by AJ Schippers
It wasn’t long before Ella was suspended in the air. Her knee was pulled up, and even Julia had to admit that it looked absolutely gorgeous, as if Ella were floating in some kind of subspace. She was responsive, but her eyes were closed most of the time as the ropes and Nicky’s hand slowly spun her around.
Alexandra demonstrated the different positions to Nicky, and Julia gasped loudly when Ella was turned upside down. Both Alexandra and Nicky laughed at that, and Julia quickly covered her mouth with her hand. She didn’t want to be in trouble with Alexandra, but one wink from Alexandra quickly put that thought to rest.
Ella’s current position was Julia’s absolute favorite. She looked stunning, and Julia wondered how long she would last suspended upside down like that. Her jealousy was quickly replaced by sheer admiration, and if she was really honest with herself, she was turned on by the scene taking place in front of her. It was as if she were watching a beautifully choreographed dance and she wasn’t ready for the curtains to close yet.
“How are you feeling, Ella?” Alexandra gently asked as she ran her hand through Ella’s hair.
“Like I’ve just been given a good massage,” Ella said, and Alexandra laughed.
“We’re going to untie you now. Take steady breaths. If you start to feel faint, let us know, okay?”
Ella nodded to the best of her abilities before she was turned straight up again and she took a deep breath.
Julia didn’t think it was possible, but the untying of the ropes was almost as sensual as the tying-up process. She never wanted it to end.
Nicky took Ella in her arms when the last of the ropes came off. “I am so proud of you!”
Nestling herself deeper into Nicky’s arms, Ella smiled. “Thank you.” She looked at Alexandra as her cheeks flushed. “Thank you, Miss Alexandra. That was heavenly.”
“You are most welcome, Ella. You did really well.” Alexandra glanced over her shoulder at Julia. “Julia, can you grab a bottle of water from the kitchen and bring it here?”
“Yeah.” She jumped off of the cage and gasped when she noticed the time. It had been almost two and a half hours since they had entered the playroom. After grabbing three bottles of water, she walked back to the playroom and handed them out.
“Thank you, Julia,” Alexandra said as she wrapped an arm around Julia’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you,” she whispered in her ear, following it with a kiss on her cheek. “Nicky, you know what comes next is the most important part.”
“My favorite part—aftercare.” She grabbed Ella’s hand. “I’m going to take Ella to the bedroom and show her exactly how proud I am of her, unless you want us to help you clean up.”
“No, that’s okay,” Alexandra said. “We’ll see you two for dinner.” She beckoned Ella over with a crooked finger and smiled when Ella tentatively stepped forward. “You’re very flexible, Ella,” Alexandra said with a smile. “You should be proud of yourself. You did well.”
“Thank you, Miss Alexandra.” Ella smiled and took the hand that Nicky held out. Her cheeks flushed once more when she looked at Julia. “See you later.”
“See ya.” Julia grinned as she closed the door behind Ella. When she turned around, Alexandra sat on top of the padded cage, her legs crossed. Julia’s breaths came out faster. Alexandra had never looked more attractive, and if she would only ask, Julia would be on her knees for her.
“Come here.”
Julia inhaled sharply as she stood in front of Alexandra and gulped when Alexandra’s legs wrapped around her own to pull her closer. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“Honestly?”
“Always.”
“I was just thinking how at this point I would probably do whatever you ask of me.” The admission made it hard for Julia to keep looking Alexandra in the eye.
“Is that so?” She smiled when Julia nodded. “What was it like watching that?”
“It was beautiful. I never knew it could be like that. I mean, I didn’t really like it at first because you touched her, but you already knew that.”
“Are you curious now? Want to be tied up?”
Julia shifted her weight to her other foot. “I don’t know. I am nowhere near as flexible as Ella is, and I don’t know how I would feel about all of this. Perhaps it’s a little bit too much too soon.”
