by Mayburn, Ann
Justan reached over the table and clasped Ryan’s shoulder, then released it. “Hey, don’t look like someone just kicked your puppy. It isn’t a hopeless situation.”
Frustration filled Ryan. “Why the fuck can’t anything be easy in this world?”
“If it was easy, you wouldn’t value it. Now when are you seeing this chick next?”
“She’s coming over to my house later today.”
Shock widened Justan’s eyes. “Wow, you got her to see you outside of the dungeon already? Does she know who you are?”
“Yeah, I got her to agree to come over, and no, I don’t think she knows who I am.”
“Well then, you need to tell her.” He shook his head. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if she flips out on you. Shit, I’d be pretty fucking pissed if someone lied to me like that.”
“I didn’t lie to her.”
Justan raised an eyebrow in a sarcastic expression even Spock would have envied.
“Okay, maybe I omitted a few thing, but I wanted to prove that I could bring her pleasure. That I could submit to her.”
“And did you?”
The memory of the desire burning in Emma’s beautiful blue eyes and the liquid evidence of her need glistening on her inner thighs beneath her short chain skirt made Ryan’s cock surge behind his fly, causing him to shift to adjust himself. “Oh yeah.”
“You really got off on bottoming for her?”
“Doing what she wants, knowing that she’ll tell me exactly what she needs, what she desires is fucking unbelievably hot. I’ve always gotten off on pleasing women, always been attracted to strong women who know what they want. Being under Emma’s control last night and submitting to her blew my fucking mind. Just because you’re such a control freak in bed doesn’t mean all of us are.”
Justan gave him an unexpectedly sober look. “It’s not about control, it’s about trust, and I just haven’t met any woman I trust enough yet to give up my soul like that.”
“Your soul? Dramatic much?”
“Don’t kid yourself. In a true Dominant/submissive relationship, a good Domme will demand all of you. Your heart, your mind, and your soul. I haven’t met a woman that I’d trust with my car, let alone my soul.”
“Well, I trust Emma.”
“Why? You hardly know her.”
“Because…,” his mind floundered on how to put his feelings into words. “Because I just do.”
Justan shook his head with a bemused grin. “You’re so fucked.”
Ryan flipped him off. “You’re just jealous.”
Instead of giving him a sarcastic comeback, Justan studied Ryan a moment before nodding. “Maybe I am. But you, my pussy-whipped friend, need to worry about how you’re going to get Emma to see you as more than a client. Wine her, dine her, and for fuck’s sake, tell her the truth. She might forgive you for hiding it from her last night if you come clean, but if you stretch it out any more than this you’ll break what little trust she has in you. Did you know you’re the first client she’s ever seen outside of the dungeon?”
“How do you know that?”
Justan grinned his patented crooked grin that made women spread their legs with a sigh. “Because I’m a nosy bastard with no respect for other people’s privacy.”
Leaning forward, Ryan glared at his friend. “Stay the fuck out of her personal life, Justan. No more snooping.”
“You’re one of my best friends, Ryan. I just don’t want to see you getting hurt.”
“No more, got it? Your sisters may let you get away with cyber-stalking their boyfriends, but I’m telling you, Emma is off limits.”
“Testy, testy. Fine, I won’t try to keep you from getting your heart ripped out of your chest and stomped to bits by a pair of stiletto heels.” He gave Ryan a wounded look that was as out of place on his harsh face as a mean junkyard dog trying to give puppy dog eyes.
“Asshole.” He glanced at the time and sighed. “I’ve gotta go. Emma will be at my house in a couple hours.”
“Take her out on that big ass boat of yours, hang out with her, give her a chance to relax. She hasn’t dated anyone seriously since she started pro-Domming so give her some romance without being all clingy. Seduce her, please her, and take it slow. Make her want you as much as you want her.”
“Thank you, Dr. Ruth.” Ryan stood and slipped his laptop back into its carrying case.
“Ungrateful bastard.” Justan gave him a shit-eating grin. “And just remember, if you need a third I’m willing to make that sacrifice. Emma reminds me of Marilyn Monroe, and I won’t lie and say I’m not more than a little curious to watch her put you through your paces.”
“You make me sound like a horse.”
“I’ve seen you naked so that comparison isn’t too far off. Though you’re still a pony compared to my elephant.”
Ryan couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ve gotta go. No more cyberstalking, got it?”
“You’re no fun.” He shook his head as Ryan glared at him. “Okay, no more cyberstalking the beautiful Emma. I’ll just have to satisfy myself with keeping an eye on the lovely Moira and her sweet piece of ass, Tanya.”
The gleam of interest in Justan’s gaze had Ryan grinning. “Careful, that red headed vixen would tear you up one side and down the other.”
“Always did like a challenge,” Justan muttered as his gaze went back to his computer and darkened. “Fuckin’ Chinese hackers.”
Knowing that his friend was once again lost in cyberspace battling the bad guys, Ryan left the coffee shop feeling at once better and worse. He really needed to pull out all the stops with Emma, to let her know that he was everything she could ever need in a man because he was pretty sure she was all he could ever want in a woman. Now he just had to figure out how the fuck to tell her that he was Ryan the dorky kid from high school who’d fallen in love with her after their first kiss.
