by Mayburn, Ann
He chuckled and slid off the table. “Did I do okay?”
“Mmmm hmmm.”
“Thank you for giving me the chance to please you, Emma. You have no idea how much your trust means to me.”
Her smile faded and she sat up with a sigh. “Don’t remind me about trust issues right now, okay? I just want to enjoy you, not think.”
“As you wish.”
He helped her off the table and they stood with their bodies pressed together. Already his cock was beginning to get hard again and she bit her lower lip. “So, what’s next?”
The intent look in his dark eyes was too much for her so she looked away, unused to being the first one to break eye contact. “Dinner. I thought we could eat outside on the upper deck and watch the sun set.”
Chapter Seven
Emma looked down at the exquisite pale peach couture dress as it fluttered in the soft breeze and sighed. It was the perfect dress for a romantic date, something that this dinner with Ryan couldn’t be. They were just two friends who happened to enjoy fooling around.
No biggie.
That lie was too enormous for even her to swallow.
She was in so much trouble.
She should be pleading a headache or saying she was seasick in order to get out of this dinner. When she’d tried to summon the courage to plead with Ryan to take her back she really had felt sick. Now, here she was, disgusted by her own lack of self-control and eagerly waiting like a love-sick teenager for Ryan to appear. She had to be some kind of emotional masochist because she knew there was no chance of a real relationship with Ryan, yet here she stood, letting herself fall for him harder than she’d ever fallen for any guy.
Warm hands wrapped around her waist from behind as Ryan kissed her neck then ran his lips over the pulse banging in her throat. She ached to have him between her legs, to have his cock shoving up into her, but the orgasms he’d given her earlier allowed her to regain some control, which he seemed intent on seducing away. She’d already allowed Ryan more liberties than she’d ever let a submissive have, but it seemed right. Dominance and submission was a fluid thing for her, but always in the background of her soul. Sometimes she was deep into the moment and needed his complete submission. At other times, it was nice to let the leash slip a bit and allow him to give in to his baser urges - especially when his touch made her body hum.
“Emma,” he whispered against her skin, “do you mind if we have dinner like a vanilla guy and a girl enjoying the sunset together?”
She laughed and stepped away just a bit, enough to look at him over her shoulder. The move had been intended to calm her libido down, but it had the complete opposite effect. When she caught sight of him standing there in a pair of black pants that looked very soft to the touch and a crisp white button down shirt, her breath caught. Turning to face him fully, she took another step back and let her appreciation of him fill her gaze. She wanted him to know she found him attractive, that his efforts to please her made her happy.
Men were very simple creatures who wanted to be acknowledged as being good providers. It was probably some kind of instinct left over from the caveman days.
In truth, he’d outdone himself. A lovely table was set up off to the side with a flower arrangement consisting of daffodils, fragrant white roses, and irises. The wind was gentle enough tonight that it only occasionally ruffled the petals of the flowers, making them shimmer as the sun set. Two silver covered dishes gleamed softly in the lights from the electric candles artfully placed around them. It was everything romantic, everything she’d ever wanted in a date. And that’s what this part of their night was, their date.
The thought made her nervous and she looked away from Ryan’s body before her gaze reached his face. “This is beautiful and I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
His lips quirked in a smile but he nodded then gestured to the table. “Shall we?”
A tingle raced through her elbow when he touched her there to gently guide her to her chair in a very old-world show of manners. When he took a seat on the other side of the table she detected a hint of nerves on his face before he caught her watching. His expression smoothed out and his earlier small smile returned. Part of her wanted to poke at him to see what was bothering him; she really didn’t like her submissive having secrets from her. If she didn’t know what was wrong she couldn’t fix it. And if she couldn’t fix it, she would find someone who could. So seeing unhappiness on Ryan’s face irritated her, but they hadn’t reached the point yet where she had the right to dominate him outside of the bedroom or the dungeon.
“What’s for dinner?” she said with an easy smile.
Shifting in his chair, he looked down at his plate instead of in her eyes. “Well, okay, I know this is dumb and you’ll probably think I’m some kind of psycho, which I swear I’m not, but I had my chef make Chicken Florentine for us.”
“That’s one of my favorites. How did you know?” She narrowed her eyes. “You found it out during your cyberstalking, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t cyberstalk you.” He looked away then back at the flower arrangement. “I found out another way.”
“How? Did you look in my kitchen window?”
“No. Good god, why do you make me sound like a psychopath?”
“If the cyberstalking shoe fits…”
Groaning, he looked out over the water rather than at her. “It was in your yearbook photo. You know that list of stupid questions they ask you about your favorite stuff? Your favorite food was Chicken Florentine.”
“You remembered that?”
“Um…not really.”
“I’m confused.”
With a sigh he rubbed his face. “I dug my yearbook out of storage last week.”