“That’s very honest of you, and I agree. You’re not ready for that yet. We have other obstacles to overcome first. Perhaps one day, we will get there. For now, though, I will admit that I fully expected you to bolt from this room, and I am incredibly proud that you didn’t. I want to give you a reward for that.”
“Oh?”
“You may choose between two things.”
“Oh dear God,” Julia said. “It’s going to be an impossible choice, isn’t it?”
Alexandra grinned. “You know me well.”
“Okay, what are my options?”
“Eager little thing.” Alexandra smirked. “You may pleasure yourself, one time, without asking me for permission, or you may get a reward of your own choosing.”
Julia whined when she saw Alexandra’s smug look. “Alexandra!”
“I’m quite pleased with myself.” Alexandra grinned as she rolled the fabric of Julia’s shirt between her fingers and gave it a light tug. “What’s it going to be?”
“I know I’ve said it before, but this time I definitely mean it: I really hate you right now,” Julia mumbled as her gaze darted around. “What kind of choice is that?”
Alexandra unwrapped her legs from around Julia, and before Julia knew what was happening, Alexandra had jumped off the cage and pinned Julia against the wall. Alexandra’s eyes darkened as they darted to Julia’s lips. “Five seconds to decide.”
“Alexandra, please, I—”
“Four.”
“Fuck.”
“Two, we’re skipping number three because you swore.”
Julia huffed.
“One.”
Expectant eyes looked at Julia, and she blurted out, “I choose a kiss!”
“Good idea, dear.”
Alexandra’s body pressed into Julia’s, and she smiled, cupping Julia’s cheek with her hand and gently pressing her lips onto Julia’s. When Julia’s mouth opened, a willing tongue darted out to find Alexandra’s. A moan erupted, and Julia had no idea if it belonged to her or to Alexandra. She was vaguely aware of Alexandra’s scent invading her nostrils as her tongue also nipped at her lower lip. Their kiss was slow, and Alexandra’s other hand dug into Julia’s waist before deepening the kiss.
Her lips moved to the corner of Julia’s mouth, down to her jaw, and finally to the pulse point in her neck. She sucked on the skin, and Julia groaned loudly. “Fuck, I should have gone with option one,” she said as she burrowed her hand into Alexandra’s hair.
“What are you doing?” Alexandra said as a hand disappeared beneath her tank top.
“Feeling you up,” Julia whispered as her hand slowly moved up Alexandra’s waist. Her fingers trembled against the soft skin, and her eyes closed when she felt the lace of Alexandra’s bra against the top of her fingers. “May I?”
“I really should say no, but your touch feels heavenly, and I am not quite ready for you to stop yet. So, yes.” A guttural moan escaped from her as her tongue darted out to wet her lips. When Julia’s hand cupped the breast, the nipple hardened immediately, and Alexandra covered Julia’s mouth with her own once more as Julia’s thumb rubbed the rigid peak through the bra.
Alexandra’s knee placed itself firmly between her legs. The hand that had been in Alexandra’s hair dropped immediately to her ass and pulled Alexandra closer.
“All right, brave one, that’s quite enough!” Alexandra laughed breathlessly as she stepped away from Julia. She adjusted her tank top and ran her fingers through her hair. “We’re not going to go there until after we’ve talked.”
Julia groaned. “Did you have to remind me of that?”
Alexandra smiled. “No, but I had to remind
myself of it. We should stick with less…sticky adventures in the meantime.”
“Can I make a request?”
“Of course.” She gathered the ropes and neatly put them away.
“Will you go for a walk with me? Outside?”
Alexandra’s eyebrows raised slightly. “We can do that. Where do you want to go?”
“Doesn’t matter. I just want to get out of the house for a little bit and walk with you. We don’t even have to talk, I just…I just want to be with you for a bit.” She could hear how her own voice was layered with vulnerability.
Alexandra held out her hand for Julia to take and intertwined their fingers. “Sounds perfect to me.”
