Thankfully, he was also one of those who behaved with grace. He didn’t have a humble bone in his body, but at least he wasn’t a dick to the other nominees.
Deke Granger shook my hand, congratulating me on Drew’s win, though I had nothing to do with it. I didn’t know what “Deke” was a nickname for, and I didn’t ask. This man was one of the bigwigs in the studio. I knew to be on the polite edge of friendly with him because he could cancel Drew’s show—or push to make him film in another city, which would move us away from our home—at the drop of a hat.
“Thank you, Deke. Drew does the hard work. I just do the taste testing.”
“And you keep that sparkle in his eyes. Love will do that for a man, you know.”
I smiled, but I did not blush. Drew was not shy about his feelings for me, and I had learned to let him have his public displays of affection.
As if on cue, Drew slipped his arm around my waist and kissed my neck. This was not a possessive display. Deke was short, rotund, and almost seventy. He did not flirt with anybody, much less anybody’s wife. “Hi, Deke. How was Rio?”
“Fantastic. I worked on my tan, and I found a fabulous sous chef. He’s here tonight.” Deke’s dark eyes lit. “Let me grab him. I wanted to introduce you.”
I could tell Drew wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but I also knew he wouldn’t voice that thought. Deke motioned to a server who must have known what he wanted, because the server nodded and disappeared.
Drew and Deke made small talk while we waited. I paid polite attention and tried to stop Drew’s hands from wandering anywhere indecent. He was skilled at using his mouth and hands to do disparate things. I liked that about him.
“Ah, there he is.” He reached out and pulled the sous chef closer.
The new chef was taller than Drew and had a leaner build. He had blue eyes, cornflower instead of icy like Drew’s, and a thick mane of sable hair that fell over one eye. The angular structure of his face matched his build, and I knew instantly that this man had been the one watching Drew and me have sex. More than that, I knew he would make a perfect third for us. I wanted to tie him up and make him squirm. If I listened hard enough, I could already hear him begging.
“Drew Snow, I’d like you to meet Neal Purcell. He’s a huge fan.”
“It’s great to meet you, Neal. The sauce on the mahimahi was bold without overpowering the dish. Was that tarragon you used?”
“It was. Thank you. I’m glad you liked it.” Neal blushed as he shook Drew’s hand, a reaction easily explainable as what happens when a fan meets the chef they idolize. However, the look in his eyes betrayed the real reason he was embarrassed. He recognized Drew from the break room.
“And this is his wife, the lovely Sophia Snow.”
I offered Neal my hand, and he took it. What followed was an establishment of roles. My handshake was firm and confident, a display of my Dominatrix side. Neal responded to this, altering his grip to reflect a submissive nature. I liked when a man recognized and accepted the natural order of things.
As befitting his station, he waited for me to speak. “Neal, at long last, we meet.”
“Yes, Mis—Mrs. Snow.”
Drew lifted a brow at me. He’d caught the fact that Neal had nearly referred to me as “Mistress,” a title only a handful of people used anymore.
Drew doesn’t submit to me. Not ever. We tried that when we first got together, and it didn’t work out so well. Though he’d pretended for my sake, Drew didn’t have a submissive bone in his body. He wasn’t completely Dominant, either, but he didn’t mind topping a sub with me every now and again. It didn’t provide him with the same sense of peace and fulfillment as it did me, but if I set the scene right, we all enjoyed ourselves.
He’d been around me long enough to recognize when I’d topped someone. It turned him on to watch someone submit to me. I couldn’t tear my gaze from Neal to see if he was titillated by this interaction, but I guessed that he was.
I wrapped Neal’s hand in both of mine, a sensual caress disguised as friendliness. “You can call me ‘Sophie.’ For now.”
This time, Drew elbowed me. I’d been so caught up in Neal that I hadn’t noticed Deke giving me a funny look. I released Neal’s hand. Disappointment dimmed his natural glow.
“Thank you, Sophie.”
