by Jamie Knight
“You stay here,” I said. “Tell me what to do outside.”
She waved me away. “You don’t know anything about this place. I’ll get everything connected in less time than you would — even in a blizzard.”
While Pearl set about turning on the amenities, I ran the water like she’d asked. As the faucets flushed out the antifreeze, I slid my phone out of my pocket to check my email. Un-fucking believable. Zero bars.
I needed my phone. Everyone had their addictions. My inbox was mine. There must be somewhere I could get a signal in this place. If not, we would have to leave. I couldn’t stay without access to the outside world.
Pearl came back in, her clothes caked in snow. “We’re not going anywhere anytime soon.” She toed off her boots and shrugged off her extra layers until once again, she wore only her ugly sweater and jeans. Despite having worn gloves, her fingers were the color of Santa’s suit. I had an urge to take them between my palms to help warm them up.
Snow dotted her eyelashes, and her cheeks and nose were shiny and red. She looked more than fuckable. We might have our differences, but she was one hell of a sexy woman.
With the flip of a switch, a small gas fire flickered to life. “It shouldn’t take too long to warm up,” she said.
I waved my phone. “Is there service?”
“Nope.”
“Fuck. We’re leaving first thing in the morning.”
She snickered. “Good luck with that. Hate to tell you, but we’re here for the weekend at least. More snow is coming our way tomorrow. We’ll be lucky to leave by Monday.”
I raked my fingers through my hair. “What are we supposed to eat? Snow?”
She moved toward the galley kitchen and opened up what I guessed was the pantry. “We have lots of canned goods. We have the ingredients for a basic chili and a lasagna. When my mom and I came up at the end of summer, we filled the freezer in case we decided to come up this winter.”
“Coffee? Milk?”
“Instant and powdered.”
I made a face.
“Let me grab my boots, sire. I’ll trek to the closest Starbucks. Anything else you’d like? The newspaper? A massage?”
I grinned. “Now that you mention it.”
“There will be no happy endings here.”
That’s what she thought. If I didn’t have my phone to keep me occupied, I would have to find something else for both of us to do. Something that would keep us warm.
“If you’re bored, there’s a selection of late eighties and nineties rom coms beneath the TV. Pick one. Some action movies too.”
I thumbed through the DVD collection. “Legend, Cocktail, Top Gun, Days of Thunder, The Color of Money, and my sister’s all-time favorite Jerry McGuire. Who has the Tom Cruise addiction?”
“My mom. He’s her idol. Growing up, she made me watch all his movies.”
“That’s child abuse.”
“I made her take me to an NSync concert. Payback is a bitch.”
“Evil.” I laughed and selected Top Gun.
“I feel the need…”
“Don’t even go there. I can out-quote you. Guaranteed.”
I held up my hands in surrender. “I don’t doubt it. How about we find something to eat and drink while we watch Maverick serenade Charlie?”
Pearl opened up the cupboards again. “There’s a bottle of whiskey hidden in the wardrobe, but we should keep that for emergencies. For now, we have boxed mac and cheese.”
There wasn’t anything I could do about not having any cell service or about being stuck in a trailer on a lake, but I might as well make the most of it.
“Sounds like a feast.” I cleared my throat. “And for what it’s worth. I’m sorry for how I spoke to you in the car. That wasn’t fair.”
Warning flashed in her eyes. “Like I said, payback is a bitch.”
After a dinner fit for a ten-year-old, we sat on the sofa covered in blankets and watched Tom Cruise play volleyball. When the love scene came on, Pearl cleared her throat and squirmed.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like Kelly licking Tom’s throat?”
“This is the kind of movie you watch with your girlfriends or your boyfriend. It’s not the kind of movie you watch with your boss.”
I picked up the remote, switched the movie off, and regarded her. “Why don’t you have a boyfriend? The real reason.”
“I don’t have the time — you heard me tell Isabella that. I want to have a successful career first. I want a family eventually with the whole white picket fence, kids, and chocolate Labrador, but I don’t want to be like my mom.”
“Why? You seemed close.”
“I love her with all my heart, but she lived her life for me and only me. She played the role of mom and dad. When I left for college, she had nothing left for herself. It took her a while to find something to fill her time. When she’s not working as a teacher’s assistant, she volunteers at the animal shelter.
“I count my lucky stars I had her. She helped put me through school and was there for every second of my life. I don’t have a memory that doesn’t involve her. When my dad left, she had nothing but a broken heart. We had lots of lean years. Thank God, my grandma let us move in with her and then left my mom her house.”
“That still doesn’t explain why you don’t have a boyfriend.”
Pearl gave a slight shrug. “Before I meet anyone, I want to make sure I have the skills to survive on my own if I have to.”
I pffted. “And you think you’re nothing like me.”
She tipped her head back, her nostrils flaring cutely. “I’m nothing like you.”
“Yes, you are.” I ran my fingertip along the back of her hand, and she shivered. “Cold?”
Her eyes narrowed, and her lips parted. “Don’t play games, Mr. Matthews. Forget what you heard me say to Bella. I don’t have a crush on you, and I don’t want you to take me over the conference table.”
