by Sylvia Fox
“Nate. Please. I have to come.” I lose my voice to a moan.
“Not yet.” He slaps my clit, fast and furious and oh my fucking God it feels so good and all I want to do is fall over the edge and play with the stars.
“Please.” I whine and whimper and then, out of nowhere, his hand is gone. I arch my back, desperate for friction, the orgasm that had been barreling down on me like a freight train dissipates. I hear the purr of a zipper, the rustle of fabric, and the crinkle of foil as Nate slides on a condom. The bed lurches as he climbs up behind me and slides his cock into my pussy.
I moan when his hips touch mine. He’s so deep, filling me so full, and I’m already clenched so tight. He moves and I spasm around him.
“Now, Dom. Come now. Come on my cock like a good girl.” Nate pounds into me and I explode around him, calling out wordlessly, lost in my ecstasy. Nate growls, a low sound, deep in his chest. So raw and primal, I lose myself. Thoughts dissolve in the wake of sensation. It’s just him and me and I’m open to him, desperate for him to keep doing what he’s doing, and our bodies coming together is the only thing that matters in the world. My muscles clench tighter and tighter and just when I think I can’t take it anymore, that surely I will split in two, Nate grips my hips and comes. He pushes so far into me, deeper than ever before, and I shudder around him, moaning as I collapse on the bed in a spent heap.
He pulls out of me and disposes of the condom before almost reverently removing the zip tie from my wrist. He helps me roll over and stretches out beside me, pulling me close to his body.
“You okay, beautiful?” His voice is warm and tender.
I nod, not yet ready to use my voice.
“I didn’t hurt you did I?”
I shake my head and then finally look him in the eyes. “No. I mean yes. But I guess I liked it.” I blush, such an un-Dom thing to do, and then smile.
“I would guess you did, too.”
“I didn’t know I could come so hard.” I blink up at him, working to catch my breath. “I should have you push my boundaries more often.” I shrug, nuzzling up against his bare chest.
“You think we’re done, don’t you? Oh, Ms. Thorne. We’re just getting started.”
Chapter Twelve
Nate
I put Dom through her paces, pushing her further and further out of her comfort zone. I tease her. I work her up to the point of climax and then deny her pleasure. I get her down on her knees and fill her throat with my dick. She pushes back, of course. Submission doesn’t come easy to her. I think she enjoys being a bad girl, enjoys testing my boundaries and enjoys it even more when she discovers I won’t budge. It’s a thing of beauty, watching her give herself to me. I’m not breaking her, I’m freeing her.
When I’m done playing with her body, when she’s so exhausted she can barely keep her head up, I fill my bathtub with warm water and wash the sweat from her body. I rub her feet and stroke her arms, thanking her for all she gave me.
I squeeze the water from a wash cloth and rub it across her forehead. “I knew we’d be explosive together.”
Dom sinks further into the tub, her eyes tired, a smile playing across her face. “Me too. Although, this is the last thing I ever expected to experience in my life.”
“How are you handling it?” This is the most important part. The aftercare. I need to know she’s okay physically and mentally as well as emotionally. Dominance and submission can trample on unexpected emotional landmines. I need to know she’s not struggling with something heavy.
“How am I handling it?” Dom turns her eyes to me, so light blue they’re almost silver. “I don’t know. I don’t feel like me.”
I stroke her arms, making sure she feels safe and grounded. “You don’t feel like you?”
“Do you know the last time I took an order from someone?” She speaks slowly, carefully.
“I don’t.”
“Neither do I.” She lifts a hand from the water, cupping a pile of bubbles in her palm. “I don’t remember the last time I broke eye contact with someone. I don’t remember the last time I begged for anything. But tonight? You had me on my knees, begging for your cock, while I kept my eyes locked on the floor like a good girl.” She smiles.
“Does that bother you?”
“I wouldn’t say it bothers me, but I’m not sure how I feel about it either. What if I told you that you had to spend a night submitting to me? How would you feel, down on your knees, begging me to give what you’re used to taking for yourself?”
