by Chloe Maddox
She finally reached Madame Teresa, and she beckoned for her to follow her into the office. Madame Teresa opened the door, and a waft of perfume breezed past as they both stepped inside the dark room. Madame Teresa’s hands groped around for the light switch until she finally found it, and the lights illuminated the small but cozy room.
Alexa hadn’t been in here a lot before, but she always found the room comforting and warm. It was done in subtle hues of red and brown that contrasted beautifully. There was a lush carpet that made Alexa want to take off her shoes and dig her toes in, and in front of the mahogany desk, there were two plush chairs that made you want to sink into their velvet softness. The room was devoid of anything intimately personal, but it still felt like a good fit for the enigmatic Madame Teresa.
Madame Teresa moved behind the desk, plopped down into her comfy chair and sighed as she began rubbing her temples. “Sit, sit.”
Alexa moved forward and sank into one of the chairs. She tried not to sigh in contentment as she felt the smooth material glide across her skin.
“Did you get his attention?”
Alexa frowned as she lay her hands on her lap. “I’m not sure, Madame Teresa. I noticed that he wasn’t paying attention to the other women when they tried to get his attention, so I tried to do the opposite. I ignored him and paid attention to the other men.”
Madame Teresa laughed as she slapped her desk. “You tried to trick him. Girl, I know I like you for good reason. You are smart and beautiful. You definitely go far. It worked?”
Alexa pursed her lips. “Well, he definitely paid attention when I ignored him. I thought that my plan worked because he even smiled at me, but then he got up and left.”
Madame Teresa looked thoughtful for a moment as she leaned back in her chair and peered at Alexa closely. “I think it work.”
Alexa looked puzzled. “What do you mean? How do you know?”
“This man been coming here long time, but never say much. Me think, maybe he like other men. Maybe he like men and women, so he want to pick both. Me think, okay, he cause no problem, and he rich as sin. I let him stay, and maybe someday he pick someone and pay lots of money.”
“Okay, but what does that have to do with me?”
Madame Teresa leaned forward eagerly. “Today, he come to me after your show and say, ‘Who is that stunning woman?’ I smile and tell him all about you, and he seemed interested because he nod and smile while looking like he deep in thought. Then he said, ‘We talk again soon.’ After that, he left.”
“I don’t understand how that’s a good thing.”
Madame Teresa smiled. “It mean, he might not buy you tonight, but he will very soon once he figure it out. So, you keep doing what you do, and we wait for a while to see if he come back and stare again. If he does, we arrange for private meeting.”
“I see,” Alexa responded, feeling the earlier nerves come back full force.
Madame Teresa patted Alexa’s hand. “You did amazing job. Now, we sit back and wait.”
***
Days went by, and Dean Withers did not come by again. Madame Teresa tried not to show it, but she was obviously worried that her initial assessment had been wrong. Eventually all talk of Dean Withers faded away, replaced by new gossip until life at Exotic Paradise returned to normal.
Alexa tried to keep the grey eyed Adonis out of her head as she went about her usual business. Madame Teresa still turned down all the men who made an offer, still keeping mum about what kind of man she would accept as Alexa’s patron.
Madame Teresa hated the word buyer.
It was such a crass and tasteless word that made them sound like a supermarket rather than a reputable establishment. She said that what they did was worth so much more than the mere process of picking out an item, and paying for it.
Alexa had to laugh at Madame Teresa’s explanation, but she knew that the old woman meant well. She had, after all, built this business from the ground up. She was a shrewd woman, and her reputation preceded her, and the women actually liked working for her, unlike many others in the same business.
Alexa sat in front of her bureau and wondered about her family. She wondered how little Calum and Mackenzie were doing.
A small smile played on Alexa’s lips as her mind conjured up her mother. A beautiful, proud, but strong woman who could put any man in his place then have him drooling the next second with a mere smile. She never actively encouraged men, but they still tried anyway. She ignored them as she devoted herself entirely to her religion, much to the delight of Alexa's father, who while not overly devout still worried that someday his wife might leave him for someone better.
