by Tara Rose
Mateo smiled at her as he came back into the room, and suddenly all thoughts of Annalise and Rowena were gone. She scrambled out of bed to use the bathroom herself, and when she returned he’d lit candles in the room and soft jazz music filled the space.
“Is the music okay?”
“It’s wonderful. All of this is, Mateo. Thank you so much.”
He pulled her into his arms and smiled down at her. “Carma, like I said before, I’m the one who should be thanking you. And I also owe you an apology.”
“For what?”
“For playing a game with you for so long. I know you’ve been trying to get me to talk about myself every time you do my hair.”
She shrugged. That no longer seemed important. “You apologized earlier.”
“I know, but I really need to know that you forgive me. I had a personal tragedy in my life a couple of years ago, and I’ve hidden away because of it. But you’ve helped me realize I don’t want to do that anymore.”
She swallowed against the sudden lump in her throat as she remembered Van’s words two days earlier. “I do forgive you, Mateo. I know all about hiding away because of personal tragedies. Do you want to talk about yours?”
He shook his head. “Not right now. Right now I want to hear more about you. I want to know all your fantasies, Carma. I want to know something you’ve always wanted to try but never had the self-confidence to ask for.”
Now she was convinced he could read minds. His gaze penetrated into her very soul and stripped away all pretenses. As she looked into his eyes, she experienced a slipping sensation, as if she could fall right into those topaz-colored pools of light, and in them she would find everything she’d ever wanted. He wasn’t anything like she’d always imagined he’d be, and yet she’d somehow known that making love to Mateo Alvarado would be an exciting, erotic experience.
“Carma, I know this is hard for you to do, but just tell me one thing. Just one.”
He’d interpreted her silence as hesitation. She’d need to clarify that. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, Mateo. It’s just that no one knows. I started to talk to Annalise about my fantasies earlier today and had planned to ask her a bunch of questions, but then of course the will reading didn’t turn out very well.”
She hadn’t even told Mateo how much money her uncle had left her. But she couldn’t think about that right now. She didn’t want to. She only wanted to be here with him and enjoy this night.
“What kinds of questions were you going to ask her?”
What would be the harm in telling him? She’d already shared more with him than she’d done with any other man. Carma felt freer than she had her entire life. She wanted to tell him everything. “Well, you know that club on the Stonecraft estate? Indulgence? I…um…I’ve always wondered about it. I’ve always had these fantasies about being tied up and spanked. And of course I know there’s more to it than that, but I’ve always wanted to understand it better.”
“Annalise is in the BDSM lifestyle?”
“Yes. Chad and Dustin are her Doms.”
She took a deep breath and watched his eyes as they filled first with disbelief and then incredulity. Shit. She shouldn’t have said anything. It wasn’t like her to run away with her words. What the hell had she been thinking?
She started to pull out of his embrace, but his arms held her in place. “Why are you leaving? Tell me what you’re thinking right now.”
“You think I’m a total nutcase. I mean why would someone who’s been through what I’ve been through have these kinds of fantasies?”
Mateo shook his head. “Carma, you’d be very surprised the number of people in the lifestyle who have been abused, but it doesn’t automatically go hand-in-hand. Having a Dom/sub relationship doesn’t mean you still can’t be hurt if someone crosses a line into abuse. Being curious about it doesn’t mean you’re romanticizing or condoning what your cousin did to you. It’s not the same thing. Not even close. Your curiosity doesn’t stem from what Michael did to you. It’s part of who you are, the same as if you had musical talent or an interest in art.”
Her jaw fell open as she stared at him. How did he know so much about this?
“Your trust was violated—by a family member, no less. And then the men with whom you shared the most intimate act possible violated it again. Instead of helping you understand the difference between lovemaking and someone trying to force you to have sex, they taunted you for your insecurities and your feelings of helplessness. But that doesn’t mean if you crave someone else being in control, or if you simply want to experience impact play and bondage, that there’s something wrong with you. It just means you want to explore it, that’s all. Your desires don’t have anything to do with what Michael put you through.”
Breathing was suddenly difficult. Carma’s pulse raced. Every fantasy she’d ever had of him was suddenly enhanced ten times over. “Mateo, it sounds like you have firsthand experience.”
He frowned in confusion, and then he grinned and laughed softly. “Very limited. Blaine is the experienced Dom, not me. He and I have talked about this at length, and when we were at school together in Denver, I visited clubs with him. I guess there’s no way you could have known that.”
She shook her head. “No. I had no idea. What about the club here? Indulgence? Have you ever gone?”
“No. I haven’t, but I’ve known about it for a long time.”
Did Darlene know about this side of him? Did Mateo know she was in the lifestyle? Maybe that would explain why Mateo was so flirtatious and comfortable around her. It was because they knew each other through mutual friends. “Are you going to go with Blaine now that he’s living here?”
Mateo shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe.” He stared into her eyes for a long time. “But if I do, I’d like you to be with me.”
All the questions she’d wanted to ask Annalise were blurred together with the realization that this man might be willing to help her explore her fantasies for real, and consequently all rational thought was gone. When he kissed her, she simply gave in and let go.
