by Mari Carr
“I can’t do that. I have to be smart about relationships because, in the long run, it’s not just me who gets hurt.”
“You’re right. It’s not. Which puts you in a tricky place. Relationships are all about taking risks. I’ve never dated anyone who was a sure bet. Have you?”
She shook her head. “That’s why I made the list.”
“Casual sex. No attachments. No danger.”
She looked down at her glass, wiped the condensation from the side with her finger. “You’ve screwed all of that up.”
Jake moved closer, pressed his forehead against hers. “You haven’t exactly been taking it easy on me either. I want to date you, Josie. Get to know you and—in time—if you’ll let me, your son. There’s only one promise I can make you right now and it’s this. I’ll always be honest with you.”
Was that enough? Josie considered the web of lies Tony had strung prior to his departure. All the nights he’d had to work late, the bowling league he’d never joined, the Saturday fishing trips he’d never taken. All the fibs he’d told so he could sneak off to see Janice.
He’d played Josie for a fool, preyed on her trust, destroyed it. Was Jake’s promise enough?
Yeah. It was.
It was the only thing he could have offered her that would cause her to throw caution to the wind.
“I’ll always tell you the truth too.”
Jake smiled and kissed her. “That’s all I ask. What do you say we blow this Popsicle stand and head over to my place? I’ve got a pair of handcuffs with your name all over them.”
“Been shopping again?”
He nodded. “Yep. Paid full price for them too.”
“You sweet talker. Sounds awesome.”
Jake settled up the tab, then took her hand. They didn’t rush back to his place as she expected. Instead, he took her the long way home and they cruised through the block party.
Jake stopped to talk to a few people, introducing Josie to his neighbors. He tossed a football for a few minutes with a couple of teenage boys, then charmed the elderly lady who lived next door out of two pieces of her homemade apple pie.
“He’s a devil,” Mrs. Richardson warned Josie playfully.
“I’ll be careful,” Josie promised.
The two of them ate the pie with plastic forks as they walked back to his apartment. Josie laughed when they dumped the paper plates in his kitchen trashcan. “Do you ever eat anything normally? Bottomless ribs—literally—and apple pie on the run. Meals with you are never dull.”
“Stick around. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” Jake lifted up an empty coffeepot. “I can make a pot. Want some?”
She shook her head. “No thanks. I’m good.”
He gestured toward the living room. “Want to watch TV? I have a couple of movies from Redbox.”
She stepped closer and ran her hand down his chest. “I don’t want to watch a movie.”
Jake gripped her wrist tightly, holding it against him. “Then can I interest you in a trip to the bedroom?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Jake led her to his bedroom, the path now a familiar one to her. She stood in the doorway as he turned on the bedside lamp. Her gaze landed on straps attached to the four corners of the bed and she laughed. “Cocky bastard.”
He didn’t take offense at her teasing. “There’s nothing arrogant about it. You keep me on my toes like no other woman. Have to bring my A game, so you keep coming back for more.”
She crossed the room until she was standing right in front of him. “I’ll always come back.” Now that she’d decided it was all systems go, wild horses couldn’t keep her away. She glanced down at the straps. “I thought you said you had handcuffs.”
He reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head in one smooth movement. “I bought both.”
“Overachiever.”
He reached around her and unfastened her bra, pulling the lace away. “You aren’t the only one who’s done a little bondage fantasizing.”
While he’d seen her list, he hadn’t given away whether he was turned on or off by her sexy dreams. His admission soothed some of her anxiety. But it didn’t answer another question that kept popping up. “So you’ve only imagined doing this? Never followed through?”
He shook his head. “Fucking has always been pretty straightforward for me. At least, until you.”
Josie sucked in a deep breath, warm inside at the realization they were traveling this road for the first time together.
Jake continued undressing her, tugging her skirt and panties over her hips. “You’ve helped me uncover something I didn’t realize was there.”
