Ticket to Temptation

by Lilith Darville

  A bottle of wine and two glasses. She poured…

  I was about to protest, then caught myself. What the hell did time of day matter now? I was with this beautiful woman, who seemed about to give herself to me.

  And you to her.

  Trust. Stay in the moment. I shook off my doubts and joined her at the table. She raised the glass and tilted it toward me, a very shy, sly smile on her face. Something old and primal, protective and proprietary swept over me. Please God, let her be mine.

  She sat, and looked up at me with those star-filled eyes. Full of faith. Full of hope. And, most of all, full of trust. My heart and my cock filled to capacity. If I remembered no other moment in my life, I’d remember this one.

  We ate. Saying nothing. Just glancing up at each other, locking eyes, like divers about to take the plunge off a very tall cliff, then studiously focused on our food. Minutes ticked past and electric ions danced through the air, engulfing me with a cloak of anticipation. I felt like I could cut the sexual tension in the air as I waited for the signal. Waited for the sign that this woman, this gift, would give herself to me. Joy, wonder, and trepidation as the reality of the moment washed over me. Here was everything I’d dreamed of. Was I ready for this?

  The sudden intensity of Logan’s gaze drew me like a magnet. Sapphire darkened to midnight as she took my measure. That magnificent blush shimmered through her as a smile tugged at the corners of her plump lips. She looked at me through long thick lashes, at once shielding her thoughts and inviting me in. I stared back, allowing the hint of a question in my eyes to grow to a satellite dish. Her smile widened. I swore she’d winked until I remembered she didn’t know how.

  She nibbled a piece of prosciutto-wrapped cantaloupe, licking at the drop of juice on her bottom lip. Still staring, she wiped each finger with her napkin. She dabbed her lips, dropped the napkin, and sashayed out of the room. Huh.

  There was nothing about this woman I could predict. There was even less about my feelings for her. But like was quickly turning into something more, and that something petrified me more than the clown who hid under my childhood bed. I grabbed my coffee, leaned back in the chair, stretched my legs, closed my eyes. A vision of Logan, butt iridescent red, swam behind my eyes. Oh, to dream.

  The thud of a pillow hitting the warm oak floor startled me back to reality. Logan dropped to her knees and bowed her head, kneeling before me in a translucent silk chemise that left little to the imagination. I sat straight and stared.

  What the fuck? That was the one and only thought that penetrated my head. Logan's eyes remained fixated on the floor. Mine remained glued to her. Moments passed before I realized how very ridiculous I must look and snapped my mouth shut. My heart skipped just a little faster as hope surged through me. Could it be?

  “What the hell are you doing?” I circled her, noting the smooth contour of her back, how her tan stopped at the bottom of perfectly formed buttocks that just begged to be…well, tanned. I groaned at my ineptitude and bad humor.

  “Waiting.” Her head remained bowed. She cleared her throat. “Sir.”

  Sir. Sir. This time, my heart skipped a full two beats. My cock writhed in response. “For what?” I added a fine edge of steel to my tone. She had no idea just what she was getting into here.

  “For your command… Sir.” Still, the hesitation, that charming hesitation as if wrapping her head around a new but enticing concept.

  “Why?”

  “Why what, sir?”

  “Why do you want me to command you?” I continued my slow circuit around her. She clenched her fists but otherwise remained still. Several beats passed.

  “I want you to show me how to be a submissive. I need to find out if that’s who I am, Sir.”

  Or maybe you’re just easily influenced. I could have gone on at length about how I believed one was born with either sub or Dom tendencies, but it didn’t seem like the time.

  “Why?”

  She bit her lip and shut her eyes. “I want to feel the pain.” Her voice was barely a whisper in the morning stillness.

  Oh God, save me. She had no idea.

  “I think there’s something about this house, and the diaries definitely fueled the flame. I’m not sure how much of this is you.”

  “Then maybe we should find out, sir.” A spark. Atta girl.

  My eyebrow shot up involuntarily. It seemed Dom Daniel wanted to play after all. The cloak of authority enveloped me.

  “You may regret you said that.”

  “I’m willing to take that chance, sir.”

