by Mimi Tulane
“I’m really flattered you enjoy the series, Rasheed.”
“Enjoy it? Girl I hope you plan to keep writing books for that one. Speaking of writing, have you ever considered making one of your characters dominant?”
Ebony’s mouth flew open. “Are you serious? I mean I’ve never thought about writing about BDSM before, I wouldn’t know where to start, really. I don’t have any experience in that department.”
“You know having a dominant character doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a lifestyler. Besides, an alternative lifestyle encompasses much more than just dominance, sadism, or masochistic tendencies. There’s a wide spectrum for you to choose from. It’s just a thought.” Ebony bit her lip and considered his proposal.
“You know you and Imani both like nibbling on your bottom lip. Cub, you think you can break her out of that bad habit?” Mac got a pinch from Imani and he in turn kissed the tip of her nose. Ebony began to wonder if it was time to excuse herself for the night. Her sister was looking at her man like she was hoping he had some ideas.
“Oh, I can think of worse habits that need breaking. I’d just offer to nibble on her lips for her.” Rasheed gave Ebony a smoldering look of his own and she blinked in surprise. Although she blushed she didn’t bolt and held his gaze for a heartbeat before reaching for her glass.
“Stop it, you two, you’re making her blush.” Although Imani was championing her cause, upon further inspection of her sister she thought the heifer was enjoying her discomfort a bit too much.
“You’d offer to nibble on my lips, Rasheed? Humor me, just when and where did you want to make said offer?” She took a sip of her wine, making sure to leave her bottom lip wet and glossy when she flicked her tongue across it. That move might fit into the brazen category he’d mentioned earlier but after sipping on her wine, she was feeling a bit daring and the mood did seem to lend itself to a bit of harmless flirting.
“How about now, may I nibble on your bottom lip? Or maybe you’d like to nibble on mine?” Rasheed countered her dare and the temperature of the room seemed to grow by several degrees. Now what? She was stuck for words after his counter and damn if she didn’t like being stuck.
“Cub, stop it. Ebony, excuse the nut, he’s harmless, I think.” Mac, bless him, had just given her a way out.
“I think you both are being incorrigible at the moment. Maybe they need spankings, Peaches!” Imani was laughing.
“Peaches? I like that. Is that what your family calls you?” Now Rasheed was smiling and just like that the sexual tension from a moment ago dissipated, but in a good way.
“For as long as I can remember. I guess it’s just one of those names that stick with you.” She leaned back and discovered Rasheed had his arm about the back of her chair. She was not going to react, at least that was the lie she told herself.
“It does suit you,” Rasheed noted, taking a long draw from his beer. “Hey if you ever want to write a story about a cowboy Dom, I’m your man.” He tossed that in.
“And you are an expert on roping cattle?” She tossed back.
“Nah, but I sure do know how to tie up a filly.” And that was how she left it.
They wisely moved on to other subjects before the night came to a lovely close. Rasheed was kind enough to escort her to her car. And what do you know—he gave her his number and asked her to call him. The night might have started off rocky but the end to it had handed her a pleasant surprise. Ebony smiled the entire drive home.
Chapter Four
Before Rasheed left for the night, he did manage to get a little more insight into Ebony from her sister. Without her telling him all the details, she informed him that Ebony had only had one serious relationship and that it was filled with troubling behavior on the part of her former boyfriend. Rasheed didn’t have to pry. He was pretty sure he could guess what that fool had been about. Rasheed decided that he’d have to tread lightly if he wanted to have Ebony trust him. He could do that. He was going to do that. He was going to do whatever it took to gain her trust. And if the opportunity presented itself he would introduce his idea of role playing some of the scenarios from her books. He was determined that Ebony see herself just as sexy and just as desirable as the vixens she wrote about.
A few days later, Ebony called him. He’d made sure to give her his number, wanting to leave the ball in her court. He told himself he wasn’t going to pressure her in any way. She could set the pace.
