"What do you think, sweetheart? The view is different than in a car, isn't it?"
"I'll let you know as soon as I open my eyes."
Ryan roared with laughter, and gunned the accelerator, shooting the bike ahead just a few yards before he pulled it back down to the promised speed. Lily's scream had died off by the time he'd slowed it back down.
"It is a different view. You don't have the same sense of speed in a car as you do here."
"What is it that you're really feeling, sweetheart?"
"Free."
* * * *
Lily liked the way the desk turned out, but couldn't prevent her critical eye from examining it closely even as Ryan looked it over.
"You did a fantastic job. Did you enjoy it?"
"Yeah. Hard work, but as I kept at it and the old varnish and marks faded, and the bare wood emerged, I felt as if I was creating it. You know?"
"You have a real sense of accomplishment in it."
"I do. Housework and laundry—those have always been the never-ending story. But this will last. And when I feel as if I can't do anything, I can look at this desk and know that I can."
"Sweetheart, I believe you can do anything you put your mind to."
Lily couldn't describe the sense of wonder and joy that filled her. No one, absolutely no one had ever given her a compliment that meant as much. She turned, wrapped her arms around Ryan, and kissed him.
It was like sinking into safety and seduction all at the same time. His tongue eagerly responded to hers, his arms quick to wrap around her and his hands to explore. Every time she moved into him like this, she half expected the magic between them to have vanished. But of course it never did, it just kept growing stronger
"Do you trust me, Lily?"
The question vibrated wetly along her neck where Ryan's lip and tongue ignited the flames within her. His hands had moved from her ass to her shoulders, then along each arm until their fingers linked. Gently, he drew her arms behind her back.
"Of course I do."
"Good. Your safe word is ‘desk.’”
"Safe word?"
"When you want me to stop, all you have to do is say your safe word."
Before his meaning could fully register, Lily felt the snap of cold steel around her wrists.
Chapter 12
"Now, don't struggle. The steel might bruise your wrists."
"Ryan?” The sound of his name shivered off her lips. She felt a deep flutter in the pit of her belly, and knew that lick of arousal would spread.
"You have only two duties, Lily. Obey and submit."
He turned her around so that he stood behind her. She felt his grip, a hand on each arm, and walked in the direction he guided her.
Once, many years ago, this barn housed horses. The stalls that had been fashioned decades before Lily had been born still remained. All had long since been cleaned out, kept totally empty.
All except one.
The stall at the very back in the northwest corner had been redecorated. A chain with a lock hung from the ceiling. More chains rested on the slats that formed the sides of the enclosure. A blanket covered a part of the floor, and along the wall, on a series of nails, hung some of the toys Lily had seen in the adult novelty store.
"What—"
"Obey and submit. Your first order is: Do not speak unless I give you permission."
Lily swallowed hard and gave a jerky nod in response. She felt both nervous and excited. But she wasn't afraid. She knew Ryan would stop if she asked him to.
"I thought perhaps I might invest in a set of wooden stocks. I think I like the image of you, naked, restrained in that way. I might install it outside the back door of the barn. We'll see how we like this, first."
Lily held still when he ordered her to, wondering just what he intended to do with all those chains. Two of the slats that helped form the rectangle of the stall had been removed, so that the ones that remained measured waist height and lower.
In the next few moments, Lily learned the purpose of the chains.
"Are you in any discomfort, Lily?"
He arranged her so she bent at the waist, with her hands still bound behind her back. He'd ordered her to spread her legs, and chained them to the rails. She now wore a collar around her neck and one of the chains—the lightest one—connected her collar to the chain that hung from the roof while yet another ran to the lowest slat. She couldn't straighten up, could only hold this bent-at-the-waist position, and couldn't close her legs. Ryan had placed a thick, soft pad between her belly and the wood. She could relax, taking the strain off her own muscles. She felt moisture gather between her legs and tried to flex her pussy to enjoy the heat swirling within her.
"No."
