He released her legs from their restraints, rubbing the cramping pain in her thighs until it disappeared, and added some length to the chain over her head to pull her to the edge of the table, the plug penetrating her ass even deeper, and her legs were refastened to the sides with her pussy at the perfect height for his erection.
When he finally unzipped his pants and freed his cock, her vagina spasmed slightly in anticipation, and the gift of spidery blue veins decorating his hard length remained tantalizingly out of her reach. He added a condom, and his sheathed cock pushed at her wet opening, curling her arousal through her body, his slacks rubbing against her mons. He entered her without warning, filling her emptiness and brushing the plastic in her ass from the inside. She cried out at the brute force, the blood rushing through her veins and pulsing in her ears.
Moving slowly, he established his rhythm and his control with long, swift movements before withdrawing completely to tease her clit with his cock. She was close, her breath coming in shallow pants and her hips rocking to meet his, but he seemed unwilling to deliver the last piece of her release until he’d satisfied his own needs. He fucked her slowly, his shaft, lubricated by her arousal, sliding through her wet cunt, building her to an indescribable pleasure.
So intent on the full effect of his cock, she barely recognized when he slid his hand between her legs. Rubbing and pinching her clit, he played with her, shooting the carnal pleasure throughout her system and pulling the orgasm from her with a burst of sheer gratification feeding the spasms. She cried out, a half moan and half guttural scream, but he continued to fuck her past the explosion, taking her beyond her max, slapping his balls against her cunt, her rolling orgasm continuing until he released with a thunderous roar that pounded through her ecstasy. The physical sensations were so strong, so powerful, that she stopped breathing for a long few seconds.
She remained dazed as he unfastened her restraints and gently undid the chains that had connected her sex, igniting a sharp pain as the blood rushed back to her sore nipples. He moved her to his bed, and took off the rest of his clothes to reveal her first sight of his naked body, stunningly hard muscles framing his masculinity exactly as she’d dreamt. Lying next to her, their warm skin settling as one, he rubbed her sore shoulders, thighs, and wrists before he manipulated the plug from her ass. The effect left her strangely empty, but he took her into his arms, granting her everything she’d ever wanted in a single human being. Tall, strong, powerful, the chiseled abs, the dark eyes that matched the dark hair so perfectly. Sweat covered both of them, and he pulled her even closer into his embrace, allowing the light breeze to return their body temperature to normal.
She didn’t worry about what would happen next. He’d care for her, plan their day, and eventually, he’d take her home. She’d remember every moment, reliving each detail that led to her climax and each uninhibited emotion that brought her orgasm to its peak, knowing full well that even if she were to consider another dom, any kinky scene would be ranked against this one and would always appraise hopelessly short.
But from the very first day that she’d met him, this was never meant to be a relationship with a future. Cruz was a quintessential career man, and he’d made clear before they’d started that this was a singular event. When he took her back to the city, they’d return to their normal lives with that ever present barrier between them, but for the next few hours, she’d gift herself the dream that she was his forever.
Chapter Ten
Victoria Bradford should be a million miles out of his reach, and yet there she was, standing in the doorway to his kitchen, her long blonde hair still damp from his shower and smelling like his shampoo. Wearing nothing but his faded blue t-shirt that shadowed a hint of her rounded white ass, her physical proximity alone pushed his cock back up against the confines of his pants.
Already dressed in khakis and a red golf shirt, he rummaged through the refrigerator to find something to feed her. “My god, Cruz,” she said with a giggle. “What else do you really own other than blue suits or khakis? I have visions of hundreds of them back in your closet, all lined up with the pleats at perfect, crisp little angles.”
He returned the smile, balancing a carton of eggs, some cheese, and a plastic container of fresh vegetables that weren’t quite as fresh as he’d wished, but he sure as hell hadn’t planned on company for breakfast. “I’d be a little more careful how you talk to me, or I’ll take my t-shirt back and you can entertain me without any clothes. How do you like your eggs?”
“I’m not fussy, really,” she said, taking a seat on one of his hard wooden kitchen chairs. “Anything is fine. Thanks for making them.”
He’d started to break the eggs into a bowl when he caught her twisting in the chair to check out her bottom, presumably for signs of trauma. “All good there, little bit?” he asked with a chuckle. She jumped, sending her guilty gaze to the floor. “It’s fine, honey,” he added gently. “You’re going to make somebody an amazing submissive, I promise.”
When she offered a sad smile, he wanted to kick himself. They could talk all they wanted about short-term commitments, but nothing about this relationship felt temporary. Spending last night snuggled next to her in his king-sized bed had been a dramatic mistake. He should have moved to the couch as soon as they’d finished her aftercare, but her naked frame had warmed his side too perfectly, and the sun was sending sharp rays across his bedroom floor before he’d woken up.
They’d showered together, another poor decision on his part, running the smooth, vanilla-scented soap over her curves while she’d stood with her palms against the shower wall. Dripping water across the gray tile floor, he’d added a condom before taking her against the counter, her tight, hot pussy at a perfect height for his shaft, but they fucked with another sense of urgency as though somebody would barrel through the door and deny them their time.
