by Mari Carr
He didn’t need an explanation. “I’m dying too.”
She narrowed her eyes. While she’d been on display and forced to battle back her desire to climax, Travis had free reign up here. “You haven’t come tonight?”
He shook his head. “That wouldn’t be fair. Besides, the anticipation is what makes this game such a scorcher.”
“So you won’t come until I do?”
He ran his hand along her hair. “I won’t give in to my climax until I’m buried inside you. But you’re going to orgasm way before that. Hopefully several times.” He pointed toward the theater. “Out there. While I’m watching.”
She took a step away from him. “No. I couldn’t. I mean, I can’t do that.” She held up her hands. “Not out there.”
“Of course you can. And you will. But for now…”
He removed her blouse and bra with speedy efficiency. “I noticed the other night, you enjoy a bit of pain with your pleasure. So…”
He held up two small clamps. She knew what she was looking at. “I can’t wear those and work. Everyone will see them!”
“It’s a fetish club, Shea. If you were wired differently, you’d have noticed by now that lots of women come in wearing them.”
“They do?”
He chuckled, shaking his head in fake disappointment. “All those lovely breasts you aren’t even bothering to look at.”
She didn’t have time to respond when Travis leaned over and sucked one of her nipples into his mouth. “Oh my God.”
She raised her hands, started to touch his hair, but something stopped her, niggled at the back of her brain. She didn’t want him to stop his lovely attention to her breasts, so she lowered them back to her sides.
For a couple of minutes, he sucked, licked and nipped at the sensitive nubs. Then he attached a clamp to each. Shea felt a slight discomfort but no pain. She was surprised.
Travis lifted her shirt and helped her put it back on. She felt conspicuous without her bra and the tiny metal protrusions poking through the blouse that proved she was being a naughty girl.
“Twenty minutes.”
“What?” she asked.
“Come back in twenty minutes. It’s your first time with these and I don’t want to leave them on longer. Tell Emma before you come up that you’re taking your fifteen-minute break.”
She nodded. It wasn’t usually part of her nature to be so complacent, but truth was she loved every minute of Travis’ game and she couldn’t wait to see what he’d do next. As she descended the stairs, she struggled to breathe. While she’d told Travis she couldn’t come in front of so many people in a public place, she feared that was a big fat lie. She was damn close to saying to hell with it.
She worked her way through her tables, refilling drinks, delivering tabs. More than a few men—and women—glanced at her breasts. Bill’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when she leaned across the bar to grab some napkins to clean up a spill.
She’d always said she wouldn’t put herself on display, wouldn’t want men ogling her body. She’d viewed her mother’s career as a demeaning one where she was at the mercy of the men. Tonight, she realized that wasn’t true. The power in the exchanges happening right now seemed to rest squarely on her shoulders—and she liked it.
Shea returned to the theater to deliver drinks then walked to the back corner. The crowd was thinning as more and more people crossed from the theater to hit the dance floor. Glancing at Travis’ window, she decided she didn’t want this game to be just about her. She unbuttoned an extra button on her blouse, lightly caressing her nipples as she did so. She imagined Travis’ eyes trained on her as she offered a private show, just for him. Turning, she reached into an ice bucket at the wait station and fished out a piece of ice. Slowly, seductively, she ran it around her neck, dipping it into her cleavage.
“Holy shit. I’m putting you on stage.”
Shea jolted at the sound of Emma’s voice and fought back waves of embarrassment. “Sorry!”
“Don’t be. Whatever you’re doing is fucking tormenting the shit out of Travis. I like that. Here,” Emma handed her a double shot of whiskey, “he says it’s time for your fifteen-minute break.”
Shea nodded. She’d meant for her show to take Travis down, but it had gotten to her too. She winced as she climbed the stairs, each step sending a jolt of white-hot bliss through her. She tried to suck in some deep breaths, gritted her teeth and battled her way to the top.
When she opened the door, Travis grabbed the glass. She expected him to down it again and was surprised when he placed it on the coffee table.
“Take off your blouse.”
His words were sharp, almost harsh. One look at his face told her that he was in as much pain as her. She took off her shirt, heart racing.
“That was quite a show you put on.”
She grinned, though she suspected it looked more like a grimace. “I need you to fuck me. Right now. Really hard. Please.”
Her words seemed to hit Travis like a two by four between the eyes. “Jesus. I want that too, but I’m not taking you until we have a bed and all night.”
“Goddamn it, Travis. I really don’t need fucking romance right now. I just need the fucking part.”
He laughed, though the sound was pained. “Trust me.” He didn’t say more. Instead, he reached over to one of the clamps. “Take a deep breath as I release it slowly. This will hurt.”
She did as instructed, crying out when he removed it. Travis was there in an instant, kissing the hurt away, soothing the soreness with gentle licks. He repeated the same process with her other breast. Throughout his ministrations, Shea trembled with need.
“Go lie down on the couch.” Travis said. “Lift your skirt and spread your legs.”
Relief suffused her. Hallelujah! She quickly got into position, groaning when Travis went to the box rather than coming straight to her.
