by Trina Lane
Winston smiled. “No need to apologise, Miss. You were justified in your reaction, nicely executed as well. You weren’t trespassing. My cabin is a good five miles from here. I’m sure Shield didn’t consider I would be patrolling.”
Mark wrapped his arm around her waist and gathered her into his side. “I assume everything has been secure since I last saw you?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be on my way so you and Ms. Cross can enjoy the rest of your weekend.”
The two men shook hands, and they started walking back towards the house. Erica took one last glance over her shoulder and saw that Winston had disappeared again, this time in the middle of an open field.
“How does he do that?”
“I have no idea and quite frankly am slightly wary of asking him why he knows how to do that.”
They reached the cabin, and he led them over to the sofa. Making Erica sit, he knelt on the floor in front of her. He placed his hands on her knees and looked up into her eyes.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” He pushed his hand though his hair. “God…when I heard you scream—I can’t even begin to describe the terror that jolted though me thinking you had been hurt in some way.”
She leaned forward and cupped his cheek. “I’m fine. And I’m sorry I scared you. It was just a knee-jerk reaction when I saw him standing there like he’d been conjured out of the mist.”
He put his head down in her lap, and she ran her fingers through his hair. She loved how thick and silky it felt threading through her fingertips. Seeing his concern for her made her feel special.
He must care for me a little bit to react that way.
The whole reason she’d taken the walk was to clear her head. The reality of her emotional reaction to their lovemaking earlier and the contentment she’d felt waking up in his arms had made her feel the need to escape for a few minutes. She’d realised that she was coming to care very much for him, maybe even starting to love him, and that was very frightening. They’d only been seeing each other a few days. Logic told her it was way too soon to be feeling the stirring of such an encompassing emotion like love.
Mark lifted his head and moved to sit on the sofa next to her. Taking her hands within his, he tried to decide if he should pose one of the questions that had been burning in his mind for the past day or wait until they had gotten to know each other better. However, after all they had shared and experienced together, he felt confident enough that she would be honest with him.
“Erica I need to ask you something important, and I’m hoping you trust me enough to be honest.”
“Last night, you said you’d been rejected after sex more than once. Why? What happened?”
Her breath escape in a rush. “Oh… Is that all? You had me worried. I thought you were going to ask me something else entirely.”
“What did you think I was going to ask?”
She leaned back into the sofa to get comfortable. “Never mind. It’s not a big deal or anything. The reason I said that was because it’s true. I told you before that I may not have an extensive sexual repertoire, but as you are well aware, I was no virgin before last night. When I was in college, my friends had set me up with a few guys who for one reason or another turned out to be less than ideal.”
“Tell me about them, please. I don’t ever want to do something that would hurt you or make you compare my behaviour to theirs, even unintentionally.” He hoped none of the men had given her a bad experience with the scene. On more than one occasion, he’d seen a sub whose trust had been violated, and the road back to a healthy D/s relationship was often very difficult.
“I already know you could never do what they did,” she said. “I pride myself on learning my lessons and now trust my instincts to avoid men like that in the first place. The first one was a boy named Tim. It was freshman year, and I was eager to explore the college scene. I met him at a frat party. He was nice and charming. We went out on a couple dates then one night started getting hot and heavy back at my dorm. He convinced me to go down on him, and when I was finished, he adjusted his pants, stood up and said, ‘thanks babe. That wasn’t too bad,’ then walked out my door and never returned another one of my calls.”
“He said that then just left you there?” Mark asked incredulously.
“Yes. I was still a virgin at the time and wasn’t really expecting to go all the way, but I thought he might return the favour or at least touch me a little. My friend set me up with the next guy. As you can imagine, I was hesitant to let our relationship progress too quickly, but after dating for about a month, we decided to sleep together. I gave him my virginity, and he gave me a complex. First times are always awkward, and this was no exception. He didn’t do anything in the manner of foreplay so when he shoved himself inside, I was barely wet. I tried to tell him to slow down, that it was hurting but he just looked down and said ‘maybe you should try a little harder, darling. It’s not exactly a pleasure for me to fuck someone lying there like an ice block’. A few more grunts on his part and he was finished. We tried it together a few more times, but nothing improved. He started calling me a snow queen to his friends, and right about that time is when my family was in the accident.”
“I take it he didn’t come to the services or give you any support?”
She snorted. “Yeah, right. When I called to tell him what happened he said ‘gee, babe, I’m real sorry. Maybe this is a good time for us to call it quits. It’s obviously not working, and I’m sure you’ll want to concentrate on other things right now’. I took the rest of the semester off and never saw him again.”
As Mark listened to her stories, his heart ached. All he wanted to do was gather her in his arms and promise to get revenge or at the very least protect her from all the assholes in the world who treated women like that. Despite the frank and emotionless manner she recited the memories, he could see how she’d been incredibly hurt by those boys and the way they callously used her. He thought she was done, but when she continued talking, he realised she’d saved the most traumatic for the last.
