“Oh, I don’t drink it every day,” said Jack, making it clear that there may just be days when he only drinks wine.
“Well, I could certainly get used to this,” signed Rainn. “It’s heavenly.”
They sat down and ate dinner. Despite Yvonne and Rainn’s attempts to play it down, it was a very good meal with Jack and John both enthusiastic with their praise.
“I enjoy cooking,” explained Rainn, “but I’m sure I’m not very good at it.”
“You’re very modest,” said John.
“Either very modest or you honestly have no idea how exceptional you are,” said Jack. “Exceptional at many things and in many ways.”
Rainn blushed. “Well, if you will excuse me a moment, I shall have to go and clean myself up after all the cooking and eating.”
She rose from the table and Yvonne rose with her. “My make-up assistant will come with me,” said Rainn, laughing. “You’re in showbiz, Jack, you know how it is.”
“Of course,” said Jack, standing politely, “I have one myself.”
When the sisters had left he sat down. “More champagne?” he asked John.
“A little,” said John.
When Jack had placed down the bottle, John asked, “What are you playing at?”
“I’m sorry,” said Jack, genuinely surprised.
“What’s your game with Rainn?”
Jack turned his chair so that he was facing John. “There’s no game,” he said. “I like her and I want to spend time with her.”
“And when you get bored,” said John, “What happens then?”
“Who says I will get bored?”
“You always get bored,” said John. “That’s the way you are.”
“And who the hell are you to tell me about what person I am.”
“It’s clear,” said John. “You are a thrill-seeker. You chase one high after another. Women, alcohol, drugs, it doesn’t matter. And when you are bored of one thing, you drop it and move on to the next.”
“You don’t know what you are talking about. Can’t you see this is different?”
“I’m sure it always starts off as different,” said John. “But it always ends the same way, with you hurting someone, yet you move on, without a care in the world.”
Jack shook his head. “You’re making a fool of yourself.”
“I don’t know what thrill you find in Rainn. Perhaps it’s because she’s so trusting. Perhaps it’s because she’s blind. There’s something there that’s turning you on. But one day soon, you’ll get bored of her and you’ll drop her like the rest.”
“I won’t,” said Jack.
“You will,” John corrected him. “And it won’t matter much to you, but it will destroy her. She can’t see it. That’s the tragedy.”
“And you’re going to make her see it, are you?” said John.
“If I have to.” John jutted out his chin.
“And who appointed you Rainn’s guardian? Who said you have to decide what’s good for her? As if she were a teenager.”
“I’m her friend,” said John.
Jack looked at him and laughed. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you? That’s what this is all about. You’re in love with her and you’ve never had the balls to tell her. And now you’ve lost her, you’re behaving like a jealous little child.”
Jack threw his head back. “Thank God, you’ve lost her. Rainn deserves a lot better than you.”
Jack sipped his wine while John turned red with rage. “Wonder why you’ve never told her. Just don’t have the balls, I expect. Scared of rejection.”
Jack slapped his hand against the kitchen table. “No, I’ve got it,” he said. “I know what it was. You always banked on her never finding another man. Because she was blind, you thought she would always be there for you, while you were free to go off and play the field. Isn’t that right? You were out having a good time, while all the time you had the one woman you really loved as a backup.”
Jack raised his glass of champagne. “That’s it, isn’t it? Jesus Christ, what a loser. Well, John, you’ve really messed this up, because guess what? I’m not going to hand Rainn back to you. Not ever.”
Chapter Seventeen
The following day Jack picked Rainn up early.
“Is there a problem between you and John?” she asked as he got into the car.
“Of course not,” said Jack. He pulled out into the London traffic that was moving slowly with no more urgency than was appropriate on a Sunday morning.
“I just sensed a strange atmosphere last night.”
Jack patted her knee in a friendly way. “You know there’s no one who is more in awe of your senses than I, but in this case they’re a little off.”
They drove along the tree-lined streets of the suburbs and the sunlight flitted through the car windscreen. Often Jack glanced at Rainn’s face and his tongue played on his lips. He was still hungry. But he would have to be patient. He would play the long game.
“A good day for a walk,” he said. “Perhaps we could go to the common.”
“I’d like that,” said Rainn.
They walked along the edge of the common, chatting as dog-walkers and joggers went passed. Jack walked with his arm in hers. He could feel her body move beside him and sense the strength of her back in her upright posture. He felt the curve of her waist and the length of her muscles that curved down her slim thighs.
Rainn felt very much alive and asked Jack to describe the things she could hear and smell.
He told her about the clumps of narcissi in the verge and the lilac coming into flower. He told her about the swans on the pond and the sparrows that hopped on the path in front of them.
They sat on a bench and Rainn told him how she imagined the world.
“It’s difficult to explain,” she said.
“No,” said Jack, he put his arm around her. “I think I understand.”
“I’m not sure it’s possible,” she said. “But it doesn’t really matter. All that matters is that you try.”
She smiled at him and he delicately took her chin and turned it towards him. They kissed.
“Come to my place,” he said. “It’s time I saw you in it.”
Rainn laughed. “I’d like to. You can give me a guided tour.”
