Lust & Leverage

by Kaye Blue

  She shrugged again, the motion perfectly nonchalant, seeming as though she couldn’t have cared any less about the topic. But I saw right through it. I saw the tension around her jaw, how it looked like she had one side of her teeth clenched, her eyes darkening before they lightened and returned to normal.

  I knew exactly what she thought this place was, and I was going to enjoy making her confirm it.

  “I don’t know. Maybe you live out of the city and stay here on nights you can’t get home,” she said nonchalantly, though she wasn’t at all convincing.

  “Or?” I asked.

  “Or what? I couldn’t possibly begin to guess what you use this place for given that I don’t know you or your life today,” she said.

  She sounded so reasonable, so perfectly content with that answer, but I knew that too was a facade.

  I smiled, the expression and the emotion that caused it lifting my heart. Then I stroked her cheek.

  “Come on, Mia. You thought my club was a sex dungeon. You probably think this is a sex dungeon. Why are you so obsessed with sex dungeons?” I asked.

  She chuckled, the laugh bubbly, light, giving me that same buoyant feeling I only ever got when she was around.

  “You’re the one who keeps bringing them up,” she said, her brows lifted, though I could see the faint head of a blush beginning to creep up under her dark brown skin.

  “Only because you’re obsessed with them,” I responded.

  “Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head with exasperation, though I could see her amusement.

  “I don’t know. Maybe you got a really good deal on the place,” she said.

  “I did, but I always get good deals. For your purposes, this is where you’ll be staying for the duration of our arrangement,” I said.

  The abrupt shift in tone seemed harsh even to my ears, and from the way Mia froze and then blinked, I knew it was the same for her.

  But the transition needed to be abrupt and harsh. This wasn’t playtime, and we weren’t here to bond or chitchat.

  “Oh,” she said. She paused for a moment, swallowed, and then continued. “So, you use it for this kind of thing?”

  I couldn’t tell if she was fishing for information, trying to figure out if I made these kinds of arrangements a habit. I didn’t, but that cruel streak she seemed to inspire just as much as she did my lust and my emotions wouldn’t let me give her comfort.

  “That’s not important. What matters is that you’ll have the run of the place. I’ve left your name with the concierge and doorman. They’re both here if you need anything. And the code is by the door,” I said.

  She looked over my shoulder toward the door, then looked back at me. It seemed like she wanted to say something, and I waited, wondering if she would raise the issue if I did not. But, after a moment she simply nodded. “Okay.”

  I should have been happy, or at least felt some measure of victory that she had so easily acquiesced, but very seldom did I do what I should. So, instead of leaving well enough alone, I continued on.

  “You look worried,” I said.

  Mia stood up a little straighter, narrowed her eyes at me.

  “I don’t know why you say that,” she said.

  “Because you look worried,” I responded.

  She scoffed, shook her head. “I’m fine.”

  I didn’t believe her, but I didn’t say anything. Just waited.

  My patience paid off. She said, “Except…”

  “Yes?” I asked.

  “I had plans this morning. You ruined them,” she said.

  I heard the accusation in her voice, but ignored it. Then gave a shrug as nonchalant as the one she had, though in my case it was genuine.

  “I had plans this morning too. Mine are more important than yours,” I said.

  I could see how badly Mia wanted to roll her eyes, but she kept her expression impressively clear.

  “So that’s how you want to run this…”

  It seemed she didn’t have a word for this, but then again neither did I. I called it an arrangement, which seemed good enough, but I wasn’t sure if that would work for Mia.

  “Yes,” I said. I paused for a moment, wanting her to understand exactly what I meant. Then, on the next breath, I continued. “You know what you’re here for, and I’m not going to want you on any schedule other than my own. And I’m very impatient. I hate being made to wait,” I said.

  “I see. So I’m just supposed to sit around here and wait for you to show up?”

  “Yeah. Will that be a problem?” I asked, knowing full well her answer.

