Stopping in the kitchen, she made herself a cup of dark roast coffee with plenty of milk and three sugars, and then danced in the middle of the kitchen as she drank it down. The second cup she used to dunk chocolate sandwich cookies in before eating them. Caffeine, sugar, and chocolate. Three of the basic food groups in her diet.
By the time she climbed out of her SUV and started the walk toward the gazebo where class was supposed to take place, the happy buzz from breakfast was kicking in. She carried her mat with her, a bright orange mat that her mother had given her for Christmas in the hopes she would use it to mediate or something. It had ended up being a great mat to use in the damp grass with her cousins when they watched the stars. She had yet to use it for actual exercise.
It was early enough that park remained dark. The area was lit by a handful of streetlamps placed far apart that provided little puddles of yellow light in the sea of predawn darkness.
Since there was no sidewalk, Silk walked across the grass, only stumbling twice between her SUV and the gazebo steps. She was the third person to arrive, and surprise, surprise, she had arrived before Rafe. The two women had set their mats up on the far side of the gazebo. They were sitting cross-legged and talking quietly, not bothering to acknowledge Silk’s arrival.
Silk shrugged and moved a quarter of the way around the large space to unroll her mat. Once her territory was staked out, she walked back the way she had come, across the gazebo floor and down the steps. This time she turned toward the walkway that ran beside the river. Hopefully walking along the flowing water would calm her like sitting by the river at home sometimes did, because all at once she was a jumpy as a frog on a hot skillet.
As she walked, she watched three other cars pull up and people climb out and go to the gazebo. None of them were the big and built Rafe, so she didn’t hurry back. Just before the class was supposed to begin, a car she thought she recognized pulled in and parked. She turned and headed back to the gazebo as she watched Rafe climb out of his car. She reached the steps of the gazebo the same time he did.
“You came,” he said, sounding surprised.
“I came,” she responded, then followed him up the steps, her eyes riveted to the tight, round ass that his sweats lovingly highlighted. Before she could say anything more, he turned his attention to the group already in place on their mats. “Good morning, ladies. Everyone ready to begin?”
Silk moved to her mat and found that the other women were all laid out across the gazebo with no one near her. That was okay. That way she wouldn’t knock anyone over when she lost her balance and fell down. She chuckled at the thought as Rafe laid out his mat and CD player before sitting in the center of his mat.
“This morning we’re going to practice stilling our minds by stilling our bodies and holding poses for longer than we normally do. This will help stretch muscles and tendons, which will hopefully help us achieve the stillness we are all looking for.”
With that, Rafe began the class, taking them through seated, kneeling and standing poses. Silk had no problem getting into the positions, but stillness remained a lost concept. If she wasn’t swaying her whole body in a tree pose, she was rocking back and forth in the cat-cow poses. Her mind continued to race, planning the day’s errands, chores and debating whether she should buy something new for her Friday-night visit to Club Esoteria.
By the end of the class, her muscles were loose, her mental lists made, and she had yet another reason to admire Rafe Carlton. He was a hottie of the first degree, and the snug-fitting sweats and T-shirt just emphasized every positive attribute the man had.
When class ended, she rolled up her mat, then watched as several of the other women crowded around Rafe, vying for his attention. Red-hot jealousy flashed through her, so instead of joining them in a debate of where to go for their post-workout coffee, she turned and headed to her car.
It would be safer for everyone if she left before tearing those women apart for talking to her Master.
That thought stopped her halfway to her car. Her Master? When had Rafe become hers? They had only scened together once, and except for his fingers fucking her twat, there was nothing between them.
Except in her heart, she knew there was.
* * * *
Rafe watched as his little submissive climbed into her car and drive away without a word. The women in his class, mostly married and twenty or more years older than he was, enjoyed having him fawn over them, and since they paid him good money, he was happy to indulge them, but Silk didn’t know that it was all in playful fun and nothing would ever happen between him and anyone other than her.
He also wouldn’t be able to punish her Friday night for not showing up at class. So maybe he would make it a funishment to reward her for coming to class, and doing quite well holding the positions he put the class in, though he did notice she hardly ever stilled. She was always swaying or moving. At the very least, she bobbed her head or tapped her fingers as if counting off the seconds.
Or maybe he would punish her for not waiting around after class to talk to him. In any case, she would be wrapped up in his ropes on Friday night. Maybe he would talk to Taurus about doing a demonstration with Silk as his subject. Those were always popular with the membership and she would never say no to Master Taurus.
He wanted to call her, wanted to ask how she had enjoyed her first yoga class, because if he had anything to say about her future—and he did—she would be joining him every week for the early morning class. Problem was, he didn’t have her cell phone number. He would have to think about whether he wanted to go through Taurus or Jenna, or her brother’s office to get it.
Chapter Five
“Silk, you’ve got a phone call,” her mother said Wednesday afternoon, holding out the portable phone that was attached to the house’s phone system.
