by RG Alexander
She gasped and covered his mouth with her hand. “You hacked Burke? Oh my God, don’t do anything else, please. You have no idea what’s going on here.”
“Not with you and the senator, no. But everything else?” Ken smiled. “I believe I’m more up to speed than you are. Now take off your dress and shoes and get ready so we don’t look suspicious.”
No longer sure of anything, Tasha stripped off her dress, folding it before setting it in a corner on the floor, and left her heels beside it. Ken handed her a hair band and she gathered her curls into a sleek bun.
He stepped behind her and started to stretch her limbs with her, ensuring she was limber enough for what came next. As he did, he kept an eye on the entrance and spoke softly in her ear.
“You know I freelance. I actually volunteered for this, though. Burke is a perverse bastard and he’s using our friends to gain political influence through blackmail. But that’s only the tip of his iceberg. He’s connected with truly dangerous people and I need to know who they are.”
“Volunteered for what?” she whispered, allowing him to bend her forward and sighing as she felt the tight areas in her back release.
“To help the feds and the senator set this trap. To see what’s on Burke’s laptop. Finn doesn’t know about me. He’s not supposed to. But then Brady found me in the office and I had a feeling you’d be suspicious since you know a little of my background.”
She turned to face him, letting him lift her leg until her ankle was on his shoulder, stretching out her hamstrings. “If you know why we’re here, why are you giving me grief about an intervention? I’m just playing my part as the secret mistress.”
Ken raised one slender eyebrow. “Don’t lie to me, Rivera. You have a history with him. What’s going on between you isn’t acting, it’s therapy. You have enough chemistry sparking between you to send this whole place up in smoke, but you’re not exactly happy about it. It seems like these roles you’ve been playing aren’t too far off the mark.”
She groaned as he stretched her other leg. “You don’t get to excel at everything and be psychic. Seriously, develop a stutter or trip every once in a while. People will thank you for it.”
He laughed and released her. “My sincerest apologies. What can I do to make it up to you?”
She looked into his golden-brown eyes and marveled at this strange turn of events. “Make Stephen jealous. That’s the plan, anyway.”
Ken smiled as people started to file in, clutching dessert plates and searching for a good seat. “Trust me. He will be.”
She did trust him. She stood comfortably beneath the titanium hoop as the lights around them dimmed and Ken put on music with a sensual, hypnotic beat. This was a demo. He was going to keep the knotting simple for the party atmosphere, but it would still be a performance as much as an experience. And no one knew how to play to the crowd like he did.
The instant Stephen entered the room her body came alive. She met his stare head on, knowing that in his current state, this wouldn’t be easy for him to watch.
Maybe Ken was right and they weren’t acting. She wanted Stephen to see her like this. To see that she wasn’t just a body that appeared when he needed her. To see that what she did wasn’t sordid or something to hide. It was beautiful.
And yes, she wanted him to be a little jealous.
Ken put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently, and she felt his lips against her ear. “We good to go?”
Knowing Stephen was probably grinding his teeth, she couldn’t help her naughty little smile. “Definitely.”
The nylon rope dangled against her back as Ken started to move with the music. She followed. Their movements were like steps in a dance as he formed her first halter. He wound the ropes around her torso above and below her breasts and attached them to the hoop, then tipped her back until she was gazing at the ceiling, swaying to the beat.
Next his skilled hands went to work on her waist and thighs, creating a secure cradle with his intricate knots. The knots all had names, and she’d known many of them a few days ago, but right now she was just enjoying the sensation and feeling Stephen’s eyes on her body.
What was he thinking as Ken described what he was doing to their audience? When Ken smoothed his hands over her skin to ensure she was okay with each step of the process?
Ken attached the ropes around her waist and thighs to each other, and then to the hoop, and suddenly she was off the ground. Weightless and floating. She smiled and let her arms and legs dangle as Ken turned the hoop this way and that, taking her with it.
Tasha was feeling the effects now. Lighter. A little dreamy. This was what trust looked like. Dangling in the air, relying on someone else and having faith that they knew what they were doing.
This was what she wanted to feel for Stephen. To trust that he was feeling the same thing she was.
Ken began the last phase of the demo with a basic hogtie. He tied her ankles together and knotted the remaining rope at the halter behind her neck, forcing her head to tilt and her back to arch. He gave her wrists a similar treatment behind her back and attached them to the rope between her legs.
The restraints were snug and movement was severely limited, but Tasha wasn’t panicked. She was peaceful. Almost giddy. Nothing in life was as comfortingly secure as this. The admiration and desire she could feel coming from the other guests only enhanced the experience.
Ken stepped away from her to answer questions and other people moved closer, studying the knots pressing into her skin. Tasha closed her eyes and drifted, thankful for the time he was giving her before he took her down.
Had this made Stephen jealous? The plan had been to show a relationship with loose threads for Burke to pull, but she had no idea where her lover was right now. For all she knew, he could have left the room, which could lead their host to the right conclusion but still leave an ache in Tasha’s heart.
She didn’t want to waste a minute of their time here. It was selfish. This wasn’t about her. It wasn’t about them.
