Blind Obedience
Page 2
Determined not to let him win this little skirmish, Thea stepped out of her sandals and then reached under her skirt to wiggle out of her panties. She wadded them into a tiny ball. Unsure what to do with them, she flashed him a questioning look. His gaze remained steady as he reached out a hand. She stepped closer to his desk and gave him the warm bundle, unable to suppress the blush that heated her face.
His eyes flared as he slowly took her offering. The tiny scrap of powder blue silk looked especially feminine in his big palm. He rubbed the silk between his fingers for a long minute, then lifted it to his face and inhaled deeply.
More heat suffused her in a wild rush of arousal. She felt the hot blush spreading down her neck to her chest, making her nipples tingle. His action both shocked and inflamed her.
“You have a panty fetish?” she managed in choked whisper.
“Only yours,” he answered gruffly. “Your scent excites me, and I’ve missed making love to you.”
She licked suddenly dry lips. His words excited her too, more than he could know. It was the most erotic thing he’d ever said to her. It sent heat throbbing throughout her body. Dampness pooled between her legs.
He’d always been a considerate lover, but he exercised rigid control over their lovemaking, keeping it as conventional as his courtship. He’d never encouraged her to explore her sexuality nor revealed the depth of his. She always felt as if he was holding himself in check, yet she trembled at the thought of tapping the untamed passion she sensed in him.
Her tone was a little breathless. “Is that all?”
“No. I want your bra, too.”
Her eyes widened and she stood perfectly still. Her breasts were large, and she’d always been self-conscious about their fullness. She never went braless or exposed her breasts any more than necessary.
“May I ask why?” she stalled.
“Blind obedience,” he replied. “You either trust me or you don’t. You either cooperate or we’re finished.”
Thea searched his features, wondering how far he planned to push her with his demands. If she didn’t comply, would he really give up on their relationship? Could he do that so easily? Would she still want him if he could give her up so easily?
“Ready to call it quits?” He reached for his jacket.
She leaned forward and slapped his hand. The touch sent its usual zing of awareness through her. Their gazes tangled briefly. He sat down, looking smug, while she turned her back and began unbuttoning her blouse.
“Turn around,” he demanded. “I’ve seen you naked, remember? If you’re too modest to undress in front of me, then there’s no hope for my plan anyway.”
She’d never stripped for a man in her life. She didn’t have a seductive gene in her body. She might not be an innocent, but neither was she an exhibitionist. In addition, she wasn’t that comfortable with nudity. Despite a careful regimen of diet and exercise, she’d never be stylishly slim and trim.
Grinding her teeth in determination, she turned back to him and continued with her blouse. It was little more than a sleeveless vest, so she unbuttoned it, reached behind her and unclipped her bra. Then she slid her arms out long enough to shimmy out of the bra.
She handed it to Blake, and quickly fastened her blouse over her naked breasts. The soft cotton brushed her nipples, making them harden against the fabric.
He made a rough sound, scolding her for the hurried actions. “Your breasts are beautiful. Why do you always hide them under layers of clothes?”
Heat scorched her from breast to womb, frazzling her nerves. His tone and expression convinced her that he meant what he said. It was a heady aphrodisiac. His pointed stare at her breasts made her nipples pout and ache for attention.
She watched as he lifted her bra to his face, rubbing the fabric against his cheek in a pure, sensual caress. His eyes closed briefing, as if savoring the feel and scent. Then he put both her undergarments in his desk drawer.
Breathing a little erratically, she wondered what he had in mind for her next. Would he continue to tease her or did he plan to make love right here in the office? Had he ever made love to anyone on a desk?
“Now come here.”
Thea’s legs were trembling. It was ridiculous, but she couldn’t seem to stop them. She wasn’t afraid of Blake. She did trust him, yet this was all new territory for her.
Their gazes locked as she moved around his desk. When she was close enough, he rose, grasped her by the waist and sat her on the edge of the desk. In the process, he managed to shift her skirt high enough that she felt the coolness of wood beneath her bare bottom.
