Stealing Carmen

by Faulkner, Gail

  An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

  www.ellorascave.com

  Stealing Carmen

  ISBN 9781419914034

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  Stealing Carmen Copyright © 2007 Gail Faulkner

  Edited by Mary Moran.

  Cover art by Dan Skinner.

  Electronic book Publication December 2007

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/)

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Stealing Carmen

  Gail Faulkner

  Acknowledgement

  Thank you, J. You’d think I could come up with some simple, moving words to express that. Thank you, Mary, Goddess of the Corned. Every writer should be so lucky as to know you. And to the amazing friends who inspired Jack and Carmen, hope you enjoy this flight of fancy.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Batman: DC Comics The general partners of Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P.

  Fleet: Blain Pharmaceuticals

  Hummer: General Motors Corporation

  Jeep: DaimlerChrysler Corporation

  Superman: DC Comics The general partners of Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P.

  X-men: DC Comics The general partners of Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P.

  Chapter One

  “These books should come with a freaking warning. Reading may cause insatiable urges to submit. However, only one real dominant per zip code permitted.” She laughed at herself and continued. “I’ve only met one guy who might be a real Dom and that’s discouraging. What’s a needy woman supposed to do?” The phone to her ear, Carmen was totally relaxed on the lounge, eyes closed, face turned up to the late-afternoon sun.

  He’d never seen Carmen in a bikini. Jack’s eyes moved with greedy intensity over the undulating expanse of flesh. Sweet Mother of God! He’d imagined this body over and over. Usually while trying to block his ugly surroundings in some revolting location. Looking at the real thing, he could see he’d been mistaken. She was actually blindingly fuckable. He’d always called her damn fuckable. But a man could indeed go blind beating off to that vision.

  She paused and laughed softly at the response from her phone. Jack wasn’t paying attention to the conversation but the breathy laugh sank into his bones.

  Neighbors for the last two years, they shared a duplex. Sorta shared a duplex. He was only here for downtime. The location wasn’t exactly remote, it did have a small airport. However, deep in mid-America, it was ideal for escaping his life when he had the time. Carmen moving into the other side of the lone duplex had added to the charm of standing on his back patio. Or looking out his front window, or pretending he was going for a walk in the woods.

  The cold beer in his hand was forgotten. He hadn’t expected her home from work at this time of day. She obviously hadn’t heard him arrive twelve hours ago. His entrance was all she would have heard. He’d crashed and been out ‘til five minutes ago.

  Creamy curves were a light gold and told him she almost never lay out. His eyes prowled over plump breasts that nearly spilled out of the stupid little top, bulging in glorious natural abandon to the side of her body. Carmen was not slender. Her figure was opulent and she usually covered it with way too much clothing. He’d bet she’d never worn that bikini anywhere but this backyard.

  The beer went absently to his lips as his eyes moved lower over a softly smooth belly and down to rounded hips. Oh sweet Jesus. The scrap of material between her legs molded a naked pussy. He’d put money on the fact that shy, sweetly nervous Carmen shaved her cunt.

  Absorbing that knowledge required he study the evidence. Her legs were slightly parted and the material strained, hugging the intimate details of her pussy with no springy curls holding it off. Jack stared at her with a freedom he’d never indulged before.

  Carmen was a sensible woman, she kept her distance. That had been fine. He didn’t want to date her in any sense of the word she’d recognize. He wanted to fuck her. Possess her in every way a man could take a woman. She picked up his intense lust on some level. That sensitive second sight read it in him. So for the last two years their relationship consisted of one introduction then nods and smiles as Carmen kept her distance.

  Jack respected her good judgment and let her skitter away. He knew what she saw. At six feet three inches he was intimidating to a regular person. Heavily muscled with a face that had the evidence of a dangerous life written all over it. His nose had been broken. There was a scar marking his left temple and he had to keep his hair relatively long for undercover work. Looking like a lowlife was required. He knew his features were average, a plus in his line of work.

  So he was the tall, dark-haired, dark-eyed man who often scared her. He tried not to, but sometimes there was no disguising the aura of combat when he was fresh from a mission. She would have felt that a few times but he’d stayed away after the bad ones.

  He couldn’t afford her anyway. Fucking Carmen would take more time than he usually had. Rushing an assignment so he could get back and fuck her some more could be dangerous. Mistakes were deadly in his line of work, even little ones. Nope, she was an expensive package and that was gospel.

  Was she dating someone? Probably. Jack frowned darkly. She had to be seeing someone who would get to enjoy pulling that sweet, naked pussy down on his cock. The bastard would politely pay for that pleasure with dinner and a movie then a quick go at it in the sheets. This was the Bible Belt and that was how people did things.

