by Michelle
Kellie cringed. “I’ve never done...this.”
Mark’s head dropped to the side and he smiled like a cat with a new bowl of cream. “Really? We’ll take it slow. Relax your jaw and open.”
She leaned forward and the bulbous head settled on her bottom lip. On impulse, her tongue shot out and licked the moisture from the slit.
Mark’s quick inhalation had her knees giving out and she sank into a sitting position on the floor with her head down. “I’m sorry.”
The rumble above sounded like...laughter?
“Don’t be sorry, honey.” He reached for her hand, pulled her back to her knees, and then all the way to her feet. “You just surprised me.”
Wrapping her arms around her waist, she wasn’t sure what to do next. Hot water still flowed and steam coated the glass walls with moisture while she shivered, so out of her league she couldn’t think of anything to say.
Mark switched off the water and grabbed a huge towel from the stack. She was enveloped in the warm fluff of it while he stood naked and aroused beside her. A smaller towel wrapped around her hair, his big hands squeezing and patting before he twisted it up on top of her head.
“What?”
Mark’s warm hand caught her chin and lifted until their eyes met. “I said, let’s get you dried off and fed. We can continue the blow job later. I don’t want you hurting your knees on this hard tile floor.”
He’d dried off and a wrapped a towel around his waist to cover his impressive erection. With quick efficiency, he buffed her dry and put her into a robe with the same texture as the towels, put his own robe on, and led her back into the bedroom.
She finally found her voice when they sat down to breakfast in the windowed alcove of his bedroom. “I’m fumbling through this, you know. It’s not what I expected.”
He buttered a split bagel with cream cheese and put it on her plate. “Life is rarely what you expect it to be. What did you think would happen?”
She stared at him for a moment, his beautiful brown eyes watching her so intently that she hesitated to speak her mind. She winced but said it anyway. “Whips and chains and pain.”
He laughed again, a deep roar of an expression of humor that didn’t carry any disdain. “Every Dom is different, but I don’t believe in taking pleasure from someone else’s pain.” He lifted his cup and sipped, his eyes warm on her face. No, that heat came from her blush. She’d been an idiot.
“Eat, Kellie. I haven’t forgotten where we left off.” Adding fruit and pastries to her plate, Mark grinned again. “I have more than a few things to teach you today. You’ll need the calories.”
Kelli nibbled on the apple Danish he’d put on her plate, surprised he’d pushed the pastries at her. They’d been verboten for years, ever since a long ago boyfriend frowned when she’d ordered dessert. Body image being what it was these days, she didn’t worry much about her weight, but the perception of eating sweets in public remained.
“Were you telling the truth?”
“About what?” She’d been so engrossed in her worries that she’d lost track of the conversation. Not a good idea with Master Mark.
“The blow job.”
Damn it. “Yes. I don’t lie, Mark. May I call you Mark, or do I need to call you master all the time?”
“No. When we’re in the club or with other members at a party it’s appropriate, but here, Mark is fine.”
His eyes traveled over her body and even though she was covered by the robe, she could feel the echo of his hands on her. She looked at her plate, at the wall behind him, anywhere to avoid his gaze while she caught her breath.
“Answer me, Kellie.”
“Yes, I told the truth.”
“And you’ve never taken a man into your mouth?”
Embarrassed, she shook her head.
“Look at me, little one.”
Kellie wished like hell she’d stayed at home. Sex in the dark was okay. Talking about it, not so much.
Mark said her name again, his voice darker than the first time. Pulling her shoulders back, she looked him in the face and waited for his harsh words.
“Are you embarrassed about your innocence?” The corner of his mouth lifted and his head moved from side to side. “Don’t be. I’m feeling a little lucky. And honored you’ll let me teach you.”
The man was a flaming enigma. Nice when he should be fuming. Charming as all get out when he should be tying her to a bed and beating her, and generally making her feel like a bitch because of her actual agenda.
Even worse, she liked him.
If they’d met under any other circumstances, she’d be falling in love with him. It wasn’t even a possibility now.
Still not sure how to respond to his offer, Kellie took a big bite of the pastry and chewed while she thought about how to answer a request to tutor her on oral sex. Emily Post never covered the topic and neither did her mother. Dena would be her best bet for a straight answer, but Mark didn’t look like he wanted to wait for a conference call.
“Kellie, come here.” Mark pushed his chair back from the table and held up a hand. Out of time, she rose and crossed the small space between them. To her surprise, he tugged her onto his lap instead of insisting she go to her knees and open up.
The scent of soap, sex, and clean man surrounded her, loosening her body and her thought process. Even through both robes, his heat penetrated and relaxed.
Dangerous man.
“Are you willing to let me teach you about sex, about how I prefer oral sex?”
One hand stroked up and down her arm and sidetracked her train of thought.
Lethal man.
“Give me the answer I want, little one. Submit to me and open yourself for training.” The words and the voice twined around her until the sensuality of his tone overtook her will to disagree. A hand at her hip pulled her tighter into his body, the other cupped her chin and brought their mouths together.
Lost in the sensation, she gave him what he wanted, releasing her muscles and melding into his heated body and his rich kiss.
