Best Reception

by Ann Jacobs

  “He didn’t believe in it. I didn’t either, at least not much. My mom went through two husbands besides my dad while I was a kid, and she was working through number four before I left. Besides, Vic didn’t want kids, so there wasn’t any reason for him to marry me.”

  “What about you? Were you ever happy with him?”

  “I thought I was. The first few years, when he played in Atlanta, life was better than I’d had it back home. He took me out, acted like he cared about me. We didn’t go to clubs until after he got traded the first time. I’ll always have good memories…”

  Sid tried to tamp down the jealousy that threatened to spill over in anger. “You lived vanilla until then?”

  “Not really. We just didn’t go to BDSM clubs. He was afraid he’d get in trouble with the team. Especially after he started getting fined so often for illegal hits on other players.”

  “I see.” Other than Reinhart, Sid had never run across an offensive lineman who seemed to be more interested in inflicting damage on defensive players than he was in protecting his own quarterback. “When did he start treating you as if you were one of his opponents on the football field, sweetheart?”

  She shook her head. “I can’t say, really. At first it was just a bruise or two. A welt. A sprained wrist, just once. By the time he got traded to the Rebels, he’d gotten it in his head that I was out to two-time him, so he started locking me in the house whenever he was gone, refusing to let me go anywhere. We’d played at clubs with other Doms and subs before, but he stopped that, too, until he decided to take me to Rebels’ Roost.” When a tear rolled down her cheek, she wiped it away and met his gaze. “I never would have been unfaithful to him, any more than I’d do it to you now.”

  “I know you wouldn’t.” From what she’d told him, Sid wondered if Talia was right and Vic had suffered a few too many concussions during those early years. It wouldn’t surprise him. Lately the league had been clamping down on teams for letting players play after hard hits to the helmet. Before that, though, most players, particularly linemen, prided themselves on being able to play through anything, fuzzy brains and all. “That’s why I love you the way I do.”

  At first he was afraid he’d said too much when tears started pouring from her eyes, but then she smiled. “You know, a few weeks ago I would have doubted that you could love me. I’d have told myself I wasn’t smart enough, and that I didn’t know how to act around other people. But you’ve opened up so many possibilities that I’m thinking maybe, just maybe I’m what you see. And that with your help I can become even more.”

  “Sweetheart, you’re everything I want and need. I love you so damn much it sometimes hurts.” He found himself holding his breath, hoping.

  “I love you, too. I think I started loving you when I watched you playing with those subs at Rebels’ Roost, being dominant but never cruel. When you gave me that paper with your address and phone number before we left for Arizona, I wished I’d had the nerve to walk away from my Master and into your arms.”

  Sid would have liked to shout for joy because he knew now that Talia had felt that early attraction, too, but instead he simply wrapped his arms around her and settled them both back against the stack of pillows at the head of the bed. “I wish you’d done that, too, but if you had, it wouldn’t have been you. You had to stay until he let you go, didn’t you?”

  “Yes,” she said thoughtfully, past pain creasing her brow. He saw more than pain in the resolute set of her chin, in the courageous way she met his gaze. “That was the kind of person I was. I wanted to serve and please my Master. But, Sid, I think… I think you’re helping me see that I should expect more from my Master as well. Because of that, I’m different.

  “When I tell you now that I’ll stay as long as you want me, it means something different than what it meant with him. Now it’s my choice, too. My desire.” Lifting her hand, she traced the laugh lines around Sid’s mouth, her touch light yet adoring. “Master.”

  He felt the weight of doubt lift off his heart, and he knew the time was right. “Since you feel that way, sweetheart, you’ll wear this for me.” He turned, opened the nightstand drawer and brought out the small, dark blue velvet box he’d put there when he came home.

  As though it were a precious offering, he laid it in her hands. “Open the box and see if you like it.”

  Her fingers trembling, she lifted the lid and looked at the diamond winking up from its nest. For a minute he worried, because it suddenly seemed smaller than it had in the store. Too small to adequately express what he felt about Talia.

