Provoked

by Riley Murphy

He moved in to crowd her, curling over her and forcing her to lean back. Bracing his balled fists at either side of her hips on the pool deck, he caged her in and waited for her gaze to lift. When her eyes met his, he growled, “Master says lie back on the towel exactly the way he wanted you to do it the first time.”

  He straightened away to give her room. Once she was perfectly positioned, he slowly trailed a finger down the length of her bent thigh and began the game in earnest. “Very good. Master says…”

  Chapter Ten

  Charlie closed her eyes and placed her palms on her bent legs as he’d asked. She was concentrating so hard she almost forgot to breathe.

  “Master says, draw loop-like circles down the front of each thigh with your index finger.”

  The action was more a crazy-eight motion. It was the best she could do with her eyes shut.

  “Master says, do ten rotations in place before descending.”

  She’d do this all night if he wanted her to. The rasp of his husky commands was spine-tingling.

  “Slower.”

  She bit her lip, paying attention to her breathing while she kept the excitement in check. If she wanted to slow her pace she’d have to tamp down the thrilling sensations.

  “Forfeit.”

  She heard a series of splashes against the sides of the pool closest to her as he moved in the water, and frowned. Did she screw up? Without warning he wrapped a hand around each of her ankles and slowly pushed them apart. Not so far that her knees separated, but the action still made her feel vulnerable. “You’ve done this before.”

  “Master says, stop talking.”

  Probably the best perk of the game for him.

  “Master says, part your knees as far as I separated your ankles.”

  This kind of advantage came in at a close second, she decided, as she did as he instructed.

  “Master says, use your index and middle fingers together to make circles on your belly.”

  Now this? This was definitely a perk for her.

  “Lower.”

  She’d really go low. Right to—

  “Forfeit.”

  Shit. He wasn’t fooling around. “I slipped.”

  This time when he gripped her ankles he squeezed them. “That’s another forfeit for speaking that lie out loud. Six inches this time.”

  She would have bitched about it, but she didn’t want to lose another three inches. As it was, he continued to spread her bent legs so slowly, a swell of exhilaration bloomed inside her. Making her breasts ache and her nipples tighten.

  “Master says, take a deep breath in and then release it.”

  She did, and dammit all to hell, the euphoria spread through her from the tips of her fingers to the tips of her toes. The arousal pulsing inside her thrummed more swiftly, picking up speed because he still had a solid hold of her ankles as he inched her legs open.

  “Master says, trail those fingers up your body to your breasts and circle your nipples.”

  Being made to sensually drag her fingers over her stomach elicited a number of different reactions from certain areas of her body. Her ab muscles tightened in an anticipatory clench, goose bumps surfaced over her torso, and electrifying tingles skated right down to the apex of her legs.

  “Play with your nipples for me.”

  Damn, she wanted to. She really, really did, but he hadn’t said the phrase and she couldn’t afford to lose three more inches. If she did she feared the game would be over and they were just getting to the good part.

  “Master says, pluck your nipples.”

  Thank God.

  “Master says, do it harder.”

  She wasn’t sure she would like it, but then he rubbed her ankle bones with his thumbs and she did it anyways.

  “Master says, relax and let him open your legs as wide as he wants.”

  Before she could help the action, her eyes opened and she stared at the ceiling. Wasn’t that cheating? Or robbing her of the right to lose on her own? Fair and square if he—?

  All coherent thought scattered when he brushed his stubble-roughened jaw across the top of her right knee, whispering, “Master says, after you relax and he does as he pleases with you, this game will be over and a new one begins.”

  He made it sound so easy.

  “Master says, roll your nipples while you spread your legs.”

  She gasped when she rolled a little too hard, giving him what he wanted in this, but still debating about easing the tension in her legs. She’d be totally exposed to him if she did that. Talk about game over.

  “Master says, let go of the stubbornness and let him do as he pleases. He pleases to have you spread and open for him.”

