by Cynthia Dane
“I’m a terrible actress.” That wasn’t Leah being humble, either. She had tried out for every school play back in high school, and the best the theater club would do was offer her ushering and scenery positions. I’m not cut out for performative arts, but at least I excelled at home ec. It was Mrs. Bell who suggested Leah go to culinary school. Some students had teachers who directed them toward computers, writing, music, sports, or lab work. Leah was told, “You create the most beautiful petals out of frosting!” She didn’t disagree. Nobody at Rose City Bakery made a meaner flower petal than her.
Sloan cupped Leah’s chin between her fingers. “Then let’s have a chat about what we want from this… arrangement.”
Arrangement, huh? It wasn’t the more coveted R word, but arrangement would do. After all, Leah harbored no overactive fantasies that this would end in marriage and a baby carriage.
“All right.”
Perhaps the pause was for effect. Or so Leah assumed, before Sloan sighed. “Suppose I’ll lead the conversation, then.”
Oh. She had been waiting for Leah to say something. What can I say? When a woman tells me she’s in charge, I follow.
“I’ll be frank with you, Leah. I’m seeking a mutually beneficial relationship where we both get the kind of power play we desire. I like to dominate. You like to… let’s say, defer. I’m also not looking for a serious romance, here, so the fact we live two time zones apart doesn’t deter me from pursuing a sexual relationship with you. Best way to think of it is friends with kinky benefits.”
“I get what you’re saying.”
“Good. I do a lot of business in the Pacific Northwest. Not always in Portland, but a trip to Seattle could easily end with us meeting up for the night. I could guarantee at least one visit a month. Although…” She tucked some of Leah’s hair behind her ear. “We could make it more often if it suits us.”
“Sounds nice.”
“Nice?”
Leah bit her lip. “Sounds wonderful.”
Sloan’s fingers lingered on the tip of Leah’s ear. “Sounds like something you would be interested in?”
“Sure.”
“Sure,” Sloan echoed. Her fingertip tangled in Leah’s curl. “That’s it? I was hoping for something a little more…” Lips came close to Leah’s, but did not commit. “Enthusiastic.”
“Enthusiastic?”
“There’s nothing better than hearing a woman’s enthusiasm from halfway across the country. I know you’re a delicate little doe, Leah, but that doesn’t mean you can’t scream a bit, right?” Sloan chuckled. “You screamed plenty last weekend.”
I was screaming? “Then… yes. I’m interested in that, but you should know something before we both commit to this arrangement.”
“What is it?”
Leah strung her fingertips through Sloan’s wig. It’s so soft and silky. Maybe it wasn’t real hair, after all, but it was definitely one of the finest materials Sloan could purchase. Perhaps it was custom made.
“I’ve never actually done a relationship like this before. I’m a total novice.” Leah folded her hands in her lap. “I mean, I’ve been in some relationships with women, but not… like this.”
“That doesn’t deter me. I think you’ll find that women like me appreciate experienced partners as much as we love being someone’s first.”
She said that with her hand between Leah’s thighs. When did it get there? Leah hadn’t felt a thing, although she felt it now. I hope she touches me sooner rather than later. Leah wore this lingerie because it turned her on as much as it turned Sloan on to look at it. The lace tugged against her nipples, and the delicate cut fell against her skin like dew kissing a flower. It wasn’t simply made of high quality materials. It fit her perfectly, as if Sloan knew her every measurement when she placed the order.
Impossible, of course.
“We can hash out the details later.” Sloan’s nose brushed against Leah’s cheek. Her hand remained wrapped around the controller. “Because I don’t think I can ignore how arousing you are for another moment.”
Leah knew that verbal communication would cease if they kissed. Which must have suited her, for she arguably sealed the kiss first.
I’ve been dreaming of kissing these lips again all week. For now, the only scents she detected were perfume and the slight scent of sweat. Hers? Sloan’s? She had no idea. All Leah knew was that she looked forward to having her senses overtaken by more natural aromas. Soon.
