Fierce Encounters Series (Contemporary Romance) Complete Collection

by Mia Cardine

  Finally, Emma took a deep breath and collapsed on the comforter, though not in the remnants of Daniel’s orgasm. She took several deep breaths and looked up at Daniel who was still in the same position.

  “I have a confession,” he said as he moved himself over on all fours. He now straddled her, still looking down on her as he spoke.

  “What’s that?”

  He leaned down, licked her ear and whispered, “That wasn’t a wild card.”

  Emma leaned up and looked at him. “What? You cheated?”

  Daniel smiled and nodded. “My cards, my rules.”

  “What would you have done if I had decided to go with fucking you with my fingers?” Emma asked, curious as to why he’d done this.

  “I would have played along. Who knows? I might have liked it,” Daniel confessed.

  Emma smiled. “There’s always next time.”

  She looked up and noticed that he was growing hard again. “Next time is going to be right now,” Daniel said. He dropped to his elbows and eased himself of top of her. This time, there were no games. Daniel entered her, still moist and ready from her last climax and they made love again.

  Emma’s thoughts on the party during their time together didn’t dissipate with the afterglow. She began planning it the next day. Daniel had said that work would be busy this week, and the nice thing was that now she believed him. She didn’t think about his ex-wife or any possible assignations. She was happy and content.

  She’d decided on a Bahamian theme for her party and began to come up with the appropriate drinks and appetizers to go along with her plans. The days flew by as she began getting ready for the event.

  She and Daniel had dinner twice that week, though they hadn’t engaged in any more BDSM activities since the card game. They kept it at light foreplay, knowing that they were both overworked. It suited Emma fine. Multiple orgasms were not a daily requirement with her, far from it. She was still feeling sated a couple of days after their last encounter.

  The party was supposed to start at 7pm, even though Emma knew that most of them started much later when the drinking really began.

  Daniel showed up at 6pm, wearing a tight-fitting t-shirt and a pair of board shorts that showed off his dark, hairy legs. Emma knew what lay underneath the shorts and for a minute, she thought about having sex with him before the party. Still, she opted to be good for the sake of the guests and went back to cutting onions for the dip.

  She chatted at Daniel about the party and the people he would meet as she prepared. She grew conscious of Daniel watching her and she stopped. “You look like you want to say something?”

  “Do I?”

  “Very much so. I thought we were past that point?” Emma said, squinting at him and wondering what was on his mind now. Had he really been busy at work or had that been just a convenient excuse?

  “I bought you something,” he said simply.

  Emma panicked for a second. Much as she enjoyed their relationship, it was far too early for rings and talk of marriage. She took a deep breath and turned to face him fully. “What is it?” she asked.

  Daniel cleared his throat. “Well, many times when DS couples are involved, the dominant member buys a collar for the submissive to wear in public.”

  Emma’s eyes widened. She certainly he wasn’t wanting her to wear a dog collar or worse in front of her friends? What was he thinking?

  “Before you freak out, it’s not that. I know that other couples wear cuffs to remind the submissive of who is in charge, but I didn’t think you’d appreciate leather either.”

  “Diamonds and gold for this girl,” Emma said, realizing too late that she’d just hinted for a ring. She could have smacked herself, but instead she just went quiet so that Daniel could get this story out.

  “Well, it’s not gold, but it’s silver.” He held up a bracelet made of interlocking circles. Up close it looked to be like a chain, perhaps one worn during sex. However, to the untrained eye, it just appeared to be a plain silver bracelet that she could wear with most of her outfits.

  Emma took the bracelet, wrapped it around her wrist and fixed the clasp. “I like it. You get the dominant part out of it, and I get a nice piece of jewelry. I like the way that we give and take. It works for us.”

  Daniel smiled, apparently relieved that his idea had been met with approval. Even if he was dominant, he still cared about her feelings enough to not embarrass her in front of others. Their private adventures were theirs and no one else’s.

