Suddenly his arm was gone and she was swaying. She opened her eyes. Wesley was turning a key in a lock, a door opening behind him. He turned, smiled, and held out his hand.
“Just a few more steps, Scarlett. Just a few more steps.”
Scarlett took his hand and he pulled her into the darkness.
Chapter Three
Scarlett wasn’t standing anymore. And she wasn’t outside. It was warm and she was on a bed, with a sheet covering her. Her body felt light as a feather, as if she could float away. She opened her eyes.
The room was softly lit. Music floated through the room, wordless, just sounds, strangely repetitive but somehow soothing. Above her was a pale blue painted ceiling with an ornate gold light fixture. The fixture swam in and out of focus for a moment, and she squinted until it held still. It wasn’t her room, and for a minute she drew a blank as to where she was. She blinked again, a vague sense of panic working through the fog in her brain.
The bed moved and she turned her head toward the motion. Wesley was there, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Wesley had taken her back to his apartment, and she was in his bedroom. The panic dissolved and she smiled at him.
It all came back to her, along with a rush of heat that started somewhere around her toes and raced through her body, ending in a startled gasp through parted lips.
“Hey, beautiful. Did you have a nice nap?”
His voice was low, like she remembered, and the sound shot through her, made her hot, made her want him. But it was rougher, edgier. Like the voice he’d used when he talked to Kyle. The sound of him, his scent, all of it was almost overwhelming. She wanted him, badly, almost more than she could bear. She nodded.
“I…I’m at your apartment?” Her voice was just above a whisper.
“You asked me to bring you here. You remember? You had a little too much to drink and had a little sleep.” He leaned over her, brushing his fingers across her forehead. “But you feel really good now, don’t you?”
His mouth curled in that beautiful half-smile, his eyes heavy-lidded like they’d been at the bar. She let her eyes drift over his face, drinking in how handsome he was. He was still wearing the white shirt he’d worn at Diablo’s, unbuttoned now, un-tucked from his jeans. Her eyes traveled lower, across the exposed smooth skin of his chest, over taut stomach muscles, then lower. The top button of his jeans was undone and the fabric below was pulled tight. Her breath caught; he wanted her, he was just as excited by her as she was by him.
He was so close. She reached up for him. But her arms moved only a few inches from the mattress before they were jerked back down. She tried again, her hands again falling to the mattress.
Scarlett craned her neck, searching above her, twisting her head from side to side. Red silk ties bound her wrists to the bed frame. Her heart thumped hard in her chest as she strained against the ties.
She jerked her head back to Wesley’s face, breathing fast, eyes locked with his. His smile widened, the dimples deepening.
“I thought we’d play a little if that’s all right with you?” He reached for the edge of the sheet, pulling it slowly away from her shoulders. “Is that okay with you, Scarlett?”
He pulled it lower, and it dawned on her she wasn’t wearing her dress anymore. A tiny voice in her brain screamed this was wrong, that she was naked, with a stranger, in his apartment. And she was tied to his bed.
But as the sheet slid over her breasts, that voice died away in a roar of arousal. The fabric rubbing against her nipples was the most exquisite sensation she’d ever felt and when the chill air hit them, they puckered, pulling up almost painfully hard. She sucked her breath through her teeth. Her body felt alive in a way she’d never experienced, blood rushing to her skin, as if drawn to the surface by his attention to her.
“You’re very beautiful, Scarlett.” His eyes drifted from her face, following the edge of the sheet, watching as he uncovered her body. His lips parted slightly and she heard him sigh.
The sheet slipped from Wesley’s hand, settling across her body, just below her breasts. He leaned forward, reaching for her, his fingers stopping just above her skin. She ached for his touch and she drew a deep breath, arching her back, trying to get him to touch her. But Wesley pulled his hand back slightly, and she cried out in frustration. If he’d only touch her, do more than just look at her. The ceiling went out of focus again and the room started to spin. She closed her eyes, willing him to touch her, to stop teasing her, waiting for his touch, the music fading into disjointed chords.
