by Donna Jay
“Everyone, people rely on me.”
Trying to be gentle but to the point, Nadia was determined to get through to Simone. If she couldn’t, their relationship would be short-lived. She’d meant what she said. She refused to date someone married to their job.
She tightened her grip on Simone’s hands, certain in the next two minutes she would try to pull away. Nadia wouldn’t let that happen until Simone at least considered her words.
“Do you think those same people who rely on you are sitting at home going, ‘Wow, Simone’s great doing all that overtime,’ while they’ve got their feet up?”
Most of them probably thought she was an idiot, but Nadia kept that to herself.
Simone set her jaw and, as predicted, tried to pull away. “I’ve never really thought about it.”
“I bet a few of your work colleagues have, but not in a positive way. More like, ‘Hey, don’t worry if it’s not done, Simone will pick up the slack.’”
Like a ripple effect, Simone’s shoulders slumped. She exhaled a heavy sigh.
“Talk to me,” Nadia said softly. She wanted to know exactly why Simone looked dejected.
“Alex.” Simone gave her a wry smile. “I feel like such an idiot.”
Nadia didn’t have to ask who Alex was to know Simone was referring to an employee, a lazy one at that.
“Can we not talk about work?” Simone peered at her over her glasses.
Nadia was more than happy to drop the topic. The main thing was she’d got Simone thinking. With work out of the way, she intended to talk about something far more stimulating.
“Have you had enough?”
“Yes. I didn’t leave work early to talk about staying late.”
Nadia chuckled. “I meant to eat.”
“Oh, right.” A blush spread up Simone’s neck.
Images of her bound to Nadia’s bed, pale skin flushed with arousal, danced through her mind.
“Where’d you go?” Simone asked, more astute than Nadia gave her credit for.
“My bedroom.” She had in her mind, anyway.
“Huh?” Confusion knitted Simone’s brows before her eyes went wide. “Oh!” She paused, and then added, “Wanna tell me about it?”
“I’d love to.” Nadia stood, stacking plates. “How about we move into the living room?”
“Sounds good.” Simone stood and grabbed their empty glasses.
“Another?” Nadia asked, en-route to the kitchen.
“Why not.” Simone followed behind, nylon covered feet barely making a sound on the hardwood floor.
Glasses in hand, they wandered into the living room. One look at each other and the temperature went from warm to smouldering.
The heat in Simone’s eyes mirrored the look Nadia had seen when she caught Simone ogling her at KB Incorporated, and again when their eyes locked in the mirror of the changing room in her store.
Only this time, Nadia didn’t keep her hands to herself because she had to, but because she needed to. She wanted to set some boundaries first.
Although she liked a woman with her own mind, and Simone certainly knew how to hold her own, if she had as much trouble giving away control in the bedroom as she did in the boardroom, there was going to be a whole lot of negotiating.
Nadia was happy to switch on the odd occasion, but she would never make a good submissive.
She could leave her business in the hands of others, trust them to take care of the store in her absence, but when it came to her body it was an entirely different story.
Not because she was incapable of trust, even as a top, trust was paramount, but she thrived on pushing the limits of a lover, watching them fly apart at her hands.
Power exchange was like a drug to her. Intoxicating. Addictive. Although she was capable of being subservient, she didn’t get the same high.
Nadia put her glass on the coffee table, pulled the curtains, and dimmed the lights. “Dance with me.”
She opened her arms, and Simone stepped into them. Their bodies moulded together. Soft against soft.
“I’ve wanted to do this forever.” Nadia nuzzled her neck and a shiver ran through Simone.
“Ticklish?” Nadia asked, the explosion of goose-bumps on Simone’s arms answering her question before she spoke.
“I love my neck nuzzled.”
“What else do you like?” Nadia nipped her earlobe.
“That.” She let out a low moan.
“This?” Nadia cupped her backside and drew Simone closer. Their pelvises connected and a rush of heat shot through her.
While it was all very nice, Nadia could only be nice for so long. “Do you like nipple clamps?”
