‘It is fun.’
‘See,’ he said, ‘I know what’s best for you.’
‘Always,’ she replied.
‘So, what are we having for dinner?’
‘There’s crab salad to start, then rack of lamb with spring greens and new potatoes–‘
‘No potatoes for you, though,’ he said with a playful tap on her nose.
‘No.’ She maintained her light smile with an effort. ‘And for dessert, we’re having poached pears with iced pear parfait.’
‘Sounds excellent. Everything’s under control then?’
She nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Good. I have something to give you,’ he said, taking her hand and pulling her from the room.
He led her upstairs to their bedroom. Sitting down on the bed, he pulled her to stand in front of him.
‘You’re stunning,’ he said, his eyes raking over her appraisingly. ‘That top is incredibly sexy. And your legs look fantastic in this skirt.’ He ran a hand up one stockinged leg. ‘I knew they would.’
‘You have great taste,’ she said, resisting the urge to tug at the hem.
‘There’s just one finishing touch I’d like to add,’ he said, his eyes glittering wickedly. ‘An accessory I want you to wear.’
‘Oh?’ Lisa tried to look pleased and curious about the gift.
He opened the top drawer in the nightstand, and took out a small box. Lisa caught a glimpse of something small and silver as he opened the lid and took out whatever was inside – a piece of jewellery, she assumed, but she couldn’t make out what.
Mark curled a hand around her ass and pulled her closer so she was standing between his legs. Then he held the object up to show her. It was small and egg-shaped.
‘I want you to wear this,’ he said.
Lisa peered at it. It looked like a pendant, but there didn’t appear to be a chain. ‘What is it? How do I wear it?’
He smiled crookedly and pulled her closer, sliding one hand between her legs under her skirt. ‘You wear it like this,’ he said, pulling her knickers aside and spreading her open with his fingers. She gasped as he pushed the egg inside her and pressed it against her clit. ‘How does that feel?’
‘O–okay,’ she said faintly, frowning at him in confusion.
He took another small object from the drawer, and to her horror she saw it was a tiny remote control. ‘How does it feel now?’ he asked with a smirk as he pressed a button on the remote. Lisa gasped, her eyes widening as she felt the little egg vibrate inside her. She pressed her thighs together in panic, trying to contain the feeling as the vibrator stimulated her clitoris. ‘G–good,’ she choked out, putting a hand on Mark’s shoulder for support.
To her relief he switched it off, smiling up at her flushed face as she relaxed. ‘I don’t want to get you all wet before our guests come,’ he said as he stood, sliding the remote control into his pocket.
‘You want me to wear this ... now? At dinner?’ she asked faintly, her heart pounding with dread.
‘Yes, I do.’
Was he going to give Grayson the remote control – another toy for him to play with, along with her?
‘I want to know you’ll be thinking of me. Even when you’re with him, you’re mine, Lisa. Only mine.’
‘I don’t need this to remind me,’ she protested. ‘Mark, you know I only agreed to be with Grayson to please you. Please don’t–‘
‘Ssh,’ he said softly, placing a finger on her lips, but his eyes were cold and flinty with warning. ‘You know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, don’t you?’
She gulped and nodded.
‘You’re the most precious thing in the world to me, Lisa. I just want to help you to push your boundaries, explore your sexuality. I wouldn’t do anything I didn’t think you could handle. You trust me, don’t you?’
She nodded, blinking back tears.
‘Good girl.’ He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, then smiled down at her, rubbing her arms comfortingly. ‘It’ll be fun, you’ll see. You enjoy yourself when you let go of your inhibitions. You did the last time, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, but – please,’ she begged. ‘I’m not ready for this. It’d be so humiliating–‘
He frowned. ‘You think I want to humiliate you?’ He looked wounded.
‘No,’ she hastened to reassure him. ‘I know that’s not your intention. But that’s how I’ll feel.’
He sighed. ‘Do you think you could try to get past those feelings? For me?’
‘I am trying,’ she said. ‘I just need more time. Please be patient with me.’
