Forbidden Obsessions

by Jodie Griffin

  He ate a bit of his salad, took a sip of his wine and broke off a piece of bread. “You were out for a long time today.”

  Her hackles rose. “Yes. I had things to do.” Did he think he had the right to know what they were? Not only no, but hell no. “I left a note.”

  “That you did.”

  She studied his carefully bland face, set down her wine. “What do you want from me, Gabe? You made it clear the other day that there wouldn’t be anything between us. So we’re what? Friends? I don’t tell my friends where I go and what I’m doing all day. Employer? If I have something to do on my time off, I don’t tell them that, either. So which is it?” Her voice had bite to it, and she didn’t care if he heard it.

  Oh, he heard it.

  His eyes went molten hot and suddenly she realized she’d just challenged a guy who thrived on control. Her heart did a flip-flop. Was she baiting him on purpose, hoping to see what he’d say? What he’d do? Her subconscious wouldn’t be that insane, would it?

  Mmm-hmm, yes, it would.

  She reached for the bread. Maybe if she stuffed a piece in her mouth it would act like a filter, because God knew her brain wasn’t doing that for her.

  His hand snaked out and his fingers wrapped around her wrist, stopping her before she even reached it. “Allow me.”

  “Answer my question.” Jesus, she really needed a gag. And as soon as that word gag flew through her brain? She flashed hot all over.

  “First tell me what just crossed your mind,” he countered, stroking her wrist lightly with his fingertips. “You turned a pretty shade of pink.”

  Christ, it was hard to remember why she was annoyed with him when he touched her like this and spoke to her in a voice that brooked no refusal and made her nipples bead. He raised an eyebrow and waited, and with every tiny caress of her skin, another butterfly took flight in her stomach. He wanted to know? She’d tell him. “I was thinking about needing a gag.”

  “For you or for me?” he asked dryly.

  She was so shocked at his unexpected humor she blurted out the first thing that came to her. “For me.”

  When he laughed softly, she pulled her arm out of his grasp and tucked her hands in her lap. She dropped her head, wishing her hair was out of its braid so it’d cover her suddenly flaming face.

  From under her lowered lashes, she watched him tear off a piece of bread and dip it in olive oil. She looked up as he held it out for her, and she opened her mouth instinctively. She took it from him with her teeth and used her tongue to wipe up a drip of oil from her lip.

  “Damn,” he said under his breath. She chewed slowly as he broke off another piece. He fed her a few times in pregnant silence, then he ripped off another chunk of bread. He tilted it so the oil dripped onto her lip again, but this time, he leaned forward and licked it off for her.

  Her heart nearly shot out of her chest, and she moaned before she could call it back.

  When he sat back, his eyes looked satisfied. His voice was low, a lazy drawl she’d never heard from him before. “Mmm. I like to start out with a ball gag, something to bite into when the pleasure becomes too overwhelming. Doesn’t allow for talking, but it doesn’t hide the moans and frustrated screams.” He paused, swiping a finger possessively across her lower lip. “Then I like to move on to a cock gag, something to keep a sharp tongue busy.”

  Her mouth went completely dry and she clenched her hands into fists in her lap. Shit, he was barely touching her, simply painting pictures with words, and she wanted to squirm in her seat. She licked her lips, forgetting his finger was still there. When her tongue ran across his fingertip, he dipped it inside her mouth. She closed her teeth against the flesh in a light bite.

  “Oh, it’s like that, is it, princess? You want me to gag you? That could be arranged.” He grazed the rest of his fingers across her cheek and pulled his thumb free, sitting back with an unexpected frown and what looked to be genuine confusion in his smoky gray eyes. “You know what you asked before? Well, I don’t know what I want. You’re sexy as hell, but you’re complicated. How’s that for honesty?”

  In spite of the fact that he’d scrambled her brain with talk of gagging her, her head was clear enough to get what he was saying. “I appreciate honest,” she said softly. “So why don’t we just have dinner like two normal people and forget everything else for now?” She suggested it, but that would be easier said than done. Cock gag? Dear God.

