Pierce, Nicole L. - Secrets (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Nicole L. Pierce

  Chapter 7

  Dante didn’t bother knocking. His mother never locked the door during the day, in spite of his complaints about her safety. After all, this was Chicago, not some rural area, but she never listened to him. Once he entered the familiar, cozy Cape Cod, he called out, and she scurried out of the kitchen, grinning from ear to ear. He held out his arms, and she hugged him, her slightly flowered scent mixed with a savory, meaty smell drifting in from the other room. When they pulled apart, Dante looked around. “Dad and George home?”

  “Dad went on the boat and took George with him.” She brushed down the apron that covered her comfortable clothing, T-shirt and blue jean shorts.

  “I see.” He was disappointed. He didn’t make the two-hour ride into the city as much as he wanted to, and he missed his family like crazy. “They coming home soon?”

  “They’re supposed to, but you know Dad when he’s out on the boat.” She appraised him, her brown eyes warm and amused. “So why are you all dressed up? Well, dressed up for you, DJ.”

  “I’m not,” he said, feeling his face heat. But, of course, it was a lie. He had dressed very deliberately since she wouldn’t see his face. His body had to look great. He wore a short-sleeve, white Wrangler dress shirt, which he knew hugged his shoulders and waist as the tails were tucked neatly into snug western jeans. A black leather belt held his outfit together. What he’d left in the car was his black Bullhide Skynard felt cowboy hat and his leather cowboy boots. Instead, he had his Nikes on. “I’m just dressed casually,” he said, as she stared harder at him. “Do I look all right?” he asked his mother.

  Her sweaty ebony face gleamed from the sunbeams streaming through the windows. “Boy, you’re so ugly I don’t know how you ever get a date.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Looks like the way you used to dress when we lived in Texas, minus the hat.”

  “I took out some old clothes that Dad gave me, yeah.” Only he hadn’t. He’d gone to a western store after work and had bought them there, remembering how she’d said she liked cowboys.

  “You came home for a reason. Do you want to talk about her?”

  Actually, he did. A little bit. “Sure.”

  “Let’s go in the kitchen. You can help me cook, like you did when you were little.”

  He followed her into the kitchen, the meat-and-potatoes smell stronger and more savory the closer he came to the stove. As they both stepped up to it, Dante felt the love he always experienced around his family. It had taken them at least five years to make him believe they wouldn’t reject him. Now they were stuck with him for life. He admired both his father, an Air Force Sergeant, and his mother, a bridal shop owner. He also had a deep love and attachment to his brothers, one a college student and the other still in high school. The youngest, George, was also adopted, although he was black. “It always feels great to be here,” he said as he stirred a pot of stew.

  “Well, I hope so,” his mother said, and he wondered if she was remembering those early years. “So,” she said, taking a brighter tone, “who is she?”

  Dante’s cock twitched behind his jeans. How could he even explain? “I don’t want to say too much yet. She just does something to me that nobody else ever has.”

  “I see.” She shot him a sly look. “I hope you’re not just talking about sex. I know how you men think.”

  “It’s more than that,” he said, “but she doesn’t know it, and I can’t get into it yet.”

  “So will I be fitting you for a wedding tux anytime soon, Dante?” she asked, teasing him.

  “I have to win her over, and it won’t be easy.”

  “Oh?” His mother lifted the top of a pot. “She must be special. You don’t go out much.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s hard to get close to anyone when you’re keeping secrets.”

  “True.” She turned to him. “You think the stew is done? Taste it, and if it’s good, I’ll feed you.”

  He dipped a ladle into the stew and tasted it. The strong, meaty flavor was delicious, and it slid down his throat, warming him. “It’s done. I’ll feed myself…”

  “You go sit down. I don’t get to do nothing for you anymore. Go!”

  He paused then decided not to tick her off. Once seated, he allowed her to fuss over him, since he knew she liked to do it. After she placed a steaming bowl of stew with mashed potatoes under his nose, she sat beside him. “Eat,” she ordered.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He grinned at her then dug in with a fork.

