Her hands slipped on the pole.
“Keep your hands in place.”
She straightened and lifted them back to her shoulder height.
Rafe continued to tease her nipples as she arched into his touch. “Does it make you horny to know someone might be watching?”
“Yes, Sir.” She squirmed, but held her position well for the first time under his command.
“Good girl. Honesty is key to this lifestyle. I have to know you’re always telling me the truth.”
She nodded.
When Rafe reluctantly released her breasts, she sighed. Her shoulders relaxed. But he didn’t give her much time to come down from her heightened arousal. He spread his palms down her body until he reached her thighs. When he stroked his thumbs through the crease of her jeans, she rose up on her tiptoes.
“Did I say to move?”
“No, Sir,” she said through gritted teeth. “Sorry, Sir.” She lowered her body, and he pressed into her pussy.
“So hot. I can feel the moisture through your jeans.”
A small sound escaped her lips.
Rafe removed his hands and brought them back to her waist. “I think that’s enough for tonight. You’ve had a good taste of submission. It’ll give you something to think about.”
He set his hands on hers and uncurled them from the pole. He grabbed one hand and led her back toward the front. He knew he was shocking her, ending things so abruptly and leaving her needy, but that was the point.
Katy Marks was indeed capable of submission.
They both needed to wrap their minds around that before they went any further.
Adjusting his aching cock, he led her outside and straight to the truck. “You can relax now,” he spoke into her ear as he settled her in her seat.
Chapter Fourteen
Katy couldn’t believe what had happened. She shivered on her side of the truck bench, unable to keep her hands from shaking. It was warm outside. That had nothing to do with it. All of her blood had collected in her pussy and nipples. She was surprised enough was available to enable her to walk.
Her ears were ringing, and she stared out the window with her arms crossed over her chest as she tried to piece together the last few hours.
Embarrassment at how easily she’d succumbed to his word warred with her arousal and the need to come. He’d left her on the edge, and she knew it was intentional.
“You okay?”
She nodded. She couldn’t face him yet. She feared he could read too much from her expression.
He didn’t let her pull away though. He reached for her hand and tugged her closer when they came to a light. He kissed her palm. “Look at me.”
She lifted her gaze.
“You did so well. I’m as shocked as you are. Don’t pull away. I want to talk about his when we get home.”
She couldn’t imagine that happening, but she nodded anyway.
When they pulled into the garage, Rafe turned her direction. He took her face in his hands and angled it toward his. He stared into her eyes for several seconds and then kissed her gently. He smiled. “Let’s go inside.”
They both climbed from the truck and headed for the door to the kitchen.
The second Rafe pushed it open, he stopped in his tracks.
Katy peered around him, wondering why he wasn’t moving forward and gasped. “Oh my God.” The kitchen was a disaster, dishes and silverware and pots and pans all over the counters and the floor.
Rafe held out his arm to block her entrance and eased her away from the door. “Stay back,” he whispered. “We can’t be sure someone isn’t still inside.” He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed while she watched. “Stay here,” he mouthed as he stepped into the kitchen.
Katy’s heart raced. Stay here? Was he kidding? What if something happened to him inside?
She heard him speaking to the police through a fog. Could this be a coincidence? She knew the answer to that before the idea fully formed. That jackass found her. She leaned against the front of the truck, partially to avoid collapsing. After everything she’d witnessed that evening, she was exhausted, mentally and physically. She was deflated. Her adrenaline was kicking in, and she started to shake again.
She watched as Rafe paced through the kitchen, keeping an eye on her while talking to the cops. When he hung up, he dialed another number and spoke again, repeating many of the same details. Another cop?
She heard sirens in the distance. They were fast. Rafe came back out to the garage and took her hand, leading her past the truck and onto the driveway. “We’ll wait here.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, kissing the top of her head.
“This is my fault.”
“Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“If I hadn’t come here to stay…”
“You’d be at Jenna’s and probably dead. So stop it.”
True. He had a point.
The police pulled up, two squad cars almost simultaneously. They each looked at the other as they approached. Katy didn’t believe they knew they’d both been dispatched.
And then it became clearer as Rafe stepped forward. Katy recognized one of the cops as one of the guys she’d met earlier at the fight. Rider? Yep. She wouldn’t forget that name.
“Thanks for coming,” Rafe said as Rider shook his hand.
“Of course. What happened?”
The second cop introduced himself also. “So you two know each other?”
“Yes. We train at the same gym. Rafe called me after he dialed 9-1-1,” Rider responded.
“Got it. Have you been inside?” the officer asked Rafe.
“Only the kitchen. I didn’t want to wander through the entire house and leave Katy in the garage. And I didn’t want to risk her going inside either. Though I seriously doubt the perpetrator is still in there.”
Katy followed the men back through the kitchen entrance, still shocked by the enormity of the mess. She ran her hands through her hair. “I can’t believe anyone would do this.”
The officer on call started asking them questions. “I understand you have a stalker?”
