Tempting Calm Waters

by Samantha Wolfe

  However, what truly riveted my attention was the dark figure who was standing stock-still with his back to me in the very center of the stage. He was dressed in a fitted black designer suit that hugged his trim body, highlighting his broad shoulders and the firm backside I currently had an absolutely perfect view of. His strong presence and commanding demeanor dominated the room with an air of power and authority like I'd never experienced before. I got the sense that he belonged in this dungeon as much I certainly did not. I stared in bewildered amazement at this man, wondering who the hell he was and where Scott was until he finally turned to face me with slow unhurried grace.

  My jaw hit the floor. Holy. Fuck. It was Scott.

  I stared in slack-jawed amazement as he stalked toward me with controlled and deliberate strides. He stepped off the stage and prowled across the room, his vivid blue eyes focusing keenly on mine with a predatory intent that froze me where I stood. He stopped directly in front of me with mere inches separating our bodies. He looked gorgeous and sexy as hell, his chestnut hair messily styled and his chiseled face shaved perfectly smooth. My attention was drawn to the small swathe of tawny bare skin at the top of his chest since he wore no tie, and the first few buttons of his black shirt were undone. His virile and heady masculine scent fell over me, and I looked up as his eyes narrowed on me intently. I breathed him in like a strong and potent drug.

  A strangely awed expression crossed his features just before his right hand rose up to my face. His lips parted as his fingertips glided caressingly down my cheek as I stood there like a deer caught in headlights. His eyes flamed bright with desire, and before my next breath could fill my lungs for me to speak, his mouth fell on mine and swept away any words I might have said.

  The kiss began as a slow sensual burn that instantly lit up my brain with heady desire. His warm soft lips moved gently over mine, but within mere moments, his tongue was licking insistently at the seam of my lips as he sought entrance into my mouth.

  Without hesitation, I let him in. He slid his hands up into my hair to cradle my head and groaned into my mouth as the kiss deepened. He tasted so good. His tongue stroked confidently over mine as he took complete control of the kiss, and molten heat spread out from my core and into my limbs, melting me from the inside out. His kiss was scorchingly hot, mind-numbingly amazing, and like nothing that I'd ever felt before. I sagged against his hard body without a thought to what I was doing, instinctively submitting to the raw power of this man's dominating and overwhelming sensuality.

  When he finally pulled his mouth from mine with a low sexy growl, I was left gasping for air as lust like I'd never felt before seared through my veins and throbbed insistently between my thighs. I watched in stunned disorientation as that damnable smirk pulled at one corner of Scott's gorgeous and talented mouth.

  "So that was faking it, huh?" he asked in a wry tone as his eyes danced with smug amusement, referencing the insult I threw at him earlier today.

  Say what?

  I gaped up at him for just a fraction of a second, before my desire was instantly and thoroughly incinerated by searing white-hot fury.

  CHAPTER

  EIGHT

  ____________________

  Scott

  I didn't intend to kiss her. My little dramatic display in the public dungeon was for shock and awe as much to throw her off balance and give her a sense of the power exchange between a Dom and his sub. I wanted her to know what she was getting herself into. I didn't mean for any of it to become physical between us, but when I stopped in front of her and met her eyes, my plans had just fallen away.

  I could see her desire, her need for me in every nuance of her beautiful face. I'd been sucked into the warm limpid pools of her gorgeous brown eyes, and what I'd seen there was irresistible. It inexorably drew me to her, and was like nothing I'd ever felt before. My body helplessly reacted, and the next thing I knew I'd been touching my fingertips to the tender caramel skin of her cheek before burying my hands in the supple silk of her hair and pressing my lips to hers.

  And that kiss. Oh, that scorchingly epic kiss. She'd tasted so goddamn sweet, like candy, as my tongue plundered her mouth. I couldn't help wondering if her pussy would taste just as sweet or feel just as warm and soft with my face between her thighs. When she melted against me, instead of kneeing my nuts like I half expected her to do, it felt like all was right with the world, like I was right where I belonged. It had been all I could do not to grab her ass in both hands and lift her up, so I could grind my throbbing erection against her pelvis. I didn't think I ever wanted a woman more than I wanted Lu.

