Secured Heart

by Measha Stone

  She looked at him with a smile. “He called me; I was calling him back. Something about help with something.” She waved a hand in the air.

  “About Ted?” Kendrick’s voice lowered with the man’s name.

  Kelly sighed heavily. “We can talk about it later.” She patted his hand, and he raised an eyebrow in her direction.

  However, since she still hadn’t turned to look at him, she hadn’t seen the anger building in his expression. Why hadn’t she told him about Peltner’s call? The entire ride over to the restaurant she hadn’t mentioned it at all. He decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and wait to ask her later, when they were alone.

  “Well, kids.” Alex stood from the table. “It’s getting late.”

  “It’s ten.” Kelly accused. He only winked back in response.

  Royce stood at the same time and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair.

  “It’s also my turn, Alex. Jess, I’ll be right back.” And he turned and hustled from the table.

  Jonathan sighed and helped Erin from her chair. “One of these days, I will manage to get up before the two of them.” He handed Erin her purse as she stood from the table as well. “It was really nice meeting you.” Jonathan extended his hand to Kendrick.

  “Yes, it was.” Erin walked around Kelly and opened her arms to Kendrick, enveloping him in her arms. The smell of hairspray and lotion came along with her hug.

  She passed out hugs to everyone, and they made their way from the table. Kelly was the last one to stand.

  Alex made his way to Kendrick to shake his hand and say good night. “Thanks, by the way, for not saying anything.” His voice was low, and his eyes watched the others.

  “Not my place.” Kendrick clapped him on the back. “I’ll see you next week at the meeting? There are some numbers we didn’t go over during the virtual meeting.”

  “Yes, of course. I’ll be there. The top floor is very important to me, and I really am not ready for them to know about it. I would appreciate your utmost discretion, even with Kelly.”

  “You got it.” Kendrick nodded.

  Alex seemed satisfied that his newest purchase would not be leaked by Kendrick, even to Kelly.

  “Excellent.” He smiled at Kelly who came up and linked her arm through Kendrick’s. “You have quite a girl here, Kendrick.” He reached out and tousled her hair, earning a glare in response. “If only redheads did it for me.” He winked and said his final goodbyes.

  “What a liar.” Kelly laughed.

  Kendrick looked down at her, unsure of her meaning.

  “Alex has had a crush on Jessica since college. He dates other women off and on, but he still wants her. See the glower on Royce’s face now that I said it out loud. He knows it’s true.”

  “Shut up, Kelly. You’re getting him all riled up.” Jessica linked her fingers through Royce’s hand and started to head to the door. “C’mon, I’m tired.” She winked over her shoulder as they made their way out.

  “Nice to see you again.” Royce nodded toward Kendrick and followed Jessica out of the restaurant, leaving Kendrick and Kelly standing alone at the table.

  “Well, I guess it’s our turn to make our exit?” Kendrick looked at her. She smiled back at him.

  “Guess so. It’s sort of like a domino effect.” She shrugged and began to make her way through the tables.

  The night air was a large relief to Kendrick. The curry smell would be stuck in his senses for at least a day, but the freshness of the city air helped to dilute it enough to be tolerable or at least replace it with exhaust fumes.

  They walked to the car silently, holding hands. It was nice, this moment of theirs. Her hand felt warm in his. Her soft perfume flowed through the breeze, and he inhaled the familiarity of it.

  “Was that as horrible as it looked?” Kelly asked as he slid the key into the ignition.

  He chuckled and shook his head. “No worse than what it would be like if you met a bunch of my college friends.” He assured her. “I had a good time,” he continued when she didn’t look convinced. “Did you?”

  “Yes.” She nodded. “I always have a good time with them. They’re my family,” she said with a strong undercurrent.

  “We never talk about your family.” He shifted into reverse and began to pull out of the lot. “You’re from around here, right? You all went to UIC, so I just assumed.”

