Outback Master

by Lexxie Couper

  For the first time, desperation and fear crept onto her face.

  “I’m not going to hurt you.” His words sounded ridiculous even to himself. He’d gagged her and was now straddling her naked body, holding her legs to the mattress with his own after tying her to the bed. Regardless of who she was or why she was there, she’d be insane not to be afraid of his intentions.

  She twisted her head, trying to dislodge the shirt from her mouth.

  “If I take it out, do you promise not to scream?”

  She blinked rapidly then nodded her assent.

  He pulled the material away, ready to replace it if she broke her vow.

  “Untie me.”

  “No.” Andrew reached up to touch his tender cheek, his fingers finding the raised welts she’d put there with her long nails. “Who are you?”

  Her breathing was labored, coming in hard pants after their fight. Even so, her gaze hardened and he knew she wouldn’t talk.

  Something inside him cracked. He’d been traveling for days, stealing only a couple hours sleep here and there. This woman had broken into his house. She had some nerve acting like he was the villain. By God, he’d make her talk.

  “I’ll give you one more chance to answer my question. Tell me who you are or you won’t like the consequences.”

  She stilled beneath him, her intelligent gaze sizing him up. He should climb off the bed and call the cops. If he was in his right mind, that’s exactly what he’d do. Having her arrested would certainly be the kinder response. As it was, he wasn’t in the mood to be merciful.

  Instead of answering, she threw his question back at him. “Who are you?”

  “None of your business. Give me your name. Now.”

  She bit her lip nervously. “I’m Amy.”

  Amy? Mike’s Amy?

  Andrew leaned back on his haunches, his mind whirling. Had Mike set this up? Past experience had obviously convinced his friend he’d never consent to a blind date. But would Mike actually go so far as to throw this woman into his bed?

  Andrew knew the answer. It was more than possible. It was actually quite probable. Mike had the extra key to the house. He knew Harper was away and Andrew was back in town.

  Andrew recalled a lifetime of little surprises his best friend had tossed his way. The high-class call girl who’d shown up at his door on his twenty-fifth birthday. The so-called conference that had really turned out to be an impromptu weekend trip to Vegas, complete with nonstop gambling and a private show with five of the hottest strippers Andrew had ever seen. Or this past year when Mike had managed to score tickets to the Super Bowl, but told Andrew they were headed to Indianapolis for his cousin’s bachelor party. He’d let Andrew bitch for three hours in the car about missing the big game, only letting him in on the surprise when they’d reached the entrance to the stadium.

  Mike was the master of the unexpected, so it wasn’t farfetched that his friend would go to this extreme in a hookup. It would also explain his friend’s easy capitulation when he refused to go on a date with the woman earlier. Mike didn’t push the issue because he knew Amy was already here.

  He grinned as his annoyance lifted. Amy was beautiful and feisty, with a hot accent. Australian, if he wasn’t mistaken, though he’d need to hear her say more before he could be sure. His best friend knew he was a sucker for a girl with an accent. For the second time in one night, it looked like Mike was going to be able to say, “I told you so.”

  And since Mike had gone to so much trouble, far be it from Andrew to look a gift horse in the mouth.

  Chapter 2

  Amy frowned as the expression on the stranger’s face morphed from anger to one of pure desire.

  When she’d first woken up to discover the man in her room she’d struck out without a thought to the fact she was completely naked. Now, she was feeling far too exposed and vulnerable. If she couldn’t figure a way out of this predicament, she was in trouble. Big trouble.

  “I answered your question. Now answer mine. Who are you?”

  The man no longer seemed quite as menacing as he had earlier. In fact, his eyes had softened, giving him an almost friendly look. “You know who I am. You and I have a mutual friend. One who’s fond of surprises.”

  Amy blinked rapidly. Surprises? She recalled Harper’s comments on the phone earlier. Harper had promised her a surprise, but this? What the hell was this?