“Scarlett.” Her eyes flew open. His voice had that edge again, harder this time. She turned to look at him, struggling to bring his face into focus. “Pay attention. You haven’t answered me. Do you want to play?”
She blinked, fear fluttering through her mind. She didn’t remember a question. But she wanted him. “Yes.” She breathed the word. Whatever he wanted, he could have.
He reached down, undoing another two buttons on his jeans, easing the stretch of taut denim across his lap before shifting closer to her on the bed. His hip and thigh pressed against her and he leaned across, resting one hand on the mattress beside her body. The edge of his shirt brushed against her breasts, raising a flush of goose bumps on her skin.
Wesley touched her, finally, one finger circling her hard nipple. It was like he was drawing on her skin with fire. She breathed out a long sigh, closing her eyes. It was exquisite pleasure, such a simple touch, but nothing like she’d ever felt. She shifted on the bed, hips rising, her thigh rubbing against Wesley’s body.
“Such soft skin. You take good care of yourself, Scarlett. It shows.” He leaned down, burying his nose against her neck, his chest pressing against her breasts. “You smell just as good.”
Wesley raised his head and she opened her eyes. His gaze was focused on her breasts, following the path of his finger. Scarlett strained against her ties, wanting to hold him, to run her hands over all that skin, to pull him back to her, to feel his body against her again.
“Please…”XXX
“Please? Please what, Scarlett?” He lifted his gaze up to hers, a half-smile on his face.
“Please.” Her voice faltered. “Untie me.”
Wesley looked at her, eyes almost closed. He stopped circling her nipple with his finger, pressing his palm against her breast. Slowly he began kneading her flesh, caressing her with his strong fingers. She responded instantly, hips jerking with each touch.
“When we play, Scarlett, there are rules.” He pulled his hand away, and she sank back onto the bed. “Do you want to play by the rules?”
She nodded, licking her lips. “Yes. Please.”
Wesley touched her again, and Scarlett released a soft moan. He caressed her for a moment longer, then moved to the other breast. She was completely under his control.
Scarlett closed her eyes in bliss, lost in the sensations of his hand on her body, his fingers kneading her flesh. Her hips rose and fell, her legs moving beneath the sheet.
Wesley’s breathing grew faster and he shifted, pressing hard against her. Then his hand was gone and she opened her eyes in dismay. But he quickly dropped his head, his mouth coming down on her breast.
He licked her nipple and she cried out, her back arching, straining against the ties. The silk rubbed against her abraded skin, and pain flared. For an instant her mind snapped into focus, followed by a wave of fear as her thoughts took over from pure sensation.
This was all kinds of wrong, no matter how amazing what he was doing to her felt.
“Wesley…” She struggled, tugging harder on the ties. “Please…”
He lifted his head. “You’ve said please already, Scarlett. You’re playing the game. No need to say anything.” His eyes were almost closed, his face relaxed.
“But…I’m not so sure…”
He looked down into her face, the dreamy expression fading from his eyes, his expression darkening. “You’re here because you asked to be here, Scarlett. You aske
d me to bring you here.” His fingers were back, caressing her, slowly, gently. Then the pressure increased, fingers digging into her flesh.
“I…I’m not sure anymore.”
“Don’t you like me anymore?” He leaned forward, licking the nipple of her other breast, eyes never leaving hers. “Don’t you like this?” His voice was low, hypnotic.
“Yes, but…” She did like it. She liked it very much. His tongue was hot, and then his fingers were on her, caressing her, pulling and rolling her nipple between his fingers.
“It’s what you asked for, Scarlett.” He moved his fingers up to her face, touching her cheek, his thumb sliding across her lips. She opened her mouth, and he slid his thumb between them.
“You do like this.”