He frowned slightly, a dangerous flicker of annoyance in his eyes. ‘Haven’t I been patient?’
‘Yes, you have, and I’m grateful. But this isn’t easy for me. I’m trying to be more sophisticated and uninhibited, I really am. But it’s not easy for me. I need to take it slowly. I was really looking forward to this evening, but I won’t be able to relax and enjoy it.’
‘Baby steps, eh?’ He smiled down at her indulgently and she relaxed a little. She could see he was relenting. ‘Okay. How about a compromise?’ He pulled the remote from his jacket pocket. ‘I’ll leave this here.’ He put it back in the drawer and slid it shut, and Lisa nodded eagerly. ‘But will you do something for me in return?’
‘Yes, anything.’
‘Leave the vibrator in? It will please me just knowing it’s there, and you can get used to the idea of it without worrying about me playing with it in public. It’ll be our secret.’
Lisa hesitated.
‘The remote will be safely shut away in that drawer. You do trust me, don’t you?’
‘Yes, of course,’ she answered hastily.
‘So we have a deal?’
‘Yes.’ She nodded enthusiastically. ‘Thank you.’
‘No problem.’ He drew her into his arms and kissed her. ‘I forget sometimes how shy you are,’ he said, studying her face as he stroked her hair. ‘You need to get over that.’
‘I’m trying, honestly,’ she said with a shaky smile.
‘I know you are, and it means a lot to me that you try for my sake. But we can take it as slow as you like, baby.’
‘Thank you,’ she whispered, sagging with relief.
‘Maybe we can play with that later when we’re alone,’ he said, jerking his head at the drawer.
‘I’d like that.’
‘Come on.’ He held out a hand to her. ‘Let’s go down. Our guests will be here soon.’
‘I just need to touch up my make-up,’ she said. ‘I’ll follow you down in a minute.’
She waited until Mark had left the room, then opened the drawer to reassure herself that the remote was still there before following him downstairs.
When they opened the door to their guests, Lisa was surprised by how happy she was to see Grayson again. He handed her a bunch of flowers as they stepped inside, kissing her on the cheek while Mark took Isabel’s wrap.
‘Thank you – they’re beautiful,’ she said as she took the flowers from him.
‘Not as beautiful as you,’ he said. ‘You look stunning.’
‘Thank you.’ She blushed as his eyes dropped to her breasts before sweeping back up to her face. She felt so exposed, and longed to cover herself up.
Isabel greeted her warmly. ‘You look beautiful,’ she said as she embraced her.
The conversation flowed easily over dinner, and Lisa relaxed as everything went without a hitch, relieved that Mark had no cause for complaint. The food was perfect, and Grayson and Isabel showered her with compliments.
‘Lisa is a very talented cook,’ Mark said, beaming at her with pride.
‘This is a great house,’ Isabel said over dessert. ‘You have some wonderful pieces.’ She nodded to the artwork on the walls.
Mark turned to her and they began discussing art.
‘I’d like to see some of your work,’ Grayson said, turning his attention to Lisa. ‘Do you have any here?’
‘Oh, no. My s
tuff isn’t good enough to put on show. I was just a hack. I don’t do it anymore anyway.’
‘Still, I’d like to see some.’ He looked at her intently, like she was the most fascinating person on the planet and he was trying to figure her out. ‘It’s such a shame you gave up.’
‘You wouldn’t say that if– oh!’ Lisa gasped in shock as she felt a pulsating sensation between her legs. She’d forgotten about it over the course of dinner, but the little egg was vibrating inside her. Yet how could it be? She’d checked the drawer last thing before she came downstairs to make sure the remote was still there, and it had been. She glanced across the table at Mark. He was turned away from her, seemingly engrossed in conversation with Isabel. But one of his hands was in his jacket pocket.
As another wave of sensation rippled through her, she gasped again, grasping the table.
‘Lisa? What’s wrong?’ Grayson frowned in concern.
‘Nothing,’ she said shakily, pressing her thighs together and trying to control her breathing. But her whole body jerked as the vibrations intensified and she bent over, clutching her stomach, trying to absorb the sensations.
