by Wendi Zwaduk
“How?” He brought the furry side of the paddle down on her butt. “Tell me.”
“I didn’t tell you I was coming to Vegas,” she managed.
“Bad girl.” He swatted her twice, hard enough for her to wince, but not enough to leave a mark. “More?”
“I bought that dress just for you and wore it hoping you’d show up.”
“What did you think would happen if I didn’t?” This time he spanked her three times in quick succession, then caressed the fur over her abused skin.
“I went on faith.” She buried her face against her arm. “I planned to spend Christmas with someone. I didn’t want to be alone.”
Fuck. He turned the paddle over and struck her with the leather side. This time, she yelped.
“Oh, sir. Thank you.” Her hands balled and a tear slipped down her cheek. Her leg bounced. “I wasn’t going to tell you about the piercing. I wanted you to tell me you wanted me first.”
He smoothed the leather over her red skin before he struck her again. “Anything else?”
She hesitated. “No.”
“Liar. Bad girls who don’t tell the whole truth get punished.” He smacked her twice more with the leather side of the paddle, then tossed the item onto the bed. He trailed his fingertips over her hot skin. There was so much more to the situation. Maybe she wasn’t ready to admit the truth to him, but he could to her. He loved her and felt her love in return.
“Sir.” She trembled. “Fuck me.”
“You bet I will.” He stood her up long enough to scramble to his feet and to lean her over the bed. He tore through the bag until he found the condoms. He withdrew one of the foil packets. Ripping into the wrapper with his teeth wasn’t smart, but fuck it. He’d worry about his teeth later. He opened the condom, then snapped the button off his dress slacks. The pants flopped to the floor around his ankles and the button zinged across the room. He shoved his boxer briefs down around his thighs. No time for finesse, just fucking. In a heartbeat, he sheathed himself and grasped her hips.
Jordy sank balls-deep into her sopping pussy and moaned. Jesus. Connecting with her this way was like coming home. Merry Christmas, thank you Santa and all that shit. He was where he belonged—in her.
“Fuck,” she bit out. “Sir.”
He grunted and began to thrust. The moment he pulled out of her, he wanted her heat again. He’d never get enough of her. Jordy increased his speed, pistoning his hips. His skin sizzled and the synapses in his brain went into overload. The plug bumped against his cock as he seated himself within her. He pressed his thumb against the handle of the plug, reminding her she belonged to him fully.
“Fuck my ass.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Sir. Please?”
“So pushy.” He swatted her with his open hand, then pulled out of her pussy. God damn, he wanted to be everywhere within her. He eased the glass toy from her ass, then dribbled more lube onto her waiting hole.
She groaned and buried her face in the bedding as he filled her rump with his dick. Her pussy had clamped around him tight, but nothing compared to being in her ass. She squeezed him as he tried to withdraw.
“Breathe, babe.” He splayed one hand on her lower back and held onto her hip with the other hand. A bead of sweat slipped down his temple. He shook his head. Being with her used every ounce of his energy.
“So fucking hot.” He encircled her with his arm and held her flush to his chest. He tugged lightly on the chain—just enough to add a bit more pain to her pleasure.
She kept her hands to her sides and gritted her teeth. “Sir,” she bit out.
“Jesus.” He surged into her, then let her collapse onto the bed. “I’m—uck.”
“Please? I need to come.” She trembled beneath him. “Oh, sir. I’m close. Please, may I come?”
The pleading in her voice spurred him on. He sped up his thrusts and his balls slapped against her pussy. Fuck, yeah. He wiped the back of his hand across his forehead, then swatted her again. He surged deep within her.
“Come for me. Let it all go.” God knew he couldn’t hold back any longer. He embraced the orgasm in his belly. Heat radiated through his limbs, then centered in his chest. For a moment, nothing else mattered but Allyson. He slammed into her and grunted as the climax hit. His vision blurred as he filled the condom. Damn, that’s what she did to him—wrung him out from head to toe.
