Sparks (A Special Agent Novel Book 1)

by C. P. Mandara

  “I don’t want to know what’s coming. This is all about the experience for me. I want to see how much I can take, be it pleasure or pain, and I trust you not to dish out more than I can handle. Does that make sense? I live my life on an adrenaline high, and I need another fix.” My eyes pleaded with him not to rescind his offer, because I wasn’t sure I could complete this process all over again with another agency.

  “Advertising is that good, huh?” he asked dryly.

  Cursing myself for my stupidity in revealing too much, I held my head up to face his gaze. Somehow, James had put me at ease and I found it ridiculously easy to talk to him. That would have to change. I could not continue to let my guard down like this. The attraction flew between us like charged ions, and some kind of electrostatic force irrefutably called my body to his. I hated it. It wasn’t something I could fight, and he filled my body with an unpleasant abundance of nervous energy that desperately needed to be released. Tomorrow. I needed tomorrow.

  “Nailing a big client is lots of fun,” I whispered, plastering a bright smile upon my face.

  “Tell me about it,” he said, and the amused sarcasm in his voice did not go unnoticed. My eyes danced as I swam in the bright gleam of his teeth. The man was a predator, and if he were a shark, I was fish food. I considered crawling under the table, but settled for kicking him in the shins. He didn’t even wince.

  “You need to give me something to go on, sweetheart. The scenes are planned around you. They’re based on what turns you on. The aim of the game is to have you sobbing in pleasure and unable to articulate a single word because your body is convulsing so damn hard. In order for me to get you to that state, I need to know what makes you tick.”

  He looked at me expectantly. I then looked at a corner of the ceiling. I couldn’t have his eyes on me if I wanted to think. My poor brain cells were under such pressure this evening, and with relatively easy requests. The “attraction thing” was going to be the death of me. I simply could not concentrate. Focus, damnit! Retreating to a quiet, distant part of my psyche, I slowly came back to earth. Okay, what did turn me on? It was a reasonable question, given the circumstances. Up until now, I’d never really thought about it. Figuring I should just be honest, my gaze refocused upon his beautiful face and I took a deep breath.

  “I’m not really sure how to answer that question,” I confessed. “My sex life has been rather tame up until now. I enjoy all the usual things, like kissing, oral, missionary, on top, and I’m familiar with a few sex toys, but I’ve never really fantasised about anything in particular.” My life was far too busy for fantasies and idle thoughts. Maybe I’d been missing out all these years. Perhaps I should have explored the naughty book corner and been a bit more adventurous.

  “So why are you here? One of your girlfriends dare you or something? I can’t, for the life of me, figure you out.” James looked utterly confused for a moment, and I took no small degree of pleasure in his discomfiture. He could have a little of what I’d been having.

  Forking a mouthful of green beans into my mouth, I chewed slowly. Why did this have to be so hard? I hadn’t figured on needing a cover story just to get my ass spanked. Trust me to get the most particular dominant in town. Thankfully, I could think on my feet… or not, as the case might be.

  “I’ve watched Fifty Shades of Grey. It looks like fun. I’ve imagined myself in Anastasia’s place and I’m taking the next step. Whilst I may not know exactly what turns me on, my body’s booked two hours for you to experiment upon it. I’m sure you’ll figure something out, being as you’re the best there is.” I arched an eyebrow at him.

  He cracked the other claw of his lobster open, towards me, and juice splattered upon my face. Blinking furiously, my hands turned into two tight fists itching to wrap themselves around his neck, knowing he’d done it on purpose.

  “If you’ve got grease on my dress, I am sending the cleaning bill to you,” I bit out.

  “Don’t goad me.” He raised both of his eyebrows at me and returned my angry stare. “I never said I was the best, and you aren’t going to get what you want that way.” Pulling out another juicy titbit of lobster from its shell, he waved it in the air and watched as my eyes followed it. “How about I run some scenarios by you, and you tell me if you fancy trying them? If you answer nicely, I’ll reward you.”

