Gritting his teeth, he gripped the root of his cock, held it firm and straight, pointing it at Tessa. “Come over here. Get down on your knees and suck your Master’s cock.”
He wanted her tongue on him, he wanted to feel her hot mouth sucking his balls. He’d fantasized about this since the moment he’d laid eyes on her.
Her eyes widened. For a brief second he thought she was going to refuse. Not taking any chances, he repeated, “Get down on your knees and suck your Master’s cock, slave.” He kept his tone even yet commanding.
Even now, this was a choice. A choice she had to make. If she complied, Tessa’s submissive streak would be satisfied. It she refused, their arrangement was over. He prayed she wouldn’t disappoint him. He needed her to want this as much as he did.
She padded over to him, staring for a heartbeat before sliding sinuously to her knees. His heart surged in triumph.
Jared moaned as she pursed her lips over the head of his cock and gently blew. His dick twitched in response. She slowly lowered her mouth. Her tongue snaked out to lick the pre-cum that had gathered at the head. He fisted his hands by his sides, determined not to touch her lest he break the spell.
Wrapping her delicate fingers around him, she lowered her mouth. The first feel of her lips made his body jerk. Her mouth—warm, wet and so fucking inviting.
She sucked him like a pro. Twirling her talented tongue around and around the head, using the devastating combination of hand and lips, twisting and turning, fondling his heavy sac with the right amount of pressure.
He felt his balls tighten and fought back the pressure by gripping a handful of her hair. He massaged her scalp, and her lips slid down his cock, eager to take more.
Hot. So hot and soft. He pushed farther into the cavern of her mouth. She felt like home. No other woman had him this turned-on, this desperate to come. He’d always been so controlled. He wouldn’t come until he was ready. A few strokes and sucks from his Tessa and he was going to spill his load.
“That’s it. That is so fucking good. My little submissive loves her Master to fuck her.”
His. She was his. His submissive.
His crude words made her moan, and he felt it right through his body. Unable to stand it any longer, he gave one mighty groan and threw back his head. His body jerked and tightened as he spewed hot, jetting cum into her willing little mouth. She swallowed every drop. The suction of the movement made him shiver.
Tessa released his cock. He heard the wet popping sound and looked down at her. She had a wicked gleam in her eyes. Locking her gaze to his, she swallowed. The action was deliberate and one of the hottest things he’d ever seen.
His.
His heart pounded as he pulled her to her feet, dragged her body against his and kissed her. He couldn’t resist. She tasted salty, musky and oh so sweet. He wanted to wrap her in warmth and comfort. He wanted to care for her.
He dropped his forehead against hers and smiled. “Like your submission lessons?”
Tessa chuckled. “Oh yeah. They are the highlight of my day.”
Her tone made Jared laugh. “So you want to keep this arrangement going for a little while?”
“You betcha, cowboy.”
Chapter Six
“What do you mean, you can’t come until tomorrow? It’s leaking all over the kitchen floor!” Tessa squealed into the phone like a banshee. Her kitchen was a disaster area and had been for the past couple of hours, since the faucet started leaking.
It didn’t do any good, as the plumber still refused to get his lazy ass out on a Sunday to fix her leak. His advice—turn off the stop tap and wait until tomorrow.
“Yeah, thanks a lot.” She slammed down the receiver before releasing a stream of verbal abuse. It wasn’t often she cussed, but goddamn, when she did the air turned blue.
She bundled a cup of lukewarm coffee into the microwave before turning to survey her kitchen. She’d already dealt with the stop tap. Did he think she was stupid? Numerous towels lay draped on the floor, soaking up excess water.
She could do without her kitchen for a whole day. It wasn’t a major thing. She could use the bathroom water works; they were still operational. It was the principle. She’d paid the guy good money for previous jobs, the least he could do was help her out of a jam.
The microwave beeped and she retrieved the coffee. Taking a sip, she frowned as the hot liquid scalded her tongue.