  Jack grimaced. Spending hours doing the dinner and movie crap to see if he wanted to fuck a woman made no sense to him. Most of his life he’d only spent recreational time with a female for the purpose of sex. It wasn’t as if he were a sparkling conversationalist. Usually the woman wasn’t either.

  Carmen was different from his usual. Looking at her now, he could sort of understand how men amenably went through the motions society called dating. But that didn’t mean it would be a good idea for him to try. Carmen would not be a one-time pleasure. He’d want more and he couldn’t ignore that. Until overhearing this conversation, he wouldn’t have thought she’d even heard of the D/s type of relationship he needed.

  He’d been almost content to simply give her the one thing he was good at, the safety she was enjoying right now. It was a gift given anonymously and freely. Her being able to lie nearly naked in her backyard showed him every reason he did the ugly job. She was safe to do exactly what she was doing. That was how it should be.

  The backyard ended in a cornfield and beyond that was the woods. It was an incredibly private setting if he wasn’t home. She was totally safe in it. Well, she felt safe. Someone could watch her from a distance. Jack’s eyes flicked to the surroundings. His highly honed awareness didn’t sense a watcher. That didn’t mean shit. There could be someone. But she was safe this afternoon. He was there.

  Blood moving south picked up speed as he leaned against the short dividing wall and ogled the woman he’d wanted since the first moment he’d seen her. She’d been bending into the tr
unk of her car pulling out groceries. Generous ass up, even covered by the hospital scrubs, had been a nice way to look at this woman. When she’d turned, he’d been just as impressed with her beautiful face and surprised smile.

  Her conversation caught his attention.

  “No, not the doctors. At least not any I work with. They’re good at having temper tantrums. I want a man not a brat. Tall, dark and Domly is my neighbor. He’s hardly ever here. Disappears for months at a time. Probably does something horrible like drug dealing, but damn, Tara, he’s got to be a Dom. Always so cool and in control. I think I stuttered last time I said hello to him. He makes me so hot I’m an idiot.

  “Oh right. You can laugh. I’m serious. His eyes look deeper than they should and I feel naked every time they land on me. Sometimes, right when he arrives, I think I can sort of feel danger pouring off him, but he’s always in complete control. Scary as hell and so sexy. Makes my vagina contract and I’m always afraid he’ll know. He’s a bad-boy mystery and I’ve spent way too much time imagining him doing all sorts of nasty things to me. It’s embarrassing but I still hurry outside if he’s around and then I hurry back in. How pathetic is that?”

  She laughed again and Jack put down the beer. He wasn’t concealing himself, standing on the edge of his portion of the patio. The short wall went to the end of the concrete slab. After that there were no dividers. Made it easier to mow and there’d never been a need for them. Her lawn chair was on her side but if she opened her eyes, she’d see him. She didn’t and continued talking. Jack considered coughing and then her next statement removed the thought from his head.

  “Yeah, the package came yesterday. You’re so wicked and that little toy is so good. Were any of the other girls shocked? No?” A gentle chuckle. “We’re all naughty women. I’ve never seen a travel-size one like that. So cute. Well, I have it in, the remote right here and fifteen BDSM books loaded on my e-reader. I’ve got a long weekend of nothing to do but read and see how fast I can use an eight-pack of double A batteries one at a time.”

  Her hips shifted, round thighs rubbed together as she tensed. Thin material over that bare pussy wrinkled. A hard blast of heat rushed through Jack as he realized she was clenching down on something inside. Baby girl had a dildo shoved up her cunt. A vibrating dildo with a remote! She was reading BDSM books, fifteen of them!

  In that instant his cock sucked all the blood from his body into itself and Jack had to grip the short dividing wall to remain standing. Holy fuck! He couldn’t do more than stare at the triangle of cloth as she relaxed a bit. Her lawn chair was facing his side. If she opened her eyes, she’d see her fierce, dangerous neighbor with his eyes glued to her pussy.

  “I know,” she agreed with her caller. “I’ll get the reviews done on Monday. I’ll be off and able to do them all. Stop obsessing.” There was a brief silence. Carmen reached up with her free hand to grip the lawn chair above her head. Her body stretched and her hips shifted. Jack bit back a groan as her body moved and rolled in sensual abandon.

  “Stop pushing, Tara. I know. If I had a real life, I’d be out enjoying it. Since the only man I’m interested in looks as if he could kill with his little finger, I’ll content myself with putting his face on each one of these heroes and flicking on the Diver when the story gets good.”

  This had gone far enough. Jack stepped into the grass to get around the wall, unintentionally making his approach silent as he strode to the short table beside her and picked up the small remote control. Time to let her know he was here and had been for a while. He had no intention of acting politely ignorant.

  She’d been the luxury he couldn’t afford but listening to her lust after him to her friend was more temptation than any man could be expected to resist. Fuck it! He was done window-shopping Carmen. Time to do some shoplifting.