Simone’s breath hitched.
“Handcuffs?”
Her body went rigid.
What was that about? A pang of unease made Nadia’s stomach tight. She took a step back but didn’t break the connection. Her eyes briefly locked with Simone’s before Simone looked away.
Having none of it, Nadia grabbed her chin. “Speak to me.”
“What about?”
“I like it when you’re sassy, but I don’t like it when you play dumb. If I’m not mistaken, you’re submissive.”
“Correct.”
“Then you should know communication is paramount.”
“Should I?” Simone pursed her lips. “Do all tops play the same? Will you make me do something I don’t want to?” Her voice rose in pitch. “Lure me into a false sense of security, blindfold me and do whatever you want without my consent?”
“No!” Fuck, she would never do that, but how was Simone to know that? Nadia hadn’t earned her trust yet.
Even so, did she look like a manipulative person? Probably.
Frustrated, Nadia ran a hand through her hair, tugging at the roots. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to raise my voice.”
“It’s fine,” Simone said softly. “I didn’t mean to be a bitch.”
“Hey, that’s my title.” Nadia stabbed herself in the chest, elated when Simone chuckled.
As much as it killed her to back up, Nadia cooled her jets. She’d hit a sore spot, and she didn’t want to poke at the wound.
“Let’s talk.” She wandered over to the sofa but Simone didn’t budge.
“Do we have to?”
The question didn’t merit a response. She wasn’t about to drag information out of Simone she wasn’t willing to give. The choice was hers, but they couldn’t move forward until she lowered her defences.
Nadia crossed one leg over the other, swinging her foot. “I can just imagine you as a kid. Did you throw tantrums until you got your way?”
“Yep.” Simone shot her a smug grin.
“Do you know how I deal with tantrums?” Nadia thought back to Blake’s behaviour at story time.
“You beat the crap out of them with Nelly?”
Although Nadia was happy Simone remembered the name of her paddle, nothing pissed her off more than people confusing BDSM with violence.
A sickening thought slammed into her. Had Simone been abused? Was cracking jokes her way of coping?
“I have never beaten anyone in my life, not even in anger.”
“You get angry, Miss-calm-and-composed?”
“Shocking, I know,” Nadia said in mock horror. It didn’t happen often, but if pushed hard enough, she’d been known to push back. She patted the sofa cushion beside her. “Stop deflecting and sit your arse down.”
As soon as Simone sat, Nadia turned sideways and took her hands.
Their eyes met and she stared into the windows to her soul, through her silver-rimmed glasses, and beyond the icy exterior.
What she saw made her breath hitch. Warmth shined in the depths, and a vulnerability Nadia wanted to cherish forever.
“I’m not going to tie you up and spank your arse our first night together, so relax.”
“Maybe I want those things.”
Interesting. Simone didn’t mind being tied up, but the mention of handcuffs made her anxi
ous.
“Look, I’m not a mind reader, and as much as I love your sass, I refuse to play guessing games. That’s how people get hurt, literally.”
“I like a little bit of pain.” Simone bit her lip, the submissive side of her calling to Nadia.
But right then, she was more concerned about what Simone didn’t like. One false move, unintentional or not, could ruin any semblance of trust they were starting to form.
“Tell me what you don’t like.”
“Metal handcuffs.” Simone moved the band of her wristwatch, revealing a jagged scar.
“Who did this to you?” Nadia held her arm, anger bubbling to the surface.
“My ex.”
Of course.
She kissed the scar. “How?”
“Do you want the long version or the short?”
“Short.”
“She did something I didn’t like. When she wouldn’t stop, I fought against the metal restraints. The cuffs won.”
Bile rose in Nadia’s throat. Simone wasn’t hers yet, but God help anyone who tried to hurt her.
“Did you use your safeword?”
Simone scoffed. “Yep, she thought I was joking.”
