by Anya Summers
“Good enough,” he murmured and then rolled his hips. Piper kept her eyes open and trained on his as they moved together. Folded around his body like she was a second skin, accepting his unforgiving thrusts, grinding her hips, they established a wild rhythm. And all the while, she never took her eyes off him.
He did likewise, holding her close, digging his hands into her rear. And the rest of the world receded. It was like they were the only two people on the planet in their very own Garden of Eden. Desire rose unbidden and unhindered. Theo thrust harder, faster, ramming his cock in brutal digs. Piper writhed, canting her hips and meeting his ardent plunges. He filled her, stretching the walls of her pussy as he drove himself inside her.
Their moans joined the cacophony of birds and insects, filling their private grotto with the sounds of their lovemaking. Through it all, they never broke eye contact. With every hammered stroke, Piper felt an organ she had long denied crack open wider. As much as she wanted their lovemaking to continue, she could feel the edges of her climax building, pleasure raining through her body. He pulled her tighter, like he was attempting to crawl inside her and make them one being, clasping her against his chest as his thrusts became animalistic. Piper ground her hips, meeting his ramming plunges. He grunted and groaned as he hammered his hips.
He buried his face in her neck as desire eclipsed everything else.
“Theo!” She keened as her body toppled over the edge and she came apart at the seams. Pleasure ricocheted in cosmic bursts of world-altering sonic booms. She vibrated in his arms, ecstasy pumping through her veins.
“Piper,” Theo bellowed. His cock jerked within her buttery folds, jets of hot cum jettisoned inside her trembling depths, setting off a secondary round of sparks. She held on to Theo for dear life as her body trembled and soared. His movements slowed as his body emptied a full stream of semen inside her quaking channel.
Theo just held her then, with the sunlight beating down upon their heads, the cool ocean water lapping at their waists, and their heart rates returning to normal. Tears formed in her eyes. When was the last time she’d been cuddled this way after sex? As much as she feared it, because of what it made her open up, she craved the intimacy, the repleteness and comfort of just being held. She sniffed her tears back, not wanting him to think she was having another episode. His tender care was making her go all maudlin. If she wasn’t careful she’d start building castles in the sky, and hoping for something that just wasn’t to be. Yet she couldn’t seem to tear herself away from him. In fact, she was still plastered around his form like a second skin.
Theo shifted, tugging her face up to his. He searched her face, his molten gaze turning her insides into mushy goo. He brought one of his hands up to her cheek, stroking it with his knuckles before he kissed her tenderly.
Her heart, that muscle she’d worked for years to protect and keep from anyone, quaked as she returned his kiss. Theo released her lips, still cradling her cheek, and said, “Meet me for dinner, tonight at six at Master’s Pleasure.”
“I don’t know,” Piper deflected, at war with herself over how to proceed with Theo.
“That’s not a request. It’s just dinner. You know, the thing two people do when they are dating,” he said, giving her a sexy grin.
“We are?”
“Aren’t we? I think we’ve passed the point of denying there’s something between us. It’s just dinner, Piper. Come on, take a chance, experience a bit of what life has to offer. What do you have to lose?”
Everything.
But he was so earnest in his desire to have a meal with her in public, like a date, that she couldn’t refuse him, “Okay, fine. I will meet you there at six.”
“That’s a girl,” he murmured, giving her a quick buss on the lips before finally withdrawing from her body. He set her on her feet, and then towed her out of the water with him.
She let him help her dress, getting to witness a playful, relaxed Theo, who smiled more in those ten minutes than she’d seen him do the entire time she’d known him. Piper became filled with purpose by witnessing what her capitulation and surrender had engendered in him. It was quite the transformation. Gone was the stodgy lawyer and in his place was a kind, playful man she, wonder of wonders, wanted to get to know more.
He kissed her again before he left her alone on the secluded beach, giving her a love tap on her butt as he left with a, ‘be there or else,’ Dom order that made her toes curl.
What did she have to lose at dinner tonight?
Only her heart.
