“But they can investigate and figure out what you don’t know which frankly, is a lot.”
Mark gives me a thin-lipped grin through the comment as if he is enduring my scrutiny purely for altruistic reasons and he could turn me over and out at any time.
“You have twenty-four days left for the rejoinder. Do you know how long an investigation into financial crimes takes? Two to three years.”
“Then why did you bother telling me this if it won’t help?” I hope that doesn’t sound like mistrust, but I’m so frustrated to think that that asshole is using my Lynx to make himself richer.
“Because I’m going to need your help getting inside and knowing what to look for, and I’m going to need you to trust me while I investigate this myself and get the proof that will help us walk Blake straight to his jail cell. I’d also like to not have to bail you out any more.”
“Okay,” I say as he sits next to me on the couch. I look into his beautiful dark eyes and want to melt into him again. “My assistant Janice is also my best friend. She’s still working there, and get this—she told me that Blake and Kenneth locked her out of all the financial systems. She says they’re pawing around my office pretending to look for resources for Valerie James from Ladies World. But they’re probably moving the money.”
“Moving it or hiding how they’ve been moving it,” Mark catches on. “Do you have a way of contacting Janice no matter what?”
“Yes, why?”
“Because I have some ideas about how we can find out. But, once this goes down, your friend Janice isn’t going to be safe anymore.”
“It’s a risk she’s willing to take,” I reply earnestly. I know Janice has my back.
“What about you? What are you willing to risk, Julia?”
Taking his hand, I place it on my inside thigh, look directly into his eyes again and kiss him fully, pulling my lips away in a long, drawn-out motion.
“Everything, Mark. I’ll risk everything.”
Mark squeezes my thigh making me wince and get wet for him all at the same time.
“Let’s see, Julia. Let’s see right now.”
Chapter 10
“We can catch our breath by the pool,” Mark says and he stands, offering me his hand.
“It’s a little late to head to the pool isn’t it? I mean, won’t they think it’s odd you’re swimming with the cleaning lady this late at night?”
“The pool is private. It’s an over-sized jacuzzi, actually–big enough for about twenty people and six feet deep so your legs can dangle as you sit on the ledge or use it for hydrotherapy. Besides, the view from this far up is amazing.”
We walk to the “pool room” and I am awed by the surroundings. Decorated like a Buddhist meditation room, the wooden planks lead to a huge pool-like jacuzzi, with deck chairs and small tables around it. The best feature by far is the wall which is actually a plate glass window giving an amazing view of the lights of the city.
I gasp, transfixed by the view.
He directs me to take my shoes off in the doorway to protect the decking, then walks over and climbs in a deck chair facing the city, pulling me onto the chair with him. He kisses me and plays with my hair.
“So, we’re agreed. No more talk of this unless I initiate it or we agree it’s a safe location?” he asks, his finger tracing my lips. I can understand why he needs assurance. I haven’t made the sanest choices lately.
“We agree.” I lean over and steal another long drawn out kiss from him.
“You better be a good girl. Or I might just have to spank you.”
“I’ll be good,” I promise him back, reaching down and rubbing his crotch. I feel his cock rising inside his pants and I love his response to my touch. Sliding down the chair, I get to my goal with the firm intent of pulling his zipper down with my teeth, only to discover they are buttons.
“Problem?” He looks amused as I stall one inch from his member.
“I was hoping to unzip you with my mouth, but these buttons require more talent than I have,” I confess. He laughs heartily and tussles my hair with one hand while undoing his buttons with the other, allowing me to slip his thick cock out in the open and cover it with my mouth.
He moans, leaning back to enjoy the sensation of my tongue flicking and licking his head. “You are a good girl.”
“If you’d care to disrobe a little further, I can make sure all my goodness shows.”
“You first.” I can’t believe I’m doing this but I rise and go to the corner of the room where a coat rack and towel holder are stationed and begin removing my clothes for the second time in one day. Mark also removes his clothes and returns to the chair erect and ready for me to continue.
I kneel down then slide my tongue up his thigh until I arrive at a position where I can take his balls into my mouth one at a time. Licking, lapping and sucking them while his pleasure echoes off the deck. The salty, musky taste of him fills my mouth.
I run my tongue up the bottom of his shaft and rise up to take as much of him as I can in my mouth, my head bobbing back and forth on his cock, wanting to fulfill all his needs. The pulsing member in my mouth jumps and moves as my tongue and lips do their work. Just when I think he is ready to explode, he puts his hand on my head and pushes it back.
“You’re so beautiful,” he says, kissing my cheek. He stands and walks over the stairs leading into the jacuzzi. I follow but he puts his hand up to stop me. Reaching down, he picks up a rope anchored to a pool float and begins untying it from the end. It’s a typical nautical rope and I can’t imagine why on earth he would stop the best darn blowjob on the planet—if I do say so myself—to fuss with his pool cleaner. He also takes a small orange tag on a plastic band from the cleaner as well.
