Bound With Pearls

by Bristol, Sidney

  “The syrup spilled a little.”

  His lips pulled up into a smile. “Oopsie,” he said, not the least bit repentant. Sliding the plate lower on her abdomen, he bent and licked away the sticky liquid. “There.” He moved the plate back into position. Picking up the fork and knife, he attacked the stack of pancakes. The sensation of the knife sliding across the surface through the plate made her want to squirm. Instead, she gripped the ropes and held tight.

  “Something wrong?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Here.” He offered her a bite of fluffy pancake with a glistening layer of syrup.

  She ate what he offered, swallowing the pancakes without tasting them. The other shoe was going to drop.

  “These are good,” he said around a mouthful of food. “What did I do to merit a special breakfast?”

  Her mouth dried up. “I thought you would want something to eat.” She hated the way her voice went up an octave at the end of her sentence, pinning an unspoken question mark on a statement.

  He sighed and gave her a flat stare.

  “I wanted to do something,” she added. Heat rose up her throat as the damn blush gripped her cheeks. “For you. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched anything.”

  He pressed his lips to hers. She could taste the syrup on his lips and tongue when he pushed into her mouth. As quickly as the kiss began, he pulled away, scooping up some of the eggs and offering them to her.

  “You aren’t in trouble.”

  She hurriedly chewed and swallowed. “I’m not?”

  He chuckled. “Nope.” One side of his mouth kicked up in a lopsided smile, giving him a boyish look.

  “Then, why…” Her voice trailed off as he pressed another bite of pancake to her lips.

  “Why did I tie you up?” He filled in for her. “Because I like you tied down and at my mercy.”

  “Oh.” She struggled to reorient herself. “Can I have more juice? Please, Sir.”

  “Sure thing.” He grabbed her glass and offered her the straw. “I was thinking…”

  “Yes?” she asked when he didn’t finish.

  He set the glass on the bed, his fingers playing over the rim. “Would you want to see me again?”

  Her heart fluttered up into her throat while her stomach dropped through the bed. “See you again? At the club, or…?”

  One shoulder lifted. “Wherever.”

  “Yeah,” she said, fingers twining around the ropes.

  “Good. I was going to keep you tied up until you said yes. Now I’ll just keep you tied up until I’m done with you.”

  Her pussy clenched. She wanted him in her, to be free to touch him.

  “Can I ask you one thing?” As besotted as she was, Christine needed to keep some of her wits about her.

  “Go ahead.” He shoveled food in, tapping the fork against the plate as he chewed.

  “Are you seeing anyone? Or did you just get out of a relationship or something?”

  He paused, head tilted to the side. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Well, it’s just your place. It’s not really what I would have expected.” She bit her lip.

  “Oh.” He tilted his head back and laughed. “Honestly, I don’t even think about it anymore.” He stabbed a square of pancake and put it to her lips. “I do all of my business out of my home, so I hired a decorator, and this is what I got. No girlfriends or relationship for a while now. Satisfied?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “Good, eat.”

  He didn’t allow her time to talk, plying her with almost as much food as he ate. They didn’t eat everything, she’d gone overboard with it to begin with. The plate, syrup and utensils went on the bedside table and he unhooked her hands and feet from the ropes.

  He settled on top of her, his weight pushing her down into the mattress. He wove their fingers together, bracketing her head with their arms. He’d discarded the stern face at last and she could read him. Smiling, he looked younger, not as authoritative. At some point she’d gone from dealing with Daniel the Dom, to Daniel the man. It birthed a little hope in her chest, maybe there was more.

  “I made a mess.” He brushed a kiss across her lips. “You’re covered in syrup.”

  She wiggled against him, her stomach sticking and sliding against his in a way that made her skin crawl in a not so pleasant way. “What are you going to do about that?”

  “Let you take the first shower.”

  “You don’t want to shower with me?” She nibbled her lip. She was naked, he was naked and they were both horny. It was easy math that wasn’t adding up.