“Hey girl, good to hear from you. You had me waiting by the phone.” He wasn’t lying, he’d check his cell several times for missed calls.
“I’m sorry, Rasheed, between my family obligations and promoting the new book I’ve been really busy. I wasn’t sure of a good time to call you. I took a chance…” Her voice trailed off and Rasheed grabbed a hold of the invisible line she cast.
“Hey, listen, I’m glad you called. I wanted to ask you out after the dinner at Mac and Imani’s but I’ll be honest, I didn’t get the vibe you were very interested in me.” He was going for the direct approach. Ebony was too damn skittish and he was afraid she’d run off before he could even get the chance.
“I have been thinking about you. It’s just well, Rasheed…you make me nervous,” she admitted.
“Why? Is it because I’m a Dominant? I’m still a person first, baby girl. I’d never intentionally try to hurt you or push anything on you that you weren’t comfortable with. I might as well tell you, since we’re being open, you make me nervous, too.” He heard her take in a surprised breath.
“I do? Whatever for? Oh please don’t be, I’m not anything special.” She laughed nervously and he closed his eyes.
“See, that’s where you are wrong. You are special. You are talented, beautiful, and I feel like I’m out of my league for even trying to step to you.”
“Rasheed? Please don’t feel that way.” She spoke so softly he had to strain to hear her words. “If you want we could have coffee sometime?”
Her offer caused Rasheed to broadly smile and was glad he was on the phone because he probably looked like that damn Cheshire Cat. “Coffee sounds excellent. There’s a nice bistro not too far from me, I’m in the West End—in fact I live in the same apartment building where your sister used to live.”
“Well I know where that is, so you must be talking about Ceranos on Euclid?”
“Yup, that’s the place. I could meet you there tomorrow morning, ten thirty good?”
“Yes, that’s perfect, I’ll see you then.”
Rasheed had hung up, letting his head roll back onto his shoulders before blowing out a pent-up breath. Fuck, he was having coffee with her tomorrow which meant he’d have to make sure to have something intelligent to talk about! Mac told him to find common ground. He’d also have to find a way to broach the subject of role playing provided they reached that point. With him not sure of what topics of conversation to expound upon, he was hard press for knowing ahead of time what he would talk about. What made him think he could charm this woman?
Now his buddy Jag never seemed to have a problem with the ladies. They’d gone out for drinks a few days after the con and before the night was over Jag had left the bar with two women! The thing was it wasn’t that he didn’t pull females, it was the way some of them made him feel that turned him off. He got that he was considered handsome but for some reason he felt like they sized him up and objectified him. The moment a female did that, he dismissed them. He wasn’t interested in being some chick’s arm candy. He had a brain, he had feelings, and getting a girl to fuck him just because she thought he was “hot” had no appeal to him whatsoever.
Then there was Ebony. She was an entirely different type of woman. He found himself imagining them at home, her in one of his T-shirts, a bowl of popcorn between them watching a chick flick or whatever she wanted to watch because he’d be too busy watching her. In fact he’d distract her from the movie and the popcorn by kissing her all over. He’d kneel between her thighs and get real up close and personal. His cock w
as growing hard as hell and wasn’t that just dandy?
Rasheed readily admitted to himself the idea of coming home to a female of his own appealed to him greatly. Maybe other guys his age was still running the streets but he grew up with strong family values. The men in his family rarely played the field and often got married around his age. Mac was just late but then again you didn’t meet a woman like Imani every day. Finding someone that could accept you for who you were, unconditionally, was a precious thing. He did identify with Ebony, he just had to show her that.
He thought about the scene again where the cowboy fucked his lady love in the hayloft. The sensual positions the hero had placed his female in had made Rasheed’s dick hard as rock. He wondered what positions Ebony preferred. Did she like riding rodeo, doggy style, fucking on her side with her leg up? Fuck him now he was hard and horny. And none of this shit was going to come up tomorrow at coffee! One thing was certain, Ebony Stuart had him envisioning quite a few scenarios!
