From Leather to Lace

by Jasmine Hill

  “Make yourself at home while I get dressed.” She was feeling decidedly uncomfortable clad only in her robe.

  She dressed quickly in jeans and a T-shirt and twisted her damp hair into a top knot before joining James in the living room. He was standing at the sliding glass doors looking down at the view of Hyde Park. He turned as she entered.

  “You definitely have a great place here, Sarah. It must be difficult to afford on a waitress’s wage.” He cocked his head to one side and looked at her quizzically.

  Sarah felt her face flush. It was really none of his damn business how she was able to afford her apartment. She ignored his comment and took a seat on the lounge.

  “Where have you been this evening, James? Did you catch up with Roxy and Adam?”

  “Yeah, we had dinner then a few drinks at the pub. I was in the area and decided to see if you were at home. I’m surprised you’re not out on a Saturday night.”

  “I worked earlier and I’m quite tired,” Sarah responded with a yawn, hoping that he would take the hint and leave when he had finished his beer.

  He took a seat next to her on the lounge and casually threw his arm over the backrest. He was a little too close for Sarah’s comfort but she did nothing. She took a sip of her drink and wondered what else she could say or do to give him the hint that she really wanted to be alone.

  “I wanted to ask if you and I could go out sometime now that you are a free agent again.”

  “I’m not sure that would be a good idea,” she replied, “and I’m really not sure that Maxwell and I are totally over.”

  “Roxy said that you two are off,” James muttered mutinously.

  “Well, Roxy should not have said anything. It’s not her place to discuss my private life.”

  For all intents and purposes she supposed Maxwell and she were off, but she didn’t want to encourage James. He was starting to make her feel uncomfortable and there was almost an obsessive quality about his attention towards her. Any other person would have waited a decent period of time before charging over here and asking her out.

  She noticed that he had finished his beer. She finished her Coke then stood and stretched.

  “I’m really tired, James. Could we do this another time?” she asked as she moved towards the door. “I’ll walk you out.”

  James scowled and put his empty beer bottle on the coffee table as he rose to join her. “Fine.” He managed to sound civil. “Let’s arrange another time to get together. I don’t want to outstay my welcome.”

  They rode down in the elevator in silence before Sarah walked with him out of the double doors of her building. As they stood on the sidewalk James turned and took a step towards her. “Thanks for seeing me this evening, Sarah, it was nice to catch up with you.”

  James was standing so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face. She tried to take a step back but found herself pressed against the side of the building. James used the situation to his advantage and pushed his body against hers.

  “I really like you, Sarah,” he said softly against her ear. “I will be better for you than that jerk McIver, just give me a chance.”

  Sarah turned her head to the side and tried to push him away but he was stronger than her and it felt like she was trying to push aside a brick wall.

  “Don’t fight it, just let me kiss you,” he said as he cupped her chin to turn her face towards his and pressed his knee between her legs.

  “No, James, don’t!” she said vehemently. “I’m not going to kiss you.”

  She got ready to knee him in the groin but before she could do anything a deep, familiar voice reverberated from across the street. “I believe the lady doesn’t want you to kiss her, arsehole. Can’t you ever take no for an answer?”

  Sarah swung her head in the direction of his voice and spotted Maxwell striding purposefully across the street. What was he doing here? Then she wondered vaguely why she hadn’t noticed his car earlier—not many people she knew could afford a Jaguar XK and it should have been blaringly obvious parked on her street.

  James swung around to face Maxwell but kept Sarah pinned against the wall. She tried to move aside but he grabbed her arm and forced her behind him. Maxwell’s eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched in anger—he was mad, really mad.

  “How many times do I have to tell you to keep your hands to yourself?” Maxwell demanded, his voice dangerously low.

  “I don’t think you have any say in the matter, McIver. This is none of your business. You and Sarah are over, so why don’t you get in that fancy car of yours and fuck off!”