His mouth traveled to her neck, gently nipping at her skin as he worked his way down to her breasts. Carma moaned softly and held onto his head while he licked and sucked her nipples, harder this time than he had earlier, but she didn’t mind. Each pass of his teeth or tongue sent tiny jolts of electricity straight to her clit. When he lifted his gaze to her face, his decadent grin forced a flood of wetness to her pussy.
“So…spanking, eh? But I think we should forego your being tied up the first time. I don’t want to scare you.” He sat on the edge of his bed and crooked a finger at her. “Over here, Carma.”
She walked slowly toward him, not because she was afraid, but because her legs were shaking. His eyes held her spellbound. She couldn’t have refused him if she’d tried to. He helped her drape her body over his thighs, and she cried out simply due to the fact that she was in this position.
“It’s okay, Carma. Are you comfortable?”
She nodded.
“Say it out loud. I need to hear your answers.”
“Yes. I’m okay.”
“Do you know what a safeword is?”
“No.” He caressed her ass cheeks as he spoke, and Carma writhed against his touch. This was so much more intense than her fantasies had been. Her pussy was soaked and her clit throbbed, but what she hadn’t expected was the rush of emotion. She wasn’t fearful. It was more like extreme anticipation, as if she were about to embark on the greatest adventure of her life.
“It’s a word you’re given to call if you’re feeling afraid or uncomfortable, or you’ve reached your pain limits, or if anything else feels off to you. You say the word and the scene stops immediately.”
“Isn’t that cheating?”
“No, Carma. This isn’t a game. People can get hurt if limits aren’t respected and ground rules aren’t established.”
“I don’t know anything.” She felt so damn foolish.
“Yes.”
“Okay. I’m going to go slow. Please don’t be afraid to tell me if something isn’t working for you.”
“Am I allowed to say anything else besides ‘red’?”
“Carma, you may say anything to me you want, okay?”
“Okay.”
She tensed, expecting him to spank her, but instead he continued to caress her ass cheeks with one hand. The other he placed over her lower back, and even though she could still move her arms and legs, being over his knees with one hand held on her, as if restraining her, still gave her a thrill she couldn’t describe.
The first smacks on her ass cheeks weren’t hard, but she made a surprised noise just the same because they sent desire coursing through her body in a way nothing else had before. She closed her eyes as he continued, and tried to make sense of the competing emotions. It stung, but she liked it. Was it weird that she felt both pain and pleasure at the same time? She wanted to ask him, but she didn’t want to break the spell, so she kept silent.
He stopped and started to caress her pussy from behind, and Carma moaned loudly. “Oh, Mateo…that feels so incredible.”
“I’m enjoying it, too, Carma.” His voice was rough and commanding, and as he slipped two fingers into her pussy, Carma cried out loudly. She squeezed her thighs together and rubbed her clit against his muscled thigh, trying to bring on the impending orgasm.
“You know, I should make you wait until I give you permission to come, Carma.”
She stopped cold. How had he known what she was trying to do?
“Is that part of it?” Her voice sounded breathy and sexy, like an old Hollywood actress in a movie, playing a love scene.
“It can be. Do you want me to take control, Carma? Do you want me to tease you with pain and pleasure until you can’t stand it any longer?”
His words sent shivers up and down her spine. “Oh, God…Yes, Mateo. Yes I do.”
He pulled his fingers out of her pussy and began to spank her again, alternating cheeks, but this time it was serious. Her ass burned within seconds, but instead of making her uncomfortable, it sent fresh desire through her body until she was out of her mind with need.
The pain and pleasure were all mixed up with the scents in the room, the realization of where she was, who she was with, and what she was doing, until she couldn’t distinguish between them. She only knew that one of her darkest, deepest fantasies was coming true, and she was going to come any second now whether he wanted her to or not.
Her entire body trembled and sweat trickled into her eyes. Her ass cheeks were on fire. When the climax started, Carma tried not to moan, but that was like trying not to breathe. The contractions were tiny and incomplete, so maybe he wouldn’t notice.
He stopped spanking her and helped her stand, then pulled her into his arms and held her close, stroking her back. “Are you okay?” His voice was raspy.
“Yes...Yes.”
“I have limited experience with this, but it seemed like a lot for your first time, Carma.”
“I liked it, Mateo. I’m all right. Honest.”
“Are you afraid?”
She shook her head, overcome with how careful and tender he was. She hadn’t expected that, either. “Not at all.”
He held her for a few moments, and then he released the embrace and gave her a smoldering look. “On your hands and knees, Carma. I can’t wait any longer.”
She crawled on the bed and did as he asked, unsure what to expect. She’d never had sex in this position. He pulled pillows from under the comforter and bunched them up underneath her, so that she was draped over them and her ass was up in the air. He put on a condom, and then reached under her body to play with her breasts. His dick teased the opening to her pussy, and Carma moaned in anticipation.
“I’m going to fuck you, Carma. And it’ll take a while for me to come a second time.”