“I didn’t really date much throughout the rest of college. A few casual dinners here and there, but I never let myself get sexually involved with another boy at school. A couple years ago, I convinced myself that I needed to stop living in the past and open myself to the possibility of a relationship with a man versus spoiled, immature boys. So I started going out to clubs with friends and checking out the dating scene here in Denver. We would frequently meet after work on Friday nights. One night, I met Dan, and we both felt an instant attraction. We started dating, and he was the first man to give me an orgasm. He taught me to explore my sexuality and enjoy the pleasure that could be found with another person. Our relationship remained casual despite the sex. I never saw him during the week, he never slept over and I never went to his place. At the time, I was just starting at AA and was so busy that I never questioned the arrangement. When I finally did, he just told me he felt more comfortable keeping things simple. It was a few days later I learned from a friend that he was married and had three kids.”
Mark was absolutely stunned. At first, he’d felt incredible jealousy that this Dan character had been the one to open up Erica’s sensual side, but now, he just wanted to murder the man. How she managed to remain such a happy and passionate person after these experiences humbled him. The fact that she’d trusted him enough to not only share her body but her experiences with him made him feel honoured. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and hold her but sensed she would take that as pity so instead he held her hands and looked directly into her eyes.
“Thank you for sharing with me and thank you for trusting me enough to not hurt you the way those idiots did. I want you to remember, no matter what, not to ever let any man make you feel you do not deserve to be treated with care and respect or that you are undeserving of love. The last few days, you have given me the privilege of getting to know you, the real you, and that means more to me than you know.”
Erica leaned in to accept Mark’s kiss, and they kissed deeply, hungrily. She moved so she straddled him, never breaking their embrace, then ground her hot arousal against his hardness. It was amazing. They’d had mind-blowing sex just a few hours ago, yet it felt like it had been years. The barrier of their clothing only fuelled them even more. His hips arched and ground against her crotch. They both wore thin, cotton lounging pants that provided little barrier and allowed them to feel with little restrictions. Erica was already swollen and damp, and the pressure felt like heaven as she moaned at the sensation.
He threaded his fingers through her hair. God, she loved it when he did that. He cupped the back of her head and held her firm while his mouth took absolute possession of hers. She melted beneath the warmth of his hands, and the fire in his kiss. When at last he broke away, she went limp in his hands, both of them gasping for breath.
He tilted his head and his breath caressed her ear. “God, you make me feel like I’m on fire. It doesn’t matter if I had you five minutes ago or five hours ago. I promise you that tonight is going to be special. I want tonight to be all about you. Your needs, your desires.”
“What if I need you right now? I ache, Mark. I burn. You’re the only man who can stop that. Yours is the only touch that’s been able to make me scream in pleasure.”
“I would love to carry you upstairs and make love to you right now, but I plan on pleasuring you all night and to do so I need nourishment. So I’m going to start dinner, and I want you to relax. You can finish watching that movie or have some wine and read a book, whatever you desire.”
“Well, I did bring one of my books with me just in case we had some down time. I could always use it to keep my blood pumping and my panties damp while you spoil me with your domestic skills.”
She watched as his eyes darkened and his cock bounced underneath his cotton pants. She did enjoy torturing the man. The hot look he gave her as he headed over to the galley sent a shiver racing down her spine.
Tonight’s going to be a good night.
Chapter Seven
She decided that a good glass of wine and steamy read sounded like a great idea. Running upstairs, she grabbed her iPod and the new novel she’d purchased at the beginning of the week. The look on Mark’s face had been priceless when she’d suggested using the book to keep her juices simmering. It might have been a tad mean, but she loved teasing him like that.
Walking back downstairs, she heard sounds coming from the kitchen. He really was going to spoil her with all the prepared meals, but he seemed to enjoy himself, so who was she to stop him. She purposely set the book face up on the counter where he could see it then walked over to the wine cooler and picked out the bottle of white they’d opened the night before. Grabbing a stemmed glass, she waited to see if he would comment on her choice of reading material. It didn’t take long.
“Rhyannon Byrd. I’ve read some of hers before. Not familiar with this one, though. What’s it about?”
She picked up the book and read the blurb on the back, explaining that the main characters were two people who had always wanted each other but life had gotten in the way. Now years later, they’d found they were each available again.
After Mark and Erica agreed that the author had a great talent for writing great characters and extremely hot sex, she asked, “So what’s for dinner, Emeril?”
That got a little twinkle out of his eyes.
“Pan-seared, seasoned strip steaks, twice-baked potatoes, and steamed green beans.”
“Sound delicious. You do realise I’m going to have to buy all new clothes after this weekend, right?”
“The way I look at it is, if I feed you enough, you’ll have to spend more time at the gym…late at night…alone…with me.”
“I see. Well, far be it from me to foil your nefarious plan.”
