Binding Choice: A Romantic Thriller

by Jessica Dale

  At number sixteen, I’d plunged my tongue inside of her, then found her clit and sucked gently, gradually increasing the pressure. At that point, I most definitely had her total attention.

  Then I’d oh so slowly moved up the rest of her body, driving her nuts, and myself too.

  I shifted uncomfortably in my desk chair, suddenly quite glad that I worked at home and had no coworkers present to witness the bulge in my sweats.

  <<>>

  Drew

  I’d worked up to this slowly. More slowly than was really tolerable, but I’d managed to restrain myself.

  Tonight would be the test.

  I took her out to dinner, endured the small talk about her boring life. Finally, it was time to drive her home.

  Of course I walked her to the door. She no longer resisted the idea that I would stay for a while and make her eyes roll back in her head with indescribable sex.

  But tonight I would test her limits. I had various accouterments stashed in my pockets, although I hadn’t brought all my toys.

  I resisted her attempts to unzip and remove my pants. Once I had her naked on the bed, I pulled out the padded handcuffs and had one end clamped around her wrist before she knew what was happening.

  The wine I’d plied her with at dinner was helping, of course.

  “Trust me,” I breathed in response to her startled look. I clamped the other cuff around the bedpost of her old-fashioned wooden headboard.

  I couldn’t wait to get her to my place, with my much more versatile antique brass bedstead.

  Her free hand fluttered at her throat. “Drew?”

  “Shhh, trust me.”

  From another pocket, I drew out a silk scarf and slid it across her bare chest.

  She shuddered seductively.

  I smiled. In a matter of two seconds, I had the scarf wrapped around her other wrist and secured to the other bedpost.

  She squirmed under me.

  “Shh, the handcuffs are fake,” I lied. “If you pull really hard, they’ll come loose, but don’t. It will spoil the moment.”

  She gave me a feeble smile.

  I smiled back and pushed her legs apart. I would have preferred to have them tied too, pulled so far apart...

  I took a deep breath. Patience is a virtue.

  Unable to wait any longer, I entered her, pushing hard and fast.

  She yelped but then arched her back, threw her head back, and began moving with my thrusts.

  Oh, yes, sweetheart, you will do. You will do nicely.

  I thrust and jabbed until she was screaming my name, then withdrew from her abruptly.

  Her eyes flew open, went wide. “What are–”

  I grinned and flipped her over onto her stomach, her arms crossed now above her head, one secured with the handcuffs, the other tied tight. I reached an arm under her stomach and hauled her to her knees.

  She gasped and pushed her bottom upward.

  Oh yes, sweet thing, you want it. You so want it.

  I slapped her milky white bottom.

  <<>>

  Erica

  The slap stung, jolted me, but heat shot through me anew.

  My mind was mush. This man excited me more than anyone had before. My body tingled and burned with lust.

  He shifted his weight to one side, reached the other arm under me and grabbed my breast. He roughly kneaded it, then tugged on the nipple.

  I heard my own panting, wanted to say stop, wanted to beg for more.

  And then he was in me again, taking me hard from behind. My vagina throbbed. And I was so glad I hadn’t said stop.

  I wanted him to go on forever.

  He shifted sides, kneaded the other breast, tugged on that nipple, a bit harder this time.

  I think I whimpered. My body felt like it was melting, my skin was on fire. Then the waves were sweeping over me, one after another, sweet ecstasy.

  He let go of my breast, and his fingers found my clit. They ground against it. He pulled me hard back against him, my wrists stretched out in front of me, cuffed and bound.

  I was helpless, naked, my nipples now puckered in the cool air, my bare butt high and spread, burning hot. He pounded into me again and again. My vagina pulsed around his shaft. I screamed his name.

  The waves slowed to a quivering of pleasure. I felt him slide out of me, then his lips were kissing my hot skin, his tongue caressing my clit.

