by Bella Grant
After their happy hour, Alyssa had talked Diana into going to a sex toy store. They’d giggled their way through the aisles, and Diana had talked herself into buying not only a sexy outfit—which she now wore under her simple t-shirt and jeans—as well as some lubricants and scarves in bright red that she could tie around the bedposts and his wrists. The woman at the counter had taught her a knot to use for the first few times until she and her partner were ready. The knot, while somewhat secure, with the right movement of the wrists and hands would unravel easily.
Once she’d thought about it, she wasn’t ready to be tied up, but she did want to experiment. She hoped he would let her tie him up first with the promise that he’d get a turn later. Her stomach hitched at the idea of proposing such a wild scheme, but she pictured him on her bed, his arms spread wide, his wrists tied to the bed, his beautiful body on display for her, and her panties soaked right through at the sex toy store.
She told herself if he didn’t seem into it, she’d drop it, but she had a strong belief that he wouldn’t knock it without trying it at least once. But he would expect her to reciprocate, and she shivered at the idea. A sizzling sound stole her attention from her short fantasy, and she jerked her attention back to the stove before she burned the shrimp. Checking the clock, she realized he’d be there any moment, so she turned on the pot of water to boil for the pasta.
Her doorbell rang at precisely 6:30, and as she walked to the door, she ran her fingers gently over the petals of the roses he’d sent her that afternoon. When she opened the door, his smile lifted her heart and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
“Whoa, whoa,” he said between kisses on his lips, cheeks, and chin. He hadn’t put his arms around her. “I don’t want to drop the wine.”
Diana laughed as she stepped back and welcomed him in to her tiny apartment. Compared to his home, she lived in a box under the bridge, but she loved it because it was hers. She wasn’t the least bit ashamed of her home. “Welcome, welcome. I’m glad we’re finally hanging out at my place for a change.”
“Me too,” he answered as he watched her lock the door. She gestured for him to follow her the twelve steps into the kitchen. “I see you’ve started without me.”
She looked at him, and he gestured to the wine. With a shrug, she explained, “If you can believe it, I was nervous. I haven’t had a man in my apartment in I don’t know how long.”
Travis chuckled as he opened the fridge and deposited two bottles onto the shelves. Regardless of the type of wine, Diana had always liked hers chilled, and he remembered it every time.
“I’m glad you are allowing me the privilege,” he teased. He leaned against the counter, barely three feet from where she stood cooking at the stove. “What are you making? My mouth is watering!”
“Butter and garlic shrimp over risotto,” she answered as she tossed the risotto in the waiting water. “Still about ten minutes before we can eat. Unless you’d like to have your salad?”
“No, we can wait.” He smiled down at her, and her heart flipped.
“Thank you for the roses. They are lovely and smell so amazing,” Diana said, stepping closer to kiss his lips gently. She ran her hand down his body, and when she reached his pocket, she felt an odd shape. “What’s that?”
“Oh,” he snickered as he reached into his pocket. “I forgot about these. I didn’t change pants before coming over.”
“I noticed you were dressed fancier than me, even though I told you casual,” she teased, pulling at his polo. She looked down at the little envelopes in his hand curiously. “What are those?”
“Um, well, this is kind of embarrassing,” he began, his face turning red as he ran his hand over his perfectly straight hair, which was, as usual, pulled back. “I, um, paid for a woman’s flowers for her wedding. Spur of the moment when I bought you lilies before our first date.”
Diana’s mouth dropped. “You did what? That must have cost a fortune!”
“Not as much as I thought,” he assured her as he opened one of the envelopes and pulled out a little card. “I didn’t tell them my name, so she and her mom left these notes at the florist’s, hoping I’d stop in again.”
After reading the first, he handed it to Diana. She read it, this one from the mother, and was awed by the kindness of this man in front of her. When she read the second, her eyes teared up. “Oh, Travis. You really are a sweet, sweet man.”
“I try,” he said, reddening. “I heard her mother talking about the expense of a wedding, so I thought I would help.” He shrugged as if his good deed was no big deal. “I mean, every young woman deserves a pretty wedding.”
“Yes, she does,” Diana said with a sad smile. “And every young man, too. At least the romantic ones.”
He put his hands on either side of her face and kissed her gently. “You deserved one seven years ago. I’m sorry.”
Diana shook her head as much as his hands would let her. “I had what I wanted. You.”
“And if you’ll have me, I’ll be yours again,” Travis said, a small shock running across his face at his own words.
Her face, she was sure, mirrored his shock, so she chuckled and stepped back. “Let’s take it one day at a time, okay? If we move to fast, we’ll burn up.”
Travis sighed, but he nodded in agreement. “I want this to work, Diana. I really do.”
“Then we will,” Diana said simply. “Now, let’s eat some supper.”
Diana scurried away from him, directing him to set the table. While she dished the risotto and shrimp into a serving dish, she guided him around her kitchen until everything was ready. Her table was so small, she lifted the roses, which covered most of it, and carried them to the living room, where she deposited them on her coffee table. They sat across from each other, and after pouring the wine, Diana gestured for him to serve himself first.
