Reluctant Surrender

by Riley Murphy

  She didn’t know how many times he repeated the process. After seven she stopped counting and eventually her moans turned into raspy groans.

  “You’re almost ready. Almost. Not quite there. Yet.”

  She panted and crushed her fingers into the leather. Licking her dry lips, she silently begged for him to do something other than torture her this way. He was killing her. This intensity was too much. She couldn’t tell if her muscles were still reacting. All she experienced was a hard, steady tingle between her legs. Burning and thrumming.

  “You’ll make it. I promise. Trust me,” he whispered in her ear and she cried out. Moving her head, she shifted toward his voice, seeking him. “That’s my good girl.”

  He brushed a hand down her cheek and then rested it on her throat, lightly gripping her there as though to hold her steady. She didn’t mind, she relished this form of capture.

  Shivering, because she’d been expecting another stinger, but this time something else was inserted into her. Something thick and curved, stretching her overwrought muscles and finding her G-spot. If he pressed too hard or moved too fast she’d die.

  He must have known this, because his voice was as gentle as his actions. “Breathe deep and slow. Easy. Easy now.”

  The small circles he made inside her drove her wild. It was a hurry up and wait as she was brought to the brink of orgasm and then pulled back. Once, twice, but on the third time, when he held her there for several seconds and whispered against her ear, “Trust me, baby. Let go, I got you,” she did.

  She released her grip of the couch and let her body go weightless as she gave herself over to him. Once she did her whole world exploded. Every muscle in her midsection and lower worked together and pushed her harder, higher than she’d ever gone before. The squeeze to climax was thrilling. Scary. Breathtaking as she rode the lust-fueled crest for many moments until it descended as quickly and intensely as it built.

  She was still gasping in shock when Ethan shifted and circled that device inside her once more, and her muscles reacted. Her body obeyed—a slave to him as it danced for him again and again. And quietly, each time before he let her fall off the edge of the world, he asked her to trust him. It was that simple. Her body understood what he wanted from her because each time it trusted him it received a reward.

  “Ethan…”

  Chapter Eleven

  “Boy,” Colin sighed and stretched up her arms. “You don’t waste any time do you?”

  Ethan groaned inwardly when Colin sat up and turned to look at him. He stopped slicing the Granny Smith apple and drank in the sight of her. Her hair was a sexy mess and her cheeks were stained a light apricot color while her sleepy eyes remained languid and soft as she stared.

  She reminded him of a newly woken kitten. All warm and cozy and yet ready to play with some string if he dangled it. “Wasting time doing what?”

  He came around the counter and watched as she pulled the blanket he’d put over her after she’d fallen asleep earlier more tightly around her before answering, “Seducing a woman.”

  “Ah.” He sat on the coffee table in front of her and waited for her to say more.

  “I must have fallen asleep.”

  He eyed her hands as they twisted in the soft fleece cover over her breasts. “You did.”

  “I’ve never—that was—” She looked right into his eyes and whispered, “I’ve never had an experience like that before.”

  “I’m not surprised.”

  She frowned and he grinned. “I’ve gathered John wasn’t the most imaginative guy on the planet.”

  That put her at ease. “No. No he wasn’t.” She shook her hair behind her shoulders and scooted back on the couch. Curling her legs under the blanket, she said, “I don’t want you to worry about me. I know how this is going to go. I’m prepared.”

  He reached out and took hold of her hand. The one that wasn’t strangling the blanket. “Prepared for what?”

  Her eyes dropped to their entwined hands. “Eventually letting go. I know you think that I’m inexperienced and I am.” Did she know she was rubbing her thumb over his knuckle at the moment? He liked that. “But I also know that anything more than these ten days between us is not possible. So don’t worry that I’m going to go all gooey on you. Even if I wanted to I couldn’t.”

  There was finality in her tone. A sureness that made him uncomfortable. “Why?”

  “Because I have a plan and being involved with someone as…”

  “As?” He let go of her hand.

  “As worldly as you. You don’t fit into it.”

  “Worldly?” He stared at her and she had the decency to blush. “That’s a polite way to put it.”

  “Not that I think there’s anything wrong with the way you are. I mean, I’m here, aren’t I?”

  “Yes, but the question to that answer is would you be here if the opportunity hadn’t presented itself?”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I think you do, but tell me. Why do you worry so much about what other people think? How can you make yourself happy living under that kind of pressure?”

  She frowned and shook her head. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but what you want me to do is make you happy.”

  He knew where she was going with this and smiled. “Yes.”

  “So how is that different?”

  “Instead of attempting to please the many and failing with a good percentage of them because they’re a tough and fickle crowd.” He winked. “You only have to please one person, me, who makes the task easy on you. No stress providing you commit and put in the effort.”

  “I wish I could believe that maybe then I wouldn’t constantly feel as though I’ve failed.”

  “You haven’t failed.”

  “Tell that to the crowd who attended my wedding. In their eyes I did. I wasn’t woman enough to hang on to my man. A man who chose a Harrington over a Reneaux, just like my father had.”

  Ethan sat up and drew in a deep breath. “You don’t believe that.”

