by Susan Arden
“You’re worried I’ll share something that’s privileged.” She took a step closer and he stood his ground.
“Isn’t that the point of your research? It’s to be shared.” He had never been one to back off from danger, whether it was a raging horse—a ton of bucking aggression with kicking hooves—or this little filly.
“I assure you, I’m a professional. I respect your club and your rules. This project is important to me. Not some weekend titillation. I intend on being around for at least twelve weeks, conducting graduate level work for my thesis.”
“So are you going to sample whoever crosses your path while you’re here? These people don’t come here to have their private lives dissected and recorded.”
“I would never do that. You didn’t give me a chance to explain.”
With her dewy mouth and a body that tempted every cell he owned, he suddenly understood that he was outmatched. He inhaled, and within the confined space, her scent surrounded him. Delicate, but with an undernote of spice, his blood was heated to the point where he ground his back molars.
“What is it that you propose?” Shit, he couldn’t believe he was even remotely considering letting her come back.
“I came up with a plan.” Tossing her mane of hair like a dark cape about her shoulders, she propped her fists on her luscious hips and walked right up to him. “It might serve both of our purposes if we pretended that you were instructing me. I know that’s what happens in a sex club. The Dom teaches a submissive how to act. It would save you from worrying that I was spying on your members by using them. And it would help me, since no one would try and make a move on me as your sub. I think it’s perfect.”
Mia lifted her chin, curving her lips into a wide, cocky smile as her dimpled cheeks teased and tempted him sorely.
He couldn’t resist. Didn’t want to, if he was to be truthful, and without considering his words he said the first thing that came to mind. “So we’d just pretend to be fucking?”
He took a step closer to her. The vein in her neck pulsed like a hummingbird’s wing, and he thought he’d lose his mind if he didn’t take hold of her. He hungered to suck on her skin, bite and lick a path to her mouth, where he’d kiss her for as long as it took to make her talk without always sounding like whatever she said was some sort of a challenge.
“Yeah. Just pretending,” she agreed but now her voice sounded tight.
“Say it.” He growled. “I want to hear you say the words.”
Her eyelashes fluttered as she glanced down. “Okay,” she whispered. Her long, black lashes formed a spiked semi-circle lying against her cheek, as her chest heaved and she licked her bottom lip. “We’d pretend to be fucking.”
A blast of fire jetted straight to his balls and cock. The way she said the words had him nearly insane. Did she actually grasp what she was agreeing to? He had to see if she was serious. He hooked his finger under her chin and lifted, until their gazes locked.
“And that’s what you want. Night after night of me fucking you, but not for real. Any way I desired. You riding my cock as I make you scream my name in there.” He jerked his chin over to his bedroom and then slowly said, “But only pretend.”
Her voice faltered. “I-I don’t understand.”
“Well, sugar,” he drawled, now only inches separating their bodies. “Here’s the thing. As the house Dom, there’s a little rule about training a sub that I have to abide by.”
“More rules?” she huffed.
He laughed at her reaction. Pushing his luck, he reached forward and took a lock of her dark-as-night hair, then twisted the silken strand around his finger. Without warning, he tugged with enough force to snap a jolt of pain and she didn’t grimace. Instead, her pupils dilated and her lips parted. A flashing burn spread all over his body at the confirmation that she liked it rough, and it took every ounce of self-control he possessed to calmly stare down at her and keep from claiming her mouth.
“As a regular member with the house Dom, you’d have to be open to me servicing you in a room…with a window. That’s the rule. Similar to what we saw last night. So darlin’, just how is it that we’re supposed to fool everyone?”
Chapter Six
Fooling anyone… In two seconds, she’d be lucky if she didn’t incinerate from the heat rolling off his gorgeous body and igniting her blood. Forget a window and a crowd. Each time their gazes snapped together, the flames shooting from his eyes scalded her skin until her Angora sweater itched like crazy and felt like steel wool imprisoning her from taking a deep breath. She pressed her lips together. Think, dammit!
Leave it up to one domineering cowboy to crush her hopes. She had a darn good plan until he opened his wiseacre mouth and shot her idea to smithereens. She glanced around the living room of wherever he’d brought her, and noticed a set of handcuffs.
“What about a collar?” She snapped her gaze back to his.
“What about it?” he asked, his blue eyes shining brighter in the daylight.
She stared, unblinking, up into his face, unwilling to let him shred this idea. “I’ll wear a collar. Then I would be more than a one-night sub. Can’t we just say that we’re taking it nice and slow?”
“Is that what you want?” he asked, rubbing his fingers over the hair still wrapped around his thumb and taking a deep breath.
“Pay attention.” She jerked her head back, only to discover he wasn’t letting her go.
His eyes narrowed and a muscle along his jaw twitched. “I’m thinking. You don’t mind that we’re not all running around here, doing things by the seat of our pants? Do you?”
“Of course not.” Too late, she understood that he was considering her and her request from the way his eyes were half-lidded and sliding over her body.
Under her lashes, she studied him. He bit the corner of his lower lip as he’d done last night and her body shivered.
“Are you cold?” he immediately asked.
