by Desiree Holt
“On what grounds?” she demanded.
“On the grounds that Jonas Hampton exerted undue influence on my—on Max and coerced him into giving you half of Big Spur.”
She stared at him for a long moment. Then, before she even realized what she was doing, she slapped his face. Hard.
Something sparked in his eyes, and his grip on her tightened painfully. “You don’t want to do that, little girl. You’ll be buying more trouble than you can even begin to imagine.”
They stood there like that, immobile, while something electric sizzled in the air between them. Zoe felt as if all her breath was trapped in her lungs.
Abruptly, Wade lifted his hands and backed away. “Don’t play with fire here, little girl. You’ll get burned.” He turned and walked away.
****
Shit and damn all.
That female was getting under his skin as well as into other parts of his body. He couldn’t remember the last time he behaved this way with a woman. Not even in court or across a conference table. Control. That was his motto. But Zoe turned his into nothing but shredded wheat.
“I’m not a little girl,” she shouted after him. “Damn you. And you aren’t selling this ranch.”
No, she wasn’t a little girl, and that was the damn fucking problem.
His brain was short-circuiting, and his cock was so hard if he bumped into something, it might break off. This was getting past the point of ridiculous.
He didn’t turn around. Just kept walking, leaving her standing there. Something nearly uncontrollable was going on between them, and if he didn’t get out of town in a hurry, he’d do something they’d both regret. The last thing he was prepared for when he came back to Sagebrush was this explosive sexual chemistry with a woman he only remembered as a skinny little kid.
When he’d driven onto the ranch after all these years he had two things in mind—burying that old bastard and getting rid of Big Spur. His life was all neatly arranged and under control, exactly the way he wanted it. Successful career, satisfying sex, and no emotional entanglements. He knew how destructive emotions were. Max Cameron had taught him that in spades. Or so he thought. Then he took a look at Zoe Cameron and it all got blown to hell.
What if he embraced these completely unexpected urges? Took her to bed? Showed her his kind of sex!
Shit, Cameron. Get it together.
It baffled him that every day his desire for her grew. He knew he was being an asshole to her, but he had to build a wall. A solid Hill Country limestone wall between himself and Zoe and the goddamn ranch. He hated himself for acting like such a bastard, but his self-protective instincts were out in full bloom. He could not allow Zoe’s love for the ranch to soften his edges, just as he couldn’t give in to his unexplained desire for her. The girl, the pest, had grown up to be a woman who got his sexual juices flowing. But he knew sure as hell she would be turned off by his lifestyle and his type of sexual needs.
So why was it, all he could think of was stripping off her clothes and fucking her senseless?
See what you did to me, old man?
Not that Max could hear him or even wanted to. The man was certainly having his revenge now, disrupting Wade’s carefully organized life and using Zoe Hampton to do it. He was tied to her in a way he’d never expected and what the fuck was he supposed to do about it?
Burn off this sexual energy that was driving him nuts, that was for sure. He needed another visit to Rawhide to help him get his head on straight. But what did he do with the unwanted feelings circling his emotional drain?
Damn it all to hell anyway.
****
Zoe had little appetite for dinner that night. Mickey Sandoval hadn’t been too happy that one of his top analysts was asking for extended leave. She finally agreed to keep working by phone and fax and Internet, and he offered any help if she needed it.
She snorted a laugh. “Are you any good at knocking people off?”
“Well, financially,” he joked.
“Seriously, Mickey, thanks so much for not throwing a fit about this.”
“Zoe, you are one of my best analysts. I don’t want to piss you off and have you end up in someone else’s shop.”
“I really, really appreciate that. And if I find I need help of any kind, you know I’ll come to you.”
Maybe he could suggest a shark of a lawyer to do battle with Wade. She’d have to give it some thought. Tomorrow, she’d talk to John Morrison again on her way to the bank.
