by Ann Raina
Again Julian was unable to give in to the small joke and Kyra reached for the muzzle. "You're not…" He did not finish the sentence. The door bell rang again when Kyra closed the buckle on the back of Julian's head and hurried for the door.
"Officer Pisetti," she greeted him and the smile did not reach her eyes. She had a convict in her living room close to going ballistic. What a wonderful moment to have the police around. "Everything's fine."
She could not blame Pisetti for frowning at that lame statement. "I believe that, ma'am, but you know I have to make sure you both are all right." Pisetti entered with a smile that was an apology in itself and his good-to-meet-you demeanor. He took off his hat in the hall and looked left. Kyra was certain that he expected Julian to be chained in the kitchen because the sight of him kneeling handcuffed and muzzled in the living room stopped him. Even his smile ceased. "Has anything happened?" he asked slowly, cautiously and checked the room for signs of out-of-normal activities.
Like a fight maybe? Or things thrown through the room? Kyra did not give a penny for his thoughts, she just tried to save the situation. "We had an argument," she said. "He lost."
Pisetti could not have looked more puzzled if she had stated that aliens had landed on the roof. Maybe that would have been better. So far out of reality that he could have taken it as a joke. Kyra's serious expression hindered Pisetti to laugh it off. "Will you explain that to me, Ms Jennings?"
"I don't think that it is your concern what kind of conversations I lead with Mr. Bithrell."
Pisetti nodded slowly and glanced back at Julian. His eyes gave him away. Julian was fit to be tied and it showed. He knelt and he was handcuffed, but Pisetti was policeman long enough to read the signs. He scrutinized Julian for injuries, but found none. "Ma'am, are you sure you can handle the situation?"
"Yes, I am sure. Is there anything else you want to know?"
"No." He turned to leave. "You have the box in reach in case of emergency?" he asked on the doorstep and quiet enough for only Kyra to hear.
"Yes, officer, I have." She closed the door behind him and took a deep breath before she took off the muzzle.
"What was that about?" he spat. "More humiliation in one day? I've got enough already! Are you out of your mind?"
Kyra grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled back his head that he flinched. "Did you want to pick a fight with him? Get into a shouting contest because you're pissed enough to forget your position? Your self-control is not at its best right now and he's a cop who checks on you every week. So I handled the situation and you're not in danger of losing it!" She pushed his head back. Julian panted, swallowed and was about to argue again when she turned with the muzzle in her hand. "Ruling means that I make the decisions, Julian. You follow. Are we clear about this?" He did not answer, but hung his head. Suddenly she appeared in his field of vision. He jerked back, but she cupped his cheeks and made him look at her. "You can shout at me and ram in your anger. That's fine. But you won't fight with others if I can help it. You got that?" For the first time since he had crossed the threshold calmness returned to his eyes. He swallowed and nodded slightly, still with her hands at his face. "Good. On your back." She let go and he followed her order.
She opened the button of his jeans and slowly the zipper, making it a prelude to seduction. The change of intentions came so abruptly Julian gasped, and his eyes were wide open. Kyra kept her gaze on his surprised expression when she leisurely pulled down the pants and discarded them. The socks were next and his breathing became ragged when she took his big toe in her mouth. Thoughts were blown like mist from his mind and anger? What was anger when lust ruled? Kyra felt a twisted kind of pride to have turned and quenched his anger so quickly. She sucked and bit until Julian squirmed on the carpet. With a devilish smile Kyra made a short excursion to the kitchen. The cardigan he wore had a zipper, but the shirt fell prey to her jackknife. Julian lifted his head, eyes wide enough to show the white. She pushed shirt and cardigan to the sides and over his shoulders to revel in the warmth of his chest.
"Free me," he begged. "Please."
"Not so fast," Kyra said, muffled, since her mouth hovered over his skin.
"But it's so tight! So tight!"
