by Joely
His thoughts tangled up, thick and heavy and slow. Probably because all the blood in his body had headed south. If she was taking her shoes off, maybe her pants would be next.
“No objection? I figured a big tough cop like you would quake at the thought of kissing a woman’s feet.”
He managed to shrug, though it made the rope burn across his skin. “As long as I get to make my way up those killer legs I don’t think I’d care.”
“Good to know. But I’m funny about certain things, likely because I don’t like sweaty or smelly feet much. If I’m fresh out of the bath, I’ll consider it. Feet are just too gross.”
He stared at her a moment, trying to get his brain to work. She didn’t like feet. But asked about a foot fetish. Did that mean… “What if I did want to suck your toes? Right now?”
She flashed a grin at him as she tossed her shoe aside and worked on the other. “I’d go take a bath first.”
That just seemed so… wrong. She was the Mistress. She ought to get whatever the hell she wanted. Certainly not do things she didn’t like. “That’s fucked up. Isn’t it?”
She tossed that shoe aside and stood, her hands going to the button on her jeans. “Is it? If two people care for each other, don’t they want them taken care of?”
Hypnotized by the slow movements of her fingers as she opened the fly and began to peel the denim down her thighs, he could barely string two words together. “I take care. Of you. Not the other way around.”
She stepped out of her jeans but left her panties on. Black lace, matching the bra. “That’s real sweet, sugar, but there’s more to being a Domme than getting my rocks off.”
Turning, she headed toward her bedroom. Well, he guessed that’s where she was going. She didn’t say and after a few steps, he couldn’t see her any longer. He waited a moment, trying to get his sluggish brain to work. She hadn’t told him to stay or follow. Was this a test? Was he supposed to wait here until she came back? Did he want to be a good soldier boy, as she’d called him? Or a bad, bad boy who broke the rules? What if she came back with something else to try on him? That bridle had been one thing. Fun. Easy. But he’d watched enough of her shows to know that she could bring out contraptions that might make him flee for the door without worrying about his pants.
“Aren’t you coming to bed, sugar?”
That made him scramble to his feet. Well, he tried, but it was damned hard to stand up when he couldn’t use his hands for leverage. He finally had to brace his chin on the arm of the couch and push up to his feet. “Fuck.”
“Yeah, sugar, that’s the general plan.”
She’d been moved many times over the course of her years as a Mistress, but Colby had managed to set off about half a dozen earthquakes tonight alone.
First, the pony gear. Trusting her enough to try it out, letting her experiment in a safe environment. He could have refused, and then she could have embarrassed herself on the show, not understanding how the most basic equipment would work or look or feel for the sub involved. Then he’d allowed her to take his hands and arms away. For a man used to protecting others, that was no small thing.
Then he’d been concerned about putting her kink above his. An unselfish lover, after many a previous sub who’d only cared about getting their own rocks off.
Just when she couldn’t imagine him doing anything more to please her, he’d waited on his knees. Waiting for her command.
So to reward him, she stripped off her panties and bra and laid down on her bed, thighs parted, making a fine display as he entered the room.
His eyes locked onto her pussy and he let out a growl. “I thought I was going to strip those panties off with my teeth.”
“You took too long.” She kept her tone light, but didn’t try to hide her desire. “Do you want the order? Or do you want to get down to business?”
He immediately came to the side of the bed, but hesitated. “Are you going to untie me first?”
“Now that’s a silly question, sugar.”
“Humph.” He stared at her a moment, trying to decide the best way to get into bed without face planting. Even though that’s exactly what she wanted. His face. Planted in her pussy.
She let out a little sigh, and trailed her fingers down her stomach, letting her eyelids flutter. Though she refused to shut her eyes. She wouldn’t miss a moment of his reaction as she slipped her fingers between her thighs. He quivered, all his senses going on high alert.
In her experience, nothing hurried a man along quicker than seeing his woman get down to pleasuring herself because he was too slow.