He might be deviant but he wasn’t a damn pervert.
Mac’s words of caution reverberated in his skull. He’d have to take things nice and slow and show Ebony that she was the woman he’d been waiting for. She wasn’t hard to talk to once they got on a mutual subject, so he’d just wing it. Putting that to rest he started getting ready for work. Tomorrow would take care of itself when it arrived.
Chapter Five
Ebony checked her watch as she headed for her car. She and Rasheed had agreed to meet for coffee at 10:30 a.m. Her meeting at the U City Bookstore had lasted a bit longer than she planned but she figured she would still make her meet up with Rasheed on time. The traffic on the Parkway wasn’t heavy yet and it was a straight shot to Euclid. The hardest thing was to find parking. She solved that mini crisis by parking at a pay garage. Cerenos would be about a half a block’s walk from the parking garage but the day was very nice, with the warming trend beginning. As she strolled toward her destination, she took in the familiar sights she grew up seeing.
Her family had lived in the area most of their lives, before moving from the city to St. Charles. Her own move back from Chicago had been fueled in part by her need to be closer to family and away from the crowd Tremaine had immersed her in. She was not one for entertaining those with a bourgeoisie complex. Tremaine’s treatment of her had done some damage to her self-esteem. However, her willingness to accept her own part in their toxic relationship was what spurred her onto a positive fast track to emotional freedom. She’d been naïve and in love and he’d taken that and used it as a breeding ground for his own narcissistic behavior. Breaking up with Tremaine had hurt but not half as much as his treatment of her had.
Since then she threw herself into her writing. Her Rodeo series was popular and her Colorado King series had taken off to even better heights. Feeling good about that, she allowed herself the freedom to write a book for her own pleasure. Conquered Love was in truth more of a fictionalized account of her own desires of wanting to find that special someone and being willing to overcome life’s challenges to achieve that end. The romance followed a confidently beautiful full-figured heroine who wasn’t ashamed to explore her sexuality and a hero that stepped up to the plate with an equally voracious appetite. Now if only she could become like her alter ego!
As she stepped through the door of the bistro, she removed her sunglasses and peered around. Spotting Rasheed at a table nearby, she walked over to greet him. His nose was in a book and she couldn’t help smiling. He was so engrossed he didn’t see her approach and she surprised him. “Hey there, good book?” She motioned toward his open book. He stood up after turning the book over and hugged her then pulled out her chair. She smiled at him and murmured a thank you as she took her seat, shrugging out of her jacket, hanging both it and her oversized purse upon the back of her chair. “It’s the second book in the Colorado King series. Jocelyn said I was taking too long with the first one so she bought books one and two and read them both. I stole it from her.” She was still a bit surprised that he enjoyed reading her books. “Jocelyn reads my books, too?”
“Hell yeah she does and gets right pissy if I take too long with them. How was your day?”
Ebony couldn’t get over how casually he spoke to her, but with a genuine interest. She immediately began to relax. “So far, so good. I met with the owner of U City Books today. I’ll be signing books and reading a passage from Conquered Love this Saturday. I’m excited!” When he smiled back at her, she felt her heart thudding. His smile could melt steel.
“I’d like to come and hear you read. What time does the signing begin?” Now her heart was skipping a beat, knocking around in her rib cage. Before she could answer him the waiter came over and took their coffee orders.
“It’s at 7:00 p.m..” She tossed the info out the minute he had left.
“Okay, bet I’ll be there. So tell me about yourself, what do you like to do when you aren’t writing?”
Ebony pursed her lips before answering. “Well I like to work out, I enjoy yoga. I mostly like to read when I’m not working on my own writings. I listen to music. Nothing really interesting.” She wasn’t really into clubbing. She went out on occasion when invited. She preferred being at home in her new place.
“Nothing wrong with that. I don’t go out that much myself,” he admitted just as their coffees arrived.
“You don’t? What do you like to do Rasheed?”
