by Angela Blake
Alexa snorted. “Well, why didn’t you just say so? Filter or no filter?”
“I think the blindfold is looking a little drab, maybe a filter would be smart. Poor blindfold has a rep to protect, after all.”
Dean approached the bed and languidly lay down between her legs as he peered up at her. “Now, these legs of yours.” He let his fingers trace her legs. “I could put them to such good use.”
“Is that so?”
“Oh, yes.” With that, he grinned as he placed a kiss on her lips then placed the blindfold over her eyes. It smelled like him, and Alexa inhaled a deep breath, allowing herself to relax as she felt him kiss her neck. He placed both of her legs on either side of his shoulders, so that his mouth was directly positioned in front of her center.
She felt his lips graze the inside of her thighs as he kissed them slowly, expressing his admiration for them as he nipped. Alexa blindly reached forward to grab his hair, but Dean lightly slapped her hand away. “You can’t move your hands without my permission, Lexie.”
Alexa bit her lip. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?” He stopped kissing the inside of her thigh, and Alexa could almost picture the stern look on his face.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Better.” She felt his hot breath on her legs, blowing gently as shivers rose up and down her legs. His lips moved up until they reached her center, and she felt his hands gently come up and push aside her folds.
“You are so wet for me, Lexie. It’s freaking sexy.”
Her stomach tightened in response as a new wave of want pumped through her. “Yes, I am.”
She heard Dean chuckle. “I can tell. I don’t think I’ve ever felt or seen anyone get this wet before. You must really want it.”
She heard the note of slight arrogance in his voice, and even though she wanted to wipe that knowing smirk off his face, she sighed and let her eyes adjust to the darkness, heightening the rest of her senses. All of her body was on high alert.
“Smart ass,” she mumbled quietly under her breath. His breath stopped tickling her center, and Alexa knew that he had heard her.
“What did you say?”
“I called you a smart ass, Sir,” she responded, adding the last part in the hopes that it would somehow soften the blow.
“Is that so?”
Before she knew what was happening, Dean had whipped the blindfold of her face and was staring at her with a very solemn expression. “I can see we’re going to have to discuss the words that come out of your very dirty mouth.”
Alexa felt an unexpected shudder of pleasure course through her at the mention of the word ‘dirty’. She didn’t know what was happening to her, but she felt a new wave of confidence and boldness take hold. A side of her that was completely different.
“Sir?”
Dean raised an eyebrow as he perused her. “You must be punished, Alexa. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Alexa pushed back through the fear. “If you say so, Sir.”
“I do, in fact,” he said, casually, as he pressed himself up against her, letting her feel him between her legs. “But, where should I begin?”
Alexa gasped as he bit her thigh.
“You’ve been a very naughty girl, Alexa.” He began to lick the inside of her thigh, and one hand reached back and spanked her ass.
Chapter 8
Days turned into weeks, and soon Dean and Alexa settled into a somewhat comfortable routine that worked for them. During the day, Dean would head off to work for hours at a time, and Alexa would spend the entire day around the house, swimming, working out, reading and watching a ton of movies. Dean had a huge room that was more like a private cinema than anything else. It even had its own popcorn machine. Alexa loved going in there, and losing herself for hours in everything from old Audrey Hepburn movies to the newest blockbusters.
Sometimes, Dean would join her.
In those rare moments, she got to see a side of Dean that she doubted a lot of people saw. In those moments, he was kind, passionate and very clever. He had a dry and quick sense of humor that had her in stitches more than once. She also got to debate with him about books—of which they had both read many—music which they couldn’t agree upon, and general ideas about life. Dean wasn’t kidding when he said that he wanted something more than sex.
Apparently, conversation was just as stimulating to him as anything else. If not more. He often kept her on her toes, and challenged her, but Alexa loved it. They had grown to respect and admire one another in such a short amount of time, and Alexa didn’t dare hope for more.
Secretly, she could feel herself begin to feel differently about him.
She was growing to care for Dean, and there were moments when she felt like he cared for her too. Small, subtle moments like how he always asked about her day, how he would ask her if she was liking a certain book, how when he learned what her favorite dishes were he’d ask the chef to prepare them.
Alexa was afraid of reading too much into it, and there was a small voice in the back of her head that told her that maybe he was doing this so she’d be more pliable. More willing to do whatever he wanted within the bedroom.
That was why they were here, after all, wasn’t it?
In terms of the bedroom, she discovered that Dean was right. She did enjoy BDSM. So far, they had tried bondage, spanking, and even whipping. Much to her surprise, Alexa enjoyed every single part of it. Dean wasn’t that surprised at all. In fact, it seemed like he was expecting her to. In the bedroom, he was a completely different person, tall, commanding, every inch the alpha male as he ordered her around. She kind of liked it, but it was during the rare moments when she caught a flicker of vulnerability that she loved it best.
***
Alexa tossed and turned in her bed as sleep eluded her. She sat up, grabbed the robe from the edge of the bed and slipped it on. The hallway was dark, and Dean was sleeping in his own bed tonight, so she tiptoed past it and made her way downstairs for a warm glass of milk.