“Like what?”
“My kinky side. Would you hold it against me if I told you I can’t wait to spank your ass next month?”
She laughed. “Thank God. I was starting to worry you thought I was really twisted.”
“Nope. Twisted is hot and I’d say we’re evenly matched in that regard.” He ran his finger along her slit, stopping for a moment to rub her clit. Josie closed her eyes and moaned. Jake fired a million sensations inside her with just one touch.
“Get on the bed.”
Josie stepped away from him. “Oh. Did I forget to tell you? This bondage fantasy sort of starts after the capture one.”
Jake’s eyes narrowed, his body tensing in a way that told her he wasn’t kidding about liking her twisted side. She took another step away, putting more distance between them. “I won’t take it easy on you if you fight me.”
She shrugged. “I don’t remember asking for easy.”
Jake pulled off his own shirt as she watched, wondering what he’d do next. “Josie,” he said, breaking the silence.
“Yeah?”
“Run.”
She squealed when he leapt toward her. Josie dodged to her right, jumping across his mattress as Jake chased her around the foot of the bed. He lunged for her ankle, but missed by a mere inch as she landed on the floor and took off for the hallway.
Jake caught her before she made it two steps out of the room. He gripped her upper arm, pulling her toward him. Her back was pressed to his chest. Josie’s body reacted instantly, her pussy going wet, her breasts aching.
She continued to struggle, but she was no match for his sheer strength. While she’d admired his muscles, he’d never unleashed his brute strength. This time, though…
Holy wow.
She loved the power he exerted as he manhandled her onto the mattress, straddling her thrashing legs as he fastened her hands above her head with the straps.
Her chest heaved as she panted for breath and a trickle of sweat ran along her hairline.
Jake paused, letting her feel the restraints, letting her powerlessness sink in.
While physically she was under his complete control, Josie still had one way to fight back. “So…now that you have me, what will you do with me?”
He grinned at her bravado. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.” Twisting, he kept his weight on her upper legs, shifting as needed in order to attach the straps at the foot of the bed to her ankles. Once he’d finished his work, he left the bed, standing to survey his handiwork.
She was naked and stretched spreadeagled across his mattress. Her body was on fire as fear, anticipation and arousal melded together. She’d never been so horny.
“Are you just going to stand there all night?”
“No more talking, Josie, or I’ll gag you too. You keep forgetting who’s in charge here.”
He continued to peruse her naked form, taking his time to study every inch. Clearly he was dragging out the moment in order to inch her arousal higher. It was working too, damn him. She was seconds away from begging for any touch when he finally moved.
Jake returned to the bed, kneeling between her outstretched legs. He leaned forward, sucking one of her taut nipples into his mouth as he pinched the other. Neither action was gentle. He was taking her, using her roughly, and she loved i
t.
Josie moaned softly as the pressure on her nipples grew. Jake continued his ministrations as she fought against her bonds. She needed more.
Finally, after a lifetime, Jake moved his attentions lower. He nipped her clit as he drove two fingers deep into her pussy. Josie jerked, her hips lunging up as much as the straps would allow. He thrust inside her until Josie felt the faint stirrings of an orgasm. Then he withdrew, leaving her empty and gasping for air.
“Wait. Don’t stop. I was almost there.” Her tone was angry, loud, demanding. She’d lost the ability to play nice.
Jake chuckled, causing her temper to spike even more. “You’re not going to come until I’m inside you.”
“Fine. Hurry up.”
He shook his head, tsking, and Josie had to bite her tongue to stop from berating him. “Not yet. I’m not finished playing with you.”
Josie wanted to cry when his fingers returned, driving her to the edge of her climax, before retreating again.
Twice. Three times. Jake taunted her with his wicked lips, tongue, fingers. He left no part of her untouched and yet she still remained unsatisfied.
A bead of sweat ran along her cheek when he pulled out again.
