Party Favors

by Jennifer Dunne, Madeleine Oh

  “Why not? Got your period?”

  He shook his head. “I want to be certain you really want it.”

  And that little interlude hadn’t convinced him? “Did you detect reluctance back then?”

  “Not in the least. I detected passion, desire, and a woman worth having, but I’m not sure you really understand what I need from you.”

  And some women claimed all men were after was sex. “You’ve utterly confused me. You kiss me so I almost climax, and then decide you don’t want sex!”

  He grinned. “Did you really almost come?”

  The blood rushed to her face. Great! Now he thought her fast and easy! She turned to the table and lifted off one of the cardboard lids. “Aloo Ghobi, one of my favorites...” She looked up at Jud. “Did Andrew tell you that too?”

  “No, it was a lucky guess. It’s one of my favorites.”

  “So, we have that much in common.”

  “I think, Katie, we have a lot in common. I just need you to be sure.”

  She was rapidly getting more unsure, but she was hungry. “Look, Jud, you have me so confused, I’m ready to give up. Can’t we eat? I don’t have any wine I’m afraid,” She’d half-hoped he’d bring a bottle, but…

  “Just as well, I think we both need clear heads.”

  It couldn’t hurt. She was out of her depth with Jud, knew it, and decided drowning might be fun. If she ever got her nerve up to take the plunge. Meanwhile... “Hadn’t we better eat before it goes cold?” Of course, he could always warm it up the way he did her - with a look and a smile.

  “Good idea? Want some Rogan Josh?”

  They piled their plates with the lamb curry, eggplant, cauliflower, and lentils, and sat down opposite of each other. Katie making a concerted effort not to brush knees under the too small table.

  “You forgot to light the candles,” he said. Light them? She’d forgotten they were even there! “Never mind.” He produced a cigarette lighter and lit them. No, he seduced the darn things. Holding the flame just over each wick and watching until the flame leapt up and burned steadily before moving to the next one. “I love candles,” he said as the second caught alight and he snapped the lighter closed. “They add to the atmosphere, and these...” He sniffed the air. “Vanilla?” She nodded, locking eyes with his. Heck, they could be old gym-sock scented for all she knew. “Romantic and sexy,” he went on. “Like you.”

  Her throat went tight, and she had to swallow hard on her mouthful of Aloo Ghobi, and clear it down with a long drink of water.

  As she set her glass back on the table, he asked, “Katie, how would you like a love affair?”

  “Who with?”

  He scowled. ”Don’t be obtuse! Who do you think I mean?”

  “You, presumably?”

  ‘Well, would you?”

  Nothing like coming to the point. “Perhaps.” Why play hard to get? “No! I’d say, yes, definitely, I would.” She tore off a corner of the Nan, scooped up a morsel of eggplant, and looked him in the eyes.

  She almost choked on her Bhahn Bharta.

  Jud’s eyes had gone dark as the night outside. His lips parted just enough to show the tip of his tongue, and his chest rose and fell as his breath caught. He’d been telling her to wait, and right in front of her eyes was one aroused male. There was nothing but sheer male desire in every fiber of his body.

  “I’m delighted, Katie,” he said at last, "but I need to be totally sure.”

  “Hell! How much surer can you get than, ‘Yes, I would!’”

  “I’m not sure you know what you’re agreeing to.”

  “What am I agreeing to then?”

  “Whatever you want.”

  “This sounds like a riddle.”

  “It is, in a way. I want to give you the best sex of your life. You agree to obey me, and do whatever I ask, and in return, I agree never to do anything you don’t want.”

  She was right about the riddle bit. It was a ruddy brain teaser. “Look Jud, you’re into kinky sex, right? Handcuffs, etc.” She’d forget about the whip. He said only what she wanted. Andrew insisted he was a good guy...so... “I’m curious.” Or stupid.

  He set his fork down, and reached over to curl his fingers over hers. She felt his touch up her arm, down to her knees, and several places in between. “I won’t disappoint you, Katie, I promise, now eat up.”