Chapter Eighteen
Rainn listened to the car wheels roll over the gravel of the driveway for quite a distance.
“You have a big garden,” she guessed.
“Yes,” said Jack, surprised, as if he had never noticed it before. “I suppose I do.”
“Do you spend a lot of time gardening?”
Jack laughed. “Not a lot.”
“So you have a gardener?”
“Of course.”
Jack led her up the steps to the front door and she listened very carefully as he opened it and they walked into the vast hall.
“The house is big too,” she said. The door closed behind them and Rainn listened to the echo. “You must have a cleaner.”
“Correct,” said Jack.
“Is she here today?”
“No, just you and I.”
Rainn sniffer the air. “It’s clean,” she said. “Your cleaner does a good job. But there’s not much furniture. I can tell that much.”
“I like to keep it minimalist,” he said and took her arm. “Let me show you around.”
Rainn’s heels clicked on the floor. “No carpets,” she said. “Is it marble?”
“That’s right. There’s a few throws, a couple of rugs, for when I want to, you know, relax.”
They toured round the ground floor, Rainn making approving comments.
“I can’t believe how big it is,” she said.
Jack smiled. “It’s probably too much for one person.” He gazed at the curve of her chin and traced the line down her neck and between the buttons of her blouse.
Rainn smiled. “What?” she said. “What is it?”
“Oh, nothing,” said Jack. “Let me s
how you upstairs.”
He guided her up the steps with one hand on her back.
“A spiral staircase,” said Rainn. “I feel like a princess.”
“You look like one too.”
He took her into the two smaller bedrooms and she asked him to describe the furniture as she held onto the curtains and stroked her hand over the bedding.
“And this is my bedroom,” he said and ushered her in. He watched her as she walked around, carefully touching the objects she came across. He enjoyed watching her body move. It was a great pleasure, he realized, to watch her like this, without making her feel uncomfortable under his gaze.
“It’s a lovely room,” she said. “What’s this?” she asked as her hand came across a door handle.
“Bathroom,” said Jack. “Take a walk inside.”
Rainn smiled and opened the door. “Ooh,” he heard her say, “is this a hot-tub?”
Jack moved to the doorway and looked at her bending over with her hands stretched, searching out the sides of the tub. There was something erotic about watching her under the cold, clinical lights of the bathroom.
“It certainly is,” he said.
“It’s huge!” she exclaimed. “If I had one of these I would be in it every day.”
“I hardly ever use it,” he lied.
Rainn turned to face him as he looked her up and down. He then looked at the reflection of her back in the mirror. She was smiling at him and he stared blatantly at her pert breasts that appeared hard beneath her flimsy blouse.
“Well, that’s the guided tour,” he said.
“Thank you,” Rainn said, brightly. “It’s a great place. I’m glad I got to experience it.”
Jack said nothing. They could just hear his breathing echoing in the bathroom. He wanted to touch her, or touch himself. He could do that and she wouldn’t even know. He shook his head to get the thought out of his mind.
“Everything okay?” asked Rainn.
God, she was so innocent, Jack thought to himself. She couldn’t stay that way.
“Sure,” he said. “There’s a lovely breeze from the bedroom window. It faces right across the common, and you can smell the wild flowers. Come with me.”
Chapter Nineteen
Jack took Rainn’s hand and led her from the bathroom. He positioned her by the window and described the view to her.
“It’s spring,” she said, “it must be very green
“It is,” he said. Jack sat on the bed and watched her. She was stroking the curtains.
“What’s this?” she asked.
Jack laughed. “Just the curtain tie-back.”
“And this?” She was holding the thickly knotted tassel that hung down, almost caressing it and something in Jack broke.
“Rainn,” he said, very seriously. “You say stop, and I will stop. I promise. Anything else, I will ignore.”
Rainn frowned and turned towards the window, as if he were describing something out across the common.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
He stood up and moved behind her.
“Here,” he said and took her two slender wrists. She gave them to him as he knew she would. Rapidly, he pulled out the tie-back and wrapped it tightly round her wrists, binding them together.
Rainn gasped. “What are you doing?” she asked.
But Jack was not for speaking anymore. He pulled down the tassel and looped it around Rainn’s waist so he could hear the air escape from her. He twisted it behind her back and held it firmly in his clenched fist.
“Jack, no,” she said and twisted round. In a flash, Jack swung his hand and she felt the sting of his large palm connecting sharply with her ass. Rainn stopped dead still, breathing sharply.
“Yes,” breathed Jack. His voice was low and husky. He sounded satisfied. With a practiced movement he lifted Rainn’s skirt so it was held by the tassel and pulled down her panties. He slapped her again. This time the sound cracked around the bedroom and Rainn moaned.
Pulling the rope tight he repositioned her so she was standing over the bed. Jack inspected her. She writhed her body and Jack pulled on the rope.
“Don’t,” he said. This was no teasing.
With one hand grasping the knotted tassel and the other reaching under her ass, he threw her face down onto the bed. As she lay there, Rainn tried to kick out. Jack fell on her, pushing his hips and thighs between her legs, pressing her into the bed.
