by Anna Lewis
“I don’t believe you. I’ve never met a man that didn’t expect sex after something like that, or less really.”
“Then you’ve never met a man like me.”
The door opened and they stepped out into the quiet hallway. He opened the door to their suite and she followed him in, her stomach in knots, though she didn’t know why.
When he closed the door, he moved toward her and she backed up against the large desk in the sitting room between their two rooms. He kept coming, and she thought he was going to kiss her, but he leaned around her instead and pulled a laminated menu from its holder on the wall. He handed it to her while loosening his tie with the other hand.
“Order anything you want, or a little bit of everything,” he said. “As for what happened downstairs, I would be more than happy to finish what I started, but I’m not sure you’re ready for that.”
Her relief was obvious, and she blushed when he laughed softly.
“I like you,” he said, kissing her on the cheek tenderly. “You’re not like other women. There’s a sweetness about you that mingles perfectly with the kinky girl beneath the surface.”
“I’m not really kinky,” she said defensively.
“I saw how excited you got when you watched that man and his wife. I think you are more adventurous than you realize, but not all BDSM is whips and chains.”
“It’s not?”
“Not even close.”
“Then, what is it?”
“It’s anything and everything you want it to be.”
She swallowed hard, not sure if she could ask him her next question, but she was dying to know.
“What is it to you?”
“Are you asking what I’m into?”
“I guess,” she said, not sure that she was ready for the answer.
He smiled.
“I enjoyed tonight, and I’m not going to lie, when I saw how excited you got watching that woman being spanked, I considered taking you over my knee right then, and I would have enjoyed it.”
Her stomach fluttered, and she felt the heat growing inside her almost instantly.
What the hell? Shawna thought, surprised at her reaction to something she’d never even thought of before.
“But, I want to wait until you want it, because that’s what makes it fun.”
“Really?”
“Really. Some people like the tears and the discipline aspect of it, but give me a beautiful woman, naked and enjoying herself, and I’m a happy man.”
He smiled at her, but she couldn’t find the words.
“Don’t worry,” he said finally when the silence stretched between them. “I don’t expect anything from you. I’m enjoying spending this time with you, and I’m excited to see what you’re willing to explore this weekend.”
“And if it’s nothing more than what happened tonight?”
“The sweetest fruit is the one that takes its time ripening,” he said, then winked. “Now, enough about this. I’m famished. I’ll take the number one. Order what you want and tell them to put it on my account.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m in need of a cold shower,” he said with a smirk. “I’m a stand-up guy, but I’m not a saint.”
Her face went blank and he laughed as he walked away, closing the bathroom door behind himself and leaving her there alone. She watched the door for a moment, and almost went in after him, but she didn’t feel that bold.
Instead, she ordered their food, and when the knock came at the door, she let the man bring the tray in. As she was closing the door behind him, she realized that Eric still had her panties.
***
Shawna awoke the next morning to the sun shining into her room and the gentle playing of a piano in the distance.
She sat up and stretched, surprised to see that it was almost noon and she hadn’t gotten out of bed yet. Wrapping a robe around herself, she made her way out to the sitting room in her bare feet, blonde hair still braided from the night before, and still wearing the black dress beneath the robe.
The music got louder, and as she blinked the sleep out of her eyes, the far end of the room came into focus and she realized that Eric was playing the baby grand tucked into the corner of the room.
He looked up when he saw her, but he didn’t stop playing. She went to him, sitting on the bench beside him and watching mesmerized as he played from the music sitting on the stand in front of him.
“How did I miss this last night?” she wondered aloud.
“The room is dim and the piano is black. It was covered, too, to keep the dust off. I don’t come here as often as I should, and even though this hotel is new, there’s still a lot of dust.”
“Is this your suite?”
“It is. It’s my hotel and this part of it is where I stay when I come to Vegas.”
“I thought it was just a two-room suite.”
“Far from it,” he said, ending the song and standing. “Come here, I’ll show you.”
He opened the door that was opposite of hers, but instead of a large room like the one she’d slept in, there was a long hallway.
“My room is at the end. You’re in the guest room, and there’s one more room that’s currently a library, but has a luxury hide-a-bed in the sofa in case I need more than one guest room for whatever reason. On the left, there’s a bathroom, then my office, home gym, and a formal dining room.”
“Why did we eat in the sitting room, then?”
“Because you looked like you were not sure whether to attack me or run, and I thought it was best to eat quickly and send you off to bed.”
“Was I that obvious?”
“Your face is like an open book. You second guess yourself a lot, but I would have turned you down last night.”
“You would have?”
He looked at her then, his eyes serious.
“It’s really common for a first-timer to get excited and go too far their first time in the scene. There’s something about opening up that part of you that is more like opening the flood gates than just opening a door. I didn’t want to take advantage.”