Chapter 7
Throughout the day Piper told herself she was being a fool. That she should disregard Theo, ignore her budding feelings for him, and cancel the purported date.
Except she didn’t want to.
Piper had been in the dating desert for what seemed like eons. She could count on one hand the number of instances where she’d been asked to dinner with an attractive man. On that handful of dates, not one man had twisted her insides into silly putty with merely a glance. The thought of turning Theo down and not going on their date tonight was unfathomable. It would elevate their relationship from only physical into more, as if they were, in fact, dating. Even with the bargain they had struck, it went beyond the parameters of their arrangement.
Then there was the man of the hour himself. The sex—oh my goodness—she pressed a hand against her midsection just thinking about that morning and her entire body melted into a massive puddle of sexual delirium. He made her weak-kneed and made her burn. If she wasn’t careful, he would become an addiction more potent than any drug or alcohol.
In the last twenty-four hours, she’d orgasmed more than she had in the past month, thanks to Theo and his lovemaking. And she wanted more, craved his sinful touch. There was a part of Piper that yearned for the intimacy of a real Dominant and submissive relationship. And Theo was the first Dom in all these years to whom she’d ever wanted to unburden her sorrows and hurts. Even if there was no way to fix her broken pieces, it would be wonderful to just have someone she could turn to when the weight of them became too much for her to carry the load on her own.
Piper cut her day of shooting short to prepare for their date. Perhaps she was placing too much importance on it, but when you existed in the dating wasteland, going years between dates, it tended to be significant when you had one. She lounged in a bubble bath, of all things, shaved her legs, and pampered her skin with a sugar scrub and moisturizer until it glowed. With a few well-placed pins, she artfully arranged her hair into a stylish up-do at her nape. That way her enterprising Dom could remove them easily and her hair would cascade down her back. She shivered at the thought. Piper took extra time with her make-up, adding eye shadow and liner to make them appear luminous and seductive.
Even if this date was the end of her time with Theo, she wanted the fantasy tonight. Theo had been correct in his estimation regarding her life. It was rather lonely. She spent far too many nights by herself. Oh, she had friends and family she adored, and if she wanted company, she could usually find it. Except, at home, she was always alone. She ate her meals, did laundry, swam in her pool, and lived her daily existence, alone. For the most part, she didn’t mind it, and even preferred it some days, enjoying her solitude. Yet it didn’t mean there were not times—days, and weeks—when she yearned for companionship.
Lately, she’d been considering adopting a dog or a cat to liven up her home life a bit. Except she still traveled quite a bit and didn’t think it was fair to need to constantly board a pet or leave them at home with a sitter. Granted, with a dog, she could road trip across the old US of A for her photoshoots, keep herself mainly America-bound. It wasn’t like she hadn’t already traveled most of the globe anyhow. And her trips abroad were becoming fewer and further in between. So, it was a thought.
Thankfully, she had had the foresight to pack a cocktail dress amidst her camera equipment and outdoorsy type wear that was more suited to camping out in the bush than a five-star dining establishmen
t. Experience had taught her to always be prepared for any scenario when she traveled. The breezy chiffon dress was a simple halter style black number with a crew neckline, which fit her silhouette to perfection and fell to mid-thigh in the front. There was an added, sheer black upper layer that added a bit of flare and then fell below her knees in the back. What she loved most about the dress, though, was the neckline. The golden chain halter circled the base of her collar and gave a nod to the lifestyle.
Then she added the finishing touches to her outfit with a pair of three-inch inky stiletto sandals and dangly gold hoop earrings. She packed a small clutch purse with her phone and her camera—of course, she couldn’t go anywhere without it. A professional habit, since she never knew what she might need to photograph. As she left her villa and climbed into her cart, she was beset by huge walloping frogs jumping around in her stomach. This was the first date she’d been on in more than five years. She felt a little bit like a teenager on her first date. Which was ridiculous. She could be the mother of a teenager, and with that thought she was tormented by an old familiar ache. That night so long ago had destroyed not just her sense of self but also the likelihood of her body’s ability to conceive children. It wasn’t impossible, she had around a three percent chance of conception, but her doctors had explained that the damage to her uterus and female organs had made her body inhospitable for child bearing.