  “How’s the job anyway?” his mother asked.

  “It’s tiring playing a role and working for the government. Can’t wait until this assignment is done. I think I’m going to quit the spying and just do my other job.”

  Dante could feel his mother’s shock even before she spoke. He ate steadily, waiting for her response. He was not disappointed. “Dante, I thought you were all excited about going overseas. You suddenly don’t want to go? This must be some woman!”

  Dante thought of the night before and felt his dick harden. He was glad his lower half was hidden under the table. “It’s not such a sudden change of heart. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now,” he said, wondering if he was lying to himself.

  “That so?” She sounded skeptical.

  He swallowed a combination of meat, carrots, and mashed potatoes…they tasted perfect, wonderful. “Mom,” he said, not looking at her, “if I get serious with anybody, I can’t take a dangerous assignment. It wouldn’t be right.”

  “Dangerous?” She sounded taken aback.

  Shit. He’d never told her the danger of his work before. “Well, you know. There are always risks with espionage,” he said, quickly, meeting her eyes. “At any rate, I wouldn’t want to keep it up if I had a family.”

  “I don’t want you to keep it up at all if it’s dangerous.” She frowned at him. “Course I can’t exactly spank you anymore.”

  Dante had a flash of spanking his woman tonight, and his heart sped up. “It wouldn’t do any good,” he admitted. He glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was six o’clock, and he had to be at Secrets by nine. His nipples hardened as he thought of his hot date. Never had he dreamed he’d find his special one at a place like that.

  “I hope Dad and George get here soon,” he mused as he looked down at his stew. “Otherwise I guess I’ll have to catch them next time. Do I really look all right?” He tried to sound casual to his mother. “The clothes, I mean.” She would be honest.

  “The clothes look great, but you could comb your hair.”

  He shot her a smile. “My hair doesn’t matter,” he said, and grinned when she looked confused as hell then shook her head.

  “I’ll never figure you out,” she said.

  “And it’s best not to try.” He chuckled.

  Chapter 8

  Serena parked her car in the same place Cara had parked the previous night. Her heart was pumping, her breasts were tingling, her body was filled with excitement. She had the paddle in her purse, not sure whether to whack Big D with it or let him whack her with it. Although he’d talked tough, she’d sensed vulnerability in Big D the previous night. That only made him more attractive to her and more eager to make him think he had her wrapped around his finger. Of course, he could actually have her wrapped, too, and that would be a bad thing. He was only her fuck buddy.

  She got out of the car and walked in a daze, trying not to turn her ankle as she tottered on spiked heels. Two nights in a row in heels were killing her feet. The idea of wearing them had been Cara’s, of course. “You have sexy, long legs, Serena,” she had urged. Bah, at this point, she just wanted her old, comfy loafers, but it was too late for that, and she did want to remain appealing to Big D.

  Everything seemed foggy and surreal as she strode down the sidewalk in a gentle mist. She felt a warm gust of wind blowing her miniskirt and blushed. God help her if the wind blew up her skirt…she had no underwear on tonight. The reminder of her secret made her cheeks hot.


  When the bouncer at the door greeted her, she was surprised that he didn’t ask for an ID. She had called in a reservation, but was told she’d still be carded at the door to make sure she was who she said she was. Instead, he waved her inside.

  Big D was waiting for her behind the door, and as he held the door open, she stepped into the bar area. Her lover-to-be smiled at the bouncer. “Good work, Charlie,” he said, holding the door open as he spoke. “You remembered who I was with. You never have to card her. I will always pay and be responsible for Desiree.”

  Charlie harrumphed, and Serena stared at Big D, dazzled by his cowboy hat, black mask, and western attire. She could see more of his face tonight because the black mask didn’t cover as much. He had tanned skin, well-defined cheekbones, a slightly crooked nose, and a wicked smile. When he reached for her hand, she took it, feeling giddy and hot. His cowboy hat was an enticing prop and made him look even taller and more impressive.

  Big D took her arm and started walking to the elevators. “No drink?” she asked, already heating up.