But she hadn’t come yet. He reached around to her pussy and fingered her clit. Allyson tensed beneath him. She clenched her fingers in the bedding and made a noise that crossed between a moan and a whimper. Her breath came out choppy.
“Come for me,” he whispered. “Come apart. Soak my hand.”
“Fuck,” Allyson cried. Another cry rumbled in her body as she shivered. Her juices coated his fingers as she came. Her arms gave out and she collapsed on the bed.
He continued to toy with her engorged clit until her trembling subsided. He kissed her shoulder. “Beautiful.” She’d been the best Christmas present a man could ask for—and she was his. He eased his softening cock from her ass. He tossed the used rubber in the trash, then kicked out of his crumpled boxer briefs and dress socks. The plug clunked against his foot. Shit. When had the glass toy landed on the floor? He picked up the ass plug and took it to the sink. He’d clean it up later. Right now he needed to make sure she was fine.
Jordy scooped her into his arms and sat on the bed. He petted her hair and kissed the top of her head. “Merry Christmas, baby. I love you.” He stroked her arm. “Love you so much.” He rocked her in his arms for what seemed like a blessed eternity. The world melted away around them. Only Allyson mattered.
Allyson curled up in his embrace. Her tears slipped down his bare chest. “Don’t say what you don’t mean.”
His heart clenched. He’d done so much damage in his life. She kept him honest, but she didn’t trust in him enough to accept his feelings outside of the bedroom.
The holiday wasn’t over and he wasn’t about to let it pass without proving to her just how much he loved her. She was more than his Christmas present or his submissive—she was his perfect mate.
Chapter Six
Allyson remained in his arms, despite the urge to run away. This was what she’d wanted—to be with him. She’d gotten her Christmas wish. But he’d said he loved her. According to what he’d confessed in the past, love wasn’t possible. Jordy didn’t want commitment and hated strings. She needed commitment and love in her life. She wanted to feel desired and have someone devoted to her, but she doubted Jordy was the one. Why? She’d fallen for him after their first date and the feelings had been cemented after their first time together. Could she trust him to fuck her, to spank her ass red, but not to love her? She wasn’t sure, but if her track record for picking men was any indication, then he’d waltz out of her life very soon.
Still, the way he held her and comforted her until the trembling subsided…she felt cherished. But the good times wouldn’t last. She hated to be negative, but she knew Jordy. Pushing him with the collar and convincing him to go on the trip were momentary wins. He wasn’t a long-term kind of guy. His saying he loved her was just nonsense uttered during sex.
Jordy broke the silence first. “I never expected to see you upstairs at the party, but finding you there was awesome.” He kissed the top of her head. “I wasn’t looking forward to the party or Christmas, not until I spotted you.”
“Then why’d you agree to come to Vegas?” She sat up and covered her breasts with her arm. She didn’t mind being nude in front of him, but the idea of having another conversation with few clothes on didn’t strike her as much fun. The chain caught on her fingers. A wave of embarrassment hit her. She’d given him the collar and allowed him to use it, but never demanded he claim her as his only sub. Shit.
“I came here…I’m not sure why,” he said and chuckled. “Silly, isn’t it, going somewhere with no real reason. It’s Christmas and I’m in a city that’s not home. I should care, but I don’t.”
She glanced around the floor for his jacket or her dress. “I want to cover up.” Maybe if she put something over her nudity, she wouldn’t feel so raw. Her eyes burned with unshed tears. He had no real reason for coming to Vegas. The embarrassment grew and filled her brain. Now she knew—she hadn’t been the draw, but she’d been his salvation once he arrived. She’d work for now, but probably not the long haul.
Jordy nodded to the massive suitcase. “I’ve got a couple of T-shirts in there that’ll work. Get the one from the baseball tournament. It’s the softest.”
She crossed the room to the suitcase. The neon green shirt lay under a pair of jeans. She picked up the shirt and yanked it down over her head. The cotton shirt practically swallowed up her body. The soft fabric brushed against her still-erect nipples, sending heat rushing through her veins. Why did the feel of his clothes and the smell of his cologne on the shirt kick her hormones into overdrive? Fuck. She dragged air into her lungs. She needed to get him to unlock the chain and collar, too. If he didn’t want her, then she wasn’t about to wear his collar forever.