Deke frowned at me and directed the attention back to Drew. “Neal is looking for a good mentor, Drew. His love is Italian and American cuisines, and you know we don’t specialize in that here. He likes working for me, and he’s a wonderful chef, but I can’t keep him for myself.”
Now it was Drew’s turn to frown. I’m not sure what thoughts were running through his mind, but I understood the situation with crystal clarity. Neal was off-limits. Deke wanted Drew to give him a job.
This was the part where I was supposed to shut up and let the businessmen do the talking. I didn’t handle the hiring or firing at Sensual Secrets. I was their accountant. As their accountant, I’d just handled the paperwork to end the employment of Drew’s last sous chef. She’d worked for him for six years, but now she wanted to open a restaurant. Ginny, Drew’s business partner, and I had thrown a small going-away party last night. I’d texted Drew that he was down one employee. He’d shifted his staff to cover the gap.
Still, I found words pouring from my mouth. “We do have an opening.”
Drew had a sexy frown. That didn’t mean I liked when he turned it on me, which he did right then. The man was damned picky when it came to his kitchen and staff. “I’m willing to grant an interview. Can you be in Royal Oak next Thursday?”
One of the many things I loved about Drew was that he never contradicted me or argued with me in front of other people. When we argued—and we sometimes did have passionate disagreements—it was always in private. He was partial to making a scene only when it involved showing affection, which I didn’t mind at all.
Neal nodded. “Yes, Chef.” He handed Drew a card with his information. “Let me know the date and time, and I will be there.”
He excused himself back to the kitchen. Drew and I took our leave as well. The second the elevator doors closed and we were on the way to our room, Drew addressed a concern I hadn’t considered.
“Sophie, if I hire Neal, that means he’s off-limits to us. I’m not going to risk losing everything I’ve worked to achieve so that you can have a submissive.”
I snorted, but not at the restriction. “You wanted him just as much as I did.”
“Yes, but the fact remains that if either of us comes onto him and there’s even a remote chance that it can be construed as sexual harassment, then we’re screwed.”
“Did I entice him? Did I speak him fair?” I delivered my paraphrase with a half-smile.
“No, but I bet the more you beat him, the more he’ll fawn on you.” He ran the back of his fingers down my cheek in a soothing caress. “Seriously, honey.”
This time, I merely sighed. “I know. Maybe he’ll suck.”
Drew shook his head. “Honey, Deke is known for finding stunning talent. He wouldn’t have let Neal into the kitchen if he didn’t have impressive skills.”
Deke claimed credit for having discovered Drew and more than half of the other celebrity chefs. I didn’t argue with Drew’s assessment.
He took me in his arms and leaned back against the wall. “Just to be clear, he is the one who was watching us?”
“Yeah.” I felt the momentary pang of regret at losing something that was never mine, but then I let it go. Our bedroom guests were fun. They were toys to amuse us and bring aspects into our sex play that we both sometimes missed with one another. None of them made me feel loved and cherished the way my husband did. I loosened the knot on Drew’s tie. “You’re very handsome, you know that?”
He dipped his head and gave me a light, sensual kiss—an appetizer. “And you, my love, are strikingly beautiful.” Another kiss, another sampling of delicious things to come. “And I have missed you terribly.”
“Three days is a long time,” I agreed. It’s funny how I didn’t used to mind him being gone for a week or more. The longer we were together, the more addicted to him I became.
“Too long.” He had barely vocalized the last word before devouring me with his kiss.
The elevator dinged as the doors slid open. Unwilling to break away from each other, we stumbled down the hall until we reached our room. I fumbled in Drew’s breast pocket for the key. He ground his hardness against me and moved his lips to my neck. It didn’t make inserting the key into the lock easier, especially when he found that spot toward the back of my neck that made me moan. Loudly.
With a satisfied chuckle, he broke away and opened the door. “I want you naked and on top of me.”
I shimmied out of my dress so quickly that I broke the zipper. I stood before him in heels and a black, lacy bra, and I let him drink the sight.
“Gorgeous. Sophie, you are simply the most amazing woman.”
I gave him a grin that was equal parts cocky and sensuous. “I’m about to get even more amazing. Now it’s your turn. Strip for me.”