Alexa thought of her brothers again, with their red hair and their mother’s hazel eyes. Sometimes, she thought of writing to them, to see if they needed anything, but she knew they probably wouldn’t respond. Who knew what her parents had told them? They were young and impressionable, after all.
Alexa shook away the remnants of her nostalgia as she came to, and realized that someone was calling her name. She stood up, stretched her arms and headed towards Madame Teresa’s office as she realized she was being summoned.
She knocked softly and waited for the guttural sound of Madame Teresa telling her to come in. A minute later, she opened the door and stepped inside. Madame Teresa was talking quietly to a man who sunk so low in his chair that Alexa couldn’t make out who he was from his back.
“Shut the door please, Alexa.”
Alexa did as she was told and waited patiently by the door, trying to catch a peek at their mysterious guest.
When they were finally done talking, Madame Teresa looked very pleased as she nodded and gave Alexa an encouraging smile. “Come here, please.”
Alexa put one foot in front of the other as she tried to ignore the anxious thump in her chest. She paused right next to the chair and tried to keep her eyes forward, so as not to seem overly eager.
“Alexa, this is Dean Withers.”
Alexa tried to control the tremble of excitement that went through her at the mention of his name, and she allowed herself to spare a quiet glance in his direction. For his part, Dean looked impeccable in a clean, pressed navy suit, with a white shirt unbuttoned at the top, and a pair of loafers. His jet black hair was brushed in a way that made it seem like he just rolled out of bed, and Alexa’s fingers ached to touch it.
His grey eyes perused her at a leisurely pace as she gave him a polite smile and inclined her head ever so slightly.
“Alexa Ramon is fairly new to the establishment, as you can see, but she has a good pedigree. Irish father. Russian mother.”
Dean had one hand laying idly on his knee while the other stroked the slight stubble on his chin. “Yes, I can see what you mean.”
His voice had a deep, husky timbre that had Alexa thinking of lazy afternoons spent in bed. Madame Teresa stood up and began to walk towards Alexa. “I’ll leave you two to get better acquainted.”
She tossed Alexa a meaningful look before she strode towards the door and shut it behind her. The second she heard the quiet click of the door, Alexa felt her insides turn into jelly. Dean sat perfectly still in his chair, simply studying her quietly and not saying a word.
Finally, he cocked his finger. “Come here.”
Alexa hated that she was being treated like a slave, so she stood for a second, fighting against every bone in her body that told her that she should be allowed to say no, and reminded herself that she had agreed to this, and she had to hold up her end of the bargain.
She willed herself forward and stood in front of him, raising her head just a little.
She was surprised when she heard Dean chuckle. “I can see you’ve got a lot of fire in you, stubbornness, and pride as well. All qualities I quite enjoy, so long as you do what I say.”
Alexa kept her mouth clamped shut, worried that if she opened it, she might say something stupid.
Dean stood up and circled h
er, making quiet noises in the back of his throat as he refrained from touching her. One hand darted out and lay gently on her shoulder. Alexa tensed up for a second before she reminded herself to relax.
“You’ve got a lot of self-control, too. I can see that’s obvious in the way you hold yourself, and the way you told yourself just now not to flinch at the touch of a stranger.”
Alexa’s mouth moved. “Yes, sir.”
Dean’s mouth curled into a smile. “I can see that took a little bit of effort. Understandably, of course. You needn’t call me 'sir' outside of the bedroom, Alexa. You can use my regular name.”
She liked the way her name rolled off his tongue like that, as if he was tasting it.
“Alexa, I’m not in the habit of touching women without their consent. Now, I know what kind of establishment this is, and I know how they train you to stand still, and do everything a man says whether you like it or not, but for now, you do not have to do that. Do you understand me?”