  Then she shot him a thousand-watt smile and he knew he’d chosen well. “It’s beautiful, but you shouldn’t have done it. If you really want to marry me, all you need to give me is a plain gold band.”

  “You’ll get one of those soon enough, sweetheart, but I couldn’t resist staking my claim with something a little flashier. Put it on and see if I guessed your size right.”

  Her hand was still shaking when she took out the ring and handed it to him. “Will you put it on me? I used to dream about a scene like this, back when I was twelve years old and still hoping I’d find my prince. The way Cinderella did.”

  For the first time, Sid realized, Talia had asked for something for herself. He was no prince, charming or otherwise, but for her, he’d try his best. “It will be my pleasure.” Lifting her left hand, he brought it to his lips. Then he slid the two-carat diamond solitaire onto her finger and pulled her hand down so he could look at it there. “It looks absolutely perfect on you, much better than it did in the box. I want you to start thinking about what sort of wedding you’d like and when you want to do it, only don’t make me wait too long.”

  “I won’t.” When she leaned over him and placed soft kisses over his chest and belly, he wanted nothing more than to stay there with her all night long, sealing their promises in the very best way. But he remembered who was coming the next day and reluctantly slid off the bed. “Come on, sweetheart, we need to get the house ready for some guests.”

  Chapter Seven

  When Sid had started moving her things from the guest room into his bedroom last night, Talia had gotten the idea they were expecting overnight guests. When he told her that morning, before leaving for practice, that his parents would be flying in from Pittsburgh that evening to see the game on Sunday, she had gone into a feverish frenzy, cleaning and straightening and fixing food she desperately hoped would meet with their approval.

  At four o’clock, after Sid had called and said he was on the way home, she sank onto the sofa in front of the fireplace and stared down at the beautiful ring he’d given her. It should have given her confidence, but it didn’t. She was petrified. Getting up, she paced over to the mantel and lifted the picture he’d identified the day after she arrived.

  His mom and dad. Mary and Doug Conyers. They were a good-looking couple, their dark hair barely tinged with gray. Sid looked more like his dad, but he had the same dark blue eyes as his mom. They’d dressed up for the photo, she guessed, taking in Doug’s brown tweed sport coat and tie and Mary’s stylish burgundy dress.

  Talia tried to stop her hands from shaking. These people were going to hate her, she just knew it, because she was nowhere near good enough for their only son. Their only child.

  Oh yeah. Talia closed her eyes, trying to imagine how they’d see her. Blonde—she was sure they’d think she bleached her hair even though she did no more than have it highlighted once in a while. They’d see her petite frame and decide she was too scrawny to be much good around the house, or so her mom had always said. And she imagined they’d think she was too old, even though the two years’ age difference between her and their son wasn’t really all that much. Most of all, she figured they’d think she was too uneducated, too dumb to be a fit match for their pride and joy. It wouldn’t surprise her at all if Sid’s parents tried to make him throw her out. She honestly couldn’t say she’d blame them if they did.

  “What’s the matter, s
weetheart?” Coming straight to her once he stepped inside the door, Sid lifted the picture from her hand and set it back on the mantel. “Have you been worrying yourself to death? I told you not to. Mom and Dad won’t expect everything to be perfect since they just told me yesterday that they’re coming.”

  They’ll hate me. Talia bit her tongue to keep from blurting that out. No need to let Sid know how scared she was. “I hope they like pot roast with carrots and potatoes.” She’d found there was very little she could do to ruin a good piece of meat when she cooked it in Sid’s slow cooker. “I made a cake for dessert, too.” Cake mixes were pretty foolproof, too.

  His expression serious, he reached out and laid his hands on her shoulders. “Listen to me. You need to take a deep breath and calm down. I hadn’t meant for you to cook tonight, but I’m sure they’ll enjoy whatever you fixed. Believe me, my parents will be thrilled that I’ve finally found somebody I want to settle down with, and they’ll love you as much as I do.”