  I shuddered and screamed again as another orgasm rocked through me. When it had passed I realized his hands were again cupping my breasts. Thumb and index finger were clamped around each nipple.

  He pinched them, hard, his fingernails biting into the tender skin.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Erica

  I was the one placing the call this time. It had taken me all day to work up to it.

  Pru answered on the third ring. “Hey Erica, what’s up?”

  I made nervous small talk for a few minutes, pretending this was just a friendly chat. Finally, I sucked in air and said, “Uh, Pru, about Drew Thompson.”

  A beat of silence. “What about him?”

  “I mean, I know he’s into this S and M stuff, but, um, how... Uh, how far did he go with your friend?”

  It wasn’t the easiest subject to broach, for sure. But I didn’t want to give Drew up. And yet anxiety was starting to override attraction. No, outright fear was doing battle with addiction.

  The silence stretched out, then Pru cleared her throat. “I don’t know exactly what he did. Look, Erica, I need you to promise not to repeat what I’m about to tell you.”

  I nodded, then realized she couldn’t see me. Duh. “I promise.”

  Okay, my friend Lisle and I, we’re... we were into, shall we say, the rough scene. But we had our limits.” A brief pause. “Most people who’re into that scene, they have a signal they can give their partner, to say that things have gone too far, that they’re getting freaked. Beyond that, Lisle and I, we had each other’s backs, just in case.”

  Silence again. A timer dinged in the background.

  “When we were going out with a new guy,” she said, “one we weren’t sure we could trust yet, we’d set it up ahead of time. Where we would be, his place or ours. And a plan to check in afterward, by a certain time.”

  The sound of an oven door opening, a pan sliding against a rack.

  “I’m interrupting your dinner,” I said, suddenly not sure I wanted to hear the rest of what she had to say.

  “It’s okay. It needs to cool some anyway.” A pause. “Erica, this stuff it’s habit-forming. And by the way, it’s usually called BDSM.”

  I knew what she meant about habit-forming.

  “That night, with Drew,” Pru said, “Lisle never checked in. I went to her place, where they were supposed to end up, but no one was there. I called and texted.” Her voice raised in pitch. “When I was about to call the police, she texted. That she was okay, but totally freaked out. She was going away for a bit, to clear her head.”

  A long pause this time. I held my breath, waiting for the other shoe.

  “I called, texted, emailed so many times I can’t count. Finally, four days later, she texted that she’d moved, back to Tennessee, to the hometown that she hated. That she didn’t want to talk to me for a while, that I was...” Pru’s voice choked. “I was a reminder of what had happened and she didn’t want to talk about it, to think about it ever again.”

  The silence was so long, I wondered if we’d lost the connection.

  “How’s your friend doing?” I finally asked.

  “I don’t really know. She emails now and then, but it’s very superficial.”

  My heart went out to her as I imagined Amanda and me growing apart like that. My throat closed. “I’m so sorry, Pru. But thank you for sharing this with me.”

  Another pause, awkward this time.

  “So, um, are you still into the rough scene?” I asked.

  Another beat of silence. “No.” Pru disconnected.

  <<>>
<
br />   Drew

  It had taken considerable effort on the phone to convince Erica that she wasn’t doing anything wrong. “You’ve told Jules that you’re not exclusive, right?” I’d cooed in her ear.

  “Of course.” She’d sounded offended almost. “We’re not dating, really?”

  I noted the rise in inflection that turned the statement into a question, and grinned.

  She answered her door and I held out the pizza box. “I thought we’d eat in tonight.”

  “Okay.” Her voice was hesitant.

  Personally, I hate watching women eat pizza. It’s so incredibly messy. Not the least bit sexy. But I wasn’t about to let us actually get around to eating the damn thing.

  She stepped back to let me in.

  I walked past her and she sniffed appreciatively, her expression definitely anticipating hot cheese and tomato sauce.

  I stifled a grin. No way, baby. You’re goin’ hungry tonight.