“Please,” she said at last, gasping, near tears. “Please, Jake. I need you.”
The straps around her ankles disappeared. Josie opened her eyes, forcing her gaze to focus just in time to see Jake tearing open a condom, donning the rubber.
“Yes,” she hissed, the word breaking. She was exhausted and suffering from a pain she’d never experienced. Her body burned for him.
Jake pressed his cock inside and Josie was helpless once more. Unable to contain the orgasm he’d kept from her, her pussy clenched before Jake was fully seated.
It was his turn to groan. “Jesus, Josie. So fucking tight. Good.”
She wrapped her legs around his waist, a soft “Ah” escaping both of them as he moved deeper.
Josie thrashed beneath him, struggling to recover, but another orgasm shattered her, shaking her straight to the core. Jake held still until she began to come down, then he increased the rhythm.
Boneless, Josie tried to keep up, sensing that Jake was nearing the end of his own restraint. She let the ties around her wrists ground her as he stiffened and came. Jake lay above her, his weight resting on his forearms. Lifting his face from her shoulder, he kissed her softly. “Guess we’ll have to work on our timing.”
She giggled. “Don’t look at me. You were the slowpoke.”
Jake unfastened the straps, rubbing Josie’s shoulders as she lowered her arms. Then he went to the bathroom to clean up, returning with a warm washcloth. He wiped the sweat from her brow.
“Spend the night.”
No force of nature could rouse her from the bed. “Okay.”
He offered her a smile that showed how much her answer pleased him. It made her feel warm and gooey inside.
Jake lay on his back and pulled her into his embrace. “Good night, Josie.”
Josie rolled over and blinked at the bright burst of sun shining through the window. She was nestled securely in Jake’s arms. She’d never felt so warm, so happy. She glanced at the clock and bolted upright. “Shit!”
“What’s wrong?” Jake rolled over as she jumped out of the bed.
“I’m late. Tommy will be home soon.”
Jake sat up slowly, but didn’t attempt to stop her from dressing. She appreciated his understanding. “Do you have time for coffee?”
She shook her head. “No. I barely have enough time to make it home and change before he gets there.”
Jake rose and pulled on his jeans from the previous night. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
She didn’t turn down the offer. She was grateful to steal a few extra minutes with him.
She thought about his long, lovely goodbye kiss during the drive home, smiling. He’d promised to call later this afternoon.
She was still grinning when she parked in front of her townhouse and got out. She didn’t see Tony’s car until the passenger door opened and Tommy bounded out.
“Mommy!” He jumped into her arms, hugging her tightly. “Where were you?”
“Oh, I stepped out for a little while this morning. Have you been waiting long?” She carried Tommy to the door and unlocked it as Tony followed them.
“No. We just got here. Can I watch TV?”
She nodded. “Sure thing.”
Tommy raced to the living room and Josie grinned. Her son was a bundle of energy. She wasn’t sure he’d ever walked a day in his life. With him, it was always a mad dash, running full speed ahead.
Josie turned at the door. “Thanks, Tony. Sorry I made you wa—”
“Where the fuck were you?”
Josie looked over her shoulder to make sure Tommy was out of earshot. Then she stepped out onto the porch and closed the door, anxious to ensure their conversation wasn’t overheard.
“I’m starting to feel like a broken record, so I’ll say this just one more time. None of your business.”
“So is this how it works? I do daddy daycare while you sleep around?”
Josie’s head exploded, but somehow she managed to keep her voice quiet. When she spoke, it was in a quiet, deadly tone. “Are you kidding me? First of all, you gave up the right to make any comments about my life when you walked out on me and Tommy. And secondly, if you view your time with your son as daddy daycare, then maybe we need to revisit the judge and take care of that because you are seriously missing the fucking point.”
Tony winced. “Jesus. I’m sorry, Josie. That came out wrong. All of it. I’m just…you’re throwing me for a loop here.”
