by Emily Sharpe
Eric turned to her with a quizzical look. "For business or pleasure?"
Donna shrugged, hoping he wasn't as shockable as he appeared. "Both." When Eric gulped and laid the folder down on the coffee table, she continued, laying a hand gently on his arm. "I'm not going to lie to you, Eric. I always had…thoughts…about sex that didn't seem exactly the 'norm', at least in my family or dorm or job. I mean, it was okay, what I heard and saw, and experienced, even! Something just seemed to be missing. I always thought 'is this all?'" She took a deep breath, committed now.
"When I went to the club for the story, I discovered what it was that I'd missed. Not as the whole deal, not as a replacement for anything, but…supplemental. I think I would enjoy being restrained? Spanked? Teased in a variety of ways. And I think I would enjoy being on the other end of things, too. Dominating." Donna searched Eric's eyes for judgment or shock but found none. "So far, I've just been reading and talking and researching, visiting the club in an official capacity, but it is definitely something I'd like to explore personally. I know that much. And now you do, too."
Eric nodded. "I don't like talking about Jessica, you know, but there always seemed to be something lacking in our relationship. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it bothered me. I always felt that she wanted something I couldn't give her. And," Eric turned red, "I'm wondering now if she couldn't give me what I needed too. This…" He squirmed a little, obviously uncomfortable. "…I'm a little embarrassed at my reaction to a folder of notes and photos." He pulled a throw pillow into his lap to hide a sudden erection.
Donna leaned her head against his shoulder and pulled the pillow away. "No need to be embarrassed at all," she said softly. "May I show you something in the bedroom?"
As Eric walked through the bedroom door—he'd seen Donna exit the room several times—there was nothing to suggest anything other than a typical young working woman's bedroom—uncluttered, pastel coverlet and curtains, a photo of her family by the bed, perfume bottles on the dresser, and some plants to make it homey.
Behind him, Donna giggled. "Not this bedroom. The other one." She pulled his arm and led him to the second bedroom of the apartment. Eric had assumed she used it for guests or storage. As soon as the door swung open, however, he could tell it looked to have a much different purpose, and he said as much.
Donna hugged him tightly. "I've been shopping, preparing, practicing a bit at the club. But I've never used this room until tonight. I was waiting a long time for the right person, Eric. And this room has been waiting until the right time."
Eric's heart was pounding. "I don't know what to do, Donna," he said, his voice thick with a newly discovered hunger. "Will you teach me?"
The room was painted a deep red, with sound-absorbing, red velvet-covered squares of insulation. There were no windows. In the middle of the room, was a bed, higher than usual, covered only with a black sheet. A metal framework provided, Eric surmised, various angles at which to connect…ropes? Chains? Handcuffs? He had so many questions running through his mind, echoes of ideas that he'd overheard in locker rooms or viewed briefly as he'd surfed through the channels.
"Clothes off," Donna ordered and began undressing. As Eric began to obey, Donna stopped him. "Tonight, I'll be the sub. Submissive. You can get used to things."
Eric stood there, mouth open in amazement with his trousers unzipped as Donna slowly finished removing her clothes, stepped out of her panties, and unhooked her bra. She stood looking up at him, just beyond his reach. When he made to move forward, she held up a hand. "Not yet, Master."
Opening a small closet, she pulled out a satin-covered restraint, handcuffs and a riding crop. "You'll use the crop first, then the handcuffs." She walked to one end of the bed and bent down, her hands holding on to a horizontal bar. "Tie me with the restraint."
"You want me to enter you from behind?" He'd wanted to try that, but Jessica hadn't been enthusiastic.
"Not yet. Maybe later. I want you to whip me."
Eric was trembling as he stood there a moment, looking at the beautiful nude woman bent over before him. In a daze, he took the restraints from where Donna had hung them over the rail and tied her hands securely.
"Tighter," she whispered, moaning a little as he increased the tension.
It was all he could do not to "drop his drawers" as his mother would have said. Do not want to think about my mother right now! He wanted to take Donna so badly, he thought he would burst with desire, but she was running the show. Delayed gratification? Is that it? This was all so new.
