Command

by Sierra Cartwright

  She reached for him so she didn’t fall.

  “Steady yourself,” he said. “And pull on your gorgeous nipples.”

  “I want you to do me,” she insisted. Her body quivered, but he ignored her totally, continuing to relentlessly drive her toward another orgasm. “I can’t.”

  Again, he said nothing.

  “Grant!”

  She tried to play with her nipples as he wanted, but sensation overloaded her. Despite her best intentions and his instructions, she screamed as she came, her sex pulsing around his fingers. Unable to stand on her own, Aria pitched forward and grabbed hold of his shoulders.

  Even that didn’t stop him. “I want you wet,” he said.

  He put a third finger in her, then thrust them in and out, going deeper, demanding more. He moved his tongue quickly, not letting her absorb one feeling before going onto the next.

  “Damn!” This man… Grant… He left her exhausted, unable to function.

  Finally, he seemed to take pity on her, and he eased back.

  “You’re so responsive to my touch, Aria. Perfection.” He stood then scooped her from the floor as he did so.

  He placed her on the couch then reached down to smooth hair back from her cheeks before saying, “You may be almost ready for me to fuck.”

  Almost ready…?

  Her chest rose and fell, and she couldn’t catch a breath.

  “Stay where you are.”

  As if she could move.

  “I’ll be right back.” He plucked a soft and plush throw from the back of the couch and draped it over her.

  “I…” Her brain scrambled to keep up with him. She knew he was a Dom, but she hadn’t realized that meant he would change her entire expectation about sex. She hadn’t seen his body unclothed yet, and she’d already been rocked by orgasm after orgasm. This wasn’t just about the physical, she realized. It was emotional, mental, too.

  Grant had touched her body as if they were intimate partners rather than recent acquaintances. No one had ever taken this much time to prepare her and make sure she wanted it.

  And damn him, if it was already like this, what else did he have in store? He’d urged her to live dangerously and, for the first time, she was tempted.

  When he returned, he dropped a condom on the ottoman.

  “Finally,” she said, propping herself up on her elbows and reaching for him.

  “Not so fast.”

  “I’m really confused about this whole BDSM thing,” she admitted.

  “I’m listening.”

  “I thought it was about a woman getting spanked and a man getting his cock worshiped.”

  “Where did you get your information?”

  “It’s general knowledge.”

  “It is, is it?”

  “I have friends who are into it. And…” She sighed and turned red from embarrassment. “Fine. I admit it. That piece of information came from a bachelorette party.” The more champagne they’d consumed, the more outrageous the stories had become.

  “What else did you hear?”

  Though she squirmed, he wasn’t leaving the conversation alone. “From what I heard, I wasn’t all that excited to try kinky things. One woman said that guys get into it because they get to boss women around.”

  “Well, women are generally in charge, so that’s fair.”

  Aria scowled at him.

  “As for the cock worship, you’re certainly welcome to get on with it.”

  At his lascivious grin, she grabbed a pillow and tossed it at him. He dodged and it landed right near the sleeping dog.

  “Each relationship is unique, I told you. But yes, you get spanked. As for cock worship, that can be part of it, and I might ask you to suck me off and lick my balls. But you won’t have to earn the privilege.”

  He kept her on the ragged edge.

  “Have you ever had your cunt slapped?”

  Her insides clenched.

  “I’ll take that as a no, but I want you to say, not until now, Sir.”

  Her heart rushed to her toes. If she hadn’t been lying down, she might have needed to sit. This was impossible. Erotic. “I’m not sure I even want that.”

  “Are you willing to try?”

  Was she?

  His question tumbled through her mind. But he never forced the issue.

  “If you are, pull back the blanket, move so you can lie down fully on the chaise.” He pointed to indicate the wing part of the sectional on the far right. “I want your feet flat on the ground. I want your pussy completely exposed. This time, I won’t tie your legs, unless you want me to.”

  “No. Thanks for asking, though.”

  He gave a quick, calculated smile that stopped time for her. “The perfect submissive response is, whatever you please, Sir.”

  “Sir?” She pursed her lips before continuing. “Is that required?”

  “By a lot of Doms, yes. Some prefer Master.”

  “Sir sounds good.”

  “A lot of others are comfortable with first names or nicknames. I like Sir just because it will give you a frame of reference for when we’re working, having a regular fuck or when we’re in a scene.”

  “Makes sense.” As much as any of this did.

  “So in addition to doing what I asked, I want you to ask me to spank your pussy. Or you can use the word cunt.”

  Aria bunched the blanket in her fist. She could say yellow or sit up, or grab her clothes and run like hell. “I’m obviously a novice.” But, evidently, a willing student.

  “You’re doing fine. To be clear, if you want to continue, what will you do? And what will you say?” He stayed where he was, and she saw his erection straining against the front of his jeans.

  Trying to make sense of this was somewhat like trying to pull an individual piece of spaghetti out of a boiling pot. “I will pull back the blanket.” Which meant releasing her death grip. “I’ll scoot to the end of the chaise and lie back, put my feet on the floor and spread my legs.” The thought of that tantalized her.