She was sitting on her porch in the dark when she saw Wade come out of the house and head for the SUV he’d rented. The big motor turned over, and in a spray of gravel, he backed up and headed out toward the road. This was the third night in a row, he’d gone out, and it piqued her curiosity. Not that he had to stay home. But if he was out getting drunk, she thought he’d have enough sense to stay home and do it.
He had no friends in the area. She knew that without him telling her. So where on earth did he go? And what did he do with his time? He definitely piqued her curiosity.
****
“Obviously, Rawhide has turned out to satisfy your needs.” Clint Chavez, Reece Halliday’s partner, grinned as he shook Wade’s hand. They stood at the entrance to the lounge, which tonight had a pretty good crowd occupying its tables and casual furniture.
Wade’s mouth curved in a cynical smile. “It’s definitely a tension reliever.”
“Anything you need we haven’t provided for you?” He chuckled. “Reece said to give you the royal treatment.”
Wade shook his head. “I think the manager of my club in New York might have exaggerated my importance.”
Clint’s face sobered. “Actually, he told Reece you were a demanding Dom yet one of the most responsible he’s ever met. That counts for a lot.”
“I had a good teacher.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I think I’ll get a cup of coffee and see want turns up. I see Crystal is here again.” He had spent time with her the first night and enjoyed it. At least as much as he could in his present state of mind. He had asked Clint to hook him up with a sub who could tolerate extreme play if necessary and Crystal had been a more than willing participant.
He refused to admit to himself that part of her appeal had been her resemblance to Zoe. And what the fuck was that all about, anyway?
“Would you like me to get a red bracelet for her?” Clint offered.
At Rawhide, red meant the sub was taken but only for the night. “No. Thanks anyway. I think I’ll just hang in the lounge for a while before I make up my mind.” And get my temper under control.
But it wasn’t just his temper bothering him. He felt somehow off balance. His partners had been stunned when he told them he was taking a few weeks off. Not so much for the down time as the fact he was planning to spend more than five minutes at Big Spur Ranch in Sagebrush, Texas. The place he refused to discuss under any circumstances,
As he sat back in the comfortable chair with his mug of fresh roasted coffee, he tried to figure out what had him so twisted up. He hated to admit it might have something to do with Zoe Hampton. What the hell was it about her that bugged him, anyway? Oh yeah, he was pissed about the ranch. No doubt about it. But that hadn’t been the only thing that prompted him to decide to hang around. No, something about Zoe got his juices flowing, and it shocked the hell out of him.
He would bet money if she knew what he wanted to do with her, she run like hell as fast as she could, and yet, twice now, on the porch and in the barn, when he’d been a little rough with her, what he saw in her eyes wasn’t fear but—yeah, desire. And she was as stunned by it as he was.
He was shocked by the fact he wanted her. He needed to tell his dick to take a time-out where she was concerned. To keep working off his excess, ramped up hunger with willing subs who went out of their way to please him. Messing with Zoe was a recipe for disaster.
Crystal sat across the room with two friends, but she’d been looking in his direction since he sat down. Draini
ng the last of his coffee, he unfolded himself from his chair and signaled to the dungeon master. When he’d been assured a room for play was vacant and a key card slipped discreetly into his hand, he turned to look at Crystal. He didn’t walk over to her, simply crooked his finger in a “come here” gesture.
She smiled at her friends, excused herself, and walked over to him. She stood with her hands clasped behind her back, eyes lowered. “Does my Master wish me to serve him tonight?”
“I do. Follow me.”
When he opened the door to the room, he realized it as the same one he’d used for the past two nights. Trust Clint to have made preparations for him, just in case. He lowered the lights in the room and turned on the spotlight over the St. Andrew’s Cross. Leaving Crystal standing just inside the doorway, he opened the cupboard and removed the short flogger he favored as well as a short thin whip.
Over the years, administering pain in varying degrees to a sub completely restrained, either by his words or physical restrictions, had become his strongest aphrodisiac. From a drawer, he removed a couple of his favorite toys, along with some lube, and placed everything on a small table. Then he turned back to his sub. “Come forward to stand in front of me.”