  Her stomach rumbled.

  I dropped the pizza box on her kitchen table and turned to her. “Come here,” I growled in my sexiest voice.

  She obliged and curled her arms around my neck.

  I wrapped mine around her waist, hauled her close, kissed her hard.

  Her body melted against mine, compliant. I slid a hand between us, working on the buttons of her blouse.

  She leaned back slightly, breaking the kiss. “So we’re having sex as the appetizer,” she purred. “I’m okay with that.”

  But then she pulled further back, although her hand was still wrapped round my neck. “Drew, I need to talk to you about something.”

  Shit! I tilted my head and gave her a hard look.

  “Uh, I wanted to be clear about something. I’m not really into relationships as such.”

  I smiled. “Neither am I.” I bent down and nibbled her neck, but I had a bad feeling there was more coming.

  “Oh, okay, good,” she managed to get out, panting a little between the words. “Um, there’s something else?”

  Again, that rise in inflection, making a statement a question. I pulled my head back and looked down into her eyes.

  “I think we need a code word,” she said. “You know, for me to say if you’re going a bit too far.”

  I smiled a fake smile. “Of course. What word would you like to use?”

  “Oh, well, I guess stop would be fine.”

  I stared at her, my eyes narrowed.

  “Um, you see, most of what you do is okay with me.” She paused, swallowed hard.

  I resisted the urge to laugh out loud at her discomfort.

  “But sometimes... Like, I don’t like having my nipples pinched.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Anything else?”

  “Uh, could you use a condom? You know, safe sex and all that.”

  I let out a bark of humorless laughter. “Little late for that, don’t you think, darling?”

  <<>>

  Erica

  It was the first time he’d called me by anything but my name, and I momentarily let the endearment override my discomfort.

  His reactions hadn’t been quite what I’d expected. I felt like he was only indulging me, not really taking me seriously.

  Suddenly I knew I should be with Jules tonight, not Drew. Why had I been so greedy? After months of no man in my life, I’d latched onto these two like a starving person. Granted, they were both superb lovers, but I’d been fooling myself that I could have them both indefinitely...

  My head swam. Drew was now kissing me and pulling at my clothes.

  I saw a button go flying and mourned the damage to my favorite blouse. Then my mind shut down and my body took over.

  He had my bra undone and flicked both thumbs over my nipples at once, his tongue aggressively exploring my mouth. My knees wobbled.

  My hands, of their own volition, were running up and down his sides. One slid down and cupped his erection through his jeans.

  He broke the kiss, laughed. In the next instant, I was over his shoulder, my head and arms dangling down his back.

  He slapped me on the rump, hard.

  But before I could say stop, his hand was up under my skirt, pushing aside my panties, and fingers were plunging deep inside me.

  I almost came right then and there.

  He tossed me down on my bed. Silk scarves came out of his pockets.

  I wiggled a little, trying to decide if I should protest as he tied my hands to the bedposts. Then he quickly removed the rest of my clothes and his own.

  I was hot, my vagina throbbing. He flipped me over, my arms crossed, taking up the slack, the scarves pulling tight against my wrists. He grabbed me around the waist and hoisted my butt in the air, then pulled me back until my arms were stretched out full-length in front of me.

  My shoulders hurt but I almost swooned from the heat surging through me. Doggy style was my favorite position.

  Nothing happened for a few seconds.

  Then I felt something cold and hard against my ass. Adrenaline made my body jump. Part of me wanted to say stop, but before I could decide if the rest of me agreed, I felt the slide of rubber, slick with lubricant, teasing the rim of my anus.

  At least he’s using a condom.

  It was the last coherent thought I had for a while.

  He slid in and out of my anus, gradually picking up speed, faster and harder, while his fingers roughly rubbed and pulled at my clit.

  I came twice in rapid succession, then two fingers, or maybe it was three, were inside my vagina. I felt his cock and fingers rubbing against each other, a thin layer of my own tissue in between.