Nervously, Eric picked up the crop from the bed and gently tested it against his own hand. Not bad, he thought. Splat! The crop made contact with Donna's white buttocks, not even leaving a mark.
With her face hidden between her arms, Donna's chuckle was muffled. "You're going to need to do it harder than that. I won't break. You're the dominant. Show me how badly you want to fuck me. You've got to earn it. I've got no time for half measures. And that wasn't even half."
Eric frowned. Donna had always been the most cheerful, perkiest person he'd met. This new side of her was, he admitted, exciting. He began to talk loudly, his words adding emphasis as the crop made a fresh red mark. "Show you? Show you how badly…I will fuck you? You are the one who's bad. Very. Very. Bad."
Eric stopped to catch his breath. He hadn't whipped her as hard as he could, by any means, but he'd left a spider web of red streaks. If this was some kind of a test, he sure hoped he'd passed.
In answer, Donna straightened up. "I'll be good," she whispered. "Untie me. Please."
When he did, Donna slowly unzipped his pants and pulled his underwear down with them, releasing his erection. "I wanted you to take me with your clothes on," she whispered. "But we can do that another time. Handcuff time."
Donna picked up a pillow and threw it on the bed, stretching her arms above her head and wide open against another horizontal rail. "Just like you saw in the photo, Eric."
Breathing hard, Eric handcuffed first one hand, then the other, and climbed up on the bed at Donna's feet. "You are so beautiful, Donna."
Despite her position, Donna grinned. "Sure, sure. I'll bet you say that to all the women you tie up."
Unable to control himself any longer, Eric crawled up so that his face was above Donna's. "Keep your eyes open," he commanded.
As he entered her, hard, Donna's eyes widened. She lifted her hips, wrapping her legs around him as tightly as she could. She was trapped by the cuffs. But he was trapped by her now as well. Together, they rocked on the bed almost violently. He came quickly, but she wouldn't release him. "Stop. And. You'll. Be. Sorry," she gasped fiercely.
A moment later, they both collapsed. As their breathing became more even, Donna whispered. "Well. I'd say you are a very quick study."
Eric raised his head, first, then continued the movement until he was sitting at her feet. "You're a good teacher. Now, where are the keys to the cuffs?"
The bed and breakfast had been in a nearby village, full of art galleries and antique stores. Upon their arrival Friday afternoon, they'd walked along Main Street, browsed a few shops and had coffee at an outdoor café. Their nights had been spent in their Victorian room, making sweet love—a little sweeter than they had planned. The bed and breakfast was filled to capacity and had, apparently, very thin walls. As much as they wanted to break out the crop, handcuffs and other accouterments, they decided they could wait for all that until they returned home. Their "playtime" tended to get both rough and noisy. The delicate four-poster bed in their room did not look up to the challenge.
Saturday night, they had dined at a great Italian restaurant the bed-and-breakfast owner had suggested. Eric had asked for a private table in a back corner, and she soon found out why. He made a toast with their first glass of Cabernet, "To the woman of my dreams. May she always be in my life."
"You are so sweet," she said as she clinked her glass to his. "My turn." She leaned forward and brought her volume low and sultry. "To the
man of my dreams, the yin to my yang, the Dom to my sub and the sub to my Domme. May you always, always be in my life."
Eric had nodded as he reached into his pants pocket and produced a small, blue box. As he opened it, Donna gasped. Inside, a beautiful diamond ring gleamed. The square princess cut in a gold setting gave the illusion of being larger than it was. "Eric!" Donna squealed.
Eric shook his head as he gazed at her. "I've never been so sure of anything in my life, Donna. Are you?" When she nodded vigorously, he took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger. Donna admired it, turning her finger this way and that, loving the way it sparkled by the table's candlelight.
Their dinner arrived soon after, and they talked about future plans while they ate. "I can't wait to show everyone at work!" she'd exclaimed at one point before she caught herself. "Oh, what about Jessica? Should I tell her first, privately?"