"I think under the circumstances, that should be, ‘No, master.’”
Licking dry lips, Lily said, “No, master."
"Good girl. Now, let's just adjust your clothing."
He slid his hands around her waist and moved them up, cupping and squeezing her breasts. She felt cool air assail her flesh as he lifted her tee shirt. He worked it completely up to her neck and over her head, exposing her bra. When he released the bra's closure and the undergarment hung, her nipples tightened in anticipation. Technically, her shirt and bra remained on her body. But her breasts hung bare and her nipples hardened even more when he pinched them. The kiss of pain arrowed straight to her pussy, and she couldn't help the whimper.
"Now for the shorts."
He didn't pull them down very far—Lily realized they wouldn't go down very far with the way her legs were spread. But he uncovered her ass. The now useless shorts he'd pushed down had bunched together at the top of her thighs.
"I'll replace the panties."
Lily recognized the snipping sound. Her eyes widened and her heart raced as she realized he'd cut the silky undergarment from her body. She couldn't help the groan as Ryan's hand caressed her naked bottom, as it dipped between her ass cheeks and petted her bare pussy. She felt her hips arching, seeking more of his touch as he played his fingers briefly inside her.
"You're wet already. Do you have any idea how arousing that is for me, to find this kind of a welcome waiting?"
"No. Master."
The deep chuckle sent more shivers coursing through her. She heard him moving behind her but had no idea what he did. The suspense added to her arousal.
"Look what I have for you. Do you know what it is?"
Lily focused on the object Ryan held in front of her face.
"It's ... it's a paddle, master."
"No, it's your paddle, Lily. And I'm going to use it on you. Right now."
He put one hand between her legs, stroking back and forth over her clit as he landed the first blow with the paddle. The loud smack of leather-covered wood connecting with bare flesh rang through the silent afternoon. It didn't sting very much, and the little sound she made came more because of the suddenness of the act than any sense of pain.
"Again."
This time, he swatted her a bit harder, and Lily's yelp was a reaction to the bite of the paddle on her flesh. Ryan's fingers entered her pussy and her moan and the roll of her hips, totally involuntary, gave Ryan all the permission he needed to continue.
"Lord, honey, this is turning me on."
Lily would have agreed, but Ryan began a steady rhythm of smacks that soon had her gasping for air. The sting flirted on the edge of real pain, and Lily couldn't believe she wanted more. The faster Ryan landed the paddle on her naked ass, the higher her arousal climbed. She didn't speak, but when the strangled sound of need escaped her throat, he must have agreed.
The paddle hit the floor only a moment before his pants. She heard the sound of the condom going on, and then she felt his hot, hard cock slamming into her from behind.
* * * *
Ryan buried his cock to the hilt.
The hot tight clasp of Lily's pussy had to be the most wonderful feeling in the world. He began to thrust fast and deep, Lily's hips he
ld firmly between his hands, but not firmly enough to prevent her counter-thrusts. From her gasps and groans, he knew her orgasm neared. The sensation of the squeeze of her inner muscles, and the heat from her pinked bottom against his lower belly made it nearly impossible for Ryan to hold back his own orgasm. Reaching both arms around her, he pinched a nipple with his left hand and found her clit with his right.
Lily cried out as she came, and Ryan's cock, thrusting in her hot release, erupted in its own fountain of pleasure.
For long moments afterward, all their energy went to breathing. Neither could speak. Ryan rested his head on Lily's back, his legs trembling with the effort to keep himself on his feet.
"You all right, sweetheart? I wasn't too rough?"
"I'm terrific."
"You sure as hell are."
Lily giggled, then said, “No, you weren't too rough. In fact, for a moment there, I wanted you to..."
"Honey, if I hit you any harder, it would leave a mark."
"Hmm,” she responded.
It only took him a few moments to release her from her bonds, and when he did, before he helped her fix her clothes, he gathered her into a hug. He treated them both to a long slow and luscious kiss, his tongue sampling every bit of her mouth.