“I play Minecraft, Call of Duty and the Sims. I like gaming. And I read your books.”
She paused in midstir. “You’re a homebody like me…”
He nodded his head. “Yeah, I really am.”
Ebony didn’t know why it made her feel good to learn that about him. She was sure he had other hobbies and interests but the bottom line was that he wasn’t a street runner. He was comfortable with himself as well because he wasn’t dressed to the nines. He had on a pair of faded denims and black biker boots, a T-shirt with a picture of Bob Marley on the front and she noticed a black leather jacket slung across his chair. On a second glance she saw a motorcycle helmet perched on the pony wall planter beside their table. “You ride a bike?” she asked him, taking a sip of her coffee.
“Yeah I do. I’m a member of a bike club actually. There’s a few Doms and Subs that ride and we formed a club a few years back. Maybe you’ll go riding with me sometime?”
“Oh I don’t know about that, me on a motorcycle?” She gave him a nervous little laugh. “
Yeah you’d be sexy on the back of my bike. I’d be proud to have you on there, too.” Now she was flabbergasted. He was looking at her intently and his face was so open and honest.
“Well all right, but you’ll have to coach me. I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle before.” She couldn’t believe she was agreeing to go riding with him but she was glad she did. She hadn’t been out at all beyond family gatherings and Imani’s bachelorette party. She had some free time now, in between promoting her books and a few local appearances. He reached across the table and took her hand. His hand was much larger than hers and his caramel skin tone was a sweet contrast to her rich brown complexion. There was something so sweet in his gesture that made her really want to get to know him.
“I’ll take as much time as you need me to take, Ebony, and I’m not just talking about the bike.” She studied his face a little longer, feeling the heat of his palm transfer to her own hand.
“I might need you to do that, Rasheed. I want to explore the possibility of there being something more but I have issues…” She sighed and tried to pull her hand from his but he brought it up to his lips instead and placed a soft kiss upon the back of it.
“Who doesn’t? I don’t know another person that doesn’t have something to deal with but that shouldn’t stop you from receiving affection, attention, care. Let’s just see where this takes us. No rush. I just want you to know that I am really digging you.”
Ebony smiled again and nodded her head because her words had failed her. Sitting across from Rasheed
, with him holding her hand and gazing into her eyes, was slowly eroding her defenses. She didn’t doubt his sincerity. Her heart told her she could trust him but her mind was still a bit wary.
* * * *
When their conversation lulled, Rasheed took that moment to reach out to Ebony by employing her stories. “Hey, Ebony, where do you get your ideas for your books?” He figured he’d start there and work his way up to the questions he truly wanted to ask. More than ever he felt his plan of bringing Ebony out of her shell through role playing was viable. Yet Mac’s warning had him being cautious.
“Some ideas come to me after I’ve heard a song. Others come from dreams and even fantasies.” She smiled at him nervously and he sought to reassure her.
“Yeah, that makes sense. I suppose that’s one way to connect with the characters you write about.”
“Exactly! It’s just easier for me to allow my imagination free reign if I can identify with them.”
“You know, Ebony, that’s how I feel about my lifestyle. There are times when I connect on a deeper level with my clients through play, which helps them to let go and get more out of the session.” Ebony cocked her head to the side, and Rasheed felt a rush because from the looks of things she was beginning to open herself up. Her posture was no longer rigid and she actually leaned forward slightly as she placed her empty cup on the table.
“Rasheed, what type of sessions do you have with your clients, if that’s not too personal a question to ask?” Rasheed didn’t think it was too personal. It was what he secretly hoped would happen, that she’d show an interest giving him the chance to bring up role-playing.
“Well that depends on my client. I can tell you that I don’t engage in intercourse with any of them. However, short of that, I will explore their sensual and physical needs to the farthest their limits will allow them to go. Always, before a scene, I take the time to talk with my clients, educate them on what BDSM is and isn’t, the importance of safety and of course, discuss their needs.”