Chapter 13
Alexandra squeezed the hand that was nestled into hers as they walked along the shoreline. “I really am proud of you for not running off. I don’t want you to think I didn’t have faith that you wouldn’t, though.”
Julia laughed softly. “I think we both know that me running off was a valid possibility. I don’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to this sort of thing.”
“But you didn’t. I like it.” Alexandra smiled as she glanced at Julia. The person walking alongside her seemed like someone completely different than the woman that had so unexpectedly arrived on the island. Julia seemed relaxed now, as if she was completely in her element.
“Lots of changes in the past few days,” Julia said. “I don’t think I ever thought something like this was possible for me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I feel happy. Content, even. Like I could take on the world. It feels strange to me. I don’t have to fight when I’m with you, and I don’t have to put up my defenses. I can just be me.” Julia shrugged. “It feels as if I’m finding myself again.”
Alexandra smiled and let go of Julia’s hand as she pulled her closer. She threw her arm around Julia’s shoulder and nudged her. “You sound happy.”
“I think I am. The only thing that frightens me is that I expect the other shoe to drop at any time,” Julia confessed.
“We’re just going to have to make sure that isn’t going to happen. Not on my watch, anyway. I’ve said it before, and I still stand by it. You deserve nothing but happiness.”
Julia grinned. “Chocolate makes me happy.”
“You’re obsessed with chocolate. Surely there are healthier food options that can make you just as happy,” Alexandra said.
Julia laughed and removed Alexandra’s arm before wading through the water. She turned to walk backward and smiled as she looked at Alexandra, her gaze dropped down to the water surrounding her feet. A mischievous smirk spread across her face when she looked up again.
“Don’t you dare,” she said, holding a finger up in warning. “Don’t even think of splashing me.”
“Or what?”
“I’ll melt all your chocolate and feed it to the fishes.”
Julia’s tongue poked out of her mouth before her teeth caught her lower lip. “I call your bluff.” She moved one foot backward and grinned when Alexandra took a step back and held out a defensive hand.
“Julia Quinn, I swear to G—”
“Tut, tut, Alexandra. No swearing.” Julia kicked her foot forward, splashing Alexandra and laughed loudly as Alexandra gave her a shocked look. But she yelped as soon as Alexandra grinned broadly.
“Run, Ms. Quinn. Run as fast as you can.”
“What?”
“Run,” Alexandra laughed as she lunged forward and chased Julia through the water. Every time she got close enough to grab Julia, Julia would make a sharp turn and run in a different direction. Eventually, she stopped running and stood in place. She felt the smirk on her face. “Julia,” she yelled.
Julia looked over her shoulder and hesitated when she noticed that Alexandra was now standing in the water, beckoning her closer with a curled finger. “You don’t honestly think I’m going to come crawling back to you just because you curl your finger?” Julia asked with a laugh.
Well…if Julia wanted to crawl, Alexandra could make that happen. “I’m not asking you to crawl. Not right now, anyway. Just come here… I have something for you,” she said sweetly.
“I’m not dense, you know!”
“I never said you were. You win. Stop running. Come here, and I’ll give you a treat.”
Julia placed one foot in front of the other, still seeming to contemplate actually moving forward. “What kind of treat?”
“Hmm, how about a kiss?”
“I don’t believe you. You’re luring me into a trap—an evil one, might I add! I’ve done nothing that warrants a treat, and so far you’ve only kissed me as a reward!”
Alexandra laughed at Julia’s deduction, even though Julia was absolutely right. So far she had used kisses as a reward for Julia’s good behavior. “Well, let’s change that, then, shall we?”
Stepping closer to Alexandra, Julia looked surprised when Alexandra wrapped her arms around Julia’s waist and pulled her closer. She relaxed into the embrace. That was her first mistake.
“Gotcha.” Alexandra grinned as she quickly stepped around Julia, wrapped her arms around her, and lifted her up in the air.