“Really?” She tried to hide her smile, but she really liked the idea that he’d wanted to see her that way, to remember her.
“Yeah.” Suddenly, he chuckled and met her gaze. “There was some shit in there that I’d totally forgotten about.”
“I’d like to look at it when we get back, if that’s okay. I’m pretty sure there was a picture of you in there looking super dorky as you played air guitar.”
“Fuck. I was hoping you forgot that picture.”
“How could I ever forget your orgasm face? You looked like you were about to come in your pants.”
“Hey, that was my intense look.”
“Is that what they call it now?”
His laughter echoed over the water and she couldn’t help but laugh with him. The joy of his laughter was contagious and by the time they’d both calmed down, she was still suffering little aftershocks of giggles. God, it had been so long since she’d enjoyed a man’s company this much.
The tension eased between them and she was suddenly ravenous. Ryan leaned over and removed the lid from her plate, sending up a gentle thread of steam and a delicious aroma that made her stomach growl. Evidently, Terry wasn’t only a goddess at massage, she was also a master chef.
After the first bite, Emma moaned in appreciation. “This is awesome.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
During the meal they talked a little bit about what they’d done since high school and mutual friends. Ryan had returned to the area last year after living out in California for several years. He’d been lured back by a partnership offer with a buddy of his in a computer security firm. His dad only lived four hours away from him now, a drivable distance to the western side of Michigan near her parents, and he had extended family on his mother’s side in the area.
She sipped at her wine and watched him eat, loving the way his lips wrapped around the fork. “So you’ve only lived in that house for a little over a year? It’s so beautiful.”
“You can thank my interior decorator for that. I had a total bachelor pad in LA and I was tired of it by the time I was ready to move. I sold everything except my personal stuff and pretty much started from scratch out here. I want something…different in my life now than what I had
. I know it sounds dumb, but I was leading a pretty useless existence out in LA. Hooking up with gold diggers, getting caught up in petty drama bullshit, and just barely escaping getting pulled into drugs.”
“Sounds like you made a good choice moving out here.”
He grinned. “Best choice I ever made, Mistress.”
She Emma took a sip of the excellent Chardonnay and turned to watch the last of the sunset. She didn’t usually eat this much on a date due to nerves, but being with Ryan was easy. They’d always had this kind of underlying camaraderie. Talking to him was like talking to an old friend.
An old friend she desperately wanted to fuck.
He stood and came over to her side, then held out his hand. “Would you like to go watch the last of the sunset?”
“Sure.”
They took the stairs to the very top sundeck of the yacht and she sighed in delight. A white overstuffed futon was perfectly positioned so they could watch the last sliver of burning pink slide over the water and onto the other side of the planet. She didn’t object when Ryan pulled her down next to him, and when he held her in his arms she had to suppress a shiver of desire. Being here with him like this made Ryan seem more real somehow. Emma realized that she almost viewed the men that she pro-Dommed as possessions rather than people. The men she dated had been little more than glorified booty calls. Her refusal to get involved with any man who had a chance at her heart had kept her safe so far, but she couldn’t feel any distance between herself and Ryan, psychically or emotionally. Right now, her soul was wrapped around him like a blanket and vice versa.
It was scary.
It was wrong.
It was the most wonderful thing she’d ever felt.
He looked down at her and the fading light on his strong features made anticipation flutter through her stomach. She wanted to kiss him more than she’d ever wanted to kiss anyone. The curve of his lips, the little indentation of a dimple near the left corner, and the memory of how full and soft they were had her lifting her hand to his face.
She studied him then slowly leaned in and brushed her lips over his. Immediate tingles raced up her spine and she let out a little hum of appreciation. A low rumble of desire vibrated from his chest when she straddled him, looking down as he gripped her hips. His gaze was dark and wild, and she could feel his need radiating from his body in heated waves. Then he tilted his pelvis just the slightest bit, situating his hard cock between her legs.
“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he said in a low voice as he ran his hands from her hips up to her bare arms.
Flushing, she looked away from his gaze to play with a button on his shirt. If she stayed up here with him much longer they’d end up having sex and she’d have to end things between them. She didn’t want that, at all, so she had to compromise between what her heart and her head wanted. Maybe she could have it all if she just took things slow with Ryan.
“Thank you.” Taking a deep breath, she slid off his lap and sighed. “It’s getting late.”
He pulled her next to him, cuddling her to his chest. “You could stay here.”
“No, I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t have a relationship right now.”
“Why?”
Stiffening, she tried to pull away but he held her closer. “I have my reasons, which are none of your business.”
His grip tightened further and he didn’t let her wiggle away. “It is my business.”
Giving him a small shove, she moved away when he released her and quickly stood. “Take me home.”