  Suddenly, she was ravenous. Probably her mind’s way of blocking out what she’d just agreed to. But the candlelight, the aroma of spices in her small kitchen, and the brush of his knees against hers, all combined to hoist her senses to hyper-alert.

  It was nuts, but she might just skip the questionable ice cream in favor of hot sex.

  But Jud seemed in no hurry.

  And reached over to tear off a portion of Nan. He dipped it into his portion of Dahl, and popped it in his mouth-all while looking at her.

  “This is great.” She scooped up rice and cauliflower on her fork. “Did you get it at the Bombay Palace?”

  ”The Taj Mahal on Western Boulevard

  .” He took anther taste of curry. “I’m looking forward to getting you naked, Katie.”

  At least she wasn’t chewing this time! “Maybe, I’ll get myself naked.”

  “Good idea! I’d enjoy watching you undress. I’d sit on the end of the bed while you stand in the middle of the floor, and one-by-one strip for me. Everything: your shoes, jeans, panty hose, tee shirt, underwear, until you stand there, naked.”

  “And what about you being naked?”

  “I will be, but I want you naked first. Perhaps I’ll have you kneel by my side so I can stroke your head. I find the prospect of you naked and me fully clothed rather exciting.” He paused to take another mouthful of food. “I’m imagining candlelight flickering over your skin, watching the lights and shadows across your breasts, and the curve of your belly, and the softness between your legs.” He paused. “Are your nipples large?”

  As if she’d ever thought about it! “I don’t rightly know!”

  “Something for me to find out.”

  “Seen a lot of nipples have you?” A bit tart, but heck was he measuring them up?

  “A beautiful sufficiency. I’m not a virgin, Katie, any more than you are.”

  Fair enough, but she suspected he was way ahead in experience. “That’s good news!” Sheesh, she sounded snippy.

  “Am I arousing you?”

  “Yes!”

  “Underwear damp yet?”

  This was getting out of hand. “Yes!”

  “I thought so. Take them off!”

  She almost choked on her Basmati rice. “Take them off?” She managed after a long drink of water.

  His smile could only be described as disarming. “You want to sit there in damp panties? Besides, you might as well get used to doing what I tell you.”

  He had to be able to hear her heart thumping across the table. This was ridiculous! Or was it? Wasn’t this what she’d half-agreed to? The thought of following his lead excited her. “Okay.” Throat tight, palms as wet as her pussy, she stood up and took two steps across the room.

  He grabbed her wrist. Not tightly, not to hurt. But he held her securely. To move away she’d have to yank her arm free. “Where are you going?”

  “To the bathroom!” He looked up at her, a little quirk in the left corner of his mouth, and shook his head. “You asked me to take off my panties!”

  The quirk became a lop-sided smile. “Yes, I did. Go ahead.”

  “Not here!” Sheesh! In the middle of the kitchen!

  “Why not? The blinds are drawn. No one can see you but me.”

  “I’d rather take them off in the bathroom.”

  His thumb, gently stroked the inside of her wrist. He had to feel her racing pulse. “I know you would, my dear, but this is where you start obeying, but since this is new for you, I will give you a choice. If you prefer, you may take them off in the bathroom.” The sigh she let out was sheer relief. “But if you take that option,
be prepared, when you come out, to lay yourself across my lap and accept a spanking for failing to meet my request.”

  Chapter Six

  Heaven help her! The blood in her ears roared so loudly, she could barely think. Her chest tightened and her throat all but seized up. What would it feel like to have his hand hard on her soft bottom? For a split second she was tempted to walk into the bathroom just to find out, but she wasn’t that stupid. Judging by the grip on her wrist, his hand would pack a punch.

  Nodding, because she wasn’t sure her mouth could form words any longer. She eased her hand from his grasp, and unsnapped her jeans. She fought the urge to turn her back, instinctively knowing that was not what he wanted. She unzipped, eased her sneakers off, and stepped out of her jeans. She hung them over the back of her chair before pulling down her panties, which were so wet the cotton gusset gleamed. This was bizarre, but to say she wasn’t turned on would be a bold-faced lie.

  “Give them to me.”