Lately, she had considered adopting or fostering, but had held herself back, like she did with everything else in her life. Which was another one of the reasons why she was considering adopting a dog, figuring it was a place to start, and if that went over well, she could try being responsible for another human.
Theo was a father. After being on the receiving end of his patience and care during her distress that morning, she was in awe of him. He likely was a great dad. He’d ridden out the worst of the storm with her, never faltering or wavering in his steadfast determination to ensure she was all right. Piper knew some of his response was just Theo’s inherent good-to-the-bone personality, but she couldn’t disregard that some of it was intertwined with the fact he was a parent. The fact that he had a son didn’t diminish his appeal. It did quite the opposite. For Piper, it made him an interesting, capable, multi-layered individual who fascinated her. Even a failed marriage in his history didn’t lessen the fact that he captivated her. So he’d had a marriage fall apart—she wasn’t one to cast stones regarding his past relationships when her own backstory was nothing but a trail of broken hopes and shattered illusions. Let’s face it, Piper was the oddball in the relationship quotient, being single, almost forty, and never having taken a trip down the aisle or had a child.
Yet, he’d built a life with another woman, committed himself to her and their future, only to have it end. Had his ex-wife been the one to end the marriage, or had he? What was his ex-wife like? Or his son, for that matter?
Those were some of the million questions swirling in her mind that she wanted to ask him about during their date. She wanted tonight to be a normal date. As much as she feared, deep down, letting Theo into her life and experiencing a relationship with him, even a short-lived one this week, there was a magnetism that drew her to him. It was like she’d had a spell cast on her by a sorceress, and couldn’t turn away from him if she tried.
Soon enough, they would return to their normally scheduled lives on different continents at the week’s end and she didn’t want another regret. She had a lifetime of them built up. And she would regret not knowing him, not experiencing what he had to offer. Even if their date was a farce and an illusion, for tonight, she wanted the fantasy. She desired the pretense of a real relationship with a vengeance that startled even her in its ferocity.
Piper rode the elevator up to the lobby and strolled to the entrance of Master’s Pleasure, where she planned to wait for Theo. Near the restaurant’s entrance, an obscure artist’s beach portrait caught her eye. She studied the painting, off to the right of the hostess’s podium. In some respects, the scene reminded her of the great impressionist artists like Monet with the use of color. It was like being in a soft dream. She didn’t recognize the signature but snapped a quick photo of the painting. Piper wanted to discover whether this artist had a gallery she could shoot.
Even as entranced as she was by the scene, she felt Theo arrive and his body heat ripple off him as he stood behind her.
“Piper,” he murmured near her ear, “I’m glad you came. Let me look at you.”
His hand whispered down her arm to clasp her hand as he spun her around. The man packed a wallop in his sharply dressed suit. The smoky gray color accentuated his square jawline that he had yet to shave since he’d been on the island. Not that she minded. She liked his bearded stubble, speckled with hints of gray. She thought it made him seem more sensual, shadowing his lips so that they appeared fuller. And the suit made his broad-shouldered grace appear more debonair.
He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a small kiss on the back. “You look good enough to eat. Shall we? I reserved a table.”
She blushed. A few months’ shy of forty and he managed to make her blush like a schoolgirl. “Yes, thank you. You do, too.”
He flashed a sensual half grin her way and she wanted to fan herself. With a look like that, she almost wanted to forgo dinner and head back to the villa to explore his expression more thoroughly. The hostess led them to a round glossy black table in the center of the restaurant. Piper noted the indiscriminate loops and hidden levers along the lip of the table. They called this place Master’s Pleasure for a reason. She ignored the other guests, entranced more by the enigmatic man at her side. His presence obscured everyone else. He held one of the leather chairs out for her, seating her at their table before he took the seat next to her. She was glad he had chosen to sit there instead of across the table.
