Twisted Freedom

by J Grayland

  As the slow, rhythmic notes penetrated my mind, I felt something warm and silky trickle onto my belly. His large hands were rubbing what felt like oil around and up to my breasts, cupping them before running a soft oily fingertip over my nipples, making them tingle and harden under his touch. I felt myself relax as his hands explored my body, covering every inch of skin with the oil, over the full length of my legs and up my inner thighs, then finally coating my sex. I felt his hands take mine, guide them to my breasts, opening my fingers in his slippery hands and moving my own palms over my taut nipples, causing me to let out a small gasp of excitement. With his hands still on mine, he moved them down my stomach and brushed my fingers over the slippery naked lips of my sex, singling out my index finger and placing the tip right on my swollen nub, moving it in small, slow circular motions. Giving myself pleasure was something so new to me, I thought I would be embarrassed at the thought of Nate watching me, but it just heightened the warm pleasure seeping through every vein in my body. As my fingers stroked in between my legs, I felt so uninhibited, so intimate with my body. As I felt myself starting to climb toward release, I felt Nate’s hand join mine as he slowly slid a finger inside of me, making me groan louder with the surge in pleasure running through my body. His finger moved in and out, making my own fingers move faster. I needed release. Opening my legs wider, I felt him slide another finger inside of me. Nate’s touch started to push me over the edge, and I screamed out his name as my inner walls tightened around his fingers. I crushed my thighs together tighter, savoring the feeling until I dropped my hands to my sides and shivered from the aftershocks.

  I felt the earphones being taken away, and then the sleep mask was removed. I squinted against the intrusion of light into my eyes. When they focused again, they were drawn into a pair of wide gray eyes, now swimming with a hungry lust of their own. “Fuck.” Nate’s curse came out in a long growl. “That was the sexiest thing I have ever seen.”

  “That was the sexiest thing I have ever done,” I panted, and reached down to the huge bulge pushing through his boxers.

  “No, baby, this was all for you.”

  “But I want you,” I breathed.

  “Casey,” he groaned.

  “I need you, Nate,” was all I said before sitting up and helping him to get naked and in between my legs. He pushed inside of me, where my inner walls were still tingling and raw with pleasure, making me instantly want more of him. Wrapping my legs around his waist and pushing my heels into his ass made him groan even louder. With his chest pressed against mine, the oil between us made my nipples slide against the hard muscles of his chest, making them hypersensitive and responsive to the friction between us as he ground his pelvis into me. His mouth crashed down onto mine in a kiss that told me just how hungry he was. His tongue slid into my mouth and over mine, making the pleasure soar through my body once again. With my eyes closed, my body arched into his, absorbing every inch of him. We were so close I felt as though we are fusing together and becoming one. One entity, one soul. The ultimate euphoria felt so deep I never wanted it to end.

  “Look at me,” I heard him breathe out in a low growl that made me open my eyes. I saw the same feelings reflected in his hungry eyes, and I couldn’t hold back the building pressure in my body any longer. I chanted his name over and over, his thrusts coming harder and deeper until he reached his own pinnacle, pulling me over the edge of pure ecstasy with his release. Nate leaned his forehead against mine, his heavy breathing warming my lips as we both trembled and slowly calmed our bodies before he slid to my side, pulling me onto his chest, his strong arms locking around my naked, spent body.

  Needless to say, dinner was very late. We dozed off for a while, then got up and jumped in the shower to wash the oil off of both of us. Nothing needed to be said. Our eyes said it all. He thanked me for trusting him, and I thanked him for giving me such a wonderful and enlightening experience.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Nate

