by Ashlee Price
I kind of giggled and told him that he could let me pick the date.
He agreed, and I wondered how he was going to deal with not being in control. It was clear that it was an issue with him, and I wondered how far I could push him before he lost all of the control that he had. It had been too long since his hands were on me and I had already decided what I truly wanted. I was going to play some games with him, but there was no way that I was going to go another night without his hands on me.
Hanging up, I had about an hour to get ready. I spent more time than I should have in the shower. I started thinking about our time at the lake, and then it was hard not to touch myself. I had to, and before long I was pushing myself to orgasm. It was almost more than I could handle, and my knees were weak as I got out of the shower. Just thinking about him was enough to drive my mind crazy.
Wiping off the condensation on the mirror, I looked at the glowing eyes staring back at me. He was going to know I had come. I knew it. He knew far too much, and I realized that was what made him so good at being in control. He noticed everything, and when he saw me he was going to know what I had done. I don’t know why I felt so paranoid about it, but I did. Even though he hadn’t really touched me in a long time, I felt just as much his as I had been before. The only difference was that I had a little bit of the upper hand and I was going to use it to my advantage. I was just worried that he would quickly take over again and there would be nothing I could do about it.
I got dressed in a way that I knew would drive him crazy. The dress was low-cut, thin, and only came to about mid-thigh. I would have to worry about a stiff wind, but I hoped that the clear night stayed the way it was. I wanted Jerold to swallow his tongue and never be able to tell me no again. I wanted him to pay a little. He had to pay for what he’d made me go through and what I was still going through missing him.
My emotions were all over the place. In some ways I wanted him to kiss me, and in another way I didn’t want him to dare. I knew that it made no sense, but it was the way I felt. I wanted him, but didn’t, because he was dangerous.
Nothing prepared me to see him, though, and to see the reaction on his face to what I was wearing. He liked it, a lot, and I was barely able to meet his gaze. I had fantasized about getting him all hot and bothered like he had done me, leaving him to feel like he was coming out of his skin at the very moment.
“You look… Nicola.” He said my name like a promise, a question. I felt myself getting a little hot in the face and I looked away before he had me again.
“Thanks, Jerold. You look good yourself, as always.”
I smiled at him, glad that at least my voice was working. I hadn’t been sure it was going to work at all, or merely come out as a croak. I liked that he was more bothered than I was, and I was equally happy that I had picked that dress. The soft orange color made everything pop. His eyes were steady on me. I knew that he was going to want to be more than just friends, and since I was ready to give it all to him, I was glad to see that he was prepared to take it. It was his, and I hoped that he knew that by the end the evening.
He was still trying to get himself together, and I was unable to stop enjoying it. Jerold’s eyes had gone almost black. I slightly missed the soft grey they’d been the first time I’d met him. Now they were so filled with lust and need that it was hard to ignore the way he looked at me. I knew what he wanted, and after the moments at the lake, I knew what he was capable of doing. It scared me. He scared me, merely for the power that I knew he possessed. The fact that he knew it as well was still hard to deal with. But at the moment, I knew he wasn’t the one in charge. At the moment, I was the one who was holding the power.
“So are we going to go in, or…?”
Jerold smiled and I almost melted. It was hard not to feel something when he looked at me that way. He had a little dimple that came out when he was being extra naughty, and I wished that I knew what was going on in his head. It was no doubt something good, and undoubtedly something that I wouldn’t mind happening. God, I had missed him.
“Yes, let’s go. It’s just been a while since I’ve seen you like this.”
“Well, I can’t very well dress like this at my parents’ house. I would never hear the end of it. My mother would most likely call the priest over to do an exorcism.”
“I like to see you like this, even if there is a little demon in you.”
His words made me shiver a little, and I knew that the rest of my body was responding in the same way. There was a reason that I had picked one of the most private restaurants in the city. It had nothing to do with the cost, but everything to do with my plans to mess with him. I just hoped that the plan didn’t backfire in my face.
Chapter 3 – Jerold
“So when are you going to forgive me, Nicola? It’s been such a long time since we’ve been together like this, and I can’t think when you are looking this way. You are beautiful.”
She smiled at me. She seemed to be acting a little coy. I had a feeling that she knew exactly what she was doing to me, and she didn’t seem to be too bothered. I was rock hard, as hard as her nipples, but there wasn’t the same need in her. I wanted her to be wet. I wished I could ask her – no, tell her – that I wanted them. I didn’t have that kind of control right now, but she did.
“I already forgave you, Jerold. I just learned that I had to be more careful. You hurt me, and I don’t want to be hurt again.”
I didn’t know what to say. I had never wanted to hurt her. That had been the very last thing on my mind. She was a woman whom I wanted to protect and make sure that nothing ever happened to again. It was still a new feeling to have, but I had learned to embrace it as best as I could.
