“Untie me?” she implored.
Rick considered the request. He could feel responsive ripples of passion in his own body but he was far from ready to allow her to see it. Still, after a reflective silence, he nodded. Going down on his knees in front of her, he tugged at the scarves he’d used to tie her ankles.
She surprised him when she hooked a leg around his waist and pulled him forward. He complied with the demand, a soft chuckle escaping before he captured her eager mouth another time. He let his hands slide down her sides then traced the denim waistband of her skirt to the front and gave the snap a tug. The zipper slid down and her hips moved toward his hand.
“Getting a bit anxious, Cindi?” he teased, his tongue moving to trace the curve of her ear.
“Rick, please.”
The tremor in her voice become more pronounced as Rick’s lips brushed soft kisses over her face.
“Relax,” he murmured, sliding his hands into the waist of her skirt. He moved her hips forward so she was hardly touching the chair, then eased the denim off, hooking his fingers into her underwear and taking them too.
The shock of the cool chair against her bare skin sent another shiver through Cinthya. But before she could recover completely, Rick had most of her clothes off and was halfway through tying her ankles back to the legs of the chair, this time to the back legs, leaving her thighs spread wide.
Her heartbeat doubled when his fingers began a slow, barely perceptible pattern of caressing her legs, starting at the back of her ankles and gradually moving upward. The room actually did a crazy spin when Rick bent his head and started following the path of his roaming hands with his lips.
Cinthya squirmed with renewed urgency as she tried to free herself from the surprisingly strong bonds. Rick’s tongue barely touched the wet folds between her legs, but the featherlike contact created a spasm of reaction in her. She shuddered and gasped, the sound becoming a tiny moan when he repeated the gesture with a slow, lingering sensuality. Then he leaned back to look up into her eyes.
“Why…?” She wasn’t even sure what it was she wanted to ask as the words got caught in another trembling twitch. His fingers were smoothing gentle touches on the inner skin of her thighs.
“Because I love you, Cindi,” he answered around a huge smile, supplying his own meaning to the gasped query.
She looked down to watch his hand brushing over the dark-gold thatch of hair between her thighs and tried to thrust into the contact. Frustration played through her when he refused to accommodate her.
“Rick? Do you think maybe you could love me a little faster?” The words were expelled like a choked breath of air and her face warmed with the heat of her embarrassment as well as her passion.
“How fast are you thinking, sweetheart?” His grin was on the verge of dissolving into laughter.
His finger finally delving into her wet heat effectively cut off any attempt at an answer, her hips again shifting into his touch. He probed deeper into her and started a slow, gentle rhythm, his own breath becoming audibly strained when her head fell back and her lips parted with a breathy sigh.
Rick stilled the motion of his hand after several minutes of slow, steady stroking, waiting for her dazed eyes to find his in the growing shadows of the ancient hotel room. In the soft glow of light from the lamp, Cindi’s hair shone like burnished gold. Blue eyes found his and she stared at him, shaking uncontrollably, her expressive features filled with longing.
Rick pulled her to the edge of the chair, kissed her lips then lowered his head until he was able to push his tongue into the warmth that had been occupied moments before by his finger. He heard the catch in her already too-fast breathing as he let his tongue glide over the swollen folds then probe into her again. The erotic torture evoked a desperate moan from her. For a couple of minutes he allowed a tentative rhythm to build, then slowly eased away from her again.
“R-R-Rick…” Cinthya’s objection to the withdrawal was lost as another shudder shook her entire body.
He sat back on his heels and watched the agitation and frustration filter through to her stare as she made eye contact with him again. He smiled and rose to his feet, feeling a noticeable weakness in his own legs as his gaze swept over the aroused and very excited form of his lover.
“You wouldn’t mind if I fixed a drink, would you, Cindi?”
Her mouth opened but nothing came out except a gasp of air. The look of pure astonishment was priceless, and he was certain he’d never forget it. Taking the lack of verbal objection as an affirmative, Rick moved to one of the old dressers and opened the bottle of whiskey he’d placed there. He poured a generous drink, using the time to get his body back under control, then he went back to the edge of the bed. He sat and cast an inquiring gaze at her.
“Can I get you anything, honey?”
Cinthya groaned and glared at him. She tried again to pull out of the restraints that bound her, but once more she was forced to settle back and wait for him to make the next move. He took a long, appreciative swallow of his whiskey, then got to his feet and strolled toward her. He bent down to kiss her parted lips, letting his tongue linger on her lush bottom one before slipping into her mouth.
She sucked his tongue deeper, and he knew she was tasting the hint of whiskey on his lips. She’d told him she loved the taste when it was in his kiss, but not in a glass. Rick held her head cupped in one palm as the breath-stealing caress stretched over several minutes.
He withdrew slowly, his gaze still locked with hers. He raised the glass to his lips again and took another drink, his mood thoughtful. Stroking her soft golden hair, he bent close to her ear, his voice barely above a whisper, and said, “Y’know, darling, you’re really lucky I planned this so well. You could have walked into something terrible here and gotten yourself into trouble. You didn’t even have a weapon of any kind in case things did get out of hand. Did you?”