God, was he in tune. She’d read that the difference between a run-of-the-mill Dom and one who was worth his weight in gold, was how sensitive he was to his sub. The way Brandon acted at times, she might believe the only thing that interested him was biting off the head of whoever was in his path. But that was only one side to the man before her.
“No. I’m fine,” she responded, and scrutinized him. Brandon nodded, then unwound her hair and sighed, but still he didn’t say a word. “What are you thinking?” she asked, unable to stand the anticipation.
“Woman, you know this is trouble in the making.” He gazed at her for a second or two without the hardness she’d encountered before, and then he raised a brow.
“It could be good for both of us,” she whispered.
“Seeing is believing,” he replied, scrubbing a hand over his face like he had the weight of the world on his broad shoulders. “Your track record is sorely wanting.”
“Don’t forget you had a part in what happened last night. Maybe you should learn some moderation.”
“That’s rich—a woman who admits to never having visited a private club is spouting advice. Baby, I think it’s called humility, and you might take a lesson.” He stared back at her with his sapphire eyes searching her face.
Damn! Didn’t he know what he looked like? The type of man who seduced with a look…probably didn’t even realize he had such power, and that’s what made him irresistible. She wanted to reach up and hook her hand around his neck, then bite and kiss his full lips until he touched her again like he’d done last night. That day would probably never come again.
“You’re good at what you do. Aren’t you?” she asked.
“You had a taste.”
She couldn’t comment, not without coming off entirely transparent, and that’s when it hit her. Cue imaginary smack to the forehead! “I think if we were honest with one another, it might help us to trust each other. We got off on the wrong foot, and I understand you should have been told straight off that I was here on business.”
He li
fted his shoulder. “You think?”
“I was wrong. It won’t happen again.”
Last night, she’d experienced a very potent side of him which had her coming undone. She’d never been so turned on by a man who’d only kissed her. She traced his face with her gaze. He’d still not shaved, from what she could tell, and with the scruff he sported he looked even more rugged today. More commanding. God, she had a ton of questions she wanted to ask him. Really, he was perfect for her project—unless he refused. What could she do to sweeten the pot without crossing the line, when clearly her body wanted to cross the line and march all the way into his bedroom?
“So you’ll agree to wear my collar?” he asked without forewarning.
“I said I would. Why?”
He pinned her with a commanding glare. Talk about transparent. In a twinkling, she understood he could do more than talk and all she had to do was agree. Strip her clothes. Submit. Brandon—experienced and domineering—a head Dom, stood right before her. Her most erotic dream come to life.
No wonder when she’d left last night, she’d arrived home a basket case with one goal in mind. She’d undressed and used her vibrator, hardly touching the tip to her swollen folds before she came, hard. So forceful, her thighs had quivered while she’d gasped for breath. It hadn’t been enough. Fantasizing about how it felt to have Brandon’s erection riding over her clit, she’d moaned his name, repeatedly, and a little loud. She feared that her roommate had heard her, but that hadn’t stopped her. She’d climaxed again and continued to ride her vibrator seeking relief from a red-hot urge. Turning up the power, she had pressed her face into a pillow, moaning and imagining Brandon’s cock thrusting into her. Instead of being satisfied, she was even more on edge, and with him in front of her, all doubts disappeared; only the real deal—or real Dom—would ease her throbbing ache.
“We’ll need some rules,” he said. “Something we can both agree to. Black and white and in writing.”
“That makes sense,” she replied, her voice coming out hoarse. Suddenly she craved getting closer to him, forgetting about her project, and the fact that they were standing in a sex club. Just put everything aside except for their mutual attraction. She tried to stop the shiver overtaking her body, but the more she tensed, the more tremulous she shuddered.
“If it’s not the weather, something else has got you wound up. Are you always this easy to excite?” His eyes lowered to somewhere around her mouth.
“Don’t go counting your subs before they’re collared. This is business, remember?”
“If you say so, Miss Santero,” he mocked, and then turned on his heel and went to the bar in the corner. He removed a pad from behind it. “Do you have a pen or pencil?”
“You mean we’re going to write the rules out right now?”
“Is there a better time?” he retorted. “You seem like the type of girl who needs a few rules and some firm reminders.”
She inhaled, refusing to take the bait, and opened her purse. “Here,” she said, crossing the living room.
He began to write, then stopped. “Pink? Who uses pink ink?”
“You didn’t specify a color. Hold on.”
“I can see we’re going to need some time to get adjusted,” he muttered, and held out his hand. “Answer me honestly…how much kink experience have you had?”
“Real, face-to-face?” She hesitated, wondering if he’d back out after hearing the truth that hers was all theoretical.
He returned her unblinking stare, then frowned. “Are you tallying? Not asking for names and dates. Darlin’, just round up.”
She swallowed. “I don’t have to. The answer is zero.” She laid a blue pen in his palm and touched his skin. The electrical current zapped her fingertips and flew up her arm. His eyes widened, and she knew the feeling wasn’t just her imagination.
“This is your first experience outside of vanilla sex?” He straightened, and took hold of her arm. “You have had sex, haven’t you?”
A heat wave overtook her. “Yes. Of course.”
