You're Tops

by Sydney St. Claire

  “That—” God, how could she put what she felt into words. The man was devastating, and dammit, she was hot, horny, and self-consciously wet. If she hadn’t been restrained, she’d have jumped him. He’d stirred her body to a feverish pitch.

  “If you were my sub, I’d check to be sure you were turned on.” He ran his palm over the curve of her bottom. “Of course, you wouldn’t be wearing these.” He eased his finger beneath the leg band of her panties. “I’d want to see your pretty, pink—”

  “Oh, my god.” Regina would have clamped her thighs together to hide the fresh wave of leaking moisture if she could have moved. The fact that she couldn’t sent her blood pressure skyrocketing.

  He continued in an easy, just-having-a-simple-conversational tone. “Then I might dip one finger deep inside, feel your hot and swollen pussy throbbing with need.” He leaned close to her ear. “You had that part written perfectly, pet.”

  Regina struggled to keep her voice from becoming a high squeak. “Nice to, uh, know. Um, maybe I should—”

  “Do you want more, Gina? A good Dom can tell when his sub is aroused, and you, pet, are hot. Would you like to try it for real?”

  Yes. She drew in a deep, shuddering breath, heard him chuckle in her ear. “Tucker, I’m not interested in a relationship.” But holy mother of god, she wanted the sex.

  He shifted to the back of the bench, traced a path from the crease where ass met thigh down to her knees. “Not a relationship, Gina. I’m offering to teach you about the relationship of a Dom and his sub. No strings, no emotional entanglements. Just a chance to explore and research and learn.”

  She tried to lift her head. Was this really happening? If so, it was her fantasy come true. “You’d be like, what, my teacher?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’d have sex.”

  “Oh, yeah. Part of your education, of course. You don’t find me repulsive, do you?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Come on, Tucker. You know better.”

  He returned to the front of the bench, kneeled, cupped her face, and smiled broadly. Everything inside shifted. That smile turned him from dangerously sexy to lethal. “I find you attractive and desirable, so sex would be a nice little side benefit to your education.”

  Before she could form a coherent reply, he’d removed the restraints and was helping her off the bench. Staring up into his amused, blue eyes, she was confused and definitely off balance.

  “If you’d like to learn more, come back tonight, nine o’clock. I promise I’m a very good teacher.” He tugged her close. “I can teach you a lot about yourself as well. You’re a very sexy woman, Regina.” He fisted his hands in her hair, lifted her onto her toes, and claimed her mouth with hungry urgency, his tongue sweeping inside, swirling around, and stroking her to ecstasy. Everything felt light and bubbly as though she’d drank an entire bottle of champagne.

  Tucker had thrown her off balance before the kiss. Now, she simply fell, whirled, and spun down a long, brightly colored tunnel that sparked and flashed with lights of pure joy. She hung on, gave herself to him, and prayed for the kiss, the moment to never end.

  He tasted hot, spicy, forbidden, and yummier for it. Her no men rule flew out her head along with every coherent thought. His tongue rasped over hers, each touch fleeting as he refused to allow her to close her lips over him and suck to her heart’s content. As he had on his spanking bench, he controlled her every movement, giving her what he wanted and taking the same.

  He deepened the kiss, sending need into her stomach where it jittered and flipped, then bounced from throat to toes and back up to slam deep in her core where the ache he’d created cried for release. So lost in his kiss, in the taste and feel of him, she stumbled when he released her and stepped back. Each indrawn gasp of air was a shallow whisper of her lungs.

  “Stay and explore. And Gina… If you take me up on the offer for tonight, leave the panties and bra off.” He left the room.

  Chapter Three

  Regina, in her master bedroom, paced from mirror to closet. A pile of clothes on her bed spoke of her indecision. What did a woman wear when planning an evening of sex? It wasn’t like she was going on a romantic date with the hope of sex or that she needed to dress to tempt Tucker into making love to her, as sex was the point of this rendezvous. Which meant it didn’t really matter what she wore.