“Come here.”
“No,” she replied. “I need to find my dress and key card. I should head back to my room. Where are my shoes?”
“You’re not leaving—not until we talk.” He donned his boxer briefs again, then pulled her across his lap. He wrapped her in his arms and prevented her from leaving. “I wasn’t sure why I came out here. I tried to rationalize to myself that it was to avoid the family. I didn’t want to be in the middle of the Murphy family circus. With Melissa talking nonstop about the baby and Corey, the walking hard-on practically climbing all over Katie, I knew I didn’t fit in. I mean, hell, my family is one fucked-up, cobbled-together mess. No one belongs, but we’re stuck together.”
She had to admit, his family situation left more than a little to be desired. The kids each shared the same dad, but different mothers and no one seemed to get along. She didn’t envy him a bit.
“I assumed I’d spend the holidays dodging them and then you suggested coming out to Vegas. It seemed like the answer to my problem—no family, a little fun and a stress-free holiday. It should’ve been the best situation, but the whole time it seemed like something was missing. I kept hoping I’d run into you because I wanted you to be here, too. But I was too busy, dumb, whatever you want to call it to ask if you were coming along. Then I saw you at the club and everything clicked into place.”
“It’s not a big deal.” She shrugged. “I mentioned Vegas, but that didn’t mean I was going to make the trek.”
“I’m sorry, but this whole trip has been a big-ass deal. There wouldn’t be another chance with you if we both hadn’t come out here.” He patted her rump. “Now, I’m not letting you go, but you’re here and Chad isn’t. What’s the story with Mr. Boring Insurance Agent?”
“There really isn’t much of one.” She folded her hands on her lap and shrugged again. “When he came in to sell supplemental insurance to the staff, he asked me out. I said no because at the time, you and I were…”
“Fucking?” he asked, finishing her sentence. His five o’clock shadow glinted in the light as he smiled. “Some of the best sex I’ve ever had—save for tonight.”
She wished she’d have known that kernel of information a little sooner. So she was a good lay? Wonderful. Did he have feelings for her besides the proclamations of love during the best sex? She sighed. She’d never know until she asked. She placed her hand over his heart. “I thought we were a couple and then you said you didn’t want strings. I didn’t know what to do. I tried being direct and you brushed me off.” She wanted to hide. Being honest with him and admitting she’d chased him cut her to the marrow. “I kept trying to get through to you because I didn’t give a shit about how it looked, but I care about how I felt—still do. You weren’t interested and I wasn’t clued in enough to realize it.”
Looking back, she saw how hard she’d pursued him over the course of the school year and how many times he’d said he just wanted to fuck. She should’ve accepted what was happening, but her traitorous heart wanted more.
“Babe.” He scooted her closer to him on his lap and draped her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry.”
“Anyway,” she said, dismissing his apology. “Chad asked me out again at the end of the week. I was hurting and he seemed interested, so I went out with him. It wasn’t anything exciting. Friday night we went to the Robin’s Nest and then to Packo’s to dance. By the way, he can’t dance for shit. But for the most part, he was a gentleman. Then you called and you and I got together Saturday night. I loved playing with you and hated myself for loving it.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. She wanted to pull away from him, but didn’t. “I couldn’t forget the way you touched me, the spankings, the pinches from the toys and how you fucked me. You knew exactly what I needed.” She paused. “Then Chad asked again and we spent the next Friday night together. It sucked because he wanted to fuck and I couldn’t go through with it. I kept thinking of you. Makes me sound foolish, doesn’t it?”
“No.” He cupped her jaw in his hand and swiped his thumb over her cheek.
“No? I turned down a perfectly average guy for one who only wanted me for a plaything. What’s worse is I never lost faith in the guy who wanted me for sex.” She wriggled off his lap and walked over to the bank of windows in the bedroom. She couldn’t look him in the eye. Not now when her heart was so raw. She’d envisioned a sexy, happy Christmas, not one filled with confessional. “And here I am in Vegas with him for Christmas. You tell me you love me, but only when we fuck. You’ve never wanted commitment and I was crazy enough to give you a collar for me. I don’t know what to think. I’m hurt, I’m angry and I know how I feel about you, but I doubt you feel the same way about me.”