She did as he ordered, still with her gaze lowered and hands behind her back. She was definitely well trained. He’d discovered that their first night together.
“Have you prepared yourself for whatever I choose to indulge in tonight?” he asked.
“Yes, Master. I am well prepared.”
“Excellent. I’m going to turn on some music. I want you to strip to it, slowly.”
A long time ago, he’d discovered the erotic effect of music in a scene and become fascinated with how the different genres could create different moods. He fiddled with the tuner set into the wall until he found what he wanted then settled down to watch her in the big lounge chair off to one side. He’d shown her how he liked this the other night and, smart girl that she was, she remembered. As the bluesy music drifted into the room, she moved her body to the heavy rhythm of the drums and the bass guitar.
Blouse first, a skimpy little thing that knotted beneath her breasts. She untied the tails slowly, undid the buttons, and shrugged the fabric from her shoulders. The outline of her nipples against the fabric had signaled the absence of a bra so now her breasts swung free, the nipples already darkened to a ripe rose color.
Just as he’d ordered her to do before, she captured the mounds in her hands and pinched each nipple between thumb and forefinger, hard, until there was no room left to squeeze. Wade saw the flash of pain across her face replaced almost at once by one of lust. Oh, yes. She was definitely a good match for him.
“The skirt,” he reminded, wanting to move her along. As she slid down the side zipper on the mini skirt, Wade undid the button on his slacks and opened his fly, reaching in to wrap his fingers around his cock.
Moving her hips to the music, Crystal eased her skirt down past her hips to the floor, doing a very sexy bump and grind. Wade stroked his cock in a leisurely fashion, his mouth watering to taste her. The bass and drums thumped through the room, vibrating through his body, the soft wail of a trumpet dancing along his nerve endings. She took her time with the tiny thong, shimmying it down her hips and thighs, totally into the music. When all her garments had been discarded except for the high-heeled strappy sandals, she turned her back to him, widened her stance, and bent over as he’d instructed her to do previously.
The sight of her waxed pussy, the lips pouty and pink and glistening with her juices, made his shaft throb in his hand. He could almost feel her wet heat closing around him, milking him, as he drove inside her.
But not yet. Not yet.
He rose from the chair and walked over to her, his slacks resting on his hips. The music shifted into another tune, this one smoky and underlined with a rich bass guitar. Perfect for what he had in mind. Steadying her with one hand, he delivered two slaps to each cheek of her ass with the other. A beautiful shade of dark pink bloomed on each cheek. Tonight, he’d flog both sides of her body. He wanted to see all her skin aflame like this. It would drive him to an enormous orgasm, one his body craved desperately. The past two nights had barely taken the edge off his hunger.
“Grab your ankles,” he ordered. “Leave on those shoes, but widen your stance to keep your balance.”
“I will, Master.” Her voice was soft and sultry, and even in submissive mode, supremely confident as she moved her feet apart.
It always amazed him how women could manage on those ridiculously high thin heels, and he found himself constantly testing their ability to maneuver on them and still obey his commands.
He fastened the button on his slacks, leaving the fly undone, and fetched the flogger. Her ass called to him like hidden treasure. Punishing a woman’s buttocks always got him hard and hot, had from the beginning. With the thumb and forefinger of one hand, he pinched each cheek in several places, hard enough to leave nice little pink marks. Giving in to momentary temptation, he leaned down and bit each one. Hard.
Crystal flinched but held steady, and a low sound of pleasure slipped from her throat.
Reaching into his slacks to find his cock again with one hand, he grabbed the flogger in the other and trailed its short leather straps across the marked cheeks of Crystal’s ass. She gripped her ankles tighter in preparation for what was to come.
With practiced precision, he applied the instrument, steady strokes that bit into first one globe then the other, falling into the heavy rhythm of the music. His shaft swelled in his grip as he applied the flogger again and again until he had to stop and take a deep breath. Center himself. Rein himself in.