  It drove me wild.

  An orgasm tore through me—the strongest I’d ever felt. Hard, grinding waves of throbbing heat and sweet, indescribable sensations.

  He slowed as I came back to earth, as if he were about to withdraw. I anticipated him flipping me right side up and going at it again. My insides quivered. God, this was the best sex ever!

  He did slide out of me, but then he leaned over my back, his lips next to my ear. Suddenly a hand was in my hair, yanking my head back.

  “This isn’t a relationship, bitch,” he hissed. “It’s possession. You’re mine!”

  Then he flipped me over and grabbed my breasts. He didn’t pinch them though, and I decided his words were just part of the BDSM routine.

  He lowered his head and closed his mouth around one of my breasts, taking in as much of it as he could. Then he pulled slowly out to the nipple and sucked hard. Painfully hard.

  Hot electricity shot through me. Panting, I arched my back, on the verge of another orgasm as he moved to the other breast, thrust high in the air.

  He covered it with his mouth. And bit down.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Erica

  I woke to a sore body and a hank of hair on my pillow. I stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

  The hot water added substantial stinging sensations to the soreness.

  I wrapped my warm terrycloth robe around me, grabbed the hank of hair and went out to the kitchen. I tossed the hair and the box of cold pizza into the trash.

  My very empty stomach protested the waste—I’d been known to eat cold pizza for breakfast.

  But the thought of eating the food Drew had brought made me gag.

  The doorbell rang.

  I looked out the window, recognized the pink florist van and yelled through the glass, “Leave it on the porch.”

  The florist guy trotted back to the van and drove away.

  I would never see that guy again. Somehow that opened the floodgates. I sat down hard on the sofa and bawled for a good ten minutes.

  The landline rang, making me jump. People rarely called me on that number, most calling my cell instead.

  I shuffled into the kitchen and grabbed the portable phone from its charger. Caller ID showed Amanda’s number. I answered. “Hey, how ya doing?” My voice sounded rough in my ears.

  “How ya doing yourself?” Amanda said, her
tone worried.

  “Not so hot.”

  “I was worried when you never picked up your cell.”

  I located my purse on the counter, dug in it, pulled out my phone. The screen was dark. It wouldn’t turn on. “Sorry, I forgot to plug it in last night.”

  Then I was crying again. I managed to blurt out the gist of the story between sobs.

  “Oh My God! That son of a bitch,” Amanda said when I’d finished. “You’ve gotta break up with him.”

  “Already have.” Well, I hadn’t technically, except in my own mind.

  I was too scared to say anything to Drew last night. Instead I’d feigned sleep quickly, so he would leave.

  Once I’d heard my front door close, I’d breathed out a huge sigh and then willed sleep to overtake me, to blur out reality for a little while at least.

  Amanda made sympathetic noises and I soaked up the comfort of her words. By the time we signed off, I felt more like myself again.

  I went into the bathroom and shed my robe, examining my breasts in the mirror. There were bruises on both of them, and the one place where teeth had broken the skin was scabbed over.

  I hoped it would be healed or at least look less like a bite mark by Sunday, when I had a date with Jules.

  Jules, sweet Jules.

  The thought of him made me smile.

  I felt distinctly lighter than I had in a long time, no longer weighed down by conflicting emotions. I could move ahead in that relationship now.

  I chuckled a little to myself. I’d actually used the word relationship and hadn’t fainted dead away. There might be hope for me yet.

  <<>>

  Jules

  I’m a selfish bastard.

  I was going to make love to Ricki, even though I knew there was at least fifty-fifty chance we would no longer be seeing each other by the end of the evening.

  I couldn’t say we would be breaking up, because that would imply we had a relationship, something Ricki had made quite clear she was not willing to do. So she definitely wasn’t going to agree to exclusivity.

  But I couldn’t take it anymore. The thought of Drew touching her, entering her...