  Sarah struggled against James’ grasp but his hand was like a vise on her arm, his fingers digging painfully into her flesh.

  “Both of you stop it now!” Sarah shouted angrily as she redoubled her efforts to shake out of James’ grip. James was way out of line and she didn’t want the situation to escalate into violence.

  Max stopped glaring at James and blinked at her as if seeing her for the first time. He shot his arm out quickly and yanked hers from James’ grasp before pulling her roughly towards him. She was going to have some nasty bruising as evidence of this pissing contest and she became angry—being jerked between them like a rag doll was really starting to piss her off. But before she could say anything else Maxwell wrapped his arm about her waist and pulled her against his side and whispered urgently in her ear, “Sorry, baby, just trying to get you out of the line of fire.”

  “I think it’s time for you to go,” he said, glaring once more in James’ direction.

  The tension between the two men was tangible. James’ hands were fisted by his sides as if he was going to throw a punch. Maxwell must have noticed it too as he tightened his hold on her waist and widened his stance. Sarah realised that she needed to do something in an attempt to defuse the situation.

  “James,” Sarah said, putting her hand on his chest, “I really need to speak with Maxwell alone. We have some things to sort out. I promise I will call you tomorrow.”

  She heard Maxwell’s sharp intake of breath as he stiffened beside her, obviously at her promise to contact James, but she didn’t care. She just wanted James to leave before physical blows were struck.

  James sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Will you be okay?” he asked her, frowning at Max.

  “I’ll be fine,” she replied, putting her hand on his arm to reassure him.

  “Fine, I’ll talk to you tomorrow then.” He turned to Maxwell and, obviously not able to resist a parting shot, said, “Watch yourself, McIver,” before he turned and disappeared up the street.

  Sarah exhaled loudly. She hadn’t realised that she had been holding her breath.

  “What do you mean you are going to call him tomorrow?” Maxwell demanded angrily.

  “For God’s sake, Maxwell, do you want to get into that now? I needed to tell him something so that he would go quietly. I really did not want to be involved in a brawl outside my apartment building!” she snapped at him.

  “Fine.” He looked at his watch. “I know it’s late but can we go up and talk? I won’t stay long.”

  Sarah nodded stiffly before punching in the code to allow them access.

  * * * *

  Sarah poured them each a glass of wine then joined Maxwell in the lounge, handing him a glass. She watched as he assessed her, weighing up his next words.

  “You know, I think that James is obsessed with you. It’s quite concerning. I’d like for you to stay away from him or I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

  Sarah gaped at him. “I’m not sure why you should be worrying yourself about it. I’m not expecting you to run in and save the day,” she responded mildly, taking a sip of wine. “I can take care of myself and James.”

  His eyes narrowed but he wisely refrained from saying anything further on the subject. Instead he cleared his throat, took a sip of wine and said, “Angelique was at my house this morning.”

  Sarah drew her breath in sharply. Was he going to a
dmit that he had once more started to see his ex? Was that why he was here, after all? She knew he was watching her reaction and she endeavoured to keep her expression impassive.

  “She had left some of her things at my place. I called her and asked her to stop by and collect them. I hadn’t thought to do it earlier.”

  “Why are you telling me this?” she asked quietly.

  “I was thinking this evening about your remarks regarding Angelique and wondered if you knew she was at my home. I’m telling you, Sarah, that she was—but not for the reason you think.”

  Sarah flushed and looked down at her hands. “I was there. I went to talk to you and saw you with Angelique.”

  He sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair. “And you automatically assumed the worst.”

  Sarah felt embarrassed that she had so quickly jumped to the wrong conclusion. It was unlike her but she supposed it was because her feelings for Maxwell were so strong. Why she was so quick to want to ruin her own happiness she couldn’t fathom.

  She thought she was partly justified in her assumption and said, “Well, we didn’t exactly leave things on a happy note, Maxwell. You basically said that as things stood we couldn’t have a relationship.”