The room wasn’t a suite, but it did boast a large bed, and that was really all we needed. I sat down on the edge and waited for Drew. He didn’t disappoint.
He’d already shed his jacket, and now he unbuttoned his shirt. Slowly. Each undone button revealed another few inches of his tantalizing chest. My Drew was ripped. He spent time working out every day. His physique was part of his sexy on-screen charm, and I had fallen prey to it off-screen.
Next he went for his cufflinks. This seemed to take forever.
I prodded him, trying to get him to move things along. “Tease.”
He merely grinned.
I could have helped with his clothing problem, but I opted instead for providing more motivation. Spreading my legs, I licked two fingers and slid them through my wetness. Drew’s grin slipped from his face, and he licked his lips.
“Hot. So hot. Keep doing that.”
With my other hand, I held the lips of my pussy open so that he had a great view, and I continued to play. He won the battle with his cufflinks, toed off his shoes, shed his pants, and dove for me.
I shrieked and tried to scramble out of his way, but I was too slow. He landed on top of me, trapping me beneath him. He was the only man I trusted enough to pin me like this.
“You’re not naked.” I pushed at the shoulders of his shirt.
“Neither are you.”
Wrapping my legs around his waist, I let him settle closer to my core. “You can keep the tie, but you have to lose the shirt.”
He growled, but it was a good-natured protest. “You get bossy with me, and you’ll find yourself tied up with my special sauce drying on your clit.”
That could only happen with my consent. He might be stronger than me, but I had years of martial arts training. My brother owns a training studio, and I teach classes there every now and again. Not that it mattered much. Drew was a lover, not a fighter. He wasn’t into protest games or anything violent. When I worked over a sub, he typically did not stay in the room. It didn’t do anything for him.
I liked his special sauce. He wouldn’t tell me exactly what was in it, but I had discerned honey and ginger. It was less potent than what I had done to subs, but it did the trick.
Tugging on his tie, I faked a pout. “Promises.”
He helped me get rid of his shirt, but instead of turning to lie on his back, he slid down my body and settled between my legs. I widened to accommodate his broad shoulders.
“Play some more. I want to watch.”
From the expression on his face, I knew he wouldn’t be watching for long. I grabbed a pillow and stuffed it under my head so that I could watch him without straining my neck. Using my finger, I circled my swollen nub. “Like this?”
“Harder. Touch your clit.”
I teased and tormented myself for his viewing pleasure. All too soon, I found myself moaning and canting my hips. I wanted to feel him inside me, but he had other ideas. He lifted my hand from my pussy and licked my fingers. Then he buried his face between my legs. Drew could eat me out all night if I let him. He was a connoisseur of my pussy.
Little sounds of pleasure vibrated from his throat to my sensitive tissues. He mumbled a few things I didn’t catch, but he lifted his face away far enough to make one thing clear. “You taste so fucking good.”
I didn’t want to come in his mouth, not tonight. Grasping his head, I pulled him away. “I need you in me.”
Too horny to protest, he nodded. I rolled him to the side and moved so that he could center his body across the bed. As I climbed on top of him, he ran his hands over my skin.
“I love you, my Sophie.”
As I sank down the length of him, my opening widening around his thick cock, I murmured similar words. “For always.”
Then I leaned forward and rode him until we were both too weak and satiated to move.
Chapter Three
Sophia
Two mornings later, Drew and I slept in. We’d spent the night before at my brother’s house having Sunday dinner. He lived with his lover Evan, and their wife, Alaina. She was legally only married to one of them, but they wouldn’t disclose who. Rumor had it that Zach, Alaina’s twelve-year-old brother, knew, but nobody could get him to spill the beans. Not that it mattered. I have never seen three people more in love.
They had announced that Alaina was four months pregnant with their first child. That had led to lots of toasts and the consumption of much alcohol. Alaina had watched us, drunk only on the glow of happiness that came from being pregnant with a much-wanted child.
