by Jayne Rylon
The impact of his attention hit her full force.
“Chase…”
“Don’t whisper to me in that sexy tone if you’re still hoping we can hold off long enough for you to brew that drink you wanted to share.” He cleared his throat and backed her through the doorway and against the wall inside it. “I’m not used to waiting for what I want.”
“Me either.” She gulped as he trailed fingers across the bare skin at the top of her chest, parallel to the neckline of her dress.
“And this…?” The chain of kisses he laid down her neck nearly had her forgetting what he asked. “Is this what you had in mind?”
“Yes.” She squeaked when he kicked the door closed, locked it, then scooped her into his arms.
“No reason we can’t both have our wish then. Which way to your bedroom?” The growled question came in sections between languid kisses he dropped on her lips. Draped against his chest, she swore she could hear his heart pounding. Or perhaps that was her own.
Unable to pause long enough to inform him of the direction, she caressed his cheek, testing the faint scratch of his five-o’clock shadow. Then she drew herself up and reclaimed his lips.
He groaned as his tongue slipped out to tease the seam of her smile. Allowing him entrance, she parted her lips and was rewarded by the gentle probing of his wet, silky skin on hers. Totally engrossed in the gentle nips and licks, she didn’t realize he’d ferreted out her sleeping space until he lowered her to the plush duvet.
Chase swiped his jacket from beneath her, folding it over the arm of a wingback chair in the corner. He slid her shoes from her feet then kicked his off as well before climbing onto the ultra-comfortable mattress topped with layers of soft covers and a mass of pillows.
“This thing feels like a cloud.” His sigh fanned stray hairs from her forehead. “It’s easy to believe I found an angel tonight.”
“I don’t plan to be that wholesome.” Another laugh mingled with their desire as she reached up to bite his bottom lip.
Chase levered himself onto straight-locked arms to peer into her eyes. “Really? How do you want this to go? Slow and gentle aren’t my specialties, but you make me want to take the scenic route and enjoy every curve of your gorgeous body.”
“I could work with that.” Preparing herself for the torture of an extended teasing, she realized he’d only paused—not finished—when he offered another option.
“Then again, if you’d rather something a little more daring… Well, I know you must have been craving at least something slightly out of the ordinary if you ventured into Underground tonight.”
She closed her eyes and moaned as she imagined him peppering her with kisses in an endless midnight seduction. Until the fantasy morphed into one where he took her harder. Faster. With the inherent authority she’d desperately tried to surrender tonight. Maybe he would even lay his palm on her ass as he took her from behind, giving her more than she could have dreamed possible at the beginning of the night.
Though both scenarios appealed—like two amazing dessert options on a menu—she knew which flavor she hungered for tonight.
If Linley said I confess, I’m a hopeless romantic click here or search for 4A - Romantic Interlude.
If Linley said Let’s be nice and naughty click here or search for 4B - A Pinch Of Spice.
3B - Stay Downstairs
Linley smirked. “Go home? I don’t think so. Not until I’ve had a taste of this place—and you.”
“Ah, that’s what I figured. You don’t strike me as a quitter.” He kissed her quick and hard. “I like to be right, though.”
She took a step toward the curtain, surprised when his fingers wrapped around her wrist to stall her. “Don’t tell me you changed your mind?”
“Not going to happen, love.” The grin lighting up his handsome face mesmerized her. “But you’re a bit overdressed for Downstairs.”
When he lifted his chin in the direction of the shadowed corner, she realized an attendant monitored a bank of lockers. “We’ll leave our clothes here. You can keep your underwear if you prefer, but most patrons go bare beyond this point. I’m surely not going to complain if you decide to jump right in.”
As he spoke, he unknotted the light blue silk tie he wore. Loosening the material from around his neck, he got to work on the buttons of his crisp shirt. Frozen, she stared as he put himself on display for her. Tan skin took the place of his fancy clothes. Naked looked so much better on him than his designer suit that she nearly swallowed her tongue.