She grasped the hem and would have tugged it down, but he caught her wrists. Tugging her arms backward, he had her arching her chest forward until all her weight balanced on her hands.
“Stay put.”
He was leaning close enough to envelop her with his scent. The heat of him singed her torso. Warmth sizzled along her nerve endings as he took a step backward, slowly unfastening the buttons of her blouse. It gaped open, giving him an unobstructed view of pale, rounded breasts. He brushed his knuckles over her pouting nipples enough to titillate, but not satisfy, and then he sat back down in his chair.
Thea’s breathing was erratic. Sprawled on his desk, her breasts thrusting upward, her nipples barely concealed by cotton, she found it hard to drag enough air into her lungs. She felt cool air on the sensitive flesh between her thighs and clenched her internal muscles in response to the stimulus.
“I feel like a hooker,” she whispered gruffly. “Is this little exercise an attempt to humiliate me?”
“I hope not,” he insisted, then shocked her again by lifting both her feet into his lap, exposing her even more. She knew he could see up her skirt now, and the knowledge sent a shudder of excitement over her.
“You look incredibly hot,” he continued, his dark eyes roving slowly over her. Flames licked at her flesh with each touch of his hot gaze. “And sexy as hell.”
He slipped her shoes off and placed her feet on his chest. She could feel the warmth of him through the cotton of his shirt. It sent a spiral of heat up her legs.
He started a slow, thorough massage, rubbing the balls of her feet with his thumbs. Then he caressed the arches and her heels. Thea closed her eyes and moaned with pleasure. She hadn’t realized how sensitive her feet were, but his fingers were magic. The erotic sensations quivered up her calves to her thighs and then the very heart of her.
His massage continued along her calves to her thighs, stoking her arousal along the way. After another few minutes, he slid his chair closer to the desk and propped her ankles on his shoulders. Thea opened her eyes and found him staring between her legs.
A deep, throbbing ache had settled there as well.
“Do you enjoy oral sex?” he asked.
She sucked in a breath, her legs stiffening. He wouldn’t. Not here. If his intention was to shock her, he’d succeeded. Somehow that intimacy seemed far more outrageous than fast, furious sex.
Swallowing hard, then licking suddenly dry lips, she confessed. “I don’t know. I’ve never experienced it.”
He looked genuinely surprised at the admission, but not disbelieving. “The idea shocks you senseless?” he asked as he began to nibble his way up her calves and thighs.
The idea, along with his feathery kisses, made her body weep. It embarrassed her to realize he could probably see and smell her wanton reaction to his caresses. It left her entirely too exposed and vulnerable. Too much, too fast. She gasped for air, needing more time to come to terms with this new twist in their relationship.
“I have to meet Henley’s advertising rep in a few minutes,” she reminded hoarsely, shifting as if to rise.
Blake grasped her legs to still her movements, and then slid his hands beneath her skirt. His thumbs moved over more sensitive flesh at the juncture of her thighs. She inhaled raggedly as he continued to explore her with his fingers. He’d never touched her there before and the pleasure was almost to
o intense to bear.
His gaze had settled on her face again, the dark eyes measuring and watchful. Thea knew her features were strained and flushed. She wanted to hide from her own embarrassed excitement, but he was offering her no mercy.
“My dad or Vivian or anyone else could walk in here,” she reminded him in a husky, panicked tone.
When his probing fingers neared their destination, hot, fiery need jolted through her. She arched upward as the wicked, wonderful sensation inflamed every nerve ending in her body. Her breasts swelled, nipples tightening as he plunged one finger, then two deep inside of her. He used his thumb to rub her most sensitive flesh while his fingers slowly stroked from the inside.
Lungs constricted, she gasped for air and involuntarily writhed against him, coaxing for deep, harder penetration. Her pulse began to pound in her ears, nearly deafening her to any sound but her own ragged breathing.