“Yes,” Katy confirmed. “His name is Bobby Crowder. The police have been looking for him.”
Rafe responded next. “We can’t be sure he’s the same person who attacked her last week, but I find it hard to believe this is a coincidence. I’d say he somehow managed to track her down.”
“Have you been working?” the officer asked.
She nodded. “Yes. Rafe has taken me and picked me up.”
“Then he could have followed you here at some point, right?”
Katy crossed her arms at the chill that ran down her spine. She felt so violated.
Rider stepped back into the kitchen. “You’re gonna want to see something.” He nodded over his shoulder and the other officer and Rafe followed him down the hall and into the master bedroom. Katy stayed on their heels.
“Fuck,” Rafe exclaimed before Katy could see what he was looking at.
She ducked her head under his arm and peered into the master bathroom.
In black marker written on the mirror was a jagged note: You think you can hide from me whore?
Katy cringed.
Rafe wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “Jesus.”
“I’d say he found you then.” The officer wrote a few notes down on his pad and then looked around. “I don’t suppose you could possibly know if anything is missing?”
Rafe ran his free hand through his hair. “Not a chance. But I’d be surprised. I think he was leaving us a little warning. Thank God we weren’t home.”
“Do you have someplace else you can go?” the officer asked. He stepped through the craziness that was everything Rafe owned on the floor.
“We’ll go to a hotel.”
“All right. I’ll escort you there. Don’t tell anyone where you are and stay in the room as much as possible. Hope you like room service.” The officer didn’t
smile as he spoke. He stepped away, holding up a finger as his cell rang. Rider followed him.
Rafe led Katy across the hall to the guest room. Her stuff was strewn around in the same fashion. She leaned down to stuff everything back in her suitcase. “I don’t want you to be put out. You’ve done so much already.”
Rafe knelt beside her. He grabbed her hand and forced her to stop jamming clothing into the suitcase. “We’re in this together. You’re not going anywhere alone.”
She stared at him, wondering how she’d gotten so lucky and then remembering what they’d done over the course of the last several hours.
“Do you realize how much I care about you?”
Tears filled her vision. She’d held them at bay since they’d first opened the door to the kitchen. She was pissed and angry and frustrated and exhausted. And all that was piled on top of the warring emotions she’d slipped to the back burner in the last fifteen minutes from the rest of the evening’s events.
Rafe tipped her chin up with one finger. They were still crouched on the floor. “You’re going to be okay. I can assure you the cops will beef up their interest in this case, and they’ll get this guy. Meanwhile, we’ll go to a hotel and get some rest.
Katy glanced at her watch. It was after one in the morning. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
“I know. But you aren’t doing it alone.” He closed the suitcase and lifted upright. “Let me grab a few things and we’ll get out of here.”
Katy followed Rafe. She was grateful for his presence. But she felt awful for his involvement in the first place. If she hadn’t exited the gym that day and kissed him against the side of the building, none of this would have happened and his place wouldn’t be trashed now.
On top of everything else, she had serious doubts about her ability to be the kind of woman he needed. And now she felt like she was using him.
“Stop looking at me like that,” Rafe said as he turned around to gaze at her from the bag he was packing. “There’s no other place I’d rather be right now.”
She watched him sort through his clothes on the floor and grab various items.
The officer and Rider stepped back into the room as he zipped the duffle. “Well, the good news is, he didn’t do the same to your condo. He must have known with certainty you weren’t staying there.” The man stepped back to let Rafe and Katy pass. “I’ll follow you to the hotel and make sure you’re secure, and then I’ll head back to the precinct. Someone will contact you in the morning.”
Rider told Rafe he’d call in the morning also, and then he left.
Rafe grabbed Katy’s suitcase while she gathered up her briefcase and computer. Neither item appeared to have been tampered with. Hopefully Crowder had rummaged through everything in an effort to scare her.
It worked.
She didn’t say a word as they drove to the hotel Rafe selected and leaned against the counter in a haze as he paid for a room. She tried to hand him her credit card when they arrived, but he glared at her.
By the time they were in their suite with the door locked and the officer gone, Katy was practically sleepwalking. She lifted her head and glanced around. The room was huge and there were two bedrooms off the main living area. The idea of sleeping alone didn’t appeal to her at all, but she wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t as though the two of them had been sleeping together up to this point.
Rafe led her into one of the bedrooms and pulled back the comforter. “You’re exhausted. Sleep. Things will look better in about eight hours.”
Katy kicked off her shoes and wiggled out of her jeans, not caring what Rafe saw of her. She climbed into the bed and curl onto her side. At that moment nothing mattered except rest.
•●•
Rafe sat in front of the television the next morning flipping through the channels and keeping the volume as low as possible. Katy still slept. He’d peeked into her room several times, but she was out cold.
He had slept hard himself, but not as many hours. He hadn’t been through as much as she had yesterday nor been as stressed to begin with.