  “If you want one, we’ll call room service.”

  “Hmmmmm.” Her breasts tingled. She was actually pleased he was going right for the gusto. His cowboy getup played into her naughtiest fantasies and showed off his gorgeous body, and she was even more ready than yesterday to lose her virginity. As they walked down a hallway, she heard a thumping in her purse and her smile faded. “I have a bone to pick with you, Big D. How did you get my work address?”

  He laughed as they stopped before the elevator. “I have my sources.”

  “None of my friends will fess up. Who told you?”

  He pushed the “up” button.

  “Well, don’t send me any more kinky presents. My company is very conservative, and one of my friends saw the paddle.”

  “What did this friend of yours say?” Big D smirked at her, and she thought she’d seen that smirk before.

  Blinking her eyes fast, she said, “Just don’t send me anything.”

  He put a strong hand on her shoulder, and she shuddered inside. “Did the paddle make you think of me today?”

  “Well…” It was on the tip of her tongue to lie, but the truth tumbled out. “Yes, it did.” She sniffed and turned her head, not really wanting to look away from his amazing lips…wide and generous, his lower one a tad fuller than the top.

  “You thought about getting spanked.”

  “Yes, you creep.” She gazed at him sharply.

  He grinned.

  The elevator door opened, and they both stepped inside. When the doors shut and the car moved up slowly, she could feel an invisible sizzle from him and his strong male aura straight to her pussy. This would be some wild night, if only he’d complete what he’d started.

  When the door opened, she walked out ahead of him, her arms crossed. He caught up to her, wrapping his arm around her. “Why did you choose a Diana Ross mask, babe?”

  The question surprised her. “Why not? She was beautiful.”

  “And you don’t think you are?” he asked as he escorted her down the red carpeted hallway. He stopped before the same door he had opened up the previous night and turned to her, taking both of her hands in his. She was aware of the cold key in one of them. “Babe, you don’t like how you look?” he persisted.

  Serena needed to change the subject. “Hey, I missed Jim’s speech tonight. I thought we had to go, no matter if we’ve already heard it or not. I mean…that was my impression.” She told herself to stop babbling.

  “I informed Jim we were going to miss it. Don’t worry. Aren’t you pretty?”

  She felt tears stinging her eyes and turned away.

  “I like glasses,” he offered.

  “Look,” she said, forcing herself to pull together, “you just need to imagine how I look. This is a fantasy. How I really look doesn’t matter.”

  He turned to the door and stuck the key into the lock. Finally, he said, “Fair enough. Let’s have fun and skip the serious stuff.” He shoved the door open.

  Serena’s breath caught as she saw the sexy room with all the leather paddles and whips decorating the black walls. She looked around again, as she had the night before, and her eyes feasted on the spanking bench. Before she had a chance to think about it, he grabbed her, turned her around, and kissed her, hard and hot, pulling her into his body. She threw her arms around him, swirling her tongue through his mouth, tasting wine, and melted inside as he lifted her skirt and grabbed her ass cheeks hard. He kept his mouth over hers as he walked her backwards until the backs of her shins hit the bed. Then he gently shoved her to the mattress and climbed on top of her, renewing their white-hot kiss.

  As she ran her tongue across his teeth, she felt dizzy. His cowboy hat had fallen off and black hair spilled over his mask. She liked the silky, thick feel of it. The hard muscles of his shoulders and back moved with smoothness and grace. His male scent sent her hormones soaring a few notches higher as her pussy dripped. For god’s sake, she wanted his cock inside of her. Her pussy was pulsing emptily, aching for something she had never had. Why didn’t he just rip off her clothes and fill her? Why were his hands traveling all over her body, but not undressing her? She’d read about foreplay, and his touch excited her, but they could go slow another time. Right now, all she could think about was his shaft filling her being with its special magic. He rolled her over until she was on top of him, and she decided to say something. Breaking their kiss, she looked down at his surprised face and brushed his cheek.