She’d never felt so needy, her body crying out for more. She didn’t know why he was introducing her to such pleasure here and now, but she felt his dark gaze studying her every reaction.
The sound of voices in the outer office shocked Thea from her sensual haze and cooled her ardor. She tried clenching her thighs to protect herself from his continued caresses, but nothing seemed to shift him from his single minded concentration.
He punished her by driving her wilder with the thrust of his fingers. The voices receded into the background again as she nearly hyperventilated, tossing her head from side to side and hoping nobody could witness her rapidly escalating desire.
“Look at me,” he commanded.
Thea could only manage to open her eyes a sliver, then shuddered as their gazes met. His eyes were turbulent with emotion, his expression as taut and aroused as hers.
She felt herself spiraling closer to orgasm with each stroke of his thumb and fingers. Panting and squirming, her body demanded more while her brain dictated some restraint. It was the wrong time and place. She felt too exposed, too decadent, and she didn’t want to be the only one out of control.
“Blake, stop, please.”
He immediately eased his fingers from her and tangled them in the tight curls, tugging a gentle reprimand for her reticence.
“Please,” she gasped the plea, unsure what she was begging for. Her body throbbed with unsatisfied desire.
“Please what, Thea?” he asked gruffly, nibbling her thigh.
“Make it better. No! Stop! I can’t stand it!”
She thought she might die from wanting, but then he slowly withdrew his caresses. He slid his chair backward, lowering her legs until their gazes could meet again.
She blushed furiously, knowing how wild she must look with her face flaming and her chest heaving as though she’d run a mile. Her gaze dropped to his lap. She needed to know he was as aroused as she. The bulge under his slacks was gratifying, but it made her muscles clench in urgency.
Blake continued to watch her as he reached down and cupped his straining erection. She stared in fascination as it throbbed with a life of its own. Seeing the length and breadth of it while he was fully clothed gave her another erotic jolt of pleasure.
Her gaze darted around them nervously; toward the door and then the windows, feeling as though they were on display. She bit her lip, but then her attention focused back to his groin.
“See what you do to me?” he asked.
She couldn’t do anything but nod and lick her parched lips.
“Would you like to touch me?” he said thickly.
Thea bit her lip. In the past, she’d been shy about expressing her needs. She wanted to explore every inch of him with her hands, lips, and mouth. Then she wanted him deep inside of her. She ached and desperately wished for more privacy. Why couldn’t he have discussed this plan at his apartment?
When she didn’t immediately respond to his question, Blake placed one of her feet against his erection. It was as long as her foot and nearly as thick. Her toes curled as she felt the heat of him through the rough fabric. He was so hot and hard.
She didn’t complain when he lifted her onto his lap. Her skirt rode up and she felt the thick, turgid length of him pressing against her most sensitive flesh. She moaned, wanting him inside her. She reached for his zipper, but he pulled her hands around his neck. Then he gripped her hips tightly, preventing her from soothing her flesh against his.
She wanted his mouth almost as much, wanted the deep, drugging kisses that would assure her that his emotions were just as involved as his body. Sinking her hands in his hair, she started to lower her mouth to his, but he dodged the kiss.
He brushed his mouth across her neck and whispered in her ear. “I haven’t forgotten that you’ve been sleeping with Ted,” he ground out roughly. “I can’t get it out of my mind. It’s been eating me alive. ”
Thea whimpered and sagged against his chest, battling the need to tell him the truth. Would he understand? Was he just suffering from a wounded ego? Or would the truth make him too furious to even give her a chance? Could she make him forget his pride long enough to sate their hunger?
She shifted in his lap to ease the throbbing ache between her legs, but his grip on her hips denied her the satisfaction. She wanted to scream and sob and pull out his hair. Rubbing her breasts against his chest seemed her only hope of satisfaction.
A low groan rumbled from deep in his chest. She could feel the tightly coiled tension in his body, but he didn’t weaken. His tone was hoarse when he spoke again.
