from the hanger and hope that there is some hidden underwear. There is none. The silk edging will run down the centre of my body and offer a margin of concealment. My nipples, breasts and whole body will be visible to anyone and everyone at Solace. Waiting for my attention on the floor are a matching pair of black and lace heels. They soften the blow of the shocking negligee, and I sit back on the bed before casting my eyes to my more pressing challenge.
I don’t even bother to scan the hanging garments I’ll be wearing at work for underwear. I know there won’t be any. He’s picked my high waisted pencil skirt and teamed it with a white blouse. This would normally be the kind of outfit I’d pick for myself. But the shirt has a deep vee, and with no bra, it’s certainly risque.
Seb hasn’t challenged me in this way since before the wedding, and I’m flung back to all the times in the past where I’ve struggled to balance my need to please him with what I’m confident doing. I twirl my anklet or the tattoo that represents my anklet, and my thumb rubs over my rings.
I am not the same insecure girl that constantly questioned and analysed everything. I don’t need to muster my courage. I have the confidence to pull this off because I know Seb would never ask too much of me. Plus, I long to feel the rush of hearing Seb’s praise.
Half an hour later, I’m wearing the sexy outfit and even take a quick selfie to send to Seb.
Enjoy your morning. Love Izzy x
You’ve certainly given me something to enjoy. S x
Seb’s texts punctuate a day that is otherwise uneventful. There are no raised eyebrows or comments about my choice of clothes and no situations that made me feel too uncomfortable.
All day, all I want is to get home to wait for Seb. Lust simmers under each exchange and has me checking the clock every half an hour.
Finally, 5:00 p.m.and I’m out of the office without a backwards glance and home by 5:30 p.m. The floor is the resting place for the skirt and blouse as I rush for a quick shower.
I feel like an excitable child finally getting the present she’d always asked for. Energy pumped through my veins and a smile lights up my face as I get ready for our date. I pile my hair into a messy bun and tease a few locks to frame my face.
The fabric of the robe glides over my skin as I put it on. I position the centre panel to offer myself as much modesty as I can but enjoy the overall look in the mirror. Seb told me I’d be wet by the time he got home, and he won’t be wrong. I ease into the beautiful heels and take in the finished look before sitting in the small chair in the room.
The minutes creep past, and I have to try some calming breaths to relax. I shouldn’t be this excited about going to Solace with Seb. We’ve done it dozens of times in the past. There’s something in the air that makes tonight special. Maybe being so close to Christmas, and that we’re giving each other this time together. The expectancy gets the better of me, and I stand to go and find my phone.
I’ll be leaving in 10. Be ready. S
It was the last message from Seb, and he sent it over half an hour ago. He should be home any minute. I attempt patience and perch on the edge of the bed. I cross my legs and my dress for the evening parts, revealing my naked legs underneath. It certainly has the show stopping factor to it.
“Shit!” I’d completely forgotten that I should be downstairs with wine waiting for him. I hustle from the bedroom in my adorable new heels and pull the wine from the fridge. I pour two glasses and take a sip, giving my pulse time to recover. I take a seat at the kitchen table and listen for the door.
The minutes stretch out, and I grow increasingly impatient. I’ve sipped all I dare of my wine.
Everything ok? Izzy x
Forty-five minutes late didn’t usually warrant a check in, but Seb was never late when we had plans. The passion that had been in abundance all day was markedly absent.
I’m sorry. Still at work. I won’t be much longer. S
I mentally curse his job and take my wine into the front room to wait. All of my excitement had evaporated at his text. He might still make it home in the next hour, but it doesn’t stop the disappointment that worms its way through me.
I tuck my feet underneath me and pull the blanket from the back of the sofa.
Keep me posted. Missing you. X
I empty the small glass of wine over the next half hour as I try and distract myself on social media. It doesn’t work.
I’m so sorry. I’ve got to be here for a little longer. I’ll make it up to you. I love you S
My vision blurs as I read the words. I shouldn’t be upset. Seb stays late and works long hours a lot of the time. I knew that from the start. But this was the first time he hadn't made it home when he said he would.
“Izzy. Izzy, wake up.” Seb shakes me, and I rock gently as I come around from my sleep.
“Seb? What time is it?” Sleep clogs my throat making my voice husky and low.
“Just after nine. I’m sorry I’m so late. We had a last minute crisis that I needed to speak to the lawyers about. I promise I’ll make it up to you.” His smile doesn’t meet his eyes, and I can see he’s sorry for letting me down.
“That’s fine. I know you would have been here if you could.” I stifle a yawn as I sit up. Seb offers me his hand, and I take it.
“I have to say you look delicious and can I say again how sorry I am that we haven’t had our evening.” He pulls me into him, and I wrap my arms around his neck. I’m pleased he’s home, but I’m finding it hard to get excited again.
He must sense my mood because he pulls me tighter before whispering, “Do you want to go up to bed?”
