by Opal Carew
“Um, okay. Well, first, pour us some wine.”
He reached for the bottle. She’d already loosened the cork so he pulled it free and poured the rosé into the two glasses.
“Good, and when you do something…” She frowned. “I mean when I tell you to do something, then answer with ‘yes’… um … I guess ‘Mistress.’”
He smiled. “Really?”
She tipped her head. “I’m sorry. You think this is really silly.” [We don’t have to do this.” She stood up, clearly ready to herd him out the door.]
“No, it’s okay, I’ll behave.” He grinned again. “Unless you want to punish me?”
Her gaze darted to him, then she giggled nervously.
Fuck, his cock lurched at the realization that the thought excited her. And it was quite possible that punishment had worked into her scenario with Dare the other night.
“Ash, let’s just walk through exactly what you did with your mentor.”
She nodded, then drew in a deep breath.
“Walk to the TV and retrieve the movie sitting on the shelf above the Blu-ray player, then put it in the machine.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
He stood and retrieved the movie. It was a romantic comedy. Chick flick all the way. He put it in the player then returned to the chair.
“Over here by me,” she said patting the couch beside her.
He smiled. “Yes, Mistress.” He sat down beside her.
“Now take off your shoes.”
He glanced at his sock-clad feet. “I took my shoes off when I came in.”
“Oh, right. Good. So now, I want you to kneel in front of me.”
He sank to the floor and knelt in front of her. They were eye-to-eye and she gazed at him in surprise.
“No, I mean … uh … the other way. I want you to kneel in front of me while we watch the movie.”
“If I turn, my feet will bump your ankles.”
“Right.” She opened her legs, then quickly pulled at her skirt to cover her exposed undies, but too late. He’d caught a seductive glimpse of baby blue lace.
He turned and knelt in front of her, but he kept his legs straight rather than sitting on his calves, knowing that he was blocking her view.
She rested her hand on his shoulder, sending heat rolling through him. She stroked, but then pushed down a little. He purposely didn’t take the hint.
“Um … I want you to…” She pushed down. “Can you kneel down more?”
“Yes, Mistress.”
He bent his legs, then leaned back a little, feeling her silky thighs on either side of him. Fuck, this was torture, but the oh, so good kind.
Her fingers stroked through his hair, sending ripples of awareness through him. He wanted to lean back and rest his head against her breasts. To enjoy her gentle caresses over his hair while he gazed up at her lovely face.
Then he wanted to turn and drag her into his arms and consume her mouth, then press her back onto the couch and prowl over her.
“Oh, this isn’t working. You must be bored stiff.”
He had to stifle a chuckle. He certainly was stiff but not because he was bored.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” she lamented.
“Ash, I’m not bored, and I’m happy to do whatever you need. Just relax. What did you do the other night with him? Did you watch the whole movie?”
“No. I … didn’t like the movie. I think he picked something to purposely push me to disobey. He wants me to understand that it’s okay to refuse if I’m uncomfortable.”
“That’s good. So you protested?”
“Yes. I mean, sort of. I stopped watching it.”
He turned to face her. “What did he do when you disobeyed? Did he punish you?”
She bit her lip and nodded.
Fuck, he wanted to ask if Dare had exposed her naked ass. If he’d cupped her round flesh in his hand then smacked it until it stung. But the flush on her cheeks assured him that’s what had happened.
She lifted her gaze to his, then her blue eyes widened. His smile had faded and she must know that he was wildly turned on. God, he could barely resist his deep yearning to kiss her. Her lips looked so velvety soft and … his body tightened … would they part for his tongue? At the thought of slipping it inside her warm mouth, the ache inside him blossomed to intense need. He could imagine her tongue gliding over his, then she would open wider as he deepened the kiss.
He wanted to slide his arms around her and draw her close. To feel her soft breasts pressed tight to him and … oh, fuck, her nipples tight buds boring into him. He longed to stroke one. He wanted to feel the hard nub against his thumb. And to hear her whimpers of pleasure as he teased her to a delicious state of arousal.
Suddenly, he realized he’d actually started leaning in toward her. Her eyes were wide, watching him.
Fuck, what the hell was he doing?
He drew back and stared into her dazed eyes.
“Let’s get back to you practicing your domination,” he said.
“Of course.”
He glanced briefly at the TV, then back to her. “So, Mistress, what if I tell you I don’t want to watch the movie?”
“I order you to watch it,” she said firmly.
“And if I refuse?” The words just slipped out.
“I’ll have to punish you then,” she said, looking nervous.
His cock hardened at the thought that she might slap his ass. The thought of her small, feminine hand connecting with his hard ass—God, would she tell him to drop his pants?—sent his hormones reeling.
It was too much. He needed to feel her against him.
He cupped her face in his hands, and drew her close. She tipped up her head and her lips brushed his.
The mere touch of her softness against his mouth made his cock swell even more. Then she pressed her tongue into his mouth and he moaned. Passion flared between them and he clutched her tightly to his body again. Her lips moved seductively on his and by the time their mouths parted, he was totally off balance.
