by Zara Chase
She gasped. “Like I’d admit it, even if it was true.”
“You just did.” Ross offered her a smug smile. “Oh, and just so you know, the next time I ask you a question, you’d better answer me honestly, or you’ll be punished.”
“Hey, you can’t just—”
“Oh, I think you’ll find I can. And you might be surprised to find out just how far you’d be prepared to go to please me, and how much pleasure you’ll get out of it for yourself.”
She tossed her head, still blushing. “You’re very sure of yourself.”
“That’s because I know you’re very sensual, very receptive, even if you aren’t aware of it yourself yet. No one’s bothered to wake up your inner carnality, and that’s a criminal offence in my book that needs to be addressed.”
“Oh, does it now?”
“Yep, if you’ll let me. The thing to remember is, the dividing line between pleasure and pain in sexual situations is complex, yet also surprisingly simple if you place your trust in your Master—”
“Which would be you, I suppose?”
“Right.” He fixed her with a smoldering gaze. “Put simply, pleasure and pain complement one another. Turn yourself over to me, do as I tell you, and it’ll blow your mind.”
“Not for everyone.”
“No, but for you it will. I’m never wrong about these things.”
She let out a nervous chuckle. “Never modest, either.”
“Hey, I can do modest.” He paused. “I think. Can’t remember when it was last necessary, but—”
“You’re impossibly arrogant. Anyone ever tell you that?”
“And you’re so ready to do this, aren’t you?”
“Well, I guess, but I still don’t get the need to use pain for pleasure enhancement.”
“You’re not alone. Players new to this game close their minds to situations they think might bring discomfort, or downright pain.” Ross shrugged. “That’s human nature for you. It’s my responsibility as a Dom to take care of you, make sure your needs are met, and ensure no harm actually comes to you. We need to explore your limits without crossing any lines.”
“But you want to hurt me?”
“No, darling, I want to open your eyes to the potential hibernating inside you, to home in on your untapped capacity for pleasure.” He caressed her with his eyes, but resisted the urge to touch her. She needed to come to a decision without any physical coercion on his part. “Will you let me teach you a few things about yourself, sweet Darcy?”
She moistened her lips. “Can’t we just go to bed and get it on?”
“We could, but it’s a hell of a lot more fun if we do it my way.”
She looked up at him, nerves and curiosity competing for dominance in her expression. “All right,” she said after a prolonged pause. “What do I have to do?”
Ross chuckled, triumph ripping through him at her relatively easy capitulation. “Everything I say.”
She laughed. “That much I already figured.”
“Come with me,” he said, his voice husky.
“Where are we going?”
“In case it slipped your notice, we’re in a half-bath with barely enough room to move.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the door. “Let’s go up to my rooms and finish what you’ve just agreed to start.”
Chapter Five
Darcy grabbed her soaked top and bra, feeling dazed and full of self-doubt. Her head told her this was a seriously bad idea, but rational thought, standards, or just plain common sense didn’t stand a chance when pitted against the quite overwhelming desire she felt to lose herself in this magnificent guy’s world. When had she last done anything because it was what she wanted? That decided her. With a reckless toss of her head, she slid her free hand into Ross’s and allowed herself to be led upstairs.
Part of her still wondered what the hell she thought she was doing. She wasn’t into casual sex. Never had been, never thought she would be—except her raging hormones had taken a different view ever since she’d first laid eyes on Ross. It was her assignment to get close to him, and everyone connected to Leo Hadleigh for that matter, but that wasn’t why she was doing this. Even so, reminding herself she was actually here with the specific purpose of working against Hadleigh’s best interests caused her to suffer a severe crisis of conscience that temporarily stalled her raging libido.
Ross chose that moment to send her a sexy smile, and she was back on track. This was for her. Ross had piqued her curiosity, and it was beyond time for her to extend her woefully limited sexual experiences. The deep, burning intensity in his gaze when he explained he was a Dom had really had lit her fire. Besides, if he hurt her, made her do things she didn’t want to do, perhaps it would ease her guilt about her reasons for being here.
No, don’t think about that. Forget Chloe for now or the mood will be broken.
“You’re still trembling.” Ross looked over his shoulder at her as he led the way upstairs. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite. Well, actually I do, but you’ll enjoy it.”
“That was a joke, right?”
“I never joke about anything as serious as sex.”
His horrified expression made her smile, but she decided not to push him, just in case he really wasn’t joking. Flee or fuck? Right now she was up for the fuck, but it wouldn’t take much to spook her, so she changed the subject.
“This place is huge.” Darcy belatedly recalled she was supposed to be taking stock of her surroundings, learning everything she could about Hadleigh’s. The stairs they had just climbed came out into another open-plan lounge with a kitchen off to one side. There were full-length windows that must look out over the pistes.
“Leo purchased the entire building a few years back. The bar was derelict, so were these apartments above it. He took a risk and invested a lot of money knocking it into the shape he wanted, put Medina valley on the map, and now it’s paying off.”
“Is the bar as crowded every night as it was tonight?”
“Yep, pretty much, during the ski season. The summer trade is lighter, but still fairly solid. Rick runs a lot of environmental study groups in summer, which help to keep the cash registers ringing.”