Though every member of the family had a cell phone, even her grandmother, the Zaccaro family kept the land line, just in case. Her mother refused to get rid of the house phone, pointing to the television ads that emphasized emergency services would not be able to find the house with just a cell phone. To keep her happy, there were phones in nearly every room in the house, all tied to the same number.
Silk frowned as she accepted the phone from her mother. Who would be calling her on this phone? Everyone she knew had her cell number.
Well, almost everyone. Rafe didn’t, but he could have easily gotten it from the club if he really needed to get in touch with her.
“Hello?” she said cautiously.
“Good afternoon, wildcat.” The voice was indeed the one person she wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to. “Since I don’t have your cell number, I took a chance and called the only Zaccaro listed in the phone book.” Rafe’s deep voice and precise speech patterns sent shivers through her body, all of which ended up gathering her in her pussy.
“How very resourceful of you. What can I do for you”—she barely remembered to pause before saying Sir, as her mother was sitting just a few feet away from her reading a magazine to cover up her blatant eavesdropping—“Rafe?”
“I’d like to take you to dinner this evening,” he said most politely.
Before Silk could filter herself, she asked, “Why?”
Her bluntness seemed to blindside Rafe. When he did not answer right away, she wondered if she should ask the question again.
Finally, he said, “There are things we need to discuss and I’d rather not do them in front of a crowd. So, what do you say? Have dinner with me so we can talk.”
“Just talk?” Silk asked as she stood and walked out of the living room.
Her mother and her super hearing did not need to hear what was sure to be the next part of this conversation since Silk really did not want to be sent to the convent her mother always threatened her with. It didn’t surprise her that the moment she heard Rafe’s voice, her body began preparing for anything Rafe might want to do to her.
“Well, if that’s all you want. I must admit, I was hoping to sho
w you what being under my ropes would be like, but just like at the club, you would have your safe word. Say that and everything stops until we talk and work out the problem.”
Silk bit her lip as she considered Rafe’s proposition. She had always wondered what being a full-time submissive would be like, and by spending time together now, she could see whether or not he could handle her for more than an hour or two.
“All right, I’ll go out with you,” she said cautiously, watching her mother’s expression transform into one of happy approval.
“Great. I’ll pick you up in an hour. Oh, and don’t bother with underwear.”
“I’ll see you then,” Silk said, before hanging up.
Even though she was well over the age of consent and only lived at home because the rent was free, her cheeks burned as if someone had set fire to them as she returned the phone to her mother.
“I’ll probably be home late,” she said.
Her mother nodded as she accepted the phone.
Turning, she scurried out of the living room and up the stairs to her room. Only an hour to prepare. Could she be ready in only an hour?
By jumping into the shower instead of taking a long, leisurely bath like she normally did on Friday afternoon, Silk managed to be descending the front hall stairs just as the doorbell rang out. When Dom appeared to open it, she was tempted to turn and run back upstairs.
Would her brother approve of her dating one of Club Esoteria’s employees? Or would he turn Rafe away and tell Mama what she and Rafe had done Friday night?
“Good evening, Rafe. Welcome to our home,” Dominic said as he stepped back, waving Rafe into the entry hall.
“Good evening,” Rafe said, stepping in.
Silk hesitated about five steps from the bottom when she saw Rafe. In black jeans, a black T-shirt, and a kickass black leather jacket, he looked even bigger and more powerful than he had wearing the black suit at the club. When his eyes met hers across the hall, her nipples puckered and her pussy clenched with a need she had never felt before.
Which shocked her. She had been with men, in the club and out, but never had just a look from one of them affected her as strongly as one from this man. Could he be right in saying he was the man to take on the job of dealing with her? Could he need her? For that was what she really wanted, a man to need her, to want her in his life, to settle her when she got so out-of-control that she couldn’t deal with herself.
Could Rafe possible be that man?
“You look amazing, Silk,” he said, crossing to the bottom of the stairs and offering his hand to help her down the last few.
The two-sizes-too-big denim skirt she had borrowed from her mother’s closet ended below her knees, while the long-sleeved mustard-yellow silk blouse and brown leather jacket covered her upper body. The hidden secrets were that, as he had dictated, she was not wearing panties or a bra, just an ivory-colored, lace chemise. She knew there was no way she would return home without at least making out with this hot, sexy man, and she wanted to make it as easy on them both as she could.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she replied with a smile as he once again laced their fingers together, leaving his right hand free.
“Well, have fun, you two,” Dominic said as they headed out. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Silk couldn’t help herself. “And just what might that be?”
Dominic narrowed his gaze as he stepped onto the front stoop and pulled the door almost fully closed behind him. “Be careful or I’ll revoke your club membership,” he said, his voice low and threatening.
At that, Rafe squeezed her fingers tight enough to cause her to squeak in protest. “Don’t worry, Dominic. I’ll keep her under control.”
Silk watched as the two men exchanged a look. It was one of those looks she had seen dominants use on each other before, like a full conversation was being held without either man saying a word.
Finally, Dominic nodded. “Very well then. Have a good evening.” With that, he disappeared back into the house and closed the door.