Chapter Six
At just past 3 p.m., Emma slowly pulled up to the address Ryan had emailed her along with a request for when to arrive and what to bring. Now with her stomach in knots, she drove her car through the open black wrought iron gates that connected to thick stone walls with elaborate, sharp wrought iron tips. They were beautiful, yet scary when imagining what would happen to someone if they tried to scale them.
As she followed the paved drive through a small forest, her mouth dropped open and her car coasted as her foot left the gas pedal at the first sight of his house.
Ryan was either fucking loaded or they were breaking into someone’s mansion.
To her right, a four car garage surrounded by immaculate landscaping and emerald green lawns butted up against the perfectly black asphalt. A shiny, navy blue street chopper was parked in front of the garage and she wondered what it would be like to ride on it behind Ryan. When her gaze swung back to his house, she took in the beautiful sprawling Tudor-style home and let out a little sigh of longing. She would love to have a home like this someday. Despite its size, it managed to be charming rather than intimidating. Large brass lanterns gleamed in the sunlight from the front porch and a few mature trees arched over the drive, providing shade for her to park in. Carefully manicured flower beds filled with soft pastel flowers added a tasteful touch of color to an otherwise rustic landscape, and Emma couldn’t help feeling a little pang of envy when she compared Ryan’s home to her crappy apartment.
She parked her car behind a big, black truck with black rims and tinted windows. It screamed bad ass and she couldn’t help but smile. Back in high school, Ryan drove his mom’s old station wagon and had hated it. Emma vaguely remembered talking about cars with him when she’d turned sixteen and she recalled that he had always wanted a truck. A clear mental image of Ryan smiling at her as they walked to class together flashed through her mind and she sighed. He’d clearly had a crush on her, and if she was being honest with herself, she’d liked him as well but had been too shallow to admit it. God, she was embarrassed by what a complete idiot she’d been.
Ryan had seen her at her worst, right when her parents were on the verge of a divorce they barely managed to avoid. She’d been out of control and her parents were too busy trying to kill each other to notice. If it hadn’t been for her Aunt Nicole stepping in and setting her straight, she’d probably be barefoot and pregnant right now. The thought of any of those assholes she dated in high school being the father of her child made her want to say a prayer of thanks at being spared that horror and puke, all at the same time.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. She’d been awake all night, switching between joy and fear, happiness and sorrow. She’d talked herself out of coming here at least a hundred times, reminding herself that she could not afford a relationship right now, but the temptation to see Ryan again was too great to resist. It was like he’d woven some spell around her that made her crave his presence. Her practical mind tried one last time to tell her that she was about to make a huge mistake, but the thought of turning around and driving out the gate sent her into something close to panic.
She jerked the car door open and mentally crossed that invisible line between a client and a date.
After getting out her bag and locking the doors, she made her way up the stone walk to the front door. Today she’d opted for denim shorts that flattered her round butt and a tight red shirt with a scooped neck that showcased her cleavage. She’d tugged the neckline lower than she normally would, and had to admit that she had a very nice rack. Her pulse ramped up as she got closer to the entrance. When Ryan opened the door, she almost went into cardiac arrest at the sight of him wearing a pair of white bathing trunks with black stripes going up the side and a tight black t-shirt. He looked her up and down, then smiled with such happiness that Emma immediately relaxed. Well, maybe not relaxed, but at least her muscles stopped trying to lock up.
“Emma, you look stunning.”
She tried to pretend that the heat on her cheeks was just the late summer sun, but she was pretty sure he could see her blush. “Thank you.”
He held the door open so she could walk into his spacious, bright and spacious foyer. Pausing at the threshold, she let out a soft sigh. The front door had a direct line of sight to the big picture windows at the back of the house looking out on Lake St. Clair. A double staircase led to the second level and an enormous chandelier sparkled overhead. She abandoned the view when Ryan went to his knees before her.
She almost dropped her bag as he lowered himself to her cute sandals and kissed the sensitive line of her ankle. “I missed you.”
The words spilled from her mouth before she could catch them. “I missed you, too.”
His smile knocked her off her feet, but when he pulled a long strand of pearls from his pocket she felt like she’d entered the Twilight Zone.
Then he did something that flipped the switch on her hormones, flooding her with the need to have him inside of her. It had been far too long since she’d had a good fucking and she knew Ryan would deliver in bed. And in the dungeon. And probably anywhere else. So when he wrapped the strand of pearls around his hands, effectively shackling his wrists together, and looked up at her through his sinfully long lashes, she swore she had a mini-orgasm that dampened the swollen folds of her sex.
“How may I serve you, Mistress?”
Unable to resist, she stroked her fingertips over his face, letting him feel in her touch the pleasure she found in his actions. Being a Domme was a wonderful experience which gave her the tools and permissions she needed to get into a man’s soul. She wasn’t content just being some girl who spanked guys. She wanted to be their goddess, and goddesses didn’t hold back on what they desired.
“Take the pearls off, handsome. I want your hands on me, but put the pearls in your pocket. We might have fun with them later.”