“Did you really wear what I sent you?” Someone’s hands wandered beneath Leah’s jacket and felt the crisp lace of her negligee. “I better make sure before we take this any further. Don’t want to get mixed up with someone who won’t wear the prettiest thing I have ever found in a boutique.”
Leah held back her excitement as her lover’s hands meandered across flesh and curves. If her nipples weren’t hard before, they now protruded through the black lace. “Did you really pick it out yourself?”
Sloan popped open the buttons on Leah’s jacket and exposed the sheer negligee beneath. Though the heater was on in the hotel suite, a chill claimed Leah’s body, making her shiver within Sloan’s grasp. I can shiver for more reasons. Give me those reasons, Ms. Sloan. Leah wanted to kiss those high cheekbones and run her fingers along the ruched sleeves of her lover’s jacket. She didn’t dare. Not yet. Not until she knew the exact boundaries of what this relationship entailed.
“I did. The day I returned to Chicago, I went to my favorite boudoir boutique and picked this out with you in mind.” Fingers pinched Leah’s nipples. She gasped, eyes fluttering shut and head rolling back. Kiss my throat. Plunge your tongue into my cleavage and make me feel wanted. “They told me there was a shop in Portland carrying the same style, so I knew what to do.”
“That’s how I got it the same day?”
“It is.”
Leah opened her eyes again. She was now halfway down on her side of the couch, Sloan looming above her like a seductive shadow. “Did you really think of me when you chose it?”
Her thighs parted. Sloan’s hand instantly dove between them. The other hand remained firmly around the controller, not that Leah could feel the vibrator inside of her anymore. “I did. I walked in there thinking about what I wanted to see you wearing. I wanted to pick something that would make your beautiful assets stand out to my discerning eye.” She finished removing Leah’s jacket. It landed on the floor, never to be thought of again until it was time to leave. “Did you think of me when you put it on?”
“Yes…”
“What were you thinking about?”
Leah yearned to shyly look away and hide another giggle in the space between her shoulder and the couch. Don’t do it. Sometimes you’ve gotta be bold, girl. Even the most submissive pussycats knew when to look the queen in the eye and assert herself. “Last week. When we had sex.”
“Tell me more. Was it something specific that replayed in your head? Or were you lost in sensory overload?”
That described what Leah experienced last Monday, but it didn’t describe what she thought of earlier that day, when she shimmied into this negligee and did her hair for Sloan. “I thought about your fingers inside of me.”
“Did you?”
“Yes, and I thought about eating you out again.”
“That was delightful, wasn’t it? Good to know it was mutual.” Sloan held the controller above her head. “Do you want me to turn this on again?”
Leah’s eyes widened. If she turns that on, it’s gonna shoot out of my pussy because my legs are spread and I’m so wet already! Would that be horrifying? Or one of those anecdotes she drunkenly talked about in the future? “Maybe.”
“Maybe? You can do better than that. You either want me to give you an orgasm right now or not. I don’t have to touch you… although, I will, if you want.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I want to learn more about what makes you tick. It’s not enough to know you like taking orders and getting spanked. What bet
ter way to make you give me a few orders than to get you to the brink? Women always transform, like beautiful butterflies emerging from their cocoons.” Sloan tugged on the bust of Leah’s negligee as if to show that was the cocoon she had in mind. “Did you know I have this on the lowest setting? I could turn it up if you want me to.” She nipped Leah’s nose. “I can’t wait to watch you writhe.”
Leah steeled herself, but Sloan’s finger did not push the button.
“You have to tell me to turn it on. I want you to beg for it.”
“Oh my God,” Leah muttered. This scenario was enough to make her come, let alone anything else! “Sorry… a little overwhelmed.”
Sloan put more space between them. “Is that better?”
Toes curled into Sloan’s side. This is the most intimate I’ve been with someone in my life. More intimate than making direct love. Leah’s personal space was completely invaded, and they weren’t kissing. They were barely touching! Was it because Sloan’s attention was undivided? On Leah? This it too much. Her arms crossed on her abdomen. Her lips were dry. “Can you kiss me before you turn it on?”