“I think I’d feel pretty damn uncomfortable.”
Dom nods. “That about sums it up.”
I sigh, frowning deeply. “I assume that means our little experiment is over.”
“I wouldn’t be so quick to say that.” She shifts in the tub, her breasts poking through the top of the water. “Just because it wasn’t comfortable doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. After tonight, I’m more relaxed than I’ve been in a long time. And I feel closer to you than I have to just about anyone. You saw a very raw part of me and I’m strong enough to admit that I like it.”
“You like it?”
“Maybe.” She laughs. “I think so. I guess, more than anything, I’m ready to try again, just to be sure.”
I widen my eyes. “Right now?”
Dom laughs. “No, silly. I’m questioning if my legs will survive the walk from here to the bedroom as it is. I mean later. I’d like to try again later.”
“Good. Me too.” I lean forward to kiss her and it’s sweet and passionate. She doesn’t battle me, striving for control over each second. She simply opens to me, running her wet hands, warm from the bath, up my arms.
I let the water out of the tub and help her stand. Hand her a towel and offer her my arm. “M’lady,” I say, with a deep bow and a terrible accent.
Dom takes my elbow, still laughing, and we curl up in bed together, her body tucked neatly into mine. She isn’t the only one pushing boundaries today. I’m doing it, too. I never sleep with the women I dominate. It’s too personal. Too close. Too real. I just can’t imagine being anywhere but this close to Dom. Now that she’s let me in, I don’t’ want to give her a reason to leave. I want to stay right where I am.
“There’s strength in submission,” I say, whispering into her ear and tightening my arms around her.
“I wouldn’t have believed you if you said that yesterday.” She sounds just on this side of asleep. “But after tonight I think you might be right.”
Chapter Thirteen
Dom
There’s nothing better after a weekend of sex and submission than curling up on the couch with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and some Netflix. I chuckle at the thought. What would Jacki think if I sent that to her in a text? Her head would explode, that’s for sure. I don’t want to bother her if she’s still enjoying her weekend with Eric, so I let the thought pass and promise myself I’ll shock her later.
I stretch out on the couch, draping one leg over the back while a pillow supports my head, and dig my spoon into the ice cream. My mind wanders as I stare at the TV. I kissed Nate goodbye this morning, told him I had a wonderful time and promised I’d see him at work tomorrow. But now, as I sit here, my legs sore and my ladies parts throbbing, my mind wandering down unfamiliar paths, I start to get antsy. Nate says there’s strength in submission and in the moment, I agreed with him. Now that I’m alone, left to wonder about all the things I let him do to me, all the ways I let him into my head. I begged him for his cock, for God’s sake. I thanked him when he spanked me and called him Sir. I was raw and uncensored and for as much as I loved it, I’m starting to wonder if this was a mistake.
Is there strength in submission? Or is it the worst kind of weakness? How can I have pride in my place as an independent woman after spending the last few days with my eyes in my lap and yes, Sir on my lips? How is there strength in denying the most basic parts of my personality? I am not submissive, damn it. I sit up, no longer comfortable laying down, and put my ice cr
eam on the coffee table. My phone pings.
6:02 pm Jacki-O: Can I come over?
Well hell, that’s not a good sign.
6:03 pm Me: Of course. You okay?
The dots that mean Jacki is typing a message bounce for a long time. I pick up my ice cream and fish out a bite.
6:06 pm Jacki-O: no
6:06 pm Jacki-O: tell you when I get there.
This doesn’t bode well. Not at all. Drama will ensue. I take on last bite of the ice cream and put the lid on the container, sighing sadly as I put it back in the freezer. I head to the bedroom to put on a bra and curse when the buzzer rings at the door. Of course, she was mostly here before she thought to text. I pull my shirt over my head and press the button.
“Come on up,” I say into the intercom.
“Ms. Thorne?” Charlie’s voice surprises me.