  “Yeah, it will be a problem,” she said.

  “How so?”

  “It’s just illogical. We obviously won’t be…having sex every moment of the day. Why should I just waste time?” she asked.

  “Because that’s what you’re here for,” I said, not allowing any hint of flexibility or waver into my voice, mostly because I didn’t want to be swayed by her.

  But of course, Mia just bulldozed right past that.

  “Maybe, but ‘because Alex says so’ is not gonna work for me. And I’ll go absolutely crazy if I have to stay inside here. So you’re going to have to give me some kind of schedule. It’s the least you can do for me,” she said.

  “Maybe the least you think I can do is more than I want to,” I said, pushing her, though I wasn’t entirely sure why.

  Mia pushed back.

  “Well you have to decide. If you want this…whatever this is to work, that’s something I’m going to need,” she said.

  I chuckled, amused by her audacity, wondering what had made her think this was a good idea.

  “You’re negotiating with me like you have leverage,” I said.

  Surprisingly, I wasn’t annoyed by her pushing, and in fact I was amused by it, more turned on than I wanted to admit. But despite that, I wouldn’t be suckered into allowing Mia to think we were on equal footing.

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” she said.

  I tilted my head, mimicking her stance from earlier, and then nodded.

  “I do have leverage. I can walk out that door at any time.”

  My mind instantly recoiled at the very thought, but I kept my voice calm, didn’t give in to the panic that threatened to overtake me. Instead, I played it cool.

  “You could, but you’re not going to,” I said.

  “What makes you so sure?” she asked.

  She was definitely testing me now, something which strengthened my resolve and my panic. I thought I had her exactly where I wanted her, but with Mia, I never knew.

  “Because you care too much about them, about your town and your precious father and his precious company.”

  “I do care about them, but I care about myself more. If I can’t get even that kind of reasonable request answered, there’s no reason for me to be here. And like I said before, I’m not just going to bend, do what you want me to do just because you want me to,” she said.

  She was mistaken, because that was exactly what she was going to do, but I felt no need to belabor the point.

  Besides, I knew that despite my desire to spend every moment excising Mia from my consciousness, there was no way I was going to be able to. I had business responsibilities to maintain after all.

  “Fine, you can leave during the day, but remember that I hate to be kept waiting, and I can’t guarantee that I won’t be very upset if I come and you’re not here,” I said.

  Something in my voice must have changed, because Mia looked at me, her own expression changing.

  There was heat in it, an edge that was surprising.

  “Is that a threat, Alex?” she asked, her voice a low whisper, her breath coming out a little bit heavier.

  “What do you think?” I asked, my voice lowering to match hers.

  “With you, I just can’t tell,” she said.

  She probably hadn’t intended the confession, but I smiled at her, nodded.

  “It’s
good to keep you on your toes,” I said.

  She smiled, the pretty expression doing nothing to bank the intensity of her stare.

  “Don’t worry, you definitely do that,” she said.

  “Let’s see if I can keep it up,” I said.

  Then, before Mia could react, I threw her over my shoulder in a fireman’s carry and headed toward the bedroom.

  She giggled, then held onto my back, her laughter filling the somewhat empty penthouse with life that it had never experienced before.

  I ignored that though, as did I ignore the tightening in my chest at the sound of her laughter.

  I made it to the bedroom and then tossed her on the bed.

  She braced up on her elbows, then looked at me, giggling.

  “Yep. Definitely on my toes,” she said before she broke down into peals of laughter.

  The sound was so pure, so joyous, and I could feel the emotion begin to unfurl in my chest.

  I pushed it back, ignored it, and instead reached for her feet.

  I pulled off her shoes, then tossed them over my shoulders, forgotten.

  At my touch, Mia stopped giggling, and then looked at me, still pushed up on her elbows, her expression one of confusion.

  Confusion I intended to clear up.

