Finally, replete, she let her body go slack.
“That will do for a warm-up.”
“Warm-up, Sir?” She cleared her throat. “I’m not certain I’ll survive whatever else you have in mind.”
“I’ll make sure you do.” He withdrew his still-hard cock and left the bed.
Confusion chased away her sense of satisfaction. “Sir?” From his absence, mentally and physically, she shivered.
“I promised you a shower.”
“But you didn’t…”
“I’ll get mine, Brandy. Up,” he told her.
“I don’t think I can move.” Not that she wanted to. “You’ve got a magnificent body, Sir.” His cock thrust forward. She rolled to one side and propped her head on her hand to get a better look at him as he removed the condom and discarded it in a trash can.
Damn, she appreciated his trim hips and lean torso. His powerful legs and cut biceps spoke of raw strength. Despite feeling satiated, a primal beat pulsed in her, reawakening her sexual interest.
“I told you to get up,” he repeated, folding his arms across his chest.
When she didn’t immediately move, he did.
He grabbed her from the bed then tossed her over his shoulder. She flailed and kicked, and he swatted her bare butt—hard.
“Ow, Sir!”
“Next time, do as you’re told, when you’re told.”
He strode out of the bedroom, jostling her as he walked.
“Your shoulder is knobby,” she complained.
“Poor thing.”
Blood rushed to her head and the ground swayed beneath her. And there was no place she’d rather be than this close to him. She braced her palms on his back.
In the bathroom he deposited her on the countertop.
“That’s cold, Sir,” she said.
“My apologies, Princess. Maybe you’d be more comfortable on your knees?”
She yielded to the impulse to link her hands around his neck. “If you say so, Sir.”
“I do.” His motions at odds with the simmering passion in his eyes, he placed her on the tile floor before putting a hand on her head and forcing her down.
His dick filled her vision.
“Lick it. No hands.”
“I love the way you taste,” she said before placing her tongue against the underneath of his cockhead. She did as he’d said then she sucked him into her mouth.
“I said to lick it, sub.”
His tone held a sexy growl that drove her mad. Mindful of his order, she let his cock slip from her mouth before angling her head to lick his shaft from slit to balls.
“That’s better,” he said.
He might be a big, bad, demanding Dom, but the way he dug his hands into her hair and held her assured her he appreciated her.
He grew thicker, and she knew he had to be close to ejaculating when he moved away from her. “Kneel back.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“You could say that like you mean it.”
“I’m too well trained to tell you what I really thought, Sir.”
“You’ll get as much cock as you want later, sub.”
Satisfaction oozed through her.
He turned on the water and adjusted the temperature then extended his hand.
She accepted and allowed him to draw her up. “I need to put my hair up.” She grabbed two large clips from a basket beneath the sink.
“Allow me.” He plucked one of the plastic pieces from her palm and scooped up a handful of strands. He inhaled the scent. “Peach?” he asked.
“With vanilla.” No man had ever done something she found so exotically appealing.
“I like it.”
She made a note to buy a dozen bottles on her next trip into town.
Within moments, he had secured her hair. “I could play with this for hours.”
“I’d let you, Sir.”
He pulled back the shower curtain and entered the tub. “Join me?” he invited.
She’d always thought the tub was one of the home’s nicest features. Its claw feet reminded her of a bygone era, and its depth allowed her to soak up to her chin, something divine in winter when the house was cold.
Although her father had added a showerhead during the remodel, she hadn’t noticed how small the tub was for two people to stand in. Until now. She couldn’t be more than a foot away from Master Niles. This close, his presence overwhelmed her.
“Not too hot?” he asked when they were beneath the spray with the shower curtain pulled closed.
“It’s perfect, Sir.” Just like the rest of the evening had been. “May I wash your back?”
“Please.” He turned away from her.
“Damn, you’re every bit as hot from this angle, Master Niles.” She made lazy circles on his back.
Steam billowed around them, and she squatted to make her way down and across his tight buttocks. She gently slid into the crack to cleanse him there.
His body went rigid, and she continued down his legs. “I’ve showered with men before,” she admitted. “But I’ve never washed their backs.”
“Your Doms have been remiss,” he said. “If you were mine, bathing me would be a Friday night obligation.”
“One I’d enjoy, Sir.” The experience of combining service and sensuality would be sublime. “Did your wife do that for you, Sir?”
His one word answer was flat. “No.”
Wondering if she was being reckless, she persisted. “Would you have liked her to?”
He didn’t reply.
Brandy knew she didn’t have the right to push for an answer, but curiosity made her hold her tongue as the question hung in the atmosphere while she continued the soothing ministrations across his already-clean skin.
When she was certain he didn’t intend to respond, he said, “It never occurred to me to make it a requirement.”
“I’m glad I offered,” she said.
“So am I.”
“You miss her.”
“Every minute of every day.”
“Have you considered remarrying?”
He faced her. The hollowness beneath his cheekbones startled her. She knew then that the pain she’d seen in his eyes hadn’t been her fanciful imagination.