  “This is totally nuts. I don’t need lessons.” Hadn’t she been married and endured sex whether she was in the mood or not, even when her husband couldn’t satisfy her needs or didn’t care enough to take the time to see to her pleasure as well as his?

  Endured.

  That was the key right there. She had a feeling Tucker would put her needs first. After all, that was the tradeoff between a Dom and sub. If she gave him control over her, he was supposed to pleasure her—his words. Just thinking of him giving her that kind of pleasure had her body vibrating with need.

  She studied her reflection in the mirror. She’d finally settled on a short, silky green skirt, paired with a skimpy tank that left her arms looking as pale as her face except for the rosy glow to her cheeks. The top was snug enough to reveal she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her nipples jutted out, two hidden points. The outfit showed off her curves and a lot of leg.

  She felt like she’d traveled back in time to her single days when she and her pals had gone bar hopping, hoping to get lucky. And that was just insane. She didn’t do things like this. She whirled away from the mirror and paced her bedroom from balcony door to hall door.

  Earlier, after that toe-curling kiss, she’d taken him at his word and checked out the rest of his playroom before leaving. It was enlightening. One cupboard held a display of whips, floggers, paddles, and riding crops. She’d shut that door quickly. Another drawer revealed cuffs and restraints. Leather bands, fur cuffs that snapped together, and handcuffs that looked very real.

  But it was the large drawer of vibrators, bullets, butt plugs and so many other intriguing toys that nearly had her coming right then and there. She’d been tempted to try out his goodies. She flushed as she remembered how she’d actually handled a few, turning them on and imagining them being used to make her beg for satisfaction. After that, she’d rushed home and into a cold shower and resisted the very real urge to use her own vibrator. Or hell, her fingers. Or fuck, the jets of water from the hand held showerhead. Instead, she’d decided to wait, and now, she was having second, third, and fourth thoughts on returning to Tucker and his playroom.

  She glanced at the alarm clock on her bedside table. She had fifteen minutes to talk herself out of doing something totally crazy. Remember your vow. No men. Career. Book due. Yeah, what she needed to do was stay home and write. Just to go to her computer and forget about her sexy neighbor.

  She hurried into her office, sat, and tapped her mouse. The laptop flared to life. She skimmed what she’d written earlier. Damn, it was good. She’d introduced Jake to a vanilla sub and was able to write how it felt to lay on a spanking bench and the panic at being restrained for the first time.

  God, she still couldn’t believe she’d allowed Tucker to restrain her, touch her, and then just leave her aching with need. She typed a few words, went back, changed a word or two, and felt Jake glance out of the screen at her.

  Babe, what are you doing here? Get gone. Go get fucked.

  “You are not real and can’t tell me what to do.”

  He only smiled and turned his back on her. She groaned. Unfortunately, he was right. There was no way she was going to write while thinking of Tucker over there waiting for her.

  ****

  Tucker stood in the center of his playroom. “What the fuck were you thinking?” He never acted impulsively, and bringing Gina in here had been impulsive and foolish. For years, he’d fantasized about his dad’s neighbor. She’d been his first love, but she’d been too young. He’d gone into the service at eighteen, and by the time he got out, she’d been married. He’d been forced to content himself with news from his da
d or the occasional glance or conversation during holidays when she and her husband came to visit her parents and his dad.

  Now, everything had changed. She was divorced and he was living next door. He’d told himself she was still off limits. He had needs not every woman understood, and relationships took time and energy. On top of that, he wasn’t planning to stay, and it was clear she’d made her home here.

  Tucker circled his spanking bench. He’d moved it to the center of the room. Nerves made relaxing impossible. What would he do if Gina didn’t show up? Could he accept her decision or would he, being so close to breaking down her wall of reserve, go over there and try to convince her to give him a chance?

  Before today, he’d accepted that she was out of reach. His being a Dom the biggest reason. He wouldn’t have been able to bear her rejection of him and the lifestyle he’d chosen. But after this morning, that no longer applied. If he wasn’t mistaken, and he didn’t think he was, his Gina was a natural submissive. She’d been totally turned on and aroused, even before she’d climbed onto the spanking bench.