Life had become interesting these days. First there was Jared. Her Dominant, her Master. Submitting to him was…thrilling, exciting, mind-blowing. When they weren’t in a sexual situation he treated her as an equal. Was that unusual?
Many Masters and slaves had loving, respectful relationships. Despite this, the submissives she’d known always gave up certain things—their jobs, their homes. Even in vanilla situations such as going for a meal, the Dominant took charge.
Not so with Jared. He gave her exactly what she needed—submission in the bedroom, equality everywhere else. A strange contradiction, especially considering his background as a Dom. It puzzled the crap out of her.
Startled by a knock at the door, she hoped the plumber had changed his mind.
She twisted the lock and gave her guest a surprised look. “Jared. What are you doing here?”
Her heart beat wildly. Just one look from him and she quivered. Her pussy slicked, anticipated taking his hard cock inside her. Amazing. Her body became liquid and pliant, as if screaming take me now!
He shrugged, treating her to a devastating smile. “I was in the neighborhood, thought I’d drop by, see how you were.”
Tessa invited him in and offered him some coffee.
“Would love some, thanks.”
She poured him a cup and became intensely aware of his presence. It was like a bulb lighting the way in the dark. She wanted him, wanted to feel his arms around her, his lips on hers, skin against skin. She craved. She needed. She wanted many more mornings like this with Jared Campbell.
The thought slammed into her like a freight train. It wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to form an attachment to him. When the month was up, he would be gone, on to his next submissive. Caring for Jared was exactly what she’d been afraid of. From what she could gather, his past submissives hadn’t been about permanency.
“Is it laundry day or something?”
Tessa gave him a puzzled look, followed his gaze toward the wet towels.
“Oh no.” She laughed. “Problem with the plumbing. The asshole I usually pay reminded me it’s Sunday and not really an emergency.” She rolled her eyes. “Soooo, I’m stuck with a semi-Titanic and no downstairs water.”
Jared pushed away from the breakfast bar and walked to the sink. Squatting down, he opened the cupboards and began feeling around the piping. “You know, this wouldn’t take much to fix. I could do it for you.” He flashed her an impish smile. “And my fees wouldn’t be much.”
Tessa composed herself and returned his smile. She’d been having wicked thoughts about how great his ass looked in those tight blue jeans. “I’m sure I could pay your fee. But one thing I need to know, are you a professional?”
She sauntered toward him. Unable to stop herself, she ran her fingers through his hair, a gesture she loved performing. He loved it too.
“Well, I know my way around women’s piping if that’s what you mean, ma’am.”
Tessa threw back her head and laughed. “Let me get some tools from the garage and you can take a look.”
He clutched his chest. “Be still my beatin’ heart. A woman who has tools? Marry me!”
Her heart lurched. He was joking but those words did something weird and wacky to her emotions. Her cheeks heated and she slapped him gently upside the head. “Behave.”
When she walked away, he swatted her ass. “Aww, but you like it when I’m bad.”
She rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive hand in his direction.
Rummaging in the garage, she thought how nice it was to banter and share laughter. She gra
bbed a few things he might need but then changed her mind, deciding to take the whole toolbox.
She wondered what had driven him to stop by. His neighborhood was a good distance away. Surely he didn’t have business in suburban Middle America? Dare she let herself hope he’d made a special journey to see her?
Jesus, all these thoughts were driving her crazy. They led to one thing she’d dared not admit, even to herself. She was falling for Jared—hook, line and leather-bondage restraints. And she despised herself for it. Jared would never allow himself to get attached. Not to her, maybe not to anyone.
The thought cut through her giddy schoolgirl notions of love and romance. She should know better. Her fiancé had dashed her hopes of meaningful relationships. Although he hadn’t been able to satisfy her sexually, Tessa believed she loved him deeply, that they could have had a life together. Then she’d told him about her needs.
That is disgusting, Tessa. I cannot believe you can get off on that kind of shit. It’s abnormal.