I’m not sure what time we left, but Drew had sobered up first, and he ended up driving my parents’ home, too. They were over the moon to finally have a grandchild. Everywhere around me, people were having babies. While I was happy for them, I felt no need to join them. Drew and I were having so much fun just being a couple that I couldn’t imagine adding a permanent third party.
I woke before him and took a shower. By the time I returned to bed to rouse him, he was also up. He’d propped several pillows under himself, and with the way his hair was mussed and the messy sheet covered one leg and half of his naughty bits, he looked like morning sex incarnate. The second he saw me, he bared himself and closed his hand around his hardening cock.
“You look like heaven. An angel come to deliver some sin.”
“Sin?” I lifted a brow. He rarely talked like this. “Are you awake?”
He chuckled, his voice heavy with sleep, and opened his hand to reveal how awake he was. “Come find out.”
I shook my head. “Not today.” This was not a day I wanted anybody touching me. I had a couple of those on a semi-regular basis. However that didn’t mean I wanted to leave him high and dry. “But if you’re nice, I’ll get the strap-on and deliver some of your favorite sin.”
The last remnants of sleep vanished from his face. He didn’t often ask for this, but it was one of his favorite things.
He treated me to one of his patented long, slow grins. “This is why you are the hottest woman on the planet.”
I returned his smile. “That’ll do.”
My toys were, for the most part, in the basement where I had a proper dungeon. This toy, I kept upstairs in a special drawer in my closet. Drew asked that I only used it—or anything like it—on him. It didn’t take long to get into the harness and position the dildo so that it hit my pelvic bone in a way that wouldn’t hurt. While I did that, I heard Drew puttering around in the bathroom.
He found me waiting on the bed, clothed in a fire-engine-red corset, heeled boots that came up to mid-thigh, and a fake dick. I drizzled some lube onto my palm and greased the silicone. He followed the up-and-down motion with his gaze.
I lifted the tube. “Want some?”
“Are you going to let me fuck your ass?”
“Nope.” When I didn’t want to be touched, I truly didn’t want to be touched.
“Then no.” He sat on the bed next to me and leaned so that his face was inches from mine. His breath smelled minty. “I’ll take a kiss, though.”
I gave him one. It went on and on. He was a consummate kisser, cupping my cheek as he started, and then slipping his fingers through my hair as things heated up. By the time he pulled away, I was ready to whip off my clothes and let him have me, and he knew it.
“Change your mind?”
The fog he generated in my brain took a few seconds to clear. “Maybe tomorrow. We’ll see. Now, you have a choice. Do you want to be on all fours, or do you want to bend over the side of the bed?”
“Side of the bed. I noticed it’s easier for you to give me a hand job.”
I laughed as we got into position. More lube, and he was ready for me. I entered him slowly, thrusting in short strokes to get him used to the feeling. It had been a couple months since we’d done this.
“That feels so good, Sophie. Go fast, okay?”
For me, fast and hard went hand in hand. I reached around and grabbed his cock, stroking it to the same rhythm I used to pound his ass. It didn’t take long to drive him to the point where he was making those little growling moans that indicated he was about to come. In less than two minutes, he spilled his spunk all over my hand and the sheet.
He collapsed forward. I went to clean the equipment. This wasn’t my favorite thing to do. Don’t get me wrong—I didn’t mind doing it, and I loved making Drew climax. But it always felt a little off to me. Pegging a submissive was a dominant act. Doing this to Drew just highlighted the fact that I didn’t have all the natural equipment he wanted in a lover.
I didn’t go back into the bedroom. The bathroom also exited to a sitting room, and I escaped that way. If he’d fallen back to sleep, I didn’t want to disturb him.
Drew found me about a half hour later, eating a bowl of cereal at the table. He poured himself some, sat next to me, and poked my arm. “Want to talk about it?”
There was nothing to discuss. Anyone with my life would have said that. As it stood, I had the fairy tale. I had the handsome prince, a beautiful home, a loving extended family, and a successful accounting firm. If my firm became any more successful, I was going to have to open an office.
Hanging On 2: Surreal Neal [Awakenings 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 2