Muting the sound, he set the remote down and leaned back on the couch, tipping his head toward the ceiling. He went over the events of last night time and again in his mind.
Katy hadn’t run screaming from the fight, and she hadn’t run screaming from the club. Those were good signs. He wasn’t exhaling yet because in the light of day she could very well decide he was loony and take off. But he thought he had a running chance after the way she’d reacted to the bondage scene.
A soft noise alerted him to her arrival and he twisted his neck to watch her pad over to where he sat. She climbed up on the couch next to him, curled herself into a ball and leaned against his chest. She still wore the same thing she’d gone to bed in, those damn black lace panties and the tiny camisole he knew covered the matching lace bra.
He wrapped an arm around her. She looked smaller all wadded up next to him. “Did you sleep?”
“Yes. Like a rock. Thank God.”
“Good. Your brain must be on overload.”
“Yes.” She lifted her face to him. “What happened last night?”
That was a loaded questions. Which part?
Her eyes were wide. “At the club. Extreme?”
“You were enthralled by the scene.”
“Yeah. Does it mean anything? I can’t get it out of my mind.”
He smiled. “It means you do have submissive tendencies and maybe I have a chance with you.” He squeezed her tighter.
“Are you sure? I mean just because I was aroused watching doesn’t mean I want to participate.”
“But you did. You let me top you, and it made you aroused.”
“True.” She bit her lower lip. “But I’m so confused.”
“And that’s okay too. You don’t have to make life-altering decisions right this second, Katy. Sit on it a while. Think about it. I’m not going to push you or rush you. The last thing I would want would be for you to enter into an arrangement you aren’t sure about.”
“But you won’t sleep with me.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I won’t. It wouldn’t be fair. To either of us.” He had to give her space. Let her figure it out on her own. If he pressured her, she would never be sure of her motivations. If he slept with her, he would never be able to let her go.
Rafe’s phone rang and he reached for it on the coffee table. It was the officer from the night before. Rafe looked at Katy’s face as he listened. The conversation was brief. They still had no leads. No one had seen Crowder since his release except Katy and they were doing everything they could.
“Did you hear all that?” Rafe asked as he disconnected.
“Yes.” She sighed. “Damnit.”
“They’ll get him. We have to be patient.”
A moment later a second call came in. “It’s Rider,” Rafe said. “Hey,” he answered.
“Hey, yourself. You okay?”
“Yep. We’re are safely ensconced in this nice hotel awaiting word.”
“Well I can tell you that me and the other guys will be over at your place in about an hour installing a security system.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that. You guys are the best.”
“You know I think of you as a brother. How’s Katy?”
Rafe glanced down at her again. “She’s shook up, but she’ll be okay once they get this asshole off the streets.”
“Yeah. That shit sucks. I’ll let you know if I hear any rumblings at the station.”
“Thanks. And thanks again for everything you’re doing for us today.”
“No problem. Later.” Rider hung up.
“That’s nice of him. I don’t know that I have five friends who would gather together and come to my rescue like that,” Katy said.
“You have good hearing,” Rafe teased.
“Your officer friends are loud,” she shot back.
“I ordered breakfast. Continental. Didn’t know wh
en you would wake up, but thought you might be hungry.”
“Thanks.” She didn’t move. “For everything.”
Rafe lifted her to standing. “Go put something on before I break my word.”
She glared at him with a twinkle in her eye. “Hmm. That’s too tempting.”
“Remember when I threatened to spank your sexy ass?”
She gasped, her mouth opening. “You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.” He grinned. “You should know better after visiting the club last night that I wasn’t kidding. You want to feel my hand on your ass? I’ll gladly help you out. But that’s more than you’re ready for. And I’d rather not.”
Katy turned and fled the room. That’s what I thought.
Chapter Fifteen
Later that night Katy flipped over in her bed for the millionth time. She couldn’t shut her eyes, let alone sleep. Visions of the experience at the club had tortured her the entire day.
Rafe had distracted her with checkers and cards, and then they both tried to get some work done on their respective computers. But the truth was the many aspects of BDSM were never far from her mind.
When she finally excused herself to get away from his enticing scent and broad shoulders, Katy found herself pacing in her room. She’d flounced onto the bed half an hour ago, but every time she closed her eyes she saw nothing but that submissive from last night kneeling on the ground, her feet spread, her eyes covered, her hands lifted in the air.
The sub’s nipples had been permanently pebbled from arousal and she’d licked her lips repeatedly. When Katy imagined the Dom swiping his finger through the woman’s sex¸ she moaned in frustration.
Katy attempted to rub herself through her panties, the silk covering her pussy easing her finger over her clit. She closed her eyes and visualized that scene, repeating it over and over in her mind from beginning to end.
“Come,” the man had ordered.
Fuck. Katy’s frustration grew. She couldn’t get herself off. She squirmed out of her panties and thrust two fingers into her channel to rub over her G-spot. She lifted her hips off the bed, digging her heels into the mattress. Nothing. She couldn’t do it.
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