‘Are you ill?’ Grayson asked urgently, pulling her hair away from her face. ‘What’s the matter?’
She shook her head, biting hard on her lip and trying desperately to regain control as the ripples of pleasure built deep inside her.
Grayson looked anxiously across at Mark. Mark turned to him finally, a wide smile spreading across his face.
‘She’s fine,’ he said. He pulled the little remote control from his pocket then and held it up for them all to see. ‘I’m just toying with her.’ His eyes glittered with cruel intent, watching Lisa as he pushed a control on the device and the pressure on her clit increased.
‘Mark – please–‘ Lisa gasped, her eyes pleading with him, begging him not to do this. It was his way of bringing her to heel, of showing her she was his. She had been talking about her art and he hated when she talked about her art. She clutched her stomach, praying for it to end. How could he humiliate her like this? ‘Please,’ she whispered.
‘Please – more?’ he asked with a wicked grin, sliding the control on the remote.
Lisa whimpered helplessly as the vibrations intensified, stimulating her sensitive nerve endings relentlessly and pushing her over the edge. She bent her head, tears stinging her eyes as her body shook uncontrollably. All she could hear was the pounding of blood in her ears as she lost control. She kept her head down, her hair hiding her face. She couldn’t look at any of them. She felt so humiliated. She was vaguely aware of Isabel’s voice telling Mark to stop, and Mark joking that it would be cruel to stop now. But their voices sounded far away and muffled.
Then she felt Grayson’s strong arms around her, pulling her into his lap. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, and she clutched his shirt, burying her face in his shoulder as her orgasm ripped through her.
‘Ssh,’ he whispered, running his hand up and down her spine, and stroking her hair soothingly as the spasms finally subsided. As her body went limp, she burst into tears. She couldn’t help it – she was too overwrought. But she quickly regained control of herself, blinking away the tears and wiping her eyes before she lifted her head. She kept her eyes downcast, too embarrassed to look at anyone.
‘That was hot,’ Mark said. ‘Would anyone else like a turn?’ He waved the remote in the air.
‘Don’t be such a jerk!’ Isabel snapped at him.
‘She enjoyed it,’ Mark protested. ‘Didn’t you, Lisa?’
She nodded dumbly. She knew better than to contradict him.
But Isabel had no such compunction. ‘She didn’t seem to be enjoying it to me.’ Then, her tone softening, she asked ‘Are you okay, Lisa?’
Lisa raised her eyes then. Isabel looked mutinous, and Lisa could tell she was ready to call Mark out on his behaviour. ‘Yes, I’m fine,’ she said, trying to sound as cheerful as she could. Isabel’s concern was touching, but she would pay for it later if Mark was made to look bad in front of their guests.
‘Are you sure?’ Isabel asked uncertainly.
‘Yes, really,’ she insisted.
‘We’re working on breaking down her inhibitions, aren’t we, baby?’ Mark said.
‘Yes. I’m trying to be more … adventurous.’ She smiled shyly at Isabel.
‘Maybe I pushed you too far,’ Mark said to her, his tone all loving concern. He stood and came around to her side of the table. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he dropped a kiss on the top of her head. ‘Sorry if I upset you, baby. You okay now?’
Lisa gulped. ‘Yes,’ she said, giving him a bright smile.
‘I should have seen that it was too much. But you were so sexy, I got carried away. I’ll pay closer attention in future, okay?’
She nodded.
‘Good. Well, why don’t I show you the rest of the house?’ he said to Isabel, holding out a hand to her. ‘There’s some more artwork upstairs I’d like you to see.’
‘Really?’ Isabel said with a smile as she stood. ‘You want to show me your etchings?’
Mark laughed. ‘You two might like to play with this,’ he said, handing the remote control to Grayson. Lisa saw Grayson’s jaw tighten as he took the device from Mark, and she was shocked at the barely concealed hostility in his eyes. But he said nothing.
‘Well, Lisa may have let you off the hook,’ Isabel said to Mark as she came around the table and took his hand, ‘but I still think you were an asshole. I’m going to have to teach you a lesson.’