“Enough with Mr. Matthews. It’s James. And I’m not playing games. Since we’re here and since we have nothing else to do, why don’t we keep each other warm? Perhaps for one night, you won’t need your vibrator.”
Chapter Six - Pearl
“You’re an ass.” I snatched my hand from him and buried it beneath the blanket. “Not going to happen. That’s a line I won’t cross.”
“And yet it’s a line you cross every night in bed.”
“That’s different,” I protested. “Stop bringing it up. I guess you didn’t mean it when you apologized.”
“I meant it, but I want to know what you think about,” James said, his voice low and deep. “I want to know what gets you off.”
I tensed every muscle in my body, willing myself not to react. “That’s way too private.” I swallowed hard and shook my head. “You understand what that word means, right?”
He fixed his dark eyes on me. As he held my gaze, he didn’t blink once. “If you want your conversations to remain private, then don’t have them in the conference room.”
I cleared my throat. I was going to turn the tables on him, and I couldn’t believe I was about to say these words to my boss. “What gets you hard?” I held my breath. “What gets you off?” If I’d shocked him, he didn’t show it. If anything, he seemed the opposite of shocked. He seemed elated.
He regarded me for a second. “Are you sure you can handle it?”
“I’m sure.” That wasn’t true. I was both terrified and thrilled about what he might share with me. But I didn’t want him to think I was someone he could intimidate or that I was shy and nervous. “Despite what Susan said, I’m not a Pollyanna. But I’m sure my private phone conversation told you that.”
James chuckled. Should I tell him that the sound of his laughter left me wet and my clit throbbing and that being alone with him left me dizzy?
I licked my lips. Feeling brave, and unlike myself, I said, “Tell me.”
He leaned closer, and I didn�
�t back away.
“Dominating sassy subs makes me hard. I get off to beautiful woman succumbing to my needs and desires.”
The temperature in the trailer reached a thousand degrees.
“Should I go on?”
I gave a curt nod.
“You, for example, if I wanted you to submit to me, I would start by introducing you to my world.”
“How?” I asked, my voice raspy.
“Why tell you when I can show you?”
I sucked in a breath. Thoughts raced through my head. What exactly would he show me?
The crush I had on my boss was alive and kicking. Fantasizing about him was one thing, but having him maybe fulfill those fantasies was another. I wasn’t sure I was brave enough to take what he offered, but my damp panties urged me to accept.
I glanced down at my hands. “What happens here doesn’t go any further. What I mean is—”
He nodded. “What happens in the cabin stays in the cabin.”
I clasped my hands on my lap. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“You can, uh, show me.”
He tipped his fingertips beneath my chin. “I demand complete obedience. I won’t hurt you. I won’t harm you. I will only push you as far as you’re able to go. If you need me to stop, use a safe word. Pick one.”
The corners of my lips lifted. “Blizzard.”
He grinned. “One more thing before we begin. You can address me as sir or master when we’re in play.”
My nose wrinkled while my heart pounded. “Master is too old fashioned. I’ll, uh, call you sir.”
The surrealness of the situation stunned me. Nothing about being in the trailer with James seemed real in the slightest. Had my mother slipped something into her cookies or into the eggnog? Perhaps I was hallucinating, and when I woke up in the morning, I’d be in my bed with nothing more than a splitting headache.
“What do you want me to do?” Nerves shook my voice when I spoke.
“It’s not about what I want you to do. What happens between us isn’t only about how you make me feel or what you do for me. It’s about how we make each other feel. This isn’t just about my pleasure. It’s about both our pleasures.” James came in close until his lips were a hairsbreadth from mine. “The first thing I’m going to do is kiss you.”
“Oh.” The word came out more like a squeak than anything else. Time stood still, and I hadn’t known how desperately I wanted him to kiss me until now. Our eyes locked, and he cupped his palms around my cheeks.
He flicked the tip of his tongue around the seam of my lips, and I closed my eyes to savor his taste and his touch.
His tongue slipped into my mouth, and heat surged through me. Arousal soaked my panties as he took our kiss deeper. A voice in the back of my head screamed stop. That I was making a mistake I would live to regret. But the sensations running through my body drowned out my doubts. He dragged his fingers through my hair, and I shifted my position so my boobs pressed against his chest.
My pussy throbbed, but I was still certain I was dreaming.
He took our kiss deeper, showing me what the rest of the night would entail.
James would be in control of me and in control of my pleasure, and I didn’t mind one bit. My shoulders relaxed as if a pin had been stuck into them. What would it be like to have someone take care of me? To have someone fulfill my wants and desires?
His tongue continued to explore my lips and mouth. My nipples pressed through my bra and sweater, seeking more, more, more.
A small moan slipped from my lips into his mouth, and a second later, he broke away, seeming unaffected while I panted as if I’d just run the entire way from Brooklyn to Pennsylvania.
“What now?” I asked, barely able to recognize myself.
“Now, we begin.”
The voice of doubt was back, and indecision swamped me. If we crossed this line, we could never turn back.
James must have sensed my wavering because he said, “If this is something you don’t want, we can stop now and act like it didn’t happen.”