“You seem to have all angles covered.”
“Not me, darling. Leo’s the entrepreneur.”
She smiled. “You’re right. Modesty doesn’t suit you.” She glanced around. “Do you all live here?”
“Five of us have rooms on this floor and Leo has the entire penthouse above, as he should, seeing as how he owns the place.”
“Sounds as though he’s here to stay.”
“Well, if he ever decides to leave, he won’t have trouble selling. Our facilities in Medina village rival anything the other valleys have to offer, thanks to Leo’s foresight.” Ross opened a door. “Here, this is my pad.”
Darcy walked through the door ahead of him, nervous and yet curious to see what the rooms told her about Ross. The bedroom part wasn’t that large, but was dominated by a comfortable-looking bed. Everything was neat and orderly, not a discarded item of clothing in sight, almost as though he knew he would be having company. Well, he probably did entertain here on a regular basis. Darcy tried not to feel jealous when she recalled how the girls had come on to him downstairs—especially Fiona. Presumably he could take his pick. Fiona would probably let him whip her every which way until Christmas if he made the suggestion to her. That decided Darcy. Not that there had ever been any real chance of her turning him down, but still. He wanted her. She wanted him. Forget your alternate agenda and have some fun, she told herself.
She stood, feeling awkward, beside the bed and peeped through an archway to Ross’s private sitting room. All she could see from there was a table with a laptop on it. Perhaps she ought to try and get into his computer. Stop it!
“Welcome to my world, babe,” he said, standing across from her, watching her intently. “Now, do you still want to do this? No pressure.”
“Yes.” A kernel of pr
imitive sensation unfurled deep in her core, emboldening her. She tilted her chin and met his gaze, wanting him to know she would be a keen and willing participant, no matter what he decided to do to her.
“That’s good, baby, real good.” He sent her a scorching look, hands thrust casually into the pockets of his jeans. “Okay, ground rules. First off, we need a safety word. If I do something you don’t like, say the word we agree upon and I’ll stop right away. That means you can relax because you have an out any time you need it. Just be sure to come up with a word you won’t forget when you’re, shall we stay, not thinking too coherently.”
Darcy laughed. “Overexposure,” she said promptly. “That equates to a photographer’s worst nightmare.”
“Okay, overexposure, it is. Only you ought to know you won’t be having nightmares on my watch.”
“You’re very sure of yourself.”
He winked at her. “I’ve played this game before, honey.”
She wanted to hate him for his egotistical self-belief. Instead, she looked at him and simply fizzed with desire. He was so goddamned hot with his butt perched casually on the edge of a dresser, legs splayed, huge bulge testing his zipper, hair cascading over eyes burning with lust. She felt the need to pinch herself, just to be sure this really was happening to her. At the same time, she wanted to thump him for looking so relaxed, so in control, so damned everything, when she was filled with self-doubts about her ability to meet his needs.
“Second rule. You don’t look up at me, or speak to me, unless I give you leave.”
Darcy widened her eyes, and she shot him a shocked look. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“Darlin’, I already told you, I never joke about anything as important as sex.”
“Okay, so I can’t look at you, or speak. What if I have a question?”
“Ask permission to speak.”
She shook her head, a tiny smile creasing her lips. “Yes, Sir.”
“Ah, you’re a quick study. That was the next rule. When we’re playing, you refer to me as Sir or Master.”
Darcy couldn’t believe he’d said all those things and remained so deadly serious. As she looked at him, he unbuckled his belt, unsnapped his jeans, and pulled down his zipper. He obviously wasn’t wearing underwear since a huge erection, angry and throbbing, a thick blue vein standing proud down its length, sprang out of the opening. She tried not to show how impressed she was, how aroused by such a fine sight, but spoiled her attempt at casual by unconsciously moistening her lips. Ross noticed, of course, and laughed.
“Glad you approve. I was getting kinda uncomfortable.” He fisted his cock. “All your fault, of course, and you’ll have to be punished for what you do to me.”
“I will?”
“Count on it.” Ross groaned as he released himself and focused his full attention on her. “Take your clothes off. All of them.”
Seeing the state of his arousal, and knowing she was responsible for it, gave Darcy the confidence she needed to do as he asked without embarrassment. She pulled his T-shirt over her head and threw it on the floor, messing with his neat housekeeping by leaving it where it fell. Keeping her eyes lowered wasn’t a problem right now. In fact, it helped. Perhaps that was how the rule had originated—to save newbies to this game unnecessary embarrassment. Her footwear went the same way as her shirt. Then she unfastened her jeans, slid them down her thighs, and sat on the edge of the bed so she could pull them off.
“Can I say something, Sir?”
“What do you need to say, darlin’?”
“Only that I’ve never undressed myself in front of a man before.”
She didn’t look up, but sensed he was smiling. “Does it turn you on, sugar, to know I’m watching, and liking what I see?”
“Actually, yes.”
“That’s good.”
She was down to her panties, and finally hesitated.
“Stand up again,” Ross ordered curtly.
