by Lia Ellison
“This way, ma’am,” the man said as he opened the front door for me, and I found myself in a large foyer with marble floor.
The cream walls were full of paintings and ornaments, and soft classical music was playing somewhere. Ryker appeared at the top of a wide stairway.
“You’re as beautiful as ever,” he said as he descended.
Well, I could say the same for him. The first two buttons of his dress shirt were open, and his dark blue jeans were so low on his hips that I was having trouble concentrating.
I’d picked a plain black cocktail dress for the occasion, but the way Ryker was looking at me told me that he didn’t care much about what I was wearing. He was seeing only me.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Come,” he said, outstretching his arm toward the door to our right.
We entered a huge living room. The drinks and the contract were already on the low glass table.
“If you want a snack or something else, just say it.” He motioned toward the comfy-looking cream sofas.
I plopped onto one, crossing my legs. Ryker watched my every movement as he sat across from me. As I picked up the contract, I glanced at him.
“Give me a moment so I can read through it,” I said, grabbing the pen that was on the table.
“Yeah, of course. Take your time.” He finally averted his gaze.
I got to my feet. “I think better when I walk.”
Actually, I wanted to use the opportunity to take a look around. Except, the damn room was so pristine and carefully decorated that I didn’t think there was anything overly personal in here. I could see a few framed photographs above the fireplace, but I couldn’t go straight for them.
One of the clauses in the contract caught my eye. “Is sex a requirement or just an option?” My eyes found his across the room as I raised an eyebrow at him.
Since he hadn’t even wanted any sexual contact during our sessions at the club, it wouldn’t be all that weird for me to expect our activities under the contract would mostly be focused on the kinky stuff, with maybe some moderate sexual contact.
“Is that a problem for you?” He held my gaze.
Yes. No. I didn’t know.
Did I really want to have sex with Ryker Cavano? Was it worth it to sell myself like that just to get my revenge? I could handle sexual contact, but full-on sex?
I had no idea.
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to or don’t feel comfortable doing,” he said. “But if we both decide that we’d like something more, I want to leave that option on the table.”
“Okay.” I crossed out that particular line in the contract. “But then it has to be worded differently.”
“As you wish.”
“So if I agree, you’ll notify me in advance when you want to have a session with me and then your driver will come for me. Does that mean we’ll have our sessions in this house or somewhere else?”
“It might be this house or someplace else. It depends.” He shrugged.
I crossed out a few more things in the contract, and when I was sure it was as fair and safe as it could get, I handed it to Ryker.
There wasn’t much stopping him from violating our contract if he wanted to, but I supposed this would be a test to see if he was really as honorable as he pretended to be or if he was just the same old Ryker.
“Let me just take this to one of my men. The new contract will be ready soon.” He got to his feet and headed for the door.
When he was gone, I hurried to the fireplace. The photos were all of Ryker, mostly from his childhood. One of the photos made me grit my teeth.
Prom night.
Ryker was as handsome as ever in his dark blue suit, and the smile on his face was so unnerving I curled my fingers into fists so I wouldn’t smash the photo. I’d missed prom because of him, and he’d gotten to enjoy every second of it.
I had to make him pay.
I just didn’t know how much of my already damaged soul I’d have to sell to achieve it.
Chapter 14
I MADE MY WAY AROUND the room, but except for the bed and a table full of sex toys, there wasn’t anything interesting that I could use to help me with my plan. It didn’t look like Ryker even had a phone with him this time.
Not that it would help me since I was in his house, and this was our first session after we signed the contract. I didn’t think he trusted me just yet to let me into the more private part of the house, but I was hoping I could find a way.
All I had to do was be patient.
“Undress,” I said as I inspected Ryker’s impressive collection of spanking implements, chains, and ropes.
No matter how much I wanted to make sure I remained unaffected by what we were doing here, as soon as I glanced at his naked body, my insides clenched with desire. He shouldn’t have a body this perfect.
“Lie facedown on the bed.” I was glad that I could wear whatever the hell I wanted, so I’d picked very tight leather pants and a black lace corset that would be hard to get out of, even if I somehow got tempted to do more than I could possibly imagine with Ryker.
But as he obeyed, I realized that might not have been such a good idea, because my clothes were suddenly too tight and grazing me in all the wrong parts.
Oh hell.
I grabbed the chains with padded cuffs. The headboard of the bed had been made for tying someone up. As I got hold of his wrist, a shot of electricity surged through my arm, and his intoxicating gaze met mine.
“You’ve done this a lot of times before, haven’t you? With other women?” I asked, just to distract myself since I didn’t think he’d answer.
Knowing that I wasn’t all that special and that he was only looking after his own pleasure would definitely help suppress most of my arousal.
“Actually, no. I haven’t.”
Oh come on. He had to be lying. But why? “Really? So you haven’t used these before?” I shook the chains as I went to tie his other wrist.
“No. I haven’t used any of it. You’re my first.”
My lips parted in surprise. Was it really possible? I supposed it was.