Even after all this time his words haunted her. She knew she should pull away from Jared, put some distance between them. She couldn’t give her heart again and risk getting it torn in two. Jared would never berate her for her submissiveness but she might not be enough for him.
Just a little while longer.
She couldn’t leave, not yet.
She was going to get hurt but right now she didn’t care. She wanted Jared Campbell and she was going to have him, any way she could.
Even if it meant getting her heart broken.
“Where did you learn how to be handy with a wrench?” Tessa stood behind him, arms folded over her chest, head tilted to one side.
He’d stripped out of his leather jacket and she watched, fascinated, as his muscles bunched and moved while he worked his tools under the dark recesses of her sink. Beads of sweat glistened on his skin and she wanted nothing more than to lick them, taste the tangy scent of Jared Campbell on her tongue.
“Growing up, we helped Momma where we could.”
The image of a little boy with dark, spiky hair and piercing-green eyes holding a wrench too heavy for his tiny hands made her heart melt. “What about your daddy?”
His gaze snapped to hers and the fury she saw startled her. “That son of a bitch left when I was a baby.”
Unable to resist, she moved toward him, needing to touch him. “I’m sorry.”
So that was why he refused to let anyone get close.
He patted her hand and returned his attention to the pipes. “Don’t be. It was a long time ago.”
Therapist instinct kicking in, Tessa decided to leave the subject alone. After all, it wasn’t any of her business. Jared wasn’t her partner, just a business arrangement. “How did you come to own Inferno?”
Jared snorted. “A lot of shrewd moves and a lot of dumb luck.”
“I don’t believe that.”
Turning, he batted those long, sensuous lashes. “I have a head for business. And a body for sin.” His tone mimicked that of Melanie Griffith’s in Working Girl, and she couldn’t help but laugh.
“All done.” Rising, he wiped his hands on the towel she offered him. He tested the water and Tessa smiled at the look of pure male pride of his face. “Still got the knack.”
“Sure have, cowboy.” She glanced at the clock. “Um, can I make you some lunch?” She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and gnawed on her lower lip. “Unless you have somewhere else you need to be?”
Jesus, she was acting like a shy virgin.
His gaze locked with hers. “No, I don’t. Lunch would be great.”
Tessa let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “I’ll grill us some steaks.”
He helped her cook the meal. The simple gestures and casual atmosphere pulled at Tessa’s heartstrings. How many Sundays had she spent like this with previous lovers? None that came to mind.
Tucking into their steaks, Jared broke the silence. “Why did you come to the club?”
She blinked, swallowed. He’d never really asked her that before. “What?”
“Why did you come to Inferno? Why now, after all these years? Why explore submission now?”
Pushing the meat around her plate, she toyed with her salad. Good question, one she’d been asking herself for a while. She felt closer to Jared than any of her previous lovers, even her fiancé. Maybe it was time to reveal some of her past.
Taking a deep breath, she looked at Jared. He stared at her, expectation evident in his eyes.
“It was time. I can’t keep denying the things that turn me on.”
“And how did you discover submission a turn-on?”
She put down her fork and leaned back in the chair. Her pulse quickened, nerves beat butterflies in her stomach. Why did she feel so nervous talking about her past?
“Sounds clichéd but I guess I’ve always known. Does that make sense?”
He flashed a wry smile. “Yeah, it does.”
Briefly, she wondered if it had been the same for him and made a mental note to ask. “As a kid, being an only child, there were certain expectations. I strived to be the best. That meant keeping a tight rein on things. Always be in control. I couldn’t let things slip.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. Long-buried emotions bubbled to the surface. She didn’t have a bad childhood, she wasn’t abused. She’d grown up in a safe and loving environment. But there was no room for error, disappointment. She had to do well in school, in extra activities. There was so much pressure on her to succeed.