She was slow to obey, but did so because his tone had taken on a hard, commanding edge. Her limbs were trembling—a combination of nerves and raging desire. This was a combination of fun and fear of the unknown. So far she’d enjoyed every minute of it, but now it was naked exposure time. She would be left with nothing to hide behind, not even her dignity or her camera lens.
“Don’t keep me waiting,” Ross said when she still paused.
Darcy pushed her sodden panties down her legs and stepped out of them. Once again she was glad of the “eyes-downcast” rule. It saved her from having to gauge his reaction. She didn’t think her body was too bad, but it wasn’t perfect either, and if she thought he was disappointed by it her courage would fail her.
Say something, she thought a moment or two later as he moved from his perch and, jeans flapping open, stalked around her. He took in her appearance from all angles, but didn’t make a sound.
“What is it?” she asked, when she could take the silence no more.
“Did I say you could speak?”
“No, but—”
“I’m taking stock of my property. Trying to decide what to do with it first.” He circled around her again. “And very nice property it is, too.”
Thank God, he liked what he saw! He moved to the other side of the room and she heard him rummaging in a cupboard.
“Put this on.”
He handed her what appeared to be a PVC minidress, with cut-outs for her nipples. She opened her mouth to say she never wore such trashy garments, then closed it again. She’d agreed to do whatever he asked of her, hadn’t she? Besides, there was no one else to see her, and if it pleased him…Darcy shook her head, astonished at just how much she actually did want to please him.
The dress was tight, pushing her tits up high, flattening them against her chest, and just her nipples appeared through the holes when she zipped it up the front. The hem fell just below her buttocks.
“Turn around,” Ross said.
She did so, caught sight of herself in the full-length mirror behind the bathroom door, and gasped. Her face was flushed, her hair a wild tangle around her shoulders, her eyes muddy with passion, and her body encased in that tarty dress…well, Darcy didn’t know what to think, but she sure as hell knew how it made her feel. With her solidified nipples peeping out, and the contours of her body graphically displayed beneath the tight plastic, she felt sexy, desirable—like another person had taken over her body. A person with more self-confidence than she would ever have. A person who wasn’t afraid to go after what she wanted.
And what that new person wanted was Ross’s glorious cock buried as deep inside her as it would go.
There, she’d said it, albeit in her head. Now, bring it on!
“Is that really me?” she asked, forgetting she wasn’t supposed to speak.
Ross, still almost fully clothed, stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Babe, that’s the real you just waiting to be released.”
How does he know that’s what I was thinking?
His rigid cock pressed against her backside. Darcy resisted the urge to push back against it and get this party on the road. Presumably that was against the rules. His large hands came up and covered her nipples, pulling them away from her body until they were stretched as far as they’d go. He pinched them hard, but the pain barely registered. A needy little moan slipped past her lips instead as she closed her eyes and threw her head back, rotating it against Ross’s wide shoulder.
“Hmm, I think we need to get some clamps on these babies, but first that cute butt is overdue for spanking.”
Abruptly his hands abandoned her tits, and he moved away from her.
“Get down on your hands and knees on the rug, darlin’.”
Darcy was surprised at her willingness to do so, even though it meant her bare backside was now exposed for his pleasure. Oh shit, didn’t people into this sort of life expect anal sex? Darcy had never tried it, and didn’t think anyone would persuade her to give it a go. What if Ross tried it n
ow? She panicked, until she remembered the safe word. It would be okay.
“Spanking is the bedrock of what we do here.” We? “We use whips, canes, floggers, all sorts of stuff, but I’m going to start you off with my hand.” He placed a large, warm hand over her buttocks and left it there. “Just remember, darlin’, this is for your pleasure as much as it is for mine. Just wait for the sting to start tingling, think about your core, and see what it does to you. You ready?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good girl.”
His hand came down hard against the PVC, making a loud slapping noise that sounded more like a gunshot. The noise startled her, causing her to jerk more violently than the slap itself, which wasn’t too bad.
“God, you’ve got a pretty butt,” he said, repeating the process. “You okay?”
“Yes, Sir.”
He spanked her a little harder, but this time the fingers of his other hand played with her sodden pussy, homing right in on her engorged clit. She cried out as a combination of pleasure and pain rioted through her. The pleasure won out. She heard Ross’s satisfied chuckle, and realized he knew precisely what he’d just done to her. Well of course he did!
“I did tell you,” he said, sounding impossibly smug. “Okay, darlin’, I think you can take a little bit more, and I sure as hell wanna give it to you.”
His breathing became labored as he gave her several sharp spanks in succession, his other hand still playing with her clit. Darcy’s limbs spasmed. She was on the point of using the safe word—not because she couldn’t take it, but because she was enjoying it a little too much—when Ross stopped.
“There, you did real well.”
She felt his hair flopping over her backside as he bent her head, licking and nipping at the area he’d just spanked. He must have taken his clothes off, too, because she also sensed the hairs on his bare chest brushing against her ass. She so wanted to see him in the buff and take inventory, just as he had with her, but already knew better than to ask. Her time would come. His hot body hovered over hers as he ran his cock down the crack in her backside. Oh no, he really was going to do that!