“Thank you.” His smug smile had her shaking her head, tempted to pinch the disc of his nipple, which tightened at the loss of his shirt.
Deciding it’d be better to undress before he had nothing left to occupy his attention and could stare at her in return, she curled her fingers in the hem of her dress. Several deep breaths later, she walked the pliant material up her thighs.
Chase groaned. “You’re gorgeous. I’m a sucker for long, pretty legs.”
“Who wouldn’t love those?” The attendant winked at her.
“Focus on me.” Her escort drew her gaze to him once more. “There will be lots of people and distractions around tonight. If you get shy or overwhelmed, concentrate on me and ignore the rest.”
Either her imagination played tricks or he’d edged closer when she glanced away from him. His suit jacket, tie, and shirt were draped over his forearm. He extended them toward the attendant then got to work on his belt. The clink of the buckle coming free, then the leather slipping through his loops, had her shivering. She watched as he toed off his shoes.
“Don’t worry. It’s warmer inside. The floor has radiant heat as well.” Chase paused to rub his hand along her arm. “The sooner you strip, the sooner I can show you.”
Linley bit her lip. She peeled the dress over her hips, up her stomach, and above her breasts. Ducking out of the outfit, she handed it to the attendant. One hand propped on her hip, she stood before Chase in heels and lacy black lingerie.
“I shouldn’t have looked until I finished getting this damn zipper open.” He cursed mildly beneath his breath, inciting a riot of giggles from her.
“Need some help?” She reached for him and he relented, allowing her to tuck her fingers in the waistband of his pants.
“Pretty sure that’s only going to make the problem worse,” he grumbled.
Bold and unafraid, Linley rubbed her palm over the bulge impeding his progress. She measured his length with her curious fingers then shifted the pressure from his zipper.
“Was that a purr you just made?” He grunted as he finally worked his trousers open.
“Might have been.” Unable to stop herself, she leaned in for a kiss. The press of his smooth chest on her mostly unclothed skin had her breath catching in her lungs. While their mouths teased each other, he dropped his pants.
“Excuse me, Chase.” The attendant cleared his throat. “I’m going to have to ask you kids to take this into Downstairs. You know the rules.”
“Sorry, Nick.” Chase broke their lip lock to apologize. He scrubbed his knuckles over his eyes and breathed deep as if trying to get himself under control.
The racing of her heartbeat meant she could relate. Nice to know she wasn’t the only one revved to the max. To speed along the process, Linley sank to her knees at his feet. He glanced down at her then scrunched his eyes closed. “You can’t do that here, love.”
“What? Take your pants off?” She nipped the bulge of his quad as she tapped one of his heels. “Lift for me.”
When he did, she swept his pants—and the gray boxer briefs he’d also shimmied down to his ankles—from his foot. Shortly, they repeated the gesture on his other side. She gained her feet carefully, thankful for his hands beneath her arms, helping her rise. Especially when she got an up close and personal view of his thick hard-on.
Tonight was going to be one for the history books, she was sure.
She handed her clothes to the attendant, who beamed at her.
“I wish I wasn’t on duty the whole evening. I’ve never seen our boy so dazzled before. This could be fun to watch.”
Linley gasped. “Is this a spectator sport?”
“Only if that’s what you want.” Chase addressed her uncertainty in a flash. “Tonight is about your pleasure. You tell me what you’d like to try and I’ll make it happen. Or prevent you from being exposed to something that isn’t a turn on for you.”
This time he folded his frame, crouching to slip her shoes from her feet one by one. “These are sexy as hell, but you don’t need them.”
This time when they stood facing each other, Chase dwarfed Linley. Or it seemed that way to her since it wasn’t very often a man had several inches on her nearly six foot frame.
“It’s a rare treat to be with a woman close to my height.” He appraised her figure. At least her time in the gym had been well spent despite her busy schedule. It made her proud of her figure when he paused to admire the swell of her breasts and the dip of her waist. “You’re svelte. Yet stacked.”