  He frowned again, but then it eased and his face slid into a faint smile. “Works for me.”

  They were both quiet for a few moments, but the silence wasn’t comfortable, not like it had been in the past. She couldn’t tell, though, if it was awkwardly uncomfortable, or sexually charged uncomfortable. Right now, she was thinking the latter. For her, anyway.

  The waiter brought their food and set it down in front of them. “Oh, this smells so good,” she said, taking a forkful of her vegetable lasagna. When it hit her tongue, she moaned with sheer delight. “Tastes even better.”

  “Angelo’s a terrific cook. When I was looking for a restaurant for the property, it only took one taste to know he was the right one.” His smile turned into a wicked grin. “The fact that he knows what my business is and isn’t judgmental about it doesn’t hurt, either. The restaurant is open to the public, but this table and the one across from us are reserved for guests of the inn and people who know specifically to ask for them.”

  She was intrigued. “Really? Why?”

  “They’re set apart from the truly public part of the restaurant. It’s more intimate in this alcove, shadowed and private. Discreet play is allowed here for people who like to take things out into public. None of the servers who work these two tables is going to be flustered by a threesome, the flash of a nipple, or visible restraints. You told Tony you were staying at the inn, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, I did. Oh!” Her eyes widened, then darted over to the other table, currently occupied by a man and two women, one on either side of him. “They’re not staying at the inn.”

  He winked. “No.”

  She glanced over at the trio again. “Which means they knew to ask?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Omigod.”

  He laughed. “There’s something incredibly intoxicating about three rather than two, don’t you think?”

  She stared at him, searching for the right words. “I’ve never really thought about it, I guess.” A sudden question crossed her mind. “Have you been part of, as you call it, three rather than two?”

  She couldn’t believe the words had come from her mouth, but he didn’t look shocked, didn’t turn red, didn’t seem embarrassed. He just nodded. “A few times, although I prefer my three to be two men, one woman. Do you know what topping someone means?” She shook her head, and he explained. “Dominating them, taking control of them sexually. The submissive partner is a bottom. Anyway, there’s a certain rush from two dominant men topping the same woman. Or one dominant man topping them both.”

  “Um, wow.” It wasn’t a sophisticated answer, but then again, this was totally out of her range of experience. Sophistication was nowhere to be found, and neither was her grasp of the English language. Shock at the turn of the conversation had stolen that.

  He ate some more of his own dinner, what looked to be some kind of parmigiana that smelled heavenly too. “When it comes to a committed relationship, I’m not a ménage kind of guy. I’m too possessive to share long term, but I do enjoy it in a limited scene, giving a woman that, having her completely taken over by a pleasure that only four hands, two mouths and two cocks can provide.”

  Damn. A whole host of thoughts she had absolutely no intention of voicing flashed through her brain. If they were involved, would he share her? What would that mean? Could she handle that? A movement at the table across from them drew her eyes, and she swallowed hard.
The man was kissing the brunette’s neck while the blonde woman was fondling the brunette’s breast. The woman being handled had her eyes closed, her head thrown back and her mouth open. Liv leaned back in her chair, her heart thudding.

  * * *

  “Sexy as hell, isn’t it?” Gabe asked, his lips at Olivia’s ear. “There’s power in submission, and she knows it.”

  He felt her shiver at his words. She tore her eyes away from the trio across the way and took a long drink of ice water, ignoring her glass of wine. She didn’t answer him, either, not that he was surprised.

  He chuckled. “It’s a lot to take in, I know.” And he did. He understood not everyone could imagine having two lovers touching them at once. It was blatantly obvious she was innocent to the ways of a threesome, but she was definitely intrigued. Her eyes were so wide and her cheeks were so pink, and all of that together roused his dominance.