When they’d cooled, he’d found the resolve to leave her in the bathroom for a little privacy, adding a gentle kiss to her forehead with the hope that the separation would defeat both of their raging hormones, but scantily clad and sitting at his kitchen table, she was just too damned cute to make this easy.
“I have a few friends in mind for you,” he said nonchalantly, beating the eggs with a wire whisk. “They’re all professionals, and a few of them have almost as much of a reason to remain anonymous as you do. The club is run by local people, and you need at least three references to join, but I’ll get you the other two.”
She nodded, tracing her finger across the placemat and effectively avoiding his gaze. “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass. I mean, I really enjoyed being with you last night, but I was so freaking nervous that I don’t think I could play with a stranger.”
“Wait a minute,” he said with a frown. “We talked about this. I can’t be your dom and still do this job correctly. I need my focus on everything around you, and distractions aren’t part of the handbook.”
“I know,” she said quickly, sitting up a little taller in her chair. “I understand completely. This is—was—just a one-night stand, and I appreciate the time you took, really. I just don’t think I’m ready to move forward with all of this kinky stuff. It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.”
One-night stand. Damn, the dismal phrase defined sex for the sake of sex between a pair of semi-strangers, and last night had been about as far removed from that cold definition as a person could get. Open and trusting with a focus he’d seldom seen in a submissive, she’d sparked an immediate response to every touch and every toy he’d introduced, building her to that magical place where she’d finally ceded control to him just before she’d climaxed. There were a thousand more scenes he’d like to play with her—hot wax dribbling across her stomach that would leave tiny red bites on her pale skin, restrained against a spanking bench or the St. Andrews cross in one of the private rooms at his club—but not a single one of his dreams could be qualified as a one-night stand.
“I could...” He started to offer the introdu
ction of a dom at a neutral location to build the trust factor a little more slowly, but turning her over to another man’s control was going to be just about impossible. He swore softly before returning to the frying pan, dropping the eggs on the already sautéed vegetables with a sizzling splatter. “Why don’t you make some coffee while I finish this?” he asked with a grumble. “The grounds are in a plastic bag in the second drawer.”
She nodded, but reaching to get his heavy black coffee cups off the top shelf showed a hint of her ass, making his morning complete. It took him a full minute to realize that he was staring, and the eggs were sticking to the bottom of the frying pan. Damn, he couldn’t even make breakfast with her in the room. When he realized that he was using the same spatula he’d used to spank her, he removed the pan from the heat with an unnecessary clanging of metal and plastic.
Putting the food on a plate in front of her, he added, “I made a few calls before you got out here. Rivers said that first kid they arrested had no record, but he had several text messages from some burner phone telling him that you and Amanda would be there.”
“That’s impossible,” she insisted. “Nobody knew I was going, except Amanda, and she’s just as anxious to avoid any publicity as I am. Her father said he wasn’t bailing her out of any more drama now that she’s out of college.”
“The kid swears he doesn’t know who sent the texts, but he and his buddies went to the bar to see for themselves. He also swears that he had no intention of using any drugs on either of you, but his description matches complaints from at least three different women for the same thing over the last six months.”
She’d only taken a bite or two, but pushed the plate away with a grimace. “That’s more disturbing than anything else you could have said. Honestly, I was being careful. I watched the bartender make my drink, and I never let it out of my hand.”
“Eat, little bit,” he demanded gently. “And I believe you. As soon as it can be arranged, they’ll sweep your place and Amanda’s both for eavesdropping equipment. I’ll send somebody over to interview her later today. Maybe she said something casually and didn’t even realize the ramifications. I left a message for your father, too. I’m guessing that the story is already on the internet, but the kid is terrified enough that he’s promising to stay away from any press interviews.”
She groaned, cradling her chin in her hands with another adorably cute move. “I can only imagine what my father is going to have to say about all of this. Do you think the pictures are as awful as it felt?”
“Probably,” he admitted. “There were a few punches thrown and that always brings drama. I don’t think any of us are going to look good in this, but it’ll be harder for you since they’ll probably only identify me and Rivers by title. What the hell were you thinking, anyway? You’ve been an angel for weeks, and all of a sudden, you end up in a drunken bar in Arlington?”
“But I didn’t call anybody.” She raised her voice defensively. “Honest. Amanda saw the creeps first, but... but it wasn’t her fault. I took them up on the drink offer. And I don’t know. I was... I guess I was upset and Amanda suggested getting out for a little space. We’d done it before, and it didn’t feel like a big deal at the time.”
“You were upset with me, weren’t you? Over the way I handled that photographer yesterday?”
She nodded miserably. “It was a stupid reason. I can see that now, anyway. You were doing your job, and you’re always going to do your job. I think I was just, I don’t know...”
He gave her a few seconds, but she’d stalled, so he added, “Keep going, little bit. You’re doing great. You’ll never go wrong by recognizing your feelings.”
“Fine,” she said with a sigh. “I was jealous. I didn’t like the fact that you treated me the same way that you treated Amanda. I wanted to be different. To you.”