“You only have fifteen minutes to get to the club, and I have an interview here at noon. We’ll talk later.”
She wanted to scream with frustration. In an equally hoarse voice, she asked, “how much later?”
“I rented a cabin at the lake. Go out there after lunch, and I’ll come as soon as I can.” He lifted her off his lap, severing the intimate connection while their bodies screamed in protest.
His strong hands steadied her until her legs stopped trembling. Almost dizzy with confusion and unsatisfied desire, Thea found her shoes and slipped them on her feet. She shoved her hair from her face and tried to regain some composure.
“Turn around and lean over my desk.”
Surprised by another command after he’d already rejected her, she started to protest. Blake lifted a hand to halt her questions. Then he turned her until she had her back to him.
“Now bend over the desk and lift your skirt. I want to see your bare behind.”
Thea’s breath caught in her throat, but a deep curiosity had her obeying. She bent forward at the waist and leaned over his desk. She felt exposed again as her skirt rode high up her thighs and cool air teased her sensitive flesh.
“Pull it clear up to your waist,” Blake insisted gruffly.
She rested her torso on the desk and reached for the hem of her skirt with both hands, slowly inching it upward until her entire rear end was exposed. She wondered, briefly, if he’d take her from behind. They’d never tried this position, but her stomach muscles clenched at the thought.
Slap! Whack!
Blake cracked her bare buttocks with the flat of his hand, making the sensitive flesh sting. She yelped in surprise, whirling to face him with her indignation.
“Ow! That hurt!” She interpreted his actions as meanness. The thought, more than the slaps, brought tears to her eyes. “Why are you hurting me when I’ve done everything you asked?”
Blake pulled her against his chest, and then slid his hands under her skirt to massage the tender, stinging flesh. “That didn’t really hurt, now did it?”
Pride had her blinking back the tears. “It hurts that you’re being deliberately cruel.”
“That’s not my intention.”
“Then what is your intention?”
Blake lowered his lashes, refusing to comment. He shifted from her and fished a key from his pocket. “Cabin number 26. Ask the man at the gate for directions, and then make yourself at home. Don’t take anything with you. I’ll see to everything. Just don’t disappoin
t me or there won’t be any more chances.”
Embarrassed now at her brazen behavior and utter lack of control in the face of his rejection, Thea averted her eyes.
“May I have my underwear back?”
“No.”
That snapped her attention back to him. “I can’t go to the club like this!” she insisted.
“You have a jacket, and Henley’s rep is a woman.”
“I’ll still feel naked!”
“That should keep your thoughts from straying too far from me, shouldn’t it?” he said, a hard edge returning to his voice. “If I find out you’ve so much as spoken to pretty-boy Ted, I’ll make you both regret it.”
Thea shivered at his ominous threat. The possessive glitter of his eyes came as yet another shock. She didn’t know whether to feel pleased or just pissed.
So much depended on the emotion fueling his sudden possessiveness.
CHAPTER TWO
The lake wasn’t much more than a thirty-minute drive from the city. Thea arrived at the cabin a little after three o’clock. Lunch had been a disaster since she couldn’t stay focused on the conversation or anything business related. It had been a relief to finally escape.
She’d shed her jacket in the car. As soon as she let herself in the door of the cabin, she kicked off her shoes and started to explore. There were only four rooms; a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bath. It was rustic, but neat and homey. The front porch overlooked the lake. The tiny back yard held a kidney shaped pool and was totally enclosed by a tall, wooden security fence.
Thea checked the refrigerator and found a small supply of groceries along with a couple of bottles of wine. She poured a glass and downed it in one swallow, then poured another. Carrying it with her, she checked out the bedroom. It had only one oversized, single bed.
There were several of Blake’s suits and shirts in the closet and more of his clothes in the dresser drawers. Apparently he’d been renting the place a while and spent a lot of time here even though he had an apartment in the city. It hurt that he’d never even mentioned it to her.