Eric had sipped his wine thoughtfully. "If you think that's best. I don't think she'll have a problem with it. She and I just weren't right for each other." He looked at Donna with a leer. "Obviously," he added with a chuckle. "We were never on the same page and now I know why." He smiled across the table. "You taught me who I am. But Jessica? Whenever I see her, she seems to be happy for us."
"I think she may have started seeing someone," Donna said.
Eric nodded as he cut into his beef tagliata. "Really? Great!"
Donna's mood turned serious. "Eric, you did believe me when I told you I had no idea who you were, right? I'd never try to steal a friend's boyfriend. The way we met, was just so…like it was meant to be."
"I feel exactly the same way. I mean, it was incredible just meeting you, feeling close from the start, but everything else? Discovering someone who not only showed me what I wanted but was also willing to provide it? Amazing. Who says opposites attract?"
They laughed as the server offered dessert. Declining, they held hands across the table as they waited for the check. Eric turned his hands in such a way that he could hold Donna's down firmly. "If there weren't any people around, do you know what I would do to you right now, you naughty, naughty girl?"
Donna leaned her head back, closing her eyes to get a visual. "Oh, yes." She looked at Eric with sudden somberness. "Jessica says you're different with me."
He laughed at her serious expression and withdrew his grip. "I am! Not just in bed—but I think our differences there colored every aspect of my relationship with Jessica. We tried, but it's tough feeling like you're a disappointment all the time. I think she felt like that. I know I did." He frowned. "What is taking that server so long? We may not be unpacking the crop tonight, but I think I can come up with something quiet but…satisfying."
Chapter 19
Blended
Thursday night had finally arrived, and Jessica couldn't wait to spring the news of her upcoming wedding on her mom. She had taken Donna to lunch, as promised, and heard an outline of their weekend away, thankfully lacking in detail. She was genuinely happy for them. And happy that Donna's the one he's marrying, not me. They are much better suited for one another, it seems. Donna had been honored and excited when Jessica asked her to be a bridesmaid. Neither couple had set a date, but it was likely that Donna and Eric would wait until the following year.
Worth had arrived early to pick her up, and they were enjoying a glass of iced tea on her balcony. Somehow, it felt right to wait to move in until after her mother knew.
"I've started going through my things and packing," she told him as they relaxed in the Adirondack chairs.
Worth was pleasantly surprised. Leave it to Jessica. Once she made a decision, she didn't dilly-dally. "Really? I can take some boxes to my place whenever you have them ready," he said. "If I need to get a truck, or some men and a truck, let me know."
Jessica laughed. "Most of the furniture stays with the apartment, anyway. I haven't given notice to my landlord yet. I thought I should wait until we've set a date."
"Let's do that after we tell your mother tonight. How does that sound?"
Jessica nodded with a happy sigh. Setting a date to get married. It still amazes me. "It might be a little weird tonight, having Chet's family there too. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've known Chet and his kids since I was little. But back then, their dad wasn't dating my mom."
Worth finished his tea. "When you've had as many stepfathers as I have, you get used to that sort of thing. But since you know them—"
"Yes, I'm sure it will be fine. I gather they haven't been here often in the last few years. A happy occasion all around. I'm so happy for Mom. She needed someone in her life." Jessica glanced at her watch. "Still early. I've always adored Chet. He was my dad's boss, you know, but they were good friends. Mom was close to Chet's wife, too. They used to go out as a foursome. It seems like forever ago, but it really wasn't. Chet's wife went first, of course. Then Dad, a few years after that."
As they drove to the restaurant, Worth suddenly asked, "Are you nervous? I should have asked earlier, so we could have relieved that problem."
Jessica laughed and gave him a little punch. "We sure could have but hold that thought. I plan to be feeling 'nervous' later."
When they walked into the restaurant's lobby a few minutes later, the hostess recognized Jessica. "Hi, Jess, your mom and some of the rest of your party are already here. Right this way," she said.