  “I think we should reassess—that is, if you want to. I don’t like how we left things between us,” he said quietly. “I’m taking the boat out tomorrow. I’d like you to come with me.”

  Sarah didn’t respond immediately. She was suddenly feeling very tired. Her day had been so up and down and she was feeling a little overwhelmed by events.

  “Let me sleep on it,” she responded. “What time are you planning to leave?”

  “I’ll be ready to go at ten tomorrow morning.” He looked at his watch and stood up. “It’s late. I’d better let you get to bed.”

  Sarah walked him to the door. He stopped and kissed her chastely on the cheek. Her heart stuttered and warmth spread through her at his touch, then all too soon he was pulling away from her.

  “I hope to see you tomorrow, Sarah,” he said before the elevator doors slid closed.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sarah parked in Maxwell’s driveway, flipped down the sun visor and checked her makeup. She had woken from a restless sleep looking pale and fatigued. Some artfully applied makeup had her looking only slightly better. She had left her hair down, hoping it would distract a little from her wan features, and she had dressed with care in Capri pants and a pretty, feminine blouse—she needed to feel attractive and confident.

  She wasn’t sure if coming today was the right decision, but she agreed with Maxwell in that things between them had not finished on a good note and she knew that deep down she didn’t want them to be finished at all. She worried that she was setting herself up for a disappointment and the thought made her nervous. Sighing, she grabbed her bag, stepped out of her car and walked towards the back of the house.

  Maxwell was crouched on the jetty untying a line. He straightened as she approached. “I’m glad you came.” He greeted her with a swift peck on the cheek. “Jump on board, I’m just about to cast off.”

  Sarah did as he had asked, glad of the opportunity to study him as he worked. He was dressed in cargo shorts and a polo shirt and was wearing mirrored aviator sunglasses. She watched almost mesmerised as his muscles rippled and flexed while he untied and coiled lines and threw the heavy ropes into the boat. When all the preparations were complete, he jumped in beside her and they made their way to the helm where Maxwell started up the engines and nudged them away from the pier.

  It was another typical balmy summer day and the harbour was dotted with all manner of vessels. They were quiet as Maxwell concentrated on navigating through the busy channels. She noted that Sam wasn’t with them, which meant that they would be alone on the boat.

  After an hour Maxwell navigated into a sheltered cove where he cut the engines and dropped the anchor. Surprisingly, there were very few other vessels around and she guessed that most boat owners were enjoying different pursuits in and outside the harbour.

  While Maxwell organised some refreshments, Sarah excused herself and went into the main cabin where she ran a brush through her tangled hair and reapplied sunscreen, tinted moisturiser and some lip gloss. She deliberated about changing into her swimming costume and decided that it was too nice a day not to. Quickly she changed into a bikini and wrapped a sarong around herself before she rejoined Maxwell on the upper deck. He had set out juice and fruit and he was looking cool and relaxed as he reclined on one of the leather lounges. Sarah suddenly felt unaccountably nervous as she took a seat opposite him and helped herself to a glass of juice.

  “Why was James at your apartment last night?” he asked her quietly.

  She looked up in surprise and studied him over the rim of her glass. His eyes were hidden behind the mirrored lenses of his sunglasses, making it impossible for her to assess his mood. “He called unexpectedly, said that he was in my area and wanted to see me.”

  “I must admit I was surprised to see you together. I thought that after all his previous indiscretions he would be the last person that you would invite into your home, particularly when you were alone.”

  Sarah sighed. “Yes, well, I agree it lacked judgement on my part. He took me by surprise, but he is a good friend of Roxy and Adam’s and I didn’t want there to be any hard feelings between us.”

  Maxwell said nothing. She wished he would remove his sunglasses so she could better gauge what he was thinking. She changed the subject. “I’m sorry for making assumptions about you and Angelique, and I really didn’t have any entitlement to get angry.”