Ken had known she was lying and so did she. She was here for Stephen, to be with Stephen more than for his “mission.” Of course she wanted to protect him from Burke, but more than anything else, she wanted to belong to him, if only for a few days.
Then a hand cupped her cheek and she opened her eyes to find him looking down at her. She was dismayed to feel the prickle of tears. “I didn’t know where you were.”
Stephen moved closer. “I’m right here, angel. I’m not going anywhere.” His heated gaze roamed over her bound body. “You look like a work of art I can’t afford. No one could take their eyes off of you.”
She was already hearing moans and the sounds of paddles and chains. Ken was discussing a tricky knot with his mentee, but she knew she’d be returned to solid ground soon. Too soon. “I think the shows over, Stephen. It sounds like the party is just getting started.”
He glanced around and his eyebrows rose. “They must be blind. I could look at you all night.”
“All night?”
Bending down, he kissed her cheek and traced her parted lips with his fingers. “No. Not like this. I need you naked in my bed.”
She trembled and the ropes trembled with her. She sucked one of his fingers into her mouth and he groaned.
“Tanaka?” Stephen called, impatient. “Can you get Natasha out of this?”
Ken moved closer, caution in his tone. “I don’t know, Senator. Can you stop treating her like a paid escort?”
“Ken,” Tasha released Stephen’s finger from her mouth and sighed. “Please.”
Stephen glared at Ken over her bound body, but he didn’t argue with him. “Just get her down.”
The sounds of pain and pleasure were growing louder in the room as Ken worked her loose, lowering her to her feet. She wove unsteadily while he dealt with her cradle and harness, and Stephen stepped forward to grip her waist with his strong hands.
Once she looked up into his eyes, she couldn’t look awa
y. She wasn’t sure how long it took Ken to remove the last of the rope and rub the circulation back into her limbs. At some point Stephen released her so he could slip out of his jacket and wrap it around her trembling shoulders.
“I’m betting our state representative will deal with your aftercare,” Ken murmured, surprising her with his proximity. “Senator? Could you at least take her up to your room? You’re making the orgy participants uncomfortable.”
She would have laughed, but she couldn’t respond, couldn’t see anything but deep Finn-blue.
Stephen picked her up in his arms. “Can you lift your legs around me?”
She locked her ankles behind his back obediently, wrapping her arms around his neck as he turned and somehow made his way through the crowd without falling over anyone mid-sex party.
Tasha kissed him, and he groaned hotly into her mouth. She had no idea how they got up the stairs, but she drew back for a breath in time to see a red-faced Brady holding open their bedroom door. “All clear.”
She could have told him he didn’t have to worry, that Ken had solved that problem, but that would mean she had to stop kissing Stephen long enough to have a conversation. She didn’t have the willpower for that. Not now.
She needed him.
Chapter Ten
As soon as the door closed Stephen fell to his knees with her still in his arms, lowering her until her back was on the floor, his jacket spread out beneath her.
His mouth left hers to travel down her neck, biting and kissing her bare skin as though he hadn’t had her for years instead of hours. As though he’d never get enough. Tasha ran her hands through his hair, tightening her legs around his waist and lifting her hips wantonly, trying to show him what she needed.
He growled, his mouth over the black lace of her bra. “Too many clothes.”
“Shred it,” she whispered. “I want your mouth on me.”
He tore a hole in the lace with his fingers and wrapped his lips around her nipple, sucking her hard into his mouth.
“Yes,” she cried, her body already on fire with adrenaline and lust.
He moved away, kissing his way down to her stomach, continuing to caress her breast with one hand and using the other to destroy the lace of her underwear so he could get at her wet sex.
“Oh God, Stephen.”
“Need you,” he moaned, moving lower until his lips were closing over her clit. “Need to taste you.”
Tasha lifted her legs over his shoulders and tugged his head closer. He moaned in response, tracing her folds with his tongue and pressing it against her clit.
“More,” she demanded raggedly. “Please.”
So good. Her hips lifted again. Desperate. She couldn’t get enough of him. Couldn’t get him deep enough to ease the ache inside her.
The sounds he was making when his tongue filled her vibrated against her sensitive skin, making her shudder. “Yes. Oh God, yes. Fuck me. Fuck me, Stephen.”
A pained noise escaped his chest, and then he was leaning over her with her legs still over his shoulders as he reached down to swiftly undo his pants.
That first, hard thrust made them both moan in mindless pleasure. Her hands fell to her sides and Stephen’s covered them, tangling their fingers as he started to move.
“Tell me if it’s too much.” His deep voice was nearly unrecognizable with need. “Too rough.”
“I want it rough,” she assured him, breathless. “I want it hard, Stephen. I need you to fuck me.”
“Jesus.” His hips instantly responded to her demand with a punishing rhythm. “Fuck.”
He lowered his mouth to hover over hers, drinking in her screams as he pumped against her without mercy. His cock filled and stretched her with every stroke, her position leaving her open and helpless to do anything but take whatever he gave her.
Yes.
“Love fucking you,” he growled against her parted lips. “You feel so good, angel. It’s never been this good.”