  Frankly, it was terrifying, and the smirk and sarcastic comment I'd thrown at her had been as much to deny or at least minimize the profound effect she had on me as to rile her up. Now she looked livid as hell and hot as fuck, and I hadn't managed to minimize squat. I had to fight the urge to grab her and kiss the shit out of her again since she'd probably knee me in the balls for sure this time.

  "Is this some sort of goddamn game to you, asshole?" she snarled out at me with her hands clenched into fists at her sides as I tried not to stare at her kiss swollen lips. "Women are being killed and you're just going to fuck with me and put on some ridiculous testosterone-fueled show for me?"

  That pissed me off. My face instantly hardened as I ground my teeth together. I stepped into her personal space again for a very different reason this time. Her eyes widened, and I noticed how her body instinctively softened under my suddenly hard and intense scrutiny. I was now certain of what I suspected during our kiss. Lu was a natural submissive, at least for me anyway. She just didn't know it yet.

  I pressed my advantage and glared down balefully at her, unleashing the heady power of my dominance on her. Her lips parted, and desire swirled in her eyes. Her chest rose and fell hypnotically as it flushed a pretty pink between the open top two buttons of her white shirt. I longed to cradle her throat in my hand, to feel her pulse flutter under my thumb as I claimed her mouth again, and then her luscious body right here, right now. Lust burned through my veins like fire, but I locked it down.

  "Don't mistake a moment of levity for a lack of seriousness on my part," I growled out sternly. "I'm well aware of the gravity of this situation and what's at stake, and this so-called show I put on for you was for a reason."

  "And what's that?" she asked irritably.

  "To give you a taste of the power dynamics in the BDSM lifestyle, and to get you accustomed to me intimately touching you," I answered her, that last part was utter bullshit since that kiss had been an unplanned and impulsive act I couldn't bring myself to regret. "If you can't convincingly pull off the part of my submissive, we're dead in the water before we even get started."

  She blinked in surprise. "Oh," she said with a brief chagrined expression as a shimmer of uncertainty flashed across her eyes. "Did I pull it off?" she asked in a confident tone that didn't fool me at all.

  "Yes," I replied. "You're a natural."

  "Well, I have gone undercover quite a few times since I joined the vice squad," she said, oblivious to what I actually meant, before she shot a glare up at me. "But no more touching me or anything else without letting me know about it first. No more surprises, okay?"

  "Alright," I answered with a nod as I fought another amused smirk.

  She was in complete denial of what was happening between us, but I was okay with that because I knew the truth. Not only was Lu a natural submissive, but I knew down to my very bones that she wanted me just as much as I wanted her too. This woman made me want to embrace a part of myself that I never thought I would want to again. I'd given up this lifestyle for a reason that was now beginning to seem meaningless and arbitrary to me. Maybe she was exactly what I needed to try again, to trust again. Time would tell, and I could be patient. It was only a matter of time before she eventually gave in to her desires, and I'd be right there to give her what she needed, what we both needed.

  "Now," I said, stepping back and crossing my arms
as I eyed Lu sternly. "Take off your shirt," I commanded, my voice firm and unyielding.

  Her eyes flew wide then lit up with fury. "Excuse me, what?" Lu asked in heated indignation, her entire body instantly bristling.

  I moved forward so I could scowl down at her. "This won't work if you don't do what I say," I replied fiercely, pleased when she instinctively shrank back a little under my withering stare, "or do you want me to punish you?" I added with a devilish smile.

  She gasped at my words, her eyes blazing angrily, but I saw the way her cheeks flushed pink and her nipples hardened into tight little nubs under her shirt. She could be in denial, could rail against this and be angry at me all she wanted, but her body knew what it wanted and acted accordingly, giving her true desires away every time.

  Finally, after a brief tension-filled standoff, she clenched her jaw and glared up at me with hard narrowed eyes. "You first, hijo de puta," she growled out in a low sexy tone, calling me a motherfucker and making my dick throb.