After the first bite, Travis was moaning. “Good God, this is delicious!”
“Thank you. Of course, I did you the courtesy—and myself—of buying you a toothbrush for after. We are going to have garlic breath!” she exclaimed as she spooned up another bite and let the flavors dash over her tongue.
“So you’re planning on a little kissing later, huh?” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Well, actually, I wanted to ask you something,” she began, setting her utensil down so he wouldn’t see her nervous hands shaking just a little. Travis had forked in another bite, so he raised his eyebrows at her to continue, curious but hungry. She chuckled and said, “Um, I would like to try something a little…risqué in the bedroom.”
Travis stopped chewing to look at her. He swallowed his food, then a gulp of wine, before he could ask, “Risqué in the bedroom?”
“Um, yes. I’ve never done it. You might have, I don’t know, and it’s okay if you have. You can tell me, I won’t get mad or anything.” She could hear herself babbling and bit her lip to stop it from flapping and making more of a fool of herself.
“Diana, you know you can trust me. I won’t make fun or freak out,” Travis promised, his full attention on her now. Though he did pick up his wine for a quick sip, his eyes never left hers.
With a deep breath, she said in a rush, “I’d like to try a little bondage.”
Chapter 13
Travis choked on his wine and coughed for thirty full seconds. He was actually grateful for the time to digest the words that had spewed out of his ex-wife’s mouth. She rose and hurried around to slap his back, asking if he was okay two or three times before his throat cleared. When she returned to her seat, she stared at him, amusement in her eyes.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked for the fourth time.
“Um, yeah,” he said, clearing his throat again. He could feel his face burning, partly from the coughing fit, but also because of what she had said to him. “Bondage?”
Her face reddened as he stared at her, the incredulous expression matching what he was feeling. She shrugged self-consciously. “We
ll, Alyssa and I were talking about one of her clients, who happens to be an escort, and she told Alyssa it’s a lot of fun.”
“An escort?” he questioned, even more startled. He cleared his throat again, hoping the high pitch would lower to his usual timbre. “Like a prostitute?”
Diana frowned. “Yeah, I guess. But that doesn’t change the fact that bondage might be fun.”
Travis sat back and gazed at her, astounded. When he didn’t speak for a several seconds, she put her hands on the table and pushed away. “Hey, what are you doing?”
“You’re obviously not interested, and I’m embarrassed, so I need a minute before I can look at you again,” she replied hastily as she stomped into her bedroom.
Travis leapt to his feet and followed her. “Wait! Diana!” He grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. “I didn’t say I wasn’t interested. I’m caught off-guard, that’s all. You surprised the hell out of me.”
Diana watched his face as if checking for lies. Her eyes were narrowed when she said, “You aren’t going to make fun of me, are you?”
“No, I promise,” he replied. “Can we please sit back down and talk about it?”
Diana returned to the table, sitting down and huffing out a breath. “Okay, so I’ve thought about this before but would never do it with anybody.”
“Did you think about this when we were married?”
“No. I had zero experience then, and I don’t have a lot more now,” she continued. “But I do like to read erotica, and bondage is in a lot of those novels, you know.”
Travis’ frown matched hers as he asked, “Are you thinking like Fifty Shades or something?”
Diana snickered cutely and sipped her wine before continuing. She gestured to his dinner and said, “Eat before it gets cold. And no, I’m not talking about that. It was terrible. I don’t want to be spanked, nor do I want to spank anyone. I just want to experiment with tying each other up.”
Travis, who had looked down at his plate to piled food on his fork, jerked his head up again. “You want to tie me up? I thought…”
“You thought you were going to tie me up?” Diana finished, smirking. She paused to eat a bite, and he did the same, his mind whirring as he waited for more of an explanation. After swallowing, she told him, “I’d like to try that, too, but first, I was wondering if you’d let me tie you up.”
Travis gulped his food to give himself time to think about her proposal. He didn’t suffer from any kind of claustrophobia, but the idea of being bound elicited a thrill of fear. Thrill is the right word, he thought as he sat back and gazed at Diana. Fear was probably the wrong word.
“I’m a little nervous about the idea of being tied up so that I can’t get loose,” he admitted frankly. “But, I don’t mind discussing this if you’re really into it.”
“I don’t know if I’m into it,” she confessed, smiling a little shyly. “I trust you, and I hope you trust me. I bought scarves at a sex store the other d—”
“You went to a sex store?” he interrupted loudly, his eyes wide. He had never been able to get her to walk into one when they’d been together.
Diana leaned her elbow on the table and placed her chin in her palm. She batted her lashes at him as she said, “Oh, yes. I have a vibrator or two in my bedroom, and what I have on under my clothes will knock your socks off.”
“Oh really?” She nodded. “Well, let’s see.”
She sat back and wagged her finger at him, clicking her tongue. “No no no, not until we finish our conversation.”
Travis chuckled and saluted her with his fork. “And finish eating.”
“Yes.” She returned to eating, as did he, and the smile on her face was driving him to distraction. “So, I was saying, the scarves I bought are very soft, and the girl at the sex store”—she emphasized those two words— “taught me how to tie knots that will loosen if you move your wrist just right.”