“And what then? You might be able to pretend that nothing happened, but I can’t. Pandora’s box is open, and neither of us can close it.” I tucked my hair behind my ears. “I want to see this through.” Proud of my bravery, I smiled. “I want to find out if reality is as good as the fantasy.”
“Believe me. Reality will be better than any fantasy you’ve ever had.”
“There’s something I need to know before we start. Are you going to hurt me? Will there be pain? I get that’s not what all BDSM is about… I don’t want…”
His face turned serious. “I will never hurt you. I will never abuse you.” He stood and pulled me up from the sofa. “Tonight isn’t about whips and chains, tying you up, or clamping your nipples or your clit. It’s not even about sex. It’s about you listening to me and doing what I ask. It’s about seeing if you can follow instructions.”
“And if I don’t or can’t.”
He brushed a fingertip down my cheek, and I strained into his touch. “If you don’t, I’ll punish you.”
“What’s the punishment?” My legs wobbled, and my stomach fluttered. I couldn’t believe we were having this conversation. “Don’t worry about that. Whatever it is, the punishment will fit the crime.”
He stepped away and went to the counter height table, where he pulled out a chair. “Get undressed and bend over the chair.” Mischief filled his eyes. “I want to see if reality is as good as the fantasy.”
I hesitated. I wasn’t sure if reality would be better than fantasy when it came to my sun-starved, carb-loving body.
He drummed his fingertips against the tabletop. “I’ll let you off with a warning this time, Pearl, but when I ask you to do something, I expect you to carry out my orders without hesitation. I don’t expect to have to ask twice.”
I nodded, rolled back my shoulders, and held my head high. For crying out loud, I was an adult. Men had seen me naked before but taking my clothes off in front of James was more daunting. But I didn’t want to find out what kind of punishments he had in store for me if I disobeyed him.
Or perhaps I did.
Hauling in a now or never breath, I yanked my Christmas sweater over my head and threw it to the floor. Beneath my sweater, I wore a long-sleeved t-shirt.
James crossed his arms over his chest and looked at me expectantly. “If you’re not naked within the next minute, you’ll regret it.” His face turned thoughtful. “Maybe that’s what you need. Maybe I need to show you what a punishment feels like.”
“No, Mr. Matthews. I mean James. I mean, sir.” I yanked off my t-shirt and undid my bra. My breasts were heavy and swollen, and my nipples stood hard. I couldn’t tell if he liked what he saw or not.
He gestured toward my jeans. “The rest.”
With my eyes lowered, I removed my jeans and my panties until I stood in front of him, totally naked and totally embarrassed from head to toe. I crossed an arm over my breasts in a lame attempt to hide my nakedness.
James reached out and lowered my arm, his knuckles brushing against my nipples as he did. That brief touch alone gave me a headrush.
“Never hide from me, pet. You’re breathtaking, and I can say without any doubt that the reality is a million times better than the fantasy. Since the morning I heard you talk to your friend, I’ve wanted to fuck you over my desk. Thoughts of you have consumed me. I should punish you for that, shouldn’t I? For taking up space in my head.”
I kind of wanted to get the punishment over with just so it wouldn’t be something he could hold over me as a threat.
He tapped a fingertip against his lips. “The punishment can wait. Bend over the chair like I asked. I want to see every part of you.”
I clenched my fists and laid my body across the chair. My feet were on the ground, and my breasts pressed against the cushion. Feeling bold and brave — what did I have to lose — I stuck my ass in
the air. Time moved slowly, and for ages, nothing happened.
Chapter Seven - Pearl
I wiggled my butt impatiently. How long would I have to lay there before the view of my glistening pussy satisfied him?
After an eternity, James swept his hand along my lower back, and my entire body shook. My body already seemed to recognize his touch and welcomed it. After keeping his hand there for a few seconds, he brushed his fingers between my butt cheeks.
A loud moan fell from my lips, and he gently swatted my ass. “Don’t move and don’t react. Show me how strong your willpower is. How much self-control you have.”
Would it shock him to discover I had zero self-control? What kind of punishment would that earn me?
Slowly, he slid his fingers lower. “You’re soaking wet.” He slipped two fingers between my folds and, without warning, slammed them inside.
My inner muscles clamped down reflexively and held him tight. As difficult as it was, I didn’t move or make a sound. His thick fingers stimulated my G-spot, and my eyes rolled to the back of my head. I bit my lip hard. The intensity was more than I’d ever imagined, and it wouldn’t take much to send me tumbling into the abyss.
My channel clenched and released, urging him to go deeper, harder, and to show me no mercy.
“I forgot to tell you something,” he said softly, “under no circumstances are you permitted to come.”
“What? That’s not fair,” I replied, not caring how whiny I sounded.
He eased his fingers from my channel and smeared the evidence of my arousal around my puckered asshole. I would die. He didn’t slide his finger inside again. Instead, he tapped my opening gently. Once more, teasing and torturing me, sending me to the edge before hauling me back.
“I’ll tell you what isn’t fair, pet. What isn’t fair is watching you every day and not being able to have you. Watching how you suck on the end of your pen and wishing you were sucking on my dick. What isn’t fair is knowing that you fantasize about me but not knowing what those fantasies are.