  On the drive into Portland the next morning, the only thoughts I had running through my mind were of Casey and the trust she showed in me last night. We had been talking one night a couple of weeks ago, and she suggested that she was ready for me to push some boundaries with her in bed. It seemed the more pleasure she experienced, the more confident she became. I loved seeing her take control of her sexuality after all the years of being forced to bury it. I thought if I could take her into one of her relaxing music comas where she felt safe while not allowing her to feel self-conscious about herself and her perceived imperfections, I could help her to explore her own body and realize just how beautiful and desired she was. I just needed to take very small steps and wait for the right moment. I would never want her to do anything that made her uncomfortable, and I certainly would never want her to do anything that I knew she was doing just to please me. Now, that would really piss me off. And I really needed her to understand that all I loved and cared about was her. As long as she was next to me, that was all that mattered. Last night, when I walked in and saw her looking at her reflection in the mirror with pain in her eyes and that single tear silently falling down her cheek, it fucking broke me into a million pieces.

  She would never be broken to me, ever, but I also wanted her to know that she controlled her own body’s wants, needs, and pleasure. Last night, she certainly did just that. She blew my own fucking world in the process, and damned if I wasn’t walking bow-legged this morning myself.

  Pulling the Audi into the reserved space in the garage, I got out and pressed the elevator button. It was going to be a long day, I could just feel it. As soon as the elevator opened on my office floor, my new secretary, Laura, had a pile of messages that I needed to follow up on, and so it began. Some files had also arrived to go through, courtesy of Paxton, who had them delivered by courier this morning. That asshole was supposed to be taking some time off, not working on shit at home and sending it in here.

  Dropping everything onto my desk, I pulled my cell phone from the back pocket of my jeans, bringing the screen to life and pressing the contact for Paxton. I stood, looking out through the huge wall of glass in front of me where I could see the hustle and bustle of life going on below. Paxton answered on the second ring with a, “Hey, Nate, did you get my package?”

  “Yes, I did, thank you, but why didn’t you just call me this morning and get me to pick them up? Oh, and why the hell are you working when you’re supposed to be chilling with the family?”

  “I am having a great time being at home, I promise. These were just the final copies of the contracts for the West Bank deal that I wanted you to have one more look at before faxing through to their head office. Fuck knows why I didn’t get you to pick them up on your way in this morning. I guess I’m having a hard time remembering that you live basically down the road now,” he chuckled into the phone.

  “Okay, I’ll take a look at them now, but I’m sure they are perfectly fine, Paxton. I mean, how many times have you gone over them and tweaked them?”

  “I’m sorry, what can I say? You know how anal I am about these things.”

  “That’s an understatement. You need to relax, Paxton. Everything is going smoothly, and you worry too much.”

  “Yeah, well, I have to do it for both of us.”

  “Funny guy, go back to your wife and daughter, and leave me alone,” I said jokingly.

  “Okay. Well, I’ll see you Saturday then.”

  “What’s on Saturday?” I asked, puzzled.

  “Casey invited us over for dinner. A kind of housewarming, I think.”

  “Sounds good, I’ll see you then,” I said, ending the call and taking one last look out the windows before flopping into my chair and pulling it up to the desk with determination.

  Pressing the button on the intercom for Laura to come in, I handed her the finalized papers with instructions to have them couriered to The West Bank and to make arrangements for a
trip to their head office in Washington, D.C. for the next week. I had already talked to the head of operations over there, and Laura was liaising with them to arrange a conference time and date with instructions for a fly in, fly out itinerary. The quicker we set this deal in motion, the quicker I could move on and concentrate on other things.

  Near the end of the day, I decided to check my emails when I noticed an advertisement flash up alongside the page for a local animal shelter. The huge flashing banner caught my attention across the top with the words “Adopt me” on it, with a before and after photo of a dog. The before photo showed a skinny, dirty, flea-ridden looking, poor excuse for a dog lying on a dirty blanket. The after photo showed the same dog, only now in much better condition with some meat on his bones. Clean, golden fur covered his body, and he sat with a blue ball in his mouth like he was waiting for someone to play with. The text under the photos read:

  Hi, my name is Chance. I was in a bad state before I came to the Portland Dog Shelter. Now, all I need is a loving home. I am happy and friendly, I love to play fetch and to run. Please, take a Chance on me and adopt me. I promise I will be your faithful companion.