Crystal rocked slightly as the intensity of the strokes increased but stayed balanced until he finished. Until every inch of her ass was a blushing rose, the color spreading to the inside of her thighs. Reaching between her legs, he spread the lips of her pussy and gently eased the handle of the flogger inside.
Again, she moaned and all of her muscles clenched in response.
When he slid the handle free, it was coated with her moisture, glistening in the soft light of the room. He walked around until he stood in front of her, gripped her hair, and lifted her head.
“See how much you like that? Your body doesn’t lie.” He touched the handle to her lips. “Lick it, sub. Taste your excitement.”
Obediently, she opened her mouth and licked the entire handle then ran her tongue over her lips.
Wade maneuvered her head so her face was near his crotch. He opened the fabric and withdrew his aching cock.
“Look. It excites me, too. I love making that ass sting and turn red. Reach out your tongue and lick the head of my shaft. Catch that drop sitting there.”
When she did, the soft flick of her tongue drove him crazy. But what was worse, somehow Zoe’s face became superimposed on Crystal’s, and it was her tongue licking him. Her lips closing around his length.
Shit!
He released his grip on her hair and jerked away. He was losing his fucking mind. He needed to fix this.
****
Rawhide had taken the edge off his physical need, but it hadn’t satisfied the growing craving for Zoe Hampton and her body that inspired erotic thoughts. Unwanted erotic thoughts. Because he knew, with Zoe, an hour in a club would only be a tease. An enticement. He’d want it all, again and again, until she owned him.
Fuck.
The turmoil swirled in his brain all the way back to the ranch, followed him as he moved through the house turning off the lamps he’d left on, and clung to him as he stripped off his clothes and slid into bed. Lying back, he closed his eyes. In an instant, he was back in the room at Rawhide. Only this time the woman with him wasn’t Crystal. It was Zoe.
She smiled up at him, licking his taste from her lips with a sensual swipe of her tongue. He was so aroused his body burned for her. He wanted to fuck her every way possible, and then do it all again.
Taking the tube of g
el, he squeezed a liberal amount on one finger, then spread the cheeks of her ass.
“Deep breath, sub. You know what’s coming.”
He had something very special planned for tonight. Something to take her to the very edge of desire.
Zoe managed to keep her balance while he slid two fingers into her rectum, scissoring to spread the lube and massage it into her tissues. Preparing her.
“Another breath,” he told her. “Tonight’s plug has a little variation to it.”
The butt plug he slowly eased into her was actually a large dildo that he could set to vibrate. The hunger in his body rose to an excessive level, and he had to forcibly rein it in.
Slow. Take it slow.
The fact that she’d willingly handed over this power to him was as much a turn on as any acts he performed on her and with her.
When the dildo was fully inserted, he twisted the rim slightly until a very faint hum vibrated through it.
“Master!” she cried, tightening her grip on her ankles and clenching her buttocks.
“Easy,” he crooned. “We’ve just begun here.”
He eased her to a standing position, taking a moment to massage her arm and leg muscles from the strain of the unnatural position. He prided himself on being the kind of Dom who took good care of his subs.
Satisfied that he had attended to her properly, he led her to the St. Andrew’s Cross. Her eyes widened when, instead of turning so she faced forward on it, he turned her so her back was against it. But she said nothing, just watching him from beneath lowered eyelids.
Wade took a moment to strip off his shirt. Usually, he remained fully clothed until he was ready to actually fuck his sub or slide his cock into her mouth. The clothes were like armor to him, helping him maintain the control he needed. But tonight, with Zoe, his body temperature rose, and he was sweaty beneath his clothes. He didn’t want to examine the reason for it and simply tossed his shirt onto the floor.
Zoe tensed slightly as he stretched out her arms and legs, fastening the manacles around wrists and ankles. He could sense the questions swirling around in her mind. He knew she wanted to give voice to them, but she had assured him she understood the rule of Master and sub so he knew she’d swallow all those words before asking him anything.