“No,” she said harshly. “No more toys. You.”
He shook his head. “I want to watch you come again. God, Shea, I’ve seen it over and over in my dreams.” He held up another toy. “A bullet vibrator.”
“The balls…”
He grinned at her wickedly. “Are still staying in.”
She shivered as he slipped the vibrator between her drenched folds. It was a snug fit with the Ben Wa balls, though even that combination was too small to satisfy her as much as his cock would. Travis gently closed her legs and helped her sit up. He reached into his pocket and flashed a remote.
“Shit,” she murmured. “If you turn that thing on, I will explode into a million little pieces. I’m serious.”
He grinned. “That’s what I’m hoping.” He gave her a wicked look—then flipped a switch.
Shea reached out, gripping his arm tightly as the tiny vibrator skipped low speed and went straight into high gear.
“Oh my God.” She groaned as the first wave of her climax took over. She struggled for breath, feeling lightheaded. She vaguely noticed Travis pushing her back onto the couch, climbing over her. His gaze never left her face as her orgasm wavered.
“Not finished yet.” He reached down and rubbed her clit.
Shea splintered again, her hips thrusting up so hard and fast that she nearly knocked Travis off the couch. Twice more she tried to come down, only to have Travis push her over the peak again. She wasn’t sure if she was having the longest orgasm in history or multiple ones—something she hadn’t believed possible before tonight.
Finally sheer, animal instinct took over. As her climax subsided, she pushed him away until he sat on the end of the couch. She rose and dropped to her knees.
“Stand up,” she demanded.
“Shea, there isn’t time. I think—”
“Now.”
Travis studied her face with humor and then with awe. He stood and she attacked the clasp of his pants, freeing his cock in an instant. She didn’t give him a chance to think or react; she simply opened her mouth and took him in.
“Jesus.” His hands flew to her head. She expected him to take control, pleased when he didn’t. Instead, he placed his fingers in her hair as she ran her lips along his thick erection. He wasn’t a small man and her greedy pussy clenched as she considered how nicely he would fill her. Wrapping her hand tightly around the base, she used her fingers as well as her lips, tongue and teeth to drive him to the same paradise he’d just delivered her.
Several minutes later, his fingers tightened in her hair. He was close.
“Shea.”
She loved the sound of her name on his lips. She moved faster, sucked harder. Travis stiffened slightly and she felt the first spurts of his come against the back of her throat.
She swallowed as words of mindless praise poured from him. Words like “beautiful” and “perfect” and “amazing”. They were a result of sex. She was too much of a realist to believe otherwise. But they still felt good to hear. Shea had spent a lot of her life merely existing, being taken for granted and sometimes seeming invisible. Travis’ compliments felt like aloe on sunburned skin, slowly soothing away years of aching.
He collapsed on the couch, reaching under her arms and pulling her onto his lap. It was a huge leap in the physical touching department. She remained still for a moment before reaching up to cup his handsome face. She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Shouldn’t I be the one saying that?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not talking about the blowjob. I mean for tonight, the lessons, the orgasms—holy fuck, how many were there? For everything.”
He didn’t speak. Instead, he returned her kiss on the cheek with one of his own. It was full of hope and promise and affection.
Sometimes words weren’t necessary.
They looked at each other for a few quiet moments before Travis moved.
“Shit.” He lifted her. “I think we blew your fifteen minutes out of the water.”
Shea jerked. “Crap. Emma will kill me.” She hastily pulled down her skirt before reaching for her bra and blouse. A quick glance at the clock proved she’d taken twice as long as she should have. She dashed into the bathroom to take out the toys and splash water on her face. She checked the mirror to see how bad the damage to her hair was.
Travis followed her, picking up his comb and running it through her long brown tresses. “I guess we don’t have time for the last lesson.”
She gave him an exasperated look in the mirror.
He nodded. “We’ll save it for later.”
Travis walked her to the door of his office as Shea took one last steadying breath and smoothed the wrinkles out of her skirt.
She opened the door then turned back. “Just out of curiosity, what was the last toy going to be?”
Travis gave her a wicked grin, moving closer and gripping her ass in his hands. Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear. “Butt plug.”
She closed her eyes. He was the devil and he was tempting her down avenues she’d never traveled before. Worst part was, she was all but leading the way, skipping ahead excitedly. She glanced down at the thinning crowd. She was already late…
“Later, Shea. I promise.”
She nodded and started down the stairs.
Once again, he’d taken her to amazing heights while managing to avoid taking that final leap.
Once again, she was left wanting more.
* * * *
Shea snuck into Travis’ window shortly after midnight, feeling very much like a thief. Her heart raced with anticipation and excitement over her adventure. She and Travis had been exploring each other’s bodies for nearly a fortnight. Every sensual experience left her achy, feverish, wanting more. She knew she wouldn’t feel complete until he took her maidenhead, but she couldn’t persuade him to take that final step.
Her plan was working. When word of Travis’ war madness and depression reached her in London, she’d spent months determining the best way to help him recover. Distraction, she had decided, would be best. He’d never been able to express his emotions or talk about his feelings. Simply asking him about the war would never have worked. So she’d formed a plan to make him forget about his pain and anguish. What better way than with sex?
