by Lora Ann
I finished my shower and slipped on some sweats, along with a comfortable t-shirt. I knew I had to discuss some rather unpleasant things—at least they would be for her—with Lacey and wanted to be as non-threatening as possible. I thought there were some clothes for her in the other room since Aimee crashed here sometimes when Nik was out of town. To be on the safe side, I grabbed a pair of drawstring PJ bottoms for her to wear. They’d be huge, but more comforting than a silk robe.
My heart skipped a beat as I walked into the kitchen. She stood there in a red silk ensemble. The gown and robe was a little short due to her height, yet it still hugged her amazing body like a lover. It was incongruous with her preparing sandwiches. With an attempt to mask my raging lust, I chuckled, “I said I would do that.” Damn, even I heard the desire in my voice. Question was, did she?
She glanced up. “I know. But I wanted to do something for you.”
I strolled over and grabbed a bottle of wine and couple of glasses. Once I opened the bottle, I poured and offered, “I think you might need this after the night you’ve had.”
“You may be right about that.” She took a healthy swallow. “This is good,” she smiled. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me, sweetness,” I acknowledged, taking a seat at the table.
She brought over the food and sat down to join me. It was nice. Something I didn’t normally do with anyone but my brothers and, of course, Aimee. No one else, though. Unless it was a business dinner or I was entertaining, but I never did that in my own home. Why I was now, I didn’t know. More than I wanted to admit, I liked it. Afterwards, she offered to clean up. “I have a person that comes in to do that.” I informed. “Don’t worry ‘bout it.”
I stood up and held out my hand. As she took it, I stated, “We have some things to talk about. Let’s go into the living room.”
I led her to the couch before I went over to the bar. “Would you like another glass of wine?”
“Yes, please.”
I set the drinks down and then situated myself next to her, turning my body towards hers. She did the same. There really was no way to ease into this topic, so I blurted out, “Just how innocent are you?”
She sat there with the cutest, bewildered look on her face. Finally she answered, “How is that any of your business?”
Ah, I had pissed her off. Good. That meant asking her the details of her sex life would be a bit easier. “I’m sorry you’re angry, Lacey. But I need to know.”
She pursed her lips. “Why?”
“For starters, we’re about to go into locations that will make the place you were at earlier look like Disney Land.”
Her eyes widened. “How’s that possible?”
“Trust me, sweetness. I have no desire to take you into such clubs. However, it’s necessary if we’re going to get intel on your sister’s whereabouts.”
She crossed her arms over her breasts. A protective move, no less, though I wasn’t who she should fear. Really? I would never harm her. Unless she liked pain, then you would if she asked you. To an extent, yes, but that was different. Anyway…she would never, so let it go. She interrupted my mental argument when she fired back, “How does my experience or lack thereof, have anything to do with Keeley?”
Yep, definitely perturbed. I bit back the grin, knowing that’d send her into a tirade. I gently expounded, “There will be times I have to touch you. We need others to think you are my sub.”
“Oh,” she gasped, reaching over for her glass of wine and gulping it down.
The thought had turned her on. Hmm, interesting. Maybe she wanted me as much as I wanted her. To test the theory I took the glass from her hand, setting it down on the coffee table. Then I reached forward, running the pad of my thumb along her bottom lip. There had been a drop of liquid left behind, so I brought my thumb to my mouth and suckled. Her eyes held mine as I watched them darken with desire. Well hell, hypothesis proven. She was denying herself the pleasure she knew I could bring her. “You see, Lacey. For others to believe our fabrication, we need to know one another’s bodies like our own. That requires trust.” I took the thumb that was still moist from my mouth and placed it between her lips. I could see shock, confusion, and yearning play across her lovely face. “Suck,” I commanded.
Without hesitation, she did as I told her. Dammit if my cock didn’t begin to harden, straining towards her. It was obvious her actions were arousing me since my sweats were tented. She looked down at my lap and then back up to my face. Her gaze holding mine, she sucked harder. I groaned, “Nice.” Before things went too far, I pulled my thumb out of her mouth with an audible pop. My friggin’ dick began to throb. I adjusted and continued, “How much experience do you have?”