He mostly fell on her. Unable to catch himself—he evidently decided to plow in head first. To play with him, she pushed on his lips with her fingers, keeping him from getting his tongue fully on her. His rumbling growl of frustrated desire curled her toes.
Such a fantastic man. She’d never had a submissive so dedicated to service, without wanting anything specific from her. He didn’t want to role play, he wasn’t into any specific kink that she’d identified so far.
He wanted her. Her control, her touch, and hopefully her love.
Because she was falling in love with this man. Every single time he humbled himself for her, she fell a little bit harder.
He splayed his tongue wide and moved his head back and forth, using his whole face to pleasure her. Since he was in such an uncomfortable position, she didn’t hold back. She’d been wet since he walked in the door, and the games they’d played tonight had her engines purring. With both hands, she held his head, making sure he didn’t strain his neck too hard, and let the pleasure pour through her.
Breathing hard, she pushed him back upright, helping him get his knees under him. His cheat heaved and his skin was damp with sweat. She reached under her pillow and grabbed a condom she’d stashed earlier for easy retrieval. She couldn’t begin to count the number of times she’d slid latex over a hard cock, but tonight, her fingers shook. Maybe it was the need burning in his eyes. The way his shoulders and neck corded, straining to free himself in vain so he could touch her.
“Mal,” he whispered raggedly. His cock surged in her hand, thick and hard and urgent, as if he hadn’t just come a few minutes ago. “Untie me. Please.”
“Not on your life, soldier boy.” She settled him back on his heels and rose up to straddle his thighs so she could slide down on his waiting cock. She kept one foot under her for leverage, rocking her hips against his. “This is my ride. But I’ll take you along with me.”
His head fell back, his back arching, trying to push himself deeper. But he couldn’t move much. Not with her weight on his lap. She wrapped her arm around his neck, giving him more skin, more sensation. Rubbing her breasts against his chest, her hips barely moving beyond a circular rocking motion that kept him seated deeply inside her.
“Don’t hold back on me.” Her thighs ached with a deep, pleasant burn. She tightened her inner muscles, squeezing him hard. Hovering on the edge of a shattering orgasm, she slid her arm back so she could cup the back of his head. Pulling his mouth down toward hers, she growled out, “Don’t you dare hold back on me.”
His entire body spasmed so hard it felt like an earthquake was shifting her off her axis. He locked his mouth to hers, not in a kiss, but a shared, bone-deep groan. Rocking together, sweaty and gasping for breath, he came apart in her arms.
Gently, she lay him on his side and started untying him, stroking her fingers over the lovely print embedded in his skin as she freed him. And bless his heart, as soon as he could move his hands, he reached for her. Not to pull her down or interfere with what she was doing, but as if he simply wanted and needed the connection.
“That was…” He shook his head, as if he couldn’t find the right word.
“Yeah.” She lay down beside him, threading her fingers with his.
“Is it always like this?”
She had a feeling she knew what he was asking, but she had to make sure. “A BDSM scene?” He nodded, so she replied, “They can
be very emotional. Deep. Real. Because there’s no place to hide. This, Detective Wade, has been very, very special to me. Regardless of what happens between us, I’m more grateful than I can say.”
His eyes flared. “You? Grateful? After what you’ve given me? You didn’t even have to bite me this time.”
“Yes.” She brushed her mouth against his but didn’t close her eyes. She wanted to see the emotion in his eyes, if he shut down or not. “Because what you’ve given me in exchange is far greater. Trust. It can’t be bought and paid for and it’s easy to lose in a moment of carelessness, but you…” Her voice thickened. “I’m not going to cry, damn it. Just know that I don’t take your trust lightly. It means the world to me.”
“I’ve never trusted anyone but Elias or my squad to have my back. Even then, I had everybody else’s back. Nobody would fall behind or get hurt on my watch. Thank God I never had the opportunity to see if they actually had my back as good as I had theirs.”
The thought of him lying wounded, either as a soldier, or now, as a cop, sent a chill through her. She wriggled closer to him and tugged a sheet up over them.