The old Ryker would’ve rather died than admitted he enjoyed something like this, even to himself. Now he was finally brave and strong enough to go after what he really wanted, and he wasn’t going to make any excuses for it or feel bad about it.
“What about you?” he asked. “How many clients did you have before me?”
“I haven’t done any private sessions like this one if that’s what you mean.” As for the club, if I actually were one of the workers, it would be hard to say, so I didn’t think he was asking about that. Unless he’d figured out I owned the Hidden Pleasures.
“Good,” he said, and he seemed weirdly satisfied by that.
Once I had him spread-eagled on the bed, I picked up a beautiful leather belt. Every inch of me was tingling as the belt swished through the air and landed on his ass.
He let out a small gasp at the intensity of the blow, and a smile spread across my lips. The red welt that started to form on his skin was only fueling my need.
It’s Ryker, remember?
Yeah, I kind of had trouble remembering that as I brought the belt down again and again, painting his ass red. The way his muscles strained against the chains made me wish I could tease him in some other ways. And maybe I could.
Our contract definitely allowed it. But then what? He was supposed to fall for me, not I for him. I usually didn’t have sex with men I didn’t care about at all, and Ryker... Well, I hated him. That was for sure.
Doesn’t that count as caring in a way?
Shut up, mind!
If I took what I wanted right now, without caring about anything else, Ryker would enjoy it too much. I could already tell.
But as I lowered the belt, I couldn’t help myself. I reached out and ran my fingers over his heated flesh. He jumped a little at the contact, his breath coming out in small gasps. I pulled my hand back before
I did something even more stupid.
There was an ache deep inside me, and I had no idea how I was going to get rid of it. A hundred of freezing showers weren’t going to help, were they?
I put away the belt and looked for the next thing that I could use on him. The worst part was, I wanted to use all of the implements on him, just to see which one he disliked the most and which one made him really squirm.
The crop caught my eye, so I grabbed it. Oh, who was I kidding? I was enjoying the hell out of this anyway, even if it left me all hot and bothered.
I traced the crop all over his back, ass, and legs, flicking it against his skin just as he started to relax. He shuddered as I tapped the crop against his balls, but I didn’t intend to give him what he wanted now.
A small growl of protest that he let out when he heard me walk away almost made me laugh.
You’re my toy now, Ryker. And you signed up for it.
I picked up the strap, running my fingers over the leather. Ryker tried to turn his head to look at me, but I didn’t give him time. The strap fell on his ass with a loud thud and he let out a hiss.
I hit him a few more times, and his chains were rattling as he struggled to stay in position. His ass had to be on fire, but I wasn’t done yet. I didn’t intend to stop until I made sure he wouldn’t be sitting comfortably for days.
After all, he’d asked for all of it. He could always beg me to stop, and I wondered just how much he could take before doing that.
When I paused so I could look at him, he seemed to be gritting his teeth, and his fingers were gripping the chains as if they were the only thing keeping him alive.
“Do you want me to stop?” I asked, a teasing tone in my voice.
“No.”
“No, what?” I laid the strap hard across his ass.
“No, ma’am,” he choked out, gasping for breath, small tremors running through his body.
I tossed away the strap and got the cane. His already bruised ass was going to be scorching hot and it was going to really, really hurt.
I was looking forward to it so much it was almost hard for me to keep my excitement down.
When the first stroke landed on his raw flesh, he cried out. I expected him to change his mind and use the safe word I’d forced into our contract, but he didn’t, so three more whacks of the cane echoed through the room.
It was fascinating to watch him as his muscles clenched and unclenched, his body trembling. He bit the sheets as the cane connected with his tender flesh again.
Oh hell.
He would take all of it. Anything I did to him.
And if I wanted to, I could just untie him right now, climb on top of him, and take him. I was sure he wouldn’t object.
But I couldn’t do it.
I couldn’t.
He was still Ryker Cavano, and I wasn’t going to have sex with him, no matter how good it sounded.
I dropped the cane. I needed to get out of here before I did something I was going to regret.
Chapter 15
I TOSSED AND TURNED in bed, but no matter what I tried, I couldn’t fall asleep. My mind kept going back to my session with Ryker, and I could still see him there, just like he’d been: tied up, his angry red and bruised ass on display.
I pushed myself up a bit on my pillows and groaned. Should I go for the third cold shower? Except, I already knew that it wasn’t going to help. Nothing was. Or maybe...?
I closed my eyes and let my hand slide down my body. Maybe I couldn’t have sex with Ryker because it would be all kinds of wrong and it would probably make me feel terrible afterward, but that didn’t mean that I couldn’t have him in my fantasies.
There was no harm in that, right? And people fantasized about a lot of things they weren’t really willing to do in real life, didn’t they?
My fingers slipped into my panties, and then I let my mind take me straight to Ryker. It was easy to picture his smiling face and his hungry eyes as I untied him. I shoved him onto his back, which made him wince.
As I climbed on top of him, I let my hands roam all over his strong chest. His gaze was intent on mine as I dipped my head and claimed his lips.