  And once he’d restrained her, the heat level in his blood shot sky-high. Fuck. The fire in his veins had reached flashover, and it had taken every ounce of control he could muster not to peel her panties down and feast on her wet pussy. Her scent, the way she wiggled that sweet ass left him barely able to speak and every step painful. Even remembering those short, heavenly minutes sent lust slamming into his balls and the blood in his head shooting into his dick. What he wouldn’t have given to shove two fingers into her hot, wet pussy and feel her pulsing, swollen flesh.

  Leaning on the bench, shoulders hunched, he fought the yearnings pounding in both body and mind. It shocked him to realize just how much he needed her to come to him. And not just so he could run his hands from the nape of her neck to the crest of her ass. Her giving him permission to demonstrate the bench had shocked the shit out of him, and he silently prayed for her to return and play for real. If she did, well, it meant maybe he had a chance, a real chance of making his dreams come true.

  Regina Cox was his dream woman, the reason he favored redheads when he dated or engaged in play. He couldn’t believe the fate of luck that sent her manuscript pages into his yard and how that simple event had triggered his heart to swell with a hope he’d never before allowed.

  For months, he’d tried to reacquaint himself with his childhood crush, even if the chances of it going any further than friendship had been slim. Her indifference and standoffish attitude had been a challenge. More importantly, Gina didn’t bore him. In fact, he couldn’t recall the last time he’d been so excited or so desperate to have a woman. He’d been determined to break through the wall she’d erected between them.

  “Don’t get your hopes up,” he murmured. “Protect yourself because even if she does show up, it doesn’t mean she’s interested in anything more than research and no strings sex.”

  He pushed up and strode across the room to a large armoire. His determination to keep his emotions distanced was crumbling like the walls of Jericho. This, for him, was more than just a play session or research. Yeah, he’d told her no strings and he’d stick to that, but as far as his being emotionally involved? He was totally fucked. During their research—god, he loved that word—he’d demand everything from her, give it in return, and hope it led to more.

  Closing his eyes, her features played across his mind, a full-featured, techno-colored movie. Her long limbs, curvy body, thick cloud of golden-red hair, and all those lovely freckles dusting pale skin with a hint of roses lingering just below the surface were enough to drive any man wild. Add in her wide, intelligent eyes so bright a green… He could fall into those cool pools and happily drown. And sweet Jesus, her full, pouty, sexy mouth begged to be kissed. His dick stirred thinking about that very brief kiss before he’d fled her presence in this very room.

  Fuck. He was in a bad way. He ran his hands along the surface of the leather bench, but instead of feeling cold leather, he felt the long line of Gina’s back, the gentle slope rising over the firm globes of her ass, and her soft, smooth thighs.

  The ache in his balls refused to go away. It ate at his mind like a decaying tooth. With each passing minute, lust ran like a flooding stream bowling over everything in its path. God, if she didn’t come, he was in for a painful night.

  The sound of the doorbell made him jump. As though he’d been holding his breath, his body sagged with relief. His dream woman was here, and he couldn’t wait to spank that mouth-watering ass, hear her breathy cries as he brought her to one climax after another. With his gut twisted in knots, he ran down the stairs.

  ****

  Regina barely restrained herself from licking her lips. As earlier, Tucker wore low riding jeans and nothing else. Her hungry gaze roamed slowly over his yummy chest, wide shoulders, flat belly, and a nice, encouraging, and heart-stopping bulge beneath his zipper. Good god, he truly was one of the heroes she created for her heroines but hot damn, this hunk, this Dom, was hers. At least for a little while.

  Research material. Though she had rules against dating, she had no such rule about research. Earlier, she hadn’t been sure she could climb back on that bench and let him restrain her, as that also meant letting him spank her. Holy cow! She was here, and she was going to go through with it.

  “You came.”

  Unable to resist this time, she licked her lips and nodded. She didn’t think she could speak.

  “I’m glad.” His arms wrapped around her shoulders and swept her into the foyer, shut the door, and lowered his head. His tongue traced a path along her lower lip.