  He continued to regard her. She could get lost in the depth of his blue eyes, and she yearned to see approval in them.

  Though she was a bit nervous, the emotion was spiced by a smidgeon of what the hell. “And I’d ask you to please spank my pussy.” She hesitated. “Sir.” She realized she wouldn’t get any help from him.

  Hands shaking, she pulled back the blanket. Then she scooched into position. With the way he stared, spreading her legs took on a whole new level of eroticism.

  It took a few seconds for her to repeat his words. The fact she’d said it once didn’t help in the least. “Please, spank my pussy, Sir.”

  “Would you like me to tie your legs?”

  In time, she remembered the correct answer, “Whatever pleases you, Sir.”

  “In that case, no. I want you to stay in position, even if it’s demanding. If you break position, I want you to force yourself back into it. If it’s absolutely more than you can bear, say yellow.”

  The mind fuck was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. It seduced her without him ever touching her.

  She braced herself by grabbing the sides of the chaise.

  “It helps if you relax,” he said. “I know it sounds contrary to instinct, but the pain will hurt worse if you’re tense.”

  She shook out her legs and forced out a breath.

  Grant put two fingers in front of her mouth and said, “Get them wet.”

  Her taste was still on his fingers from earlier.

  He stroked her pussy. Despite her trepidation, it only took seconds for her natural lubrication to start working.

  She forgot to be afraid and, instead, surrendered to the deliciousness.

  “Ask me,” he prompted.

  “Please, spank my cunt, Sir.” She wondered if the word shocked him as much as it had her.

  “So fucking sexy.” His smile made her glad of her bravery.

  Surprising her more, he continued to stroke her, tweak her clit, enter
her with long, slow strokes.

  Now the anticipation was killing her.

  He fingered her faster and faster, the way she wanted him to fuck her, making her toss her head, forget about anything but the here and now.

  Then he gently smacked her.

  She rolled her head to one side, but remained in the position he’d specified.

  He went back to those long strokes that only stoked her need. Then he upped the stakes, moving faster before pulling out and spanking her again with his fingertips.

  “Damn,” she said. Yes, it stung, but the sensation only lasted a moment before it fractured into pleasure that made her wetter.

  She began to anticipate his motions then, so he mixed it up. Fast. Fast. Slow. Quick spank. Fast. “My God. I’m going to come.”

  “Not yet. Hold onto it,” he said. “Wait.”

  Did he have any idea what he was asking for? “But…”

  He continued the torture, giving her a decidedly hard slap. She squirmed, desperate to squeeze her legs together and escape, but he’d commanded her to remain in place, and she wanted to please him. Then, just as fast, the pain morphed and she was left panting.

  “Your reaction was exactly what I was hoping for.”

  Her pussy was wet, slick, hot, burning with pain, and her clit throbbed. “I’ve got to come,” she insisted.

  Grant responded with his body, changing the rhythm, giving her a dozen gentle pats, then wetting his finger and sliding it across her clit.

  “I’m going insane.”

  He increased the tempo. Spanking her harder, quicker.

  “The pain…” She tossed her head from side to side as she tried to escape it and, simultaneously, seek it.

  He plunged two fingers deep inside and squeezed her mound, making her arch, making her scream.

  “Come now, Aria.”

  He increased his grip, and almost lifted her from the couch.

  The orgasm ripped her apart. She was gasping, panting, and thought was obliterated. It wasn’t until later—she wasn’t sure how long—that she realized he was sitting and that she was on his lap.

  He had a hand dug into her hair, his palm supporting the base of her head.

  “Holy hell.” She drew a shuddering, steadying breath. “That was hot.”

  “You can thank me at any time.”

  She wiggled away from him a bit. “Is that part of it, too?”

  “Appreciation?” He shrugged. “Sure.”

  She noticed he was still fully dressed, in command of the situation and her. Before today, she might have protested that, but she’d never had a man spend the evening doing things to her, for her.

  “But I don’t require it,” he added, then gave her a cheeky grin. “As long as you come, I have everything I need. It’s a bonus if I make you scream.”

  She clenched her buttocks. “In that case, my body told you thank you.”

  “Yeah,” he agreed. “It did.”

  Aria snuggled against his chest and rested her cheek on the soft cotton of his T-shirt. His breadth and strength were reassuring. “I had no idea I would like something like that.”

  “Well, we’ll have to give it a go your way next time. I think you wanted me to fuck you ragged.”

  Chapter Five

  Impossible.

  No matter what she tried, Aria couldn’t sleep.

  It wasn’t just the strange bed in a new city. She traveled frequently enough that she was accustomed to going straight to sleep, no matter the circumstances.

  But she’d never experienced circumstances like these.

  She lifted her head and squished and punched the pillow into a different shape, hoping that would help. It didn’t.

  No matter what she did, she couldn’t escape the memory of what she and Grant had shared two hours ago.

  After he’d toyed with her and brought her to dizzying climaxes, he’d told her that was enough for their first night. She’d been shocked that they hadn’t had actual sex. It felt odd to her that he hadn’t received anything out of the experience.