“Fuck, Ash. That was some kiss.”
She smiled, her eyes full of desire. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you to do that.”
“Look, Ash. That was just a mistake. We can’t go down this path.”
“But … why not?”
“How many reasons do you want? I’m older than you, I’m your brother’s friend—”
“I don’t care about the age difference. And you and Brad haven’t been close since he moved to San Diego. You and I are closer friends now.”
He frowned. “And I’m your boss.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “That doesn’t matter.”
“It does. Things will get complicated. It’ll get awkward at work.”
He took her wrists and disentangled himself from her arms.
“I’m sorry, Ash. This is just a really bad idea.”
* * *
Ashley climbed into bed, still stinging from Adam’s rejection. She was sure he’d been as affected by that kiss as she had.
She might not have been sure about his interest in her back when she was younger, but she was pretty sure that she’d seen simmering interest in his eyes sometimes when they were together. Like that one time when she went to his place for a swim and she wore that extra skimpy bikini. She had seen a very masculine reaction. She had almost thought he would make a move on her.
Jessica’s theory was that Adam was gay, and he just kept his relationships under wraps. Ashley didn’t understand why he would—people in Autumn’s Ridge were pretty accepting—but then she didn’t really buy into the theory. And especially now, after that kiss.
She pulled the covers around her. He’d given her reasons. The age thing, his friendship with her brother, the fact he was her boss. But she believed there was more going on than that.
She knew something had happened when he was in college—some relationship gone wrong—and he’d been hurt. Badly.
In the
two years she’d worked for him, she’d never known him to date. At least, he never told her about it if he did. Which was odd because they talked about almost everything else in their lives. Could that have something to do with why he resisted their mutual attraction?
If only she could get him to open up about it.
* * *
Ashley sank back in her chair as she watched Jessica poke at her dinner. Jess was trying to eat healthier, and had invited her over to try a new recipe. She was testing fish dishes, and the salmon had been delicious.
“Don’t you like it?” Ashley asked.
“Oh, no. I do.” Jess took the last bite, then pushed her plate aside. “I’m just a bit distracted. It’s been a busy week.”
“Problems?” Ashley knew that Jessica loved her job as the buyer for a trendy clothing boutique, but she also knew that politics and creative differences with the manager sometimes frustrated Jess.
Jess glanced her way. “At work? No, everything’s fine.”
Ashley sipped her wine.
“Okay, if everything at work’s fine, then what’s bothering you?”
Jess sighed and stood up, picking up her plate. Ashley did the same and helped clear the table, then carried the dishes into the kitchen. Jess squirted dish soap in the sink and turned on the water. Bubbles danced across the surface as the sink filled.
“It’s not that there’s anything bothering me,” Jess said, “but I wanted to tell you something.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
Jess placed the dishes in the sink and started washing them. Jess grabbed a tea towel and picked up a wineglass, then wiped it dry.
“Well, I friended Dare Gallagher on Facebook.”
Ashley dried a plate. “Why?”
Jess shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve done that with parents of other friends. You know, just to see how they’re doing and keep in touch. I didn’t know if he would remember me, but we did used to hang out at his house with Helen a lot in high school.”
Ashley smiled. “I’m sure he still remembers you.” She leaned against the counter. “But I bet what you wanted was to see if he was posting anything about me and him.”
Jess nodded. “Yeah, I guess. Not that I thought he’d be overt about it, but he might say something. And maybe there’d be some clue about other relationships. And photos.”
Ashley smiled. “So you wanted to see if there are any hot pictures of him.”
“Guilty.”
“And I think you’re being a bit of a softy. I bet you were hoping there might be some photos with him and Helen, or her mom. Or maybe that they’re talking on Facebook.” Ashley grabbed another plate and dried it. “Even though you claim that it doesn’t bother you that we’ve lost touch with Helen, I think you were hoping to see how she’s doing.”
Jess unplugged the sink and as the water drained away, she started putting away the dishes Ashley had set on the counter.
Jess pursed her lips. “If that’s the case, then why don’t you think I’d just friend Helen?”
Ashley squeezed her arm and smiled. “Because I know you and I get that you don’t want to be the first to break the silence between the two of you. Requesting to be her friend would make you vulnerable if she refused.”
Ashley realized that Jess had also made herself vulnerable to Dare’s rejection.
“Oh, Jess, is that what happened with Dare? Did he refuse your friend request?”
“No, he actually accepted.”
“That’s good.” Ashley was glad Dare hadn’t rejected her friend. She grabbed a cloth and wiped the counter as Jess put the leftovers in the fridge.
“So did you find anything interesting on his page?”
This time Jess smiled. “You mean, did I find anything about you?” She laughed. “No, not a thing. So that’s good.”
True, Ashley was glad he wasn’t spreading it around that she was being his submissive, or that he was training her—that would be so embarrassing—but of course he wouldn’t. But it would be nice if he’d mentioned something about having met an interesting woman or started an interesting project, or anything at all that referred to what they were doing.