  She doubted that, but she managed a smile. “Are you going to the airport to pick them up?”

  “They’ll rent a car and come here as soon as the plane lands. Meanwhile, I want you to stop fussing and relax with me for a little while. I’ll help you set the table once Mom and Dad call and say the plane has landed.”

  “I’ll take you up on that offer,” Talia said, feeling better once they sat on the sofa and Sid put his arm around her. They divided their attention between the five o’clock news and the cozy fire crackling in the fireplace.

  * * * * *

  Sid’s parents seemed as nice as Sid, and by all indications they were as pleased as Sid had insisted they would be about their engagement. Though Talia sensed his mom would have liked it better if it weren’t so obvious she and Sid were living together, the evening had gone way better than she’d expected.

  “I told you they’d love you,” Sid said when he came in the bedroom and closed the door behind him. “Mom’s already bugging me about when and where we’re getting married. She’ll grill you about it tomorrow, I’m sure.”

  “While you’re at the practice facility?” She dreaded the thought of being left alone with Mary and Doug, as they’d told her to call them, but she wouldn’t worry Sid about her silly fears.

  Sid bent and dropped a playful kiss on the tip of her nose. “I’m afraid so, sweetheart. I told her the date and place is up to you. Come with me. I told Mom and Dad to get some sleep, and that we’re going out for a while.”

  Talia didn’t understand. “Where are we going? Do I need to change?”

  “I want you to put on that hot-pink bodysuit we got at the toy store while I get this on.” Grinning, he took a black leather cock harness out of a dresser drawer and held it up so she could get a good look. “We’re gonna drop in at Rebels’ Roost, just a little later than I’d planned. I’m not about to miss out on our first play date.”

  Once she’d slithered into the bodysuit that covered her from neck to ankle, except for the open crotch and nipple slits, she took a good look at Sid. She thought he looked incredibly hot all the time, but now he’d be irresistible to any sexual submissive. Naked except for the harness, he drew her gaze not only to his big, thick cock but also to those well-developed muscles and his golden-tanned skin with a light dusting of fine, dark hair. “Oh, Master. You look even hotter than I remember.”

  “I’m glad you think so. Come on, let’s put on sweats, grab our coats, and go. If we wait much longer, I’ll be tempted to forget about playing at the dungeon and get down to business right here.”

  * * * * *

  Rebels’ Roost didn’t seem to have changed much in the year Talia had been away. Set in a secluded clearing off a two-lane beach highway, the sparse lighting still stood out against a pitch-black night sky, and the sensuous beat of hard rock music wafted through the fog after she and Sid got out of his car and moved toward the building.

  As they walked across the parking lot, she couldn’t help watching the coil of rope he’d taken from the backseat and looped over his arm. When she imagined the feel of it slithering over her body, the stimulation of each knot against her sensitized flesh, her heart beat faster with anticipation.

  Sid swiped a card in a slot and the door opened. That was new. The players used to have old-fashioned keys. Once inside, though, she saw nothing had changed except the Master who’d brought her here to play. And the fact that she now felt no fear, just a tingle of anticipation.

  After going downstairs to the dungeon, and putting away their coats and sweats, Sid took her hand and led her to a platform in the same large public room where she’d first seen him play. A little shiver of anticipation went through her body when she saw the suspension apparatus. She focused again on the brilliant blue rope and imagined how she’d feel, bound with it by her Master’s hand, delightfully helpless to his desires.

  The crowd must have already thinned out, Talia figured, because there seemed to be just five people there besides her and Sid. That, or else most of the Rebels who indulged in BDSM play had decided to skip dungeon night to rest up for Sunday’s big game.

  During a quick glance around the room, she noticed Keisha and a female club submissive Talia recalled from last year. The two were playing with Keisha’s slave, who was naked and chained to a St. Andrew’s Cross along the wall. It looked as though he must be suffering tonight as he licked his Mistress’s cunt while the sub worked a plug in and out of his ass and sucked his testicles.