“I appreciate that,” she said, and meant it.
“We have all weekend to explore this side of you; if you want, of course. I have no reason to push you further when we are staying two more nights before we head back.”
They walked as he talked, and he opened each door, inviting her to look in the rooms and admire the décor. When they got to the end of the hallway, there was only one door left. He opened it and stepped back, and Shawna felt as if her jaw would hit the floor.
“This is your room?” she asked, incredulous. “I could fit my entire apartment in here.”
“I plan on dividing my time between here and Dallas, and I wanted to be comfortable. I’m used to being surrounded by lots of land, so having the top floor of my hotel be designated as a second home for me seemed like a smart idea.”
Shawna looked up at him, then thought back to the moment that they’d gotten off the escalator the night before and realized that she hadn’t noticed that the elevator let off to a small entryway and that there was nothing beyond that entryway, which led right into the common area between her room and the door that led to Eric’s home away from home.
“This is all so amazing,” she said, walking around the room and taking in the sheer size of it. “You have a reading nook and a projector with a huge screen. And where does that door go?”
“That door goes into the room beside my room.”
“I didn’t see a door in the hallway for another room.”
“This room is only accessible through my room. It’s a private room.”
“Oh,” she said. “May I look at it?”
“No,” he said, smiling and gently grabbing her hand to stop her from opening the door. “That’s for another time, and today is not that day.”
His voice was soft, and there was no anger in it, even though she was being beyond nosey. She nodded, not sure what to say
in response.
“I’ll show you someday if you still want to see it, but it’s a very private part of my life, and I don’t want to rush into something just because it feels good.”
“I understand,” she said, though her feelings were a bit hurt.
He touched her cheek, caressing her soft skin with his thumb and smiling at her with the most serene expression.
“Would you trust me if I told you that you’re just not ready to see some things right now and that I’m trying not to overwhelm you all at once?”
“Yes.”
“Believe me when I say that I would love to take you in that room, but now is not the time.”
“I understand,” she said again, but this time, she really did.
“There’s my girl. Now, how about you take a nice, warm bath and I’ll set out some clothes for you?”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“I’ll order lunch in, too, and then we’ll go downstairs and see how things are going.”
Shawna’s excitement grew at the thought, and she smiled.
“Is it horrible that I’m secretly hoping that man will be there with his wife again?”
“Not at all,” he laughed. “I would be concerned if you weren’t.” He winked at her and she blushed. “The spa is in there. Fill the tub and use whatever bubble bath you like. I’ll leave your clothes on the bed and I’ll close the door behind me. Take your time and don’t rush. I’m going to order some cold sandwiches and fruit, and I’ll read a book or watch a movie while I wait.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling at him as she walked into his private bathroom and closed the door behind her.
She almost locked it, but she decided not to.
The room was huge, and pristine, shiny white tiles with marbled gray accents. The spa tub was just that; a large tub with jets that she could lay flat in and not touch her head and feet to the edges at the same time. She started the water, which filled from all the jets in record time, then shut off automatically when the water level reached a certain height. She set the temperature and opened a cupboard beside the tub.
The cupboard had two shelves; the top shelf stacked high with thick, plush towels and the bottom shelf filled with every imaginable scent of bubble bath, body wash and shampoo.
She grabbed a bottle of peppermint bubble bath and vanilla scented shampoo and stepped into the tub. Sinking up to her neck, she smiled to herself at the thought of Eric waiting on her. He might regret telling her to take her time, because she didn’t see herself getting out of the tub anytime soon.
She wondered how many books he had to read.
***
Shawna slipped into the bedroom an hour later, hair wrapped in a dry towel, hotel bathrobe tied tightly around her waist. She eyed the outfit on the bed, but she didn’t pick it up. Was he serious?
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, envisioning herself in the skimpy outfit and hoping that she could pull it off.
He’s paying you thirty grand to look the part, she reminded herself, then grabbed the red plaid skirt and pulled it on. Next came a white shirt with capped sleeves that was cut off just below her lacy, white bra and showed her entire midsection. The skirt had suspender straps attached to it, which completed the look when she slipped them over her shoulders.
She pulled on the white, knee-high stockings that were knitted and ribbed, then slipped on the black flats and took a look at herself in the full-length mirror.
She turned slowly, surprised that she actually liked how she looked in the outfit. The skirt was only halfway between her knees and her hips, but it covered her rear end.
Feeling surprisingly sexy, she walked out of the room and down the hall. When she opened the door to the sitting room, Eric looked up from his book and a slow, sexy smile spread across his face.
“Did you find everything alright?”
“I did, but there weren’t any panties. Maybe I dropped them?”