  Regina parted her lips and gave herself over to his commanding kiss. It was clear he was in charge from that moment on. His tongue delved deep, danced, and curled with hers. Each thrust sent pulses of need echoing deep into her center, and when he sucked her tongue into his warm, moist mouth, lust stronger than any she’d ever known rose from her toes to lodge in her throat.

  Her heart pounded, and she couldn’t draw enough air into her starved lungs. Light headed and weak, she’d have slid to the tile in a boneless puddle had he not banded his arms around her. When he lifted his head, his eyes were dark, bottomless pools and his lips as red and swollen as hers felt.

  He looked pleased. “Very glad you came.” He stepped back. “Up you go.” He indicated the stairs.

  Gripping the wooden banister, she struggled with each step, tempted to turn and just jump into his arms and let him take her right there. The landing seemed too far. Her heart pounded so hard, she couldn’t hear anything. Finally, reaching the top of the stairs, she headed for the room where it all began.

  “In here.” Tucker guided her through the bedroom into a large, bright dressing room.

  “Stand in front of the mirror, pet.”

  She faced the full-length mirror, and he took his place behind her. His gaze was intense, his features taut. He wore none of the playful humor she’d tried to write into Jake’s character, and that was the problem, or one of the problems, with her novel. She was fighting to put her idea of who Jake was into a pretty well-defined hero who wasn’t having any of it.

  A sharp tug to her hair had her gasping. “Stay with me, Gina.”

  She sighed. “This is very awkward. I don’t, um, do things like this.”

  “Like what?” He ran his palms across the top of her shoulders, back and forth.

  She wrinkled her nose. “Sex. With a stranger.” She held out her hands, palms up. “I mean, I know you, but I don’t. I—I’m a bit nervous.”

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Yeah, you know I do, but—”

  “That’s all you need. From this point on, until we are done, you are to address me as Sir or Master.”

  In the mirror, her eyes went wide. “Really? This isn’t for real, Tucker.”

  “You are here to learn what it is to be submissive.” He threaded his hands in her hair, divided the thick strands, and began to braid it.

  Tha
t small intimate act soothed some of her nerves. And Lord help her, she was already humming with need. Staring at herself, she saw her nipples protruding under her shirt. Yeah, she was as horny as a rabbit on steroids.

  Tucker banded the end of her braid. “Are you wearing panties?”

  Heat raced into her face. “No.”

  He tugged her braid hard.

  She swallowed her pride. “No, Sir.”

  He chuckled. “Not so difficult, is it? Now, lift your skirt for me.”

  Regina gulped. She knew Doms commanded, and that deep, rumbling, dark voice certainly sent desire skittering down her spine. Holy shit, it wasn’t so easy to just jump into sex without the romance—or appearance of it—or any kind of warm up.

  “This is your first test, pet. A sub obeys her Dom. If you don’t do as I ask, I’ll assume this is too much for you and we’ll call it off and go back to being neighbors.”

  Oh, hell no. She was going through with it. And not just for the research. How often did a woman get the chance for her fantasies to come true? Nervous and incredibly turned on, she lifted her skirt. Fingers of cool air rushed along her heated and moist flesh. She blushed when she realized her inner thighs were already damp. She followed his gaze in the mirror down to her thick thatch of golden curls. He wrapped his hands around her waist and drew her back so they stood flush.

  “Very nice, pet.” His palms glided down her arms, his fingers brushing hers as she clutched her skirt. “Kneel and show me the submissive pose please.”

  Regina let her skirt fall as she lowered herself, clasped her hands behind her back, and angled her head down. Her research had taught her a few things. He adjusted her shoulders, urged her knees farther apart and then he knelt behind her, so close, his heat and musky scent formed a sexual haze that enveloped her in a very warm cocoon.

  “Very good. This is exactly what I expect from my subs.” His hands skimmed over her sides and rose to cup her breasts. “You may lift your head and look at me in the mirror.” He waited until their gazes met and held. “Here’s what I propose. You are doing this for research, correct?” He drew small circles around each hidden nipple.