“Yes, if you don’t mind. I know we had all sorts of plans for tonight, but right now I’m struggling to keep my eyes open. Even wearing this gown.” A shy smile pulls at the corner of my lips, and Seb tucks me under his arm.
“I’ve had a hellish evening myself. Bed, with you, sounds like the best plan all round. Unless you’re hungry?”
“No, it’s too late. Can you just cuddle me up?”
“It would be my pleasure.”
I wake to an empty bed again, something that I’m not enjoying, and pull myself out of its warmth and comfort.
Seb is downstairs reading on his iPad at the kitchen table. Coffee steams from his mug.
“Morning, beautiful.”
“Morning.” I walk over and pour myself a small cup of coffee before joining Seb.
An uneasy silence builds in the air.
My head feels clogged with cotton wool and instead of looking forward to a day with Seb, I want to go and hide in our room.
“You look a little pale, Izzy. Are you feeling alright?”
“Yeah, just a little tired. Did you have any plans for today? It’s the last weekend before Christmas.”
“I need to check on some emails, and I also need to go and collect a few things in town. Nothing big.” Our co
nversation is stifled, and I can’t help think that the real world is making itself present in our relationship. It was bound to happen. Our whirlwind romance, the wedding and honeymoon. We needed to get back to normality at some point.
“Hey, what’s up, Izzy? And remember that you are a rubbish liar.”
“It isn’t a big deal. I suppose I just miss the magic of the wedding and honeymoon. I just feel a little emotional. Maybe you can get what you need finished this morning, and we can have lunch together? Tomorrow is operation wrap the presents, and you're on sellotape duty.”
“Sellotape duty?” Seb gives me a puzzled look.
“Yeah, I wrap, and you pass the tape.”
Sunday is taken up with the mammoth wrapping task. Traditional brown paper and festive ribbons litter the floor of the front room. Boxes with pretty bows stack neatly under the tree with the presents piling up around it.
Seb has been a very efficient sellotape dispenser, and we’ve had fun. The disappointment from Friday night has faded. Next week we only have a few days before my parents arrive for their short visit. Christmas Eve to Boxing Day morning is plenty of time for us to catch up.
I stand up from my position on the floor and stretch out my back. A wave of nausea rises through me and has me holding my stomach.
“Izzy?”
“I’m fine. Just got up too fast.”
“You’ve been off for days. Are you sure you’re feeling okay? Maybe you should go to the doctor tomorrow?” I’d been tired, but until just now, I didn’t think it was anything.
Panic rises, adding to the sickness as my mind rushes to an impossible conclusion. “I’m going to just… lie down for a while. I’m sure it’s nothing.” I rush upstairs and close the door as the tears storm to my eyes.
I can’t be pregnant. I can’t.
All of the plans we’d yet had the opportunity to make, the trips, the visits, the time spent together stream through my mind. None of that would be possible if we had a baby. I didn’t want a baby. That had never crept into my mind, and we certainly hadn’t discussed it.
I was being irrational. Apart from being tired and feeling a little sick, there were no other symptoms to have me thinking this. I suck back the tears and lie down on the bed. No. Seb and I have finally got our happy ever after. It wasn’t going to be ruined now by something that neither of us wanted.
“I come with tea.” Seb pokes his head around the door a few hours later. Luckily I’d dozed off, and I no longer felt sick or like bursting into tears.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Feeling better?”
“Much. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Are you going to see the doctor?”
“No, there’s no need. I’m sure I’m just over doing it. Or I’m finally coming down from the adrenalin and excitement that’s had me running at a hundred and ten percent the last few months.”
“Okay. Look,” Seb takes my hand, “we’ve only got a couple of days before Christmas and we won’t have our own bubble like last year. Tuesday night I’d like to have you all to myself. I had very interesting plans for us at Solace, and I don’t want to wait to share them.” His sexy grin spreads across his face.
“Tuesday is my last day at work. I think we should celebrate.”
“And I’ll be working from home on Tuesday, so there will be no delays. I’ll need to be in the office for a few hours on Wednesday morning, but I’ll be home before your folks arrive.”
“Perfect,” I whisper the words while at the back of my mind the nagging doubt over my earlier panic remains.
Two days in the office is a long time when you’re pre-occupied. Everywhere I looked I was reminded of the horrible thought that had slipped into my mind and taken root.
I was distracted and had to re-do the conversion statistics for one of my clients three times because I couldn’t keep focused. I was in hell. Every time I considered the possibility of being pregnant, a sickening feeling hit. If Seb and I had a baby, our relationship would change irrevocably. We weren't ready to give up our time. At least I wasn’t. I still wanted our time together to be just us.
The logical thing to do would be to buy a test and talk to Seb. But that will just make this all the more real. I was completely happy to live in ‘fairy world’ for the time being. I didn’t want my sour mood to ruin the last evening we had on our own for a while either.
I put on my ‘out of office’ response and make my way home.
