He pulled back the covers, sitting me on the edge of the bed, taking off my shoes, gently undoing the zipper on my corset, kneeling in front of me briefly as he slid my skirt down my legs. I was dimly aware I was missing my stockings.
“Lay down, Abby.” I may have fallen asleep standing up. Without opening my eyes, I let Jake help me beneath the covers, pulling them up around my shoulders. I was aware of movement on the bed and then the dim light that had been the only light in the room went out.
Jake’s arms went around me, pulling me against his body. I snuggled against him, then struggled awake for a moment.
“You can sleep in your own room, Jake. You don’t have to sleep in here with me.”
There was a pause and I heard him laugh softly.
“Abby, this is my bedroom. Go to sleep.”
***
I woke up to bright light and a large expanse of sheet between Jake and I. This bed is almost bigger than my apartment.
He was still sleeping, clutching a pillow to his chest. I slid across the bed, gently pulling the pillow out of his arms and replacing it with myself. Jake stirred briefly, then opened his eyes. There was a slow dreamy smile on his face. He reached out, brushing what must have been a tangled mess of hair from my forehead.
“Hey, you.” He kissed my forehead. “How do you feel?”
“Tired, still. But better…rested, I mean. My muscles feel sore, like I’ve been in the ring for ten rounds.”
He nodded, pulling me close. “I can imagine. You went through a lot last night.”
There was a moment of quiet. I could hear birds singing outside.
“Did you enjoy yourself, Abby?” His voice was light, his question innocent enough, but there was something underlying it that made me tense up.
“I think I did. It’s too soon to tell.” And it really was. There was a great deal to think about, to try to understand.
“Did you enjoy yourself, Jake?” I tried to look up at him, but he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his chest. There was a long pause, as if he was choosing his words with care.
“Let’s say I learned a lot.” His voice was tense. I pushed away from Jake, sitting up next to him.
“What do you mean? What did you learn? This affects both of us, not just you.”
Jake looked up at me for a moment, then pushed himself up to sit next to me. He took a deep breath but wouldn’t look at me for a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, hesitant. This wasn’t the Jake I was used to. I waited.
“When I saw you last night with Chase, when he was fucking you…I realized I didn’t want that…didn’t want to share you with another man, even in the context of a scene at a club.”
He looked at me. There was vulnerability in his eyes. Something had changed tonight in Jake, something important and vital, and I wasn’t sure where this was headed.
“I was jealous. Very jealous.”
“Jake, you could have stopped the whole thing. You were there; you could have stopped Chase.”
He took another deep breath. “I know. But you were so…you were enjoying it so much I didn’t want to take that away from you.” He turned to me.
“Abby. You asked me what I learned.” He took my face in his hands.
“I learned that I love you.”
***
I let myself into my apartment, tossing my keys on the coffee table. I’d been gone less than twenty-four hours but it seemed as though a lifetime had gone by.
My relationship with Jake had changed. For the better, I wasn’t sure, but it had been irreversibly changed by our visit to Chase’s club.
Jake loved me.
And deep down, I realized that I quite possibly loved him as well. Although in the moment, I wasn’t brave enough to admit it to him. But he didn’t seem to need me to say the words. I realized he still needed to control the situation, to be the one to take the lead, even in showing his vulnerable side. Even admitting he loved me. And for now, I was okay with that.
Jake was a puzzle; it seemed there would always be something deep and inscrutable between us that I couldn’t quite reach, something he held deeply guarded from me, maybe even from himself. I didn’t know.
He’d hinted in our first meeting at a ‘dark period’ in his past. Did it have something to do with being a Dom?
There was something so tightly controlled about Jake. It was almost as if he had secrets or experiences that made it impossible to just let go, to be vulnerable, even when still in full control. And at every session, I couldn’t help but feel as though he hid another side of himself from me. That he took his memories, his secrets and put them – and the fear they created in him – away in a box, locked it tightly and then pushed it away. From the tortured look that I’d seen in his eyes, I had no doubt that he always knew where that box was, knew how to find it, even in the dark. I wasn’t sure if it was the secrets he was afraid of…or the fear itself.
And I realized with a start, it really didn’t matter. We all had secrets, carried baggage, kept things hidden. Who was I to make Jake reveal what he didn’t…or couldn’t…tell me?
And in understanding that, I realized I could love Jake for who he was, right at this moment. I may come to regret not knowing whatever his secrets were, but for now, I was happy.
On the way to take a shower, I saw there were a couple messages on my answering machine. Probably Leslie.
I sighed, hitting play. The first was a hang up, but when the second one began I froze.
It was Chase. His voice sounded strange in my apartment, almost like an intrusion, but one that made my heart thump and my stomach muscles clench in memory. At first his words made no sense so I hit replay.
‘Abby, this is Chase. I just wanted to let you know that I have your collar. I took it off during our session for safety reasons and forgot to hand it back to you.’
My hand flew to my bare neck. There was a pause during the message and I thought Chase had simply hung up until I heard his voice again. This time it rumbled through the speaker in a low, deep growl.
“I had a great time with you last night Abby. If you’re ever interested in coming back to the club as my guest, I’d love to see you again.”
My finger hovered over the erase button for a long time, as I found myself lost in the memory of the previous night. I finally turned away.
Jake may have his secrets; I realized that I now had one of my own.
~ * ~ * ~
In The Shocking Follow Up To “Surrender”…
Chase and Jake are about to go head-to-head in a merciless fight to win Abby’s heart.
Jake is an inexperienced Dom, intrigued by the idea that he could hold so much power over a woman, especially one as beautiful as the curvy, plus-size beauty Abby Phillips.
BDSM club owner, Chase Thomas is an aggressive alpha male who doesn’t take no for an answer, and where Jake is still finding his way into the world of domination, Chase is a skilled and experienced Dom, willing to take Abby beyond the realm of simple desire and into a world of never-ending pleasure that is unlike anything she has ever known.
Abby finds herself caught between two very different, yet equally powerful men, both beautifully broken in their own way. It doesn’t take long before Abby discovers that there is only one way out – she must choose to serve only one of them.
What will Abby do when she is forced to say goodbye to either Jake or Chase? And what will happen when the beautiful submissive discovers that she just might be the one in full and complete control?
Find out in “Stripped”, part two in the best selling “Guilty Pleasures” series!
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About The Author
Adriana Hunter writes stories for those who live to dream. Her stories run the gamut, from romance, fantasy, paranormal to captivating stories of seductive medieval nights, and wild, adult fairytales.
If you
are fascinated by unique tales Adriana will deliver on her promise to create spellbinding stories that will tantalize your senses and provoke your imagination.
http://www.AdrianaHunter.com & http://www.SpicyTales.com
Surrender: Guilty Pleasures #1 (BBW Erotic Romance) Page 12