Shame filled her eyes before she looked away from me. “Hell no,” I barked as I lifted her chin with my fingers. “Never are you to be ashamed of anything we talk about or do together. Understand?”
Her head bobbed once, which ticked me off. “Answer me.”
“Yes,” she whispered.
I clutched both of her shoulders and intently looked into her eyes. “You have to trust me, or this will never work.”
She swallowed, “I do trust you.”
“Why the look of disgrace?” I admit I was past confused now.
She murmured, “It’s me I don’t trust.” Her voice was so soft I had to lean in to hear, and that brought our mouths within a couple of inches from each other.
Unable to stop myself, I closed the gap and kissed her. I should have been gentle, tender, and understanding of her dilemma. Instead, I took her mouth with a violence even I didn’t comprehend. She should’ve slapped me or pushed me away. Something. Anything other than what she did. Her arms locked around my neck and she crawled onto my lap, straddling me. In order for the maneuver to be proficient, she had hiked up the nightgown; consequently, I could feel her heat against my erection. Holy fuck. How was any man supposed to resist such an invitation? I wound her hair around my fingers and tugged, positioning her the way I wanted. She didn’t fight, no, she surrendered. And that was when some form of restraint returned to me. I released her hair and softened the kiss, slowly disengaging our mouths. Rubbing her back up and down, I explained, “You’re a natural submissive.” Her brows arched in disbelief. “I would love to explore the possibilities, but that would be unwise.”
She nodded as she climbed off my lap and stood. “I’m sorry.”
I popped up off the couch like someone had lit my ass on fire. “Don’t say that again,” I warned.
As she paced, she confessed, “Until you, I had never really kissed a man.”
My brow quirked. “You’re serious?” Then I questioned, “How old are you?”
“I’m twenty-one.” Her hands came up in exasperation. “Why would I lie? Sure, I’ve kissed before, but not like that. That was…”
“Un-fucking-believable,” I finished her sentence for her. It really had been; I wasn’t bullshitting. Never had I experienced fire racing through my veins, lightning shooting across my skin, or the need to infuse my body with a woman’s so desperately. One would think I had no knowledge of sex. Hardy har har.
“Well, yes. I think that would be an accurate description,” she confirmed. “I don’t know how to do what you’re asking of me. Will you teach me?”
Good God, did she just ask me to teach her how to be my sub?! “What exactly do you mean?” My voice was low and husky. I knew she only meant how to fool others not the real deal, but I needed her to say it.
“Show me how to be your submissive.”
My brow furrowed. “You mean pretend to be, right?”
She spun around so quickly, stumbling a little. No doubt there was too much alcohol in her system. Dammit, I didn’t mean to get her drunk. Her gaze met mine. “Maybe.”
My eyes widened out of bewilderment. She was actually contemplating giving herself to me? Holy hell. I sat down abruptly. That was a gift I didn’t deserve no matter how much I wanted it. She joined me
on the couch and reached over to stroke my jaw. “I really like you,” she admitted. “Can we just see where this goes? Is that enough for you?”
I pulled her palm to my mouth and kissed the inside of it. “For now,” I affirmed.
She smiled, “I can live with that.”
Though I wasn’t completely sure what I had just agreed to, I knew I would do just about anything to see her face light up like that. Even if it killed me, I would honor this woman with every cell of my being. On that, she could rest assured.
Chapter Seven
Lacey
The building E lived in was Art Deco architecture. So why I was surprised that E’s taste would also be Art Deco, I didn’t know. The exquisite penthouse was done in black and stark white, counterbalanced with just the right amount of color. Sort of like the man himself, inside and out. He was control personified, yet there was an underlying kindness in him as well. The more time I spent with him, the more I liked him. Dangerous. Yes, he was that. Yet something else was there, too, and I wanted to uncover that more than the need to protect myself. Stupid? Probably. There’s no probably to it! No matter, I needed his help. Whether it was wise or not, I was drawn to this man. However, I knew I couldn’t let myself fall in love with him. Right, but you’ll sleep with him. I highly doubted I would be sleeping if I let Even Strand take me to his bed. Semantics! Yeah, but there was no way I could deny what my body did at the thought. Dang! How could I possibly think such things after what had happened earlier? A shower was most definitely necessary.