  “You don’t always get what you want, Chris.” He pushed up and rolled away from her. She watched him stand next to the bed, his erect cock an obvious calling card. Casually, he cupped himself. “Besides, you said no sex.”

  Groaning, she covered her face with her hands. She had a sinking feeling she wouldn’t be able to live her no-sex limit down.

  * * * * *

  Restless, Christine pushed up from the couch. Her body hummed with unfulfilled desire. Daniel had played her body like an instrument, rising dramatically with orgasms that had been more punishing than satisfying. Her body responded to him on a basic level and he hadn’t taken advantage.

  Her mantra since he’d delivered her safely to her car Saturday morning had been, “It’s not you. It’s the limit.”

  Despite telling her he wanted to see her again they hadn’t set a date. And it wasn’t even until she’d arrived home when she realized she didn’t know if he wanted a play date, a dinner date or something else. It was possible she was reading far too much into his request than what there was. They didn’t have a relationship, he wasn’t her Master. She also hadn’t made him court her. Had he asked her to go on a date with him because he wanted to have sex with her?

  She’d focused all of her energy since then into running errands and getting ready for the coming workweek, and now she had nothing else to do. Pacing the length of her kitchen, she turned the evening she’d spent with Daniel over and over again in her head. She couldn’t blame anyone but herself for how things had turned out, and considering how it could have gone, it had been good.

  A hell of a lot better than good, actually. When was the last time a man had her so wrapped up in the thought of him she couldn’t focus?

  Still, she had upheld her part of the bargain.

  Retrieving her phone from her purse, she dialed her sister, for once not feeling any dread about speaking with Lucy. She’d get her mother’s pearls back and that was what her goal had been all along.

  “Hello?”

  “Lucy, it’s Chris.”

  “Oh.” She could hear the confusion in her sister’s voice. No doubt Lucy was trying to remember what she’d wanted from her and if she needed to wheedle. “Hi.”

  “Hey. I took care of the Daniel situation for you.”

  “Oh.” The surprise grated on her nerves. Had her sister expected her to flake? “That’s great, Chris, thanks.”

  “Yeah, so when can I come by and get the pearls?”

  She was ready for the pause, the one that meant Lucy was scrambling to think of something to say. It was never a good sign but she was used to it by now. Sadly, it would have surprised her if Lucy had given the pearls up without stalling.

  “Well, the thing is Nate and I are out of town. Do you think it can wait a few days? Or even until the weekend? It’ll be nuts when I get back.”

  Irritated at her sister and herself, she folded one arm around her middle and tried to keep her voice pleasant. “You’re going out of town now? It’s Sunday. Anyway, it’s a necklace, Lucy, not the kitchen stove. I’ll be in and out.”

  “Christine, those pearls are sentimental.” Lucy was laying on the dramatics. If her sister were in front of her now, she’d imagine Lucy with her hand to her heart and a theatrical expression on her face. “I can’t just hand them over. I need time to say goodbye.”

  She muffled her snort. Her sister
didn’t care about the pearls. She probably didn’t remember where they were.

  “Fine. I’ll come over Friday and get them.”

  “Great! I’ve got to run. Talk to you Friday!”

  The line went dead before she could interject. Sighing, she set the phone on the coffee table and pulled her to-do list closer. Usually having all of the lines crossed off was a good thing but not now. The only thing left to do was all the cleaning she’d put off. But anything to keep from circling the phone was better than nothing.

  Deciding to tackle the least appealing task first, she headed for the bathroom and pulled out a host of cleaning products from under the sink.

  In no time, lavender-scented cleanser filled the bathroom. She had scrubbed every inch, leaving the toilet for last. Her rubber gloves had her hands sweating and pruney. It was time to suck it up and scrub the commode.

  Her knees slipped on the damp tile as she crouched in front of the porcelain god. Wrinkling her nose, she levered the seat and lid up, attacking the bowl with her scrub brush.

