by Golden Angel
Melody was pretty sure she'd gotten wet just watching him unbutton the cuffs and slowly folding the fabric into place.
I have issues.
At least now she knew for sure that her overwhelming attraction to him hadn't just been because he'd ridden to her rescue in court or that she'd worn BDSM blinders in the club or something. Nope. She was just attracted to him. Period. Whether he was lawyering, Domming, or bowling.
He was smart, funny, charming, incredibly sexy, listened to her talk about her research without his eyes glazing over, and was a Daddy Dom.
So what the hell was wrong with him?
There had to be something, right?
Although, obviously Peggy thought that the fact he was a Daddy Dom was a problem. That was one downside. She'd liked all the answers that he'd given her about why he liked being a Daddy Dom, but once Peggy got an idea stuck in her head, it could be hard to remove it. Which was why Melody was out here tonight, testing the waters while Peggy wasn't home, without telling her bestie about the date.
Just thinking about it made Melody uncomfortable, so she pushed thoughts of Peggy away.
Focus on the hot man’s ass instead.
And the way he's kicking your ass.
Dammit. Melody felt like pouting again. She could be a little competitive about games. Normally she didn't get competitive about bowling, but that was because she was usually playing with people who scored the same as she did. People who were happy if they managed a three-digit score.
She wasn't used to being totally wiped off the scoreboard.
Watching his fourth strike in a row, Melody sighed. At least she had good forearm porn. His muscles got all flexed and sexy when he was holding the fifteen-pound ball. Made her think about all the things he could probably do with those strong hands and fingers... beyond the things she already knew he could do.
Turning around, he caught her expression and chuckled, walking back to her with a little swing in his step.
"Not quite how you pictured this going, baby girl?" he asked, as he came to a halt in front of her, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Is there anything you're not good at?" she countered. The fact that her voice came out a little higher than usual did not escape her notice. She sounded almost whiny.
But that didn't seem to bother Kawan. If anything, his grin widened, and then his hands were on her hips again, pulling her into him for another kiss. Melody could definitely get used to being kissed in between frames. Especially because this time he didn't just leave the kiss on her lips and then pull away.
This time the kiss lingered, and when she parted her lips, he took immediate advantage and deepened the kiss. His hands slid around her body, making her arch her back as her breasts pressed against his chest, her fingers digging into his biceps, which felt just as muscular as his forearms. Heat and need surged inside of her.
The man kissed like a demon.
A sinful, sexy demon sent to tempt her into all sorts of naughtiness.
And then he'd spank the naughty right out of her.
Yes, please.
"Excuse me." The words were followed by a very loud throat clearing, ending their kiss. Melody turned her head to glare at the man who had interrupted them. The man, who was wearing a polo shirt that said Sunset Pins on the chest, was unimpressed by the dark look she was leveling at him. "This is a family establishment. Please keep your public displays of affection to a minimum."
Her cheeks heated with a hot blush, right on cue, as her glare dissolved under the man's withering look. Somehow, when Kawan had started kissing her, she'd forgotten where they were. Or maybe forgotten wasn't the right word. She just hadn't cared.
"Sorry," Kawan said, sliding his hands to her hips while giving the man an easy smile. The man snorted and walked away. Kawan looked back down at her and her heart jumped a little in her chest. The warmth in his dark eyes filled her all the way up, making her wonder if he was going to suggest they get out of there. "Okay, little girl, let's get back to the game. And let's make it interesting. If you bowl under a hundred twenty-five, I get to take you to Black Light again next weekend."
"What if I bowl over one-twenty-five?" she asked, because now she was torn between wanting to show him that she wasn't a terrible bowler and wanting to just chuck her ball in the gutter.
"Then I'll still take you to Black Light, and I'll give you an orgasm for every fifty points you score tonight." The wicked smile that accompanied that promise made her all wobbly in the knees.
"Every twenty points," she counter-bargained.
Kawan's rich laugh filled the air and Melody beamed up at him.
Chapter 9
They played four games and Melody got her highest score of one hundred twenty-seven on the second game. Since he'd ended up agreeing to every twenty points, that meant six orgasms for the little minx on Saturday. Watching her celebratory dance when she'd scored high enough had him laughing, as had her frustrated pout when she'd actually done worse the next two games.
There were so many different sides to her. The scared defendant hadn't been his favorite, although that had played on all his protective instincts, but he didn't like to see her in trouble. Discovering she was a curious newbie to kink had been a delightful surprise. The serious researcher who was focused on her PhD had his immediate respect.
But he was pretty sure this was her little side, working its way out through an innocent game.
She plopped down on the bench next to him with a sigh, staring morosely at the scoreboard. "I think I peaked early."
"I think your arm is getting sore," he told her, reaching out to take her hand and start massaging it. "But you still managed to break one twenty-five already."
She perked up at the reminder.
"I did, didn't I?" A hot blush immediately followed as she slanted her gaze his way, like she didn't quite dare to look him in the eye. "Does that mean... Are we... Were you serious?"
