Between The Lines

by Drew Sera

  “I’ll check in with you later after Ryan and I have dinner and see how your progress is coming,” Samantha said.

  I gave her a nod and told her I’d check my phone early this evening.

  It was nearly 7:00 p.m. when I stood to stretch. I had been writing all afternoon and was so pleased with my progress. Time for a break. While my dinner was in the microwave, I picked up my phone to check messages.

  J.P.: Hey princess, hope you’re having a good day. I’m on a short break and wanted to say hi. I’ll talk to you later.

  Samantha: I haven’t heard from you all afternoon so I’m assuming you’ve made good progress. I hope you’ve come up for some air and have eaten something.

  My first message was replying to Samantha. I confirmed that the progress has been great today and that I was eating now. Then I eagerly typed my response to J.P.

  Amy: Hi, my romantic sadist. I’m sorry I missed your text earlier. I’ve been writing all day on Dark Kiss and I tend to keep my phone in another room when I need to buckle down. I’m happy to report that my day has been very productive. Hope your day went well.

  I didn’t hear anything from J.P. until after 9:00 p.m. When he sent me a text asking if he could call, I excitedly told him yes. I let my phone ring twice, so it wouldn’t appear that I was sitting there with my phone in my hand waiting…even though that’s exactly what I was doing.

  “Hello,” I said into the phone.

  “Hi princess.”

  “My romantic sadist,” I said, and we both laughed at our new nicknames for one another. “How was your day?” I asked.

  “Long. Glad it’s over. I’m happy to hear yours was good. It sounds like you made a lot of headway with the book.”

  “Yeah, believe it or not, but I think I’m just about done.”

  “Really?” J.P. asked with excitement in his voice.

  “Yes, it’s almost there.”

  “Wow, that’s great.”

  In the back of my head was a tiny worry that we wouldn’t talk as much when I had the book done. I shook that worry from my mind because I knew better. I settled into the evening with J.P. on the phone.

  “What’s the strangest thing a fan has ever sent you?” he asked when our conversation shifted back to the books.

  “Hmm, the strangest thing. I don’t know, I’d have to think about that. I try to get my mail from the post office box once a week and yesterday on the drive to San Diego, Samantha and I opened a bunch of it along the way. One lady sent me a fat, veiny, penis-shaped butt plug and a travel size bottle of lube,” I told him.

  Even as I explained the reference to the character in Unexpected Love, I still found it funny and laughed.

  “So, the female character goes down to Africa to take part in a humanitarian project for college credits and ends up taking it in the ass and falling in love with the project leader?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at his way of explaining it.

  “Well, kind of, yes.”

  “Princess, princess, princess. You just made me want to stick the page marker in Country Chic and jump into Unexpected Love. Knowing that there’s anal sex in there has just given me something exciting to look forward to.”

  “Books with anal sex get a rise out of you, huh?” I jokingly asked.

  “Yes! So, I’ll need a list now of which books have anal sex in them.” I shook my head and continued to laugh lightly at him. “Anal sex is hot, princess. Has your ass ever even tried it?”

  My cheeks were suddenly warm at his question.

  “Yes, I’ve tried it,” I admitted to him.

  “And?” he prompted.

  “And? And what?” I innocently asked.

  “Did you like it, princess?”

  “I did. It was fine. Hurt a little but was okay.”

  J.P. let out a heavy sigh that was mixed with a deep laugh.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, Amy, because I mean no disrespect…but I think you could use a nice ass fucking.”

  My cheeks burned with embarrassment, and I felt a throb between my legs as I laughed with him on the phone.

  “Oh yeah, that’s going to happen. I haven’t even had a date in years.”

  “You don’t have to have a date, Amy. Why complicate it? You can go to a club and negotiate with a Service Top.”

  I had heard him mention that title before and I know that he’s actually filled a Service Top role from time to time at his club. He said he likes it because he’s filling a role and meeting a need.

  “So, did you use the plug the lovely reader gave you?” he asked.

  “No,” I said, trying to sound appalled at his question.

  “But you want to. You’ve been thinking about it,” he said in the deep sexy voice.

  “Whatever, Mr. Sadist,” I teased.

  “Mmmhmm. I think you want to try it.”

  “I think you’re wrong, J.P.”

  “I can hear the desire in your voice. Have you ever tried a toy in your ass, princess?”

  “No.”

  J.P.’s laughter came out louder this time.

  “Princess, you’re in the prime of your life. Don’t be afraid to try something. But now I know why you didn’t care too much for anal sex; you hadn’t experimented with anything before.”

  I considered what he was saying for a moment.

  “Look, do yourself a favor. Before you go to bed tonight, lube that thing up and take it for a wild ride. Promise me that you’ll at least think about it, princess.”

  “Okay, I’ll think about it. You’ve got my cheeks burning.”

  There he goes with that sexy laugh again.

  “I’d rather your other cheeks were burning from my hand.”

  “Such the sadist,” I laughed.

  I shifted and noticed how wet I was between my legs from talking to J.P. about the butt plug and from imagining him spanking my ass. We carried on conversations about other random things, and when I looked at the clock, it was almost one in the morning.