  Emma went back to cutting up things for the guests to eat as Daniel attempted to taste all the food. Every once in a while, she would stop and admire the bracelet. Daniel continued to be quiet as she prepared for the big event.

  The guests started arriving shortly after 7:30pm. She’d invited several of her work friends as well as some college buddies. They arrived quickly after the first few showed. Emma was busy with introductions and serving.

  All of her friends seemed quite impressed with Daniel though Jamie and Marie remembered her emotional state at the patio bar and raised an eyebrow to her when she made the introductions. Good friends don’t challenge you in front of others, but they always have your back, Emma thought as she made sure that everyone had drinks. She’d explain the situation to Jamie and Marie later, so they didn’t have the wrong idea.

  Emma was never very concerned about her guest list. In most cases, friends brought friends and so on to make each one unique. So she wasn’t concerned that she didn’t recognize a few people in the growing crowd. However, she was concerned when she saw the lanky figure of Gage walk through her living room. She really didn’t want to introduce Daniel to a man who she’d flirted with one night and she didn’t want any time with Gage where she’d have to explain who Daniel was. She’d be upset if he repeated the doubts she’d had that night at the patio bar after seeing Daniel and his ex-wife together.

  Emma found Jamie again in the crowd. “Did you invite Gage? I saw him earlier.”

  Jamie made a face. “Yeah, I was talking about the party to some friends and he overheard us talking. He said that you two had hit it off at the patio bar and so I just invited him along. I wouldn’t have told him if I thought it was an issue.”

  Emma quickly told the story of what had happened between them. She felt better for getting it off her chest. Even after the past few weeks of a rather non-traditional sex life, at heart, Emma was still a romantic who wanted the same life as all of the romance heroines. Talking about how she’d flirted shamelessly with someone made her feel awkward.

  The evening progressed quickly and Emma didn’t spy any signs of Gage anywhere. She was glad of that. Jamie must have lived up to her word and kept him out of the way.

  In the mass of bodies, Emma didn’t see much of Daniel either. Over the crowd, she would see him stand above a gaggle of women who had found one of the attractive men at the party. New men were always welcome, because they didn’t have a past in her group of friends. She decided to take things into her own hands. Stepping in next to Daniel, she addressed one of her work friends. “Jenna, I see you’ve met Daniel. We’re dating. He lives right down the street from me. You can see his house from here when you leave.” She smiled gracefully, but the unspoken hints were in place. No one would be laying a hand on Daniel tonight.

  Daniel gave her arm a squeeze as she went to get more drinks, a subtle way of letting her know that he cared. She could still feel the touch as she wandered through the crowd refreshing drinks and offering snacks. These parties were fun, but they were a lot of work. Like weddings where the bride doesn’t get to eat, drink or dance, Emma felt like she was more servant than guest. Maybe that’s why the serving position came so easily to her in the BDSM roles.

  She spotted Jamie in the corner, carrying on an intense conversation with Gage who seemed agitated. Great, just what she needed - some drama to make the party complete.

  Marie came up behind her. “You can see that Jamie is trying her best to keep Gage away but he h
as that distinctly male attitude that he’s better for you than anyone else, even if you don’t want him. What exactly did you do to him at the patio bar?”

  “Talked, listened. Nothing special. He must be a very lonely man.”

  Emma looked up to see a tall, blonde woman enter the room. Despite the fact that she’d had nothing to eat, Emma grabbed a large cup of Bahama Mama and downed it in one slurp. She took another and did the same.

  Marie looked at her. “Making up for lost time?”

  “No, just a situation that I need to take care of.”

  It took her nearly five minutes to find Daniel and another minute to get him away from the group of people he was talking to.

  “What’s so urgent? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Daniel said, wrapping his hand behind her neck.

  “Worse. Your ex-wife is here – in my house – at my party.”

  Fierce Encounters Book 4

  Daniel’s jaw dropped open, which was cute, but not very helpful.