  Instead he’d helped her to put her skirt and sweater back on. Then he’d grabbed her boots and undergarments and walked her to her bedroom.

  At the doorway, he’d pressed a kiss to her forehead, returned the rest of her clothes then wished her a goodnight.

  He hadn’t suggested they sleep in the same bed and truthfully, she wasn’t ready for that, anyway. Having separate rooms would help her keep boundaries around their relationship—or so she told herself.

  Feeling hot, she tossed back the comforter then pulled the sheet around her shoulders.

  A few minutes later, she realized that wasn’t helping, either.

  Giving up the internal struggle, she allowed herself to replay the scene for at least the tenth time. Aria had never felt that exposed during sex before. He’d communicated with her the entire time, and he’d demanded her participation.

  The spanks on her pussy had hurt, but that had only intensified the pleasure. She hadn’t expected to like his introduction to BDSM, and in fact, she’d been convinced she’d only do it so that they could have sex normal, old-fashioned, man-on-top, jackknifing-like-rabbits sex. That she knew what to do with. She could have intercourse without forming an attachment to a man. But this…?

  It was like going to a restaurant and stealing a bite of an unknown food from someone else’s plate only to discover a new favorite. Now that she’d had a taste, she wanted other experiences.

  Wondering if they’d play again and what they’d do was driving her mad. More, she couldn’t escape the constant throbbing in her pussy.

  With a huge, frustrated sigh, she tossed back the sheet and climbed from the bed. After grabbing a robe from the closet, she walked to the window and opened the blackout panel without turning on any lights.

  It took a second for her vision to adjust. From here, she could only see a few winking lights that indicated where other homes were. She noticed that snow still fell, more gently now.

  Being near the window cooled off her overheated body, and she decided to try to sleep one more time.

  Half an hour later, she admitted defeat. Sleep was still a long way off and she needed a distraction.

  Aria turned on the lamp sitting on the nightstand then grabbed her computer. She curled up on the chaise longue and breezed through the lighter-than-normal number of emails. Obviously, David, her second-in-command, was managing without her, no doubt because Julien had encouraged him to do so.

  She opened a book, but when it couldn’t keep her interest, she moved on to a game of solitaire. The slow pace allowed her mind to keep chugging along, putting memories together with fantasies and causing anticipation to curl through her.

  This wasn’t working.

  She slammed the lid closed on her computer.

  This kind of restlessness only happened when she couldn’t settle her mind. Exercise tended to be the only thing that helped. Since Grant had a world-class facility in the house, she decided to avail herself of it. She changed into a pair of yoga pants, tennis shoes and an athletic top then left the bedroom.

  When she opened the bedroom door, the hologram of the dog was lying in front of it, almost as if he were protecting her. She realized Grant must have set it up that way to make her feel more secure. The fact he’d thought of her before he’d gone to bed made her heart melt a bit.

  She couldn’t help but glance down the hallway, half hoping he was still awake, that he’d see her and invite her to join him.

  His door was shut, and she didn’t see a ribbon of light shining beneath it.

  She continued down the hall and realized that Molly was illuminating the way as she went. Motion sensors. Clever. Grant thought of everything.

  Aria entered the workout space.

  Except for the gentle sounds from the pool and hot tub, the place was silent. She wasn’t sure whether that was soothing or annoying. “Molly, can I get something on the television? A classic movie. Or one of those cooking show
s.” Yeah. “Make it something about food.” Maybe she could learn something while sleep evaded her. “Volume low.”

  She programmed the treadmill for half an hour then started at a casual pace. Once her body loosened up and the male television host sat down in front of a hamburger that was bigger than his head, Aria ramped up the speed until she was running.

  To starve oxygen from her overthinking brain, she went through the program a trainer had taught her, running flat out for one minute, then walking for two. When she was particularly stressed, this always helped. She’d used the technique to cope when she was trying to outpace the emotional hurt after she’d run from her upcoming wedding.

  By the time she was done, her chest was heaving, but she was still picturing Grant standing over her, arms folded as he promised to fuck her. “Damn it.”

  After wiping off the sweat with a towel, she told Molly to turn off the television and she walked toward the pool area. She considered a swim, but it was really one of her least favorite forms of exercise. And she hated the initial shock of diving into cool water. As far as she was concerned, the only time to be in a pool was when the weather was gorgeous and she could sit on an underwater stool while a handsome bartender served up a cocktail. Bonus if he stuck an umbrella in it.

  The hot tub, though, was an entirely different matter.

  Aria glanced around before removing her clothes and dropping them in a pile.

  She dipped her toe in the water to test the temperature. Since she could see the steam rising from it, she figured it was perfect.

  As she expected, the tub was fabulous, and it had subtle curves to support her body. She sank in a bit at a time as her body adjusted to the heat. Eventually, her shoulders were covered.

  During the day, the view would no doubt be spectacular. Right now, it just seemed as if the night stretched forever.

  Even though sleep evaded her, she was tired from the trip, the long day, the pseudo-fucking. She allowed her eyes to drift closed while she performed some shoulder rolls to release tension.

  The peace surrounded her, soothing her. More than ever, she understood why Grant had chosen this spot for a retreat and to heal.