Blush

by Lauren Jameson

  “Alex.” Maddy twisted the hem of her T-shirt in suddenly nervous fingers. “I—”

  The words she was about to say were cut off by his lips. Without warning, he crushed her to him. His movements were precise, strong, and graceful, as one hand slid behind her left knee and drew her leg up so that it was wrapped around his waist.

  She gasped into his mouth as the soft center of her heat pressed into his pelvis. He was hard, and it still astounded her that his arousal was because of her.

  Maddy was out of breath when he finally pulled back. She eyed him warily as he cocked an eyebrow down at her.

  “What are you doing here, Alex?” She was nervous, but the feeling was only superficial. Once again, being around him eased the tight snarl of tension that had been her ever-present companion for so long.

  “I thought I’d show you what you were missing.”

  Maddy expected cockiness to follow his words, but instead she saw that he was being serious. He was aroused, but she could see from the look on his face that it wasn’t a game. The solid ridge of his cock rubbed through the thick denim of her jeans, and liquid heat surged to her center.

  “I can’t get you out of my head.”

  “That’s not fair.” Damn it, she couldn’t think when he was touching her.

  His expression unreadable, Alex released Maddy’s leg and she slid down his body, feeling every ridge of his muscles along the way.

  “I’ll use everything I’ve got if it means that I can have you.”

  Her insides churned. If he can have me. He was talking only about sex. She had known it all along, but hearing it in so many words tasted like vinegar.

  If she let herself, she could have feelings for him. The last thing she could handle was getting close to someone again.

  So perhaps it was best that she was just a conquest.

  She bit her lip as she looked up at him, not sure of what to say.

  “I’m tempted to punish you right now.”

  Maddy’s trepidation melted quickly into lust tempered with anger. “For what? Not signing your little document yet?”

  The look on his face made her blanch with fear . . . not fear that he would actually harm her, no, but she knew he would do something, and her mind couldn’t even begin to process the possibilities of what that could encompass.

  “Don’t push me, Maddy.” The set of his lips grew even more firm.

  “Or what?” Her reserve flew out the window. She was so incredibly frustrated with her life, and the safeness that she felt around Alex made him the perfect target. “What will you do? Spank me? Lock me in your dungeon? Use your ropes and whips?”

  His hands were under her ass, lifting, before she’d finished speaking. She clung to his shoulders for support, startled as he lifted her right off the ground. One hand slid up the hem of her T-shirt. Pulling the wire of her bra down until her breast plumped out over the top of it, he began to stroke his fingers over her nipple, which bunched up tightly beneath his touch.

  “All of the above, Maddy, and more. I will do whatever I want to, for no reason other than the fact that it pleases me.” His lips were a whisper from hers, but though she closed her eyes in anticipation of a kiss, none came.

  She moaned softly and tilted her head back. His lips trailed down to the hollow of her throat, where he pressed a kiss against the soft skin that lay in the crevice of her collarbone.

  “Don’t pretend anymore, Maddy.” Bracing her against the door of her car, Alex tangled his fingers in the length of her ponytail and tugged gently. “Be honest with yourself. I know you want this. I can see it in every inch of you. I know what I’ve proposed is scary. But I’ll take care of you, take care of every single one of your needs. That’s the whole point of your ceding control to me.”

  She trembled as he continued to work the fingers of his one hand over the achingly tight bud of her nipple. Everything that he said was true. She wanted this. She wanted him.

  The idea of giving up control to him appealed to her on every possible level.

  “Alex, I . . .” Maddy’s voice trailed off. The reason that she was shying away was likely not one that he’d think of.

  “Just one night, Maddy.” His voice was husky as he stroked his fingers through the length of her ponytail. “Just let me show you what I can give you.”

  “We’ve already had one night.” His fingers continued to strum her nipple, and she quivered. She wanted him inside of her, now. It was all that she could think about.

  “That was vanilla sex, Maddy. And while I admit that vanilla sex with you has given me a taste for it, I want to show you more. I want to take you farther.” She arched into his hand. They were in the parking lot of her apartment building, where anyone could see them, but she just didn’t care.