Once inside the house again, they showered together, then stretched out on Lily's bed. Ryan cradled her in his arms, playing his hand up and down her back.
"That turned me on more than I thought it would,” she said softly.
"Me, too."
It had, in fact, frightened him just a little. Not for anything would he hurt Lily, and the idea—now that his cock lay flaccid between his legs—of putting any marks on her repelled him. But while out in that barn, while she had been restrained and helpless and begging for more, he'd been tempted.
Seeing this new side of himself made him more than a little uncomfortable.
* * * *
Lily worked at the kitchen table, the tools she would need lined up like soldiers waiting to enter battle.
Having gone through her uncle's aging family photo albums, she'd spotted her newly re-finished secretary desk in two pictures, taken when her uncle and mother had both been young. The desk sat in the kitchen in those days, and appeared to be where her grandfather did all his bill paying and her grandmother wrote letters. It had a darker finish then than the one Lily had just given it. But the glass in the doors of the top part had been etched, and that detail, she had been able to duplicate.
She'd been torn between wanting the professionals at the glass center to install the two thin panes, and wanting to do it herself. In the end, she chose to see to this final detail personally. If she did end up breaking the glass, well, it would be a simple matter to order two new panes and allow the pros to do it.
The sharp double-pointed fasteners she used to keep the panes in the doors proved difficult to secure; she had to tap them with the tiny hammer hard enough that they would penetrate the wood but not hard enough to break the glass. As she worked, she became aware of the sound of rain falling.
Ryan had gone to the city a few hours before. It had been sunny when he left. She hoped he'd made it home before the rain had started.
She finished tapping in the last fastener when the sound of thunder, and the sound of a revved up Harley-Davidson pierced the quiet.
Setting her tiny hammer down, Lily moved to put the kettle on. A nice cup of tea would do wonders to warm a rain-wet man. And if that didn't work, Lily thought with a smile, she knew something else that would.
Looking out the window, she watched for him. Just when she began to wonder if something was wrong, he emerged from the building. She knew her mouth formed a perfect ‘O’ in shock. Carrying his leathers, and his helmet, and he was covered in mud.
"Ryan! What happened?"
"Damn tri-axel passed me on the eighth concession. There's one mother of a pothole there, he timed it just perfect to splash me, and I avoided becoming road kill by putting the Hog into a field."
"You're not hurt?” She ran anxious hands over him, only somewhat relieved when he swooped in for a fast kiss.
"I'm fine, sweetheart—but muddy. That's just the kind of field I landed in. I had my jacket off, hoping to spare it as I hauled the bike out of the muck. And yes, the bike is fine, too. I just need to wash it. But first, I need to wash myself."
Lily offered to relieve Ryan of his outer clothes, but he wouldn't hear of her ‘cleaning up his mess,’ as he put it. He told her she'd done enough, throwing some of his clothes in with hers from the day before, so that he had clean and dry clothes waiting for him upstairs. Turning the burner under the kettle down, she left him to deal with his muck, promising tea and cookies when he came downstairs again.
Taking first one and then the other of the bookcase doors into the living room, Lily began the last step of hanging them back on the desk.
It was tricky to hold onto the door while at the same time setting the screws in the hinges. But after only a few tries, she succeeded.
Standing back to admire her accomplishment, movement outside caught her attention.
Two cars turned into her driveway. The first, a dark blue, two-door sedan, appeared to be driven by a woman. But the second car had all of her attention—white, with a blue stripe down the side and a light bar across the top. Lily had precious little time to wonder why the police were paying her a visit.
Chapter 13
The woman had short red hair, wore a dun-brown suit, and looked as if she sucked lemons for a living. The cop was tall, grim-faced, and trailed behind the woman. Lily didn't wait for them to knock. Opening the door, she knew the expression she wore conveyed her confusion.
"May I help you?"
"Are you Lily Catharine Martin?"