“I never meant to hurt you. I didn’t know what happened till I got back. Connie sent me to New York to take care of a couple of things, and I thought of you the whole time. When I got back, you were gone and you wouldn’t even talk to me. What was I supposed to do? I had to talk to you mom to get an invitation. And even then you still only talked to me cordially. I want my Nicola back, the one that I made love to at the pier not far from your parents’ house. It seems like so long ago, but it is still the very thing I remember when I close my eyes at night.”
I stopped and told myself that I had to get it together. She didn’t want to hear that. I wasn’t sure what she wanted to hear, but Nicola didn’t want to hear how I was falling for her from only a few weeks together. I had to shut my mouth.
“I know you didn’t mean to, but it still hurt. I didn’t want to talk to you because Connie went all out and I didn’t want to show my face. I wasn’t on my best behavior with her, and I know that I shouldn’t have acted the way I did, but she is truly hateful.”
She wasn’t getting off of Connie, and it made me wonder what all had happened. I had been getting bits and pieces of it, but the subject matter kept most people from commenting. I didn’t know what was going on with them, but I was going to get to the bottom of it.
“I will get rid of her. I can’t have her in the office. She has been my assistant for a long time, but I know I can’t keep someone like that around. I still want you to come back to work. I hate having to order out, and I’m no good in the kitchen.”
Nicola finally smiled, and I knew that she was thinking about coming back. When she told me that she wouldn’t, I could feel the smile sliding off of my face. I didn’t want to think about her being gone forever.
“I’m not coming back, Jerold. I don’t want you as my boss anymore.”
“I don’t understand. It was all wrong, a misunderstanding. Why would you not come back? I will give you more money.”
She shook her head and told me that it had nothing to do with the money. “I’m working on getting my own place. I know that it won’t be very elegant in the beginning, but I don’t want another boss. I want to be my own boss.”
I had not seen that coming. I was a little surprised that she was going to start a business. It was not that I didn’t belie
ve in her, but I didn’t know how she was going to manage fresh out of college. Her parents weren’t going to be able to help her out. I was hesitant to ask about it, though.
“Running a business is a lot of work, but I’m sure you will do great. Have you decided on a location yet?”
Nicola bit her lip and kind of shrugged. Apparently it was not such easy sailing as she had thought it would be. I could have told her why. There was a reason that over half the businesses started failed in the first couple of years. Without capital, I doubt she was even going to be able to secure a lease for more than six months. There was a lot of upfront cost, if the small kitchen in the office was any indication.
“Not really, but I’m working with the bank right now.”
“Do you have any investors?”
She shook her head. “That would be too close to a boss.”
“Ouch.”
“Well, if we are going to play, than we are not going to be able to work together. I will figure something out on my end. I’m not that worried about it.”
She was putting down the rules. So help me, the tide had turned. I would not push it on that one thing. But I knew that I was going to want to take control of everything else. I wasn’t going to argue, but I would still get involved.
“Are we going to play?”
It was the first time that night that she got that submissive look on her face. I loved that look, and it made me want her right then. Could I push her, or was it too soon?
I almost didn’t care if she was ready for it or not. It had been far too long, and all I could think about was losing the one opportunity that I had to be with her again. I needed to get my hands on her, rein her back in.
“I was hoping that we would, Jerold. I have missed you.”
It was all I needed to hear. Standing up, I took her hand, almost pulling her out of the chair because she wasn’t moving fast enough.
“Where are we going? The meal hasn’t even come yet.”
“I’m not hungry for food.”
Chapter 4 – Nicola
He started to take me towards the bathrooms. I told him no. Jerold had a look on his face like he was going to do it anyways, but then he changed directions and we were heading out the front door. “Really, Jerold, what are you doing?”
Not answering me, he gave the ticket to the valet and told him to hurry up. I was kind of giggling at him, until I saw the look in his eyes and my throat constricted. I didn’t know what to say or what to do. I was lost in the moment, and then he moved in for a kiss. It matched his mood, impatient and a little out of control. I had seen the bit of madness in his eyes, and while I had seen it before, tonight it was as if something wild had been unleashed inside of him.
His mouth was hard, his tongue persistent until I let him in. Letting him back in came with risks, but I knew that I had to give it a shot. I had missed him so much, and my body remembered him well. It wasn’t hard to forget that we were in the front of a restaurant. Only when the valet was somehow beside us did I realize that we were no longer alone.
It took Jerold longer to figure it out, and I had to push back on his chest. “The car.”
He grinned, a grin that was full of mischief and transformed his face. This was the man I remembered, and it made my heart clench a little. I had really been lost without him. I had quickly learned that he was the part of life that I had been missing. There were no more thoughts of Jamie or any of the other guys before him. Jerold was exciting, and I could hear my heart beating a mile a minute when I got in the car.
I thought I would be safe for a while, but before he had pulled away from the curb, his hand had slid between my legs and he was checking for panties. When he found that I wasn’t wearing any, his finger pushed inside of me so quickly that I cried out from the sudden pleasure of it all. I couldn’t believe how ready I was. My eyes closed and I didn’t care that he was driving distracted. As long as he didn’t stop, I didn’t think I was going to care about any of it.