  He was holding out his hand.

  Without a word, Katie handed them over.

  He shoved the scrap of cotton and lace into his pocket while she stepped back into her jeans and zipped them up. The denim rubbed rough on her aroused flesh, catching to her clit as she sat down. She squirmed a little to shift the seam off her tenderest spots.

  As she reached for her fork, hoping she could still swallow solid food without choking, Jud caught her hand, and raising it to his mouth, kissed it. “Perfect! Katie, I think you will be a dream come true.”

  Every bit of tension in her body eased at his touch, discounting the throb in her groin that itched to the point of ache, and it sure wasn’t all denim abrasion. Taking advantage, of the calm she suspected was merely temporary, she asked. “Do you collect panties?”

  “Only from women I intend to tie up.”

  “You’re not tying me up!”

  “That’s something we need to negotiate.”

  “You have to be kidding!”

  “Not in the least. If the idea didn’t intrigue you, you’d never have bought those handcuffs.”

  “That was a joke. A gag gift!” He raised an eyebrow. That just about finished her. “I’m not letting you make me helpless!”

  “The thought of being helpless is arousing, isn’t it?” Reluctantly, she nodded. “I won’t do anything you don’t want. Trust me Katie, you’ll enjoy being helpless.”

  For some insane reason, she believed him. “Okay. But...”

  “But what, dear?”

  “You’re not spanking me!”

  He thought about that a minute. “I might. Don’t scowl so, dear. I won’t do anything you don’t want, and nothing you won’t enjoy.”

  “How on earth can you tell?”

  “I’ll know, Katie. I can read your face, catch the flush of excitement on your skin when you say ‘no’ but think ‘maybe’, feel your pulse race when you’re aroused. Even now, I can smell your need and curiosity.”

  She’d been afraid of that. “Jud, I’m getting out of my depth here.”

  “I‘ll be your safety raft and life belt.”

  There was something oddly appealing about the prospect but... “I’ve never needed a life raft before.”

  “No one’s ever offered what I’m offering.”

  “What exactly are you offering?”

  “More pleasure than you can imagine. Complete and utter satiation.” He grinned. “I guarantee satisfaction.”

  “You offer a written warranty?”

  “I offer my word and my body, and my utter, undivided attention, is that not enough?”

  “That’s more than anyone else offered, or gave.”

  “You need me, Katie. You want what I’ll do to you. You crave the excitement I offer. You even long for the fear.”

  “I’m not too certain about the fear!”

  “I am. I watched your eyes when I threatened to spank you. The prospect horrified you, but intrigued and aroused you at the same time. You dreaded it, but wondered how it would feel, and if it would be as exciting as you imagined.” He kissed the tips of his fingers, and reaching across the table rested them against her lips. “Am I right?”

  She nodded, her throat too dry and tight to speak. “Why?” she croaked with effort.

  “Because you’re submissive, and need a strong man to dominate you.”

  That got her voice back in a hurry! “Jud, I have news for you. I am not the sweet, obedient, submissive sort.” His quirked eyebrows were maddening, and somehow appealing. “Look here, buster...”

  He grabbed the hand that pointed right at his chest. “Katie, I never said you were the ‘sweet, submissive sort’. In fact, according to Andrew, you ‘have balls and attitude’. I agree, it makes you attractive and sexy. You’re sexually submissive, a very different thing entirely.”

  “What makes you so damn certain?”

  “I’m a dominant male, I know these things.” Oh, please! “You question that?”

  “Yes, I do.” She leaned her elbows on the table and looked him in the eye. Let him explain that away.

  “Alright, dear, answer me one thing. If another man had told you to stand up and take off your underwear, would you have?”

  “Hell, no!”

  “But you did for me.” And had been wondering about that ever since. “You responded to me as a dominant. Your sexual intelligence recognizing what your rational mind balks at.”

  “Maybe...”

  He shook his head. “There’s no ‘maybe’ about it. I’m going to prove it so thoroughly, you'll never question again.”

  “You talk a good spiel about all the wonderful things you’ll do to me. How about putting a little substance behind your words?” Sheesh! What had she done? Agreed to? Asked for?