  “Ugh, I should probably get going, J.P. I need to be at the car dealership tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m.”

  “What kind of car do you have?” he asked.

  “It’s an Audi. Few years old.”

  “Excellent car, Amy.”

  “It’s just a car.”

  “Mmm, nope, that’s not just a car. That’s a really nice car.”

  “It is, but my point was just that cars don’t do much for me. I liked the way this one looked, and it’s a convertible.”

  “A really nice convertible.”

  “You’d get along very well with Samantha. She also wants to have sex with my car. She was ecstatic when I let her drive us home last night from San Diego.”

  “So, what’s wrong with it?” he asked.

  “Nothing. It just needs an oil change.”

  “Glad nothing’s wrong with it. Those German imports can be an arm and a leg to repair. You shouldn’t have any problems since it’s just a few years old. I love cars, but I prefer American muscle.”

  “Why does that not surprise me, J.P.? Let me guess, Mustang?”

  “Nope.”

  “Corvette?”

  “No, I’m not a fan of that body style. I have a Challenger. Pure, solid, American muscle,” he proudly said.

  “Sounds powerful. What color is it? Black?”

  “Yep, you guessed it.”

  Somehow, I could picture the man from Kinky Links proudly leaning against an immaculate black muscle car.

  We wrapped up our conversation after another twenty-minute discussion on cars.

  “Get some rest, princess. You’ll sleep a lot better after you lube that bad boy up and come. Trust me.”

  I got warm again at the mention of lubing up the butt plug.

  “I’ll think about that. Thanks again for the phone call, romantic sadist.”

  “You’re welcome. Enjoy your slumber, and I’ll catch you tomorrow, princess.”

  “Goodnight, J.P.”

  �
�Night, Amy.”

  I stared at the packaged butt plug that sat on the dresser and considered it. Hmm…why not? I removed the plug from the package and took it to my bathroom to wash. I couldn’t help but notice how the veins felt as I did. The head of it was very prominent, and I was actually kind of excited to try this out. Or as J.P. put it, “take this bad boy for a wild ride.”

  When I got back to my bedroom, I pulled off my pajama pants and underwear before getting comfortable in the bed on my back. With the travel sized lube that the reader included, I put some on my index and middle fingers, parted my legs and moistened my tiny hole. Damn, I had to admit just doing that felt good. I soon found myself pushing my finger in and out of my ass as I eyed the toy on the bed. As I continued to slowly finger my ass, I could feel my clit starting to swell. After a few more minutes, I was wet and aching with need. I grabbed the plug and lubed it generously before lining it up with my hole. With my free hand, I rubbed on my clit as I pushed the plug inside.

  “Oh, my God,” I whispered as I felt the bulbous head disappear.

  I felt incredibly full, but damn if felt good. I can’t remember the last time I was this wet. The plug was buried, and my fingers were furiously rubbing my aching nub. I closed my eyes and imagined that the silicone cock shaped plug was J.P. until I came. The feeling was indescribable, and soon the moans were tumbling out of my mouth.

  “Damn,” I sighed as I lay there trying to catch my breath.

  Minutes had passed and I finally removed the toy and took it to the bathroom to clean. I’m going to have to write a thank you letter to the fan that sent me this. Even though I washed it thoroughly, I put it in the dishwasher and turned it on. The packaging said it was dishwasher safe…so that seemed like the thing to do.

  “Just in case,” I said out loud, reciting the phrase of warning that Samantha often tosses out to me.

  When I woke up, I decided to text J.P. and let him know that I took his advice and went for a ride last night. I slept so soundly after that.

  Amy: Morning romantic sadist. I took the toy for a ride last night and slept so well. You were right.

  I set the phone down on the counter while I emptied the dishwasher. I smiled at the new toy and carried him to my bedroom.

  “I’ll just keep you in here,” I said to the plug as I put it in the nightstand drawer.

  I collected my phone and headed toward my office to work for a bit.

  J.P.: Haha, proud of you, princess. You’ll have to send me a picture later of the lucky little toy.

  I sent him a smiling emoji and set the phone down to work. Samantha was going to murder me if I didn’t finalize Dark Kiss this week.

  Chapter 12

  March

  J.P.

  I really have been enjoying the company of Amy’s texts and phone calls, and they were something that I looked forward to each day. But this week had been hectic for both of us, and I hadn’t been able to connect with her in the evenings as I would have liked.

  Amy had wrapped up Dark Kiss, and it was now over at the editing company. While that was in the works, Samantha had her doing what she termed as “pre-release” work. I’m sure it entailed a lot more, but all I remember was that she was busy doing online blog appearances. It sounded neat, and Amy was excited to take part in them. She said she liked them a lot because it was another way for her to connect with some readers that might not get to attend the live book events.

  I have my club membership fees coming due over the next few weeks, so I’ve been trying to catch a few extra shifts at work so I don’t have to dip into savings for them. Amy had mentioned a few nights ago that Samantha booked her for a huge book event in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in about a month, and I’d started looking at hotels and flights to Myrtle Beach for the event. With my club dues and Amy’s Myrtle Beach event both around the same time, these extra few shifts would come in handy.