“A safeword’s not a joke.” For someone who’d recently professed she rarely got angry, Nadia’s temperature was rising at an alarming rate. “For the record, I don’t own any metal cuffs.”
“Just metal hoops on your headboard?”
“Yes.” Nadia laughed, pleased Simone had remembered. “I also have silk ties and leather restraints.” An image of Simone completely naked spread eagle on her bed made her throb. “But if you’re opposed to those things, I’ll restrain you without them.”
“How?”
Rather than explain, Nadia pounced on the opportunity to show. “Lie back.”
Their gazes locked, and the trust Simone afforded her robbed her of breath.
She put a hand on Simone’s shoulder, guiding her back on the sofa until her head was resting on one armrest, her feet touching the other.
God, her off the shoulder dress was sexy. All that pale flesh on display. Unable to wait a second longer, she slid on top of Simone, dragging Simone’s arms up as she went. “Lace your fingers together and keep your hands on top of your head.”
Simone scrunched up her face as if the decision pained her. Had what her ex done traumatised her so much she couldn’t follow a simple command?
“My ponytail’s digging into my skull.”
“Oh.” Relief swept through Nadia. “Lift.”
She raised her head, and Nadia gently removed the hair tie. She jumped when soft lips enveloped her nipple through her sheer blouse.
“Brat.” She smiled down at Simone. If they’d been in the middle of a scene, it would’ve been a different story, and the smug look on Simone’s face told her she knew as much.
“Keep your hands above your head.”
“If I don’t?”
“Three strikes…you’re out.” Nadia pushed to stand. The threat had the desired effect.
“Sorry.” Simone’s hands returned to the top of her head.
“Fast learner.” Nadia lowered herself again. “Let go and all play stops.”
She lowered herself ever so slowly, gazing into Simone’s eyes until the last second. Their lips met, and it was electric. Her body ignited in sparks of desire as Simone parted her lips, allowing her entrance. Their moans of pleasure echoed around the living room in a harmonic melody.
Breaking the kiss, Nadia rested her forehead against Simone’s. “I’ll never hurt you.”
“I know.” Simone wrapped her arms around Nadia’s neck.
“Uh-uh.” Nadia shook her head. She hadn’t given Simone permission to let go of her hands.
“Damn. That’s harder than it looks.” Simone repositioned her arms, hands on her head.
It was too, and that’s what Nadia loved about power exchange. It could be as playful as you wanted right through to a full-on mistress/slave relationship—if that was your thing.
Needing more, Nadia lowered the top of Simone’s dress, revealing a pink bra trimmed with lace. She palmed her breast and peppered kisses across her collarbone. Her kisses turned to licks as she chased goose-bumps across Simone’s skin.
Simone writhed beneath her, murmuring her appreciation. The bang of the back door shattered the moment.
“Fuck,” Nadia cursed under her breath.
“What?” Simone scrambled under her, pulling her dress up and over her bra.
Darrin appeared in the doorway before she had a chance to reply. “Oh, wow, hi.”
Gutted, Nadia sat up straight, dragging Simone up next to her.
Grinning, he leaned against the door frame. “Don’t stop on my account.”
Nadia gritted her teeth. She loved her cousin but he had shitty timing. “What the hell are you doing home?”
He held his hands up in a placating gesture. “Don’t be like that, Nads.”
God, she hated it when he mocked her.
“Unless you want me to feed your gonads to you, I’ve told you not to call me that.”
“That’s rich coming from someone with bigger balls than me.” He spread his legs apart and half squatted, hands between his knees as if the size of them were weighing him down.
Straightening, he entered the room. “I’m Darrin, and you are?”
“Simone.” She looked totally amused.
The toilet flushed.
Nadia glared at him. “Tell me it isn’t so.”
“What? If you’re getting some why shouldn’t I?”
In the next instant, Rose appeared in the doorway. “Oh, hi, Nads.”
Too tired to have the same conversation with Rose as she’d just had with Darrin, Nadia smiled. “Hi, Rose. This is Simone.”
Rose tilted her head studying Simone. “You look familiar.”