Her chest ached and the tears flowed freely. She focused on the twinkling lights and traffic on the Strip. As soon as she could leave, she’d get out of town and head back to Ohio. She wasn’t sure how she’d face him at school, but she’d manage. She wiped her face with both hands and summoned her courage. She’d been tough before and could do it again.
“Slow down.” He eased up behind her. Their reflection shone on the glass. He ensnared her in his arms. “I never say anything I don’t mean.”
“Then what do you mean?” She turned around in his embrace. “I fell for you when we fucked the first time. The connection we shared overwhelmed me. I wanted you to see me and need me, but you didn’t. Then I got the crazy idea for Vegas and the collar.” She ducked out of his arms again and stepped into her shoes. “Where’d you put the key card to my room?”
“I made a mistake.” He stilled her hands and touched the gold chain around her neck. “I’ve never claimed to be a smart guy. Hell, I’m about as thick as they come sometimes. Put me on a baseball field and I can give you all sorts of strategy. Same thing in a gymnasium full of first graders, but put me in a romantic situation and I’m shit.” He scooped her into his arms and carried her back to the bed. Jordy sat on the mattress and placed her on his lap again. “But when I’m with you, I feel like the smartest man and the biggest fool.”
“How?” She wobbled in her high-heeled shoes. “I’m nothing exciting.”
“You’re so much more than you realize.” He smoothed his palm over the back of her neck and drew her in for a kiss. “Babe, you’re the kind of woman who thinks about everyone else, then worries about herself. Like with the watch and the collar. You knew I wanted that watch and figured out I wanted to collar you before I could understand what I needed. Hell, I wasn’t even into bondage until we got together.” He placed his fingers over her lips. “You showed me how to come into my own. I’m myself when I’m with you.”
“Then what do you want?” Please God, just let him be honest. She grasped the hem of the shirt to hide her shaking.
“You.” He didn’t grab her or try to stop her. He stood before her, shoulders sagged and pain in his eyes. “Ally, I want you. Collared, spanked, begging for me, working won
ders with the kindergartners and making me smile. Whether you’re in those hideous turtlenecks and khakis or that red dress or just my shirt, I don’t care. I want you in my bed, my arms and my life.”
“You’re delirious.” But she wanted to believe him.
“So? This is me, offering up my heart. I love you, Ally.” He reached for her, but didn’t grab her. “Forgive me for being slow and not seeing what we both knew all along.”
She toyed with the edge of the shirt. She should make him wait, but her heart refused to cooperate. She could live without Jordy, but she didn’t want to.
“Ally? Do you still love me?”
“I do.” She threw herself into his arms and sobbed. He meant the world to her. “So much.”
“Hell yes.” He scooped her up and carried her to the bed. “I’m in Vegas with the woman I love and it’s Christmas. All we need now is snow and music.” He grabbed the remote from the nightstand and switched on the television. “I thought I saw there were channels that have only music. One has to be all holiday music.” He flipped through the guide and switched channels until a traditional Christmas carol filled the room.
Clad in nothing but his boxer briefs, Jordy held out his hand to her. “Dance with me?”
She scooted to the edge of the bed and grasped his fingers. “I’d love to.” She eased into his arms and rested her head against his shoulder.
Jordy swayed with her, moving to the slow melody of the song. He cupped her ass in one hand and held onto her fingers with the other. “Love you.”
“You’ve used that word a lot in the last few hours.” She closed her eyes. “But I like it.”
“I wish I would’ve brought your present along.” He whirled her around the room, keeping her tight to his chest. “It’s not as exciting as your collar or my watch.”
“I don’t care. It’s from you, that’s enough.”
“It’s a good reason for you to spend the rest of vacation with me, doesn’t it?” He swatted her ass. “Should we play?”