  “Thoughts?”

  Daniel shook his head. “Give me a moment. I never thought that she’d behave this way. It’s something of a shock to me.”

  Emma looked at him, surprised that he had gone so still. This wasn’t like Daniel. He always seemed like a man of action, especially in bed. She was surprised to see him so docile in the face of drama. “Um, me too. I’ve never had a person really crash my party before, much less someone who is looking to cause trouble. The most I’ve ever had is a hanger-on from work who wanted some free booze.”

  Daniel nodded. He looked around the room. Emma had lost sight of her nemesis in her haste to find Daniel and alert him to the trouble. In spite of all of her parties, Emma still found that she was a private person and the thought of her kinky dalliances with Daniel being publicly broadcasted was more than she could bear. It made the Gage situation pale in comparison. That was just a minor error of judgment, but not of behavior. This would likely out her to her friends and co-workers as a submissive. She looked down at the bracelet on her wrist. That was about as far as she was willing to go in the public domination arena, a small symbol that would serve to remind her and Daniel, but no one else.

  She and Daniel began wandering through the party, being stopped by people they knew. Many of Emma’s friends had not met Daniel before, so frequent stops for introductions were required. Of course, everyone wanted to know more about him, so their quest was a slow one. Emma checked her watch at one point, realizing that nearly an hour had passed since she’d seen his ex-wife. She could be long gone by now, having just decided to scare Emma with her presence.

  Emma shook her head, knowing that she never got that lucky. No, this woman had come here looking for a fight and some revenge, and barring a miracle, she wouldn’t leave without it.

  Shortly after that, Emma and Daniel ran into Jamie, who was sans Gage. Emma raised her eyebrows at her friend. Jamie shrugged. Emma groaned loudly, but not noisily enough for Daniel to hear. Now she had two issues to deal with. Normally her parties were sedate affairs, where the worst to happen was people throwing up in the house. Now she had major drama on her hands. Is this what romance brought into your life - chaos and stress? Emma wondered what Jane Eyre would have done in this situation.

  She and Daniel continued through the house, looking for signs of the ex-wife, who had seemingly disappeared. Jamie followed along with them, carrying on an inane conversation with Emma just to have a reason to walk with her. The trio began a second walk through the house, still without luck. Emma’s home seemed to have become a Bermuda triangle of unwanted guests.

  “Emma,” one of the guests called out. Emma looked, but couldn’t remember the man’s name. He was a friend of a co-worker, who came to these parties when she needed another single man. “We’re all out of gin. Do you have any more?”

  Emma nodded, not wanting to strain her own voice over the crowd. She excused herself from Daniel and Jamie and went to the small pantry downstairs that doubled as a wine cellar and booze cabinet.

  Emma noticed that the downstairs lights were on. That was odd. Normally the basement was off-limits during a party. It was dank and unfinished. No one would want to hang out down here with a pool and deck area out back.

  Emma heard the distinct sounds of moans and whispers from the closet. Someone else was down here. She narrowed her eyes for a second and then went for reinforcements. Daniel and Jamie were still right where she’d left them, still looking perplexed by the situation. She motioned for them both to follow her.

  Jamie started to speak as they descended the stairs, but Emma put a finger over her lips. She wanted the element of surprise on her side. The noises were still coming from the pantry itself. They had to be since no one else was around or visible in the basement. Daniel’s face morphed from puzzled to very clear as Emma started to open the door, as if he had just realized what Emma expected to find behind the door.

  Sure enough, when the door was flung open, Gage and Daniel’s ex-wife were engaged in some hanky-panky. Thankfully for the sake of everyone’s retinas, they were mostly dressed. Daniel had the good graces to look away, but spoke first, “Renee, what are you doing here?”

  She stammered something that Emma couldn’t understand as she buttoned her blouse again. She at least had the good graces to blush at the crowd facing her.