She tightened her grip on her purse, trying to find something to do with her hands that would keep her from throwing a punch at her infuriating ex-husband. In typical fashion, he’d taken her good mood and flushed it down the toilet. She tried to take a deep breath and calm down.
Tony waited for her to say something, but aside from a long stream of expletives, she had nothing constructive to add to this conversation.
“You know, you’re wrong when you say this isn’t any of my business. My son will always be my concern. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I hope you’ll be careful.”
Her vision went gray at the edges. He’d introduced her son to the home wrecker exactly one week after leaving her. Where on earth did he find the gall to try to lecture her about who she could and couldn’t bring into her son’s life? “I’m going inside before you say anything else asinine to me today. Goodbye, Tony.”
He looked chagrined when she walked into her house, shutting the door firmly in his face. Leaning against the wall, she fought for air, for composure, for some of the peace she’d felt when she woke up this morning in Jake’s arms.
“Mommy,” Tommy called from the living room. “SpongeBob is on. Come watch it with me.”
She closed her eyes and counted to ten. Then she walked toward her son. “Coming.”
Chapter Five
Josie’s Howl List—May
1. Sex with a stranger
2. Sex in public
3. Anal
4. Bondage
5. Spanking
Josie glanced at the clock and tried not to curse. Tony was late. She was dying to head over to Laura’s house for her standing Thursday wine night with the girls. Tony was cutting into her time and she didn’t appreciate it.
Tommy fiddled with his Legos, oblivious to the time. She envied her son’s ability to take everything in stride. Wherever Tommy was, he managed to have fun. In the meantime, she was one big ball of tension.
The only person who’d been able to take away her constant stress—apart from the wine girls on Thursdays—was Jake. True to his word, he’d called her almost daily since the last full moon. Unfortunately, timing and circumstances were not on their side. She’d been wicked busy with work—spending two weeks training her replacement at the department store, then the next two weeks trying to learn her
new job at the elementary school.
On top of that, Sam, the other bartender at Blue Moon, had fallen and broken his ankle, leaving Jake to work nearly every night for a month. They’d sworn that this Saturday, come hell or high water, they would see each other again.
She glanced at the clock and blew out an annoyed sigh. Then, at last, there was a knock at the door.
She muttered, “Finally,” and Tommy glanced up, but he kept working on his model. She’d have to grab a plastic grocery bag for the pieces so he could finish it at his dad’s house. Once Tommy got started on a new “masterpiece”, it was like pulling teeth to drag him away.
Josie opened the front door, taken aback by the sight of Tony standing on her porch with a suitcase. “Going on a trip?”
Tony shook his head. “Janice kicked me out.”
Josie worked hard not to laugh in her ex-husband’s face. Instead, she raised her eyebrows. “Wow. I think I’m finally starting to like that woman.”
Tony narrowed his eyes. “I don’t have anywhere to stay.”
Josie shrugged. “There are at least a dozen hotels in town. Take your pick. Tommy will love it. The two of you can pretend you’re on vacation.”
Her ex didn’t appear to appreciate her suggestion. “Josie. Are you going to make me beg?”
She tilted her head, Tony’s intentions suddenly becoming clear. “You must be kidding.”
Tony frowned, confused, and Josie realized he was actually surprised she was turning him away. “I’ll only be here for a few days. A month tops. Just until I find a place of my own.”
“Hell no.”
“Please, Josie. I can’t afford a hotel that long. Why can’t I just stay here?”
“I need to make a list? Fine.” Unfortunately, before she could state her reasons for denying him, her words were drowned out by Tommy’s squeal of delight.
“Daddy! Are you sleeping over?”
“Oh Tommy. Wait.” Josie tried to figure out how she could get out of this without looking like a heartless bitch to her son. “I don’t think—”
“Daddy can stay in my room. My bed’s big enough for both of us.” Tommy had already started reaching for Tony’s suitcase. “Come on. This will be fun.”