Oh, how he loved these little hints of shyness, he truly did. Sliding his fingers into her hair, Kawan twisted the soft strands around his fingers, using them to draw her closer to him. He wouldn't embarrass her by doing anything that would bring the manager down on them again, but he couldn't quite manage to keep his hands off of her either.
She sucked in a breath, her eyes flaring, and she blushed even pinker. The noise of the alley seemed to recede to a droning hum as the tension between them grew, his lips hovering over hers.
"Was I serious about taking you to Black Light and giving you six screaming orgasms?" The pink in her cheeks turned red hot in a second. "Absolutely, baby girl. I'm going to show you all the ways a Daddy can reward his good girl."
Her eyes practically glazed over and she squirmed slightly in her seat, immediately and completely aroused. She wasn't the only one. Kawan had gotten his own libido under control for the most part, but it only took two seconds and one little breathy sigh for it to come roaring back to life.
"What if..." Melody's tongue flicked out, nervously wetting her lower lip, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "What if I want to know more about what happens to naughty girls?"
Kawan's grip on her hair tightened and she whimpered.
Fuck, the things she did to him.
"I could show you that right now, if you'd like." He husked out the words. Getting her alone tonight, on their first official date, hadn't been part of his original plan, but he was willing to be flexible.
The expression on her face cleared a little and then fell with disappointment. "I... I have work early tomorrow morning."
"Then we should get out of here now, and you can let me know how much time I have to work with."
Passion flared in her eyes.
Damn Peggy.
Damn her, damn her, damn her.
Although, even thinking that made Melody feel like a horrible best friend. Because she was a horrible best friend. Or maybe she was the best best friend ever because she'd given up hot, filthy, naughty sex in order t
o be there for her best friend when she was needed.
Even if she did feel resentful about it. She was allowed to feel resentful as long as she didn't show it and did show up for her bestie, right?
She hoped so because, as much as she wanted to be a perfect, self-sacrificing best friend, she couldn't just make the feeling go away. If Peggy were genuinely heartbroken, she was sure she'd be less resentful... but Peggy seemed more enraged than anything else.
"Can you believe he broke up with me?" Peggy ranted, repeating herself for the third time, pacing back and forth on the living room rug. "While I'm wearing this? What the hell is wrong with him?"
She'd been pretty much saying the same thing over and over again, not requiring much more from Melody than a supportive statement of outrage... although, truthfully Melody could see Elliott's side of it. While she was no expert in kink or BDSM just from reading, she knew that Doms didn't always deal well with surprises. Especially since Peggy didn't even try to see that maybe she'd been doing something wrong.
"It is kind of topping from the bottom," Melody pointed out, a little hesitantly.
Peggy immediately stopped pacing and planted her hands on her hips, narrowing her green eyes at Melody. "Whose side are you on here?"
"Yours, of course. He should have jumped on you like a slavering beast because you're too sexy for words." That got a little smile from Peggy, reluctant though it was. "Still though, maybe it's just because he's a Dom. They always like to be in control, right?"
"Ugh, don't be reasonable, I hate it when you're reasonable." Losing some of her bravado, Peggy flung herself dramatically onto the couch beside Melody. "He called me a selfish brat."
"Well, that was definitely mean," Melody said soothingly, scooting over to put her arm around Peggy. It also wasn't entirely untrue, but there were a lot of good parts of Peggy that helped to make up for her occasional self-involvement. "Totally uncalled for."
Leaning her head onto Melody's shoulder, more of the anger leeched out of Peggy's voice, and the resentment she'd felt about being called away from Kawan faded. "I really liked him."
"I know, sweetie." She stroked Peggy's arm, resting her cheek on the top of her friend's head. Peggy had definitely really liked him, but deep down, Melody realized she wasn't surprised it hadn't worked either. Elliott was definitely dominant while Peggy... well, she was also dominant most of the time. Maybe she was different in the bedroom, but apparently that hadn't been enough for Elliott. They'd been doomed to clash eventually.
"Well, fuck him anyway." Peggy jumped back to her feet in one of her lightning fast mood changes. If her anger was half-bravado, Melody wasn't going to call her on it. She knew Peggy preferred action to wallowing. When Melody was dumped, she went for ice cream and Gilmore Girls. When Peggy was dumped, she was more likely to be found drinking martinis and watching Game of Thrones with a scary expression on her face. "I'm going to find a new boyfriend—a better boyfriend—who doesn't expect me to worship at his feet. I'll make him kneel for me."
And with that, she was off and running again, leaving Melody to inwardly sigh and settle back into the couch for what was likely to be a long night. Work tomorrow was going to be rough.
At least she had her Saturday Black Light date with Kawan to look forward to. With Peggy on the warpath this week, she was probably going to really be feeling the need for an escape by then.
Focusing on work had never been so difficult.
It didn’t help that he couldn't stop texting Melody. Especially since she kept texting back.
They weren't even talking about anything important.
She'd sent him an apology this morning for having to leave last night—an unnecessary one, since Kawan understood that her friend had needed her—and then somehow they'd ended up playing the question game with each other. Favorite movie... favorite book... favorite TV show... favorite restaurant... favorite food... Nothing that couldn't have waited for a real conversation, but he couldn't stop.