  Yeah, I may have done a few more Internet searches on Spanish profanity. I wanted to know what filthy things she was hurling at me in that arousing alto voice of hers.

  Ordinarily, this was when I'd turn a mouthy and disrespectful sub over my knee and spank her ass a fire-engine red until was she screaming out an apology. Then I'd tie her down and mercilessly tease her tender and swollen little clit until she was begging for me to let her come. I briefly fought the powerful urge to do just that. After all, she wasn't truly my sub...not yet anyway.

  It amazed me how quickly I was embracing my dominate tendencies with her after so many years of suppressing it. Lu just seemed to bring it out of me. Instead of what I wanted to do, I decided to give a little to get what I wanted, for now anyway. I took a single step back, and began slipping my suit jacket off.

  Her eyes flew wide again, her mouth falling open in surprise. I turned briefly to throw my Armani jacket over the back of the black leather chair that was behind me. I faced Lu again as I pulled my shirt out of my pants and began undoing the buttons. Her eyes instantly darted down to watch my hands, her pupils widening further as I slowly worked the buttons loose one by one. I smirked, amused and satisfied by her reaction, but she was so mesmerized that she didn't even notice.

  When the last button gave way, I shrugged out of the shirt, and tossed it over my discarded jacket. I stood there and watched Lu's lips part as she gawked at my upper body for several long moments. Not to be cocky and full of myself, but I knew I looked good. I worked hard for the toned muscular body I had, and from the desire I could see in every line of her body, it paid off well. Her obvious, if unconscious, appreciation made me decide to up the ante. I began unbuckling my belt as I toed my shoes off. Lu gasped as she finally met my eyes again.

  "What...what are you doing?" she asked in an almost choked voice as I lowered my zipper. I pushed my pants down, revealing my black boxer briefs. She glanced briefly at my groin and blinked with incredulous eyes before quickly looking away.

  Yeah, babe, I have a big dick.

  "Calling your next bluff," I replied as I stepped out of my pants and stood there basking in Lu's arousal. "Now it's your turn," I prompted her in an amused tone as I nodded toward her expectantly.

  Her eyes flashed down, but this time instead of looking at my dick again, she focused in on my leg. Shit. Her brow furrowed curiously as she studied the big scar on my left thigh. It had faded a lot over the years and wasn't as nasty as it used to be, but it was still very visible. I unconsciously tensed under her perusal, bracing for the next question I knew was coming.

  Sympathy filled her gaze as she met my eyes again. "How did you get that scar?"

  "A car wreck when I was nineteen," I answered succinctly, trying to keep my tone even, and hoping she didn't ask anything else about it.

  "It must have been a bad one for a scar like that," she continued, oblivious to my discomfort. "What happened?" she asked with a worried frown. Fuck.

  "I broke my femur," I explained tersely, wanting her to take the hint and drop the subject. The horrific memory of coming to in the mangled wreckage of what was left of my car and looking down to see my own bone sticking out of my leg filled my head. Fuck. I pushed it away and fought not to shudder from the unwanted recollection.

  I despised the damn scar, and hated talking about it too. Not only did it remind me of the most physically painful and traumatic event of my life, but of the aftermath that followed over the next six years. I'd ended up with an opiate painkiller addiction that forever altered the path of my life, and almost damn well ended it several times before I finally managed to get clean for good nine years ago. I certainly wasn't going to share any of that with Lu.

  "Does it still hurt?" she asked, and the honest concern on her face was very obvious and actually mollified some of my tension, even if she was unintentionally poking at my psychological wounds.

  "They had to put a rod in it, so sometimes in the winter it aches, and if I overdo it working out," I answered her, thinking of the drug cravings I still suffered, especially when my leg hurt, then immediately changed the subject with a hard stare and an arched brow. "Stop deflecting and strip to your bra and panties...now," I demanded sharply as I crossed my arms again. Pot, Kettle, Black.