She hadn’t lied about her curiosity or her intention to remain single. Unfortunately, that was where her plan had failed. During the course of their playing, she’d fallen quite hopelessly in love with Travis.
She’d loved him since she was old enough to name the emotion, but she’d never viewed it as a passionate love or considered marriage to him until this past month. Now she was convinced he was the only man she would ever want to marry. His vow to remain unwed was strong and if he upheld it, she was destined to a life alone as well. She wouldn’t settle for anyone but him. His abhorrence for marriage was something new, obviously caused by his experiences at war. Oh, how she wished he would talk to her about his pain. Give her a chance to show him how much she cared for him.
Tonight, desperation had set in and she intended to push the game to the next level. Only the cover of darkness would enable her to make this request.
She tiptoed across the room to his bed, the moonlight and dying fire providing enough dim light for her to see. Once she arrived there, she was surprised to find him lying in bed awake, his gaze on her. “Tell me I’m dreaming, Shea, or you are in very big trouble.”
She shivered at his threat. She’d expected him to be shocked by her arrival, but she hadn’t anticipated anger. “I know what I want my next lesson to be and I was hoping we could do it now.”
He sighed heavily, the sound giving her hope. Perhaps he wasn’t angry with her as much as he was annoyed. He was always exasperated with her for some reason or other. She could deal with that emotion. “What do you want?”
“I read a word. I think I know what it means, but I’m certain I can’t be correct. I was hoping you could explain it, maybe demonstrate it for me.”
“What’s the word?”
“Bugger.”
Travis jerked and sat up. “Jesus, Shea! You don’t honestly expect me to bugger you?”
“So it does mean what I think.”
“It’s when a man sticks his cock in someone’s arsehole. Male or female. And it doesn’t matter what it means. I am most definitely not doing that to you.”
“Why not?”
“Do you really need to ask?”
“You promised to do whatever I requested, short of consummation. If you’re going to go back on your word, then I’m going back on mine. I want you to take my innocence. Now.”
He reared back as if hit by a freight train. “Do you understand what you’re asking me to do?”
She nodded. “I want this. I trust you, Travis. I know you’ll never hurt me.”
He was silent for several minutes and she cursed the dim lighting, wished she could see his face, read his thoughts there.
When he spoke again, his voice was devoid of emotion. “Stand up. Take off your clothes. Bend over at the waist and place your palms against the mattress. I should be committed to Bedlam for agreeing to this.”
Shea quickly undressed and assumed the pose he demanded as Travis left the bed to light a candle. He rummaged around in a drawer in the bedside table before shedding his sleep shirt.
When he walked up behind her, he was naked, and she closed her eyes, nervous with anticipation. He made no move to touch her, so she glanced over her shoulder. His face was implacable as he looked down at her reclined form.
“Everyone has a breaking point, Shea.” His ominous words caught her off guard. “I’ve tried to reason with you, tried to call a halt to this game, but you seemed determined to follow a path headed straight toward self-destruction. I don’t know how to do this without hurting you.”
She started to rise but he pressed his hand firmly against her back.
Grateful for her position, she tried to still her pounding heart. Her hands on the mattress were the only thing holding h
er steady.
Did he realize there was a double-meaning behind his words? While the act may physically hurt, the failure to gain his heart would destroy her. Did Travis know that as well?
It didn’t matter. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—stop. “I want this.”
Shea fought to control her breathing, forcing herself to take several deep, steadying breaths. She had enjoyed every one of Travis’ lessons, responding to them, finding pleasure and release. Would this be any different? She longed to feel him inside her body. Since he stubbornly refused to take her pussy, she’d take this.
For a moment she thought she heard Travis growl and she tried to repress a shiver.
He flashed a tiny jar at her, letting her see it. “Look forward,” he instructed.
She expected him to lead her step by step through his actions. He’d always taken care to explain what he was going to do before he did it and she’d appreciated his kindness. Tonight, she was met with unbearable silence.
She jerked when his fingers grazed her bare bottom.
“Open your legs.”
Again, she obeyed. Her compliance was met with a long sigh. She forced herself to remain still. Without the benefit of her vision or his words, she was forced to rely on the sense of touch. When his fingers returned, they were wet, oily. He placed one at the tight entrance to her ass and she held her breath. Slowly, he pushed until only the tip of his finger penetrated.
She missed his voice. She’d never realized how much the sound of it eased and relaxed her. Travis removed his finger for a few seconds, then it returned, bringing with it more of the soothing liquid. Over and over he worked in the lubrication, his finger going deeper with each pass. Travis was taking great care to initiate her to this act as painlessly as possible.
Soon one finger became two, and Shea found herself anticipating his deep drives into her arse. God help her, she liked what he was doing. While she adored his fingers and tongue in her cunt, she craved his possession like nothing she’d ever yearned for before. Two fingers became three and she noticed a slight pinching. The pain quickly morphed into mind-numbing pleasure.
When his fingers disappeared completely, Shea started to protest.