  Her cell phone rang. Glancing at it and back to the toilet, she decided to call it clean and flushed. Stripping off a glove, she flicked the green button and tapped the speaker button from memory.

  “Ginny, I thought you’d never call me back.”

  “Try again.”

  The masculine voice froze her in place.

  “Christine?” The tone of voice was authoritative and had her squeezing her thighs together. “Did I interrupt something?”

  “No. Sorry. I was cleaning.”

  Daniel chuckled. “You don’t run a cleaning company by any chance, do you?”

  She sputtered. “No. I work in marketing.”

  “I’m joking.” His voice had a warm, chocolate-like quality to it. Her insides quivered, hoping he had a reason for calling her. A reason she’d say yes to. As much as she wanted to see him again, she wasn’t going to be his fuck buddy. “I want to see you again. What are you doing Tuesday night?”

  She pumped her fist. Did she blindly trust he’d want more from her than the sex she’d denied them? She’d never know if she didn’t put herself out there. “Nothing. What did you have in mind?”

  “I was thinking dinner,” he replied without hesitation. That lack of a pause settled her nerves, at least until she understood what he wanted and she was catapulted to cloud nine. He wanted to go on a date. With her. Excitement and anticipation danced across her stomach in time to the pounding of her heart. “Someplace nice. And take it from there.”

  She forced herself to reply with a calm voice instead of whooping with glee. “That would be nice.” Nice? Nice was an understatement.

  She got to her feet, leaving behind the gloves and cleansers, and hoofed it into her bedroom. She now had an entirely other problem to figure out. What would she wear?

  “Great. I was thinking I could pick you up at six, if you’re comfortable with that.”

  His concern warmed her heart. She turned toward the vanity mirror and grinned at her reflection. “Sure. Six sounds good.”

  She gave him directions to her apartment and hung up with promises to talk soon. She wrapped her arms around herself and spun in a circle. She was going on a date with a man she’d let tie her up.

  Chapter Five

  “Chris.” Daniel’s jaw went lax as the door opened. “You look amazing.”

  The black strapless dress she wore was artfully draped. She looked sexy enough he considered skipping dinner.

  “Thanks.” She flushed, an adorable habit he was growing fond of already.

  He stepped through the door and crowded her back against the wall. He had to kiss her. The heels she wore put them eye to eye and thwarted her attempt to act shy. Modesty he could understand, but it took confidence to stand toe-to-toe with him as she had at the dungeon.

  Pressing his body to hers, he took her mouth in a slow, open-mouth kiss. Chris wound her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer, crushing her breasts to his chest. He tasted her, catching a mixture of toothpaste and mouthwash as he reacquainted himself with every inch of her magnificent lips.

  At this rate he was going to end up with a zipper tattoo on his dick. As much as he wanted to keep going, he broke the kiss.

  “Guess it’s a good thing I didn’t wear lipstick.” She chuckled against his cheek.

  He swiped his thumb across her mouth. “You don’t need lipstick.” No, her lips were red enough from his attentions, plus he wanted to kiss her whenever he felt like it. Lowering his hand to her neck, he ran his fingers over the red plastic gemstones circling her throat. “You don’t need these either. Real rubies, maybe.” The dress she wore, with the bare expanse of flesh, was his blank canvas. There was only one piece in his workroom that came to mind for her. It would look better and complement her beauty more, and symbolize exactly what he wanted from her. Could he work rubies into the design?

  “What’s wrong with my necklace?” She frowned and glanced down.

  “Nothing.” Maybe after tonight he would know if giving her the piece was a good idea. If they clicked again, and Friday hadn’t been a fluke.

  He kissed her frown. “You look beautiful.” He cupped her breast and gently squeezed. “Sore?”

  She squirmed. “A bit,” she admitted reluctantly.

  He pressed a kiss to the swell of each breast. Stepping back, he surveyed her flushed cheeks, kiss-swollen lips and sexy attire. He didn’t know if he’d make it through dinner. “All better now?”