“All things considered, Rick, where do you think I might have hidden it?” She looked down at herself then back up into his dark eyes.
“Maybe I’ll have to do a more thorough search?”
She wasn’t listening much to the actual words. Rick’s soft, throaty voice was affecting her like a caress, and she closed her eyes as she turned her head toward his.
He met her mouth, then when she arched her neck, his lips traveled to the curve.
“Let me loose, Rick?” she breathed, her words choked and thick with emotion. “I can’t stand much more of this.”
He stepped back and finished off the last of his drink. Once he’d deposited the empty glass on the dresser and returned to her, he dropped to his knees again. His smile was still gentle but there was an impish tilt. His fingers skimmed over her knees then whispered up her thighs.
Her head fell back and her breath became a choked gasp when his touch drifted once more into the silky hair at her apex, then dipped lower again to burrow into her wetness. The slick sound of his fingers moving in and out of her only heightened Cinthya’s desire, and she grew even wetter. He continued to caress her, but still wouldn’t allow her to climax.
Rick saw the sheen of sweat that filmed Cindi’s curvaceous body. The faint candlelight gave her firm, contoured muscles a shimmering glow. He let his gaze wander over her and felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw her struggle to breathe past her desperate passion. He decided he’d deprived himself of her taste long enough. He withdrew his hand and lowered his head to the weeping heat between her legs. Her hips moved closer as he began the rhythm that would give her the release she wanted so badly.
Her back arched as he sucked long and hard on her throbbing clitoris. Rick felt her tense as the rush of her release crested within her. A moment later, her delayed orgasm shuddered through her with a violence that left her panting, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she fought to breathe through the exquisite torture.
He rested his head on her thigh, trying to calm his own breathing. Then, dropping his hands to her ankles, he untied the s
ilk scarves that bound her. He placed a light kiss on her quivering mouth, then reached around and gave the bonds on her wrists a tug that freed them.
She slipped her arms around him instantly and buried her head against his shoulder. Rick eased the blonde head back and kissed the corner of each closed eye, the damp salty taste warm on his lips.
“You okay, honey?” He pulled back enough to see the glitter of tears in her dazed blue eyes and felt a twinge of guilt at his prolonged torment. “C’mon, Cindi.” He stood and held out his hand.
Cinthya looked up at him, her chest still heaving from the passionate tortures Rick had just inflicted on her. She ignored his outstretched hand and got to her feet. Her knees gave out and she fell into his arms. Rick laughed softly as she nestled into his neck and he picked her up and headed back into the darkened corridor.
“Where are we going?” The words were a rasping whisper as she snuggled closer into his shoulder.
“Room 313. You have an appointment to keep, remember?” he teased, his voice a little rougher than usual.
Rick gave the door a light kick and carried her into the room, then headed for the bed. He placed her on the soft mattress and stood back to read her reaction to the surroundings.
Cinthya stared up at the canopy above them, her eyes widening at the wispy film of artificial cobwebbing that stretched from one end of the huge bed to the other. She could see spiders and bats trapped in the cottony blanket. She grinned at Rick, then let her gaze continue to wander, her eyes growing larger with each discovery. The room was alive with candles—long, graceful tapers of orange and black. She laughed when she saw snowy white ghosts with glow-in-the-dark eyes suspended throughout the room.
A huge jack-o’-lantern leered at her from the top of a dresser, and bats with ruby eyes peered at her from the corners. She brushed a hand over the cool surface of the bed—silk sheets, rich, blood-red against the heavy black velvet of the coverlet. The draperies surrounding the monstrous four-poster were of the same luxurious velvet, again in midnight black.
She sat in the center of the bed and laughed in sheer delight. On the bedside table was a large crystal and silver bucket held between two hands. Nestled inside the ice-laden container was a bottle of champagne. Black-stemmed flutes stood next to the ornate bucket.
“When did you do all this?” Cinthya asked, lifting the bedding so she could snuggle between the silk sheets. She shivered and let out a sigh of pleasure at the cool touch of the material on her bare skin.
“The past couple of days,” Rick said with a grin.
He began peeling off his clothes slowly as she watched his every movement with eager eyes. She knew he read her appreciation in her gaze, and there was a distinct gleam of anticipation in his responding smile when he approached her.
“I like your idea of Halloween parties,” she murmured, sliding over to the edge of the bed. Rick was standing beside her, working on the champagne cork, and she reached out to caress his semierect cock.
The gasp her touch evoked pleased her and she closed her fingers around the responsive shaft, feeling it become rigid and ready in her hand.
Rick set the bottle of sparkling wine back into the ice and turned to the bed. He raked his fingers through her hair as she stroked him gently. His knees trembled when she leaned forward and guided the straining shaft into her mouth.
“Cinthya?”
She released him and let her tongue tease over Rick’s balls, flicking lightly when his breath became quick and shaky. His hands tangled in her hair as her mouth slid over him again. She shifted into a more comfortable position on the edge of the bed, closed her eyes and glided her tongue over Rick’s erection, each stroking caress getting another shiver of response from him. His hold on her tightened and she felt the careful thrust of his hips. She complied with the request and drew him deeper into her mouth, slowly increasing the pressure of her sucking.