  “Yeah. Well, the suburbs. My parents live out in South Barrington. They work a lot, so I don’t get to see them that often.” She stared out of the window as she spoke. “Shouldn’t you have made a turn there?” she asked as he passed the intersection.

  “If I was taking you home, yeah.” He shrugged.

  “You’re not taking me home?” Her smile sank into her voice.

  “Not yours, no. I want you in my bed tonight.”

  “And if I say no?” She teased.

  “I have very strong rope.” He winked at her.

  “And if I say yes?” she pressed.

  “Like I said…I have very strong rope.”

  CHAPTER twenty-three

  Kiss the Ring

  Kelly stood in the kitchen of Kendrick’s apartment, staring at the bowl of grapes in front of her. The ride here had been light and casual. She found it odd to feel so free with a man who wanted to own her, and she wanted to be owned by. They talked like any other couple would. They talked about their days, the news, made jokes about politicians. She’d been so glad to find out he sat on her side of the political spectrum.

  Everything felt so normal between them, easy. She hadn’t been so comfortable with anyone in her life. There was no need to pretend to be someone else, to enjoy some other type of romance for his benefit. She had been enjoying the time with him, until Erin reminded her of her desire for a family.

  Surely, she couldn’t be a submissive, a possession, and a wife and mother at the same time. Having been an only child to two very driven parents who were rarely around had left her with a dream of wanting the exact opposite for her adult life. She wanted a husband, children, and to be surrounded by them all of the time. To feel the deep connection with her husband who was also her best friend. Could a dominant be such a person? Did love that deep exist between the whips and the nipple clamps?

  “Kelly.” Kendrick’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

  She’d worry about it later, she decided. She picked up the bowl of grapes and headed back into the living room, where he was waiting for her.

  He pointed to the floor in front of him as he took the bowl of grapes from her. “I thought we’d unwind a bit before heading to bed,” he explained.

  She noted the large black pillow situated at his feet.

  “Sit.” he pointed again.

  “Am I in trouble?” she asked as she slowly sank onto the comfortable cushion. It reminded her of the large pillows she saw in old harem movies, where all the scantily clad concubines lounged while waiting for their Master to come choose them.

  Kendrick looked down at her, sitting between his legs. “No, not at all. I just like it this way. Are you not comfortable?” he asked, pushing the pillow with his foot.

  “I am. I just thought—”

  “Sometimes, I’ll just want you at my feet because it’s what I want,” he explained, running a finger across her forehead and pushing away a runaway curl.

  “Oh.” She smiled. “Okay.” She turned around then to face the television. She heard his soft chuckle but ignored it.

  Kendrick turned the television on to the news, and although she hated the news, she made no complaint. Instead, she rested her head on his knee. His hand stroked the side of her face as they watched the program detailing horrible crimes and political lies and ties that only irritated her.

  Now and then, a grape would appear at her lips, and she would take it from his fingers and thank him. They didn’t speak; they weren’t even sitting next to each other, but it was the best form of cuddling she had ever experienced.

  “Take
your hair down.” He moved the bowl of grapes to the side table.

  She reached up to the large bun perched on the top of her head and began to remove the bobby pins.

  He laughed after a dozen of them were placed on the table. “Wow. I thought you just had a rubber band up there.”

  “I wish.” She smiled as she began to unravel the bun and displayed the band holding the massive curls in a ponytail.

  “I love your hair,” he commented as she pulled the band free and the red curls cascaded down her back and across her shoulders, spilling over her chest.

  “It’s unruly, like you.” He grinned as he picked up a lock of hair and ran his thumb over it. “It can’t seem to help itself from popping out and being free. But it’s smooth and curvy. Beautiful. Like you.” He spoke with an honesty she’d not heard before. He wasn’t trying to seduce her pants off, but was simply letting her know his thoughts. “You try to tame it by stuffing it with pins and into hairbands, but it makes its way out. Much like you’ve been trying to stuff your way into what you thought was a normal relationship. But you always popped out…trying to be free.”