“Do I?”
“Yeah, you ever come into the SPCA?”
“Not for a few months. I donated some food when Blackie, my cat, passed away.”
“That’s it.” Rose snapped her fingers. “And some towels and blankets.” Her face lit up. “The animals love them.”
“I’m pleased to hear it.” Warmth tinged with sadness flickered in Simone’s eyes.
Knowing what it was like to lose a pet, Nadia squeezed her hand. Simone returned the gesture with a small smile.
“Well, when you’re ready for another cat, come see me,” Rose said.
“Looks like she’s got enough pussy for one night.” Darrin smirked, but Nadia wasn’t laughing.
“You’re a pig.”
He shrugged. “Can’t pick your relatives.”
“But I can pick my tenants, so watch yourself.”
His smile faltered. “Sorry, Nads.
She glared.
“Nadia!” He corrected. “Fuck, relax, go get laid.”
“I was trying to.” She turned, pleased to see Simone still smiling.
“Nads, huh?” Simone smirked.
She pointed a finger in warning. “Don’t even think about it.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Nadia saw Darrin bending at the knees, hands cupped between his legs, mouthing, ‘Big ones.’
“I give up.” Nadia threw her hands in the air. “Wine anyone?”
“No, no, it’s fine,” Rose said. “We didn’t mean to interrupt. I told Darrin to text to warn you he was coming home, just in case…you know.”
“Oh, is this something she makes a habit of?” Simone asked, and it was impossible to tell if she was joking.
“No!” Nadia said at the same time as Darrin said, “Not that I know of, but then again, I’m hardly home.”
Why couldn’t he have just left it at not that I know of? Because he was having way too much fun taunting Nadia, and she couldn’t blame him.
They’d been close since they were kids, and when she extended her mortgage to buy the lingerie shop, he’d jumped at the chance to move in.
He worked on a farm and sta
yed in the farmer’s quarters during the week. Having him home on weekends was no hardship, and his board was always paid on time.
Darrin hoisted his large duffle bag over his shoulder. “I’m going to shower.”
“Good, I can smell you from here.” She couldn’t, but she couldn’t resist the dig.
“Love you, too, Nads.” He blew her a kiss and left the room, Rose trailing behind him. Rose would probably join him in the shower and those two would have their fun while Nadia tried to regain what they’d interrupted.
“Brother?” Simone asked, blue eyes twinkling with mirth.
“Cousin.”
“He seems like fun.”
“That’s one word for him. Cock blocker’s another.”
“Do you have one of those?” Simone gave her a devilish grin.
“I have more than one.” Oh, how Nadia looked forward to strapping up and entering Simone, but she had to back up.
They were barely out of the starting blocks when Darrin had rudely interrupted them. And, as much as she hated to do it, she made a mental note to ask him to make sure he texted her in the future if he was going to be home early.
Sure, he lived there too, but they needed to respect each other’s privacy. She would never barge in on him and Rose, so it was only fair he afforded her the same courtesy.
“I should get going.” Simone stood, and Nadia’s heart plummeted.
“Would you like me to call you a cab?”
Frowning, Simone pursed her lips. “That keen to get rid of me?”
“Not at all, but you’ve had three drinks and so have I. So if you plan on going home, it’ll be in the back of a cab.”
“What if I like sitting in the front?”
“Oh, look, Miss Sassy Pants is back.” Nadia slid her hand under Simone’s dress.
Her breath hitched and Nadia inched her hand higher, toying with the waistband of her underwear. “Please stay.”
An adorable blush tinted Simone’s cheeks. “What will Darrin think?”
Who cares?
Clearly Simone, and that was all that mattered. Her bashfulness—a stark contrast to the woman she presented to the corporate world—was captivating.
“He will think I’m big enough and ugly enough to make my own decisions, and if that includes you staying the night, he won’t have a problem with it.”
“You’re not.” Simone’s smile was soft and warm, like her eyes. There was nothing cold about her.