  “Whether I believe it or not doesn’t matter. They do.”

  “Fuck them.”

  She sank back against the couch with a smile. She looked so at ease, with her creamy shoulders naked above the dark-green fleece that he smiled back.

  “I live here, you know. I plan on buying Wakefield and turning the vineyard around. So I’m thinking a ‘fuck them’ attitude might be bad for future business. But hey,” she waved her hand and sat forward, “I didn’t bring this up to have a personal cry-fest in front of you. I mention it because I want you to understand that I can’t and won’t…” She smiled and it tore at his heart. “Fall for you. Once the ten days is up, we’ll go our separate ways and no one will know the truth.”

  “Truth?”

  “Yeah, that this was just a PR thing. My friends have bought the fling idea. They think I’m a little tightly wound and in need of some cut-loose time. Who better to do that with than The Hypnotist?” It was her turn to wink before she focused her attention on straightening the blanket over her calves.

  “And what if I fall for you?” He kept his tone light. Even.

  Her clear blue eyes twinkled like fresh-cut diamonds in the sun. “Then we’ll need to invest in some steel umbrellas.”

  He cocked his head. “For?”

  “The flying pigs brought down in the rain. What smells so good?”

  He gauged that she was suddenly uncomfortable so he let her change the subject. “Dinner.”

  “I napped that long?”

  “A few hours. Do you want to have a rematch in chess tonight?”

  “Sure, but I think I should go put some clothes on before dinner.”

  He caught her gaze and held it. “No. You can keep the blanket but I find the thought of you naked under it pleases me.”

  She blushed and when he got up to head back into the kitchen she muttered under her breath, “You sure do love your board games.”

  Normally he wouldn’t have respon
ded to that comment but right now he wanted to bring her back to the place where it was just her and him and no fucked-up shit to mess with his plan.

  “Do you know why I like to play chess with you?”

  “No, but I think you’re going to tell me.”

  He liked that she was confident enough with him now to tease a little. When she’d said no, she’d playfully drawn it out. “You’re a wood-pusher.”

  She shook her head as if to clear it. “A what?”

  “A wood-pusher,” he repeated. “And a greedy one at that. You’re more concerned about collecting those pieces than you are about winning.”

  Her mouth dropped open and when she got over her shock she sputtered, “T-that is so not true. I strategize.”

  “No you don’t. At least not further than two moves ahead. I’m not complaining. It gives me ample opportunity to see how your wheels spin. I love dangling my queen as bait.”

  “Well,” she hugged the blanket up tight against her breast, “I’ll have to remember that.” She looked so miffed he grinned. “Honey, all you need to do is forget about the crowd on the board. The king is the one you need to capture. Focus in on him.”

  * * * * *

  The next day Ethan was fully prepared.

  “This is no different than Spa Envy. That’s where I go in the city to get my massages.”

  Ethan held the door open for Colin and followed her through. He’d just finished giving her a tour of the salon and elegantly appointed change rooms on one side of the mansion. She was right. One part of the resort was designed as an upscale spa that handled all manner of services for their clients while the other side catered to more intimate needs.

  “Your hair looks beautiful today.”

  “Thanks.” She stopped at one of the opened doors to her left and peered in. “Is that a doctor’s office?” Shooting a look over her shoulder she frowned. “It sure looks like one.”

  He took hold of her hand and pulled her along. “It’s an examination room.”

  “For when a guest gets hurt?”

  “No.”

  “But—”

  “I’ll explain as we go. I want to start at the end and work our way back. It’ll ensure we won’t miss anything.”

  He brought her to the very end of the hall and pushed opened a set of double doors. Flicking on the lights, he said, “Come on in.”

  When she did, he closed the doors and led her to one of the two chairs directly in front of the desk. “Take a seat.”

  “Is this your office?”

  He sat and waited for her to look at him. “No.”

  “It’s very imposing.” Leaning forward, she ran her hand over the gleaming mahogany. “This thing is huge. It even makes you look like you’re an average-sized guy.”

  “This room is for an office scene.” Her eyes rounded and he explained. “Every room down this hall has a purpose. Including the examination room.”

  “Really?” Her eyes roamed over the space. He watched as she took in the floor-to-ceiling bookcases, cut-crystal chandelier and ornate fireplace before she murmured, “It looks so normal.”

  Easing back in his chair, he kept his eyes on her. “What were you expecting?”

  “More leather.”

  The fact that she didn’t hesitate to answer made him smile. “The chairs are leather and I imagine,” he indicated to the shelves, “the book bindings are too.”

  “Oh, those weren’t the type of things I was referring to.”

  She squirmed and he let her, waiting to see if she’d say more, but she didn’t. “Do you have any questions about this room, Colin?”

  She shook her head.

  “That’s surprising. Do you know what a scene is?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you have no questions?”

  “Uh-uh.”

  “Hmm… Maybe you best share with me your thoughts about what kinds of things you think people do in this type of environment during a session.”

  He loved how her cheeks turned red. “I would think that the Dom plays the boss and the sub plays the secretary.”

  He leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the desktop. “Very good, but I want you to be more specific. If I’m your boss and you’re my secretary what would we do in here?”

