by Rynne Raines
“It’s understandable,” he agreed. “But, that doesn’t change the fact that she is a submissive.”
“I accept that. You accept that. Eventually, Eve will learn to accept it too but it’s going to take a lot more than a few nights of pleasure with Eden’s most notorious and sought after playboy to break through the walls of her past. I’m sorry if that sounds harsh, you know I love you to pieces, but it’s the truth.”
Donavan flexed his jaw. He couldn’t argue with Caitlyn’s logic. If Eve was going to make peace with her past, she would need to surrender absolute control in an uncomfortable situation and feel one hundred percent safe with her partner while doing it. What she needed was a complete exchange of trust over body and mind. That type of trust wasn’t often earned in one weekend of kinky sex with a friend.
“Where is Eve now?” Caitlyn asked, drawing him out of his own thoughts.
“In the room. She’s fine, Cait,” he added, noting the deep concern etched into her features. “I would never do anything to hurt her. You have to know that.”
“Of course I do. I’m more concerned about inadvertent consequence.”
“If it puts your mind at ease, I do believe she’s…enjoying herself.”
“Oh, I have no doubt. I’ve heard the rumors.” Her rose painted lips curved into a smile. “I just hope you weren’t too hard on her for the collar thing.”
“Not as hard on her as Evan’s going to be on you when I tell him what part you played in this little conspiracy.”
He watched her shudder yet the glint of a smile twinkled in her blue eyes. Caitlyn was another very independent female. As a psychiatrist she had a professional element about her but underneath she was a true submissive. She reminded him of Eve in many respects. They were both prideful, intelligent, sassy women. The type of women good Doms desired to conquer yet yearned to protect.
With wide eyes, Caitlyn began ringing through his purchases which gave Donavan time to reflect on the new information and what he was going to do with it. He should go back to the room, hand Eve the key, and let her leave before things got any more complicated between them. Caitlyn was right when she called him a playboy—long term commitment had never sat well with him. Eve deserved more than a weekend fling. Where he was in his life now, he wasn’t sure he could offer her more than that. But could he let her go now? Not likely.
“Looks like Eve has a wild night ahead of her,” Caitlyn said, handing him a large scarlet colored bag. Donavan accepted it and arched an eyebrow.
“You’ve no idea how wild.”
****
Eve loved a hot bath. In her downtown apartment complex, her morning ritual customarily started with a quick dash through a lukewarm shower because of the peak hour and countless neighbors using the same water supply. Eden, however, seemed to have an endless reservoir of heat in all aspects.
With a sigh, she slipped lower inside the kidney shaped whirlpool until a thick cloud of foamy suds tickled her neck. Bubbles hissed as she stretched one leg out and lifted her toes to toy with the shiny swan-neck faucet.
This is the life, she thought, turning her face into the rolled up towel beneath her head. If only she could stay in this moment forever.
Her chest rose and fell and with each breath more and more tension seeped out of her limbs into the steaming water. It hadn’t occurred to her just how strenuous an early afternoon romp with Donavan could be. Every muscle in her body was sore and sated with a heavenly ache. Even the mark of his palm still burned on her ass cheeks. It would take at least a week before she was able to sit again without the tenderness reminding her of his sweet domination. Even longer to eradicate it from her memory.
Though the water was near scalding, Eve shivered. There wasn’t a drug powerful enough to dull the memories of Donavan’s love making. From this point on he would forever be branded into her mind as the first man she had ever submitted to. And, he would be the last.
The decision came to her in half slumber while lying in his arms earlier. It was obvious to Eve now that she was indisputably a submissive no matter how hard she tried to deny it. Regardless of her past, somehow Donavan had broken through the tough outer shell she’d formed around herself for protection all these years. In some ways she was grateful. He had forced her to confront a part of herself she had always been too cowardly to face alone. Only now, when she stepped outside the sanctuary of Eden’s walls and back into her real life, she would know exactly what she was giving up.
Donavan wouldn’t miss a beat when this was all said and done, Eve thought frowning as she sank a fat sponge under the water then rang it out and pressed it to her neck. He would make an easy transition back into his routine of countless women and no-strings-attached nights of pleasure. Although in one way it stung her to think of him in the arms of another woman, it also made her decision to leave immediately after the gala far easier.
She slopped the wet sponge onto the ledge of the tub and sank back against her make-shift pillow. As long as her secret remained safe and her professional reputation was intact, it didn’t matter who the next woman was to grace his bed sheets. At least that’s what she told herself.
A stream of warm breath tickled her ear only seconds before two large hands covered her breasts. She knew instantly who owned those hands and sucked in a sharp breath. In twenty-four hours Donavan’s touch had burned its mark into her memory—the strength of his fingers…the subtle calluses on his palms…the firmness of his grip.
“I swear to God these tits were made for my hands,” Donavan softly murmured against the crook of her neck. “In fact, I’m beginning to think your entire body was made for me to do with as I please.” He squeezed her nipples between his fingers and Eve’s pussy clenched. She was beginning to think he was right.
“Oh?” she asked. “Is that what you think?”
“It is.” He explored the slope of her neck with his mouth and a quick trembled danced through her. “You disagree?”