It was not a question, it was a statement. And he was right. She couldn’t argue with him, her mind couldn’t even hold the thought long enough to form an answer. The fear skittered along the edges of her mind for a moment. But she was distracted as he pushed his thumb a fraction of an inch further into her mouth. Purely on instinct, she flicked her tongue across his thumb, then bit down. She tried to hold on to the fear, but it was gone and then she couldn’t even remember why she’d felt that way.
Wesley smiled, dimples deepening. “That’s my girl.” He pulled his thumb from her mouth and sat back, running his tongue over it, his eyes darkening.
He stood suddenly, pulling off his shirt. Scarlett saw smooth skin over his well-muscled chest and broad shoulders. She caught a glimpse of his stomach, flat and taut. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes moved lower.
His jeans had slid down his hips, the unbuttoned fly spreading open. The head of his erection was visible, thick and hard.
“Do you like what you see?”
She dragged her eyes to his face. As he watched her, he undid the final button, then slowly slid the jeans down, exposing more of his erection to her.
Something hot and dark blossomed deep inside her and she arched her back, her ass grinding down into the bed. She wanted him to see her, to watch her while she watched him, so she kicked at the sheets, tangling them around her legs.
“Impatient girl. Do you want this off, Scarlett?” He took one hand away from his jeans, leaving her with a tantalizing view of him, and reached down, twitching the sheet.
“Do you want this gone?” The steel was back in his voice. She nodded.
“Rules are you have to answer when I ask you a question. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” For a moment she was paralyzed by the thought of him being unhappy with her, of leaving her. Not of leaving her tied to the bed, but leaving her here without touching her again, leaving her high and hot, without any release.
Then he smiled and she relaxed. Slowly, he pulled the sheet off of her body.
She felt the heat of his gaze as his eyes traveled over her and in response, she arched again, legs moving restlessly across the mattress, heat and wetness pooling inside her. His tongue eased out, caressing his bottom lip.
“You are ripe, Scarlett. Better than I imagined.”
In one graceful movement, he pulled off his jeans. He kicked them away and took a step forward, standing at the edge of the bed. She let her eyes devour him, feasting on his beautiful body. He flexed his hips slightly, his erection curving along the flat plane of his stomach. She bit her lip, spreading her legs for him, an open and wanton invitation.
Wesley climbed on the bed beside her, moving slowly over her, not quite touching her. He looked down into her eyes, and she found she could barely breathe.
“I’m going to kiss you now, Scarlett. Is that okay with you?”
She lifted her head from the mattress, pulling hard against her bonds. She caught a glimpse of his smile before he lowered his head to hers and she closed her eyes, waiting for his kiss.
“Scarlett? Is that okay?” His breath was against her lips. He was so fucking close she could almost taste him. But he hesitated, and it drove her mad.
“Yes. Fuck, yes.”
The instant his lips touched hers, her body exploded. What they were doing quickly went past kissing and became the sole focus of her being. She wanted to devour him, have him devour her, and they were both doing a pretty damn good job of doing that. She was completely given over to the sensation and feeling of his lips and tongue against hers.
He lowered himself onto her, his chest pressed against her breasts, his skin raking across her nipples, shafts of ecstasy sliding through her. Against her stomach she felt his erection, hot and hard, and she squirmed beneath him, tugging at the ties, whimpering against his mouth in a muted plea. She wanted him inside her, wanted him to fuck her.
Wesley shifted slightly and his erection slid lower, moving along the inside of her thigh. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him down hard against her. She felt his smile against her mouth as he flexed his hips, the head of his cock brushing against her. With a cry she broke away from his mouth, the anticipation almost too much to handle.
“Please, Wesley…oh, God…please…yes, to everything…” Her words trailed off into inarticulate noises, almost sobs.
“Yes to everything.” His face was against her neck. “I like that.”
And then he was inside her, thrusting hard. She arched and writhed, pulling against the ties, oblivious to the pain in her wrists. He was fucking her, finally, and she held him around his waist with her legs, her hips slamming up to meet him.