“I should go shower,” he protested, but he didn’t try to get up yet.
“I don’t mind.”
His breathing deepened and she thought he’d drifted off to sleep. Until he cracked his eyes open and looked at her again. “If BDSM is like this… Why doesn’t everybody do it?”
She choked back a laugh and tucked his face against her throat. “The hell if I know, sugar.”
Chapter Fifteen
Colby couldn’t get out of the precinct fast enough any more. Not with Mal waiting.
He couldn’t believe it’d only been three weeks. He hadn’t even seen her every single night, though he’d wanted to. Two more bodies had shown up—this time on the opposing cartel’s side of town. Another squad was handling it, but he and Elias had coordinated with them since they were pretty sure it was a retaliation hit. Things were about to get ugly in Dallas between two cartels fighting for more street.
And he couldn’t care less.
Mentally, he’d already checked out. This job had served its purpose and helped him hang on until he could find Mal, but now he wanted something less stressful, dangerous, and demanding. He wanted to let his mind and body fully heal, both from the tours and from the months he’d fought alone here at home. She’d been completely correct that he had to let go of this terrible sense of responsibility for everybody and everything while running himself into the ground. The decision had been hovering for months once Elias had decided to make a hard push for a promotion. Without him, Colby had no desire to continue on the force, even if Elias continued as his boss. No, it was time for a change. A big change.
He started up his truck and cracked the windows, but then stepped back out into the evening air while everything cooled down. He pulled out his phone and dialed up an old friend. “Hey, Jack. It’s me, Colby Wade. You got a few minutes to talk?”
He and Jack had gone to high school together about a hundred years ago, it seemed. Jack had started a construction business focused on tiny homes. He’d had great timing, because demand had exploded in recent years. He’d been posting pictures online for months.
“Colby Wade, you old dog! What are you up to nowadays? You still in the Army?”
“Marines, and no. I’ve been back a few years. I’ve been working with the Dallas PD for awhile, but I’m looking to make a change. I saw you posted about needing to hire more people and thought I’d call. See if you’d talk to me.”
“Damn straight, come on down as soon as you can. You’d be a perfect fit on my crew. We’re small, but the potential is huge.”
Relief eased tension straining in Colby’s chest that he hadn’t even noticed. “Thanks, man. I haven’t been doing much construction since we took shop all those years ago, but I’m willing to learn. Put me doing all the crappy jobs first.”
“You know the most important part—your way around tools. Tiny homes are a whole new ball game. Lots of different techniques and things you’d never know from a regular construction job anyway. And don’t worry, I’ve got lots of crappy jobs you can do.”
“Great.” Colby laughed. “I can’t wait.” No, really, he couldn’t. He already felt lighter, and cleaner, away from the constant stress and danger of the streets. “I need a few weeks to tie up loose ends here. That work for you?”
“Sure thing. Just get here as soon as you can. I’ve got a hundred orders stacked up.”
“No kidding?”
“Nope. I had to stop taking orders until I got caught up. So get here pronto and I’ll put you to work. Gladly.”
“Hey, thanks, man.”
Jack laughed. “No, thank you. Really. You’re saving me a lot of time of interviewing and struggling to find somebody I can work with. See you soon.”
Colby ended that call and pulled Mal’s number up. She hadn’t texted him yet to see what the plan was. They’d been over at the other squad going over files until almost seven, and now it was closer to eight. She’d probably already eaten and that pissed him off. He wanted to eat with her. Every meal he could. Because she’d helped bring back his enjoyment of food again.
“Detective Wade?”
He looked up. A blonde woman in navy slacks and jacket walked up to him. If she wasn’t a Fed, he’d let Mal use his handcuffs. “Yeah?”
She held out her hand. “Special Agent Madison Archer. You got a sec?”
“Sure. FBI?”
“ICE,” she corrected.
