by Diana Hunter
“Do you want this?” he asked her, pressing upward with his hand.
She nodded, nearly tearing his shirt in the process.
“Then you have to let me help you keep quiet.”
“Yes, please.”
He removed his hand and she fell back on both knees, looking up at him in rueful accusation. “My glory, what you can do to me in the space of just a few seconds.”
John held up the tape, a question in his eyes. She nodded.
Tearing off a short section, he held it before her mouth. Lauren swallowed hard, then nodded again and he placed it carefully over her lips. Before she could move too much, he tore off a second strip and put it slightly over the first, then a third one covering the lower half that came just over her chin.
“Speak,” he commanded her.
She tried to, but only muffled, unintelligible sounds emerged. He smoothed back her hair. “Now I can do what I want and you can make as much noise as you want. Best of both worlds.” He redid her ponytail, her face pressed against his chest. He could feel her breath through his shirt.
Although the temperature outside was in the seventies, inside the tent the air was noticeably warmer. John stripped off his shirt and pulled one of the hanks of white rope toward him.
“Naked. In a tent. In the late afternoon.” He uncoiled the rope, watching her. “Erotic in and of itself, isn’t it?”
She nodded and crossed her arms in front, grabbed the bottom of her T-shirt and pulled it off over her head. Underneath she wore a white lace bra, the underwires pushing her breasts up as if in offering.
John accepted the offer, running the backs of his fingers over the lace until the nipples rose and grew hard. Only then did he set down the rope and slide the straps off her shoulders, reaching to unclasp the hooks and pull it away.
He loved the way her breasts hung unencumbered. The large areola beckoned and he lifted the nearest to rub the nipple between his fingers. Gently pinching it, he watched her eyes. She stared at him until he pinched a little too hard, then she flinched in an unconscious movement at self-preservation.
But he wasn’t letting her go quite that easily. He kept hold of her nipple, keeping an even pressure until her eyes came back to his.
“In sex, I want to control you in all things.” He spoke softly, mindful of the thin walls. “Not only to tie you up, but to command you, to own you.”
Lauren’s gaze remained steady. Taking her other nipple between his fingers, he increased the pressure on both. With her mouth bound, she couldn’t gasp yet her arousal had to go somewhere. When her eyes started to lose focus and a small moan came from the back of her throat, John knew his words had found home.
Bending down, he lifted first one, then the other nipple to his mouth, giving each in turn a gentle kiss before letting them go and picking up the rope. Encircling her with the single length, he instructed her to raise her arms. When she did so, he brought it around the front and crisscrossed it over her breasts before looping back around and coming to the front to once more cross, this time coming up from under those magnificent globes, squeezing them ever so slightly.
He tied the rope off behind her, pulling her toward him again to do so. She used her hands to steady herself against him and once more John marveled at her willingness. The words he’d spoken softly were only meant to set the mood, but as he looked into her eyes when he set her upright again, John realized she believed them fully. She gave herself to him entirely.
He felt the responsibility, not as a burden heavy on his shoulders but as something to be celebrated. She was a precious jewel and needed his safeguarding.
And, while some might see his binding of her as contrary to holding her as something to be treasured, to be cherished, he would argue—Don’t you keep something that valuable in a box, carefully wrapped for safekeeping? That was all he did now, moving behind her to bind her arms together.
He circled the rope at three places along her arms—at her biceps, just under the elbow and at the wrist, before he tied her off with the ends of the rope. “I’m going to lay you facedown. Trust me and let me do the work.”
She nodded and John took her shoulders, turning her so she would lie straight on the plump sleeping bags that Lauren had borrowed from her friend. Putting one arm across her shoulders, he put his other on her back and pushed her off-balance. Gently he laid her down, watching her turn her head so she could see what he would do next.
Of course, her jeans had to go. Bound, helpless and naked, with only the thin nylon walls separating her from the busy comings and goings of the campground? He would bet even money that her panties were going to be damp from her arousal.
She didn’t disappoint him. He held the flowered bikini briefs in his hand and grinned before tossing them onto the pile of her clothes in the corner. Picking up a second hank of clothesline, he untied it and played it out between his hands until he found the middle.
But she wasn’t quite positioned the way he needed her. Her knees needed to be farther apart as he wanted full access to that delightful slit between her legs.
“Let’s get you situated right,” he told her as he picked up each leg and splayed them for a better view. “Much better. Keep them there while I tie them in place.”
She didn’t nod or moan or give him any other protest or approval but she also didn’t move her legs. He took that as permission and started at her ankle, looping the rope around several times to make a cuff before tying it off. Taking the other end of the rope, he did the same to her other ankle, then bent her legs back until her heels nearly touched her thighs.
John was impressed. He certainly didn’t have that kind of stretch in him. But she made no protest and he saw no strain in her face. Sliding the middle of the rope under her bound hands, he brought it up and tied it off before sitting back on his heels to admire his handiwork. Too bad the tent had a nylon floor to it. Staking her knees to the ground would be a great finishing touch.
“Knock, knock.”