His mouth moved under mine as my tongue searched for his. His hands were running up and down my legs, only increasing the fire inside me.
When we broke apart, I pushed myself up so he could close his mouth around my nipple. I arched my back as he sucked and licked, his tongue teasing my hard buds as his hands kneaded my breasts.
And then I lifted myself up on my knees and smiled down on him before lowering myself to his mouth. His tongue darted out, pushing between my folds, and I held onto the headboard as I gently rocked my hips.
I rubbed myself against his nose as his tongue slipped in and out of me, and when he flicked his tongue over my clit, I thought I was going to burst from all the pleasure.
My insides quivered as I fucked his face until I reached my peak. He placed the softest of kisses on my thigh, but it still wasn’t enough.
I shifted so I could position myself over his thick cock. I wanted to feel him inside me more than anything else, and once I slid myself onto him, I let out a loud moan.
His eyes were trained on me as I started thrusting against him, and he pushed his hips up to meet mine. I found myself reaching for his hands, my fingers intertwining with his as I rode him.
My whole body was brimming with ecstasy, and I threw my head back, enjoying every moment. When my release hit me, I let out a cry, my fingers gripping Ryker’s.
And then I opened my eyes, my climax still throbbing its way through me. I was back in the real world, and even though I was feeling a bit less tense, I still knew it wouldn’t be enough to quench the desire inside me.
I wanted to know what it would be like with Ryker for real. But would he even care about my pleasure? Would it be as wonderful as I imagined it? Or would I only end up feeling dirty and used after it?
I couldn’t lose sight of my plan either. Ryker might grow bored of me if he got everything he wanted. Sure, maybe he liked how I could make him feel and that I wasn’t holding back, but it wouldn’t be hard for him to find himself another dominatrix.
I still had no idea what it was that he wanted from me, and I didn’t know what exactly I had to do to convince him to let me into his world, or at least, into his private part of the house. It seemed like he was keeping me at a distance, but I supposed I wasn’t too open with him either.
He might want the things between us to stay strictly professional, but then why was he looking at me as if there was a chance he wanted more? Or maybe I was just refusing to see that my plan wasn’t going to work.
All I might end up achieving was getting too entangled with Ryker, and he wasn’t going to let me anywhere near anything that might put his business at risk.
I bit down on my lip. No, I could do this.
It didn’t matter what exactly he wanted from me or what I might want from him. As long as he brought me to his house, I had a chance. I’d have to talk to Nia. Maybe she had a small camera or a bug that I could plant and that wouldn’t be detected.
Then I might be able to get an incriminating recording of him or he might give me a clue as to where and when his illegal activities happened. I just had to take a better look at the house and find the right spot.
I doubted anything other than our sessions happened in the room where we’d been, and the guards were everywhere. Not to mention there were cameras. I’d probably have to go there a few times to make sure I could plant a bug or something without getting caught.
My phone vibrated on my nightstand, the sound piercing the silence, and I yelped. When I grabbed my phone, I realized I had a text from Ryker. He wanted to see me tomorrow.
Huh, already? Wasn’t that too soon? His ass had to still be sore from our last session, but maybe he was just that masochistic.
I quickly typed a text back to tell him that I’d be ready. Deep down, I wondered if he’d discovered the truth about m
e, so he was calling for me so he could threaten me or hurt me rather than do something else, but I didn’t want to think about that.
He’d be too furious to wait so long, wouldn’t he? For now, I didn’t have to worry about anything.
Or did I?
Chapter 16
“WHAT’S THIS?” I ASKED when Ryker’s servant brought me to what looked like a dining room. A huge table was in the middle of the room and it was set up for two people.
“I hope you’re hungry.” Ryker offered me a small smile that was so unlike him that I thought something was definitely wrong, but putting poison in my food wasn’t his style. “Please take a seat.”
He pulled a chair out for me, and I sat down, eyeing him with suspicion. He was as handsome as ever in his white dress shirt and dark gray jeans, and his dark hair was just the right amount of messy.
“This is really nice,” I said, glancing at the beautiful red rose in the vase between the plates. “But I don’t understand. Is this part of our session or what?” Maybe he wanted to role-play, but if that was the case, then I needed to know about it.
“No, it’s not.” The corners of his lips quirked up as he opened a bottle of wine and poured some in my glass. “It’s just dinner. I cooked some food and didn’t want it to go to waste. And I hate eating alone anyway. I know our contract doesn’t include something like this, but it doesn’t forbid it either.”
My eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “You cooked?” That had to be a metaphor, or he just assumed that whatever his cook prepared counted as him making the food, but Ryker actually cooking...
No, that was impossible. My mind couldn’t comprehend it.
“Yeah. Why does that surprise you so much? Because I have staff for everything? Well, it’s true they take care of a lot of things for me when I’m busy with work, but when I’m not, I can do whatever the hell I want, and cooking just happens to be one of the things I enjoy from time to time.”
“Um, okay.” I still didn’t believe him. Was he trying to impress me? If yes, then that was good for my plan, but the whole thing had shocked me so much that I was a bit disconcerted.