Her Master.
They parted in increments of motion, separating lips, adjusting perspective while maintaining eye contact, the subtle divide of body parts. Breathing resumed but control of her body remained his while he held her tight.
“Do you have an answer for me?”
How could she refuse when he used that tone? How was she ever going to walk away from him with the information she needed without losing herself completely? Talk about a dilemma. Once he knew of her motivation for being in his precious club, he’d have her flat on her back in the parking lot of said club.
In the meantime, flat on her back in his bed sounded like a great idea.
“Yes, I’ll do as you ask.”
A smile lit his face, pure male satisfaction for her capitulation. “Good. Let’s get you dressed.”
“What—I thought we were going to—”
“Spend the day having sex?” Mark shook his head and set her on her feet. “Dominance and submission isn’t always about sex. I’d like to know more about you before I start pushing your boundaries.”
Kellie took a few steps back, ostensibly to make room for him near the table, but mostly to separate herself from the looming idea of baring her soul to him. She’d come on this trip to gain insight into BDSM, not to go through some psychological strip search.
“What do you want to know?”
He walked past her and flipped open her suitcase. When he turned back, he had a skirt and blouse in his hand. “Get dressed, Kellie. We’ll talk while we walk.”
Turning toward him to argue, she got a shocking view of his butt as a pair of boxers slid up and over the well-defined muscles. A pair of jean shorts followed the cotton undies.
“Hey, why don’t I get to wear panties?”
The evil man turned, raked his eyes over her from head to toe, raised an eyebrow, and shook his head.
Message sent. Don’t argue.
Harder to
deal with than the sexual issues.
He took her hand on the way down the stairs. “The lack of clothing, panties today, more—or rather, less, tomorrow, makes you more aware of your sexuality. Makes me more aware of how easy it will be to get you naked.”
“You said the D/s relationship wasn’t just about sex. Now you’re changing that statement.”
“It’s complicated, little one.”
Kellie came to a complete stop on the stairs. “Why do you keep calling me that?”
“Because it suits you.” He tugged at her hand and went down another step, but she didn’t budge.
“No, it doesn’t.”
“Yes, it does. Don’t argue.” For once, she didn’t succumb to the Master’s Voice tone he loved to fling at her.
“I’m not little. I’m an adult.”
His wolfish grin flashed and stayed in place. “Yes, a beautiful adult woman. But you’re also a little wisp of a lady.”
She started to shake her head but his hands encased her chin. “Don’t argue. I know what I see, and I like it. Now, let’s go.”
When they hit the bottom step, Kellie looked around. She hadn’t seen much of the house when they arrived last night. Lots of hardwood flooring and big overstuffed furniture filled the living room. She glimpsed a large dining room and a few other rooms, one that looked like an office, as he hurried her to the front door.
“I’ll show you the rest of the house when we get back.”
“Where are we going? Do we have an appointment?”
Mark closed the door behind them and took a deep breath. “There’s nothing like the scent of the ocean, is there?”
From the front stoop, she could see the waves rolling in from the bay across the street. The blue-green water sparkled in the sunshine while white caps raced up the sand.
“It’s beautiful.”
They strolled down the sidewalk to the street, and then turned left. One block down, they crossed the busy road at a light. The sidewalk bordering the beach was wide and clean, with concrete benches every few yards. It was the middle of the week, so there weren’t many tourists and the beach itself was mostly empty. When they came to a set of concrete stairs leading to the sand, Mark turned and started down. At the bottom, they discovered a cement platform with benches facing the sea. They sat only long enough to take off their shoes.
Hand in hand, they stepped out into the warm sand, shoes dangling from their fingertips.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“It’s wonderful. I’ve never been to the coast. When I was a kid, we always went north to visit relatives on vacation.”
“This has always been my favorite destination. We traveled all over the place when I was growing up, but this part of Texas was my first choice when it was my turn to choose.”
“Do you come here often?”
“Every chance I get.”
Kellie stopped to pick up a spiral shell. “Be careful. That might be someone’s home,” Mark told her.
When long black legs curled out one side of the shell, Kellie squealed and dropped it back to the damp sand, both of them laughing.
As they moved down the shoreline, the soft breeze filled with the scent of the sea, and the sound of the waves rushing up and down the water’s edge lulled her into a calm camaraderie.
“Do you have business here?”
He gave her a strange look, trying to dissect her question. “I have some business interests in the area, but not what you’re thinking.”
She laughed. This was fun, bantering with him, just being friendly. “What am I thinking?”
“You’re thinking I have clubs scattered all over the place.”
“Do you?”
“No. There are three Private Delights clubs under construction, but this part of Texas wouldn’t be a good location. And this is my vacation home. I don’t want to spoil it with work.”
“I thought I was work.”
The intense look in his eyes took her breath. “No, little one. Introducing you to submission isn’t work at all. It’s playtime.”
Leaving her to think about his comment, he led her closer to the water’s edge. The sea rushing over their feet was warm, the breeze bordering on hot even in the spring, and gulls swooped and called to each other in the sky overhead.