But, of course, she was just being silly. Saying nothing was the best course.
And she knew Darien Gallagher was a very private man. In a way, she was surprised he even had a Facebook page. But in this day and age, of course he would.
Jess grabbed a second bottle of wine and opened it, then poured two glasses. Ashley followed her into the living room and sat down.
“The thing is,” Jess said, “shortly after that, I got a friend request from Helen.”
Shock shimmered through Ashley.
“Really? That’s surprising … but it’s great that she’s in touch with you again. It’s quite a coincidence.”
Jess lounged back on the couch, the full wineglass in her hand.
“Actually, I don’t think so. I think she saw that I became friends with Dare and that prompted her to contact me.”
“Contact you?”
“Well, yes. After I friended her, she sent me a message.” Jess sipped her wine.
“What did she say?”
“She told me that she’d heard Dare was in town for a couple of months working on a business deal and asked if I’d run into him. I told her no.”
A chill ran through Ashley. “You didn’t say anything about the fact that he and I … uh…” She bit her lip. “Well, of course, I know you wouldn’t.”
“No, I didn’t say anything about you and him. Not even that you’ve seen him. Especially since I don’t know why she was so interested in whether I’d seen him or not, or that I’m connecting with him at all.”
Ashley plumped up the pillow behind her, then leaned back.
“I think you’re reading more into it than there is. She probably just saw that he friended you and it made her think it would be nice to connect with you again.”
A part of Ashley was jealous that Helen hadn’t thought to contact Ashley, too. Helen and Ashley had been best friends for years before Jessica moved to town when they were in their early teens.
Ever since Ashley’s mom had died when she was eight, her dad had always pushed her to watch out for herself. To keep her emotions in check and deal with them on her own. Not to depend too much on anyone. But sometimes, she’d needed to talk to someone about her feelings. And Helen had always been there for her. She had understood Ashley’s pain.
But when Jessica showed up, suddenly Jessica and Helen had been best buddies and Ashley had felt like an outsider. Not that they didn’t include her, but the two of them seemed to share so much more. Jessica was always willing to try new things and push the limits, getting them all into trouble more than once. That fascinated Helen, who wanted to break free of her nerdy, smart-girl image and become more popular. Then the year before graduation, it was Helen who seemed to be the one looking for trouble. Near the end, she seemed to pull back from both of them. That was when Jessica and Ashley became closer.
But now that Helen was in touch with Jessica again, Ashley felt really left out.
* * *
Dare parked his car, then walked to the bench facing the small pond in the park where Ashley had asked to meet him. She was already sitting there, throwing small chunks of bread to some ducks. She glanced up as he approached.
She’d told him on the phone that she wanted to talk to him outside of their sessions. He suspected she wanted to end their mentoring. She probably found dealing with her newly discovered arousal at being punished a little too difficult to deal with.
He was determined to talk her into continuing.
“Thanks for coming,” she said as he sat down beside her.
“Of course. What did you want to talk about?”
She compressed her lips. “You’re always very direct, aren’t you?”
“It keeps things simple.”
She nodded and threw a few more crumbs to the birds, then put the bag on the bench beside he
r.
“I wanted to talk to you about … uh … well, when we’re together, there seems to be…” She bit her lip, then drew in a breath. “You remember that first time when I said that there shouldn’t be anything sexual between us?”
“Yes, I do. And I’ve been using that to push you to set limits so you understand the power you have even as a submissive.”
“But the result is that…” She fidgeted with the tie on the bottom of her jacket. “Well, you could tell that what you were doing was … exciting to me.”
He smiled. “Yes, I could.”
“So, I’d like us to find a way to continue the role-playing but stay away from anything sexual.”
“Why?”
She started, gazing at him with wide eyes. “Uh … It would make me more comfortable.”
“Ash, you’re not doing this to be comfortable. You’re doing it to explore something new and different. Something that excites you.”
“It’s just research for an article,” she stammered.
“No, it’s more than that. You’re curious about what it would be like to be in a Dom-sub relationship. A sexual relationship. And that scares you. Because it pushes you outside your comfort zone.”
He reached his hand in front of her and she leaned back against the wooden bench, clearly thinking he was going to pull her into his arms, but he picked up the bag of bread and threw some to the ducks lingering near the bench.
“Ash, it’s not my fault that you’re aroused by the Dom-sub situation. If you weren’t, I wouldn’t push in that direction, but you clearly are.”
“But that doesn’t mean we have to go in that direction.”
He chuckled. “We don’t have to. But you want to. And you want me to push you.”
“No, I don’t.” Uncertainty laced her words.
He turned to her, locking his gaze with her wide blue eyes. “Ash, I told you not to lie to me.”
She straightened up, gazing at him uncertainly.
“I believe the idea of exploring a sexual relationship with me…” he continued, “where I dominate you completely … exhilarates you. I think you want to pursue it more than anything.” He leaned in closer. “Where I command you to do sexy things to me. Like telling you to strip off your clothes and kneel in front of me. To pull out my cock and take it in your mouth, then suck it until I come in your mouth.”