Alexa nodded briefly, feeling as confused as ever.
A relieved smile graced Dean’s features, and he visibly relaxed as he allowed his fingers to trail over her shoulders, lightly grazing them with his fingertips until Alexa melted into his touch. She tried her best not to, but she just couldn’t help herself. The way he touched her was electric, pulling her to him as if they were opposite ends of a magnet.
Dean smirked a little. “I can see you respond really well, too. Sensitive skin.”
“Is that a good thing?” she blurted out before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened as her hands flew up to her mouth.
Dean chuckled. “That’s an excellent thing. You needn’t worry about speaking out of turn, Alexa. You can speak frankly with me. I don’t know if Madame Teresa told you this, but I have very particular tastes when it comes to the bedroom.”
Alexa tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. “Madame Teresa informed me.”
An amused smile tugged on the corner of his lips. “She did, did she? What did she say?”
Alexa blinked as she cocked her head to the side. “I don’t know if I’m supposed to say anything. It was said in confidence, after all.”
“I respect that you feel the need to protect something that isn’t yours to protect, especially given that it was said in confidence, but given that it is about me, and I’m the one asking, I can assure you that it isn’t a breach of trust.”
“That sounds like something someone would say to get you to betray someone you care about.”
Dean smiled a half smile. “Oh, I really like you. You’re sassy too. I can see us getting along splendidly, Alexa. I really am quite pleased thus far.”
Alexa blushed and hung her head low. “Madame Teresa says a woman shouldn’t speak out of turn. Men don’t like women who jabber on and on.”
Dean sighed. “That might be true for some men, but not me. I prefer a woman who can hold a conversation; otherwise, it isn’t worth much beyond sex.”
Alexa’s head snapped up, and she raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t this nothing more than sex either way?”
Dean’s eyes glinted dangerously, an expression of surprise etched onto his face. “That’s a pretty bold thing to say, but yes, I suppose in a sense it is, but it's also so much more than that.”
Alexa tilted her head to the side, feeling emblazoned for some reason she couldn’t fathom. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
Dean gave her an indulgent smile. “I’m glad you asked. Well, you see, I know an exchange like this is mostly about what a man can get out of it, since he is the one paying for a service being rendered. However, given the time frame, I want so much more than that, Alexa. I want to be pleasured, and I want to pleasure a woman.”
A bead of sweat formed on Alexa’s forehead and began to roll down.
“Really?”
Dean smiled pleasantly as his hands traveled down his blazer. Alexa watched distractedly as he easily flicked the middle button, and undid the blazer, leaving his white shirt visible and revealing the taut muscles underneath.
“Oh, yes. It’s very important to me. I’d really like a woman to be able to reciprocate. I know that most of you ladies probably don’t have experience, or at least not much, but I am willing to teach you a thing or two about pleasing a man.”
Alexa gave him a polite smile. “You don’t say.”
Dean quirked an eyebrow. “There goes that sass again. I’m going to have to punish you for that eventually.”
“Punish?” she echoed, in confusion.
“Punish,” he affirmed. “You know, whipping, spanking, that sort of thing.”
Alexa smiled weakly. “Oh, I see.”
“You don’t need to look like I just sentenced you to death, Alexa. I know the concept is quite bizarre to you right now, and probably very scary too, but you’ll find that it can actually be quite enjoyable, and something tells me that with that sass of yours, you’re very likely to enjoy it.”
Chapter 5
Alexa shrugged as she watched him circle her before he paused and pursed his lips.
“There is one thing I’d like to try though,” Dean mumbled, almost to himself as his grey eyes trailed all over her body.
Alexa swallowed, the sound of her own blood pounding in hear ears drowning out every other noise except for the sound of his quiet breathing.
She nodded imperceptibly, knowing that despite her discomfort, she would rather get this over with now than later. Besides, better on her own turf than his. This way, if he turned out to be some horrible creep, she could tell Madame Teresa, and that would be that. Madame Teresa would never force her to go with someone. That was another one of the rules in the contract.