Guilt pricked at the back of her neck. He’d gone to a lot of trouble to bring her here and teach her about his lifestyle. He’d been nice to her and she planned to torpedo his club with her article.
He’s a sexual deviant. A predator.
But was he really? He didn’t look like one. Sure, looks could be deceiving, but she hadn’t seen any sign of abuse and she’d given him plenty of opportunities to be mad at her. Nada. Calm, cool, and collected, even when he bossed her around, Master Harrison wasn’t the Dominant she’d expected to encounter. Not at all. And the orgasms were mind-blowing.
Unless he was a talented actor, she’d misread him. Lucky her, he was the real deal.
“How do you feel about handcuffs, more specifically, about being tied down?”
Chapter 10
Kellie tripped over her own feet and stayed upright only with his help.
“Um, didn’t we do that this morning?”
“Not completely. I want to know what your limits are. Would you be willing to be tied down completely?”
“I guess so.”
“Would you describe yourself as adventurous?”
“Not really.”
“Seriously?” he asked, his tone skeptical as he tugged her hand.
“Yes. I don’t take chances.”
Mark stopped and turned her to face him. “Look at where you are and who you’re with.”
Kellie looked around. “I’m on a beach in Texas with a man I met through a friend.” She raised her hands and shrugged. “What?”
Mark laughed. “You’re away from home with a man you’ve known for only a few days and he’s teaching you about dominance and submission. You don’t see that as adventurous?”
“Oh. Well, I guess when you put it that way,” she said with a smile. Since Dena knew where she was and who she was with, Kellie hadn’t felt in any danger. Maybe she should.
They started moving again, and Mark’s questions resumed.
“Any fears, phobias, or medical conditions that might be an issue?”
“I don’t like—wait. If I tell you I don’t like bugs are you going to cover me in bugs to make me crazy?”
Mark chuckled and pulled her into a hug. “No, Kellie. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“Good,” she sighed, “because I hate bugs.”
“Duly noted. How do you feel about seafood?”
“I like it. Why? Are you going to cover me in fish and tartar sauce?”
His laugh drew a few glances from a group of beachcombers. “Actually, I was thinking about lunch.” Mark swept her into his arms and twirled her around before setting her feet back on the ground. His mouth came down hard on hers in a hot kiss. “Not everything’s about sex, Kellie.”
They found another platform and took the stairs up to street level where they crossed back into civilization, a bustling restaurant and business area, many with wide windows to the seaside. Mark spoke to the hostess and they were whisked to a corner table with a view of the ocean. Kellie didn’t bother with the menu, remembering Mark’s penchant for taking care of her food choices. It was rather freeing to let someone else make all the decisions. Mark’s pointed ‘good girl’ gave her a little thrill, too. One more thing to make her feel guilty when this was over.
“I can see why you love this place,” she said as she watched the surf moving along the shore across the street. Even enclosed in the building, the scent of the salt spray lingered in her nose. “It’s beautiful, and the air is so refreshing. Not a hint of pollution.”
Mark’s hand settled on her thigh. “I’m glad you’re enjoying the view.”
The waitress arrived with their iced teas at the exact second his fingers bu
rrowed under her skirt. No doubt, he’d timed the onslaught to keep her from protesting. His palm warm against her skin, one finger traced a circular pattern across her knee, moving inexorably up her thigh in tiny increments designed to make her crazy. The lack of panties made it worse.
The tablecloth draped almost to the floor, so he didn’t need to worry about lewd behavior in public, but she’d still be driven nuts by those marauding fingers. A scene from an old movie flashed into her head, a blonde woman faking a loud orgasm in the middle of a restaurant while her embarrassed date watched.
Would she be that woman in a few minutes? And would Mark be embarrassed? Not likely. He might be amused or proud. She couldn’t imagine anything embarrassing Master Mark.
Kellie shifted her legs but his ever-present hand clamped down on her knee. When she looked up, his expression was pure dominance.
“Kellie.” The rough rumble in his voice went straight to her sex, exactly where she didn’t want it. “Misbehave and suffer the consequences.”
He’d planned this from the start. Knowledge didn’t make it easier to handle, and neither did his tone. In a few short encounters, he’d put her under a spell of some sort, a spell of submission where she wanted to please him in all ways.
Rather, she craved pleasing him.
The realization hit her in the gut, pushing away the sexual tension he was building and sending a cold wave of terror over her. It wasn’t Mark she feared. It was capitulation. She’d been in charge of her destiny for too many years to let a man take her hard-won control away. She didn’t know how to let go.
Unfortunately, her body had other plans. It zinged to attention with a mere touch of his fingers or a whisper of his voice in her ear. In less than twenty-four hours, she’d morphed into the submissive Dean wanted her to be when they dated in college. He hadn’t been able to create that woman, but Master Mark knew all the tricks and would easily succeed at the transformation.
She would let him, and she would enjoy it.
Jerking to her feet, she strode past Mark as if the hounds of hell were on her heels.
“What the hell?”
Mark watched her stop to speak with a waitress, and then move deeper into the restaurant. He’d barely begun to tease when she went from warm and inviting to cold and panicky. When the waitress gave him a long look, he motioned for her to come to the table.