Every time she sent him a question, along with her answer, he sent her one back... along with his.
In between waiting for her answers, he managed to get work done. And he did turn off the sound on his phone for meetings, but the second the meeting was over, the first thing he did was check it for another message.
The wait for this upcoming weekend was going to be interminable.
Patience was usually one of his virtues, but at the moment, his usual calm eluded him.
When he ran into Sienna exiting Alexander's office, he was distracted enough that he almost didn't notice the slightly dazed expression on her face at first. A second glance and he noted that her lips were slightly swollen and tendrils of her hair had worked their way out of her neat bun. His own lips quirked. It didn't surprise him at all that Alexander took advantage of having his future wife working in the same building.
The second she saw Kawan, a blush bloomed in her cheeks, amusing him even further. Considering he'd watched her scene multiple times at Black Light, he hadn't realized she'd be embarrassed about being caught having some lunchtime fun. Apparently location mattered. His grin widened.
"Hello, Sienna."
"Hello, Sir. Um, Kawan. I mean, Mr. Park." She was adorably flustered and blushing even harder now, wringing her hands in front of her as her gaze lowered and lifted.
"Having a good day?" he asked.
The little sub rallied, although the color in her cheeks remained. Her chin lifted and her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Yes, Mr. Park. Very good."
Alexander's deep voice interrupted them as he called out from his office, over Kawan's chuckle. "Stop bothering my fiancée, Kawan. Come in here, I want to talk to you anyway."
Giving him a little wink, Sienna swished her hips as she walked away, regaining her usual sassy confidence with every step. Still chuckling, Kawan moved into Alexander's office, shutting the door behind him. Eyes on his computer, Alexander didn't look at him until he was seated in one of the comfortable chairs in front of Alexander's desk.
With one last tap on his keyboard, Alexander refocused his piercing blue gaze on Kawan. "How's your day going?"
Raising his eyebrow, Kawan settled back into his chair. "Good, as far as I know."
"You seemed a little distracted this morning."
Trust Alexander to have noticed. Kawan huffed out a breath. "I am, but it's nothing dire."
"Is it the lovely Miss Melody from Saturday night?" Alexander asked, cocking his head at Kawan.
"If I'd known you wanted gossip, I would have scheduled a meeting," Kawan joked.
Alexander smiled thinly, but it didn't quite meet his eyes. "Are you seeing her again?"
"This weekend," Kawan said, trying not to sound as defensive as he felt. Something about his friend's demeanor was putting him a little on edge. He gave Alexander a look. "Is there a reason for the interrogation, counselor?"
The other man's gaze sharpened, full of challenge. "Is there a reason you consider a couple of perfectly innocent questions an interrogation?"
Kawan snorted.
"Your questions are never innocent."
The growing tension between them broke as Alexander laughed. "There is that." His expression softened, turning to something more like worry, and Kawan felt his stomach flip over as he saw unwanted pity written there. "I'm just... checking in."
The tension might be gone, but now an awkwardness rose in its place. Kawan knew that Alexander was only asking because he cared, because they were friends, but it still felt invasive. Unwanted. But the questions themselves weren't and he knew it.
"We're seeing each other again this Saturday."
"Is she a baby girl?" Alexander's tone warmed slightly, tinged with just a touch of relief. That disappeared as soon as Kawan hesitated.
"She's interested in Daddy Doms," Kawan said. Of course, Alexander had no problem picking up on what he wasn't saying.
"But she doesn't have any experience with them."
Kawan's fingers drummed on the edge o
f the armchair. "She doesn't have any experience with BDSM period."
"Oh, like that makes it any better," Alexander muttered, running his hand over his face before returning his gaze to Kawan. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
This.
Get involved with a woman who didn't have any experience in BDSM. One who was interested, but had no practical knowledge. It would be so easy to turn her into exactly what he wanted her to be, but that wouldn't be what was best for her in the end. But letting her find her own way meant she might end up deciding she wanted something different than he did. That he wasn't enough for her, or too much for her, or some combination of both.
Like Krissy had. If only that was all she'd done.
The little stab of pain in his chest at the thought of his ex didn't surprise him. What did surprise him was that he also felt a small ache at the idea that Melody might follow in her footsteps.
He couldn't possibly be that emotionally involved with her so quickly, could he?
Kawan leaned back in his chair, fighting the urge to cross his arms over his chest and close himself off. Who knew what Alexander might read into that defensive posture.
"We're just scening," he said, keeping his voice even and completely neglecting to mention the date he'd taken her on last night.
"I'm only asking because I care," Alexander said softly.
"I know. Don't think I don't appreciate it, even if it makes me uncomfortable." Kawan forced a half smile onto his face and batted his eyes. "I'm not used to having to answer to Daddy."
Alexander choked and Kawan's half-smile widened to a full one.
Dammit. Someone had taken her favorite sharpie.
Melody's lips thinned as she cast a suspicious gaze around the lab. It was just her, Corey, and Richard today and, to be honest, she couldn't really see either of them stealing her purple sharpie. Everyone knew the purple one was her special one. It was a true measure of her distraction this week that she'd left it behind yesterday.