  “Okay.”

  Alex’s body went rigid against Maddy’s as she agreed. He exhaled, long and deep. “You won’t regret it.”

  Maddy buried her face into his neck. She was too embarrassed to look him in the eye.

  “Maddy.” The tone of Alex’s voice changed in an instant. The stern way he pronounced her name had her jerking her head up to look at him full on. There—there. He’d wrapped dominance around himself like a cloak.

  “Maddy, you will hold your head up about your decision. You will not be ashamed of it.” Holy hell. He wasn’t kidding. Maddy wondered what he would do if she dared to disobey . . .

  That question encompassed entirely too much. Instantly, she was struck with a surge of nerves. Pleasant little sizzles of sensation, they begin to tap-dance in her belly.

  “All right.” Uh-oh. There was that frown again. What had she done? Maddy eyed him warily, and his lips curled up in the start of a sensual smile.

  “The correct response is ‘Yes, Sir.’”

  He read her thoughts on her face. He was not pleased.

  “Maddy, I know you’re new to this. But you have to trust me. You feel a need to please me, and in turn, I will give you what you need. But you have to play by the rules.”

  Maddy considered her options. There weren’t any. If she wanted to continue—and oh, she did—then she had to do as he said.

  “Yes . . . Sir.” She placed a sarcastic emphasis on the title, reflecting that at least he hadn’t asked her to call him Master of the Universe, or something like that.

  She squeaked when, without warning, he flipped her over his shoulder and began to walk toward the building. She squirmed, but one of his arms was wrapped around her knees and his other hand was splayed firmly over her ass. She was upside down, her eyes level with the exquisite view of his sculpted ass.

  “What the hell are you doing?” The hand splayed on her ass pulled back, then came down on the globes of flesh with a large crack. Maddy jolted, shocked. “Alex!”

  Alex didn’t respond. Maddy fumed silently as he carried her right up to her front door. There, he slid her down his body—deliberately, she knew—so that she could feel how very aroused he was.

  “Your keys, Maddy.” The metal ring was fisted tightly in her hand. Maddy clenched her jaw, suddenly second-guessing her decision to go further with this . . . with him.

  “You spanked me. In public!” If she were honest, she would have had to admit that, while definitely mortified, she was also incredibly aroused.

  Alex placed a finger under her chin and tilted her face up so that she had to look right at him. With his free hand, he nipped the keys from her fingers and, taking his eyes off of her for only a second, unlocked the door to her apartment.

  “The rules, Maddy. Play by the rules.” He looked at her steadily, and Maddy swallowed hard. “Do you trust me?”

  She did. There was no rational basis for it, but she did.

  “All right.” A smile of satisfaction covered Alex’s face before he again morphed into that other persona. Maddy gulped, a mouse facing a lion, as he ran a finger over her collarbone and down to the hollow between her breasts.

  “You don’t get to mouth off to your Dom. If you
do, it will result in a punishment, such as a spanking. The spanking will be administered whenever and wherever I see fit, since it is to please me and me alone. Do you understand?”

  Maddy opened her mouth to remind him that he wasn’t her Dom yet. He arched an eyebrow before she spoke, and she swallowed back the words hastily.

  “Okay.” She was trying, she was, but he was waiting for something else. Belatedly she added, “Yes . . . Sir.”

  She thought she’d managed to keep any hint of sarcasm out of her voice, but only marginally. Still, he finally nodded, then placed his fingers on the small of her back and urged her inside.

  Immediately, she noticed the apartment was hot—Maddy tried not to run the air-conditioning too often, to save on the bill. She began to perspire, her shirt sticking to her back and stomach. Alex, damn him, looked as cool and collected as always, even though he was the one who was wearing a button-down shirt, suit, and tie.

  “Is your air-conditioning broken?” He frowned slightly, then loosened the knot on his tie. Ha, Maddy thought. He’s warm, too. It was a hint that he was human.

  “No, it works.” She wasn’t about to tell him why she kept it off. He nodded, then looked around the small room. When he saw the wall register, he headed toward it.