“What are you going to do about it?” Linley shifted, trying to appease the pressure between her legs. Letting her gaze roam over the cut lines of his chest and abdomen, she couldn’t wait for the instant he joined them together in this mutual desire.
“I’m going to show you a good time.” He rose, passing her shoes to Nick.
“Have fun you two.” The guy waved to them as Chase rested his palm at the small of her back and steered her toward the curtain.
“No doubt about that,” he whispered, leaning in to nuzzle the soft fall of her hair at her temple. “Ready?”
“I’m standing here in my underwear, aren’t I?” She angled her head to soften her joke with a quick kiss on his cheek.
“Quite beautifully, yes.” The tip of his finger trailed along the edge of one of her bra cups. “I’m sort of glad you left the good stuff for me alone. Do you mind me being naked?”
“Hell no.” A laugh bubbled out of her. He had the ability to put her at ease, even in a potentially awkward situation. “You were meant to be like this. For you, wearing clothes should be a crime.”
“Likewise, Linley.” After leaning in, he forced himself to stop. “Come on, let’s go inside before I forget myself and break a rule or twenty. You know, that’s not usually a problem for me.”
“Thank you.” She smiled up into his bewildered face, then latched on to his hand and dragged him through the curtain into Downstairs.
The moment she set foot on the warm floor, heat burst through her. Her eyes opened wide as she took in the debauchery around her. Each place her stare landed, a new experience unfolded. From the nude servers, passing out drinks, to the couples mingling as though they hung around associates in the buff every day—hell, maybe they did.
In awe, she didn’t realize at first that some of the couples in the corners were doing more than simply socializing. Several of them were having sex, right there in the open. Others teased in foreplay intended to stimulate both the exhibitionists and their complimentary voyeurs stationed around the room.
A couple came through the curtain and bumped into her and Chase. “Come on, love. Let’s take a closer look. And while we’re touring, don’t forget to peek at the doors to your right. Their names tell you a lot about what’s waiting inside. If something looks interesting, let me know.”
Overwhelmed with carnal delights, Linley allowed her guide to shuffle them forward. Several members admired his fresh find openly. He greeted some, waved to others across the room, and never once took his attention from her, monitoring her expression to all that surrounded them.
He headed for the back of the long, narrow space past endless couches on the left and a parade of ornate wooden doors with plaques. The very first one piqued her interest off the bat. It read: The Toy Chest.
They continued on past Peeping Toms, Vanilla, The Grotto, and Costumes ‘R Us. Each had a vacant or occupied light illuminated on the front. They went on for as far as she could see until the portals turned a corner. She didn’t doubt as many or more lurked around the edge. One in particular had her shivering, and not out of fear or disgust either.
Ties That Bind.
She hummed.
“You like that idea, huh?” Chase brushed his free thumb across the hard tip of her nipple, which distorted the front of her bra.
“Yes,” she murmured. “It’s all your fault. Since you showed me that painting in the hall, it’s been on my mind.”
“So noted.” A chuckle emanated from his chest. “Why don’t we take a seat for a while so you can check out the crowd and think about your choices? There are more around the bend if none of those appealed.”
“No, I saw a few…” She had to clear her throat.
“Good.” Chase squeezed her hand. “But I don’t think you’re fired up enough yet. I want you begging.”
“That can be arranged.” Stifling a pout became surprisingly difficult. Linley hardly recognized the woman he made her. Pliant. Needy. Vulnerable.
It frightened her and thrilled her at the same time.
“I’m talking about the kind of urge that burns until you scream my name and implore me to fill you. I’ll make you want it all then give you more than you imagined.” He certainly knew how to push her buttons. “Just like Alec is doing for Eliana.”
“Hmm?” She glanced away from his handsome face toward whatever had snagged his attention.