Kyra came back to her senses long enough to take off his underwear and fumble with the lock of the chastity device. Julian bowed his back, not only because his hands were trapped behind him, but also for release. She rewarded him with a sensuous ride of her tongue along his shaft, driving him to the first scream even before she had started going down on him. For a flitting moment Kyra thought that his anger had channeled quite nicely and was a much better trigger for sex than anything she could think of, but then the moment was over, and she realized that she had taken off pullover and shirt. Her bra was next, and she drove them both to a new level of sensation when her warm naked skin touched his.
"Oh, God…" Julian swallowed.
Kyra saw his big pulse at the neck beat and the sweat that covered his chest. She bit her way down to his naval, leaving small teeth marks on his tight skin. He had spread his legs wide for her to kneel between and hoped she would go down on him right here. It took him a moment in the pause of her teasing to find out that she had stood up to fetch the cane from the wall. "No… You're not going to hit me now! No, no!"
"You either turn and it will be your butt or you lie there and take it on your belly." Julian growled something unintelligible, and she raised the cane. "No argument, no anger. Remember that, Julian."
He made the effort to turn, but it cost him. To be under her heels like that was not what had been on her mind when she had undressed him. But he preferred his back hurt instead of his front. One miss and all of his lust would turn to real pain.
"Head down on the carpet!" He knelt in the most vulnerable position, head down and ass up and, by his heavy breathing, she knew he did not like it at all. So he kept the pained moaning to himself. The only sound was the swishing of the cane and the short impact. He clenched his teeth, grunted, but did neither whimper nor cry out when the last hit home right below his buttocks. It had been the shortest beating ever, no more than five strikes, and he knelt and waited, and only when he heard the cane drop did he dare to turn his head a fraction. Kyra was already behind him, both hands on his sides and then, while his mind fought to understand what was going on, she licked the spot above his cleft, showering him with lust. Overruling pain and the sense of humiliation in one lavish movement.
"Oh, my God…"
"Nothing can help you now," she whispered, satisfied to have gotten him where she wanted. He was like butter now. Melting and melting quicker from one moment to the next. Eager and ready to follow her command. She could lead him around at his nose now if she pleased and he would not dare arguing. She took a moment to shed her dress pants. Julian craned his neck to watch her, but did not change position until she ordered him to lie on the mattress in the kitchen. He sat down carefully, but the welts did not hurt as much as those by the whip. While his head was lifted from the mattress his eyes were glued to Kyra's body and the undies that followed the rest of her clothes. He was helpless, expecting, hoping and so heavily aroused he could hardly swallow let alone breathe. She crouched between his legs and ran her hands up his shins. Over his kneecaps. Over his thighs. Watching his reaction was worth every moment. He licked his lips, panting loudly. Every move, every look aroused her more. Who needed foreplay when you could watch such a hunk melt under your fingertips? Kyra granted him a smile and found it returned. He loved the game. She moved upwards with her hands, turned every touch into a small sensation. Shivers ran across his abs.
He moaned and urged her with looks to go on. To not stop at his chest, but play the game so that her body stretched along the line of his stomach. The pressing of her breasts against his chest felt like electricity. Julian's mouth opened wide, but his breathing was fast and shallow. "You know how to turn me on," he rasped, and she nodded, still that smile on her face. She lowered her head to kiss the
side of his throat, right above the collar. He laid back his head, making a sound deep in his throat as if he were freed at last. Julian gave himself completely to her and it was a sensation that made her so wet she needed the contact more than him. Slowly, aware of his size and strength, she positioned to ease him inside her. At the same time she pushed herself off his chest to get a better angle.
Julian's head jerked up again. "Wow… Be careful with me," she whispered. "I mean it."
"I know." Surprise, gratefulness and arousal mixed in those two words. He put his feet on the ground and slowly, carefully he pushed upward. Kyra put her hands on his chest and he did not mind her weight. He smiled, seeing her reddened cheeks and the deep satisfaction she drew from the most intimate contact. She changed her position just the fraction of an inch, knowing what she wanted and how to get it. He found the rhythm they both needed. The smile on his face turned silly when she kissed his chest, moaning and urging him to give her more.