“Mateo…” She couldn’t even form a rational thought. When he slid his dick into her, she cried out as the orgasm that had started during the spanking crested and crashed over her, rendering her incapable of doing anything except whimpering. He thrust in and out of her with so much speed that she couldn’t keep up with him. It felt so fucking incredible. He was able to get in deep, and each time he passed over that spot inside her pussy, the climax was intensified.
When he began to lightly smack her ass cheeks again, she thought she’d pass out from sheer pleasure. Her hair hung in her eyes, damp and sticky, and her pussy was sore now, but she didn’t want him to stop.
“Carma…you feel incredible…”
She couldn’t answer him. Even when he pulled out and rolled her onto her back, all she could do was gaze into his eyes and cling to his arms as he fucked her that way again. The sensations were different in this position, but no less erotic. Another orgasm was starting to build, and when he rubbed her clit, it exploded in a combination of flashing lights and tiny explosions behind her closed lids.
When Mateo cried out, she opened her eyes and watched in fascination as he came again, holding her gaze the entire time. It was such an intimate and purely animalistic act. How could anything they did from this point on be more perfect than this?
He pulled out, ripped off his condom, and then enveloped her into his arms. As she listened to his breathing slow down, Carma drifted off to sleep, feeling totally safe and secure for the first time in her entire adult life.
Chapter Eleven
Blaine was bored out of his mind. He should have waited to move in the weekend before his new job started. If he’d known there was nothing to do in this town, he would have. He’d planned to visit Indulgence, and Mateo had already paved the way by letting Nash Stonecraft know to expect him, but Blaine would have preferred to go with Mateo. However, right now he couldn’t reach Mateo, even though Blaine knew he was probably home.
Or, was he with the mystery woman? His best friend played things close to the vest, and that was all right with Blaine. Blaine hadn’t told Mateo about Larissa’s arrest, although unless Mateo never watched TV or went online, he’d eventually hear about it on the news.
He tried to find something on TV to watch, but that particular medium had never held much interest for him. He went online, but even the usual freaks and geeks failed to make him laugh tonight.
Just as he was about to try and call Mateo again, his doorbell rang. He only knew one person in town, so he opened the door and got ready to tell Mateo he was a fucking psychic, but the man standing on his front stoop wasn’t Mateo. Blaine had no idea who he was, but the man gave off a strong vibe of deceit and phoniness.
“Hi there.” The stranger stuck out his hand and flashed a smile full of perfect teeth. Those must have cost him a small fortune. “Trace Coleman of Ghost Stories. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”
Blaine couldn’t help but grin. This guy sounded like a used car salesman. The fake smile plastered across his angular face didn’t reach his cold blue eyes, and Blaine hesitated to shake his hand, convinced it would be oily and cold to the touch. “Nope. Never heard of you, or the show. Is it a show?”
Trace’s smile faded a bit, and he made a choking sound that Blaine suspected was supposed to be a laugh. “Well, you will hear of it. The entire town will soon know who I am. Mind if I come in for a minute?”
Blaine closed the gap a bit between Trace and the open door. “Yes, I do.”
“I want to talk to you about a friend of yours.”
“I have no friends.”
Trace blinked several times. “You don’t know Mateo Alvarado?”
“What’s it to you if I do?”
“You can help our viewers get to the truth, Mr. Peter
son.”
Blaine narrowed his eyes. “How the fuck do you know who I am?”
Trace grinned, but it was more predatory than humorous. “This is a small town, Mr. Peterson. Everyone knows everything.”
Blaine curled his right hand into a fist. If not for the instinct to find out what this asshole wanted with Mateo, Blaine would be escorting this guy back to his flashy sports car right now. “What do you want with Mateo?”
“Not him, his house. It’s haunted. I want to investigate it.” Trace leaned forward and lowered his voice, even though no one was around. “And, if you can convince him to allow me inside, there might be a guest appearance on Ghost Stories in it for you.”
Blaine laughed, and then he stepped outside. He wasn’t the tallest man around, but he towered over Trace. “Okay. Listen up, ghost hunter. Here’s the deal. Mateo Alvarado is my best friend, and unicorns will dance down Juniper Street before I convince him to let you inside his house to looks for ghosts. So here’s what you need to do.”
Blaine pushed against Trace’s right shoulder, just a bit, to gauge his reaction more than anything. As predicted, he puffed out his chest like a peacock, but he also took several steps back. “There’s no need to get physical, Blaine.”
“Oh, I’m not getting physical, Trace. I’m merely accentuating my words. Get back in your car and get the fuck off my property. And don’t come back. Any questions?”
Trace’s smile completely faded and his eyes grew colder. For one brief second, Blaine thought the prick was actually going to challenge him, but then the fight in his expression faded. “The world has the right to know what’s going on in this town.”
Blaine gave him another half-hearted shove, and finally the asshole began to walk toward the driveway. “I will get into these homes, Blaine. With or without you.”
Blaine watched Trace peel out of the driveway and take off down Rabbitbrush Road, traveling at least twice the legal speed limit. A shiver ran up and down his spine. Something about the way he’d said he would get into the homes, and how the world had the right to know what was going on in this town didn’t sit right. There was more going on here than a local nobody trying to get on TV. Not only that, but Mateo was one of his targets.