  “Don’t!” Maddy’s voice was sharper than she’d intended.

  Alex turned and raised an eyebrow at her. “Maddy, it’s steaming in here, and I intend to have you even hotter in a few minutes.” His words alone had exactly that effect. “If it’s the bill you’re worried about, I’ll take care of it.”

  “You will not.”

  He glowered, and Maddy scowled right back. She didn’t care about playing by his rules right at that moment. He would not pay her bills. She was not a whore.

  “It’s part of my responsibility as a Dom.” He looked like he was ready to ignore her and turn the air-conditioning on anyway. Maddy schooled her face into a mask of severity, as much as she was able to. “I’m supposed to take care of your needs.”

  “We haven’t discussed things in much detail yet, Alex. Aren’t we supposed to discuss . . . what are they called? Hard and soft limits? You paying my bills is a hard limit.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she tapped her foot. “Besides, tonight is just a trial run, remember? You’re not my Dom yet. If we continue with this, then we can discuss your desire to . . . to take care of my needs.”

  He looked so sexy, all angry and with his tie half loosened. Right now there was only one need that Maddy wanted him to take care of, and it wasn’t her electricity bill.

  Leaving the thermostat, he began to move toward her. His expression was ominous. Maddy retreated a step, not sure what he had in mind.

  “Until I sign it, I get some say. This isn’t about playing by the rules, Alex. This is about my dignity. And you’re not paying for anything yet, so for now, the AC stays off.”

  It was the word dignity that got his attention. She could see his quick contemplation, his infinitesimal hesitation, and then he was moving toward her again.

  “Very well.” Loosening his tie the rest of the way, he tugged it over his head and sent it flying. “We’ll save the shower for after, then.”

  “After?” His fingers were undoing the buttons on his shirt, and the hard flesh that was revealed nearly rendered Maddy mute.

  He grinned, the expression wicked, and finished opening his shirt. It hung loose and open, revealing a taut stomach, ridges of muscle, and the sexy jut of his hip bones.

  She tried hard not to drool.

  “Yes, Maddy. After.” Tucking a finger into the neckline of her shirt, he pulled her against his firm chest. Bending to brush his lips over her ear, he whispered something that made her heart stutter.

  “We’re about to get very sweaty.”

  • • •

  Alex threw his shirt to the floor as soon as they were through the bedroom door. Slowly, he placed Maddy on the ground, again sliding her down his body ever so slowly, something he loved to do because it let him feel every bit of her body against his skin.

  Releasing her with a last gentle play of his fingers on her skin, he seated himself on the edge of her bed, leaning his weight back on his hands, and instructed her to undress.

  A visible tremble passed through her. Did she still feel exposed under his gaze? He wanted her to feel more comfortable around him.

  But if she didn’t strip, he would take care of the job for her. And to that end . . . she wanted to please him. Watching her undress would clearly do this.

  Inhaling deeply against him, Maddy fisted her slender fingers in the hem of her T-shirt, then pulled it over her head. Alex watched intently as she tossed the worn cotton to the floor, enjoying the way she moved.

  “Very nice.” Unzipping the fly of his dress trousers, he pulled the elastic of his black boxer briefs down for his erect cock to spring free. Continuing to watch her, he fisted his erection in his hand and stroked up and down.

  Maddy gasped. He had touched himself deliberately—if she had any doubts at all about how strong his desire for her was, he wanted her to see the rigid length of his erect penis and to know the strength of his arousal.

  Maddy lowered her lids, the fringe of her lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. Fuck, but she was beautiful and so sweet. She pulled at him.

  He wanted to be inside of her.

  “Undress.” Hastily, she shimmied her jeans down to the floor. She hesitated momentarily with the clasp of her bra, but one glance at Alex’s face seemed to urge her forward. The simple bra fell to the floor with the rest.

  Under his stare, Maddy hooked her fingers in the elastic at the sides of her bikini panties. Alex shook his head, and she froze.