He comes back and tells me to face the city. I see his reflection as he moves slowly behind me, his cock teasing my slit from behind. He reaches around with one hand and rubs my sore pussy. The pain almost makes me protest, but the growing wetness urges me to let him continue. I’ll rest tomorrow.
“Put your hands behind your back,” he whispers seductively in my ear.
“I’ve already been through this.” I laugh, hoping he thinks it’s funny. He slaps my naked rear playfully.
“Yes, I recall.”
I put both hands behind me hoping I will feel his magic fingers pulsing against my clit again very soon. Instead he holds my wrists together pulling my arms tight and places the plastic orange tag from the pool float around them, locking them in place. I begin to shake as I realize he is immobilizing my arms.
“Mark? What are you doing?”
“Trust and submission, Julia.” It’s the only answer he gives me. As beautiful as the city lights are, I close my eyes and pray I can live up to whatever his expectation will be.
Mark walks back over to the stairs and picks up the rope. I feel him behind me once more kissing my neck and nibbling my ear. His breath in my ear and his body so close nearly lead me to pass out. He pulls on my arms then I feel the rope going around them, about an inch above my elbows. He begins looping and spinning the rope around my two arms, binding them together, and securing the rope.
“Did your mom teaching you knitting too?” I ask, trying to diffuse my fear with humor.
“I doubt my mother ever knew anything about this,” he responds but gives me a few more kisses to let me know it is okay to joke. He pulls and tightens the rope until my arms are locked together in an inescapable bond. Guiding me by the shoulders, he spins me around. My fingertips are tingling and I can’t tell if this is nerves or lack of blood. He rubs himself against my naked body, leaning over to kiss each of my breasts passionately, stoking the fire below.
“This is called an elbow hold.” I can tell by his tone of voice that I need to listen very carefully. “It’s a popular form of arm bondage. The rope is tied above your elbows which pins your arms behind you. Unfortunately there’s a drawback to the beautiful submissive position. If I don’t release your arms within twenty minut
es, the lack of circulation will become dangerous, cutting off necessary blood flow from your hands and arms first and then damaging other parts.”
“Oh…” I say, letting it all sink in.
“Don’t worry. I have an excellent sense of time.” He leans down and begins nuzzling and sucking my breasts some more. My arousal is working wonders to quell the fear I feel at this moment. His hands touch and probe my pussy and I stand there overwhelmed by the sensations.
“Is this really trust, Mark?”
“No. This is submission, Julia,” he replies politely openly admiring my shape. He takes a deep breath. “This is trust.”
He pushes me into the pool.
I feel weightless for a second and then the water goes over my head. My legs are flailing, trying to get me back up above water. My shoulders are jerking but my arms can’t move. Oh my god. He’s drowning me! I splash and kick hard, my head finally going above the surface. I try to scream for help but gurgling water comes out of my mouth and I feel my body going back down to the deep well in the center of this pool.
Then strong hands are around my waist and I am floating toward Mark who must have jumped in the water after me. He pulls me above the surface and holds me as I get some air in my lungs.
“What the fuck?”I scream. I lean over and struggle, wanting to slap him, but with my arms tied behind me, all I can do is shoulder butt him a bit. He holds onto me tightly as I flail and jabber. “Fucking bastard, I could have drowned!”
“Shhh,” he consoles me again. “You’re not going to drown. Not as long as I am holding you up.”
I stop long enough to clear my eyes and take in the situation. He’s standing on the underwater ledge holding me with powerful arms as I float in the deep center. He’s right. As long as he holds me, I’m fine. But if he lets me go, I’ll sink.
Mark kisses me again, our wet lips meeting together and forming a seal that momentarily takes my breath.
“Now, we really must do something about your language, young lady.” I feel him adjust his grip so he is holding me from the bottom. “I won’t have you speaking so coarsely. It’s rude and shows that you’re out of control.”
How long can his arms last? How long until the rope has to come off? He’s giving me a lesson in ladylike behavior while my life hangs in the balance. Maybe he really is crazy. I lean with my feet trying to put them on the ledge he’s braced to–but there’s no room.
“No cheating,” he chides me a second time. “Blake’s the cheater, not you.”
I feel his strong legs pushing mine apart until his hips are right up against me. We are facing each other less than an inch apart. I look into his eyes for signs of madness and see only desire–his and mine. One arm lets go for just a second, causing me to gasp, and then returns as I feel him enter my body.
I want to wrap my arms around him, to cling to him but I can’t, my arms are of no use. So I move my hips for him trying to show that I want him deeper. I need him to hold me up and I need for him to consume me. He grips me tightly in his wet grasp and bends his head to bite and suck at my breasts, the feeling of lust overwhelming all other thoughts in my head.