  “You want me to explain it to you?”

  He nodded and said, “Stop biting your nail and be direct.”

  “I’d deliver the work I’d just done for you and you’d…”

  “What?”

  She looked away and then back. “You’d put your hand up my skirt and we’d wind up fooling around.”

  He blinked. “Fooling around?”

  Her blush deepened and she went on the defensive. “Yes. What’s wrong with that? It’s a perfectly good scenario.”

  It wasn’t, but he didn’t want to piss her off so he kept that to himself.

  “Have you ever had tapas?”

  “The food?”

  “Actually it’s a style of eating. You’re familiar with it?”

  “Yes.” She looked around. “It’s small samples, right?”

  “Exactly. What I want to do with you today is have a kind of BDSM tapas.”

  She stared at him. Hard. As though she were trying to decide whether he’d lost his mind or not. “Come again?”

  “I want to show you each room we have designed here for play. When I take you in I want to give you a little sampling of a scene you might encounter while in that room with me.”

  “BDSM tapas.”

  “It will be educational and fun.” And the perfect way to come at her with erotic play without any expectations. What better way to test the waters and see what floats her boat?

  “Did you and John ever role play?” She brought her hand up, getting ready to bite that nail again. “Colin, please don’t.”

  “’K.” Hastily she slapped her palms together and dropped them on her lap. “Yes, but I was always the boss.”

  That gave him pause. He hadn’t pegged her for a switch. “Do you enjoy being in control of things sometimes in bed?”

  “In bed?” Clearly she was having a hard time fighting the urge to chew on that nail because she shoved both her hands under her thighs and frowned. “I never really thought about it.”

  “Well, take a moment to think about it now and give me your answer.”

  “Um…no. I really never wanted to be boss when it came to sex, but somebody had to be and John? He was…” She shrugged. “He was too sensitive.”

  Ethan wanted to disagree with her on that point because he happened to know for a fact that he was more sensitive than her ex-fiancé. The cheating fuckwad.

  “Hey, can I ask you a personal question?”

  Making note of her flaming cheeks and glassy eyes he guessed this was going to be good. “Absolutely.”

  “Can you really… I mean is it true that you can, ah…”

  “Colin, you can ask me anything you want and providing I know the answer I’ll give it to you straight.”

  She nodded and then gushed, “Is it true you can make a woman come just by talking to her?”

  He stared.

  She squirmed.

  He sighed. “Yes, but it takes a lot of time, training and commitment by both parties. Is this something you’d like to explore with me?”

  “I’m not sure.” Tilting her head, she mused, “How much time are we talking?”

  He could see the wheels turning as she whipped out her mental abacus, so he chose not to answer her. Instead he asked, “Are you ready to hear the rules for our tapas?”

  Colin knew she’d probably regret it, but she said, “Okay.” Then added, “I do have my safe word.”

  Standing, he grinned down at her. “Yes, but I highly doubt you’ll need that today. This is going to be fun.”

  For whom? she wanted to ask. And when he came around the front of the desk and sat back against it, her mouth dropped open. “Was this the desk that was in that other room? The satin room the
night of the opening?”

  “The dungeon,” he corrected as if he were speaking about the weather. “Now, the first rule, and this is important, is that you have to immerse yourself in the moment. No giggling, laughing or rolling your eyes.” She nodded and he narrowed a look at her. “I mean it. There is no reason two consenting adults can’t be adventurous.”

  It was her turn to narrow her eyes. “Define adventurous.” After yesterday and the way she behaved, she was trying hard to be normal or at least not a complete and utter mess. Which wasn’t easy because he was better-looking today than he was yesterday and she had no idea how that was possible…or fair.

  “Even nice guys tell their girlfriends to strip, play with their nipples or masturbate in front of them.”

  Okay, truthfully, she hadn’t been expecting this kind of bluntness, but she persevered.

  “In fact, in most states it’s perfectly legal for said nice guy to fuck his lady love in the ass if they’re both so inclined.”

  She gasped and grabbed on to the arms of her chair, sitting up straight. “You’re not going to do that to me.”

  He pushed his hand through his hair. Looking thoroughly sexy and a little sinister when he said, “You don’t like anal?”

  “I don’t—” Air whooshed from her lungs. She was totally flabbergasted. How could she answer that question? Sitting there completely stunned, she glared at a point on the wall behind his left shoulder and sniffed. “I…no.”

  “Colin?”

  She hated that his tone was calm and reasonable.

  “Look at me.”

  How could she refuse? Tilting her chin up, she stared right at him. “Yes?”

  “Are you saying no because you’ve tried it and didn’t like it?”

  She wasn’t going to lie to him. Even though every fiber in her being wanted to because a lie in this instance would be so much easier than the truth, she couldn’t. “I have never tried it, nor do I care to.”

  “Let’s see about that, shall we? Second rule, are you ready?”

  She knew what he was doing. Pushing ahead. This was probably a good thing, given that she was ready to run, so she wasn’t going to complain.

  “You have to share information with me. Give me feedback and speak truthfully about the experience afterward.”