The lyrics to Winter Wonderland greet me as I push the front door open. The house is warm and scents of cinnamon and apple complete the Christmas feel. It dissolves my woes and traditional Christmas joy sparks inside of me.
“I’m in the kitchen, Izzy!”
I walk through and find Seb waiting with a candle lit table. Seb is pouring two glasses of wine and turns and offers me one.
“Cheers,” he toasts.
“Cheers.”
“To our first Christmas as husband and wife.” We clink and I cast my eyes to the table.
“Are we eating?”
“Only something light. Italian Chicken. Take a seat.”
Seb serves a small plate of chicken in a fragrant tomato and vegetable casserole. He joins me, and we dig in, the Christmas music filling the silence as we enjoy the juicy morsels.
My distraction of the last few days has dampened my sexual appetite, but I can tell from the look on Seb’s face that he isn’t suffering from the same. His eyes are always slightly hooded, and he’s watching me like a hawk.
The delicious food is soon forgotten and the thrum of excitement kindles inside of me. I wait for Seb to speak, guiding the play of the evening.
“I want to keep the robe for when I take you to Solace. Make no mistake; you will be wearing it, and soon. Tonight, I want access to your body. Go upstairs and wait for me. Naked.”
“Yes, Sir.”
I quietly move from the kitchen, careful not to rush and enter the bedroom. Seb didn’t tell me how long he’d be so I pull down the zip of my dress and wiggle out of it and slip the hold-ups off as I toe off my heels. I make short work of my bra and knickers and then pause. A flush rises over my skin as I wait expectantly.
My ears strain and I pick up the light thuds of his footfalls as he comes up the stairs. My heart skips to life, and I fidget in my place on the bed. All of the pent-up frustration from last week erupts within me.
Seb lingers in the doorway, making me wait longer. My gaze lowers, and I find a comfortable position to rest in. Knowing Seb, there is no set limit as to how long he’ll leave me frustrated.
“I don’t want to draw this out. We’ve both waited for this. I’m going to blindfold you, tie your hands and spank you, before making you come.” My breath hitches as his words form pictures in my mind. My skin practically cries for his attention.
“I can see from your breathing that you like the thought of that. Stand up for me, baby.” I slide off the bed and wait for him. I keep my gaze on the floor but want nothing more than to look up and get lost in his eyes.
He reads my body and tilts my head so that I can watch his pupils devour the aqua before he turns my world dark with the strip of silk. My body relaxes as I draw comfort from the familiar sensation.
“Hold your hands out to me.” I present my hands and feel the soft glide of the silk around my wrists. I’m in Seb’s hands now. A swarm of butterflies erupts in the pit of my stomach as my body anticipates his next move.
A bruising kiss lands on my lips. Seb holds me in place as he assaults me, stunning me into submission as he plunders my mouth.
“Umm. Now, lean over the edge of the bed, arms out in front. Legs spread wide so I can see your pussy.” Seb’s arm guides me around to the bed where I lean forward. A pillow cushions my chest, so I’m not at an awkward height. I inch my legs apart and rest my head to the side.
I take a few calming breaths.
I flinch at the first touch of Seb’s hand. No matter how many times he does thi
s, I can never fully anticipate his touch. He strokes my bum, patting it softly across one cheek and then the other. It soothes my racing heart as well as my skin.
Thwack! His palm smacks my skin, and the crack rings out around the room. My eyes close behind their silk cover, and I sink deeper into the bed. Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Three more smacks in quick succession pull a gasp from me as the sting dissolves against my skin.
Seb finds his rhythm and intense heat burns across my backside. I sink into the feeling of being under his care and protection and relish the connection that my submission brings out in both of us.
He pauses, and I release a deep breath. He trails his finger through my pussy, and I groan in pleasure.
“Oh, baby. You’re so wet. Do you want me to fuck you?”
“Yes, please, Sir.”
“I don’t think you’re ready yet. Your skin isn’t pink enough.” His fingers dig into my bum as he pushes several fingers inside my waiting sex.
“Oh, god!” I mentally curse him but stay still. With my hands bound I can’t grip on to the covers. I have to take everything he gives to me. Thwack! Thwack! “Yes!” My body tenses around his fingers with each strike. The flutter of my impending release ripples through me.
Thwack! Thwack!
Seb pumps his fingers after delivering his smacks, and I feel like I’m going to come apart from want. A stream of rambling murmurings plead with Seb as I get pulled further into the storm of my arousal. Need has overtaken my rational mind.
Seb’s hot mouth covers my pussy before he dips his tongue into me. He anchors my legs apart, and I stretch onto my tip-toes as my muscles tense in the hope of orgasm.
His tongue fucks me and swirls over my clit sending a riot of sensation through me. He repeats his move and tips me over the edge.
“Yes… Seb… Yes!” I come loudly, pressing back against him as I ride out my climax. All energy floods from my body as I lay limp and exhausted on the bed.
The Izzy and Seb Collection: The Evermore Series Books 1, 2 and 2.5 Page 55