She got to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator door, poured milk in the glass and popped it into the microwave for a few minutes. She took it out before the microwave could make that beeping noise and curled her fingers around the hot mug.
She walked towards the living room and was surprised to find Dean standing there, staring out the window contemplatively. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of loose sweatpants, and his hair was sticking out at all ends. Alexa hated to interrupt, so she tried to quietly slip past him, but he heard her and turned around.
“Can’t sleep?” she asked.
“No.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Alexa walked forward and placed a comforting hand on his arm. “Maybe I can help.”
“I doubt that.” He stared back out the window.
Alexa tried not to let his indifference hurt. “You won’t know unless you try.”
“Do you really think that positive attitude is going to get you anywhere?” he said, unkindly.
Alexa reeled back as if she’d been slapped. “Excuse me?”
He wheeled around to face her. “You heard me. You’re so nice, aren’t you? So goddamn nice that you make everyone around you believe that people can actually be good and not hurt each other just for the hell of it. Do you really think that works?”
“People are good,” Alexa protested. “You just have to dig deep enough, and you’ll find it, and anyone who doesn’t act good has probably been hurt.”
Dean stared at her wordlessly. “Spoken like someone who has never known hurt or pain.”
Anger coursed through her veins. “Who the hell do you think you are, Dean? You think you have a monopoly on pain because your fiancée videotaped those things you did in the room and showed everyone you know, thus alienating them? Your fiancée might have left you after calling you a sick monster, but at least you still have a family. I’m not saying that didn’t hurt like hell because I’m sure it did, but you are
n’t the only one who’s had crappy stuff happen to them.”
“Like what?” he said coldly.
“Like almost being raped then being blamed for it!” Alexa yelled, her voice ringing out in the empty house. She took a deep breath. “You have no idea what that’s like. Finally trusting a guy, but making the mistake of having a little too much to drink, and then when you say no, and you can’t get off—he just—”
She stopped and shook her head to dispel the memory. “He videotaped the whole thing too, by the way. Except he stopped at the part when I actually said no. Except my parents weren’t like yours. They didn’t listen to me. My parents threw me out onto the street. They disowned me. In one day, everything I ever knew was ripped out from underneath me all because of a stupid mistake I made when I was twenty-one. So, don’t you dare stand there and mock how I choose to view people. I refuse to be a victim of my circumstances! I will not stand here and listen to you lecture me about the way I approach life.”
In her agitated state, Alexa had not noticed that Dean had begun to move closer and closer till he stood right in front of her. When she was done, he stared at her wordlessly before he tugged her forward and pressed his lips to hers.
She resisted at first, but there was something about the way that he was kissing her that was different. Aside from the fact that she could taste the alcohol on his breath, she knew he wasn’t drunk. It was something else.
He was kissing her like he actually cared about her. Like she hoped he did.
His kissers were light, a mere breathless whisper of what could come if they let themselves surrender. Alexa kissed him back with as much tenderness and passion as she could muster, hoping that her lips were able to convey what her heart couldn’t.
Soon, the pace of their kisses changed, and Dean lifted her up and carried her to the couch in the center of the room. His hands trailed all over her body, making sure that not a single part of her felt neglected. For her part, Alexa couldn’t keep her hands off of him either.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered against her lips. “Nobody deserves to go through that.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “That jackass should never have done that to you, and I’m sorry your parents turned their back on you when you needed them the most. I know how hard that can be.”
“It’s okay.” She ran her hands through his hair and softly pressed a kiss to his forehead.
“No, it’s not okay. The only reason I said what I said is because I couldn’t understand it. How can you go through what you’ve gone through, and still look at life and see such wonder? How can you look at me and see anything more than a broken man?”
Alexa traced his eyes, his lips, and his cheeks. “Because you are so much more than that, Dean. What you’ve been through doesn’t make you broken.”
He kissed her softly. “No, but how I reacted, getting into BDSM that way, that wasn’t right.”
“Everyone copes with things differently. I don’t think it’s up to us to say whether it’s right or wrong. In any case, I don’t judge you for it. It’s a part of you now, like so many other layers that you have, and that’s what I see. The whole man, not just that.”
“Lexie, I—” He swallowed thickly. “I don’t know what to say. You changed my life, you know. Before you, it was just about work and finding someone to warm my bed at night, but you make me want to be different. I could offer you the world on a silver platter, and it wouldn’t be enough.”
Alexa shook her head and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “I don’t want the world on a silver platter. I just want you, all of you.”
Dean sighed as he began kissing her again. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, and they began a sensual dance that ended with them frantically taking their clothes off.
Alexa began to breathe heavily as Dean undid the clasp of her bra and began to kiss her breasts softly. She arched her back as she began to fumble with his sweatpants. She succeeded in pushing them off, and she could see his erection straining against the waistband of his boxers.