  He wanted to play, and he wanted to play with Olivia. He hadn’t lied earlier when he’d told her he didn’t know what he wanted. That was true, long term. But between the unexpected jealousy when he’d thought she was out on a dinner date and her reaction to the scene across from them, the need to play with her, right here, right now, was tempting him further than he’d been tempted in a very long time.

  She’d started eating again, her eyes locked on the plate in front of her. As they continued to eat in silence, he debated with himself. Finally, he couldn’t hold back the words. “You asked me what I wanted from you. What do you want from me, Olivia?”

  Her fork clattered against her plate. “I don’t know. I don’t need any more complications in my life right now, but...” Her voice drifted off, and she sighed. “But says it all, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah it does,” he muttered, losing the fight with his conscience. “Put your hands flat on the table and don’t move them, no matter what I do, unless I tell you to.”

  Her eyes flew to his even as she followed his order, settling her palms next to her plate. “Gabe?” she asked, her voice tremulous. There was a thread of need there, too, and that was what kept him moving forward.

  “Just dipping our toes in the waters of but, princess. Do you know what a safe word is?”

  “Yes, I think so.” Deep red suffused her cheeks.

  Once again he wondered if she had any actual experience with domination and submission. She seemed to know some of the basics, but also seemed naive about others. Either way, he wasn’t taking any chances, especially since she was still recovering from her injuries. “If I do anything you don’t like or that hurts you, say red and I’ll stop immediately, game over. If you’re unsure of something, say yellow and we’ll stop and talk about it. Remember how I told you Bondage and Breakfast follows safe, sane and consensual rules of play?” She nodded, still wild-eyed, and he continued. “This is part of that consent. You trust me to have your best interests at heart, and I trust you to tell me if you’re okay or if I’m coming close to a line you don’t want crossed.”

  “Gabe—” she said again, but he cut her off.

  “One other thing. When we’re playing this game, my name is Sir or Master Gabriel. No excuses. No exceptions.” He knew from past experience his words and the whip-sting of his tone would annoy her as well as arouse her, and he wasn’t disappointed.

  Her eyes narrowed but her nipples beaded. “Excuse me?”

  He smiled tightly, embracing his role and enjoying the satisfaction that flowed through him. “That’s excuse me, Sir. And I just finished telling you no excuses, princess. You’ll get this one for free. Now that we’ve cleared this up, if you make that mistake again, you’ll get a punishment of my choice.” He paused, his voice softening. “Or you call red, and we end this if it’s not something you’re comfortable with. It’s up to you, Olivia. Do you want to use your safe word?”

  Her eyes darted to the table across from them, over to Tony standing near the kitchen door and back to him. Gabe held her gaze, but he couldn’t help her make this decision. She took a deep, shuddering breath, flexed her fingers but kept her hands against the table, and bit her lip. When her voice came out, it was low, but that thread of arousal was even thicker now. “No, Sir.”

  “Excellent,” he said, letting her hear the approval in his voice, but hiding the relief. “Now we play.”

  Chapter Six

  Gabe could practically hear the wheels turning in Olivia’s head. From the pulse pounding in her neck, the trembling in her hands and the color on her cheeks, he knew she was aroused. He let her sit there for a moment, wondering what he’d do, allowing the unknown to take root in her head. He considered himself a nurturing, warmhearted Dom, but that didn’t mean he didn’t go for the mind fuck. That was part of the game. Sometimes the best part.

  But he also wanted to be sure he kept even that to the toe-dipping level. Sure, she’d given consent but since he didn’t know exactly how informed it was, he wanted to—no, needed to—tread cautiously, so he didn’t let her wait long.

  He leaned close, lightly tracing the shell of her ear with his fingertip. “Which kind of threesome turns you on more? You, a man and a woman? They’d each be able to give you very different kinds of pleasure. Or you and two men, filling you more than you’ve ever been filled?” He drew out that last sentence, whispering it in her ear, then nipping lightly at her earlobe. She sucked in a breath, and he used that pause to remind her of the rules. “Make sure you answer me properly, princess.”