  “You weren’t invited. You’re not welcome here. You’re making my girlfriend very uncomfortable in her own home.”

  Emma didn’t want to interrupt Daniel’s haranguing of the woman, but had he just said “girlfriend”? Emma tried to act maturely, but a part of her wanted to giggle like a teenager. She had a boyfriend, a Facebook status boyfriend. She started to feel more comfortable with the awkward setting.

  Renee finished dressing and slipped back into her shoes which had been off as well. Emma thought of the last time that she’d actually cleaned down here and decided that shoelessness was probably not a good idea.

  Jamie was not to be outdone either. She took her cues from Daniel and let loose. “Gage, just what do you think you’re doing? Geez, you work with me, and here you are half-dressed in a closet at a party where your co-workers are. This is very awkward for everyone involved.”

  Indeed, Gage was only half-dressed. Renee had been the more demure of the two. Gage’s shirt was still tucked into his pants, but it draped around his waist now. He had a nice body, thin but muscled with a trace of hair between his pecs and another trail of hair leading from his navel into his pants. He obviously worked out and was proud of his body. He didn’t make any hurried moves to cover up, watching the other women’s reactions to him. Emma could clearly see that he was aroused, as he’d tented the front of his jeans and a small wet spot marked an area about eight inches up from the end of the zipper. At least she wouldn’t have to see him again. Jamie on the other hand would have this image to contend with at work.

  Emma also felt the stress leave her shoulders as she saw the two fumble around to dress. Gage would not be an issue and neither would Renee. If they tried to make any trouble for Daniel or her, they would have to explain their unholy alliance in the basement of the party, caught like two horny teenagers. Emma made a deep sigh and closed her eyes for a moment. The last party of the season might not be a disaster after all.

  Once the pair had left the closet, Emma grabbed the bottle of gin and all of them headed upstairs as a group. Many eyes fell on the group as they made their way as quietly as they could. Emma just wanted the party to be over without a fuss.

  Gage and Renee were unceremoniously escorted out of the party and the door closed behind them. Jamie gave Emma a small hug and went off to rejoin her friends. Emma and Daniel stood surveying the party from the foyer. Daniel found her hand and squeezed it tight. “All’s well that end’s well, yes?”

  Emma gave him a grin. “You called me your ‘girlfriend.’”

  Daniel tried not to smile. “Did I need to clear that with you before I announced it to my ex-wife? Is there some paperwork we
need to fill out?”

  Emma smacked his arm with her free hand. “No, it’s just the first time you ever said it. On the romance scale, shouting it to your ex-wife is up there as one of my ideal situations. Even so I really like the sound of that.”

  Daniel drew her into a deep kiss. “I’m glad that you do. I want to keep you around for a long time.”

  When they’d finally broken the kiss, Emma said, “Same here. I hope that tonight will go a long way to easing some of the issues with your ex-wife. She seemed pretty into that man.”

  Daniel tilted back his head and laughed. “That would be so nice. I wouldn’t know how to behave without her bothering me all the time.”

  Emma moved in closer to him, sliding under his arm. “Maybe I’ll just take on that role. I’d like to spend a lot of time bothering you.”

  Daniel leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “That can definitely be arranged.”

  Taking a slower walk around the party, Emma was gratified to see everyone having fun. No one seemed to be affected by the near scene that had been averted.

  She looked at the door to the basement. “I have an idea,” she said, pointing to the door.

  Daniel raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Really? Is this going to be our thing now? Sex at parties?”

  “It could be, if you play your cards right. No one will notice being gone for a few minutes. The party can run itself for a while after all that drama.” Emma gave him a wink and headed for the door. They descended the steps in silence, still able to hear the party above them, though muffled. Emma held the door open for Daniel and they both entered the small pantry where they’d recently discovered Gage and Renee. There was an element of being caught here. The door to the pantry had no locks or mechanisms to hold it shut. Anyone could walk in, just as they had earlier.