  The truth began to collapse in on her. It was her sexual fantasy.

  Sex with a stranger.

  Oh my God. There was no way Harper would set up such a thing. Was there?

  Amy struggled to take a breath, her chest constricting with fear. She’d told Harper about her desire to be captured and taken by a stranger, but it was just something she dreamed about. Masturbated to while imagining the scene in her mind. Not something she ever intended to do.

  You’re in America, Amy. It’s your time to go wild. Experience it all.

  Of course, there was wild and then there was completely batshit.

  Is it mental? What about the trip to a sex club you included on your Chicago itinerary?

  She wished her inner voice would shut the hell up. She wanted to have a proper panic attack, not deal in common sense, however twisted.

  “What are you planning to do?” She wasn’t stupid. Maybe her love life had been stagnant lately, but she’d been around the block enough to recognize lust when she saw it.

  “I think that’s obvious, Amy.”

  She swallowed heavily as his gaze drifted lower, taking a leisurely tour of her body.

  “You’re very beautiful.”

  Reality tried to rear its ugly head, but she was running on empty. She was so tired, she felt numb…and receptive. It had been a long time since she’d been with a man. And she’d never, ever had sex with anyone remotely as gorgeous as this stranger. She had to hand it to Harper. She’d managed to set this surprise up when Amy’s resistance was low. Her friend had also managed to find the hottest guy on the planet.

  The man rose, leaving the bed, and for a foolish minute Amy thought he’d changed his mind.

  She barely managed to refrain from demanding he return. Her mouth opened, then closed quickly. She’d gone crazy, lost her mind. A stranger had snuck into her room, chained her to the bed and now she was all but begging him to fuck her.

  She cleared her throat, attempting to dislodge the lump that had formed there. “Where are you going?” She needed time to get her bearings, clear her mind and free herself from these straps.

  The stranger studied her face. “I’m not leaving. I thought you might need a second to catch your breath.”

  At his suggestion, Amy sucked in some much-needed air. Then the man sat down on the edge of the mattress. Amy’s heart began to race. And not exactly in a bad way.

  He smiled as he reached up to brush a stray tendril of hair away from her face. “We can slow down, but we’re not stopping. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want this too.”

  She wanted to contradict him, explain that she was here to see Chicago, and that was it. But it was hard to deny his words when her body had begun to flush with arousal, her nipples going tight despite her better judgment. “This is going a little too fast for me.” She tugged against the bonds once more. Maybe if she weren’t so defenseless. “Would you untie me?”

  He shook his head. “No. I love the way you look right now. Completely at my mercy. You know, breaking and entering is against the law. I should punish you.”

  There was something about the way he said the word punish that made Amy go completely wet. She squeezed her legs together and tried to ignore the tingles in her pussy.

  “I didn’t break in. I had a key.”

  His grin grew at her admission. “Then maybe I should reprimand you for fighting me.” He touched the scratches she’d left on his face once more. She recalled the way his hard cock brushed against her hip as she struggled for her freedom. He’d enjoyed the rough play.

  “You scared me. I w
asn’t expecting you.”

  He smiled, ran his fingers along her cheek in a way that was more friendly than sexual. “Yes, you were.”

  Harper had warned her. Told her to expect it. She just hadn’t anticipated the surprise would be something so…so…shocking.

  Exciting.

  Harper had urged her to keep an open mind. Obviously her friend had known she’d balk. What sane woman wouldn’t?

  She studied the stranger’s handsome face and her anxieties melted away. He had kind eyes and somehow she felt he wouldn’t hurt her. Maybe she was being an idiot of epic proportions, but something about his face seemed almost familiar, though she knew she’d never met this man before in her life. The tension in her body loosened and she smiled.

  “Beautiful,” he whispered again. Leaning closer, he pressed his cheek against hers, his breath hot in her ear. “I won’t hurt you, Amy. I promise. Just relax and let it happen. We’ve got all night.”