  He waved the garlic-scented fragment in front of my face, and my eyes followed it as if hypnotised. My mouth instantly watered, and I craved the creamy taste of it upon my tongue. I’d lost my earlier battle. “Begin,” I whispered.

  “Hmm. Let me think. Well, after we get you naked, the first thing I’d do would be to tie those hands of yours behind your back. That should tame your feisty streak. Then I’d pull my favourite leather chair out, take a seat, and drape you over my lap. I might leave you like that for a few seconds, because anticipation is a bitch, and then my hands would very gently run up and down the length of your body. Gentle little flurries of my fingers would caress you, from your neck all the way down to your back, then they would focus on the two globes of your ass, before traversing all the way down your legs, kneading and stroking. I’d probably do that for a minute or two, to see whether you’d start squirming. If you’re squirming, I’m happy, because it’s obvious that you like what’s happening. Just to be sure, I’ll ask you to spread your legs before dipping a finger inside you. If it comes away wet, I’m generally on the right track.” He tilted his head at me, and his eyes devoured my face. “What do you think so far?”

  I wasn’t sure I could speak after that, but I was desperate to learn what came next, and just about managed a weak, “Continue.” My hands were once again gripping the edges of my chair, but this time it was to stop them diving under my dress and embarrassing myself in public.

  He fed me the small piece of lobster he’d been teasing me with, although I’d almost forgotten it was there. I sucked it greedily deep inside my mouth and sighed blissfully.

  “See, it isn’t that hard to play nice, is it?”

  “I’m waiting,” I said darkly.

  His eyes cut straight through me. “Say ‘please.’”

  I didn’t even hesitate. “Please.”

  He made a funny sound in the back of his throat. “Maybe you’ll be easier to work with than I thought.”

  I licked my lips slowly. “Doubtful,” I said, before taking a hearty gulp of my wine. I was going to need it to get through this. When the silence seemed to drag on, probably because he was trying to figure out where that statement had come from, I decided to encourage him. “Pretty please, continue in that deep, sexy voice of yours, and don’t stop until you get to the good part.” He gave me an annoyed look, and I couldn’t resist a small smile of victory. The man could be ruffled. Dominant or not, he was at least human. It was reassuring.

  “You’re going to regret that,” he said, swirling the contents of his wine glass around and grinning wickedly at me. It was with shock that I realised I wanted to kiss him. I was already imagining the taste of his lips on mine, and the sharp, acidic twang of wine as I inhaled him. The thought was far more delicious than my lobster, which meant it had to be banished immediately. Thankfully, he chose that moment to distract me. “Where was I? Ah, yes, I was seeing if you were wet. Are you?”

  My mouth went wide and I spluttered. “Good try, but we’ll keep that a surprise for tomorrow.” My eyes narrowed. The man was ridiculously disarming. I had nearly, oh so nearly, answered that question.

  “The squirming around was as good an indication as any, but you’re right, it’ll be more fun if I do my own research later. Let’s move on. Assuming you were aroused by my antics, I’d get you used to the idea of a little pain first, to see how you coped. A few gentle hand spanks would rain down upon your ass to see how resilient your flesh is. Different skin tones colour up at different rates, and as you don’t have too much flesh covering your bones you will bruise easily, which means I’ll need to be careful. Although we call the session ‘The Ultima
te Guide to Pain,’ we try not to leave any lingering marks. I’m not going to lie to you, though. You will feel sore for a couple of days afterwards, but we’ll give you a few tips to manage that.”

  He was trying to tell me that I wasn’t going to be able to sit down comfortably for a day or two. I tried to imagine myself with two bright pink ass cheeks, and an involuntary tremor ran through me. It was bizarre. I hadn’t thought about sex for so long, and now I was horribly horny at the thought of a hand slamming against my butt. My poor vibrator was going to get a fast and furious workout tonight, make no mistake.