  This time when he rubbed his jaw on her it was on the inside of her left knee. Her automatic reaction was to shift away from his touch, inadvertently giving him what he wanted. When she heard his sigh of pleasure she was sorry she’d waited so long.

  “The next game we’re going to play is Master do or don’t.” He placed the flat of his palms on the inside of her thighs and slowly opened her stance more. When he was done and she was completely exposed he said, “The rules are as follows. I do what I want to you. I touch you, lick, bite, spank, or taste you. With each of my actions you must reply as follows. If you like what I’m doing and you’re anticipating where I’m going to be heading, you say, ‘Please Master, do’ and if you’re not enjoying what I’m doing to you or where you anticipate I’m heading, you say, ‘Please Master, don’t’. Understand?”

  The only thing she understood was his touch. He’d been caressing the side of her thigh as he explained the game and she wasn’t positive she’d heard one hundred percent of the rules, but she did get the gist. “Yes.”

  “Put your arms up over your head. For this game I’m the only one allowed to touch your body.”

  She was good with that and after he pressed his hot mouth against the inside of her leg, right next to her knee, she dreamily sighed. “Please Master, do.” He descended a little ways and pressed another hot, licking kiss on her inner thigh. “Please Master, do.” And another. “Please Master, do.” But then he moved his hands on her this time. He slid them under her bottom and cupped her ass cheeks so very close to—“Please Master, don’t.”

  His quiet chuckle wrapped around her like a hug, before he said, “I was just checking to make sure you were paying attention.”

  Of course he was. She smiled and then gasped as the sensual scratch from his stubble stroked her thigh prior to his mouth opening over that sensitive spot on her skin. “Please Master, do.” He continued going lower and lower still. “Yes. Yes.”

  And he stopped. It took her a split second to figure out why. “Oh, please Master, do.”

  This time when he began again he was all business. He gripped her thighs, holding them steady as he brought his face with that talented mouth between her legs, moving downward with purpose and skill. He was so proficient, using every touch to draw out sensations, that she groaned. “Please Master, do.” She wasn’t sure how many times she’d repeated that phrase until he got to the center of her legs. She only knew that she was coming apart from his thorough attention and when he opened the most intimate part of her, to give her one hard lick, she involuntarily flexed her hips coming up off the towel.

  “Easy,” he whispered. One of his strong hands grabbed her bottom cheek, capturing her, while his other intimately caressed her. He used his bent knuckles against her quivering flesh in the same manner he used his tongue. Alternating each varied stroke over and over again. By the time he buried two fingers deeply into her heat she was beyond denying him anything.

  “Please Master, do…please Master, do…please Master, do.” She cried out the second he found her G-spot, “Oh God, please Master, do.”

  She was the snowcap that trembled on the peak of the mountain just before an earthquake shook it off. Ready to tip. To slide. To crash as all her inner muscles quivered and then tensed with anticipation. Adrenaline zinged through so fast
, her pulse raced to catch up with it. She wildly flexed, pivoted, pumped, trying to move in a rhythm to get what she needed.

  Her hands went to her face. Her palms cradling her cheeks, that were flushed and ever-warming with heat, until her fingers inched upward, outward, to rake through her hair while she tossed her head from side to side.

  Damn. The pad of his finger blissfully tortured the small spot inside her while his mouth—god, tongue—slayed her externally. Oh, yes…yes…yes.

  “Master,” she whispered so breathlessly she knew she needed to try again. “Master, please do!”

  She’d been expecting another stroke and a heady press inside, but what she got…what she got was beyond all her expectations when he gently sucked on her tingling flesh. He rolled his tongue around the sensitive bundle of nerves, biting and then blowing against her slick skin, even as he went in for the kill. Two firm rubs over that inner erotic zone and she lost it. Continuing to lose it as he crushed his mouth fully against her and she came so hard her whole body shook. The telling action had no effect on him as he doubled down and rubbed, and licked, and sucked so hard, she thought she was going to pass out.