  She smothered a laugh and nodded, twisting her hand in his to thread their fingers.

  “Good, let’s go.”

  He helped her put on her coat and escorted her down to where he’d parked. He was glad to see the building she lived in was secure, even if she wasn’t cautious about sharing where she lived.

  “Why did you let me pick you up at your place?” He merged into traffic, glancing at the GPS on the dash.

  “You said you were picking me up.”

  He could see her out of the corner of his eye, regarding him with a wide-eyed expression. He tightened his grasp on the wheel. “You shouldn’t let just anyone know where you live. It’s not safe.”

  “Are you saying you aren’t to be trusted?”

  He glanced at her and curled his lips in a slight smile. He liked her spunk. “No, but you don’t know that. You will be more careful.”

  “Is that an order or a suggestion?” Her brow wrinkled.

  Reaching over, he grasped her hand and held it. Her long, artistic fingers curled around his much larger hand. “Both. What kind of music do you listen to?” He adjusted the volume so a little music spilled through the speakers.

  She shrugged, the movement punctuated by squeaking leather upholstery. “Whatever’s on the Top 40. I’m not picky. You?”

  “I’m a classic rock man.” At a red light he twisted around to look at her. “How old are you?”

  She tossed her curls over a shoulder and gave him a mock gasp. “It’s rude to ask a lady her age.”

  He chuckled and reached over to squeeze her knee. He slid his hand up her thigh, pushing the skirt higher. She let her legs relax and open slightly. It was tempting to see what kind of panties she was wearing, if she wore any at all, but this was about getting to know each other.

  “I know your other secrets,” he countered.

  Her head fell back against the headrest. “I’m about to be twenty-nine.”

  When his hand didn’t move, she shifted in the seat.

  A horn blasted behind them. He slapped his hand back on the gearshift and gassed it.

  “How old are you?” she asked a few moments later.

  He bit his cheek. “Thirty-four. Is that too old for you?”

  “Five years isn’t that much of a difference. I kind of like older guys. Why? Do have something against twenty-somethings?”

  He hit his head on the back of the headrest and laughed. Her sass was refreshing. “Not at all.”

  She propped an elbow on the
armrest and leaned toward him. “Are we playing twenty questions?”

  “Maybe. Here we are.”

  He maneuvered the car to the valet, waiting for pedestrians to move out of the way and stealing glances at Chris. She ducked her head to look up at the flame-lit sign. Typically he didn’t splurge on first dates, but this wasn’t really their first time out of the gate. He wanted her to feel special, especially since their introduction had been somewhat forced. In his own way, he was trying to make it up to her. Putting the car in park, he turned to her. Her eyebrows were trying to crawl off her face as the valet opened her door.

  He planted a kiss on her cheek. “Wait for me.”

  She did as requested, waiting for him to circle the car and take her hand while the valet was left to wish for a woman as beautiful as her. There was already a crowd forming at the door, probably those without reservations since this particular restaurant was regularly booked to capacity. The throng of people didn’t allow for comfortable conversation. Besides, it was fun to watch her eyes steadily grow larger as she looked around at the décor. It was an over-the-top place, but he could forgive the flashy exterior because the food was even better.

  Typically he preferred hole-in-the-wall joints where the exterior was questionable but the food mouth-watering. If it weren’t for his business partner Neil, he’d never have stepped foot in such a place. It had only taken one time to make him a fan.

  Chris didn’t say anything until they were seated and the maître d’ had left them to their menus.

  Pushing his to the side, he focused first on her. “Do you not like the restaurant?”

  “No. It’s beautiful. This is great. I’m just trying to take it all in,” she said in a rush.

  He smiled and leaned back in his chair. “Good.”

  The soft candlelight situated around the dining area did lovely things to her skin. She fit right in with the expensive surroundings. Reaching across the table, he took her hand. He didn’t have to be the Dom here and he didn’t want to be. He wasn’t interested in a slave or a puppet. This was about finding out if their chemistry was real. If it was more than lust.