“I’m sorry. I’m waiting for a friend and I thought you were here.”
“There’s a delivery for you. Shall I send him up?”
A delivery? I don’t remember ordering anything.
I press the button on the intercom. “Go ahead and send him up.” I wait by the door and open it when someone knocks lightly, surprised to find Jeremiah smiling, a massive bouquet of exotic flowers in his hands.
“Good evening, Ms. Thorne. You look well.”
“Hello, Jeremiah.”
He hands me the bouquet. “Mr. Wellington sends his regards.” Jeremiah tips his hat, drops one of his heavy lids in a wink, and backs away. “Have a good night, Ms. Thorne.”
I call a goodbye after him and close the door, juggling the bouquet in my hands before finding a space for it on a my coffee table. I pull the card out and find a note scrawled across the paper in Nate’s clean handwriting.
Haven’t stopped thinking of you. Thank you for all you gave me this weekend. It was no small thing and I’ll treasure it always. See you tomorrow.
Nate
A smile works its way across my face and I press the card to my chest. He’s right. It was no small thing. He has a part of me that no one else has ever seen, not even Jacki. And if I just stop overthinking about it, I can admit that I enjoyed relaxing into his control. I slide the card back into the envelope. I’ll talk to him about it tomorrow. There’s something between us worth investigating and maybe there is strength in submission after all. But only to Nate and only in bed. For the rest of the world? Nothing’s changed.
The intercom buzzes and I let Jacki in. She pushes into my apartment, wheeling her suitcase behind her, tears streaming down her face.
“Men. Suck.” She lets go of her suitcase and drops onto my couch.
“I’ll stop you when you’re wrong.” I pull the ice cream back out of the freezer, grab a new spoon, and hand it to Jacki. “What happened?”
She pops a bite of Half Baked into her mouth. “It was amazing. At first. Hot jacuzzi sex. Great views and good conversation.” She swallows her bite and goes back for more. “But then his other girlfriend showed up.”
“You’re kidding.” I know she’s not. Jacki has a knack for picking the wrong kind of men.
“I’m not.” She waves her spoon at me. “But wait. It gets better. This chick? She wasn’t surprised to see me. Oh no. She knew. In fact, they’d been planning an ambush for weeks.” She swipes at her tears with the back of her hand, more angry than sad now.
“An ambush?” I take the ice cream and spoon from her and scoop out a bite for myself.
“Yep. They thought I’d be just the woman to round out their threesome.”
“No way.”
“Yes way.” She snatches the ice cream and spoon and tucks her legs up underneath her.
“What did you do?”
She looks away from me. “I considered it.”
“You did not.”
“I did.” She shrugs. “She was cute and I’ve never had a threesome before. But, I don’t know. The more I thought about it, the less I liked it. I’m really tired of meaningless connections. I don’t want to just keep doing the same old thing—”
“A threesome is the same old thing?” I raise an eyebrow.
“No. But, yeah, kind of. Running from one crazy sexual experience to the next? That’s the same old thing. I’m ready to settle down, Dom. Open up to someone and share something deep and meaningful with them.” She waves her spoon at the flowers from Nate. “Looks like your weekend went well.”
I study the flowers and smile. “It was an experience, that’s for sure.”
Jacki swipes at her eyes. “Uh-oh. Are those apology flowers?”
“No.” I shake my head. “We had a good time.” My mind is going a mile a minute. The things Jacki said she wanted, the meaningful connection, opening up and sharing something special, I had that with Nate this weekend. I shared something with him that I didn’t even know existed in me. And as off-kilter as it has me, if I sit really still and stop trying to analyze my way through it I can admit that it feels good. It might be scary, but sometimes the things that scare us the most are the things that will make us happiest.
“So…” Jacki pushes her back against the armrest of the couch. “Are you going to spill it or do I have to sit here and keep guessing?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” I smile at my best friend. “Besides, tonight isn’t about me. It’s about you and your crappy weekend.”