  Her eyes drifted closed when he kissed her. His lips traveled over her sensitive places, her ears, her neck, leaving no part untouched. As far as kisses went, her midnight stranger was a master.

  He reached for her breasts as he continued to worship her face. He hadn’t kissed her lips and she found herself wishing for a taste of him. It was as if he’d been pulled from her dirtiest daydreams and she felt helpless to resist.

  “Kiss me.” She hadn’t intended to issue the request, but now that the words were out, she wasn’t going to pretend she didn’t want him.

  He lifted his head “No. You’re my captive. Tonight, I’m the one who’ll be giving the commands. And you’re going to obey me. Completely.”

  Her stomach flipped over. Jesus. Her stranger was playing the dominant card. She didn’t consider herself submissive during the waking hours, but there was a part of her that had always longed to be dominated in bed. She struggled to remember if she’d admitted that desire to Harper. She didn’t think so, but then again, she’d consumed a lot of wine prior to the sex conversation. Perhaps she’d told her friend more than she thought.

  “Just don’t expect me to start calling you Master,” she said, purposely trying to tweak him. Test the waters.

  He was silent for several breathless moments. “No. I won’t be your Master, but you will call me whatever I tell you to, Amy.”

  It was a powerful assertion, spoken with absolute certainty. She briefly debated the wisdom in denying him then took the safer path. “What do you want me to call you?”

  “For tonight, you’ll simply refer to me as Sir.”

  “Sir,” she whispered, trying it on for size. It was better than thinking of him as her stranger, but infinitely more dangerous to her libido.

  “You know what a safe word is?”

  Amy struggled to answer. Instead, she simply nodded.

  His carefree smile faded. “I’m going to have sex with you. We can make it as easy or as heavy as you prefer. I can keep this encounter light, but…” He paused.

  “But?” she prompted.

  “I want more.”

  Amy tried to wrap her head around everything that was happening. She felt as though she was slogging through waist-deep mud in uncharted territory. “How much more?”

  “Have you ever been tied up in bed?”

  She shook her head. Only in her dreams.

  Her answer surprised him. “Why not?”

  Amy didn’t reply. Didn’t know how.

  When the silence persisted, he prodded. “You like bondage. Your body is responding to it. I can see that. Why deny yourself something that turns you on?”

  “I don’t know. Where I’m from it’s not that easy to meet blokes who want the same things I do.”

  He considered her words. “You’re from Australia.”

  She smiled. “What gave me away?”

  He laughed, the expression transforming his face into something that took her breath away. Bloody hell, she’d met her fair share of sexy jackaroos, but she’d never, ever met a man who affected her quite like this.

  “Pick a safe word, Amy. We’re going to play.”

  Her mind went completely blank. Once again, he filled the silence.

  “Oz. Your safe word is Oz. Say it and we’ll slow down, talk a bit, give you time to adjust. Fair enough?”

  Was she seriously consenting to this? The man was a complete stranger. Sex was one thing, but he was offering a hell of a lot more than that. Just last week, she’d spent nearly two nights perusing websites of sex clubs in the Chicago area. She’d always wanted to visit one and experiment with some previously unexplored parts of her sexuality. What was so different about indulging in a night with this hot stranger versus one at a sex club?

  About a million things—all of them having to do with your safety.

  She closed her eyes and tried to force her weary brain to think, to overrule her wayward, reckless physical needs.

  “Amy. Open your eyes.”

  She obeyed.

  “Stop thinking so hard. You can trust me. I promise.”

  If Harper had handpicked this stranger to help Amy live out her fantasy, then yes, she believed she could trust him. “Okay. My safe word is Oz.”

  His smile grew, setting Amy’s mind even more at ease. He reached up and released the restraints at her wrists.

  She frowned. “What are you doing?”

  He pulled her arms down to rest by her sides and she winced at the sharp pain. He didn’t miss the look.