  “Neil!”

  He didn’t let up, so she let go. Completely. Utterly. She was his to enjoy and command. He owned her in this moment. If he’d asked her for the world right now she would have done her best to give it to him. She wanted to be so many things to him, but mostly she just wanted to be his.

  When he finally gave her back her sanity by ending the carnal torture, and straightened away from her, she wasn’t sure what to say or do. She closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath, gathering her thoughts.

  Without a word, he wrapped an arm around her knee drawing it into the other before he pulled them against his chest. Then he reached for her right hand and brought it to her stomach. After he did the same with her left, he placed his hand over both of hers and held on tight.

  Instantly she felt protected. Taken care of. Wanted. It was nice. It was also something she could easily become addicted to. This kind of security.

  “Hey, tiger.” He dragged his bearded chin over the tops of her knees and asked, “Are you doing okay?”

  Locked in an embrace like this, she was doing phenomenally well. She hoped he was looking at her so he’d see her smile. “I think I have to apologize over calling you an egotistical asshole earlier tonight. You were right. You are a tiger, figuratively speaking, because you’ve sexually slain me. I swear.”

  He gripped her tighter and she was just thinking how wonderful it felt when he bent down and bit the side of her thigh. A little too firmly for comfort.

  “Ow! What was that for?”

  “You didn’t call me an egotistical asshole. You insinuated something else entirely. But now that I know you were thinking it, I’ll have to spank you over that one.”

  His tone was so conversational. As if this was a decision made and therefore would be a deed done. The idea of which had her shivering with excitement all over again. She opened her eyes and angled a look up at him. “Do you want me to turn over now?”

  “Actually I do.” He let go of her and stepped back from the pool edge. The water barely moved around him. “But first I want you to close your eyes again and wait until I tell you to open them.”

  “Okay, but where are you going?”

  He stopped halfway to the steps and looked back at her over his shoulder. Either it was the light from the pool or the spell he was casting on her, but she couldn’t look away. He was gorgeous. All tough alpha male, wrapped in rope-like muscles that she was dying to climb all over.

  “Do as I told you, and close your eyes. The sooner you do, the sooner we can play our last game together.”

  Although she really wanted to continue looking at him, especially now that she figured he was getting out of the pool and he was naked, she didn’t. Her desire to find out what game he wanted to play next outweighed her need to defy him. She settled back down on the towel and scrunched her eyes shut. “What’s the game?”

  “Patience.”

  He was somewhere behind her. What was he doing? “Is that the name of the game or…?”

  “You can open your eyes now. I want you on your hands and knees facing me with the pool behind you.”

  She rolled and got up as he told her to. He was standing on that woven mat he’d put her on when they first entered the room, wearing nothing but a towel around his hips. It was tucked so tightly she could make out the generous outline of him molded in the terry.

  “Gaze up here. When you’re in front of me while we’re playing your eyes stay on mine, understand?”

  “Okay.” He sounded so serious she wasn’t going to balk. She’d get to check him out up close and personal, soon enough, she was sure.

  “Good. This game is called Master, may I. Whenever you want to move or do any sort of action you have to ask my permission first.”

  Holy shit on a salty cracker! This was exactly what she’d been waiting for. A chance to bring him to his knees. She was capable of doing it—she held his piercing blue stare—but maybe not with a guy like him. “Got it.”

  “If you’re ready?”

  She nodded and then nearly swallowed her tongue when he snapped off his towel. He was beaut—

  “Catherine!” His sharp reprimand interrupted her drool-fest and she shot a look up.

  “Yes, Master?”

  “I’m not going to tell you again.” He indicated to his eyes. “Your gaze remains here when you’re in front of me.”

  Right. The game. “Master, may I suck your cock?”

  He lifted a brow and she was sure there was grin on his face to match the devilish sparkle in his eyes, but she didn’t want to get reprimanded again for breaking eye contact. “That would be impossible from your current location. I’m big, but not that big.”