  I had never, ever thought about getting a pet, but there was something about this dog’s face that I swore said, “You need me.” Well, that together with the thought of how much better I would feel knowing that Casey had a guard dog with her when I wasn’t there made me make the impulsive and rash decision to call the shelter.

  After a brief stop at a pet store on the way home to pick up some doggy essentials for the new addition, I pulled up in front of the house two hours later with a furry friend in the passenger seat. His tongue was hanging out as his head whipped from side to side, checking out his new surroundings with interest. I pulled into the driveway and opened the car door. My new friend leapt across my lap, down onto the ground, and headed fast for the nearest tree to relieve himself. Walking up to the front door, I patted the side of my leg to get Chance next to me then commanded him to “Sit” and “Stay.” I knocked on the door, and I heard Casey approaching while mumbling something about me forgetting my keys. She opened the door, and before she could say anything, I said, “I brought a house guest,” as I pointed down to Chance. Casey’s eyes dropped down to Chance with an instant softness before she crouched before him. It was clearly love at first sight. Chance jumped all over her, his tail wagging furiously and his wet tongue licking her face.

  “Hey, buddy, who might you be?” she said, gently fending off his overly enthusiastic greeting.

  “This is Chance. He’s around one year old, and I thought he might be a good guard dog for the place,” I said matter-of-factly, still trying to convince myself that I had made a good decision.

  “Really? You brought us a pet?” she asked wide-eyed.

  “No, I brought us a guard dog,” I said, trying to keep my voice as stern as possible.

  “You mean, like a stay outside working dog?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Yeah, right, like that’s going to happen,” she said, raising her eyebrows questioningly at me. “Come on, Chance, let’s show you your new home,” she said, patting her leg for him to follow her down the hall and into the kitchen. Going back out to the car, I unloaded the dog food and bed and realized right then and there that if I thought this dog was going to live outside of this house, I was fucking kidding myself. I was going to be lucky if there would be enough room for me in our bed tonight if Casey got her way. I had to admit, she could wrap me around her little finger at times, but there was no way that dog was sleeping with us tonight. Not now, not ever.

  Lying in bed that night with her cuddled up against my side, stroking my hand down the warm, soft skin of her naked back, she said, “Chance is a good, symbolic name, don’t you think?”

  “I think that’s what caught my attention. His name did seem somehow appropriate for us.”

  “Thank you. I’m in love with him already,” she said, and I felt her smile against my chest.

  “So, I was thinking, next week is your first exam. Maybe we should spend the night before at the penthouse. I know you need to be there early, so it might make sense to be closer?”

  “Sounds good, but what about Chance? We can’t leave him here by himself,” she said, concerned.

  “We’ll take him with us.”

  “To the penthouse? Is that allowed?”

  “Baby, I own the building. I’m pretty sure it’s okay with the landlord.”

  “Good point,” she laughed.

  As she snuggled in closer to me, I felt the bottom of the bed press down and the slow slide of a furry body, cautiously inching his way up the bed between us. Sitting up and looking at those big brown, puppy dog eyes, I pointed to the dog bed in the corner of the room.

  “Down,” I commanded.

  “Nate, he’s lonely,” Casey pleaded.

  “Look, I let you talk me into letting him sleep in our room, but he’s not sleeping in our bed.” Pointing again to the dog bed in the corner, I told Chance, “Bed, now.” Looking at me once more, he slowly stood, jumped off the bed, and ambled toward his bed. I swore he fucking sighed in disgust. “Stay,” I told him, before laying back down and pulling Casey back into my arms again.

  “Nate,” she whispered.

  “Nope, not happening. Now, get some sleep.”