  “The trick with spankings is to start slowly and build up a good, steady rhythm. By the time I’m finished with you, your ass should be a brilliant shade of crimson. If we were talking the ‘Ultimate Guide to Pain Package,’ then I wouldn’t stop until there were tears. Depending on your pain tolerance, I’d probably move on to a flogger, then a paddle, and if needed, a crop. How does that sound for a warm-up?”

  He looked at me inquiringly, and his concentrated focus on my face made it clear he was very interested in my answer. The devil in me responded with more audacity than it should have. I uttered a single word so softly he’d have to strain his ears to hear it, but he was close enough to read my lips. “Tame.”

  I watched as he sucked in a breath. His eyes slowly blinked, twice. The silence in that second was deafening. Frozen in place, I wondered how he was going to react. Too late, I was just beginning to realise that this man could be very dangerous when pushed.

  “That’s why it’s called a warm-up,” he said just as quietly, and he leaned over the table towards me, so close I could smell the exotic warmth of his aftershave. Slowly, I breathed in clary sage and a hint of lime. It was divine, and I had to stop myself inhaling a lungful of the stuff.

  “So what happens in act one?” I’d moved further forward, my pose just as aggressive as his, and having his face a hairbreadth away from mine didn’t intimidate me in the slightest. It affected me, of course, in a primal, lust-filled, I-need-to-mate-with-this-man kind of way, but I could control that. Just.

  “Can I assume you are not going to embrace the BDSM lifestyle after this date?” I did not miss the trace of irony in his voice.

  “And why would you assume that?” I queried, batting my eyelashes at him provocatively.

  Twirling a loose strand of my hair around his finger, he tugged me closer towards him, and I felt a painful jolt of arousal fly through me. “Because I have never seen someone less suited to becoming a submissive than yourself.”

  “Well, you know what they say about assuming things, don’t you?”

  He bared his teeth, and I wasn’t sure if it was a smile or a snarl. “It’s your ass over my lap tomorrow, and don’t you forget it, young lady.” He released my hair, and I slowly returned to the safety of my seat back. “I am curious, though. Are you planning on entering the lifestyle? As a Domme, perhaps?”

  I smiled. “I’m going to be a submissive. I have a three-week training period to ease me into the lifestyle, and then the fun and games begin. This is just a taster session.”

  James poured himself another glass of wine as he digested this. He looked like he was having trouble connecting the dots, which was understandable. “Why would you chose an extreme package for a taster, if you’re going to be put through weeks of training?”

  “Let’s just say I’m curious as to how much pain I can handle.” It wasn’t too far from the truth. When I entered my three weeks service, there would be no escape, and I needed to know what the worst-case scenarios were up front. If I couldn’t make it through two hours of James’s time, there’d be no point taking the matter any further.

  “Hmm,” was his only reply, but his eyes were disbelieving.

  My plate was then whisked away from under my nose - I barely even noticed. I had eyes only for James, and my head was miles away, absorbed in fantasy. My body was wet, my mouth was dry, and my skin prickled with vibrant energy. It was like being on top of a precipice and knowing that the only way was down - frightening, but fucking incredible at the same time. For the first time in months, I felt alive, and it was a good feeling.

  When the waiter came back, he asked if we wanted dessert and coffee. I was about to refuse his offer, but James interrupted and ordered for both of us. My mouth hung open in shock at his high-handedness. Who did he think he was? As soon as we were alone again, I chewed his head off.

  “What on earth are you doing? I am more than capable of ordering my own dessert. For your information, I didn’t actually want anything, and it would have been nice to have been asked!”

  He grinned at me. “I have a rough idea of what you’re capable of. I’m purely demonstrating, in advance, what loss of control is going to do to your head. Tomorrow, this is how it’s going to be. I’ll be calling the shots and you’ll have no choice but to do exactly as I say. You think you can handle that?”

  I rolled my eyes at his underhand tactics. ‘”You’ll find out soon enough,” I said.

  “I’m thoroughly looking forward to it,” he replied.