  Sid squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry about Matt, sweetheart. He may be protesting, but my guess is that he’s enjoying that attention. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t stand for being strung up that way.” Sid squeezed Talia’s hand as they passed by two black players she didn’t recognize—at least she guessed both of them were players. One guy was tall and skinny, the other shorter and more filled out.

  “Does that surprise you, sweetheart?” Sid lowered his voice as they passed close by the two. “I doubt they expected anybody else to come in tonight. I’ve always thought they’d like to do each other, but they usually play here with Jack and Tawny or one of the other couples.” He nodded toward them, and the tall guy nodded back.

  “Oh.” Talia forced herself to look away. The muscular guy was strapped face-down on a fucking table while the skinny one fucked his ass so hard it made the sturdy piece of equipment shake. Somehow she felt like an intruder.

  “To each his own. I just want to play with you. Come here, now.” Sid smiled and lifted her onto the platform before joining her there and holding up a blue satin blindfold that he fitted over her eyes. “Stand very still. I want you to concentrate on what I’m doing to you. Forget about everything else that’s going on in here. Don’t think. Just feel. I’m gonna give you the full treatment tonight.” She felt his warm, damp breath on her cheek and then along her throat and lower, where he was laying kisses in a path down her body.

  The music changed, heavy metal was replaced with the mellow, sensuous sounds of guitars and muted percussion instruments. The sounds surrounded her, caressing her as though they’d been created at her Master’s command.

  His movements leisurely, as though he was in no hurry to get to the main event, he kissed her stomach through her skintight bodysuit. Then, his motions maddeningly slow, he bypassed her exposed pussy, instead kissing his way down both legs, all the way to her toes. His shadow of a beard caught against the thin fabric of her bodysuit, tickling a little and sending shivers up her body as he made his way back up.

  When he stopped and sucked her clit between his lips she couldn’t help the way her breathing grew ragged.

  Her senses heightened in the total darkness, lulled by the sound of his breathing and her own that seemed in concert with the beat of the music. She felt him smiling before he drew back and blew on her wet, swollen sex. Then he rubbed his cheeks along her lower belly and up her torso, until she felt him go still just below her breasts. The hot moisture of his breath seared her through the bodysuit.

  “
You like this, don’t you?”

  “Yes, Master.” When he raised his head a little and took one taut nipple between his teeth, a hot curl of arousal began deep in her belly and started to spread like wildfire through her body. But she didn’t get to savor it for long.

  Moisture gathered in Talia’s mouth when Sid straightened and cupped her face between his calloused palms. “Trust me, sweetheart,” he ordered.

  “I do.” How could she not trust this gentle Master?

  “Put your hands above your head,” he whispered, and when she did he quickly tied them together and fastened the rope to a hook suspended from the ceiling. The cool rope dug into her flesh, not painfully but enough to feed the arousal that had begun back home when she’d seen him in his Master’s gear, all male strength and displaying the dominance she craved.

  Her sexual excitement intensified as he began applying rope in a crisscross pattern around her torso, making knots in places that made her nipples bead up and her cunt grow moist. When he reached her rib cage and wrapped the rope just below her breasts, her body remembered what he’d done to her at home, though now the sensations were muted because of the thin layer of stretchy fabric protecting her skin.

  It was as though each strand of rope, every precisely placed knot were binding her to her Master. She wanted the feelings, needed to experience every nuance of sensation because he was doing it to her. For her. For them.

  He moved the rope in time with the music, a sensual ballet that ended when he had her entire torso and legs wrapped and tied. The pressure intensified when he raised her off the floor and fastened the rope at her waist to an overhead hook. Once he’d adjusted the height to where he wanted her, he told her to spread her legs.

  “Ooh.” When she followed his order, the rope tightened, putting delicious pressure on her cunt, her belly, her breasts. An increase in the cool air between her legs let her know her moist, swollen flesh was now completely exposed. The feelings intensified as her Master positioned first one leg and then the other and tied them off, leaving her suspended on four ropes.