Rainn’s mind whirled. Part of her wanted him to stop. Part of her wanted to go back to how it was, to go back to the normal people they had been just moments before. But she knew there was no going back now. Jack could never undo what he had done. He would never be the same person.
She could stop it now, if she wished, but another part of her wanted the complete opposite. She wanted him to do with her body what he wanted and to do it greedily and urgently. And Rainn knew that this was the bigger part of her. The part of her that had laid dormant all her life, but which she had always known was there. It had grown with her, as all the small frustrations of her life had built up, and now it was unleashed. She must let today be the day.
Rainn’s arms were tied behind her back and Jack’s body covered the rest of her. She was helpless, at his mercy and the feeling thrilled her.
“You want this, don’t you?” Jack said in a husky voice that caused her to tremble with desire. “I know you do. I know you act all innocent and I, but in every sweet girl, there’s a dirty girl just waiting to get out. And I think you’re filthy.”
Jack pulled the hair from her face and twisted her head so he could see the expression on her face.
He put his other hand on her throat and kissed her. It was a kiss that Rainn let happen to her. He did it again and this time she responded, pushing his mouth up to his and letting his tongue flick between her lips.
Jack kissed her as if he were demanding something from her. He tensed his body against hers so she could feel its hardness. She pushed her tongue against his, reaching for his mouth. He stopped and they were both left breathless, Rainn struggling for breath against the bedsheets.
Jack gazed down at her, his eyes heavy with lust. Rainn could feel it. It was like nothing like she had ever felt before, an overwhelming sensation, to be the object of such desire.
Jack moved, pushing his knees apart so he straddled her, then turned her over. With one quick tear he ripped open her blouse and pulled away her bra, the material snapping in an instant. Rainn was so shocked she barely registered whether she had felt any pain.
Her breasts were exposed, firm and round, the nipples pointing up to the ceiling. Rainn’s position, with her hands behind her back, pressed them upwards towards Jack and he stared longingly at them.
There was silence in the room apart from the heavy breathing of both of them.
Slowly and very gently, Jack traced kisses from Rainn’s chin and down the sensitive skin of her neck. At her throat he nuzzled delicately and felt Rainn’s breath become shallow and urgent.
Rainn felt her heart beat wildly and a heat burn within her chest, so fiercely it felt as if it may burn through her skin. As Jack went lower, the heat went with him.
As he lay down on top of her, she could feel the same hardness against the top her legs. Instinctively, she shifted position and lifted her hips so he was pushing against that part of her. Rainn let out a long, delicious moan.
Jack kissed around the curve of her neck and below her ears. Then his mouth travelled down over her chest, always nibbling, nuzzling, licking and sucking. He kissed all of her chest and shoulders but he did not touch her breasts. And the longer he stayed away from them, the harder Rainn’s nipples became, until she almost screamed in desire and frustration.
Rainn squirmed beneath him, as if trying to twist her body so that her breasts would meet his mouth. He ignored her and continued, as if frustrating her was all he desired.
“Please,” she said, in a voice that seemed to come from deep within her. “Please,” she be
gged, arching her back so that her breasts pushed even higher.
Jack pulled away from her and she could sense his gaze on her breasts. His hot breath poured onto her sensitive skin.
Then in one quick, flicking motion of his wrist, he whipped his hand across the top of her nipples. He barely touched them at all, but the sensation was so shocking, so divinely raw, that Rainn let out a high gasp of pleasure.
He did it again and again until Rainn thought her nipples could take no more. Then he brought his warm tongue over them, and like a cat at a warm saucer of milk, he lapped at them generously. It was so soothing, Rainn rocked her head and whispered, “yes, yes, more.”
As he continued, Rainn could feel the heat in her chest slide south and between her legs. As if he could sense it also, he followed it down, until he had pressed his hand between her legs, as sparks of electric pleasure shot down her thighs.
He pressed his lips against hers again, kissing greedily, trying to feed his hunger for her.
“Do you like this?” he demanded angrily.
“Yes,” she managed, in between kisses, her voice dripping with need. “Touch me. Please, touch me.”
Jack put his mouth to her breasts while he rubbed his hand between her legs, ever more urgently.
“Yes . . . please,” shouted Rainn. She bucked her hips upwards, desperate for him to press against her.
Jack stood and pulling on the tassel he dragged her to the edge of the bed. He pulled away her skirt and ripped her panties till they came away in shreds.
Rainn dropped her head back, still at his mercy with her hands tied behind her back, but she knew now that she liked it. She could not deny it any longer. Not to herself, anyway. She was exposed and at his mercy and she loved it.
Jack let his fingers explore between her moist folds. Waves of pleasure broke over her until she thought she might drown in it. He continued to work her, pursuing new avenues of pleasure. Rainn gasped. She had not known half of this was possible or what it would do to her.
Then he stopped and his hands grabbed her thighs, forcing them further apart. He held them tightly and she felt his hardness slide over her, once, twice, three times until she was gurgling with the need for it. Then he was inside her, thrusting powerfully and her whole body shuddered with the force of him. Stars exploded brilliantly in Rainn’s darkness and she seemed to sail across the bed on huge surge of pleasure.
Boxer Next Door Page 39