  Six

  When dessert arrived it was a steaming, frothy raspberry soufflé. It looked heavenly, but I frowned at it. My appetite had all but disappeared these last few months, but how could I resist something so beautiful when it was placed directly under my nose? Guessing that I might need a few calories inside me if I wanted to get through the session tomorrow, I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to indulge myself. As it happened, I didn’t have any choice in the matter.

  “I tell you what. If you eat that up, I’ll tell you what might commence after the warm-up has been completed.”

  He raised his eyebrows at me in challenge, but I hardly needed any more encouragement. Picking up my spoon, I plunged it into the warm mousse and scooped up a generous helping of fluff. “Obeying your every command, oh revered one.”

  “Good girl,” he replied, and those two words sent a shudder down my spine. Already, I could see myself crawling around the floor for him, listening for the smallest sounds of encouragement as I tried my hardest to please him. There was a good chance I might make a much better submissive than he thought. I suspected that in the heat of the moment, I’d do anything to please that beautiful face and body.

  “So, after we experiment for a bit, I’ll probably up the ante. As you appear to have no limits, our capacity for fun is endless. I have a fully equipped dungeon, and there are all manner of things we could try. Clamps, anal training, forced orgasms, enemas, branding, cattle prods, electro-play, hypoxyphilia, TENS play, or we could even crack open the violet wand.”

  He wanted to shock me - that much was obvious. Half of what he’d just said could have been in another language for all the sense it made to me. It was probably for the best. I gave him my brightest smile, fed myself another delicious mouthful of soufflé, and said, “Whatever you think best.”

  “You understood barely a word of that, right?”

  Letting the soufflé disintegrate on my tongue, managing to pick out the tartness of the raspberries whilst comparing it against the sweet, creamy meringue, I took my own sweet time in replying. “This is really good,” I finally managed, using my spoon to point at my decimated dessert plate.

  He gave me a look that was halfway between frustration and anger. For a man whom I suspected rarely lost control, I considered the reaction quite an achievement on my part.

  “Do you want to know what I do with really naughty submissives in my care?” His voice was dangerously low, and I suspected that I wasn’t going to like this much.

  “Is that a trick question?” I asked, doing my best not to look at him as I scraped the insides of my ramekin out.

  He continued talking as if he hadn’t heard me. “When they strip naked, I place them in front of a mirror. It’s a little mean, because it’s when they’re feeling the most vulnerable, but I get them in front of a floor-length mirror and tell them to masturbate themselves to the point of orgasm three times. It tell
s me several things all at once. I get to know how familiar they are with their own bodies, how much stamina they have, and how aroused they are at the thought of me watching.”

  “The alternative warm-up, huh? What do you do for an encore?” I pushed my plate away, satisfied that I’d scraped the contents clean, and risked a look at him. It was a mistake. He caught me and, like a pair of headlights on a pitch-black night, I was blinded.

  He knew he had me. The bastard in front of me was so self-assured and confident that it bordered on arrogance, although I didn’t know him well enough to confirm my suspicions. He certainly knew the power his body had over women, and it would be a mistake to underestimate him. His brain also seemed to function better than the average male’s, and that was reason enough to be wary.

  “I strap innocent-looking girls down upon my medical exam table, uncaring that they have no idea of what they’re getting themselves into. I then fasten their wrists in thick black cuffs, and I secure their legs into stirrups so they’re spread nice and wide for me.” He gave me a wicked grin as he waited for that to sink in, and while I knew he was toying with me, imagining myself being opened for him like that was doing funny things to my libido.

  “Then I get out an array of scalpels, tubes, clamps, and speculums, and generally keep you on the edge of orgasm whilst scaring the shit out of you.”

  Two cups of espresso coffee landed heavily in front us, and the waiter gave James a horrified look. Dumping his silver tray of creamer and sugar in the middle of the table, he ran away as fast as his legs could carry him. Unable to help myself, I dissolved into fits of laughter. James, to his credit, looked a little embarrassed. Covering his eyes with his hands, it was clear he was also laughing.