While washing my hair, the images of Keeley, alone and scared, filled my mind. I had no idea where they came from, but they felt so real. She also seemed to be very ill. I shook my head and chastised myself, you’re not psychic. Still, it was an intuition I couldn’t shake. I began to sing TLC’s “Waterfalls.” The song always made me think of my warnings to my sister, though, somehow, this thing with E made me realize I should heed the advice, too. I dried off and went to find something clean to wear.
I scoured the bedroom and found the only presentable article of clothing: a gorgeous red nightgown with a matching robe. The rest of the—erghm—lingerie was beyond unmentionable. When the luxurious silk slid over my skin, I moaned in pleasure. Too bad it was a little short on me, still, I felt glamorous. And once I’d seen E’s reaction, I knew I looked as good in it as I felt.
My mind was reeling from what I had asked of the man that evening. Could I really do it? Sure, I was aware that the need to pretend was essential to our farce. But that wasn’t quite what I had asked for a little while ago. What the heck did I think I was doing? I had basically offered myself to a well-known Dom. Not a virginal act by any means! Lucky for me—or not, depending on how you wanted to look at it—he had no intentions of taking my proposition that far. Huh, I really didn’t know how I felt about that. On one hand, I was grateful he planned on honoring his vow. On the other, I wanted to see his dominate side. There had been glimpses, but all hadn’t been revealed. I needed his control, craved his instruction. What did that say about me? I didn’t know, but sure wanted to find out.
I made the decision, then and there, to test his self-control and mine. With my free hand, I twined my fingers in his soft hair. The smell that emanated from him was intoxicating, masculine and clean, with a hint of spice. I leaned in closer and inhaled. He watched me with hooded eyes. I was playing with fire, and, honestly, I didn’t care if I got burned. I was melting from the scorching look he gave me right before he tugged my body into his. The man’s body was a work of art, sculpted and defined. I had to see more. I moved my hand slowly from his hair down to the hem of his t-shirt, where I began to explore underneath. Goodness, his abs were solid. Now, I understood the term washboard stomach. I huskily whispered, “Take it off.”
His eyes widened as he took in a sharp breath. “Lacey…”
I heard the warning in his voice, but I didn’t heed it as I pulled the shirt up his torso. In a movement so quick I didn’t see it coming, the hand he’d been holding was behind my back. Kind of reminded me of how I’d been handcuffed earlier. The thought of E using such devices on me caused warm liquid to fill my panties. His nostrils flared. Could he smell my arousal?
“You’re wet for me,” he growled against my ear. How did he know that? Well, duh, I just answered my own question: He could smell me. And if I were honest, the incredible spice on his skin thickened. So this was desire. Wow, did he ever give off some serious pheromones. He traced my neck with tip of his nose as he removed my other hand from his shirt and restrained it with the other one. With both of my hands at the small of my back, I was at his mercy. The wolfish grin he gave me told me he knew it. He commanded, “Don’t move your hands.”
I knew he wanted words, so I answered, “Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
Out of confusion, I tilted my head to one side. He explained, “You will call me ‘Sir’ or ‘Master’ any time we’re around sex clubs. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” All of a sudden, he fisted his hand in my hair. As he yanked my head back, I swallowed hard—fear and anticipation warred within me. With a resounding, “Yes, Sir,” I met his piercing gaze.
Fierce and unrelenting, he pulled my hair. I cried out, not in pain but out of surprise. “Never make eye contact with me unless I tell you you can.”
“Yes, Sir.”