He tried not to react and betray his instant dislike. With all the deportations, ICE had gotten a bad name all over Texas and beyond. If they could actually do something about the drug cartels and terrorists, great, but like the senseless war in Afghanistan, deportation usually only punished the innocent people. It sure wasn’t an agency he’d care to work for, even if he wasn’t looking to leave the police force.
“I’m on a special task force with law enforcement agencies including the FBI and Interpol to investigate human trafficking. We just busted up a Russian mafia ring in the Caribbean.”
Not bad. Catching bad guys like that actually did some good in the world. “If you know my name, you probably know I’m in narcotics. I don’t deal much with human trafficking.” Thank God. Seeing women and kids abused would probably drive him into a homicidal maniac.
“But we’ve heard good things about you, and we’re looking to add a few new people to the team. Your military background comes highly recommended. I warn you, though, that we’re not very conventional as far as our team makeup. We take a lot of risks, break a lot of rules, but ultimately get the bad guys.”
“And hopefully come home every night, right?”
She smiled and handed him a card. “Naturally. If you’re interested, give me a call.”
“I’ll be honest, ma’am. I’m not your guy.”
Her eyebrows rose with surprise. “You’re turning us down already? Why? If I may ask?”
He shrugged and stepped up into his truck. “I’m getting out of law enforcement entirely. But if I change my mind, I’ll give you a call.”
She nodded and waved as she turned away. “I appreciate it. Good luck, detective.”
He reached for the door to shut it, but noticed a black Lexus parked across the street. He checked his phone and had a text from Mal. Thought I’d surprise you.
Grinning like an idiot, he climbed back out and hurried toward the car. As he neared, her window rolled down, but the look on her face made him hesitate. Eyes tight and narrow, lips hard, and even her voice was wintry cold. “You move fast, detective. Who the hell is she?”
It took his brain a second to catch up. He hadn’t even registered that Agent Archer had been female, not really. Only that she had to work for the government.
His knee-jerk reaction was to retort that it didn’t matter who the woman was because he wasn’t interested in anyone else, but something registered in his head that that would be a mist
ake. Hurt shimmered in Mal’s eyes, not anger. The Mistress of Dallas didn’t succumb to petty jealousy. That was beneath her, he knew that much. No, this went much deeper. Even when he’d almost kicked her in the head on accident, she hadn’t spoken to him so harshly. Her icy voice cut to the quick, but it was brittle. A crack in her formidable exterior. A woman like her wouldn’t like exposing any cracks to him. So he’d better treat that vulnerability with extreme care.
She hadn’t just “caught” him with another woman. She’d caught him with a white woman. Like her father.
“Special Agent Archer came to offer me a job.” He leaned down, crossing his forearms on her car door. “But I turned her down flat. I’ve got my hands full with a certain Mistress and don’t have time for anything or anyone else to distract me.”
Some of that ice thawed in Mal’s eyes, but she remained guarded, watching him very closely. “Figured a man would like to work for a woman with her kind of assets.”
Colby chuckled, shaking his head. “Truth be told, I didn’t even notice her assets. I was too pissed that I missed dinner with you.”
She let out a long sigh and closed her eyes a moment. He waited silently, but didn’t withdraw. Finally she sighed again and opened her eyes. “I’m sorry that I leaped to conclusions. I didn’t like the idea that my soldier boy might be panting after a sexy blonde. Not one bit.”
He deliberately lowered his voice to that drawl she liked so much. “Now, ma’am, surely you must know after I let you put a bridle on me and tie me up that I’d never go panting after anybody but you.”
“Get in the car.”
He ducked his head a bit to show that he loved that tone, even though he couldn’t do as she asked at the moment. “My truck’s already started. You want to follow me, or ride with me? I need to stop by home first.”
“Why?” Though she grabbed her purse and started to roll up the window. He opened the door for her and stepped back, taking her hand as she stepped out. So he could pull her up against him. She glanced around quickly to see if anyone was watching. “I didn’t think you’d want me to come in and find you. Not here.”