I feel his shaft entering me and sliding back and forth. The water splashes around us and my pussy grips and clings to him. My legs finally wrap themselves around him and I hang there as he holds me, fucking me slowly, kissing and sucking me, devouring every part of me.
The splashing water causes small pulses against my clit, creating a stronger sensation than even his powerful thrusts digging his shaft deep into my body. We go at it like animals clinging to each other for life as we fuck and pleasure one another. My pussy starts pulsing, my mound quaking as I feel myself building to a plateau that I have never been taken to.
My body begins to jerk under the water, the pleasure rising to my brain much faster than normal. My fingers are growing numb but the whole of my body is consumed in this building, burgeoning, wracking passion and I curl into him, biting his shoulder as the scream tears from my throat. He joins me, this time expressing loudly his release, as he slams and presses into me pounding me in sharp, hard thrusts–his mouth frozen open as his body seizes up to release his passion.
I go limp in his arms. For a moment, I worry the twenty minutes has passed and I’m actually dying. Then, I don’t care. I just want the feeling of his arms holding me and his shaft inside me to go on forever.
He kicks off the ledge and floats on his back over to the stairs of the jacuzzi, carrying me along for the ride. When we are both out of harm’s way, he unties my arms and unstraps my wrists. I look at him straight in the eye for a moment. Silence passes between us for a moment then I wrap my arms around him and hug him as close as I can. He begins kissing and whispering in my ear.
“I will never let you fall, Julia. I will always hold you.”
“I know,” I reply and collapse in his embrace.
Somehow he manages to stand and carry me to the deck chair. He covers me with a blanket and slides in beside me.
I don’t know how long we stayed that way–his strength upholding my weakness and my body available to his need. At some point, he suggested we move back inside and we ended up on the couch again. I’m not sure if I walked there or he carried me. I just know he never left my side.
~~~
“Hey, sleepy head. You’ve got a phone call.” Mark’s voice awakens me. I open my eyes and discover I’m still sleeping on the couch. He’s dressed in pajamas and the sun is streaming through the window. I see my clothing folded neatly on the coffee table.
“What?”
“Your phone’s been going off for the last hour. Someone’s trying to reach you.” He hands me the phone from my purse before walking into the kitchen. I smell coffee brewing.
Opening my cell, I notice there are eight missed calls starting from late last night. That doesn’t make any sense. Since I was fired there hasn’t been very much for my phone to do. I press the icon for messages, but only hear half of the first one.
“Miss Sharp, this is Emily from Glenvale Cancer Treatment Center. I’m your father’s nurse. I need to inform you there has been an emergency.”
Chapter 11
“I have to go,” I say to Mark, trembling from the sudden shock. Looking around for my purse, I stop just long enough to see my reflection in the mirror behind the bar. I look ghastly. I don’t have time to deal with that now.
“What’s going on? Where are you going? I need you to keep me informed about what you’re doing.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not on my way to get arrested or anything,” I respond with biting sarcasm. I don’t know what makes me want to treat him so badly. I just know I need to get out of here now. “It’s my father. He’s in ICU. He’s had some sort of crash or stroke or something. I don’t know. They moved him from the Cancer Treatment Center to Mount Sinai. He… well… he’s….”
“Shhh.” Mark puts his arm around me, knowing I can’t say the words out loud yet. I drink his comfort like warm tea for a moment and then go stiff in his embrace. I can’t let myself be weak. Not now.
“I’m fine. It’s fine. I just need to get there.”
“Do you want me to take you? I would be happy to get you some—”
“No. I don’t need your help. I just need to go!”
I walk straight out the door, closing it with a bang. I’m so afraid he is going to call down to the doorman or catch me coming out of the parking garage, I actually run to the car. It isn’t until I’m on the highway that I catch my breath and realize I just made a scene for no reason other than my total fear of being vulnerable in front of Mark. After all we have been through–the job, the arrest, the love, the sex–I have displayed every possible emotion in front of that man and still I ran from him. I just had to be the “strong one.”
“Daddy’s strong girl,” I say out loud, stuck behind a bread truck in a traffic jam. I hate being stuck in this car with nothing but my thoughts. I’m losing Dad. I feel it, and I don’t know what to
do about it. It’s never been a secret I was a “Daddy’s girl” and I have always been closer to him than mom. Dad’s so accepting, laid-back, and sure. He always had a plan and knew what to say.
Mom was the uptight one. Everything had to be perfect, pristine and correct for her. She had everything she loved in life, but there was always that edge of unhappiness or emptiness in her. I never knew why, really. She kept everything to herself. Somehow, I always loved being with Dad, and yet, I realize now–I ended up so much like my mom. I remember swimming lessons. No matter how well I did, or how fast I went, Mom would always suggest I try harder, do better, or beat my last time. Dad would always say “I’m proud of you, honey” and let it go at that.
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