  “I’m glad you were angry—that means that you do feel something towards me. That’s a lot better than indifference. I’ll take anger over lack of interest any day,” he murmured.

  “I thought you made your decision, Maxwell. I didn’t think you were interested in sharing me with a bunch of—what were your words, sexual deviants?”

  “My opinion on that has not changed. Why do you think I booked all your sessions last night?”

  “Are you planning on doing that every evening I work?” she asked with a small smile. “It could become cost prohibitive.”

  “Trust me, it would be worth it for my peace of mind,” he muttered then sighed and shoved a hand through his hair. “Look, Sarah, I don’t mind admitting that I acted like an arrogant arse last week. I’ve done nothing but think about what I said and how I acted. I’ve never performed so much self-analysis in my life. My behaviour was inexcusable. I should have approached the situation more tactfully and I should have been more understanding. I also have to apologise for deceiving you—I was thinking more about myself and what I wanted with no regard for your feelings. I’ve acted like a complete jerk. ”

  “Thank you for your apology, but it was quite an unusual situation, Maxwell. I can’t imagine that you have had previous experience with any other Dominatrix girlfriends and there are no rule books. I also acted deceitfully—I should have told you sooner. I appreciate why you were so angry. I also appreciate the issues you have with it, particularly in regards to your reputation.”

  “That is one aspect that I unfortunately don’t have any control over. I can book all your sessions but I can’t influence what’s written about me or you by the media,” he said ruefully. “Why did you come to my house yesterday morning, Sarah?”

  “I wanted to tell you that I am giving up the Dominatrix gig,” she said, smiling brightly.

  For the first time Maxwell removed his sunglasses then stared fixedly at her. “Are you serious? Is this what you want? What do you plan to do?” His words tumbled over each other.

  “I think I need a change and I want a change. This week I have barely tolerated being at work. You have no idea how relieved I was when you told me you booked all my sessions last night.”

  “I only wished that I had thought to do it sooner,” he muttered.

  “You’re not the only one who has been performing self-analysi
s. I’ve also done a lot of thinking and I’ve realised that it’s not what I want to do anymore, it’s time to move on. Also I’m starting to feel terribly guilty about lying to my parents for so long and keeping up a charade with most of my friends. Initially it was fun and exciting. Now it has become monotonous and I guess I have continued with it because it was harder not to. I might look at doing something with journalism—after all, that’s what my degree is in—I’m not sure, I haven’t thought it through a great deal yet.”

  “I don’t want you to make this decision because of me, Sarah. It has to be something that you want to do for you.”

  “I appreciate that and it is something that I am doing for me. It was never supposed to be a career, it was always something that I had only planned to do as a stopgap and it just lasted longer than I had anticipated.” She shrugged and smiled. “Also, I appreciate your sentiments on the matter,” she said quietly.

  Maxwell stood and in one swift movement was sitting beside her. He lifted her onto his lap and pressed kisses into her hair. “Sarah, you don’t know how happy I am,” he breathed against her ear. “You can’t understand how crazy it made me thinking about what you did night after night.”

  “I think I have a pretty good idea.” She giggled. “What we have is so much more important.”

  He wrapped one hand in the hair at the nape of her neck, tugged her head back and kissed her deeply. She moaned into his mouth and wrapped both her arms around his neck, pressing his mouth harder into hers.

  He pulled away from her slightly. “God, I’ve missed you. This has been the longest week of my life,” he breathed against her lips.

  “Mmm, I agree,” she whispered as she nuzzled his neck then ran her teeth along the stubble of his jaw.

  He groaned and stood up quickly, taking Sarah with him. He cupped her backside in both hands and hoisted her up. “Wrap your legs around me, sweetness,” he urged as he moved towards the hatch to take them below deck, his mouth continuing to caress hers. He walked deftly to the main cabin, where he lowered Sarah and himself to the bed using one arm to take their weight whilst keeping the other wrapped tightly around her.