"Thank you, Rose." The woman was a former classmate of Jessica's.
Rose whispered as they walked, "I'm glad to see your mom getting out again. Chief Henderson is so handsome! You aren't doing so bad yourself." She grinned as she nodded her head toward Worth, who was following along behind them.
Jessica smiled. "I can't argue with you there. You're doing well?"
"Married, two kids. His family owns this place. Life is good." Rose left them with Carol and Chet, saying someone would be around to take drink orders as soon as the party was complete. Chet's daughter and her husband smiled in greeting.
Jessica went through introductions for their sake, and for Carol's. Chet and Worth had spent hours together the night Todd Granger was arrested, but to Carol, he had only been the hope for good things to come and a smiling face in the photo gallery app on Jessica's phone.
As Worth held out his hand to Carol, she stood and walked around the table to hug him warmly. "I am so glad to finally meet you!"
"Likewise, ma'am," he said.
Carol shot him a look. "Carol. I insist."
"Welcome to our first blended get-together, Jessica, Worth. We're hoping to do this more often in the future if I can talk the kids into moving closer." He looked directly at his daughter. "I miss you guys!"
Jessica talked to Chet's daughter and her husband Jon while they waited for his son and daughter-in-law to arrive. "Layla is expecting, just found out! So I'm sure that's the excuse she'll use for being late," daughter Kari said with a laugh. She leaned toward them conspiratorially. "But trust me. Layla is always late." It was obvious as she went on that Kari adored Layla, as pleased to be seeing her as she was seeing her father and brother again.
Kari's husband joined in, "First niece or nephew, you know; we'll all very excited." He looked at Kari. "We're not quite ready yet, so we're hoping to spoil their little one until we are. Get in some kid practice without all the diapers and earaches."
Chet's son Keith and his wife arrived shortly after. As if on cue, Layla apologized for making the party wait. "I get so tired these days!" Layla said, patting her still almost-flat belly. Introductions were repeated for their benefit as they settled into chairs. The server arrived to take drink orders, and then everyone started talking at once.
After a few minutes of happy chaos, Chet tapped his spoon against his water glass and stood up. An imposing figure, well accustomed to representing authority, he soon had everyone's attention. "It's good to see all of you together, but we had an ulterior motive for asking you to join us today." He nodded at his son and daughter. "Your timing couldn't have been better for a visit. I t
hink we should start out by telling you the good news."
Kari looked confused. "You already told us about the retirement, Dad."
All eyes were on Chet as he looked over at Carol. Jessica had a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. Will there be two announcements tonight?
"Your dad isn't losing it, Kari. That's not the biggest news. Jessica, here, will be receiving a commendation from the department at my retirement dinner for her help with solving the arson, too." Appreciative murmurs followed this, and Worth squeezed Jessica's knee under the table in support. "But that's not the biggest news, either."
Chet stood a little straighter and cleared his throat, suddenly emotional. "Kari and Keith, you've both known Carol for most of your lives. Greg, her late husband, worked with me for years. They were friends of your mother and me. Jessica, same story. I used to swing you by the arms, airplane style, while your dad cooked the burgers on the grill and the wives set the picnic table. I hope what we're going to say next will make all of you as happy as it's made me." He paused again to lift Carol gently from her chair. The two of them stood side by side.
She looks absolutely radiant, Jessica thought.
Chet put his arm around Carol's shoulder. "This lovely lady has agreed to be my wife."
Like rockets, the other women immediately jumped from their chairs to shower the couple with hugs and kisses. When everyone was seated again, Chet once more got their attention good-naturedly before sitting down himself. "We plan to do some traveling, but we want you all to know that we'll be here for you. We look forward to becoming a blended family. And you're fully warned: if there's any way I can convince Jon and Keith to move back to this area, I will. Remember, it will be both of our first experience at being grandparents, too."
Jessica listened to the delighted chatter all around her, feeling a bit stunned. She had expected to wow them with her announcement, and now this? She didn't want to detract from her mother's big night and had almost decided to wait when Worth elbowed her gently.