Silk looked back at Rafe, who wore a small grin. “What was that?”
“What was what?” he asked as he opened the passenger’s door.
“What was that you two just did? Staring at each other, and then he’s all happy and nonthreatening.”
“I can’t tell you,” Rafe said as he leaned in and, while brushing a kiss across her lips, pulled the seatbelt across her body and snapped it into place.
“You can’t tell me? Why not?”
“The code says we can’t talk about it with nonmasters.”
“Code?”
“The code of the dominants. The bylaws all masters must agree to the code before taking on a submissive, either for a single scene or for a lifetime commitment.”
“Uh-huh,” Silk said even as Rafe winked at her before closing the door and rounding the front of the car. She waited until they were on their way to town before asking, “What did you want to talk about?”
“Oh, this and that, rules and punishment, and Friday night’s demonstration,” he said, sounding entirely too casual. Especially when it came to the last part of his statement.
“Excuse me? Who do you think you are?”
Rafe waited until they were stopped at a red light before turning to look at her, completely serious. “For the next twenty-four hours, I am your dominant, your Sir, your Master, and while I love this schoolmarm outfit you’re wearing, it is a bit over-the-top, especially since I’ve seen you wear next to nothing in the club. You, sweet Silk, need a man, a master to help keep you grounded, centered, and out of trouble. Someone to teach you to find the stillness that is tucked away somewhere deep in your soul, and as I’ve told you before, I’m just the man for the job. Now, if that means tying you up and keeping you in the guardhouse while I’m working on Friday nights, so be it, but from here on out, you belong to me.”
* * * *
Rafe knew he was pushing things, especially since they had only scened once together, but after years of watching the beautiful woman, he knew what he wanted. It was time for Silk to know not only that he was interested, but that they would be together as much as their scheduled allowed from now on.
Her brother’s silent challenge had bumped the timetable of this little talk up, but maybe that was a good thing. Now he could spend the entire evening laying out his rules, plans and vision for their life together instead of waiting until after dinner. He hoped she liked pot roast, because that was what was waiting for them at home.
Silk didn’t respond one way or another, which concerned him. Was she thinking about it? Or had she shut down and was just waiting for him to stop at a traffic light before she jumped out and ran? She was looking out the side window, her head turned so far he couldn’t see any part of her face. What surprised him even more was that she was still. No part of her was bouncing, or tapping or jiggling.
He waited until they had passed under two more green lights before breaking the silence that engulfed the car. “Silk? What are you thinking, wildcat?”
“Where are you taking me?” she asked softly, her tone unreadable.
“My house,” he answered cautiously. “We can talk there without interruption.”
“Don’t you have to work somewhere tonight?”
“No, I took the night off,” he answered, still unable to decipher her mood. He remained hopeful since she had not demanded he take her home. Yet.
“And tomorrow?”
“Someone is covering me for sunrise yoga. I don’t work until tomorrow night.”
Silence returned until they arrived at his house, which was located at the end of a peninsula of land sticking out into the Neuse River. The place was three stories tall, though, due to occasional flooding, the ground floor was reserved for two garages and a large workshop slash exercise room. His parents had built it, and when they had died two years earlier, he had taken it over. Thankfully his father had been overly cautious and bought mortgage in
surance, so the house came debt-free.
After parking in the garage, Rafe climbed out. He was nervous for the first time since he had discussed the idea of bringing Silk to his home with Taurus who had become his all things BDSM mentor Taurus had thought giving Silk a taste of full-time submission would go a long way to help settle her, for both men agreed the woman needed a full-time Master to tame her wildness.
Rafe rounded the front of the car and helped her out of the car. “So, what do you think? Want to see what submission outside the club feels like?” He kept his tone light and nonthreatening, willing to take the evening in any direction she chose. He was not prepared when a full body shiver ran through her.
Then she looked up at him with an expression of need, want and desire. “As crazy as it sounds, I’d like that very much, Master Rafe. As long as you vow not to kick me out in the middle of the night and make me walk home in the rain,” she said with a smile.
“Very well then, that’s what we’ll do,” Rafe said, his cock going hard with the next two beats of his heart. “Leave your clothes in the car.”
“All of them?” she asked, the teasing spitfire he knew at the club returning with a vengeance.
“Take off everything I can see right now and then we’ll discuss whatever it is I can’t see,” Rafe said. If she had bothered with bra or panties after he had specifically told her not to, he would take great pleasure in giving her a pre-dinner spanking.
* * * *
Silk couldn’t help herself. As she slowly worked her way out of the jacket, she started humming and swaying. By the time she had tossed it into the car, she was in full stripper mindset, hips swaying, shoulders shimmying, and fully focused on the moment. Her skirt came off over her head with a side thrust of her hips. A flick of her wrist and it joined her jacket in the car. Since it was dark and the only light came from the car’s interior, she wasn’t sure how much he could see, but she thought he was smiling at her silliness.
Silk in Bonds Page 4