“Just checking.” He released her, a muscle twitched along his jaw. Pressing his lips together, he turned his attention to the pad, and she leaned against the bar.
“What is this place?” she asked. “One of the private rooms?”
“You might say that.” He turned the pad to her. “There. That should cover it.”
Grabbing hold of the pad, her brows knitted together. Agreement Contract. Rule: What Brandon McLemore deems appropriate stands and Mia Santero will follow. With two signature lines below it. “Wait. Are you nuts?”
“I think that rule covers everything that will go on between us.”
“That rule isn’t a rule. It’s a diktat. How am I supposed to abide by a command that gives you complete freedom to do as you see fit? You’ll have all the power…over me.”
“Mia, you asked if I’m good,” he began, incrementally leaning over, until they were less than a few inches apart. The power he exuded stole the thoughts right from her brain. His gaze sprinted to her mouth, then rebounded to her eyes. “No, darling’, I’m not good. I’m mind-blowing, fan-fucking-tastic. I’ll make it my job to know what you want, but more importantly, what you need. There’s a huge difference, and that’s what distinguishes who commands and who pretends. I don’t pretend.”
“But…” She swallowed, believing every word he said. “You’d have to pretend with me.”
He reached out and cupped her face in his warm hand. “Only until I believe that’s not what you need.”
“Then what will you do?” Her body hummed from the heat in his eyes. “I need to be certain I know what to expect.”
“That’s fair,” he said softly. “I intend on giving you everything, until you tell me to stop. Between you and me, there’s something brewing. You said you wanted to be honest. Then let’s. I could fuck you right now, and God, I want to. Eventually I’m going to spread your legs, lick and suck on you, and then I’m going to make you come like you have never come before, baby. And that’s a promise I intend on keeping. So if you want to come back tonight, then do. I’ll be here. But you’d better come back knowing the truth. Eventually, you will ride my cock with my name spilling from those luscious lips of yours.”
He crushed his mouth against hers, nipping her bottom lip before tracing the seam of her mouth with his hot, wet tongue. She moaned and parted her lips, and he took the invitation to thrust his tongue into her mouth. She reached up, her arms moving with a mind of their own, and curled her hands around his neck, pressing her boobs into his chest. Brandon deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding deep into her mouth, lashing and coaxing her response. He provided an enticing preview of how he intended to fuck her…more like owning her, and she didn’t want him to stop.
Without shame, she rubbed her hips over his, her craving for him ignited, and all she could do was hold on to him. He offered her a doorway to find herself with one requirement: that she find the courage to agree. He didn’t push her. No, he put the ball in her court, and now it was up to her. Yes. Or no.
Every atom in her body hollered, “Yes! Yes!” This time he didn’t move them to a wall; he just kissed her. Even with her melding to his body, he didn’t haul her to him like last night. Oh, jeez. The effect of him holding back had her wanting more.
“Mmm,” she moaned. He was amazing to kiss. She was melting, and if she didn’t have a meeting with her advisor soon, she’d be peeling off her clothes that very second.
He lifted his head. “So, are you coming back?”
Swallowing, she grappled to gather the remnants of levelheaded thinking and realized nope…all gone. Brandon had her to the point of throbbing, and he’d soon see she was a house of cards unless she made him think she was on the fence. Not some easy to arouse college student. She leveled her shoulders, trying to come across less than disheveled. Meeting his gaze, she was sure her bones had dissolved. Okay, she’d just have to pretend, until her sense of decorum returned. Fake it ‘til you
make it, right?
“I—”She held his sapphire gaze, and the idea of pretending to be unaffected evaporated; even with his cocked brow and arrogant grin, she wasn’t going to lie just because he’d proven his point. Last night they’d both admitted with their bodies to wanting one another. Useless to lie to him now when he offered her truth. It was simply a natural, healthy response between two adults. Nothing to be ashamed of…if she kept from leaping off the edge. She cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes. I’ll be back. I’d like to observe something different tonight. Is that possible?”
“I’ll arrange it.” He inhaled. “You’ll need a collar and a cloak, and possibly a mask to shield your identity. You’ll follow my directions when you visit here. Understood?”
“What—“”she stopped talking when his warm finger pressed her lips silent.
“Repeat after me: Yes, Sir.”
She felt her eyes widen as his hand slid down her face, tracing lightly over her neck and came to rest on her shoulder. “Well?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Not too difficult,” he exhaled and removed his hand. He glanced down her body sharply. “First, I don’t want you strolling around in any outfit that is too revealing. If you do, I’ll bring you back here and begin your lesson in following directions, and that’s the part that won’t be fake. You step out of line, and I’m going to teach you how to behave. I might not be fucking you for real, but I will be spanking that beautiful ass of yours if that’s what you need.”
“I don’t know—”
“We can start that lesson. Right now,” he interrupted her.
She spit out a hasty, “Yes, Sir.”
His nostrils flared. “Mia, since it’s no mystery that this lifestyle is totally new to you and I’m willing to help you. The only question is, are you in or out? Don’t answer just yet. Think about it for a minute.” He crossed the room and opened the door to an interior room.