  I could see that she wanted to speak, but was either too nervous or too excited to do so. I wasn’t sure which, the way her dark eyes gleamed made me assume it was excitement.

  I stood up tall, but reached down, locked my hand on her ankles and began to stroke her calves.

  Her skin felt soft, smooth, and I lifted her foot, lifted her leg, and pressed my lips against her ankle, confirmed that the skin was as smooth against my lips as it had been against my fingertips.

  I was also rewarded by a shiver from Mia, one that I intended to experience again before this day was over.

  All traces of the humor that had been present moments ago were gone. I looked at her intently as she stared back at me, her eyes so dark they were almost black.

  I didn’t want to think about what my own expression was like, what it was giving away. Nothing that I wanted it to, that was for sure, but I couldn’t hide how much I wanted her, how angry I still was at her, how one emotion fed into the other until both overwhelmed reason.

  My plans, my goals, everything but the desire—the necessity—to be with her fled.

  Instead, I pulled Mia closer to the edge of the bed, paused long enough to let out a quick smile at her tiny shriek.

  But soon, I was all business again, and I worked my way up her legs, touching her through her jeans, feeling her flesh, which was both soft and firm, perfect in every way.

  I deliberately avoided the space between her legs and instead reached for her waistband.

  She wasn’t wearing a belt, something I was grateful for.

  I made quick work of her button, and popped it open and then quickly slid down her zipper.

  “Lift your hips,” I said.

  Mia wasted no time in complying and lifted her hips, and watched as I shimmied the jeans down her legs.

  I was almost shaky with my need for her, but I didn’t allow myself to hurry. I had done that last night, and had no intention of making that same mistake again. Instead I moved slowly, allowing my fingers to caress her, moving down her full thighs, pausing to again stroke that space behind her knee that I now knew set her off like a rocket. Moved the jeans down and over her calves and off.

  They went over my shoulder, discarded as her shoes had been.

  I looked down at Mia, her tank top bunched up under her breasts, revealing their fullness. I looked down the gentle slope of her stomach, to the black panties she wore.

  They were functional, not the tiny little scraps of material that were designed to entice. And that made them all the sexier. Mia didn’t need that kind of embellishment, didn’t need anything to enhance her appeal. In fact, if she had worn something skimpy, something I knew was designed to try to seduce, it would have felt wrong. But this, Mia, as she was, was more than enough, and was exactly what I wanted.

  I pulled her even farther down the edge of the bed and hooked her legs on my shoulders, her feet slapping against my back.

  I moved forward just enough to trace the edge of her panties where they lay across her stomach, moved up to caress her breasts through her shirt and bra.

  Their fullness more than overflowed my hands, and I was reminded yet again that there was so much more of her to explore, so much more of her that I would. But for now, I focused on my real target.

  I slid my fingers down her stomach again, and then hooked my thumbs in the waistband of her panties.

  “Lift your hips,” I said, repeating my statement from earlier.

  As she had done earlier, Mia complied without pause, lifting her hips, her expression intense as she watched me pull the fabric down her thighs.

  I didn’t look to her center as I so desperately wanted to. Instead I kept my eyes on my hands, watching as the panties, my fingers, trailed down her soft brown skin.

  Moving this slow was the most delicious torture, for me, and for her.

  My need was intense, pushing at me to go faster, to take her, but I fought that.

  Part of it was building the anticipation, knowing that when I finally had her the relief would be so much greater if I took it slow, but the other part was stubbornness, the urgency to prove to myself that I wasn’t beholden to this woman, that I was in control.

  I pulled the underwear off her legs and tossed them aside, the little tremor in my fingers making me doubt the thought that I was in control.

  But I would prove it, would prove that as much as I wanted her, I didn’t give in to whims, didn’t allow my emotions to control me.

  Not anymore.

  I might lose my mind, embarrass myself by coming right then, but I wouldn’t lose this fight.