  Choosing the lowest setting he flicked it on.

  Carmen nearly jumped out of her chair. Her eyes flicked open and Jack held the remote up so she could see he had it. He smiled down at her stunned face.

  “Say goodbye to your friend, Carmen,” he instructed as she stared at him standing over her, the phone still clutched to her ear.

  “I gotta go, Tara, bye,” she said obediently, obviously in shock as she took in his appearance and possession of the remote. The cell phone flicked shut.

  “No, do not put that down,” Jack instructed as she reached to place it on the table he’d removed the remote from. “You need to feel free to call for help while we chat. Keep that phone in your hand. You have to know you can end this encounter at any time.”

  “What?” Carmen stammered, her legs clenching together as the low hum emanated from her pussy. “I mean, ah, Jack?”

  “I’m not a drug dealer. I’m a law enforcement officer. That’s all you need to know right now,” Jack continued. “I’ve been standing here since the part about what’s a needy woman supposed to do. So let’s not pretend.” His eyes bore into her as she gasped again.

  There would be no deception between them. He wouldn’t allow it. She was obviously curious about what a D/s relationship would feel like. He was more than willing to give her a little taste. See if it was what she’d thought. No deception was a huge part of D/s. There wasn’t any hiding behind inhibitions.

  “Oh my God!” Heat rushed up Carmen’s face. “You heard…” She couldn’t finish the sentence. Her hands shook as she gripped the side of the chair with one, the phone with the other. She stared at him and then glanced down her body. “Oh my God.”

  “No, don’t move. Relax right there while we discuss a few things. I need you to be very honest about this. Were you lying to your friend? Just kidding around about being needy?” His face was stern as he looked into her wide eyes. Amazing green eyes that were such innocent mirrors of her soul.

  Her eyes didn’t waver as she gazed up at him. “No.”

  Jack smiled. “Good girl. That was very brave. It’s important for you to be honest. I’ll know if you’re lying. It’s my job and I’m very good at it.”

  “What are you doing?” she asked softly. Her breath was coming out in short pants as the flush intensified on her cheeks. Other than the movement of her chest that jiggled those large breasts, she didn’t move. He legs were tightly clenched together in an attempt to ignore the vibrations tormenting her from deep within.

  Jack looked at the remote in his hand and back to her eyes, ignoring her question for the moment. “Is it true that you have a dildo buzzing in your pussy?”

  Carmen nodded and glanced away as embarrassment intensified.

  “Very good girl,” he approved softly, and her eyes shot back to his face.

  Carmen gulped and gave him a tremulous smile. Jack steeled himself against it. He knew how vulnerable she felt. How needy for his approval in this moment. He was letting her feel all of that. She needed to see if she wanted it. Discover if being sexually dominated was what she’d thought it was.

  He didn’t expect her to like it. There is often a huge difference between fantasy and actually experiencing the intense emotions called up in submission. Shoplifting Carmen was supposed to be a very short event. One he’d savor, but its real mission was to ensure she didn’t go looking for the experience from some stranger and get into real trouble.

  Watching as she worked through her feelings was eating away his control. She wasn’t shrinking from him. Beautiful Carmen opened her soul like a rare flower seeks the sun. Letting him be the sun in her sky was all a dominant could ask for and Jack had to brace himself. Going slow was painful but still a pleasure.

  After a moment he continued. She had to know where they were before either of them went further. The no-deceptions part went both ways and he wanted to be sure she knew it. “I have a dangerous job. You know I’m gone for months at a time. I’m not looking for a woman who needs a man to get through her days. But I don’t want casual, throwaway sex. I want you. What I want is not fair. I’m gone a lot but I want a woman who’s faithful. And I’m a real dominant. Are yo
u afraid?”

  “Yes.”

  “Of what?”

  “That you’ll change your mind,” Carmen informed him, a new strength entering her tone.

  Jack raised a brow in surprise. “About which thing?”

  “That you want me.” Carmen licked her lips nervously. Her entire body was trembling now. “I’ve never been with a real dominant. I’m fat and I just confessed a whole bunch of embarrassing stuff on the phone. It’s difficult to believe that you want me. You’re perfect. You could have anyone.”

  Jack cocked his head as he listened to her. The courage to be a submissive, a real submissive was written all over that little speech. She was stunning. He worked at keeping his face a serious mask for her. She needed to know he matched her. She could trust him to take care of all the things she was asking without words.

  “I don’t lie, baby. If this were a line, I’d have stopped talking five minutes ago. Talking is pretty much the last thing I want to do. As to your fat statement, have a look at my crotch. I’m working on having exactly who I want. And I’m not looking for a one-time thing. So if we get involved and I ever hear you call yourself something ugly again, I’ll feel compelled to correct your attitude.”