A platinum blonde woman with extra-pale skin and a smattering of colorful tattoos was splayed on her back on a padded bench. A thin man boasting at least a dozen piercings, which reflected glints of his spiky blue hair, crawled between long, toned legs.
Whoa. “They’re beautiful together,” she whispered.
“I agree.” Chase led her to a loveseat and pressed her shoulders until she lowered herself into the soft leather. “And she loves to have an audience to witness what her husband has the power to do to her.”
“They’re married?” Linley didn’t object when Chase petted her long tresses where they spilled over her back nearly to her elbows. She reveled in the stoking touches. Accompanied by the sight of the fit, young couple in front of her—and the sounds of their lovemaking—she felt the warmth that had begun to pulse through her core growing. Spreading.
“Yes.” He added kisses and licks to her neck and shoulders before toying with the upper swells of her breasts. “They met here and tied the knot within a few weeks. Right upstairs in the ballroom. At the time I thought they were crazy, but they’ve lasted. Must be coming up on five years now. And maybe I finally understand more about how they knew so fast. I’ve never felt this kind of chemistry before, Linley.”
She pried her stare from Alec, who feasted on his wife as if he could never have enough of her taste. Eliana’s spine arched as she offered herself more fully to the man she’d pledged herself to for life. Their demonstration was proof of their love and lust.
Alec pressed his wife’s thighs wider apart to make room for his broad shoulders as he nestled closer to her core. She obliged, allowing him to mold her into whatever contortion he needed to improve his access.
“Wait, are you saying…” Afraid to ask, Linley knew tonight had already come to mean more to her than a quick let off of steam.
“Shh.” Chase tipped her chin up and toward him so that he could claim her mouth. His kiss melted her doubts, leaving only searing desire. His tongue teased the insides of her lips then coaxed her own out to play. They swirled the wet muscles around each other, pausing only to suck or impart a love bite on the other. “I don’t know what the hell is happening. But I’m going with it. I’m prepared to ride this wave as far as we can.”
His hand wandered from her shoulder to cup her breast, testing the weight in his palm. She made a handful plus some for him, and he seemed plenty satisfied with the way they fit. Soon she wished the thin, expensive lace of her bra didn’t stand between them making skin-to-skin contact.
“Chase,” she whimpered.
Linley allowed her hand to wander from where it’d hung limp by her side when he attacked her logic. She swept it over his muscled thigh until she bumped into the heaviness of his erection. Her fingers curled around the thick shaft possessively.
Chase broke their kiss as he practically growled her name. Triumph rang through her at the matching desperation in his stare. Instead of caving to her manipulation, he counterstriked. His fingers journeyed along her belly to cup her mound.
The mewl that broke from her throat surprised her.
Several of the couples around them diverted their attention from Alex and Eliana to the side action she and Chase were quickly ramping up to. If they didn’t get behind closed doors soon, they’d be demonstrating more than she felt up to on her first time out.
Though she couldn’t find her voice, she begged Chase with her gaze.
“Okay, I think we’re ready.” His self-deprecating laugh made it clear he wasn’t used to suffering the same level of arousal as the women he delighted. Before she realized what he intended, he’d hailed a server. “When Robbie gets here, we’ll give him our room order. Where am I taking you?”
“There are so many possibilities, it’s hard to pick.” Assaulted by a barrage of images, she closed her eyes. That only served to make the possibilities more vivid.
“You know, we can try them all eventually. But for tonight…why don’t you tell me which two struck your fancy and we’ll narrow it down from there.” He patted her hand, lingering to tease the sensitive spots between her fingers, making her shiver.
“What if you don’t like the activities on top of my list?” She gulped. Temptation loomed so near, she didn’t relish the thought of being disappointed or putting him off.
“There aren’t any doors in this room I wouldn’t walk through with you.” The wash of his breath proved he’d leaned in close enough to buss her cheek. “It’s the reason I play up here instead of in the Basement. I know my limits and what I’m capable of granting a woman. Nothing here is out of the realm of enjoyment for me. So what are your top two?”