The cop asked that, his voice sounding as unpleasant as he looked. Lily blinked. It had been many years since anyone had used her full name.
"Yes.” Then it hit. The awful dread every parent knows is lurking just out of sight. Her heart pounding in her chest, she opened the door wide. “Is it one of my kids? Are they all right? Has there been an accident?"
"No, ma'am. We need to come in, Mrs. Martin. We have a very serious matter to discuss with you."
"Well ... all right.” Lily's heart still pounded hard in her chest. But that didn't stop her from taking in the way the cop stood, or the hard look on his face. She didn't like the way he had his hand resting on his gun—as if he expected to have to use it.
"Would you like to sit—"
"I'm Ms. Hardy from Children's Aid. This is Constable Ross. We're here to investigate a complaint we've received about you."
Completely confused, Lily could only shake her head. Not only had the words Ms. Hardy said made no sense at all, when Lily automatically offered her hand in greeting, the woman drew back as if Lily carried some communicable disease.
"A complaint? About me? To Children's Aid?"
"You have someone living here, a minor male."
"No, I don't. I live here alone."
"Staying with you, then."
"There are no children here. I moved in barely two months ago, and there has never been a child, of any gender, here."
"Indeed. According to our source, you have one Ryan Kincaid, a minor child, if not living here, then staying with you."
"Who the hell told you that? Ryan doesn't live here and he certainly is not a minor—"
"We are not at liberty to reveal our source, but we consider this source to be unimpeachable. Would you please tell us where he is?"
"Ryan?"
"Yes, Ryan Kincaid. Where is he?"
"That can't be any of your business. Ryan is not a—"
At just that moment, the shower in the upstairs bathroom came on.
"No children here, and no one lives here with you?” The social worker shot her a look of contempt. “Did you really expect to deceive us? We'll just see."
Clearly, Ms. Hardy didn't believe her, and she intended to go upstairs to see for herself.
Lily moved to block the intrusive woman. But before she budged even a foot, Constable Ross grabbed her arm and held her fast. He nodded to Mrs. Hardy, then forced Lily into a chair. “You just sit there, Mrs. Martin. And place your hands flat on the table where I can see them."
Though angry and confused, Lily wasn't stupid. She obeyed the officer. Keeping her eyes focused on him, she followed the sound of the other woman's footsteps. She knew when the woman reached the top of the stairs, and when she entered the bedroom. Lily cringed as she imagined the shock that Ryan would receive any moment now.
She shook her head slowly, trying to understand. This played like a scene out of a bad movie. Where in the name of all that's holy did these people get the idea that Ryan was a minor? A whisper echoed across her mind and she recalled her mother's accusation the other day. Just then, she heard the bathroom door open. A female scream followed by a male yell made Constable Ross jump. In response to the feminine sound of distress, he began to fumble for his gun.
Lily had had enough. “Oh, for crying out loud, don't be an asshole. Ms. Hardy screamed because she walked in on a grown man's shower and saw his dick."
"Who the fuck are you? Shit lady, I'm showering here!” Ryan's outraged shout drowned out whatever the nosy social worker said. Lily tuned them both out, as she tried to comprehend how her mother could have possibly believed she would harm a child—in any way. Numbness descended on her. She'd known, she'd always known deep down inside her mother didn't like her. But she'd believed, all these years, that her mother had at least come to respect her as a wife, and a mother. She'd never done a single thing in her entire life that would lead her mother to think her capable of such a heinous act as she'd reported to the authorities.
Some people, no matter what, are never happy. Some people refuse to see the positive and focus instead on the negative. It's just the way they are.
Ryan's words came back to Lily, and for the first time, she began to consider a new concept. Her mother's behavior all these years really had nothing to do with Lily at all.
Lily's head snapped up when a blushing, rushing Ms. Hardy ran back into the kitchen. Why she ran became clear when a very angry and wet Ryan stormed into the room after her. Covered by only a towel, furious as the gods, he was an impressive sight.
Lily in Bloom Page 9