  So, instead of diving between her thighs like I so desperately wanted to, I forced myself to go slow. I stroked her legs up, then down, then up again, holding her tight, watching her reaction to my touch.

  It was a beautiful thing to see, Mia’s softly panted moans, the way she squirmed as I touched her threatening to send me into overdrive.

  I moved my lips down firmly, paused for a moment, breathed out deep, trying to center myself.

  Then I continued, working my hands down her thighs, and then down her calves until I again held her ankles.

  I kissed one ankle, then the other, then repeated the action, moving from one calf to the other, working my way up slowly.

  When I reached her knees, I planted a soft kiss at the back, and was rewarded with a full-body shiver, and a low-throated moan that made my cock even harder.

  Torturing her was like torturing myself, but I was still determined to see this through.

  I did the same to the other knee, got a similar response, but then kept moving.

  Kissed the outside of her knee, up one thigh, then down the other, then back up again.

  I kneeled down, pulled her even closer to the edge of the bed until she was almost hanging off.

  Her position seemed precarious, and she gripped the bed tight, apparently looking for some anchor.

  I was too, but in that moment I didn’t care about myself. I wanted Mia to find her anchor, wanted that anchor to be me.

  *

  Mia

  *

  In the space of a breath, the moment shifted.

  First, Alex was teasing me, seemed intent on using skillful touches and heated looks to drive me mad, all the while denying me what I so desperately wanted.

  But in the next instant, that changed.

  He stared down at me, his fiery green gaze centered on my core. I could feel the wetness leaking from me, could smell the scent of my arousal, but was too far gone to care that I was so exposed, that my passion for him was so obvious.

  All that mattered now was that he was close to me, close enough to put out the fire that threatened to burn me.

  When Alex
moved, he did so slowly, getting closer and closer millimeter by millimeter until he was kneeling between my legs, close enough that I could feel his breath against my inner thigh. Even before he touched me, I moaned low in my throat, the anticipation enough to push me closer to the brink of climax.

  I arched off the bed at the first brush of Alex’s lips against my thigh, arched again when he snaked his tongue out to trace the patch of skin between my thigh and my outer labia. My eyes had dropped closed, but at the feel of his tongue against my skin, I opened my eyes, met his searing gaze.

  His eyes were so dark I could hardly make out the green in them, but the intensity I saw in his face sent me even closer to the edge. He kept his eyes on mine as he shifted slightly and ran his tongue against my slit. When the tip of his tongue touched my clit, I came apart.

  The climax hit me like a lightning strike and sent me flying apart. Or would have if Alex had let me.

  But he didn’t.

  Even as my orgasm ripped through me, Alex kept going, lapping at my clit before he thrust his tongue in and out of me, mimicking with his tongue what I wanted him to do with his cock. Then he reached up and squeezed my breasts hard and then tweaked my nipples. The combined sensations were almost too much. I’d thought there was no way I could climax again, but I was wrong.

  I went off like a rocket, crying out until I was hoarse, gripping Alex’s shoulders so tight I thought I might bruise him, uncaring of anything but the pleasure that crashed through me.

  I was so far gone that I didn’t notice he’d moved. When I heard the sound of his zipper lowering, I opened my eyes again and watched as he crawled toward me, his cock hard and out as he approached me, the rest of his body fully clothed.

  Alex wasted no time entering me, his cock filling me with one smooth thrust. I accepted him easily, sighed at the amazing sensation of being connected to him like this, the discordant feeling of his clothed body and bare cock only intensifying the moment.

  After he entered me, he stayed still, and yet again I met his eyes. I saw the emotion in them, but couldn’t read it other than to know that it was nearly overwhelming.

  And then he moved and all thought fled.

  Fifteen

  Mia

  *

  I lay there, my heart beating at what felt like a dangerous pace, my body still racked with tiny convulsions as the intensity of the moment, the intensity of the pleasure Alex rang from me tried to work its way through.