Looking through the menu, Piper quickly discovered why Theo had sat down where he had. It gave him easier access to… her. He placed a hand on her thigh, teasing the hemline of her dress. The intimate touch made her break out in goosebumps. She didn’t mind in the slightest. His touch made her want to curl into him.
She was about to ask him about his day when their waitress, Beth, approached their table. As someone who studied people through camera lenses, Piper felt Beth always appeared just out of focus, like she was wearing a costume that didn’t fit her right. She was sweet as one could be, but Piper had also heard through the grapevine that she didn’t play with anyone. It made Piper wonder what her story was, because she was sure the camera would love Beth with her midnight hair and startling bright green eyes, complimented by her peaches and cream complexion. Piper was surprised Jared had allowed the beauty to not commit and declare whether she was a submissive or not. Then again, who was she to say, considering she never did a public scene? To each his or her own, she supposed.
“Welcome to Master’s Pleasure, Sir. My name is Beth and I will be taking care of you this evening. Would you like to hear today’s specials?” Beth asked. It didn’t go unnoticed that Beth had not addressed Piper yet but deferred to the Master at the table.
“That would be lovely, proceed,” Theo replied, looking every inch the Dom. Piper hid her need to roll her eyes at that. She didn’t do tradition very well, and the adherence to formalities and rules she considered asinine tended to make her exasperated.
“Yes, Sir. Today, Chef Davos has prepared crab cakes with a mango chutney and roasted asparagus, fresh caught grouper that’s been blackened with a hint of lime, on a bed of sautéed carrots in a white wine demi-glaze and butternut squash risotto. And for dessert, she has whipped up a berry torte with shaved ganache. Can I interest you in a drink to start?” Beth addressed Theo.
Since it was Master’s Pleasure, Doms were in complete control of ordering for their submissives. Piper prayed he didn’t do something stupid, like order her meal for her. There were some things she considered barbaric practices. It was the twenty-first century and she could order her own damn meal.
She submitted her body in the bedroom. Outside of it was another matter entirely. If he turned their date into a ‘look at me, I’m Master of the universe’ display, it would be a long damn night.
“Let’s start with a bottle of the Saddlerock Chardonnay.” Then he addressed Piper. “Do you know what you’d like?”
“Yes, I do,” she said, relief flooding her veins. She wouldn’t be forced into arguing with him and earning herself another spanking. Not that she minded the spankings, she rather enjoyed those, but she didn’t know if Theo would discipline her here, in front of everyone, should she buck his command.
He nodded his permission, a dark brow raised in her direction. Like he knew she’d have a conniption fit should he go all lord and master on her. She kept herself from rolling her eyes skyward, but just barely.
“I’d like the sundried tomato chicken with roasted red potatoes and spinach salad,” Piper said, handing Beth the menu.
“And for you, Sir?” Beth asked, sliding the menu beneath her right arm as she scribbled the order in her booklet.
“I’d like to try one of the specials tonight. The grouper sounds wonderful.”
“Fabulous choice, Sir. I will give your order to the chef, then be back in a flash with your bottle of wine and a basket of Chef Davos’ pumpernickel bread,” Beth said, taking Theo’s menu as well.
“Thank you, little one,” Theo said, giving her a gentle smile before turning his attention back to Piper, paying little heed to Beth as she walked away from their table. The warmth in his eyes made Piper’s toes curl.
Now that she was his sole focus and there were no longer intruders to their conversation, she asked, “How was your day?”
Theo gave her a contemplative glance before he replied, “It was good. Business as usual when you’re a solicitor. I’m managing a few items for Jared and the island. It’s really very boring stuff, mountains of paperwork that makes me feel a bit like an old codger by the end of the day. I wasn’t kidding about you looking good enough to eat. That’s what I plan on doing, right now. I want you to come put that gorgeous ass of yours right here,” he patted the table in front of him, “so I can have your succulent pussy as my appetizer.”