Travis nodded thoughtfully as he sipped his wine. He’d finished his shrimp and pasta and wanted a little more wine to relax his pulsating nerves. He refilled his glass and Diana’s, smiling when she lifted hers and held it out for a toast.
“To new adventures?” she asked, lifting her eyebrows at him in question.
“To new adventures,” he replied. They sipped, set his glass down, and asked, “So if I move a certain way, my hands will be freed?”
Diana chuckled. “Yes, Travis. I wouldn’t ask you to do anything I wouldn’t, and you know I’d freak out if my hands were stuck. If you want to try this, I’ll show you how to wiggle your wrists and let you practice a couple times before the actual fun starts.”
Travis pursed his lips and nodded. “Okay, I’m in.”
Diana clapped her hands together excitedly and jumped up. “Come on,” she said, grabbing his hand and hauling him to his feet. “Let’s get started before you chicken out.” She dragged him to her bedroom and pushed him on the bed.
“I won’t chicken out, and no foreplay? You’re just gonna toss me on the bed, tie me up, and have your way with me?”
“No, weirdo,” Diana said as she dug in a bag for the scarves.
“You want to tie me up, and I’m the weirdo,” Travis said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.
“Shut up,” she said as she pulled the bright red scarves out and walked toward him. “Lay flat on your back and put your arms above your head.”
“How are you going to take my clothes off?” he asked, smirking when she glared at him. “Fine, fine. I’ll stop being dumb.”
“Good. Because I’m wet just thinking about what I’m going to do to you,” she informed him as she shoved his chest so he lay down. She straddled his stomach and leaned forward, teasing him with a glimpse of what lay beneath her clothes.
“Fuck,” he hissed when her breasts teased his face as she tied his wrists to the headboard posts. He nuzzled her, nipping at her through her t-shirt, and she murmured words that caused his dick to harden in seconds. “I’m dying, Diana.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make you come alive,” she promised. She sat up and rolled her wrists. “See what I’m doing with my wrists. Do that and see if it works.” He rolled his wrists but was still trapped. “No, no, like this.” She demonstrated the wrist move again, and when he tried, he was free. She clapped. “Perfect!”
She hopped off him and helped him sit up. With a quick flick of her wrist, she pulled the band holding his hair back out. She ran her hands through his hair, and he closed his eyes as her fingers massaged his scalp. “I always loved it when you played with my hair.”
“There’s so much more to play with now,” she whispered, looking into his eyes as she lowered her lips to his. “So sexy.”
When their lips met, the electricity shooting from her fired his desire, and he breathed her in as his tongue danced with hers. He lifted his hands and matched her movements, clasping her to him with her hair playing in his hands.
“I’m so glad you’re in my life again,” she whispered against his lips.
“You have no idea,” he replied.
She rose and pulled him to his feet. She pulled his shirt off and ran her hands over his chest, scratching him lightly with her short nails. Goose bumps popped out on his skin when her hands traveled to his pants and unbuttoned them. He reached for her shirt, but she shook her head and pushed his pants over his ass.
“Get out of those clothes,” she ordered as she stepped back, smiling as he followed her directions. Once he was completed disrobed, she whispered huskily, “Now, lay on the bed with your hands above your head.”
Travis followed her instructions. She straddled him again as she secured his wrists to the headboard, making sure her erect nipples brushed his face as she moved. Once he was bound, she stood next to the bed, a seductive, secretive smile on her face.
“What are you doing?” he asked as she moved away, leaving him alone and naked on the bed. A shiver of what he hoped was anticipation but might have been fear shot through him.
&n
bsp; “Turning on a little music. You’re in for a show, hot stuff,” she told him, smiling over her shoulder as she turned on her Bluetooth speaker and found a playlist on her phone.
Slow, sexy R&B began to play, a song Travis didn’t know. When she faced him again, her eyes were smoky with lust, and her movements were seductive and graceful as her body glided to the music. She grasped the hem of her shirt and lifted it slowly, revealing an inch of skin at a time until she was shirtless. The corset underneath was navy blue lined with silver and black and so tight her breasts looked larger than they were.
Travis’ cock, which had remained semi-hard through the tying up, was hard as steel and pointing up. His entire body reacted to the sight of her stripping.
Her hand moved to her jeans and undid the button, and she eased the zipper down agonizingly slowly so the sound of the metal grinding apart resonated in his brain. Travis clenched his teeth, terrified when she turned around and pushed the jeans over her ass that he’d come all over his own stomach. He closed his eyes briefly to cool down, then opened them to the glorious image of her bare ass, the thong so tiny he could barely see it.
Diana kicked the jeans off and faced him again, the corset more revealing than modest, and she sashayed towards him. She began at the bottom of the bed, one hand on his foot, and she slid that hand up his leg at the pace of a snail, letting her fingers linger when he groaned or clenched his muscles. When she reached his thigh, she grazed his cock but didn’t stop. Her hand trailed up to his face, which she cupped in her hand. She bent at the waist and kissed him, her tongue working some sort of magic spell over him.