“There aren’t any panties,” he said simply. He patted the seat beside him. “Come sit down and have your lunch. When you’re done, we’ll go downstairs for a little while.”
She sat down beside him, trying a few times to pull the skirt so that her nakedness wasn’t exposed, but it was almost impossible. She looked at Eric and blushed when she realized that he was watching her intently.
“I would give in and give you a pair to wear, but just like last night, your body betrays you.”
She looked down and closed her eyes. Sure enough, her nipples were rock hard and pressing through the bra and shirt.
“I can’t help that,” she said.
“You can’t help what you like, and there’s no shame in that. I’m enjoying this, actually.”
“Watching me squirm?”
“I enjoy that as well,” he said. “But I’m more enjoying you finding yourself. As hard as it was to go through that, I think that losing your job in the secretary pool was probably the best thing that could have happened to you.”
“Except that I don’t have a job right now.”
“But the money you made last weekend and this weekend will hold you over for a while, right?”
“It will, but I don’t want to push it. I can live off what I’m making this weekend for a few months, easily. But I want more than that. I want to get a job so I can put this money away so I have something to fall back on if this ever happens again.”
“I can help you with that,” he said.
“Can you?”
“I can help you invest what you’ve gotten this weekend and turn it into more. But, I can’t help thinking that you want more to life than just a decent nest egg.”
“I do,” she said, taking a bite of her food and chewing slowly while she thought.
“If there were no limits and no dream was too fanciful or too big, what would you want?”
She thought about it for a moment, taking a sip of her water and measuring her words carefully. She didn’t want Eric to laugh at her, but she had a feeling that now would be the moment to share her most private dreams with someone. Could she trust him not to laugh at her? Would her dreams seem puerile and silly to a man with a staggering amount of wealth?
She took a deep breath, then finally answered.
“I want to make enough money that I don’t have to work. Then I want to buy a horse ranch and ride horses and only work when I have to.”
She held her breath, waiting for him to laugh at her childish dream, but when she looked at him, he was smiling.
“That’s a wonderful dream,” he said.
“Really? You don’t think it’s dumb?”
“It’s not dumb.”
“But, it is out of my reach.”
“Not really.”
“Now, who’s being silly?”
“Hear me out. If you let me help you invest this money, and you make five hundred thousand in the next year, I can help you grow that to two million or more.”
She laughed.
“And how in the world am I going make that kind of money?”
“I have an idea,” he said sheepishly.
“Oh boy. Do I want to know?”
“Still not sex, but I’m not going to say that sex is completely out of the question. I’m just not going to pay you for it.”
“Good to know. Do I want to know what this job is?”
“I need a personal assistant.”
“Like, in your office?”
“Yes. That desk outside my office is lonely, and I could use a personal assistant to make my days a little easier.”
“Something tells me that this isn’t going to be a regular assistant job. And you have to remember, I got fired from the secretary pool. I’m not the best personal assistant.”
“That’s alright, I prefer to do my own training.”
“Why does everything you say sound like there’s more to it than what you’re saying?”
“There is.”
“Oh geez.”
“I think you’ll like i
t.”
“I’m sure you will,” she countered.
“No doubt. I would like to mix business and pleasure, if you get my drift?”
“Are you going to make me dress like this?”
He chuckled.
“Nothing that obvious. It’s so much more fun when no one knows what’s going on. But I would like to pick your outfits, and I would like to help you explore this more adventurous side of you.”
“And if I change my mind or it’s too much?”
“You can walk away anytime, and you owe me nothing. You never owe me anything, and I hope you understand that. The power is yours and you choose what happens and what is too much.”
“Go on.”
“I’ll pay you ten thousand a week and you will work the same hours as me, which is ten to four.”
“That’s a lot of money.”
“It is. And if I need you to attend any weekend events, I’ll add five grand a night.”
“I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming.”
“There is. I want you to trust me completely. I want to take you outside your comfort zone and help you find that confidence and power that you envy so much in some of the other submissive women.”
“You want me to be yours?”
“Not really. I just want to be your first, and I want you to be brave enough to try new things with me. If that turns into something more than that, that would be great, because I feel a definite connection with you that I’ve never felt before. But, if we spend a few months or a year together and you decide that this isn’t for you, I will gladly write you a glowing letter of recommendation and you can get a job with another firm.”
“If I last an entire year?”
“Then you’ll have more than enough money to live your dream, and you can walk away and do whatever you want.”
She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and trying to let all that sink in. Over half a million in a year, and that didn’t even count the weekends she would earn extra. It was only a year, and she would only be working six-hour days. How hard could it be?
“Can I think about it?”
“Of course, you can. You can let me know Monday morning if you want, or you can take an entire week off and let me know next weekend. It’s up to you. Remember, you have all the control.”