  “Big D,” she whispered just above his lips, “I’m…I’m wet for you. I don’t want to wait. I want you to go inside of me now. I’ll die if you don’t.” The way her entire body was filled with icy hot prickles of tension, she meant it. “What are you waiting for, Thanksgiving?” she asked, feeling lighter than air.

  He pushed her off of him without a word, and she felt confused as she watched him standing up.

  “Oh, no, you’re not backing down like you did last night…”

  He swiped her off the bed and carried her off to the spanking bench. Settling her on her stomach, he said, “Ass in the air for me, woman.”

  Serena felt a little let down, but only a tiny bit. Maybe he’d spank her and then do her. It couldn’t get any better than that. She stuck her ass high in the air, wiggling it for him as she watched him go into her purse and pull out the spanking paddle. Her breasts seemed to pulse as he zipped the purse back up again and threw it on the bed then started walking toward her with a gunslinger’s swagger.

  Shit, he did look like a sexy cowboy, and that paddle in his hand…

  Right before he reached her, he stripped off his shirt and undid his pants, stepping out of them while she felt her heart beating erratically. He was naked, his wide shoulders and six-pack abs staring at her from behind smooth, bronzed skin. His cock tumbled halfway down his thigh, getting hard.

  Her mouth dry, she rolled to her side to undress, but he slammed the paddle into his palm with a loud slapping noise, and she froze. “Ass in the air for me,” he said.

  “I thought…”

  “…wrong. Get in spanking position and tell me why you need discipline, babe.”

  She was just about to balk, when she saw his cock twitch. Holy hell, she’d do anything to have that inside of her. Feeling defiant, she got back into position. When the paddle whacked her rump, she cried out, “One!”

  Smack!

  “Two.” Oh, how sweet it was.

  Smack, smack, smack.

  The paddle made her ass vibrate more, her clit vibrate more, her tension build up more. “Three, four, five!” she cried out.

  “You can come.”

  She did, with a whimper and a shudder, then she fell to her side, looking up at him, resenting him as he grinned at her.

  “Anytime you don’t remember who’s in charge, I start over,” he said, gazing down at her.

  Although her ass was flaming, as well as the rest of her, she hated him for the moment. He wasn’t
going to let her have him unless she followed his rules. Fine, then. She would, not without a few tricks up her sleeve. “All right,” she said, in the submissive voice she had read about in her hottest erotica novels. “What do you want me to do now, sir?”

  He smiled.

  She had figured he’d like the sir. All the Doms liked to be called “sir.” It must feed into their weak egos.

  Yet as she gazed into Big D’s dark eyes, she didn’t see anything weak about him. Don’t think too much. Enjoy it. You’ve always wanted a dominant male. Don’t ruin it.

  Big D was looking at her through narrowed eyes. “Get up.”

  She did, standing close to him, feeling his testosterone, smelling the hot scent of sex.

  Without a word, he unbuttoned her lacy white blouse and smiled when he saw her braless tits. Then he unzipped the back of her skirt and pulled it down, Serena stepping out of it. She was bare ass naked, tingling from scalp to toenails. He gave her a once-over then turned her around completely until she faced him again. He moved forward then lifted her, and she let out a little screech. She wanted to ask where they were going, but, damn it, she figured that if she talked too much she wouldn’t get what she wanted from her to-die-for hot man.

  He stepped through a doorway which brought them into a large bathroom. Her pussy spasmed with excitement as he stepped into the shower, still holding her, and shut the beveled door. She could feel the room twirling around her as she looked up and saw two showerheads. He turned on both showerheads, and dainty water trickled over them. Giggling, she wondered if their masks could melt away, but knew they wouldn’t. Hers was plastic covered, and his was a silky black material. He was looking down at her, making her feel small as he had the night before.

  She stared up at him expectantly, her hormones on edge, raw. Just when she thought he was getting ready to kiss her, he set her on her feet, breaking their contact. Damn! Why had he done that when it had felt so good in his arms? She watched him as he smiled at her, as if he knew she was frustrated, but he looked so naughty that she wanted to laugh rather than lash out at him.