Everything was a blur of sensation, hot and wet and hard. Her head was thrown back as she cried out in time to his thrusts. Tears ran down her face, the sheer power of his body, the way he moved over her, inside her, all of it more powerful than anything she’d ever thought possible.
She arched hard against Wesley as she came, her hips jerking against his. For a long moment she thrashed hard against the silk, head whipping back and forth. He was still inside her, she could feel him thrusting into her as she exploded around him.
Her cries turned into sobs as Wesley pulled back from her slightly and she had no choice but to let go of him with her legs. He slid an arm beneath her thighs, and she let him shift her until her legs rested over his shoulder. She was completely at his mercy now and she gave in, let him thrust into her with abandon. She lost track of time and space, her mind swept clean of anything except what Wesley was doing to her, the rush she felt as he fucked her.
From a distance she heard her own sounds, and above those cries, Wesley’s moans growing louder, more intense. He was grunting now with each penetrating thrust, holding himself for a second inside her. She opened her eyes, watching him as he rode her, his eyes closed, head turned to the side. He was beautiful and just watching him, the movement of his body as he fucked her, was almost enough to make her come again.
He’s going to come, she thought. And this is going to be all over. She pulled against the silk again, panic flooding her. She didn’t want this to end; it couldn’t end, not yet.
But his thrusts were getting erratic, his body trembling above her. Inside her, he seemed to grow even harder, if that was possible, as he headed toward his climax.
He pulled back, held himself, then jabbed her hard, once, then again. Then he was buried deep, hips grinding against her body. She felt the warmth of him inside her, the hot wetness as his cock pulsed, filling her with his seed. And she came again, shuddering beneath him as he remained inside her.
Finally he rolled away from her, no part of him touching her. It seemed as if an acre of bed separated them and she felt empty, bereft, lost. She tugged against the ties, aching to feel him against her, even just the touch of his hand on her arm.
“Wesley…” She could barely hear her own voice. “Wesley.”
He opened his eyes and looked at her. Sweat beaded his forehead and covered his chest. She had the insane urge to lick him, to taste him.
“Scarlett.” He turned to look at her and she watched as his chest rose and fell, his breathing still fast. It sent a thrill through her. She’d done that to hi
m, she’d made him breathe like that.
“Hold me, please. Untie me.”
He held her gaze for a moment, a very long moment. She thought he would be angry, that she wasn’t still playing the game. But she’d lost track of what the game was. All she knew was she wanted to touch him, be touched by him. To curl up next to him. And then to have him inside her again.
Wesley sat up, reaching above her head. The silk loosened around her wrists and she pulled her hands free. Bringing her arms down, she reached for him, wincing as pain lanced through her shoulders.
“Be careful. You’re going to be sore, probably for a few days.”
“Hold me.” She repeated the words.
Something dark passed over his face, brief, fleeting, clouding his eyes. Then it was gone and he smiled, reaching for the sheet, pulling it over her. He moved to slide out of the bed and she grabbed his hand. His smile widened, dimples showing.
“I’ll be right back. Going to get you some water.” He leaned forward, kissing her forehead. He wasn’t mad at her or leaving her. She breathed a sigh.
She watched him walk through a doorway and heard running water. He reappeared, flicking a switch on the wall. The music stopped. He sat on the edge of the bed and handed her the glass. Until she took a sip, she didn’t realize how thirsty she was. She drank the whole glass, then handed it back to Wesley. He set it on the bedside table.
“You played the game really well, Scarlett.” He flicked off the lamp on the bedside table and slid in beside her. She eased her aching arms around him, pillowing her head on his chest. “You’ve done this before, somewhere other than Diablo?”
She was already fading into sleep, but she struggled to answer his question. It must still be part of the game. “Did what? I don’t know what you mean.”
“Play the game. You know, the whole fantasy thing. I wasn’t sure how you’d do, but you surprised me. You were really into it from the start. You’re the only girl who’s asked for aftercare.”
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