  “What’s your safe word?”

  “Shyster, sir.”

  Cute. “And if you want me to back off the intensity, but don’t want me to stop?”

  “Enough, sir.”

  “Good. Do you trust me? Because for this to work, I’ll need your trust. Total. Utter. Complete. Can you give that to me?”

  “Yes, sir.” She glanced up and her eyes, now midnight blue, shone with shards of innocence, and a deep sensuality sliced through me. “Can you? Trust goes both ways.”

  Her voice was low, submissive, yet a strong undercurrent of challenge filtered through. She looked at me for another moment before returning her gaze to the floor. I was electrified. Could I give this woman the care she needed?

  I tipped her chin up, taking another long look at those beguiling eyes. “I’ll do my best.” The tenor of my voice matched hers.

  “That’s all I’ll ever ask.” Just the tiniest twitch tugged at the side of her mouth. At that moment, “in like” ratcheted up another notch. I let go of her chin and stepped back.

  Chapter 17

  Logan

  Daniel continued to pace around me as I knelt in our newfound den of iniquity. Sex toys of every variety surrounded me in drawers, on shelves, and on walls. But it was the other apparatus as Daniel called them that took my breath away. His beloved Saint Andrew’s cross sent a frisson of anticipated pleasure shooting right through me. The spanking horse positively called out to me. It was frightening and exciting. The need to know who I was left me no choice. Arousal coursed through my veins awakening hidden erogenous places I hadn’t known existed.

  “Give yourself to me, and I will help you explore who you truly are. Are you ready for that?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Oh good. Daniel took over. Only conscious effort kept me from sagging with relief. I didn’t have to think. I didn’t have to worry about what to do. Truth be told and as sad as it was to say at my age, I didn’t have the faintest clue what to do with a man who didn't wrestle me into position and pump away. The books I’d read could only do so much to prepare to give myself over like this. I was awkward, like a foal taking her first steps. But it didn’t matter. I was with Daniel. He’d tell me what to do, show me thing things I’d only dreamed about doing. Hallelujah.

  “Give yourself to me.”

  And just like that, I relaxed. Okay, that’s stretching it a bit, but rampant curiosity and desire drowned any lingering threads of nervous inhibition. An awakening, like lighting fireflies in each of my cells. My muscles buzzed with the tension of attempting to hide my desire. I kept trying to convince myself I was utterly relaxed and ready to give myself to this good-looking man. I knew I would do anything he asked, and I shook with anticipation.

  I knelt with my head bowed, hoping that was what he wanted to see. That’s what I was supposed to do, right? It was what I’d always assumed being submissive meant. My hands shook at my sides, and I didn’t know if I should clasp them behind my back or leave them dangling. God, I wanted to look up at him, to see his face, his expression.

  What was he doing? After all that pacing, why was he just sitting there?

  He didn’t move, yet I could feel his gaze penetrating the thinly-veiled silk barely covering the swell of my breasts, the curve of my hips, and the sweep of my thighs. Choking with excitement, I squeezed my eyes shut. Let me look calm. Elegant. I straightened my spine.

  “Take your clothes
off.” His voice was soft but held a certain conviction that left no room for questions. Master Daniel had indeed come out to play. Compelling me to do just what he what… Demanded! It may seem strange to some, but it wasn’t like he was telling me what to do. It was quite the opposite. He was giving me permission to be myself. To explore the nature of my desire for submission.

  Oh, how I wanted to look at him. Gaze at him. Devour that gorgeous body. I’d had a teaser, a taste. I was about to get my hands on that hard, muscled stomach, that firm chest, his huge and perfect erection. Would he think I’m too fat? Would I make a fool of myself?

  “Now.” Daniel’s voice slashed through me like a whip.

  The edge in his voice brought me up short. I got to my feet and tossed my head, momentarily forgetting I’d braided my hair. Yes, I’d pinned it atop my head like some Egyptian priestess, or Princess Leia.

  Focus.