He gave her more.
CHAPTER 21
Julian turned on his side for her to reach the handcuffs. Her hands shook, but she managed in third attempt to open and drop them. Julian took his hands up front and rolled on his back again. "My fingers are so numb, I don't know if I'll ever get back some feeling in them."
Kyra laughed and pulled his index finger in her mouth. "Better?" she said around it.
"Much…much better." Julian gazed at her, still distant from an orgasm that had ridden both to an unbelievable high. Being on drugs could not be better. Well, sex was better. There was no cold turkey. But addiction. Yes, there was addiction to be expected when you had sex like that. "I don't know if I should say thank you or something, so…"
She let go of his finger, but kissed his nipple instead. "No thank you, no nothing." Kyra looked at her object of lust and his expression made her giggle. Hormones. Just hormones. If those bastards would just jump and run after the orgasm she would have been more dignified. "You were a perfect…" She kissed the other nipple. "Gentleman."
"I like that." He took her by the shoulders and, knowing that she would not want a kiss on her lips, adjusted her to lay small kisses on her breasts. "Tastes good."
"Don't say you're giddy. That's a female thing."
"Nope." He grinned at her from a position lower than her face. His eyes sparkled with amusement. "Master."
"You're so kidding me." She tousled his hair, put a kiss on his forehead and laughed. Satisfaction gave her that fuzzy feeling--the need to cuddle and prolong the touch and the intimacy they had shared moments ago. "I guess I'm beginning to like you."
Julian smiled impishly. "See, you turned my anger into something much bigger and better. Even you liked it."
"I shredded your T-shirt."
"You bought it. You can shred it."
The door bell rang and Kyra flinched. "Do I have to go?"
"If you do, not like this." He gazed down her body. "Though I'd hate you to dress now."
The door bell rang again. She got up, slipped into shirt and pants and went for the door, ready to yell at the stranger, who dared interrupting her evening.
Mr. van Meers stood on her porch. His light gray eyes amid a strangely uneven mass of white hair and unkempt beard were wide open and worried. He bent forward to ask, "Are you all right, Ms Jennings?"
"Yes, I am. Is something wrong?" She took a look left and right on her porch. The small dog started yapping and jumped on his short legs.
"No, no, at least I hope not. But, you know, I heard a scream when Ginger and I went by your house. I just wondered… Are you sure everything is all right?"
"Yes, thank you, sir, everything's fine. My boyfriend was on the ladder and fell the last two steps."
"Oh! Is he okay?"
"Yes, he is. Thanks for your concern."
"Well…then…a nice day to you."
"And to you, sir." Kyra closed the door and turned to Julian, standing in the living room, an indignant impression on his face.
He straightened out to his full height and pumped air into his chest. A nice gesture considering that he was still in the buff. "Do I look as if I need a ladder to reach the ceiling?"
Kyra laughed so hard she doubled over. There was no stopping. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she had such a fit she had to clasp her belly. Julian laughed with her and, from one moment to the other, he was beside her, touching her shoulders, stooping to her as if to collect her in his arms. He refrained from more closeness. She composed herself to a chortling full of silly images. Yes, he could change a bulb without a ladder. Yes, he could paint the ceiling just standing upright. It was impossible to withstand his laughing eyes. Kyra caught her breath while he shook his head in pretended astonishment. Julian had stepped up from being handsome to being really, really attractive and, mind the day, lovable. Wow, that was a change.
* * * *
Christmas got closer, the days at work more stressful than before and Kyra looked forward to the time between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day when the shop would be closed for vacation and she would finally relax. If relaxation was possible with Christmas Day still in the loop of being celebrated.