Dean narrowed his eyes in concentration as he let his hands caress her neck. Warmth spread throughout her body at the simple touch, and she found herself actually enjoying it. He let one finger trail down and back up causing a ripple to rise in his wake.
Alexa tried to keep her breathing even, making sure not to seem overly excited lest that ruined the whole thing for him, but she was finding it very hard.
His finger trailed down and glided over her breasts, tracing their general outline. She bit her lip to keep the moan in as he tweaked her nipple and began fiddling with it. Much to her chagrin, her nipples rose, proud and erect beneath his expert touch.
Dean smiled. “I’m surprised. Most women aren’t this sensitive. This is a great thing, Alexa. You don’t need a lot of stimulation to get you turned on.”
Alexa pursed her lips and said nothing.
Dean’s expression turned serious once more as he let his finger slide over to her other breast, to do the same thing. Soon, both her breasts were standing erect, demanding attention.
“Very pleasing indeed,” Dean murmured, his eyes darkening as they ogled her chest. “Alexa.” He paused as he let his gaze travel up and meet hers. He looked her squarely in the eye. “You’ve never been with a guy before, right?”
Her tongue felt like it was glued to the roof of her mouth. It took a lot of effort to get it unstuck. “No.”
“But you have kissed men before?”
Alexa hesitated before answering. “Yes.”
“Good. That counts for something. I bet you are an amazing kisser.” His finger glided back up to her lips, and he began tracing them softly until her lips parted. “With those luscious lips of yours, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
His finger stopped tracing her lips, and his hand moved down again, over the swell of her breast, down the slope of her stomach before it moved to her back. He moved closer, so that they were pressed against each other, chest to chest, with very little space between them.
He let his hands glide over the smooth planes of her back before they stopped at the curve that led to her ass.
He peaked around her shoulder and nodded. “You are just full of surprises, aren’t you? That curve you’ve got there? Very sexy.”
“Why?”
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Dean turned his head to face her. “Most women would kill for that natural curve you’ve got. They get plastic surgery, or wear high heels to create it, but yours I can tell is completely natural.”
“It is,” Alexa said through gritted teeth.
He ran his hands over the rump of her ass, taking his time admiring the fullness and firmness of it. “Firm ass. Looks like its bouncy too.”
Alexa kept her mouth clamped shut as she clenched her hands into fists, and her fingernails began to leave crescents on the inside of her hand.
“You don’t need to be so rigid, Alexa. Nor so practical about the whole thing. Just enjoy it.”
Easy for you to say, Alexa thought. You’re not the one who’s up to their eyeballs in debt with nowhere to turn to. Whether she liked it or not, she needed that money.
She turned her blue eyes to face him. “It’s not that simple.”
“Of course it isn’t,” Dean responded. “I would like to try something else. A bit more intimate.”
He let his fingers travel the expanse of her body softly, leaving a trail of scorching heat in his wake. His gaze on her couldn’t have prepared her for the way his hands felt on her clothes. She imagined it would feel ten times better underneath her clothes, but she would never admit that.
His fingers hovered just above her sweet core, and he paused.
In one swift movement, his fingers slid down, and her dress was up around her thighs, exposing her white, shapely thighs to him.
Alexa gasped as his fingers slid over the inside of her thighs, making her insides turn into jelly.
“What are you—” She swallowed thickly. “What are you doing?”
Dean’s face was fraught with desire. “I’m touching you. I want to feel you. I want to do so much more than this to you, Alexa, but for now this’ll have to do. Especially until I’m sure of one last thing.”
Alexa tried to meet his gaze to get a read on him, but he resolutely refused. “What’s that?”
“How you’ll react to this.” One of his fingers moved from the inside of her thighs to her center, and the heat coming from his hands was enough to make Alexa’s breath hitch in her throat.