  Her eyes narrowed sharply at me with an angry glare and an incensed expression. I thought I was in for a fight for sure, or at the very least, she was just going to turn around and walk her fine ass right out of here. However, what she did next was entirely unexpected.

  She set her jaw stubbornly and then with precise and confident movements began shrugging her suit jacket off. She slipped it off her shoulders and tossed it at me. I caught it in midair as I stood there unabashedly admiring how her exquisite full breasts filled out the simple white button-down she wore. There was a Glock 19 pistol in her shoulder holster, and it looked badass and hot as hell on her. She carefully removed her holster and reached out to hand it to me, her eyes never leaving mine. I immediately recognized the trust she was handing me right along with her weapon, and I was floored completely. I nodded subtly in acknowledgment as I gently took the weapon from her and set it down on one of the low tables nearby.

  When I turned back to face her, she had already untucked her shirt and was working the buttons loose. My breath caught in anticipation for what was next as I avidly watched her hands. Inch by inch, she bared more of herself to me until she reached the sweet line of her impressive cleavage. I stifled a groan as I stared at her chest, the lacy edges of her nude-colored bra now peeking out to taunt me. She continued opening each button with agonizing slowness, until I could see a line of silky skin down the center of her upper torso, and the jeweled belly button ring that seemed to glitter at me. Fuck me, it was hot.

  Finally, she slid her shirt off her shoulders, and I got a full view of the sheer lace that was hugging and lifting her perfect breasts. Damn. I stared at them like an imbecile, and the next thing I knew her shirt was hitting me in the face, bouncing off my now renewed erection, and dropping onto the floor at my feet. I looked up at her face again, and the self-satisfied smirk she was wearing just fucking slayed me.

  She bent to pull off her boots then straightened. Her hands glided down her belly to her waist, and my heart began pounding away inside me as I watched her unbuckle her belt and unfasten the snap of her black pants. She drew the zipper down, and let more nude lace peek out as her panties came into view. Her hands slipped under her waistband, and she shimmied her hips out of her pants, making her breasts jiggle enticingly. Then she was pushing her pants down and stepping out of them. She tossed them aside and just stood there in all her glory, unashamed and oozing with confidence as I ogled her petite and perfectly voluptuous body.

  I'd never seen a more beautiful woman in my life. She was the tangible embodiment of every wet dream I could have ever imagined. I took in almost every inch of her glorious caramel skin. She looked flawless and silky-smooth as I let my eyes travel down from her face and past her cleavage
to her mouth-wateringly toned belly, and her strong shapely legs, then back up to her panties. They were even more sheer than her bra, and my eyes were practically bugging out of my skull the instant that I realized that I could clearly see that her pussy was completely waxed bare underneath.

  Shit. Damn. Fuck.

  Suddenly, I couldn't breath past the tidal wave of lust that plowed into me and sucked all the air from my lungs. My dick throbbed and strained at the cotton of my boxer briefs as I took in all of Lu's feminine glory. And Lu just stood there basking in the power she now held over me as I stared dumbly at her for several long moments in complete and mindless stupefaction.

  Finally, she reached up to flick some of her gorgeous and satiny dark hair over her shoulder, and it managed to pull me out of the spell I was under. I met her now very smug and victorious gaze as her luscious lips quirked up into the sexiest smirk I'd ever seen. Oh, hell no. She wasn't going to win that easily.

  I reached up to press my hand to my chest, then languidly slid it down my body, over my hard abs and to the waistband of my boxer briefs. Lu's eyes followed the path of my hand, and I paused just long enough for her smirk to fall away before palming my dick over the cotton it was straining under. Then I began stroking myself as her eyes stayed locked unerringly on my groin with a mesmerized and dreamy expression.

  I moved closer and her eyes flashed up to mine again, her pupils blown wide with desire. I leaned in so my mouth was mere millimeters from hers, breathing in her sweet magnolia scent that was now mixed with her musky arousal. She closed her eyes and sucked in a soft breath as her breasts arched up and her lips parted in anticipation of a kiss. It was all I could do not to give it to her as I restrained the desire that was raging through my body. Instead, I smirked triumphantly.