  “Goodnight,” she sighed with defeat and wrapped her arm around my waist, pulling the sheet up with it.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Casey

  After Nate left for work the next morning, I took Chance for a walk along the beach, throwing one of the many balls that Nate purchased for him yesterday. I actually couldn’t believe we had a dog. A friggin’ dog! Ever since I could remember, I had wanted a dog. I longed for my own pet as a child, but I was always told that animals required great responsibility, and I was already too much to look after, never mind a pet. I even remembered a friend from school had a dog that had puppies one summer, and I took one home, hopeful my parents would somehow soften and let me keep it. After spending the afternoon begging, pleading, and negotiating with them that it would make a good guard dog, and that I would get a paper round to feed it, I was told absolutely not.

  Tears streamed down my face as I carried the fluffy little puppy back to its mother. I never thought I would feel that kind of pain in my chest again. I ended up getting grounded for a month, as well, not that it made too much of a difference. I never went anywhere other than next door to play with Flynn, and my parents always returned after dark, so they never suspected a thing anyway.

  I scooped up the ball and threw it for Chance. I watched him run, wagging his tail. He is mine, I thought happily. His exuberance and playful nature made me laugh so loud that he looked at me like I was crazy as he dropped the ball at my feet. Chance sat and tilted his head, first to one side, then the other. Reaching out, I gave him a scratch behind his ears. “Come on, boy, let’s go get you some water.”

  The next few days went by so fast and I was sure it was partly due to having Chance with me at Jacaranda House. He was so good and made himself right at home, even down to chewing holes in a pair of Nate’s boxers that I found in the corner of the kitchen one morning. He must have stolen them from the washing basket. After showing him the now chewed material and letting him know that he was a bad boy, I quickly shoved them into the bottom of the trash and hoped that they weren’t a favorite pair that Nate would miss.

  Paxton and Lynda brought Emily over on Saturday, and we spent the day swimming, eating, and polishing off a few bottles of wine. Now that Lynda wasn’t breastfeeding Emily, she really wanted to make up for some lost time. It was a really good family day that ended with us all watching a movie with a huge bowl of popcorn before Paxton drove his pleasantly buzzed wife and sleeping daughter home. On Monday, we packed Chance into the SUV and headed back to Portland, where I spent most of the day laying on the c
ouch reading my medical books with Chance at my feet. My first exam was in the morning, and I needed to be prepared. This was an important step in my new life, and I wanted to make sure I had every topic covered.

  When Nate got back to the penthouse just after 6 p.m., he suggested that we take Chance for a walk and have dinner at Stella’s, which didn’t take much convincing. I remembered the first meal I had there, and every time Nate mentioned the place, I started to salivate. We sat at an outside table, tying Chance’s lead to one of the legs, where he flopped down. That is, until Stella came out with one of her special pizzas, a bowl of her homemade garlic pasta, and some fresh crusty bread. Then he was up in begging mode.

  “So, how are you feeling about tomorrow? Nervous?” Nate asked as he took a huge bite of his slice of cheesy pizza. I watched, amused, as he tried to contain the gooey, stringy, cheese trail it left from the pizza to his mouth.

  “A little,” I confessed.

  “You’ll be fine, you know your stuff.”

  “I know, but knowing it when you’re using it is sometimes different from when you’re asked to explain it,” I said, grinning at him.

  “Just relax and breathe.”

  “I will, I promise,” I told him and found him looking at me in an odd way. Grabbing my napkin, I wiped my mouth.

  “What’s wrong, have I got sauce on my face?” I asked, smiling, and he slowly shook his head.

  “No, just looking at you and thinking how beautiful you are.”

  “Nate,” I whispered, feeling my cheeks blush with his compliment. Nate reached across the table and took my hand in his.

  “You are, and I am so lucky that you’re mine.”

  “Not sure about lucky. More like crazy,” I said as I smiled at him.

  “Well, that, too, but I mean it, babe. You are the best thing that has ever happened in my life.” Looking into his eyes and seeing his sincerity caused a shiver to run down my spine.