Sloan’s lips were upon Leah’s before another word was said.
This was better. This was good. Leah could relax as long as her lover’s lips were on hers, kissing her with such passionate energy that she almost forgot everything else going on between them. Leah didn’t think twice about opening her legs wider and accepting Sloan between them. What better place was there for her to be? This was fate. This was meant to be. Leah had been waiting her whole life for someone of Leah’s demeanor to walk into her life. Well, here she was. Giving her what she wanted.
Leah felt the bullet vibe come to life before she heard the button click.
She gasped into Sloan’s mouth. Every bit of her skin was alit with vibrations, emanating from her core and traveling at the speed of light to each of her extremities. Her groans of pleasure could only be muffled so much. The moment Sloan pulled her kiss away, Leah moaned so loudly that she scared off the last of her inhibitions.
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Sloan put down the remote so she could rip off her jacket and unbutton the top of her blouse. “You want to know why I flew all the way out here? Because what I see right now is better than anything anywhere else.”
Leah might as well believe her. God knew her body was so eager to be pleased that she was willing to throw herself into the theoretical fire if it meant an orgasmic end to this adventure.
Sloan had been correct that bringing Leah to the edge would make her say her demands. No longer were they contained to her imagination, locked within the depths of her innermost fantasies. Instead, they flew from her mouth, and Sloan struggled to keep up with everything her guest wanted.
Hands on her body. Kisses to her lips and throat. Nipples pinched and thighs stroked until they were wet enough to make a fool of them both. Blouse off, bra unsnapped. Panties on the floor and one woman’s mouth on Leah’s pelvis, braving the vibrations if it meant accessing her sensitive clit.
Leah’s hand curled around the arm of the couch. It was the only way to brace herself for climax.
She knew this date would escalate at a rapid pace when Sloan asked her to show up in lingerie and a bullet vibe up her pussy. Yet she somehow didn’t anticipate having an orgasm twenty minutes after arriving to Sloan’s hotel suite.
The thing about a vibrator, however, was that it kept going even after one orgasm ended. Before Leah had a chance to calm down and catch her breath, another climax slammed into her. She caught a diabolical look on Sloan’s countenance before slamming her eyes shut again.
This was what she wanted. Leah could ask for anything she wanted, but in the end, Sloan had orchestrated this in her favor. If she wanted to see Leah orgasm over and over again? She would get it. Leah would let her have it.
“I think that’s enough.” That was the first thing Leah heard after the vibe was turned off. Her legs gradually stopped shaking, and her chest was allowed its deep breaths for the first time in a few minutes. My brain. My body. They’re both shot. It was one thing to experience subsequent orgasms as they happened. After it was over, however, her body threatened to give up the ghost. Her brain wasn’t far behind. “You okay, kitten?”
Leah sucked in a deep breath. It was the only way she could speak. “That would be considered torture in some countries.”
“Only because the thing found your G-spot.”
Leah’s fingers played with the buttons on Sloan’s blouse. “Now what?”
“Now? Now we go to bed. You’re going to kiss me from head to toe, and make me feel like the million dollars I want to spend on you this weekend.”
That brought the life back to Leah’s eyes. With Sloan’s help, she made it to bed and spent the next hour giving every ounce of her attention to the woman who had done this to her.
With any luck, it would happen again, sooner rather than later.
Chapter 11
“What about this?” Sloan picked up another collar from the box she kept in the bottom of her large Louis Vuitton suitcase. “What woman can say no to black? It goes with every outfit?”
Leah admitted it was demurer than the other collars in the collection (although every one of them wouldn’t look out of place in a city like Portland.) But Leah wasn’t into spikes, audacious neon colors, or gemstones that advertised she would like to be robbed on her way home from work. This black collar dangling before her, however, was the perfect marriage of style and function. Nobody would look twice at a black strip around her throat. Even if the name Margaret Sloan was lightly written on the front.