“Oh my God!” Julia squealed. “Put me down!”
“Nope.” Alexandra laughed loudly as she stepped further into the water. She was drenched up to her knees now. “If you make me wet, it’s only fair that I should return the favor.”
“Alexandra Ortega, put me down this instant!” Julia was screaming at this point, and Alexandra had tears streaming down her face from laughing so hard. If Julia wriggled any more, Alexandra would actually drop her.
“You know, saying my full name just doesn’t have any effect on me,” Alexandra said with a smile. “Say please.”
“No!”
“I will drop you.”
“You are so impossibly strong, it’s not normal. Are you even human?” Julia screeched.
“Oh my God, stop screaming.” Alexandra laughed. “All you have to do is say please.”
“No! I refuse. Just put me down. I have a concussion!”
Alexandra snorted. “I told you that you were done milking your concussion. I’m going to count down from five, and unless you say please, I will drop you when I get to zero.”
“Alexandra!”
“Five.”
“I won’t say it! Just put me down. This isn’t fair!”
“Four.” She gripped Julia more tightly, so as not to drop her prematurely.
“Fuck!”
“Language, Julia. Three.”
“So, when you said I made you wet, did you mean because I splashed you or because I turned you on?”
Alexandra knew very well the joke was an attempt to distract her. “Two.”
“Oh my God, you can’t be serious,” Julia screeched when Alexandra lowered her arms.
“One.”
“Please!”
Alexandra laughed again. “Please, what?”
“Please put me down!”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes?”
“You don’t sound so sure of yourself, Julia.” Alexandra could feel the muscles in her arms start to tremble now. She was strong, but Julia wriggling in her arms didn’t help her strength one bit. “Where would you like to be put down?”
“Not in the water, obviously.” Julia was breathing heavily now.
Taking a few steps backward, Alexandra laughed and dropped Julia down on the ground again. She moved her arms further around Julia’s waist and pulled her closer to her, then lay her head on Julia’s shoulder. She smiled when Julia’s head rested against her own, and they stood like that for a long time before Julia put her hands over Alexandra’s and quietly spoke.
“I like you.”
“I like you too.”
“But, I mean…I like you a lot. I like sleeping with you, and I like it when you call me Ms. Quinn. And I really like it when you kiss me.”
“As do I.”
“I
don’t want to go home,” Julia whispered, then sighed deeply.
“Then stay.” Alexandra pressed soft lips on the bare skin of Julia’s shoulder. When Julia shivered beneath her touch, she held her tighter. “Stay with me, Julia. I’m not ready to say good-bye to you yet. There are so many things I still wish to do with you.”
“Like what?”
“I want to watch more movies with you. I want to explore more of my playroom with you.” She spun Julia around and cupped her cheek, her thumb brushing over Julia’s lips. “I want to kiss you senseless until your knees buckle, and I want to make love to you.”
Julia cast her gaze down, but there was a hint of a closemouthed smile on her lips. “You asked me a question earlier.”
“I did.”
Julia’s feet shuffled slightly in place, but she looked into Alexandra’s eyes once more. “I am not ready for you to use any titles on me. I want to explore this with you, but I need to do it at my own pace.”
Alexandra smiled. “You have all the time in the world. As far as I am concerned, there’s no need for titles or making any claims on each other, as long as you and I both know that what we’re feeling is mutual.” She was quiet for a while. “There is one more thing…”
“You don’t do vanilla relationships,” Julia finished for her. “I know. I have thought a lot about that, and I think that’s what I meant by saying I’m not ready for any claims made on me. But I do want to explore, whatever that means.”
“So, we’re exploring?”
“Yeah. We’re exploring.” She barely finished talking before Alexandra pulled her closer and placed a soft, lingering kiss on Julia’s lips.
Julia melted against her touch and sighed when Alexandra broke off the kiss.
“I’m not going to enforce any labels on you, Julia. But just so we’re clear, I am the dominant in this exploration.”