  I resisted the urge to rush and undid one button at a time. Pulled aside the chemise. Exposed my breasts, in their full, magnificent glory. Hoping they made an impression despite his silence and stillness; I dropped the chemise on the floor. I’d like to say I delicately slipped out of it, but in actuality, I pretty much yanked it off. I stood there naked. Exposed. Almost hyperventilating I was so excited. What does one do with their hands at a time like this?

  I kept my head down. I had a great view of his relaxed legs; bare feet crossed at the ankles. Slim. Sculptured. Aristocratic. This man’s body oozed perfection.

  He eased out of the chair to stand behind me with the grace of a jungle cat stalking its prey. A gust of his breath caressed my ear, and I discovered another of the most erogenous zones on my body. Excitement like shards of electricity filtered through me. Damp heat built between my legs. His breath smelled of passion and promise. A hint of heat and discovery.

  I wanted to smell him, to hear him moan my name against my ear. I wanted to taste his skin, see if he was salty or held the flavor of our sex. I wanted to feel him…inside me. Inside my mouth. Inside…down there. Okay, so I still had some work to do with this sex talk stuff. Who was I kidding? I couldn’t talk dirty at all without blushing.

  The whirlwind of thoughts came to a crashing halt as he took my hand and led me to the Saint Andrew’s cross. It was a magnificent piece. My heart picked up another ten beats as I admired the polished mahogany. I reached out and ran my free hand over the warm wood, imagining it framing my body, holding me in place. Daniel grabbed my wandering hand and quickly encircled it in a leather cuff. He guided my fingers to a button at the side. I knew without being told that it was the release. Without a word, he let me know I could stop the scene if I chose. I did like this man.

  “What’s your safe word?”

  “Shyster.”

  A quick hard slap landed on my right buttock. I arched into the cross, embracing the sting.

  “Shyster, sir.”

  “Much better.” He tickled the outside swell of my breast. Every movement, every jolt of pleasure reminded me I was one step closer to taking the leap that would change my life forever.

  He fastened the other hand and both my ankles. I tested the restraints, lightly at first and then far harder. Shit, this was real. My hands were sweaty, and the wood against my skin did nothing to help. My ass was exposed, my legs spread open for him to see. With my hair braided, I couldn’t even hide my heated face from him. Erotic energy surged through me. And fear, but of what? Finding out I’m depraved enough to enjoy this. There was no going back now. My juices ran down the inside of my thighs. I was light-headed with anticipation and wonder.

  He stepped away. There were faint rustling sounds I couldn't distinguish. Wisps of cold air that may have been my trepidation drifted through the fire-warmed room, making me shiver. I outright clenched when something with a lot of soft strands drifted over my ass. A flogger? My hunger ratcheted up several notches as he let the lashes trail across my back, ass, and thighs.

  “I’m about to give you a taste of what happens when you defy me. Are you ready?”

  “Yes, sir.” I was more than ready. I’d been waiting a lifetime for this.

  “I’m going to go easy at first. Warm up your ass, get it ready for the strap. I’m going to show you how pain can build the intensity of your pleasure. It’s your job to let me know if it gets to be too much for you.”

  He drew up behind me, so close his heat wrapped a blanket of warmth and security around me.

  “Do you trust me?” His words were a whisper of breath brushing past my ear.

  Slap. My breath caught. A slight sting turning to liquid warmth consumed my behind. And that was only the beginning. The first strokes were light and danced over my bottom creating a very pleasant heat. Teasers—warming, stimulating, awakening. Each stroke made me moan with a need for more. More heat built in my face matching the sting on my ass. I thrust my pelvis into the cross.

  Touch me. I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

  As if he could read my mind, he slid his fingers between my saturated legs.

  “So wet,” he murmured. He was pleased. And that pleased me.

  Thwack. I sucked air through my teeth and grabbed the sides of the cross. Ouch! No sooner had the thought flashed through my mind that the burn following sent shock waves right down to my—Oh hell—cunt. Every thought of prim and proper blew out of my mind. I didn’t know what on earth had possessed me, but I was on fire.

  “It’s time for your first lesson.” He ran his hand over the cheeks of my burning buttocks, checking his handiwork.

  I leaned into his hand. More. I need more.