She palmed him over his jeans, and he grinded against her. She felt him moan into her mouth, and she smiled as she began to push his boxers down. Dean helped her out of her flimsy nightgown and tossed it to the side of the room as he ran his fingers over her stomach, her back, her thighs, and all the way back. Her entire body broke out in goose bumps as she dug her nails into his back and pushed herself even closer. Dean wrenched his lips away from her mouth to latch onto her breasts, and Alexa took the chance to take him between her hands. She began pumping her fingers up and down vigorously until he was grinding against her hands. She gently pushed him back and crawled forward, so that she was facing him.
She took him in her mouth and began to suck and lick on the top.
“Lexie.” He chanted her name as if it was some sort of prayer. “Please, don’t ever stop.”
“Never.” She continued to suck and lick until she felt like he was close to coming. Dean buried his hands in her hair and tugged until she looked up. He brought her face up to his and kissed her deeply, letting his tongue dart out, so that he could taste himself on her.
“I need to be inside you, now.”
Lexie leaned back and spread her legs open for him. He crawled in between her and punctuated each movement with a soft kiss that had her insides trembling. He finally situated himself, and he tilted her chin up with his thumb and forefinger, so that he could look into her eyes. The raw, naked need that was reflected in his eyes was mirrored in her own, and she allowed him to see it, hoping it would ease his fears. He smiled softly, evidently liking what he saw. She smiled back.
In one movement, he was inside of her, but this time, it was slow and purposeful. As if he had something to prove to himself. To the both of them.
Alexa tangled her hands in his hair and kissed his shoulders softly as he cradled her head in his hands. Once they were both close to the edge, he leaned forward and kissed her, and they both came together.
Exhausted and spent, they lay together on the couch, their limbs tangled in each other, the sound of their heavy breathing intermingling.
“Please don’t leave me,” he whispered into her ear, his voice sounding drowsy. “I’ve never met anyone like you. I think I’m starting to fall in love with you.”
Alexa looked up at him to respond, but Dean was already fast asleep. A look of absolute peace and happiness spread across her face. She snuggled even closer to him.
“Me too,” she whispered as she drifted off.
Chapter 9
When Alexa awoke the next day, Dean was gone. No note, nothing. Not a single trace of what had happened last night remained except for the fact that Alexa was covered in a blanket, and her nightgown was folded up neatly on the edge of the couch. She frowned as she reached for her nightgown and slipped it on.
She padded softly throughout the house calling out his name, but no one answered. A sick feeling began to take hold in her stomach, and she tried to ignore it as she made her way up the stairs.
“Anna, have you seen Dean today?”
Anna was folding clothes in Alexa’s room, and she turned around to face Alexa. “Mr. Withers is gone, ma’am.”
“Gone?” she echoed, numbly.
“He’s gone on business for a few days. He asked me to convey to you his regret at not being able to escort you back to your, er, lodgings, but he hopes that you’ll enjoy the rest of your stay here.”
Alexa forced herself to move forward even though her heart felt like someone had reached inside and was squeezing it. She tried to ignore the pain that flooded through her, the hurt that coursed through her veins. “I see. Thank you, Anna. Would you mind leaving the room for a while? I’m afraid I didn’t sleep too well last night, and I’d like to take a nap.”
“Of course, ma’am.” She made her way out of the room and gently shut the door behind her.
No sooner had she done that than Anna threw herself on the bed a
nd began to cry. She cried softly at first, but soon the sobs raked throughout her entire body, making her shake and beat the pillows next to her.
It was her fault for opening herself up to him like that. Madame Teresa was right. Men could not be trusted. Her heart fluttered painfully in her chest, making it increasingly hard to breathe. She buried her face in the pillow and let out a scream of frustration and anguish that bled from deep down within her soul.
She stood up abruptly and began to collect her things, knowing that she couldn’t stay here a minute longer. He had already paid Madame Teresa, so she would just take the money and start over somewhere new, and forget that she ever fell in love with Dean Withers.
Anna called the driver despite her protests, and as Alexa got into the car to head back to Exotic Paradise, she knew she was leaving her heart behind, but she supposed it was better this way.
***
For days, Alexa stayed in her room, refusing to speak but letting them know that she was okay, and that no she didn’t want to press charges. Madame Teresa let her stay although her time was up, and she told her to take all the time she needed as she gazed at her sympathetically.
She hated it. She hated that Madame Teresa turned out to be right. She had hoped that her luck would change like Tiffany’s. Tiffany who sent her a postcard looking very happy with her boyfriend and inviting her to visit them.
That’s probably what she would do until she figured out her next move.
“Madame Teresa wants to see you,” Brandy said after knocking. She enveloped Alexa in a hug. “Whatever happened over there, I’m sorry. It’ll be okay, Lexie.”
Alexa gave her a blank look as she shrugged and made her way past her.
She knocked on Madame Teresa’s office and waited for her to say enter. She walked in a few minutes later and froze.
Dean was standing there looking as bad as she felt with his hair sticking up wildly, his tie askew, and his suit looking like it had been slept in.