My hand covered his and I pressed down with his fingers. I just needed a little more. He slapped my hand and then my wetness, hard enough to make a sound that echoed in the car. It jolted me a little and made it hard to concentrate. I just need something more. I wanted another slap. His fingers were already wet and felt rather amazing.
“You have been bad, Nicola.”
Another slap and I opened my legs wider. I didn’t care where we were, what we were doing, all I cared about was his hand on me once more. The thought consumed me. I was going to lose it. My hips rose up from the seat, and when his hand came down again, I bit my lip in anticipation. Just a few more times and I was going to lose it. My own hand moved to my breast and I started to play with the nipple through my dress. It was getting hard and I could see its outline.
“Can you not control yourself?”
I shook my head that I couldn’t. If I’d thought he would let me, I would have touched myself right then. The slaps were too slow. It was like he knew that I was on the verge. Sweat had broken out on my brow and I was feeling desperate. Did he know that he was going to drive me insane?
“Please, Jerold. It’s been so long.”
His hand moved closer and he started to tap a little faster. “You did this to yourself, Nicola. You denied me many times. I’m going to make sure this time that you can’t get away from me.”
That sounded a little ominous to my ears, but I was sure that he didn’t mean it the way I thought he did. I imagined things that made me finally come. It washed over me so quickly that it took my breath away and I cried out. Jerold didn’t stop the steady movement of his hand when I tried to push him away. It was starting to become too much, just like he himself.
“Please, Jerold.”
Only when I thought I was actually going to go insane did he stop. I couldn’t control myself, and before I knew what I was doing, I was promising to do anything he wanted. He pushed the issue by making me promise that I would never leave him again. In truth, it was so hard to think that I would have agreed to almost anything. Every muscle in my body was tight, and I needed relief more than anything else.
His hand finally stopped and I started to mellow down. I was breathing hard and I couldn’t think, but at least I was given a moment. It took several more before I was able to open my eyes and look around. We were in a driveway that I imagined was his, and the car was stopped. How had I not known that we were stopped? How long had we been there? I wasn’t sure.
When I felt his hand on my thigh, I could feel the wetness. I moaned at the direction he was going.
“You ready to go in?”
Why did that feel like a loaded question?
Shaking my head, I got out and stared up at the large house. It was a mansion, really, and I couldn’t imagine living there. My practical side kicked in and I wondered how long it would take to clean it every day. The thought brought me a little more clarity, but not much. Jerold wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into his hard body. His lips and teeth were nibbling their way down my neck, biting me where it connected with my shoulder. The act almost brought me to my knees and I had to settle myself. It was just too much.
The door opened and I pushed away from him when someone answered. The tall man didn’t really look at me, but past us, and I just walked in. It was strange and I wanted to look back, but Jerold was pushing me forward and I was left to go where he directed me. It was just like old times. I was under his spell once more.
We stopped at a door and he put a code into the panel next to it. The whole house was modern and high tech, but it was only then that I really started to notice it. When Jerold’s hands were on me, it was hard to think about anything else.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
Again he was being kind of ambiguous about his answers, leaving it open. I wondered if he wanted me to imagine where it was we were going. We were going down, and as the elevator started to move my stomach lurched a little with it. I kept askin
g myself what I had gotten myself into.
Chapter 5 – Nicola
There were no more keypads or doors. The elevator opened to a fairly benign-looking room. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting; certainly not the library-style room that I was in at the moment. He’d been a bit mysterious, and now I wasn’t sure if I was disappointed or relieved that it was so ordinary. The ideas that had gone through my head were hard to take my mind off of, though, and I was leaning more towards the former emotion.
Jerold moved to my side, and I could tell that he was reading my expression. He kind of smiled and asked me what was wrong.
“Nothing. I just wasn’t sure what was down here.”
“I thought you would like a drink.”
I agreed that I did and followed him towards a small bar. It blended in with the rest of the décor and I didn’t notice it until he mentioned it. It was hard to focus with wetness rubbing together on my thighs. I knew he was going to pounce on me soon. He was just toying with me, like he was a cat, and in that scenario I was the mouse to be consumed. Shivering, I looked away and tried to control my thoughts. My face was getting red and I felt cornered when he came back towards me. He handed me my drink, our hands brushing against each other.
“Do you have this down here so that you can get some peace?”
Jerold shook his head and urged me to have a little to drink. I stared down at the amber liquid in the glass. I didn’t even ask what it was, I didn’t care – anything that would give me a little fire down my throat to forget about the dark gray eyes on me.
“No, I do not want peace when I’m down here.”
“Oh.” My conversational skills were severely lacking at the moment, so I finally took a drink, closing my eyes for a time at the taste. It was rather strong, but it did exactly what I thought it would do. Finishing the glass that he’d handed me, I felt a little better and somehow a bit more prepared for him.
“Would you like to see the rest of the downstairs?”