Feeling somewhat at a disadvantage, she stood.
“Losing her fucking sucked,” he said, palpable anguish making his voice raw. “No way will I take that chance again. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” She chose her words with care. “I can’t imagine how bad it hurts.”
He exhaled. “Thank you for that,” he said. “A lot of well-meaning people have fed me platitudes.”
Which, no doubt, was one of the reasons he spent time alone. “If you want to talk about her, please feel free.”
“You’re a persistent woman, Brandy.”
“Most people use the word annoying,” she said with a trace of a smile.
He responded in kind. “I was being polite.”
She slid the soap into its dish and took down the showerhead. “May I?”
“I’m enjoying it,” he said, facing away from her again.
She suspected they both needed the emotional reprieve. She took her time rinsing him, directing the warm water over his shoulders then moving the spray back and forth, going lower with each pass, making sure every bit of lather was gone. Then she asked him to turn around.
Brandy reached for the soap. She was glad he’d told her about Eleanor and about where he stood when it came to relationships, but in a way she was sorry it had ruined the mood.
He caught her hand and put it on his chest. “Stop lollygagging and get on with it, beautiful sub.”
Responding in kind, she asked. “Lollygagging, Sir?”
“You’re supposed to be bathing me.”
She appreciated every moment of touching him, his hands and chest. A neat line of hair arrowed downwards in an oh-so sexy way, leading her to his semi-flaccid penis. She caressed his shaven
balls and silky skin, crouching to stroke his perineum. With each touch, his erection grew. She savoured the connection, the way each of them had the power to make the other respond. “I could get you really clean if your legs were farther apart.”
“You need a bigger shower,” he said.
“This seems about right to me, Sir.” She was at his feet and couldn’t move away.
“Hard to argue with that.”
She made certain she’d reached every bit of him, touching, arousing, before rinsing him. “Towels are on the shelves near the door.”
He exited to give her more space, and she rinsed off quickly, anxious to be with him again. While she wasn’t accustomed to having a man around, this seemed natural.
When she’d turned off the water and pulled back the shower curtain, he wrapped her in a towel and helped her over the tub’s rim. A white towel hung loose around his hips, making his skin tone a bit darker by contrast. Every time she saw him, she was struck by his decadent masculinity. “You do a lot of little things to take care of me, Sir,” she said. Which drove her to serve him more. “It’s unusual.”
“Is it? A good Dom takes care of his sub, sees to her needs and comfort. It’s not all about telling someone what to do and getting your rocks off.”
“I’m not your sub,” she said.
He put his thumb beneath her chin and tipped back her head. “I see only one Dom and one sub here and now. That would make you mine.”
Her breath hitched.
“It’s my pleasure to do certain things for you, sub. Allow me.”
The rough edge to his statement told her it wasn’t a request. “Thank you, Sir.”
He dried her then plucked the clips from her hair and dropped them on the vanity top. “How sore is your cunt?”
Before she answered, he continued, “I can use your ass if you’re too tender.”
The idea of having him use her so thoroughly appealed on a primitive level. “I can do whatever you want, Sir, it’s up—”
An unholy scream rent the air.
Chapter Five
Niles shoved her behind him and grabbed the doorknob. “What in the hell…?”
“It’s okay, Sir,” she said, putting a calming hand on his back. “Thanks for wanting to protect me, but that’s just my other four-footed friend.”
Heart thundering, telling himself there was no imminent danger, he turned to face her. “What the fuck is it, a mountain lion?”
“It’s an ordinary household cat.”
His pulse slowed to normal. “That noise came from a cat?”
“I warned you that I had more animals, but I should have been more specific. His name’s Whisper.”
“You’ve got a messed up sense of humour, Ms Hess.”
“He doesn’t like people much, so he stays outside when I have company. He comes in through the pet door when he’s ready.”
“And lets the entire neighbourhood know when he’s back.”
Brandy picked up the towel she’d somehow dropped when he’d pushed her back. She held the material near her chest. It didn’t hide her breasts with their beaded nipples. Even though the material covered her pelvis, the fact he couldn’t see her pussy intrigued him more. “Do we need to do anything with the cat?”
“As in?”
“Feed it? Put it outside and bar the entrance?”
“If you have any hope of sleeping, Whisper needs to come in. He’ll claw the door or hang from the window screen.”
“The one in your bedroom?”
“Yeah. He’s pretty vocal.”
“Does it measure on the earthquake scale?”
“Not much. I think last time it was only a two-point-three or something.”
He grinned at her. He’d been involved with a fair number of women over the years—before Eleanor. And he had sisters. None of them had collected strays like Brandy did. The woman had a soft heart.
“I didn’t ask,” she said, her eyes going wide. “Crap. Are you allergic?”
“No.”
“Do you hate cats? A lot of men do.”
“That’s not a moral judgement, right?”
“Answer the question, Sir.”
She’d drawn her eyebrows together, and her anxiety radiated across the distance, almost as disturbing as the animal’s shrieks.