Mark grinned. ‘I’ll accept whatever punishment you see fit,’ he said as they left the room.
‘Are you okay?’ Grayson asked her softly when they were gone. He was still holding her and his hand rubbed her back soothingly.
She nodded, hanging her head as mortification flooded through her.
‘I don’t think we’ll be needing this.’ Grayson tossed the remote onto the table. ‘Hey,’ he said, taking her chin in his hand and lifting her face. ‘Please don’t be embarrassed.’
She looked at him shyly from under her lashes. But how could she not feel awkward after what had just happened? She squirmed in his lap, gasping as she suddenly felt the hardness of his erection against her leg. ‘Sorry,’ she mumbled, pulling away.
‘Now I’m the one to be embarrassed,’ he said with a rueful smile as Lisa climbed off him.
At least there was something she could do about that, she thought – something she knew she was good at. When it came to blow jobs, she was confident that she could give even Isabel a run for her money. She dropped to her knees in front of Grayson.
‘Let me take care of that,’ she said, reaching for his zipper.
‘No.’ He frowned, batting her hand away so suddenly that she reeled back.
‘Sorry,’ she breathed, stricken by his rejection and wishing the ground would open up and swallow her. ‘You don’t want ...’ Her eyes slid away.
‘Lisa,’ he said, reaching for her, ‘of course I want you. God, I would have thought that was obvious,’ he said with a wry smile.
She blushed.
‘How could I not want you?’ he continued with a pained expression. ‘You’re an incredibly sexy woman. You’re beautiful, you have an amazing body, you’re so responsive–‘
‘Then why–‘
‘But I don’t want you to do that because you feel you have to.’
‘I’m not. Last week was different. I didn’t know what to expect. But tonight I’m prepared.’
‘Lisa, I didn’t come here tonight to have sex with you. I know it’s not what you want.’
‘Why did you come, then? If you knew ...’
He smiled crookedly. ‘I was hoping maybe a game of chess?’
Lisa couldn’t help smiling.
‘You don’t have to worry about Mark – I won’t tell him what we really get up to when we’re alone together. So what do you say?’
Lisa grinned. ‘I would like a chance to get you back
for the other night.’
‘Great!’ He stood, taking her hand and helping her up. ‘Lead the way.’
CHAPTER TEN
Lisa took Grayson to the little study at the back of the house. She knew there was a chess board in one of the cupboards there. Mark used to play with her occasionally when she had first moved in, but he didn’t really care for chess himself and he hadn’t indulged her by playing for a long time. The study was Lisa’s favourite room in the house, and the only one where she didn’t feel out of place. Decorated in a style reminiscent of a gentleman’s club, the deep greens and browns gave it a feeling of cosiness and warmth that was lacking in the rest of the house. It didn’t have the charm and comfort of Grayson’s library, but it was a lot more relaxed and homely than the stark, minimalist style that Mark usually favoured.
She quickly found the chess set, her eyes darting anxiously to the door as she set it on a little inlaid table between two armchairs upholstered in rich brown leather. What if Mark were to catch her playing chess with Grayson?
‘May I?’ Grayson asked, pointing to the lock.
‘Yes, please,’ Lisa said gratefully. It was as if he’d read her mind.
‘Now we don’t have to worry about being disturbed,’ he said, turning the key in the lock.
Lisa smiled at him, relaxing. He was so considerate, so kind to her. If only she could have met someone like him instead of Mark, she thought wistfully – how different her life would be now. She dismissed such fanciful thoughts as she set up the board and Grayson settled into the armchair opposite her.
They were a little more familiar with each other’s style of play now, and they were less tentative with each other. Grayson surprised Lisa by adopting a more risky strategy than he had last week. He kept her guessing, constantly forcing her to raise her game, and she found it exhilarating to play with someone who could challenge her. Once again, she lost her shyness as she became absorbed in the game, and they chatted easily between moves.
‘Was it your grandmother who taught you to cook like that?’ Grayson asked.
The Endgame Page 9