His “Yes Ma’am,” bordered on gleeful, and she had to hide a smile as he unwound the pearls and carefully slid them into his pocket. They were beautiful and of obvious high quality, with a creamy luster reminiscent of candlelight. Emma planned on doing something very naughty with those pearls if Ryan was a good boy.
He stood again and took her bag from her, setting it to the floor at her feet. Instead of speaking, he looked at the ground long enough that she wondered what was going on. Then he took her hands in his and took a deep breath.
“Emma, there’s something you need to know about me before we go any further. You may not want to be here with me after what I have to say, but I don’t want to deceive you.”
Ryan looked so worried when his gaze met hers that the protective instinct that made up the core of who she was flared to life. She wanted to take away his sadness because…well, because he was hers. As crazy as that sounded, she knew he belonged to her in a way no man had before. It was an irrational, stupid, and dangerous thought, but it was true.
Taking a deep breath, she decided to try to be as honest with him as he was being with her. “What do I need to know? That you used to have terrible taste in music? That you played in your high school marching band and had braces in junior high? That you kissed me one night and saved me from myself?”
His jaw dropped the slightest bit and his expression of shock was so obvious it was almost comical. “You knew?”
She nodded. “I figured it out yesterday. I’m going to assume the last name you used on your application was a fake one? And the background check was falsified as well?”
A flush of heat stained his cheeks. “Yes. Well, sort of. It’s my mom’s maiden name and I swear I’d pass any background check. The information I put down about myself was true.”
“But you managed to set up an entirely false identity that fooled Kiss of Blue? I’m impressed.” She had to hide a smile at the obvious relief in his expression. “You certainly have grown up since high school. I’m pissed that you would lie to me, but I have to admit that I would never have taken you on as a client if I knew who you were. Well, actually, I might have if I’d gotten a look at you. But that’s beside the point. My question is, how did you know I worked at Kiss of Blue? I don’t buy random fate as the reason why you just happened to pick that particular dungeon.”
The warmth of Ryan’s hands soothed her as he gently stroked her arms. “I saw you at a holiday party last winter. You were there with some guy so I didn’t want to intrude, but the moment I saw you in that shimmering peach gown with your hair swept up off your neck, I nearly lost it. You have the most perfect breasts and I’m being totally serious when I say the sight of them all pushed up by your dress into creamy mounds…I just about had a heart attack. I almost had another when I saw you kiss some dickhead.”
Her amusement flared at his possessive tone but she tried to keep her voice stern. The sight of him frowning at her was cute in a particularly odd way. It was like being snarled at by a T-Rex. “That must have been Ben. I dated him for a couple weeks but it was nothing serious. However, that still doesn’t explain how you knew where I worked.”
“I’m a computer security expert, Emma. There isn’t much information that I can’t get my hands on. I had to know if you were married, if I could find a place in your life. I didn’t want to intrude on any relationship that you might have built in our years apart, but as soon as I saw you, I knew I had to at least try to reconnect with you. I’m old enough to realize that sometimes in life you have to go after what you want, to think outside the box.”
She tried to jerk her hands from his grasp, but he gripped her wrists tighter. Anger contorted her lips and she had to clench her hands to keep from choking him. “Think outside the box!? What the hell? Stalker much? You should have just called me. That is a big fucking invasion of my privacy.”
“I didn’t look at anything personal, I promise. All I did was check to see if you were married and where you worked.”
“And what did you do when you found out where I worked? Did you decide to meet me there so you could get laid?” A flush covered his high cheekbones and she narrowed her gaze as he hesitated. “I want the truth. You owe me tha
t much.”
“No, that wasn’t it at all. Hell, I wanted to run into you on the street or something cheesy like that, but I was afraid that you’d blow me off. I wanted to meet you where you worked so I could show you the pleasure that I could offer you, so that you’d give me a chance.” He ran his hands over his head, the muscles of his arms bulging nicely with the move. “I trained with a Domme so when I finally got up the courage to schedule a session with you I wouldn’t disappoint you.”
Frowning, she took a step away from him and crossed her arms. “So you’re not really submissive? This is just some act?”
“What? No. Damn, I’m fucking this up. ”
He began to pace and she tried to keep from being distracted by the way his body flexed as he moved. Unlike most men, his legs were just as developed as his upper body and she really, really wanted to touch him. Well, touch him and beat his ass for his deception. The thought of another woman caressing him, making him submit, had jealousy rising through Emma even though she knew she was a hypocrite. What he’d done once, she’d done dozens of times since she’d graduated college and had to turn her passion into her profession. Her gut tightened as she wondered how the hell she could ever have a relationship while working at Kiss of Blue. Before Ryan, she’d managed to keep her home life and work life strictly separate, and she never told the men she dated what she did. Now she didn’t have a choice or a chance for that to happen, and she didn’t like that loss of control.
“Emma, I’ve always loved a strong woman. I don’t know if it was before I kissed you or after, but having a woman show me exactly what she wants, how to please her, gets me off. I love to please. I like being used as many times as she wants until she drains me dry or I pass out. It brings me a satisfaction that…well it just makes me feel complete. But with you, that need to please goes deeper, way deeper.”