Will’s voice outside the tent startled Lauren more than it did John. He’d been very aware of the outside noises and had heard Will and Jill talking as they approached. Obviously Lauren had been in her own little world, right where John wanted her to be. At the sound of Will’s voice, however, her head came up in panic.
He put his hand on her ass. “Be still. Trust me.” When she nodded, he rose and went to the tent flap, unzipping it and stepping through to greet his friends.
Lauren’s heart beat fast as she listened to their conversation.
“Jill, you’re looking beautiful as always.”
She couldn’t tell, but she thought he gave her a kiss.
“I’m afraid Lauren’s in the same predicament you were when we got here.”
Her cheeks burned. How dare he? Lauren hadn’t, at first, understood that Will’s comment about his wife being tied up was meant to be taken literally, but those two would certainly understand what John meant.
“Lucky her.”
That was a female voice, soft and seductive. A blossom of jealousy budded in Lauren’s chest and she briefly struggled against her bindings, wanting to fight for her man. Then Will’s voice sounded and Lauren went still.
“Perhaps we should tie them together one of these days. Watching women wiggle to get out of their bindings makes me hard every time.”
He wouldn’t. John would never put her on display with another woman. Would he? Her breath caught as her imagination painted a vivid picture. Herself bound as she was now, open for strangers to see, another woman beside her, perhaps tied differently but no less tightly. Both of them squirming to get loose as men watched… She put her forehead down on the sleeping bag as her pussy throbbed with need.
She was so busy with her own thoughts, she didn’t hear the next few exchanges. Then she heard John’s voice again, saying that they’d see them soon.
Never. She’d never see them. How could she, with them knowing what was going on in this tent? Yes, she understood the
two of them did the same thing in the privacy of their trailer, but that was different.
John stepped back inside and she moaned her need. Damn, but she needed to come and come soon. He knelt beside her and she lifted her head in an attempt to see him better. Tied as she was, however, the effort didn’t achieve much.
“Someday, if you want it, I will tie you naked before the two of them. And others perhaps. But you haven’t given me permission to go that far.” He bent closer and whispered in her ear, “And I’m not ready to share you just yet anyway.”
Her pussy flooded and she squirmed on the sleeping bag, trying to communicate her desperation. His hand on her ass quieted her but she couldn’t hold back the whimper. If she had her voice, she’d debase herself and beg for release, her need had grown so great.
And then his fingers were there, sliding along her pussy, spreading her juices and pressing against her clit. Mindful of the need for quiet—could they be listening? Were others? She tried to remain silent, but when the orgasm came, she didn’t even hear her own soft moans of satisfaction.
When she finally opened her eyes, John lay beside her, his face only inches from hers. “So now we know you have a bit of the exhibitionist in you.”
She could only raise an eyebrow at him and he explained, his arm rubbing across her shoulders. “I saw the look of panic on your face when you heard Will’s voice outside. I expected to come back in here and have to start all over again with you. I figured his interruption set us back a good ten minutes’ worth of foreplay.”
His grin was lopsided and mirrored her own. Her lips might be stuck together, but her cheek muscles still worked just fine.
“That wasn’t what I found though, was it? I found a horny slut ripe for the taking. A few strokes of my fingers and you flew off that edge so fast you broke the laws of gravity.”
She chuckled, but with the tape, it came out only as a snort. He moved and she bent to see where he went.
“Just going to untie you. This is a type of hogtie and it’s hard to maintain for long. I could feel the tension in your shoulders and I don’t want you to be too sore to play with later on.”
Lauren stretched her legs out as he released them but noted he didn’t take the rope cuffs off. He left those and went straight to her arms. Actually, she was glad he did. Not having her legs stretching out her arms anymore allowed the muscles to relax. Her shoulders did ache and when her arms were free, she slowly lowered them to the ground as she flexed her biceps and tested where she might be sore.
But nothing hurt like she was afraid it might and she pushed herself into a sitting position. The ropes crisscrossing her breasts had fallen loose and she helped John untangle the clothesline. Despite the warmth of the afternoon and the stuffiness of the tent, she shivered.
“Here, put this over you.” John pulled a bath towel from his duffle bag and draped it over her shoulders. “A chill isn’t uncommon after what I just put your body through.” He wound the clothesline and picked up the second one to wind as she moved to sit cross-legged on the sleeping bag. A small tell-tale spot on the bag gave evidence to her recent arousal. They’d be taking these bags to the Laundromat before returning them.
“Go ahead and peel off the tape. It’s better if you do it. Won’t hurt that way.”
Lauren nodded and felt for the edges of the top piece. It pulled at her skin, but if she worked slowly, it didn’t hurt. Not much different than taking off a Band-Aid. A very large Band-Aid.
She flexed her jaw once it was off and folded it, adhesive side in. When he came to sit beside her again, she took his hand and pressed a kiss to his palm.
“Thank you for that. You have a way of giving me the most unique experiences.”
“So it’s safe to say you don’t mind being tied up?”
She laughed. “Yeah, that’s a safe bet to make.” She shook her head and looked up at him. The afternoon’s activities had dampened his hair at the temples and a sheen of sweat gleamed on his face. Fresh air would do them both good, but she had a question to ask first and the tent at least gave the illusion of privacy.