He pushed her breakfast back in front of her, adding dryly, “I said eat. I can’t begin to point out the differences between you and Amanda Grant, but I can’t blame you for all of this. We haven’t exactly been sending each other consistent messages, but you’ve paid your penalty, so let’s put the whole thing behind us. Just don’t have me arrested for paddling your ass, and we should be fine.”
“I know that I’m not the easiest person to have around,” she said, “but I also know that in some weird way, you gave me the choice last night. And it hurt like nothing I’ve ever done, so I don’t want to do it again anytime soon, but it wasn’t as awful as I thought it was going to be. I mean the spanking part. The sex was pretty amazing, though. Bottle that energy, and you’ll make a fortune.”
He chuckled. “I think I’ll stick with the Secret Service gig rather than trying to prostitute myself out as a dom, thank you, but you made my part easy. You did an amazing job.”
She moved to clear the dishes, and he rose to help. “Sit, please,” she insisted. “I know that I’m not much of a cook, but you’re always taking care of me. At least let me clean up.” Pointing to the photos decorating his refrigerator, she added, “That’s got to be your family?” He nodded, and she continued. “You look just like them. Your place is really nice, too, but you should move closer to DC. Secret Service guys get paid pretty well, so I know you could afford something in the district.”
“What I could afford is about half of this square footage,” he said with a shrug, sitting back in his chair and taking another long sip of coffee. “I like my space. Besides, I don’t have as much cash flow as you’d think. My brothers and I got our degrees paid for by the military, but we didn’t want the girls to have that commitment, so the four of us are helping them pay for school. Elise is in her first year of her neuroscience medical residency in Denver, and Caroline is starting her PhD in physics at MIT.”
“Great,” she mumbled sarcastically. “I pictured your sisters as these stay at home teenagers waiting for a husband in some old-fashioned patriarchal society, and you’re telling me that they’re a rocket scientist and a brain surgeon. It’s no wonder you have regrets about last night. Your family has these huge expectations, and my lame little bachelor’s degree was about as weak of a program as a person could manage with dismal grades. I don’t even have a job.”
“Damn it, Victoria,” he snapped. “I never said I had regrets. The limitations between us exist because of my job. That’s it. You’ve got to stop putting yourself down. People will see you in the same light as you see yourself. You are a bright, intelligent, and beautiful woman, so start acting like one before I...”
He let the threat drop before he sent her another one of those confusing messages, but regret was a word with a wide range of implications. He didn’t regret the action of having sex with her, but he most certainly regretted where it put them in their relationship. And her description of his attitude toward women was plain wrong. He wasn’t a misogynist. He loved and respected strong women and had never been in a relationship with a wallflower, making her sassy attitude his perfect choice.
But there was no way they could continue like this. Every time he turned around, he was confronted with the same reality; his feelings were too strong, and she was just too distracting. She needed a different bodyguard. All he had to do now was to explain that reality to her.
She started to empty his dishwasher, carefully pulling out three of his nice barware pieces and setting them on the shelf above the countertop, but the single empty spot after her tirade was obvious. “I’m sorry about the glass, Cruz,” she said miserably. “I’ll replace it. I promise. I got scared and couldn’t help myself.”
“I know. Let it go. You’ve suffered your consequence, and you did well, considering it was your first real disciplinary spanking. I’m proud of you, and if you ever find yourself in that position again, you’ll know what to do.”
“You mean if you ever spank me again.” She laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ve learned my lesson. I’m not going to be that bad, like, ever again.”
To move forward, he had to look away from her bright, shiny smile
, his heart heavy and his tone flat. “It’s not going to be me, Victoria. We need to talk, honey.”
“No,” she said quietly, tensing her whole body. His little submissive was about as insightful as a woman could get, and she knew damned well what he was about to say. She just didn’t want any part of it. “We don’t need to talk. I understand that we aren’t moving in a new direction, but for the first time in years, I’m feeling comfortable, and I don’t want this part to change. So don’t start with me.”
“I’d give my life to protect you. And you mean more to me than you’ll ever imagine, but this relationship can’t support the professional demands of the job. I’ve been thinking a lot about this today, but it’s time we talked to your father and my boss to make alternative arrangements for your protection. And you need to move back into the White House for a few months, too. I know you hate the place, but it’ll make me feel better until we get a few more answers.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she snapped. “I need a bodyguard, and you need a protectee. We don’t have to sleep together. I get that. I told you, it was just one night, and I’m over it. It’s fine. We can go back to the way we were, so stop being an ass.”
“Just because you aren’t getting your own way doesn’t mean you have to get nasty. I’m unhappy, too, but we both know that last night wasn’t a one-night stand. It meant something, so I need to hand over your protection to somebody who can focus on your safety and your safety alone. I’ll go back to the office and work the investigation from behind the scenes, and when it’s over, I’ll try to get back into the presidential detail. But I have to admit that the handwriting has been on the wall for months now. I’m pretty sure my boss is working to get me out of DC. The two of us aren’t exactly friends.”
“And me?” she asked, unable to look at him. “Is there any place in that tight little plan of yours for me? Just Victoria. Not President Bradford’s daughter?”
Under His Protection Page 11