  “Come here.” With his free hand, he beckoned her forward. He wanted to touch her.

  He knew that she would expect his hands to move to the usual places. Wanting to throw her off balance, he bent his head and pressed a damp, openmouthed kiss to the swell of her belly.

  He heard a soft sigh of pleasure.

  Relinquishing his grip on his cock, Alex reached for Maddy’s hips. He pulled her panties down until they, too, fell to the floor.

  “Step out.” She did, swallowing thickly. “Hold still.”

  Maddy froze in place as he looked her over, top to toes. He wanted to lick every last bit of that gorgeous, creamy skin, and took his time looking his fill.

  She reached out with eager fingers for his erection, her expression surprised when he caught her hands before they could grasp him.

  “Did I do something wrong?” Maddy sounded suddenly unsure.

  Clasping her wrists in one hand, Alex reached across the bed for the leather toy bag that he’d brought in from the car. He squeezed her wrists firmly as she asked.

  “You will never have to wonder that with me, Maddy.” He needed her to know that. It was the responsibility of a Dom to tell his submissive exactly what he wanted and expected, so that they didn’t have to decide on their own. Pressing a quick kiss to her knuckles, he opened the zipper of his leather bag with his free hand. “You don’t have to question things. I will tell you if I don’t like something. I promise.”

  “O-okay,” Maddy stuttered, watching through nervous eyes as he pulled a long, silky scarf from his bag. Her body jerked beneath his fingers when he looped it around her wrists and tied a firm knot.

  “We’re going to take it easy tonight, Maddy. Okay?” He slid a finger between the scarf and her skin, testing to make sure that it wasn’t too tight. “Right now we’re going to choose a safe word. If at any point you want me to stop, you’ll use this word. Are we agreed?”

  Her wrists secured, he pulled his bag into his lap and looked up at Maddy. He loved the way she looked, so wanton, standing there in front of him, naked and bound.

  Maddy pulled against the restraint. He let her test. It wasn’t that tight. If she wanted to, she could probably free herself from it. It was more symbolic than anything.

  It represented the fact that she was
ceding control to Alex. She wouldn’t get control back until they were done, or she used the safe word.

  Before his eyes, he saw calm begin to wash over her. No decisions. She didn’t have to do anything except what he told her to.

  “Safe word, Maddy. What’s your safe word going to be?” She blinked as he asked. But he needed her to repeat it, needed to remind her that she had one. If she used it, everything stopped.

  “Um, I’m not sure. Isn’t there, like, a generic word? One that everyone uses?”

  From his bag, Alex pulled out a set of elastic cords that resembled a pair of incredibly skimpy underwear but that had a much more pleasurable purpose. Wrapping them around her hips, her legs, he clipped the garment closed in the front.

  “Red is a fairly common one, and I’ll consider it a safe word if you use it.”

  Maddy gasped when Alex parted the folds of her labia, then settled the small, hard part of the garment directly over her clit. He adjusted the way the elastic cords sat so that the small thing stayed where he put it.

  “However, I would like you to choose your own unique word.” Alex showed Maddy a small black remote. Pressing a button on it, he grinned up at her, then pressed it again.

  After a second’s delay, a quick burst of vibration worked through the small object. Maddy cried out, her knees buckling as she leaned forward to grab for Alex’s shoulders.

  Her hands were bound, and she would have fallen had he not caught her. Letting her think on that, he stroked one hand over her forearm as she regained her senses, glaring down at him.

  “No glaring,” he reminded her, pulling yet something else from his bag, though he didn’t let Maddy see it yet. “Now. Safe word. Choose one, and we can have some more fun with this.”

  One more quick blast of sensation, and she pulled at her bonds. Her head fell back, the ends of her ponytail caressing the skin of her shoulders beautifully.

  “Maddy!” She shook her head, her entire body braced for the next tease. “Now.”

  “Blackjack!”

  He rewarded her with another, slightly longer vibration from the powerful vibrator between her legs.

  She sagged against Alex when he again turned it off, her arms pressing against his chest, and he chuckled into her neck. “What is this thing?”