  “By all means, Katie. Next time.”

  “What do you mean ‘next time’?”

  “I mean not tonight. You have to be certain you want this, and right now you are too horny to think straight.”

  “And who got me that way?”

  “I did!” He was so darn smug-and so right. “Don’t worry, dear, I won’t make you wait long. Watch for me on Halloween, I’ll come with your very own tricks and treats.”

  Two whole days. Damn good thing she had her magic wand upstairs beside her bed. “If I agree, right?”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow. Think about it. Very carefully. I won’t harm you. I’ll give you a safeword to use anytime you want me to stop. I will tie you up, and I may spank you if necessary. You promise to submit, and in return I’ll give you the best sex of your life.”

  “What about you? I imagine you’ll have a bit of fun too.”

  “Of course! You don’t think I’m getting a charge out of the prospect of you lying helpless and a little bit anxious, and the thought of you sucking my cock has me hard already.”

  In his dreams! And in hers! “This is getting out of hand.”

  “You’re overloaded.” He stood up. “I’m going home. Call me with any questions? I won’t force you to do anything you don't want to. Pleasure, yours and mine, is what this is about.”

  She got his coat out of her small closet, which now smelled of expensive leather. He shrugged it on and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Think about it, okay?” The man was a comedian. She doubted, she’d think of anything else for quite some time!

  As she went to open the door, he stopped her. Pulling her into his arms, he pressed himself against her. He hadn’t been kidding about being aroused. It felt like he had an oak branch in his jeans. Why would he walk out if he was this hard? “See?” he said. “I want you, but not until you’re certain.”

  His mouth came down, hot and sweet, and tasting of curry spices and garlic. Her lips opened by instinct. Before she drew breath to sigh at the sensation of his mouth imposing on hers, his tongue took over, caressing, stroking as his hand found her breast. She responded with wild need, and urgent passion. Grinding her hips so his erection pressed hard into the softness of her belly. His arms h
eld her tight, smoothing between her shoulder blades. One hand went up to cup her head, his other hand eased down, to stroke her ass. She sighed and whimpered in her building need. Her hips rocked. Her desire surged into a wild need, as he slowed the kiss and pulled away.

  “You want me, Katie, and in two days, I’ll give you what you’ve needed all your life.”

  “Jud...” It came out like a mewl, as she grasped his lapels, not wanting him to go.

  “I know, dear, but it’ll be more than worth the wait. You have my word.”

  “I’d much rather have a damn, good fuck!”

  “You will. Now, two things before I go.” What now? The catch? “I want you to pick my costume.”

  “For Halloween?”

  He nodded. “Which costume from the Rose and Leather do you want me to wear? Your choice.”

  Hell, what did she remember? Not the spacesuit. Too odd. She tried to visualize the row on the rack... “The pirate!” Knee breeches and eye patch seemed to suit him.

  He bowed. “As you demand, lady so shall it be. You’ll be the pirate’s captive, subservient to my every demand. I’ll pick your costume. You wear what’s in the box, I send, and nothing else.”

  She hoped it wasn’t the Princess Leia at Jabba the Hut’s den outfit. “I’ll have a zillion grade school kids knocking on my door that evening.”

  “You’re not wearing it for them! Trick or Treating stops at nine, right? I’ll knock on your door at ten. Plenty of time for you to get ready.” Seemed fair enough. “One last thing, Katie. And this I absolutely insist on. You’re forbidden to masturbate between now and then. No nice session with your electric friend. No touching that lovely clit to ease the tension. I’m taking charge of your body. That includes your climaxes. I give them. You are forbidden to pleasure yourself.”

  She’d never heard such nonsense in her life! If she wanted a climax, she’d damn well have one. Her Magic Wand waited upstairs. She was hot, horny, and ready for it. She needed a nice mind-numbing climax. She looked up into his face. “I promise.”

  His dark eyes glowed, as his mouth curled into a sexy smile. “That was a hard promise, wasn’t it?”

  “It was hell!” It took all she had not to sock him one for leaving her like this.