  “Please, sir.” I actually moaned. I couldn’t help it. I was almost faint with the excitement, the anticipation, the aching, the longing.

  Say something. “Teach me.”

  His fingers drew circles, tracing with the dew of my desire, lighting the fuse to an explosion that would change the course of my life. And I became one with the wave, wanting nothing else but to submit to this man.

  “I want you to talk messy, dirty sex with me. Let’s start with what I’m doing. Tell me what I’m doing, Logan.” His breath rustled my ear, sending sparks straight down there. Oh dear lord.

  I hesitated. Daniel had grown very comfortable calling me on what he called my prissy ways, but this was notching it up a level. He tightened his grip down there. Shit.

  “You’re making me very excited, sir.” For a split second, I was thrilled with myself. He couldn’t argue with that one, could he? Several strokes followed in rapid succession. Oh yes, he could. Nothing else existed but the cinders burning their way up my ass. He seemed to sense exactly when to ease off, just when I was about to scream “enough,” he’d start playing with some other part of my anatomy. And fed the fire. I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

  “I’m sorry, sir. What do you want me to do, sir?”

  He grabbed my buttock and squeezed. Damn! I made a flimsy attempt to control my breathing.

  He pinched my clitoris. If I hadn’t been fastened down, I would have shot straight off that cross. “What’s this called?” he demanded.

  I hesitated a beat. Daniel tightened his grip on that eye of the storm, and blood surged to the tip. The pain was exquisite, and I’d do anything to make it go away. No, not away—to explode, to fracture, and reassemble into a new reality. I yielded, knowing I wanted at least a bit more of the feeling from that lovely flogger.

  “A clitoris.”

  More seductive pain burned through me as he tightened just that millimeter more. I gasped and threw back my head. I wanted to experience everything I could with this man.

  “Again, what’s it called?”

  I don’t know what came over me, but I wanted to push the envelope just a little more. I’d examine my motives later. Right now, this was the best I’d ever felt, maybe in my whole life, and I wasn’t going to let go. I felt the warm wood embrace my heat as I leaned in for support and said, “My clitoris.”

  And nothing happened for a beat. And then two. And
…

  Smack. The sudden lashing sucked the breath right out of me. One. Two. Three swift strokes followed by two hard slaps with his hand. He leaned into me, cradling my stinging butt. “You can stop this anytime, you know.”

  Each lash of the flogger made warm fingers of pleasure streak up my buttocks and back. Each sting of his hand ratcheted up the pain another notch. Not that it hurt badly; its delicious insistence made me crave more. I needed to lose myself in the sensation. I counted in my head delighted as the warmth sank deep into my tissues, crawling up through my core.

  He stopped every few slaps and caressed the increasing inferno in my ass. I couldn’t believe I was starting to think that way now. Ass. Cunt. Pussy. This house had affected me more than I knew. If I kept the thoughts to myself, no one would be the wiser.

  Twenty-three. Twenty-four. Twenty-five.

  “Do you want more?” The soft murmur of Daniel’s throaty baritone broke through my zone. What the hell? Was he going to make me beg?

  “Yes… Please, sir.” My ass pushed out as if pulled by some unseen force. In all honesty, the flogger didn’t hurt that much, and the sting of his hand just added fuel to the inferno building inside me. Yes, indeed, I wanted more.

  Once again, he caressed my throbbing globes of pleasure. His hands slipped between my legs and ran through the crease in my lips. I tensed, afraid of what he’d think when he found a geyser. I wasn’t just wet; I was dripping.

  “You are beautiful.” The murmur of Daniel’s soft voice in my ear sent new tendrils of heat dancing through me. He picked up the flogger and went back to work.

  “Twenty-six. Twenty-seven—”

  “I can’t hear you,” he whispered. “There’s no one here but you and me. Let it go.”

  Now completely lost in the zone of sensation, I searched for the strength to speak above the moaning murmur I’d lapsed into.

  I no longer recognized my voice as I screamed, “Forty.” I couldn’t stop the joy that radiated through that shout. Daniel laughed. Yes, he laughed, and I felt the joy of his pleasure giving me permission to ride this wave for all it had to give.