“I believe that you think every female body on the planet was made for you to do with as you please,” she returned, breathlessly.
“Now that’s not entirely true.” The water rippled as he kneaded her breasts harder now and raked his front teeth over the soft skin where below her pulse went wild. Her toes curled against the porcelain and her back arched, lifting her breasts half an inch out of the water.
“After all,” he continued. “I’m not a man without standards, Evelyn. Thankfully, you just so happen to reach every one of my requirements with room to spare.”
“That’s not saying much,” she half teased.
“Cheap shot, counselor.”
After giving her nipples one last glorious squeeze, Donavan rose from his crouched position and circled to sit on the edge of the tub. The tanned flesh of his forearms drew her gaze. Oh, he looked good like this. This wasn’t the neat and tidy lawyer she was used to seeing. He wore no tie, the two top buttons of his dress shirt were open revealing his beautiful chest and the sleeves were rolled half way up his forearms. Gorgeous.
“Is that what you really think?” he asked, halting her fantasy of having those arms around her again. He stared down at her with those penetrating gray eyes. “Do you think that I have low standards?”
The weight of his tone startled her into a sitting position. Half the suds were gone now, but the remaining ones sizzled as she hugged her knees to her chest and pondered the question. She rested her cheek against her knees and stared back at him while searching for an honest answer.
“What I think about how you conduct your love life doesn’t mean squat,” she told him.
“That’s a cop-out. I’ve never known you to pussyfoot.”
At his challenge, she cocked her head. If he wanted honest, she’d give him honest.
“All right. I do think you have low standards but not without motive. In the last two years I’ve noticed that the women you choose to take to bed, although beautiful, are often superficial and sometimes absolutely tasteless. You
have nothing in common with them other than the fact you both enjoy a good romp and I happen to think that’s exactly why you choose them. If you actually screwed someone with any substance at all you’d run the risk of developing a real relationship and that scares the shit out of you.”
His eyes narrowed. “Does it now?”
“I think it does,” she answered, failing to be intimidated.
“And why do you think that is?”
“I don’t know.” She chewed her lower lip. “Maybe you’re worried there’s more of your father in you than you’d like to admit. If those traits were ever to surface it’d be easier on you to cut ties with someone who’s just a fling, rather than someone you honestly cared about.”
Eve noted the muscle in his jaw busily working and wondered if she hadn’t said too much. Over-analyzing was second nature to her, it’s how she kept ahead of the game all these years but she rarely shared her observations. No one ever liked being under the microscope.
“Hmm. I see your point,” Donavan murmured. “So, what exactly would you prescribe for such a cut and dry case of commitment phobia, Dr. Morgan?”
“Um…” Caught off guard by his rationality, Eve raised her head. “…Well, I suppose the first step would be recognizing the pattern and then breaking it.” The validation in his eyes now had the words flying out of her mouth faster and with more conviction. “Instead of seeking out women you know you’re incompatible with, try to find someone who shares your common interests, someone with substance and integrity. Someone you can honestly see yourself moving forward with beyond just a few days.”
Slowly, tenderly Donavan cupped her cheek in his vast palm and leaned towards her. Eve’s heart picked up speed as he closed in on her but he didn’t kiss her. He brushed his warm mouth across her cheek until his lips were next to her ear.
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” he whispered.
He rose from the ledge of the tub then, and headed for the shower leaving Eve to realize what she had just done. His comment replayed over and over in her head—the tone of his voice, the emphasis on his words all provoked a tightness in her chest.
In silence, she watched him strip out of his clothes and then step into the glass cubical shower. If her stomach wasn’t tied in knots, she would’ve savored the sight of his lean, muscular legs and tight ass. However, the result of their conversation wouldn’t allow it.
Donavan wasn’t actually considering her as someone he could see himself moving forward with for more than a few days, was he? More importantly, did she see him that way?
Nonsense. He was just messing around with her as payback for sticking her nose where it didn’t belong. Wasn’t he?
She rose out of the water and quickly wrapped herself in a towel yet her gaze never wavered from the shower. Donavan’s back was to her, his hands braced against the shower wall as he rotated his head under the spray. Lord, he was beautiful. Not to mention intelligent and confident and caring.
Carefully, Eve stepped out of the tub and onto the bath mat.
Donavan was exactly the type of man she could spend the rest of her life with and never experience a dull moment. At the same time, he was a Dom to the bone and although Eve was beginning to accept that being dominated turned her on, she wasn’t convinced embracing the lifestyle was worth the repercussions it would have on her career.
“Eve?” said Donavan, poking his head out the shower door.
“Hmm?”
“Don’t get dressed just yet. I have something special planned for our last night together.”
Eve gave a nod and hugged the towel around her tighter.
Yes, this will be our last night together. It has to be.
Chapter Six
This would not be their last night together, Donavan silently vowed. He wouldn’t let it be. Although uncertain of what the future held for them, Eve belonged at his side for more than a mere weekend. Maybe she didn’t think so now, but tonight he would do everything in his power to convince her. Even if that meant pushing the boundaries.
“Oh my God.” He heard Eve mutter from inside the bathroom. “I can’t wear this out in public!”