She gave him a soft lingering kiss then walked away with a slow wink and wiggle of her hips.
Mark watched as she snuggled down into the sofa, adjusted her ear buds and opened the book. He had been honest earlier when he told her that he enjoyed reading erotica. While it’s true that to a young man the narratives had been extremely educational in the ways of pleasure, he’d started reading voraciously when he’d begun to learn more about the BDSM scene. The books offered a wealth of research material.
In the next couple days, he was definitely going to talk to her about his role in the scene and find out whether she had ever tried it or was open to exploring the possibilities. Strong physical connection aside, he enjoyed the soft comforting kisses they shared and holding her in his arms while watching the movie. They worked in the same field, and he had a lot of respect for her dedication and talent. Any conversation between them was relaxed and open. He even enjoyed just sitting with her in quiet. What it really boiled down to was that for the first time he felt that he could be honest and show a woman he cared for the real him.
* * * *
Mark sat in his office contemplating the swirling dervishes of his screen saver as he reminisced about the weekend and contemplated how he wanted to approach the topic of a D/s relationship. Their time together over the weekend had gone better then he’d hoped for. After their meal Saturday night, they had relaxed by the fireplace. He’d taken her upstairs, given her a sensual massage and proceeded to make Erica scream herself hoarse. Every time they came together, he experienced new heights of pleasure. They had collapsed in exhaustion as the sun rose Sunday morning and spent the rest of the day lazing about the cabin. He’d lost to her in a competitive game of Scrabble. That afternoon they went back to the National Park, and he’d taught her to fish in Sprague Lake. They’d cooked the rainbow trout over a campfire and eaten it for dinner.
By the time they’d reached the Denver city limits, it was getting late, so he had not taken an opportunity to discuss his desire to enhance their relationship with certain BDSM elements. He had sensed Erica’s passionate nature from the time they’d met. She was passionate about her work, her friends, and her health. Logically, she would embrace similar characteristics in her sensuality.
He knew many of the players in the scene were high level executives who embraced their need to submit in the bedroom, however, how to discuss that with someone not already involved was a conundrum. That was why he’d wanted their initial encounter to play out without introducing any other elements. So he still questioned if she recognised her behaviours for what they were and, perhaps, didn’t want to advertise the need immediately. Or were the behaviours inherent? Would she be open to further exploring and fostering them as a trained sub?
He had been involved in the scene for several years. His first sexual encounter had happened just after he’d turned sixteen. While there was some of the expected awkward fumbling, he’d clearly sensed the desire to control the experience. At the time, he hadn’t recognised the behaviours for what they were but had understood the need was a requirement for him to fully enjoy sex. He’d been fortunate that his high school girlfriend had been a sweet-natured girl who’d essentially allowed him to have his way.
Unbeknownst to him, his father had seen them having sex one summer night. He’d recognised Mark’s behaviours for what they were. Pulling him aside one evening, his dad had explained what a sexual dominant was and how it was crucial to remember that an acting dominant had the responsibility to not only be concerned about his or her own pleasure but the safety, health and pleasure of their partner. He must always make it clear that any activities between partners were safe and consensual.
He remember sitting in his father’s study feeling in part embarrassed to be talking about such things and in part relieved because he’d now be able to explain why he felt the way he did. Over the years, he’d continued to explore and foster this nature.
When he’d started his third year at university, he’d ventured into a BDSM club and met Gene, another Dom. Gene had immediately recognised Mark’s potential and had taken him under his wing to further his training. During the next several years,
Mark had fine-tuned and recognised his own needs as a Dom compared to others in the scene. He’d learned that, while he greatly appreciated a good spanking, he wasn’t looking to mark a woman’s body with bruises and welts from his cane or whip. His pleasure instead came from exerting control over the scene and the responses of his partner.
Nowadays, he primarily kept his D/s activities in his home and with a select group of friends. He still maintained membership at one upscale club in the Denver area where he went to socialise and occasionally take part in a scene if the need had been festering. The looming possibility that Erica might be a natural submissive and a potential partner was exciting. He hadn’t intended this affair to become a D/s relationship but certainly didn’t intend to ignore the possibility. For some time, he’d been thinking he was ready to find a permanent submissive partner—if he found the right woman. Wouldn’t it be ironic if she’d been right under his nose for the last several years?
His phone rudely interrupted his pleasant musing, and he scowled until he recognised it was Erica’s extension on the caller ID.
“Hello?”
“Hey, you busy?”
“I probably should be, but instead, I’m contemplating all kinds of pleasurable possibilities.”
“Oh yeah? Like what?”
“The feel of skin on skin, the sounds of breaths and cries of pleasure, the scents of sex and sun and moonlight and oils.”
He heard a soft whimper on the other end of the line. The need to see her again overwhelmed him. “Meet me in the North stairwell in five minutes.”
“Mark, we can’t do that again. We were lucky last time.”
“Do what? Have a private conversation between two colleagues?”