  “I, uh I don’t know, Master Gabriel. I never thought of it before. They’re both scary.”

  Her voice was unsteady, but she’d answered the question properly and honestly, and for that she deserved praise.

  “That was perfect, Olivia,” he murmured, stroking her cheek lightly with his knuckles. “Questions should always be answered using my name, and I want you to share your honest feelings with me. I don’t want to assume I know how you feel about something. That could lead to a bad experience for both of us and, at the core, this is all about pleasure.”

  He touched her bare shoulder, teasing the edge of her dress, letting his fingers drift to her collarbone, playing in the sensitive notch there. She shivered, and he hid a smile. He loved a woman’s throat, loved collaring her with his hand as he drove into her, watching the trust shine from her eyes. “We’ll put that question aside for now, but it can be arousing to watch. Keep your eyes on our neighbors across the way.”

  Her eyes flew to his and stayed there for a long moment, but then she glanced back at the table as he’d directed her. With his fingers on her neck, he felt her pulse start to race. She definitely seemed to like being told what to do, which was good. He liked giving her orders.

  At the other table, things were heating up. He’d seen this trio at a local get-together for the kink community, but he didn’t know their names. He did remember, however, that they were exhibitionists, so anything could happen.

  They’d traded places, and now the brunette was in the middle. Working as a team, the blonde woman and the man drew the top of the brunette’s dress down, baring her breasts completely. The man drew something out of his pocket and handed it to the blonde woman. As if by some prearranged signal, they both leaned in and sucked the brunette’s nipples. Her hands, like Olivia’s, were flat on the table. When they pulled back, her nipples were glistening and aroused.

  Olivia’s breathing sped up, and goose bumps rose along her flesh. Suddenly his trousers felt too damn tight, and it wasn’t just because of the threesome putting on a show. No, it was mostly about Olivia and how she responded to his words, his touch, and her own sexuality. Right now, he couldn’t remember why he’d thought it was a good idea for him to keep his distance from her.

  He continued to run his hand across her skin, nipping at her bare shoulder with his teeth. His palm curled around the back of her neck, his fingers resting lightly against her pulse. His entire being was
focused on her, so he didn’t miss it when her breath hitched and her eyes flared, the pupils dilating. She froze, and then started trembling.

  He cut his gaze to the trio to see what had prompted that reaction. He grinned slowly, arousal punching him low in the gut. “Like those, do you?”

  She nodded without speaking, as if she were unable to take her eyes from the nipple clamps now adorning the brunette’s breasts.

  “Want to see how they feel for yourself?”

  She started to nod again, then shook her head and looked at him. “Wait, what?”

  He curled his fingers lightly against her neck, a subtle warning to use the protocol he’d explained to her.

  She got his point and flushed. “I’m sorry, Master Gabriel. What did you say?”

  He stroked his thumb across the back of her neck. “I asked if you’d like to see how nipple clamps feel, princess.” When she bit her lip he leaned in, licking the spot she’d bitten. He pulled back just slightly, staying solidly in her personal space, his fingers firm against her neck. “I have a pair I’d love to use on you, with jeweled weights almost the exact color of your eyes.”

  She blinked, and her eyes went unfocused.

  He hid a laugh. She was definitely interested, and Christ, he had no problem imagining that glazed, dazed look in her eyes as he brought her to orgasm, over and over again. His body tightened. No, not yet. Too soon. Far, far too soon.

  With that admonition ringing in his head, he leashed his baser instincts and nipped the corner of her jaw.

  “Dessert, Olivia?”

  * * *

  Liv had to force her eyes and ears to focus on Gabe. Master Gabriel, she amended. The thought made her flash hot all over. It was hard to stay mad at him for walking away from her earlier in the week when he had his hands and his mouth all over her right now. The light touches were slow torture, incredibly sexy and arousing, and yet she had a feeling he was holding back. If she was this turned on now when it came to him and what he could do to her, she was sunk if he let loose.