Donavan grinned and shrugged into a black button-up shirt.
“Just come out here and let me see you,” he hollered back.
“No,” she refused. “No, I…I think it’s too small.”
The hell it is, Donavan thought, eyeing the bathroom door as he worked the last button on his shirt through its hole. If there was one thing he knew it was a woman’s lingerie size, and Eve was undoubtedly a divine size six.
“If you’re not coming out, I’m coming in.” He went to the door and gripped the knob. Locked. “Eve, open this door.”
“I don’t want to.” Though a solid oak panel separated them he knew by the sound of her voice that her beautiful lips were puckered in a pout. “I’m telling you it’s too small.”
“Trust me, you could be wearing a handkerchief and it still wouldn’t be too small.”
She said nothing. Sighing, he rested the palm of one hand against the door. “Eve, if I have to jimmy this lock to get in there, you’re gonna have trouble sitting for at least a week.”
There was silence.
One heartbeat passed. Then two. On the third, the lock clicked and then the door slowly creaked open.
Sweet Jesus.
Donavan arched an eyebrow as his eyes made the visual climb from her three inch, red stilettos and up a pair of stockings secured to dainty black garters. At the apex of her legs a deep-scarlet lace thong stretched snugly over her pussy. Absolutely amazing.
Though he could have stared at her lower half for the remainder of the evening and been a happy man, his gaze wandered higher. The classic, French-boned corset suited her perfectly. The fit wasn’t so tight that it took away from her hour glass figure, yet it enhanced all her womanly curves. He skimmed up her cinched waist and froze on the generous swell of milky white breasts spilling out the top of two silk cups. He wasn’t sure where the blood rushed quicker, into his head or his cock. Donavan cringed and swore under his breath.
“See! See! I knew it was too small.” Eve slammed the door, but Donavan wedged his booted foot between the jamb before it closed all the way.
“For Christ’s sake woman, it’s not too small.” He grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her out of the bathroom.
“Don’t lie to me. I saw the look on your face. You cringed.”
Frustrated by her dramatics, he dragged her hand down and cupped her palm over his crotch.
“The only thing in this room too small right now is the crotch of these pants.” He angled his stare down at her as his cock pulsed violently against her fingers. He could’ve taken her then—bent her over the bed, jerked those panties aside and shown her just how good she looked in the lingerie. That wasn’t part of plan, though. He needed to stick to the plan.
Finally her eyebrows quirked and the hint of a grin touched her lips. “That does seem to be quite a tight fit down there.”
“You don’t say,” he drawled sarcastically. “It’s your damned fault. I’ll have you know I happen to really like these pants. If the zipper goes, expect a bill in the mail.”
Her grin spread into a full out smile. A breathtaking smile.
“Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s get a better look at you.” He leaned back until he could see her from head to toe then gestured for her to spin. She did so without hesitation. Still smiling, Eve twirled in a three-sixty rotation that ended with her sending him a heated glance.
“So?” she prompted.
“Yeah, I’m thinking I should dress you more often.”
“It is exquisite.” She lovingly stroked her hands down the front of the corset. “But, it’s still unacceptable to wear in public.”
“I disagree.”
“Donavan, I’ll come off looking like a whore.”
“Correction—a beautiful whore—ah,” he held up a hand when she opened her mouth to speak, “You�
��ll come off looking like my beautiful whore.”
Closing her eyes on a sigh, she visibly shuddered and shook her head. “How do you manage to always do that? How do you take a term that’d be used as a insult by ninety-nine percent of the population and somehow turn it into an endearment?”
“Maybe because I don’t consider it an insult. Sexual promiscuity is a plus in my books.” He stroked the backs of his knuckles down her cheek. “Trust me, you’ll blend in just fine. If you should be concerned about anything, it’s that you’re wearing too many clothes. You look beautiful, Eve.”
She turned her face into the palm of his hand and let out a light laugh. “You really do know how to make a woman feel attractive.”
He flexed his jaw and locked eyes with her. “It’s not quite as hard when they actually are attractive.”
Tension swirled between them. The type that warned they were both getting in over their heads, but couldn’t stop it even if they wanted to.
Eve was the first to redirect her gaze and speak. “Should we…um…get going then?”
“Not yet,” he said, forcing himself to stick to the plan. “Remember how I told you not to come without permission earlier and you didn’t listen? As a good Dom I have to punish you for that.”
A thrill swept through Eve and her knees nearly knocked together. He really is big on the punishment thing. God, that turned her on.
“You can’t spank me again—I might have to sit down tonight.” She tried to hide her smile.
“I have no intention of spanking you again. At least not this second,” said Donavan, a hint of the devil in his gray eyes. “I was thinking more along the lines of a punishment that suits the crime.”
He rested his hands on her bare shoulders. The heat of his skin burned into hers as he traced his thumbs lightly over her collarbone. A punishment suiting the crime, Eve thought dizzily. What exactly was her crime again? Oh yes, she climaxed without permission.
“You’re not exactly blameless,” she reminded him. “I’m fairly certain there’s not a woman on the planet who could withstand what you did to me without…finding satisfaction. I had a moment of weakness.”