She had no breath left to talk. All she could do was gasp and squeeze his fingers tightly, holding onto him like a lifeline when his thrusts increased. When she thought he couldn’t go deeper, he did. Deeper…faster…harder… “Oh God!”
Her orgasm caught her by surprise, electricity arcing through her and setting her world on fire. Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears. Her lungs were burning, greedy for air. She could feel the powerful contractions inside her clenching around his shaft.
When he made a sound like a roar and froze against her, she knew he felt it too.
“Natasha,” he groaned. “I…Fuck!”
His hips jerked and he was coming— the hot pulse of his release was filling her. Marking her.
Marking her.
Shit.
She was shaking by the time he lifted his head from her neck. His eyes told her he’d come to the same realization, probably at the same time.
He hadn’t used a condom.
He pulled out and stood up, tugging her to her feet with their hands still linked. She tried to move away but he shook his head, walking with her toward the bathroom.
She watched numbly as he turned on the shower and then released her hand to loosen his tie. She glanced over at the mirror—it showed Stephen fully dressed, his thick penis dangling from the open placket of his pants, and her in the tattered remnants of her bra and newly crotchless panties, with semen on her thighs. The image would be a perfect dictionary example for the definition of sordid.
But it hadn’t felt sordid. The way they’d come together had felt inevitable. Necessary.
She’d never made such a dumb mistake.
Naked now, Stephen removed what was left of her underthings and tugged her into the shower beside him. He found her liquid soap and a washcloth and began to lather her body. He smoothed the cloth across shoulders and down her arms, over her breasts, sides, and belly…
Tasha put her hand on his wrist but it didn’t stop him from washing between her legs. Methodically. Tenderly.
“I’m sorry, Natasha,” he said over the sound of rushing water. “If you’re wondering, I’m healthy and this is the first time since I was fifteen that I didn’t use protection.”
She leaned against the tile, her body tingling as he continued to clean away the evidence of their recklessness. “Me too. I mean, I’ve never…and I get checked on a regular basis. Safety first is usually my motto.”
His lips tilted in a soft smile. “It didn’t feel that good. When I was fifteen, I mean. Being inside you was—it was like heaven, Natasha. I’m sorry for being irresponsible, but I won’t lie and say I regret getting to experience that.”
It had been different. Better. There’d been nothing between them…and it couldn’t happen again. “I hope you have a good memory, Senator, because that was a one-time event.”
His smile disappeared. “Of course.”
She looked down pointedly. “I think I’m clean now.”
He’d been massaging her sex with the washcloth as they spoke. Laughing ruefully, he dropped his hand and stepped behind her so she could rinse off.
Tasha pushed her face into the stream of hot water, silently berating herself for letting that happen. How many Rivera cousins were bound to people they’d forgotten to wear a condom with? If you asked her father, Tasha was an accident too. But knowing her mother as well as she did, she wasn’t so sure.
Stephen’s hands dropped to her hips and she felt his erection brush against her back. She turned around, shaking her head in disbelief.
“That’s not possible, Stephen. Did someone slip a blue pill into your water at dinner? Because that,” she pointed at his hardening shaft. “Is not possible.”
He smiled. “You’re forgetting Las Vegas. You were wrong then too.”
Shit. He was a sex machine. “Well stop it.”
“Never.”
She sighed, her body already responding to the possibility of more. “It’s not fair. You’re supposed to rethink your life choices and debate nunneries aft
er a slip-up like this, not contemplate how long it will take to grab a condom so you can go for round two.”
He pulled her closer, his hands cupping her ass and spreading her cheeks. “The nunnery is not for you, angel. But don’t worry. No condom necessary.”
It was clear what he had in mind. “You Finns are all ass men.”
His eyes narrowed dangerously. “How about you not mentioning other men, particularly my relatives, when I’m seducing you in the shower. Deal?”
“Deal.”
He kissed her shoulder. “I want you more every time, Natasha. How is that possible? You’re addictive.”
“Where do you want me, Senator?”
He reached over her head and grabbed a bottle of lube from the selection of personal care products. “I hate the man, but I approve of his decorating decisions. And I want you sitting on my lap.”
Stephen sat down on the bench seat in the shower and patted his thighs. “Turn around.”
She stared at the fogged up shower door as he massaged the lube between her cheeks and slipped one slick finger inside her. It hit her that no one was submitting or dominating, no one was fighting for control…they were just enjoying each other.
She liked it all. She—
“Oh, Stephen.” He’d added a second finger, scrambling her thoughts. As he pumped them inside her ass, Tasha reached out with both hands for balance, spreading her legs and bending at the waist. “God, that’s…”
“I know.” His voice was low and sinful. He drew his fingers out slowly. “Sit back and straddle my thighs. I can’t wait to feel this luscious ass with nothing between us.”
She lowered herself cautiously, letting Stephen guide her. When she felt the head of his bare cock she shivered, then blew out and pushed down, the fullness making her groan.
“Fuck, Natasha,” he swore. “So hot and tight. Can you take more? Are you ready for more?”
In answer she braced herself again, pushing down with agonizing care until every inch of his erection was inside her and her back was pressed against his chest.