“You said my reaction wasn’t what you expected. Were you…disappointed?”
“No, not at all.” He took her other hand, his thumbs absently rubbing across their backs. “I just didn’t expect it.”
“Because I’ve been so uptight about other things.”
John shrugged. “You’ve a reason to be uptight about your experiences. I’m still a little concerned about tomorrow.”
Lauren nodded. “I am too. What did you mean when you said I’m an exhibitionist? I was terrified they’d see me in here all trussed up like a turkey ready for the oven.”
Understanding dawned in his eyes. “Ahhh. And yet you were nearly coming on your own from the very thought of them seeing you like that.”
“Well, yeah, but…”
“No buts about it. You’re not ready to actually do it—be shown in public. But the thought of being on display—that you find very tempting.”
She blushed. “Yeah, I do. That must say something terrible about me.”
She’d tilted her face down and he reached under her chin and pulled her it up to his. “Not something terrible, something honest.”
“Oh?”
“It says you are a woman with strong sexual fantasies who is truly coming to grips with the fact that she’s a sexual being. A very sexual being.”
The towel had slipped unnoticed from her shoulders. Unnoticed until John pulled it back up to cover her. Protect her from a chill. Just as he’d protected her from his friend’s eyes. She liked the feeling of being cared for. Very much.
“It’s not exactly a revelation, you know. I knew what I was doing. And I knew what I was getting into by coming away with you this weekend.”
He didn’t say anything. All he did was bend down toward her. She lifted her face, sliding her arms around his waist as their lips met. Only then did she realize he still wore his jeans.
“Hey,” she said, breaking the kiss. “You gave me a great orgasm and yet I haven’t returned the favor.”
He laughed and bussed her nose with a small kiss. “Later. Right now, I’m hungry and I told Will and Jill we’d meet them for dinner.”
The mention of food made Lauren’s stomach growl. “You’re on. I can do food.” Her stomach chimed in again and she laughed. “A lot of food.”
John helped her dress, turning her clothes right-side-out. She gave her hair a once-over with his comb since her bag was still in the back of the truck and headed out to meet his friends.
Chapter Sixteen
Lauren blushed through the first five minutes of meeting Will and Jill. Knowing they were also involved in what Beth had called “BDSM activities” both made the friendship easier and harder. Easier because they had a common ground. Harder because Lauren didn’t like thinking about what other couples did in the bedroom.
Even knowing Beth’s and Sarah’s predilections didn’t mean Lauren wanted to know about every detail. Having the knowledge that Jill had recently been tied and pleasured by her husband much the way she and John had been occupied almost crossed a line. Almost.
“You don’t mind traipsing after the men and watching them out on the battlefield?” Jill asked her as Will flipped steaks on the small gas grill they’d brought along.
“Let’s just say this is an experiment,” Lauren hedged. At Jill’s quizzical look, she explained. “John’s gone a long way toward convincing me this isn’t just men acting like boys who don’t want to grow up. I’m still not entirely convinced that the portrayal of war, minus the bullets and the cannonballs, brings home the horror of what war really is.”
Jill handed her an iced tea. The coolness felt good in Lauren’s hand and she held the dripping glass to her forehead, allowing the condensation to wet her brow. Jill sat in the folding chair next to her and gestured with her own glass.
“Those two know the reality. Will tells me stories sometimes. Not often. He keeps a lot o
f it in. They served together, you know.”
Lauren shook her head. “I didn’t know. I just knew they’re good friends.”
“Will and John were in the same unit but they each had their own men under them. I don’t think Phillip served with them.” At Lauren’s glance, she explained. “Phillip Townshend. Their roommate in college. The three of them still hang out together.”
Lauren just looked over at her, feeling like she’d entered some sort of weird loop. “So you know Sarah and Phillip Townshend?”
Jill nodded. “Do you know them?”
She shook her head and accepted that all this had to be fate. “Sarah’s one of my oldest and best friends,” she told her.
Jill sat up, grinning. “Really? She’s such a cool lady. I love her like a sister.”
Another thought occurred to Lauren and her cheeks colored. “Then you know…about…” She couldn’t figure out how to say what she wanted to without betraying Sarah’s secret if Jill didn’t already know.
Jill saved her. “About her being a slave? Oh yes. I know.” She gave a wicked grin. “Sarah and I are the same in that regard.”
Lauren sat back, speechless. Yes, John had flat-out told her his friends practiced a little BDSM. But that they went as far as Phillip and Sarah did? She sent a glare in his direction that he’d withheld that little piece of information.
John caught Lauren’s glare and raised his bottle of beer to her. She only shook her head and turned back to her conversation with Jill. John turned to Will.
“I’m glad your wife and my girlfriend are getting along, but I think Jill’s telling stories on me.”
“Isn’t that what all women do? Tell stories on their men?”
“As long as they’re good stories, I don’t mind.”
Will chuckled. “You ain’t got no say in good stories or bad ones, my friend. They’re gonna talk. Period. It’s our lot to simply accept, apologize and move on.”