“Try it on.” The collar was around Leah’s throat before she could protest. There was no silver hook for a leash like the other collars had, but Leah had already confessed she was in no way ready for that kind of kink, if ever. She was willing to wear a token, though. One that would remind her of Sloan every time she put it on and went to work.
“Lovely. A lovely collar for a cute kitten.” Sloan bent down and lightly pecked Leah’s lips. “I’m calling you kitten from now on. I think it suits you.”
“Seems fitting from the woman who calls herself the biggest bitch in the country.”
“Animals are so helpful when it comes to describing our personalities. Take pussy and cock, right?” Sloan chuckled. “I’m thinking next time I come down, I’m bringing some other toys you’re bound to love.”
Leah could only imagine what that meant.
They were still in bed, the sun having set and only a lamp to keep a glow in the hotel suite. Sloan was naked beneath the covers. Leah had never removed the negligee, although her breasts discovered how to escape the top of her bust. With Sloan’s help, of course. There was nothing sweeter than having that woman’s paws all over her.
Leah hadn’t expected pillow talk. In truth, neither had Sloan. She had other things to talk about.
Like what their relationship would be like going forward.
Sloan made it clear that she didn’t want a whirlwind romance that could end with them getting hitched in Vegas – or planning a long, drawn out wedding two years from now. She wanted reliable access to a friend with benefits and nothing more. Maybe they would go on more public dates. Maybe, if they both agreed on it, they would attend functions together, but it would entirely depend on how Sloan felt and how much she wanted to blend her personal and professional lives. Did that jive with Leah?
Well, what could she say? No? Saying no would be saying goodbye to such a prime opportunity to have a life! Leah hadn’t been in a casual relationship in so long, that she would’ve agreed to an exclusive relationship even if they only met every ten weeks for a ten-minute quickie like on her birthday. It gives me something to look forward to, I guess. Leah had no other romantic prospects. Perhaps, if she met another woman she wanted to strike up a relationship with, she would tell Sloan to take a hike. Why not milk everything she could get right now, though?
It was the adventure to start off her thi
rties. If the timing wasn’t an omen, then she didn’t know what was.
“You do what you need to do,” Sloan said, enjoying her post-sex cigarette. “Work, family, whatever. If you tell me to fuck off once in a while, I won’t take it personally. Now, what do you want?”
“I’m pretty easy to please.”
“In the bedroom, obviously, but surely you have needs outside of it. I’m not going to send you love letters while we’re apart. But if you want, I could make sure your favorite flowers show up on your doorstep every week for you to enjoy.”
“How would I explain that to my parents?”
“Tell them I gave you a year’s subscription as a birthday present.”
“Pretty sure you gave me you as my birthday present.”
“Yes, back when my kitten was a mere birthday girl. That’s how it works.”
Leah nuzzled her cheek against Sloan’s naked shoulder. Her lover was bald again, her wig cast upon the end of the bed without a care. “There’s one thing I can think of. It would really turn me on to think about, even if we don’t see each other for a while.”
“What’s that? Not too expensive, I hope?”
“It doesn’t cost any money at all.”
Sloan raised her eyebrows. “Dare I ask, then?”
Leah, who had the confidence to knock herself out only a second ago, now second-guessed what she was about to say. “I want to be your only one while we’re together.”
“Exclusive, huh?” Sloan tapped her cigarette against the ashtray on the nightstand. “That’s a lot to ask.”
“No other girlfriends, and no escorts. If you’re that hard up for some loving…” Leah’s fingers walked across Sloan’s exposed stomach. Her nipples hardened, although the rest of her remained unfazed. “You know my number. Any time of day.”
“Any time?”
“I can take breaks at work, you know.” That was a hot thought. Leah imagined herself standing over a cake, when a text buzzed in her back pocket. “I need you, now,” it would say. Five minutes later, Leah could be in the bathroom having phone sex… or better. “I’ve got a bigger imagination than you took me for, huh?”