  “I thought we’d give your arms a rest for a little while.”

  “Only for a little while?”

  He gently massaged her tense shoulders, not bothering to acknowledge her question. If given his way, she had no doubt he’d bind her to the bed again before the night was out. However, he understood her reticence and was willing to give her a chance to accept that bondage without fear. She appreciated his kindness, his patience. Harper had outdone herself.

  “We should establish some ground rules before we start. It’s important that we understand each other’s limits.”

  “You have limits?”

  He snorted at her question. “I do. But I’d rather hear yours first. Is there anything you don’t want to do tonight?”

  She slowly sat up, wondering if he would try to stop her. He didn’t. He watched with no reaction as she tugged the sheet over her bare body. Something told her this conversation was going to be unlike any she’d ever engaged in and she preferred to be covered.

  “Is there a chance we could do this multiple-choice style? It’s sort of hard to know how to answer considering I don’t have a clue what you’re considering.”

  He ran the backs of his fingers along the side of her neck, stopping when he found her pulse point. “I think that’s a fair request. How about if I list possible scenarios and you simply say yes or no.”

  She nodded. “Okay. I can do that.”

  “Bondage.”

  She bit her lip, then let her body, her fantasies and her overactive imagination give the answer. “Yes.”

  “Spanking.”

  She sucked in a deep breath. “Yes.”

  “Flogger.”

  The air didn’t reach her lungs despite her harsh gasp. “Um. Yes?”

  He tilted his head, studying her face. “We’ll revisit that one. Anal.”

  “Jesus. You just keep going for the jugular, don’t you?”

  He didn’t reply, but his eyes crinkled, his laugh lines appearing.

  “Okay. Yeah. We could try that…with a lot of lube.”

  “So noted. Nipple clamps.”

  She glanced around. “Do you really have all this stuff with you?”

  “Don’t worry about the details. Just answer the question.”

  Her nipples tightened, but Amy wasn’t sure if the response was based on anticipation or fear. “Can we come back to that one too?”

  His gaze narrowed, letting her know he preferred an answer. Unfortunately, she didn’t have one to give. Suffering from a fuzzy head after two
days of travel, she sort of wished her brain would tell her body this wasn’t a good time. Problem was her body was all systems go and fucking horny.

  He rattled off the next items on the list, one right after another with no pause. “Vibrator. Butt plug. Dildo.”

  “Yes. Yes. Yes. So long as they’re new, not used.”

  He chuckled again. “Agreed. And not a problem.”

  “Wow. You’re a regular sex shop.”

  His hands drifted to the sheet and he tugged it down. “Lay down, Amy.”

  So much for the get-to-know-you phase of the evening. She started to assume the position, but froze. “Wait. You didn’t tell me your limits.”

  “I lied. I don’t have any.”

  Bloody hell. She gave herself until count of ten to reconsider, silently saying the numbers in her head.

  “Amy. I don’t like to repeat myself.”

  His deep voice sent a sharp thrill through her. She hadn’t mistaken her true desire for bondage and submission. She’d felt pulled to those types of erotic romance novels for years, devouring the delicious graphic details as she read page after page, book after book. Whenever she came across something she didn’t understand, she’d head to the internet, her research almost always leading to daydreams that turned into wild fantasies that kept her vibrator busy, night after night.

  Now here she was, a lonely Aussie schoolteacher, naked in bed with a domineering stranger who was promising to teach her some very naughty, very sexy lessons.

  Who was she to refuse? For tonight, the teacher was going to be the student. Bring it on.

  She lowered herself to the mattress, not bothering to reach for the sheet. The look in her handsome stranger’s eyes told her it would be a waste of time.

  Reaching for her hands, he lifted them to the pillow and placed them beside her head. It was a pose of surrender, but she didn’t resist. She’d thrown up her white flag the moment she’d lain down.

  “Leave them there.”

  “Okay.”