  He was right. She had been trying to make herself into what she thought she should feel. The normalcy of a vanilla relationship. What Erin seemed to enjoy so much with Jonathan. But never had she felt so normal, so alive and free than she had only moments ago, sitting at his feet, watching the news with him.

  “You think you know me so well?” she teased, wanting the moment of self-exploration to be put off for another time. She didn’t want to be honest with herself yet. It was too scary. What if the exploration led to an answer that didn’t include him? She wasn’t ready for that yet.

  “Not well enough for my liking, but I’m getting there. You don’t hide very easily. Even when you want to hide, your true feelings peek out.” He continued to play with her hair.

  She was glad he wasn’t looking into her eyes; it would have been too much, and she thought he knew it too.

  “Like when we were at dinner tonight.” He pressed on. “You used to have a crush on Royce.” He did move his gaze to meet hers with that statement.

  She felt her cheeks heat up at his accusation. He wasn’t wrong. She’d been sickened by the envy she felt toward Jessica when she first met up with Royce.

  Royce portrayed every bit of man she wanted. He was confident, good looking, and seemed very much in control of every situation he was in. It took a while for her to be happy for Jessica, but eventually, after a dozen pints of ice cream and three dozen more dirty romance novels, she was able to convince herself her own Royce was out in the world, waiting for her.

  “I used to think Royce was what I wanted.” She admitted, bringing her eyes to meet Kendrick’s. No sense in lying.

  “Is he?”

  She heard the hint of concern in his voice. It was small, barely audible, buried under a strength she had come to depend on, but there nonetheless.

  “No,” she answered strongly. “He’s a great guy, but I doubt he’d be able to tolerate my more adventurous attitude. Jessica is a homebody. She has fun, don’t get me wrong, but if we hadn’t been roomed together in college, I doubt we would have ever bumped into each other on campus.”

  Kendrick laughed, a relaxed chuckle. “You are probably right. However, you are not as wild as you think you are. You are easily tamed.” He gave her a sly grin and dropped the lock of hair he was playing with.

  “Tamed?” She raised her eyebrows at him, which earned her another chuckle.

  “If you were such a hell cat, it wouldn’t be so easy to get you to obey me. Let’s try.” He scooted back onto the couch, so she had more room to move. “Stand up, turn around, and place your hands on the coffee table. Keep your legs straight and spread apart.”

  The idea of rebelling against him crossed her mind for a moment. Then the memory of being made to crawl around the office at the club squashed it. She stood from the floor and smoothed out her skirt.

  With a step over his leg, she moved away from him, turned, and positioned herself as he had instructed. Her hair fell in front of her face, making it hard to see over her shoulder, so she remained focused on the table.

  “See, obedient,” he said from the couch.

  She heard him slide along the sofa and felt him directly behind her. Her skirt flipped up, exposing her ass to him. She had decided not to bother with panties when she went out with him; it seemed to please him to be able to get to her without the hassle of an extra piece of clothing, and she enjoyed seeing him pleased.

  His large hands were on her ass, kneading her flesh. She was surprised when suddenly her cheeks were pulled apart.

  He was looking at her asshole. Instinctively, she tried to clench.

  “No. Relax,” he ordered, but his tone was soft, gentle even. “New territory, I’m guessing.” He pressed the pad of his finger to her tight hole.

  She bit her lip to keep from crying out, from asking him to stop. She didn’t want him to stop; she wanted him to do what he wanted, to please her and him at the same time by leading them down a road that although she had never been down, she was sure would be full of excitement. She wanted to be led.

  “Has anyone been up your ass before, Kelly?” he asked, petting her forbidden entrance with his fingertip.

  “No,” she answered with a tightness in her chest. How he managed to take her from a comfortable evening of snuggles and chit chat to a moment of erotic chaos in mere moments amazed her.

  “But you’ve wanted to try it.” He pushed a little harder against her opening.