  “No, I mean…oh, got it. Master, may I stand up and come to you?”

  “No. For this game I want you on your knees.”

  That deeply spoken statement thrilled her. “Master, may I crawl to you on my hands and knees?”

  “You may.”

  It was such an erotic experience, crawling to him while she held his gaze. It made her feel dirty and sexy all at once. When she was right in front of him she asked, “Master, may I suck your cock?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  He shook his head.

  Now what? “Master, may I touch you?”

  His eyes darkened and his look, well, it heated her up all over when he answered, “Yes, you may, on one condition.”

  She held her breath…

  Chapter Eleven

  Neil spied the anticipation building inside his little tiger, so he waited for her to calm down some before he spoke again. “You can touch any part of me you can reach while on your knees. Every part me of me but one.” He nearly laughed when she immediately scowled. She was easier to read than a first grade primer. “No touching my cock until I give you permission.”

  “Okay, but I do have to say that rule blows.”

  “Catherine.” He noticed her little jump so he softened his tone and gave her a quick wink. “As long as that’s all that blows at the moment.”

  She half smiled, half grinned, and he was smitten. His cock swelled, turning hard as stone, as a mental image of her doing what he’d just told her she couldn’t came to him.

  He was still lingering over the conjured visual when she touched him. Her hands were soft as silk, warm, and moving with a purpose that surprised him. Crossing his arms over his chest, he waited to see if she was going to be quick. That was what he’d expected from her as she seemed totally fascinated with meeting his dick as soon as possible. But he should have known she’d do something unexpected because here again she surprised him by moving very slowly. Even the movements themselves were not a typical caress. He closed his eyes for a moment and enjoyed her brand of play.

  He could get used to this.

  She wrapped her arms a
round him and pressed herself against his left leg. Her tits, with hardened nipples, scraped back and forth against the top of his thigh, her pussy pressed into his calf as she let her chin sway back and forth over his hip in a sexy I-have-all-the-time-in-the-world move.

  Smart. Now he wanted her more than he had a few seconds ago, and he’d really wanted her a few seconds ago, so he was going to have to start counting the polka dots on the imaginary purple hippo’s bikini he was envisioning in order not to pounce on her.

  Yeah, that didn’t work. He got to three and was horrified when the hippo morphed into a tiger with a stunning blue/green gaze.

  He snapped open his eyes. Damn, she was directly behind him doing her moves. Only now her hands were splayed on his abs and she was feeling them up very intimately.

  She moaned.

  Fuck, sound effects weren’t what he needed at the moment, but apparently she didn’t care.

  She groaned and then pressed a hand into his stomach muscles like a kitten does when it’s experiencing pleasure while kneading. Then she half bit, half licked him, over and over while she touched him in places he’d never thought to touch himself. Sure, he’d gone over the areas with soap and water, dragged clothes on to cover them, maybe even bandaged the spots from time to time, but titillating these bland locations? A rib, ab muscle, or a knee? Not a chance.

  And yet she pulled it off with an expertise that shocked him. He shouldn’t have been though.

  A wicked body like hers could tempt Jesus to pack up the cross and holy water, and fall into sin.

  By the time she made it around and was back to being front and center, he figured he’d get a reprieve. She’d been so slow and thorough, but clearly she was done with all that. She dropped her hands and leaned back enough that their gazes locked.

  “Master, may I suck your cock now?”

  Her look said she wanted to devour him and his heart thumped in his chest. There was nothing he could say, but… “You may.”

  He stared straight ahead getting ready to test her. Would her gaze still be on him? He thought about that while he prepared himself for a slow tease. Women usually filled the first third of the endeavor with unnecessary action. He referred to it as the courtship stage where kisses and rubs were given indiscriminately. If she was his, he’d make sure she knew the truth. When a guy’s dick was as hard as his was at the moment, it didn’t want to be courted, it wanted to be fucked. Too bad he couldn’t teach her.