“Oh, Dom. Whatever. We all know I make bad choices with men. This weekend is just, I don’t know. Monumental? Is that the word? I knew on some level that I wanted to just give myself to someone, but I hadn’t admitted it yet.”
Just give myself to someone. Those words echo in my mind, setting off a chain reaction of thoughts.
“But now,” Jacki continues. “I’m so completely aware that’s what I want that I can make the right decisions from this point forward.
I laugh. “Right. Because you and good decisions go hand in hand.”
Jacki rolls her eyes. “Okay, fine. I can try to make good decisions. Feel better now?”
I nod. “Do you?”
“Honestly, I do. I want to make a big deal out of it, but I can’t even really work myself up to crying.”
I don’t point out that she was in tears when she barged into my apartment. “Well good. I’m glad you had a shitty weekend and learned an important lesson.” I drop her a wink. I’m not glad she had a shitty weekend, but if she learned something about herself in the process, that can only be a good thing, right?
Jacki frowns at me. “What’s different about you?”
“Huh?”
“Something’s different about you. I don’t know. I’ve been here for at least twenty minutes and haven’t wanted to call you an asshole yet.”
I make a face. “Thanks?”
“No seriously. What’s with you? You’re like, not scary right now. Like, you’re not on edge or something. Did you take a Xanax?”
“Right. Because I’m the kind of woman who feels comfortable taking mind-altering drugs.” I roll my eyes. “I don’t know, Jacki. I had a good weekend and am feeling super relaxed. I’m sorry if I’m usually super intense and scary.”
She sits up, her eyes wide. “See! That’s what I mean. You never apologize for being super intense. You wear it like a badge of honor.” Her eyes go to the flowers. “What did Nate do to you?”
He called me a bad girl and spanked me until I came, choked me with his cock, and led me around his multi-million-dollar condo with his belt.
I almost say it to her. Almost. But that isn’t something I want to share with her. Those truths are just for me and Nate. “We had a good weekend,” I say instead.
“Holy shit. Are you blushing?” Jacki drops her feet to the floor and leans forward. “Domino Thorne is blushing?” My best friend shakes her head. “That man must be some sort of master in the bedroom.”
I suppress a giggle. If only she knew.
Chapter Fourteen
Dom
The next couple of months pass in a series of jaw-
dropping weekends and heated eye contact at work. For as crazy as we get in the bedroom, things remain unchanged in the boardroom. Well, there was the day I handed my boss my panties the moment I walked in, pressing the thin lace into his fist and averting my eyes like a good girl. That day proved interesting. Especially after I made a point of calling him Sir the rest of the day.
The more I submit to him, the more I give to him, the more I find this quiet place in my soul. I feel satisfied in my life. I don’t stop pushing at work—success is my drug—but I’m less urgent about it. My performance at Technocrat doesn’t define me anymore and there’s freedom in that. Each Sunday, I stay with Nate later and later into the evening. Last night, I could barely bring myself to leave. More and more, it feels like wherever Nate is, that’s where I want to be. That should scare me to death but it doesn’t. It just proves to me how much I love him.
We haven’t said those words to each other yet, but I can feel that he loves me, too. It’s in the way he cares for me after we play, asking probing questions to make sure I’m okay. Nate honors my submission by pushing me right up to the edge of my boundaries each time without ever letting me fall. I’ve learned more about myself through this little experiment than I expected and he’s been there every step of the way, learning with me. And because of that, he knows me better than anyone. Maybe even better than I know myself.
Nate eyes me as I stride into the boardroom. I consider dropping my gaze but decide not to, arching an eyebrow as I pass. The corners of his lips curl up in a smile. The meeting passes quickly and Nate lets me take charge of things. The effort to move Technocrat into devices is my project and he’s let me lead it, offering guidance when necessary but never taking control. Knowing how much he thrives on leading, I honor his trust in me by doing the best work I possibly can. And for someone like me? My best work can be pretty damn good.