  She closed her eyes and tried to remain calm. He wouldn’t hurt her or push her too far, she believed that and had to trust in that.

  “Yes.” She breathed out.

  He released her. “Good to know,” he said with a trace of humor.

  She took a deep breath.

  His fingers were back on her, lower now, on her legs. Slowly, they traced up to her buttocks again, but he didn’t spread her this time. Instead, he followed the curve of her body and found her aching clit. She sucked in a sharp breath as he pressed down on it.

  “The button of a woman.” He joked and slid his finger backward, reaching her wet vaginal opening. “I bet you’re fucking hot in there.” His voice was coarse, as though he were having trouble keeping his excitement under control as he teased her. His finger pressed against her, but didn’t enter, and she curled her toes in frustration.

  Slowly, he eased one finger inside. She heard herself moan at the exquisite feeling of his finger sliding in. Instinctively, she arched her back and pressed against him, wanting more.

  “Good girl, fuck my fingers. Push back against me.” He ran his free hand over her ass, as he slipped another finger into her.

  Any embarrassment she held at the idea of him sitting behind her, looking at her in such a way, flew away when he inserted the third finger. The natural movements took hold of her, and she began to rhythmically push back against his hand and pull away. Fucking his fingers in the way he wanted, the way she wanted, the way her body wanted.

  Without removing his fingers, he got up from the couch and stood beside her. She continued her movements, not only because she was unsure if she should stop before he said so, but also out of pure selfishness. She was beyond aroused and was searching for release.

  His hand slid beneath her and traveled up her body under her shirt. He found her breasts and quickly pulled the cups of her bra down, releasing them. With each thrust of her body, she felt them bounce. He caught one in his hand and began to massage it.

  “Such a good girl.” He rubbed her nipple. “Keep fucking my fingers, don’t stop unless I tell you to.” He pinched her nipple, and she squeaked at the new sensation. He didn’t release her; instead, he pulled her tit downward, creating a deeper fire in her breast

  She looked up at him, not pleadingly, but unsurely.

  “That’s it. God, you’re so beautiful like this.” He smiled down at her.

  The pleasure she sa
w in his eyes only added to the heat. He released her breast, and she cried out again at the rush of tingles invading her. Before she recovered from the first pinch, he took hold again of the same nipple and pulled downward again.

  “Good Girl.”

  He moved his hand to allow her clit to be brushed with each of her thrusts.

  His words, his touch, it was all overwhelming. She wanted to scream out with all of it, but instead, she tried to focus on one feeling at a time.

  He released her breast again, and she did cry out then. He moved his hand from under her shirt and began to pet her hair. His fingers started to move within her as she bucked against him. He was fucking her hard, and she groaned at the pleasure of it.

  “Do not come,” he ordered as he began to push with more force into her opening.

  She bit down hard on her lip, trying to hold back the orgasm that loomed precariously over her.

  “If you come again without permission, I’ll withhold all orgasms for a week. You don’t want that, right?” he asked as he wiggled his fingers inside of her.

  “FUCK!” She hit the coffee table with her hand. “Please!” She heard the urgency in her voice and realized she was begging.

  With no shame, she begged again. “Please, Kendrick!”

  He chuckled, and before she could look up at him, he removed his fingers and stepped away from her.

  She took gulping breaths and tried to calm herself. The frustration inside her chest did not compare to the unfulfillment of her pussy. She wiggled her ass at him, which earned her a sharp slap to her cheek.

  “Patience.” He clipped and moved around her.

  Then he sat down on the couch behind her naked ass and smiled.

  So willing to trust him, so willing to go outside the comfort of everything she knew.

  He leaned over and kissed her ass, nipping it with his teeth. Reaching next to her leg, he slid open a drawer and pulled out four plastic clothespins. He dropped them on the table one by one, letting them each land heavily. He watched her turn her head to see what he’d put out and heard her take a deep breath. So willing.