  Since I’ve only been able to connect with Amy via text a few times each day this week, I opted to take my lunch hour later tonight, so I could catch her at one of her live pre-release online group events. Earlier today, I had to request membership to the Seductive Landing Strip Facebook group where Amy would appear tonight. Thankfully, before I left for work my membership to the group had been approved. I waited to clock out for my lunch until a few minutes after I knew her event started, and then I ran to my car to catch her event in the privacy of my car.

  I logged into the Seductive Landing Strip and smiled when I saw her post from a few moments ago.

  Post from Amy Andrews: Good evening, everyone. I hope you’re all having a fantastic day. It’s great to be here in the Seductive Landing Strip this evening, and I can’t wait to tell you about my new dark romance, Dark Kiss.

  The next post was her black and purple logo with the purple rose, and a picture of a book with a question mark over the cover and the phrase “cover reveal coming soon.” Lots of readers posted comments like, “I’m excited to see the cover,” or “When do we get to see the cover?”

  Amy carried on with the readers, posting some bits and pieces about the book while readers posted questions. In between her posts, she answered questions. I read each question that she was asked and felt a sense of protectiveness over her. I was on the lookout for some dick in the group, but to my surprise, there weren’t any assholes. There also weren’t many guys, from what I could tell.

  After forty minutes, I felt brave enough to post a question about the book. I was pretty sure that if Amy saw my handle that she’d figure out that it was me. Which was fine, I wanted her to know that I was here supporting her.

  “Do you ever get writer’s block?” I said out loud as I typed it into the event chat box window.

  I waited, and soon a few more questions popped up after mine. A little “like” notification came up that Amy Andrews “liked” my comment, which made me smile.

  Comment from Amy Andrews: Hi JPFever, thanks for your question. Typically, I don’t get writer’s block. Many times before my fingers touch a keyboard to begin typing out a story, I have very detailed outlines in my head. By the time I start writing, I have a very clear path of where it’s going.

  I typed a “Thank you” reply and leaned back to watch the rest of the event. Samantha started posting some excerpts, which I loved because I felt like it was something I kind of had my hand in. As I was reading the excerpts and teasers, Amy sent me a text message.

  Amy: Hey, my romantic sadist. I had no idea that you’d be on tonight watching the event. Are you off already? If so, I’ll call you when this is over.

  J.P.: I wish I were off, princess. I’m just on my lunch break at work. I took it later tonight so I could catch some of your Seductive Landing Strip event.

  Amy: You are so sweet. I’m just wrapping up now. How much longer will you be on your break?

  J.P.: About five minutes.

  Amy: Text me when you get home?

  J.P.: Definitely, princess.

  I watched a few more posts and then as I walked back inside, I posted a “nice seeing you tonight” message on her closing post. I should have felt better when I got back inside after having spent about an hour “with” her. Instead, I felt like I was really missing out on something.

  Chapter 13

  March

  Amy

  “Hey, princess. I’ve missed your innocent, sweet voice,” J.P. excitedly said, answering my call on the first ring.

  A broad smile spread across my face as I walked from my writing room to my patio. Thankfully the reception was decent, and our phones weren’t cutting in and out.

  “Aw, I’ve missed my sinister sounding sadist.” I joked with him.

  “Don’t go believing whatever rumors you hear about us sadists. None of them are true,” he said gently. “Well, most of them aren’t true,” he laughed.

  I wondered for a moment how much crap he’s had to deal with just because of that label. I’ve learned so much from him over the past few months. And though I’ve learned tha
t the BDSM community is very welcoming, I’m sure there are still prejudices or misconceptions he’s faced just in his circle of friends at his club.

  “I agree. I’ve learned that not all sadists are monsters,” I said lightly, hoping he’d pick up on the fact that I was referring to him.

  His voice sounded heavy though as if he’d had a rough week. One thing I’ve learned since talking to J.P. is that many Doms, from sadists to Daddy Doms, generally don’t air their stresses or worries to their subs. But I wasn’t his sub; I was his friend.

  “How have you been, J.P.?” I asked.

  “I’ve been okay.” J.P. paused as if he may have been on the verge of saying something else. Before I spoke, I gave him another opportunity by staying quiet for a few moments.

  “Yeah? You sure?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” he said. His voice sounded a little different now. “I’ve been working a lot lately, and they’ve been odd schedules. I’m just a little tired.”

  “I hear you. I’ve been working eighteen and nineteen-hour days. They’ve been killers.”

  “Amy, you’re not getting enough sleep.”

  “I doubt you are either.”

  “Fair enough, princess.”

  There was an awkward pause for a few moments as I rolled the stem of a dandelion that was at the edge of the concrete and grass. I decided to test the waters of the conversation with his dungeon club.

  “So, what’s new at your club?”

  “Not much. I haven’t been in a little while.”

  I was surprised by this. When I first met J.P., he was constantly going to the club. The club was vital to him and I thought it made him happy.

  “What? Why not? Is it because of the friend you’re not getting along with?” I asked.

  “It’s kind of complicated. My friendship with him has become strained, and he’s there all the time. It’s kind of hard to be near him right now.”