“I’m okay with them. But the only pussy I want on my face when I wake up in the morning is yours.”
“Oh, Sir.”
Bracing her free hand on one of his shoulders, she eased herself up and leaned into him to kiss his cheek.
Shit. Coming here tonight had been a mistake. Staying was an even bigger one. Thinking beyond that bordered on stupidity. But here he was doing just that. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted.
“I’ll go feed Whisper,” she said.
“You can leave that towel here.”
She dropped it, baring herself to him.
Another mistake. He wanted to bend her over the vanity and fuck her with the energy churning in him.
The cat cried again. He shuddered. “Jesus. That sound could be a real mood killer,” he said.
She glanced purposefully at his cock.
It was still hard and insistent. “To clarify, nothing will kill my mood when it comes to you.” Not with her full, inviting curves. She’d confessed to having masturbated while thinking about him. He had done the same, thinking about her.
Niles spent a lot of time with models and actresses. Many sent signals, subtle as well as overt, that they were available for a hook-up. Truthfully, while those women were beautiful and performed well for his cameras, none of them appealed to him in the way Brandy did. There was a realness about her. No pretences. He hadn’t had this kind of reaction to a woman since Eleanor.
Another screech grated on his spinal cord. “Go.”
“You sure you still want to stay the night?”
“Try getting rid of me.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” She touched the spot on his cheek where she’d kissed him.
He opened the door and the cat blazed through the opening. It wound around her ankles in a silver ribbon.
Then, seeming to realise she had company, the cat sat and stared at him. If he believed in personification, he’d say the feline glared. It tipped its head and looked at him with unblinking yellow eyes. “He’s strange looking.” One ear flopped over. The one that stood was missing a jagged chunk. “Let me guess, he found you and not the other way around.”
“About a year ago he followed MW through the doggy door and he hasn’t left since.”
“So your strays are now adopting strays, is that how it works?”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
“Maybe I should feed him,” he said. “Make friends with him.”
“Are you sure, Sir?”
“Where’s the food?”
“In a container under the sink. Right-hand side, about half way back. You’ll find a set of three food bowls near the refrigerator. His is the smallest. I only put in half a scoop since MW will eat whatever Whisper leaves. He’s good at defending what he wants, but after he flicks his tail and walks away, his food becomes fair game.”
“This is getting complicated, Brandy.”
She looked at him. Her eyes were wide, luminous, intriguing. She worried her lower lip. “Yes, Sir. It is.”
Because of her hesitation in answering, he knew that she understood the subtext. He was talking about so much more than her pets. “Do you have restraints?”
“I do, Sir.”
“Get them out and put them on the nightstand.”
She nodded.
He paused at the door and looked over his shoulder. “Braid your hair.”
“Oh, yes, Sir.”
The cat followed him from the room.
He found the nuggets right where she’d said. Whisper sat on his haunches near his bowl. He thumped his tail as he waited, as if telling Niles to hurry up.
As he took care
of the cat, Niles was aware of the sounds she made. No doubt she was following his orders. There was an undeniable intimacy about sharing a bathroom and a bed. People kept secrets for a reason, and it was more difficult to keep them hidden when you occupied the same space.
Earlier this evening, he’d treated her hesitation with lightness, but he’d been aware of the riptide beneath the surface. Neither of them could pretend their encounter meant nothing.
She’d been clear that she hadn’t had a man in her private space in the two years that she’d lived here. That meant she’d been hurt before and was intent on protecting herself. Had she moved from Denver, or had she run?
He was beginning to understand Damien’s warning. But rather than being scared away, Niles wanted to know why she took care of pets instead of a family.
When he joined her in the bedroom, Brandy was on her knees. Her hair hung down her back in a long silky strand, and the restraints he’d requested were laid out.
Over the last few minutes, he hadn’t lost much of his erection, but arousal returned at the sight of her nudity. She was looking at the floor, with her knees spread and the backs of her hands resting on her thighs. “Well done.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
Not that he’d expected anything different.
He closed the door and advanced towards her. “You’re well trained.”
“Thank you, Sir. I read a lot and watched a lot of videos. My refinement came from Gregorio.”
Resentment slashed through him, shocking him with its intensity.
“We are good friends, Sir. He helped me through some rough times in the past, but there’s never been anything between us.”
“Keep it that way.”
“Sir?” She looked up.
What the hell was he thinking? She was a submissive at an exclusive club. He couldn’t tell her how to behave or who she could sleep with. But that didn’t stop him wanting to.
“I have no intention of fucking Gregorio, Sir.”
Time and again he was struck by how in tune she was with his thoughts and how quickly she responded with reassurances. He reached for her braid and drew her up by it. “I was out of line.”
“There’s no need to explain, Sir. I understand.”
“Bend over the bed,” he said.
As she moved into position, he picked up the pair of cuffs and walked to the far side of the mattress. “Give me your hands.”
For The Sub (Mastered) Page 9