"You shouldn't make too much fuss about Christmas," Oliver advised her when she sat in his living room. "It's always overrated. Look at me. I've got Pierre and his people, but mine? They're out there somewhere, but since my brother moved to Alaska I haven't seen him. And my old couple's down in Florida for vacation. They like the warm weather and I could threaten them with fire, they wouldn't fly up here. Mom's always afraid she won't get back." He smiled saying it, but underneath Kyra sensed that he liked company. Even an easygoing man like Oliver cherished Christmas.
"Come over to my place. Please," she added with puppy eyes and all she could put into it. "We'll be celebrating over here."
"That's certain?"
"Yes, it's certain," she replied and anger was back. "My mom made it very clear that she wouldn't allow Julian to set foot in her house. Imagine that! Chris that asshole is always welcome and Julian is not!"
"Hey, did I miss a note in your diary? I mean, the last I knew was that Julian was behaving quite nicely and you liked having him around. And now?" He drew the last syllables long, connected with an interrogating stare.
Kyra grinned, self-satisfied, and Oliver made an O with his lips. "I did him for real."
"Free of everything and such?"
"No." It was her turn to prolong the word. "I made sure he couldn't do any harm the first time."
"Harm? You think he'd be out to harm you?"
"You saw his assets, didn't you? See, I've seen him use it. Believe me, he's impressive."
"Stop. I already got enough spit in my mouth to sputter. But go on, please."
"I preferred safety over his overwhelming strength. But…the second time was better. For him. He was…fantastic."
"Mr. Fantastic. Now, that's something. Wow, I'm impressed."
"Oh, yeah, you're impressed and my mom's mad." She sighed.
"You told her of…having intercourse with Julian?"
"Um, at that moment I was too angry for prudent wording."
"Ah…"
"Mom didn't take it too well." She shook her head. "I apologized on the phone later, but at that moment she got me so…angry. Really angry. I couldn't help it."
"There are such moments, Kyra, nobody's proof against emotions when they hit."
Kyra sipped brandy then nodded. "I think, she could live with having someone else--male--in my life instead of Chris. But Julian… The mark of being a convict sticks to him like glue. And mom doesn't like people like him."
"You dad's training. It's his job to catch bad guys and in his and her eyes Julian's right what your father always hunts."
"I know. No talk will change that."
"But are you willing to change it?" Oliver asked, eyes cautious. "You slept with him, and he's just six weeks away from freedom. Do you plan to let him stay as your boyfriend?"
Kyra took a deep breath, looked into
her almost empty glass and let the liquid turn. "I can't tell. We both take this arrangement as it happens. A week ago he asked me to overrule and take him so he could let go of his anger. His proposal led to the most wondrous sex I've ever had. Fantastic. Overwhelming. And still I don't know. See, he was taken home by Ashby and he was so…agitated I was afraid. All of a sudden and for no real reason I was afraid of Julian. That's stupid and I know it."
"I know you won't like to hear it, but isn't that exactly what the psychiatrist at Palmentry said? That he could have mood swings? You brought him to forget his anger with you, but without? Who can tell what he would have done with someone else?"
"Yeah, I know what you mean. And that's something I'm really afraid of."
* * * *
The Sunday paper brought a large article about Mayor Damian Cresgood. Since his statement had been aired that he would not run for mayor's office again all bets were off who would be his successor and what Cresgood would do after retirement.
He looked back on a long, successful career as a politician. He had married early and had always been faithful to his party and family. The Boston Herald stressed his initiative for more kindergarten and better education for minorities as well as the socially disadvantaged. He was praised for his hand at negotiations and the clear line he followed. He had survived the bribery scandal and was cherished as an honest man. That was rare these days.
The paper contained a two page story and several pictures. Kyra took her reading glasses to inspect them more closely and found one dated back to 1998. Cresgood smiled into the cameras while he shook someone's hand. "Hmm," Kyra placed the paper on the coffee table and fetched a magnifying glass. "Julian, could you hand me that picture your mother gave you?"
"What for?" he asked from the hall he cleaned up.
"I've found someone who looks really familiar, but I need the photo again."