As his release rushed over him, more quickly than he would have anticipated, Rick realized tormenting her had done its share to keep him in a state of arousal too. He shuddered into his climax, choking with the desperate need for breath that eluded him. His legs felt as if they were going to buckle and he leaned forward to grip the edge of the bed.
Cinthya ran her hands through the fall of hair that fell over Rick’s face and kissed his forehead as she pulled him onto the bed. She lay back on the silk sheets and stroked his hair and shoulders as he stretched out beside her, resting his head in the center of her chest. They stayed that way for a long time.
Rick stirred first, raising his head to look into the soft blue of her eyes. She was watching him, her face lit by a gentle smile.
“You seemed a little breathless,” she observed with the innocent mischief that never failed to charm him.
He grinned, his expression rapidly taking some of the smugness out of her smirk. He moved higher in the bed, then leaned over her, catching both her hands in a loose grip and holding them above her head. “Look around you, honey. This bed has four posts. That could be interesting, don’t you think?”
She shook her head and broke the light hold as she squirmed away, putting a couple of feet between them. “No way!” she protested wholeheartedly. “I’m not going through that again.”
Rick feigned a hurt expression. “I thought it was fun,” he said, the pretend hurt fading into genuine amusement.
She laughed, still managing to stay out of his grasp. “When did you start getting into this kinky shit?” She backed up a little on the silky sheets until her back just met the solid resistance of the headboard, wide-eyed disbelief in her expression. He knew she was calculating how quickly she could escape the room.
“Kinky?” Rick considered the concept as he inched toward her, enjoying the wariness in her eyes as she tried to maintain a distance that was closing quickly. He made a lunge for her and enfolded her in an embrace as he rolled with her. She ended up straddled across his hips, staring down at him.
“Maybe I should tie you up and see how you like it?” she suggested.
His eyebrows rose in speculative interest. “If you think you can manage it, Cindi…”
The challenge was obvious, but she apparently chose to ignore it. She started to slide off him and ended up yelping in surprise when he caught her around the waist and reversed their positions. Rick had her hands trapped and he eased them outward toward the posts at the head of the huge bed.
She started squirming in earnest, and Rick laughed as the futility of her protest began to dawn on her. He shifted his hold and his laughter became wholehearted when she stared up at him, blue eyes filled with humor and love.
“You wouldn’t really do it?”
He didn’t miss the note of entreaty in the whispered words but he shook his head, giving in with what he knew was probably suspicious ease. He saw the faint caginess come into her gaze as she relaxed beneath him and began to run light caresses over his forearms where they still held her shoulders in a loose grip.
“I’m hungry,” she murmured, her tone soft. She glanced around at the elaborately decorated room and her grin widened. “This really is great.”
“Watching you in that chair made it more than worthwhile,” Rick said, thoroughly enjoying the slow spread of scarlet on her features. He released her and slid over to the edge of the bed. He picked up the previously discarded champagne bottle, popped the cork and poured two glasses. He handed one to her, then reached down to open the door of the bedside table.
Her eyes lit up when he handed her the chilled bowl of fruit salad. She settled into a cross-legged seat, placed the bowl in front of her and promptly plucked a large strawberry from the center of the tempting array of fresh fruit. She had apparently decided Rick was forgiven for the bondage routine.
“If this is what you do for Halloween, Christmas is going to be wonderful this year,” she remarked once he’d settled on the bed in front of her.
“And what makes you think you’ll get me to go through this much trouble for you a
second time in the same year?” he teased, selecting some of the fruit himself.
She plucked the grape from his fingers and leaned over to feed it to him. “Because you love me,” she whispered, popping the grape into his mouth.
“We’ll talk, sweetheart.”
“The only thing you missed was fog around the floor.” She grinned as she again let her gaze wander over the room.
“I can’t stand the smell of dry ice,” he said, turning her face back to his. “I do love you.” He eased her toward him until their lips met and her arms went around him with natural intimacy. Rick could taste the faint hint of strawberries on her tongue as he melted into the kiss.
He drew back after a few minutes and set the bowl of fruit on the table next to the champagne. He pulled back the sheets and settled on the bed next to her, shivering when she draped one long, shapely leg over his hip and arched into his embrace. A second later she shifted in his arms and said, “We’re not gonna really sleep here, are we?”
Rick glanced around at the decorations and renovations that had taken a sizeable chunk out of his Gold Card. “I don’t see why not. It’s got all the comforts of home. Except, of course, for a television set. Now you can’t watch any more of your spooky shows.”
She yawned and nestled closer. “I think I saw all the horror movies I wanted to see last night.” Another yawn and she turned onto her back, pulling him on top of her. “Besides, who says we need to sleep anyway?”
“You got better ideas?”
“You up to it?”
“Oh you have no idea, darling.” Rick grinned down at her.
Chapter Three
Cinthya watched the deep creases emerge around both eyes with the change in his expression. Rick’s features were softened by the gentle lighting, his eyes lit with an orange glow of reflected candlelight.
Reckless Assignation Page 2