She drummed her fingertips on the table, focused on a spot of knurled wood. “You know what it’s like in college, you start to explore your sexuality. I began to wonder what it would be like to give up control, to not have to be the one in charge. To take orders from someone else. I started out reading stories online. Just a little rough sex at first. Then BDSM ones. The more I read, the more I began to fantasize what it would be like. Then I started to watch some videos.”
Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment. “I really enjoyed those.”
“Did you touch yourself?”
She glanced at Jared, meeting his heated gaze. “Yes.”
His nostrils flared, he took a deep breath, expanding his chest. Was he imagining her touching herself? Her pussy throbbed, a lick of desire curled low in her stomach.
“So what did you do about it?”
“I was engaged at the time.”
He blinked, obviously surprised.
“Oh yeah, I thought I had found the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.” Now the dam had been broken, she couldn’t stop. “You know what I did? I told him. I told him I wanted to be tied up and fucked. I told him I wanted to be beaten until my ass was raw. I showed him some hardcore spanking video and begged him to enact it with me. And you know what he said?”
“No.”
“He told me I was abnormal, I was dirty and strange. The look on his face, pure horror, killed a part of me. Two weeks later he called off our engagement.”
She rubbed the spot on her chest just above her heart. Even now, the humiliation stung. After that, she’d buried her needs and desires, locked them away.
His hand covered hers, squeezed, sought her fingers and curled around them. “Asshole. You know he was wrong. It’s not something to be ashamed of. It’s beautiful. Giving yourself to someone so completely. On your knees in front of me, you’re beautiful. It’s not dirty.”
Tears prickled. “I know that. Rationally, I know. But I couldn’t face submission again. What if it happened again? My ego couldn’t have taken another hit.”
“I could kill him for making you feel that way. You’ve missed out on so much.” Anger burned in his eyes. Possession flashed across his face, tightening things low in her body.
She smiled. “It’s my own stupid fault. I’m a sex therapist. I should have taken my own advice years ago.”
“We never take our own advice.”
Wiping at the tears s
lipping down her cheeks, she said, “I’m sorry to dump that on you.”
“Don’t apologize. Maybe it’s time I do a little off-loading of my own.”
She squeezed his fingers, flashed him a smile. “I’m all ears.”
Jared pulled away, raked his hands through his hair. “I probably have enough emotional shit to fill a lake.”
His father had left the family. He’d told her that earlier. As a therapist, she knew what that could do to a kid emotionally. “Your father?”
He sighed. “Yeah, my rat-bastard father. He left me and my momma when I was young. After that, I took on the role of my father. I took control. Difference between you and me, I enjoyed the control. I like to be in charge.” He rolled his shoulders, shrugged. “Turns out I like to be in charge during sex too.”
She watched the pain flash across his face. It was obviously painful talking about his past but he chose to trust her. Something inside her softened, melted. “You ever had a long-term submissive?”
She’d always wondered what it would be like.
“No.” He shifted, looked away from her. “I…I never really wanted anyone enough to keep them around. Jesus, that sounds so shallow.”
No, it wasn’t shallow. It was classic abandonment syndrome. A part of her reveled in the fact he’d never taken a long-term submissive. Her heart pounded.
Pick me. Pick me.
She reached for his fingers. “Not shallow. After what happened in your past, it’s understandable you’re skittish. You’ll find someone. One day.”
Her heart clenched. She desperately wanted it to be her.
They talked for hours, talked of nothing and everything. Of books they liked, movies they had seen, music they listened to. She found it funny he liked classical music while he gaped and scoffed when she confessed her love of hip-hop. The intimacy of their afternoon floored her. She hadn’t known it was possible to be so comfortable and yet so devastatingly attracted to a man.
When the sunlight began to fade, Jared finally decided it was time to leave. “Sorry to have taken up so much of your time, Tessa.”
She rose from the couch when he did. “No, no. Please, it was a pleasure to have some company.” Not wanting to sound desperate, she added, “Plus I owed you for the plumbing.”
BegMe Page 8