Ryan wanted to punch something as anger tightened his muscles. He was so close to winning another night from her, so close, and she chose now to try to freeze him out. Just when he was sure that he’d started on the journey to win her heart. No, this was bullshit. He wasn’t letting her run away. “Emma, you have to know that I want you as more than as my Mistress. If you don’t want to have a relationship with me that’s fine, but at least tell me why. Please.”
She paled and her eyes filled with tears that she probably wasn’t even aware of. “I can’t work and still have a boyfriend, okay? If I love a man, the thought of being a professional Domme for anyone else seems so dirty and wrong. My clients deserve a Mistress who will see to their needs, not become disgusted by the thought of having to touch them.”
“So you’re never going to allow a man into your life?”
“Not until I either get a job that pays as much, or manage to save up enough to go back to graduate school.” She gave him a small sneer and gestured to his yacht. “Unlike you, I have to work for a living.”
That angered Ryan even further and he stood until they were almost nose to nose, or at least they would have been if she wasn’t so much smaller. He immediately reined his aggression back and tried to calm down. She was goading him, trying to drive him away, he was sure of it. Even now she leaned closer to remove the distance between them until they were touching from chest to thigh. Yes, she was pissed, but he could also see fear and longing in her expression.
He was blowing this by pushing her too fast and what she said made sense. The thought of her Emma touching another man, of pleasuring someone else even if it was just non sexual play made want to beat every man who even dared to approach her. He had no choice but to accept it or lose her. He already viewed her as his woman, and there was nothing he wouldn’t do to convince her he was the only man she’d ever need in her life. The urge to care for her, to protect her, to make sure she was always happy filled him until he thought he might go crazy and kidnap her until she agreed that they were meant to be.
That sounded a little bit too much like a psycho, even to himself, so he took a deep breath and focused on the moment. Emma looked to be about two minutes from leaving him for good, so if he was going to convince her to give him another chance, just one more night, he had to do it now. Even if it meant swallowing his pride and pretending he wasn’t falling head over heels in love with her.
Fuck, his life was complicated.
“I understand. Why don’t we just slow things down a bit?”
Hurt shone in her gaze even as she nodded. “Good idea.”
“What are you doing tomorrow night?”
She flushed, but held his gaze. “I’ve got plans.”
It took a great deal of effort to remain casual, but he managed even though jealousy spiked his blood at the thought that her plans might include doing a session with one of her clients at Kiss of Blue.
“May I see you again?”
The delicate tips of her fingers traced against the edge of his tattoo where it peeked through the open button of his shirt. He enjoyed her touch and liked it even more because he knew she did it without thinking. It was as if her body knew what it wanted while her mind was still conflicted so his seduction would have to be there.
“You may.”
“When?”
“I’ll call you.”
Unease gripped him as he wondered if she was just saying that to get him off her back. “Do you promise?”
Her lips softened and she cupped her cheek with her small, sinfully soft hand. “I promise.”
Coming Soon, Second Touch, Book #2 of Emma’s Arabian Nights.
About the Author
With over thirty published books, Ann is Queen of the Castle to her wonderful husband and three sons in the mountains of West Virginia. In her past lives she's been an Import Broker, a Communications Specialist, a US Navy Civilian Contractor, a Bartender/Waitress, and an actor at the Michigan Renaissance Festival. She also spent a summer touring with the Grateful Dead-though she will deny to her children that it ever happened.
From a young age she's been fascinated by myths and fairytales, and the romance that often was the center of the story. As Ann grew older and her hormones kicked in, she discovered trashy romance novels. Great at first, but she soon grew tired of the endless stories with a big wonderful emotional buildup to really short and c
rappy sex. Never a big fan of purple prose, throbbing spears of fleshy pleasure and wet honey pots make her giggle, she sought out books that gave the sex scenes in the story just as much detail and plot as everything else-without using cringe worthy euphemisms. This led her to the wonderful world of Erotic Romance, and she's never looked back.
Now Ann spends her days trying to tune out cartoons playing in the background to get into her 'sexy space' and has accepted that her Muse has a severe case of ADD.
Ann loves to hear from her readers and you can find out more about Ann at:
http://www.annmayburn.com
https://www.facebook.com/ann.mayburn.5
https://twitter.com/AnnMayburn
Pintrest Inspiration Board for ‘First Kiss’-
http://www.pinterest.com/annmayburn/first-kiss-emmas-arabian-nights-1/
Other BDSM Romance by Ann Mayburn
Club Wicked Series
My Wicked Valentine
My Wicked Nanny
My Wicked Devil
My Wicked Trainers
My Wicked Gypsy (Coming Soon)
Virtual Seduction Series
Sodom and Detroit
Sodom and the Phoenix
Blushing Violet
Bound for Pleasure (FemDom)
Ivan’s Captive Submissive
Sensation Play
Still (FemDom)