I must’ve done something right, because his hand loosened as he purred, “Good, girl.” There was a part of me that wanted to rail at him for talking to me like a dog. Although another part of me glowed with his praise. Shockingly I wanted to please him—somehow realizing that if he was pleased, I was too. Weird, right? But, for the life of me, I didn’t feel strange about that at all. On the contrary, it excited me and brought me a sense of well-being. Let’s face it; the man telling me what to do and how to do it was HOT! There were no other words to describe him. A little while ago, he was kind and thoughtful. Now, he was commanding and controlled. Heaven help me, but I craved his possession like my lungs demanded air to breathe. My lips parted as my breathing increased. He hadn’t missed a thing. “Look at me.”
My eyes met his and I stumbled backwards from the intensity. “Did I frighten you?” His voice softened—this was E speaking, not the Master.
I half-smiled at him. “No. I’m not afraid of you.”
His demeanor shifted, yet again, as he cautioned, “You should be.”
The man was the devil himself, tempting me with his sexuality. Enticing. Though I hadn’t missed he was also taunting. He wanted to see just how far he could push me. Boy was he in for a rude awakening, because what was happening to me was an awakening of my sexual desires. He had been correct; I did seem to submit to him. Completely. I had to wonder just how far I would go tonight. I didn’t plan on losing my virginity, but, eventually, I knew I would give it to him. There was no doubt about that. In one fluid movement, he tore his shirt off and yanked me against him. Then he spun us around, so I was trapped with my hands behind my back and a wall to hold me in place. I couldn’t ignore the beautiful art work on his body, starting at his bicep and wrapping up and over his shoulder. A tattoo of flames?—no, they looked more tribal—licked his skin like I wanted to do. He was pure perfection combined with delicious bad boy. An odd tightness filled my womb. “Please,” I panted.
“Tell me what you want, Lacey.”
“You,” I groaned.
“How do you want me?”
“I…I don’t…”
“Shh, sweetness,” he declared, “I’ve got this.”
His hands were all over my body as he kissed me feverishly. If I didn’t know any better, I would say he wanted me as desperately as I wanted him. I let my hands wander over his huge back, massive shoulders, down his corded arms, then back up to his defined pecs. His mouth began to learn my body as his tongue licked its way down my throat, over my collar bones to the tops of my breasts. My nipples hardened, begging for his attention. He didn’t let me down. The robe went first and t
hen the spaghetti straps to the gown. I stood before him in nothing but a pair of drenched panties. He stepped back to peruse my body with his eyes. “So damn gorgeous,” he said admiringly.
I knew I wasn’t hard on the eyes, but Even made me feel like the most beautiful woman on the planet. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for this man. Never had I felt so cherished or desired. That alone was a heady combination. He pulled me from my thoughts. “Do you trust me, Lacey?”
“Absolutely.”
He pulled the sash from my robe and instructed, “Turn around.”
I complied as he continued, “Put your hands behind your back again. That’s right.” He knotted the belt like a pro. Well, okay, I knew that was what he was. Still… Once he finished his handy work, he added, “Spread your legs for me. Yes, perfect. Now bend forward slightly.” He tugged on my hips to position me the way he wanted. “I won’t take you tonight, sweetness. I just want a taste.”
Huh? What did he mean? “Oh!” I gasped as his warm mouth explored my core. My soaked panties were still covering me, causing a delicious sensation.
“Just like I thought, pure sugar,” he moaned against my private parts. The vibrations did funny things to me.
He asked, “Have you ever had an orgasm?” against the side of my inner thigh.
I bit my lip and felt the heat from embarrassment at the intimate question. He nipped me before he chastised, “No shame. Answer my question.”
“No.”
“So, you’ve never pleasured yourself?” I heard the astonishment in his voice.
“Heavens no,” I replied sternly.
“There’s nothing wrong with it if you had.”
His tongue was tracing the edge of my—oh, my brain failed to recall the name of the pleasure spot his devious mouth was tantalizing. Next thing I knew, he zeroed in on my hot button that pulsed as I tried to close my legs. He held them wide and latched on, sucking. I saw bright lights while I screamed out his name. He continued until my legs where shaky and I had to lean into the wall for support. “Not bad for your first time,” he claimed as he sat down behind me and pulled me down onto his lap, untying my restraints.