by EM BROWN
“Now, just because you went to Stanford, it doesn’t mean you can’t be a bimbo. Some of the biggest idiots I’ve ever met come from places like Stanford and Harvard.”
“Do you consider me a bimbo?”
He released her. “I don’t shell out two hundred thousand dollars for cock-sucking bimbos.”
She wasn’t buying it. “Oh, so you’re not looking to have sex. You’re interested in my intellect?”
He laughed. “I don’t have a problem sleeping with not-so-intellectual women.”
She shook her curls. “I knew it.”
“Whoa. Before you cast stones, are you saying you’d only fuck a guy whose intellectual?”
“He has to be a good person, preferably smart and caring.”
“Then how come you came so easily for me?”
She flushed. “I guess I figured you couldn’t be all bad if you went to Howard.”
“That’s a dangerous generalization. I could still be a huge asshole.”
Still holding his gaze, she lifted her chin, but there was a hint of appreciation curling the corners of her lips. “Yeah, you totally could.”
He lowered his voice and repeated his question. “Then how come you came for me yesterday?”
When she didn’t answer right away, he had to stay himself from pressing her. He was curious to know what she had to say. Their conversation should have stalled his ardor; instead, it was making him harder. And he wanted to go there.
“I guess the body has a mind of its own, so to speak,” she replied.
“And what happened to ‘smart and caring’?”
“Are you saying you’re not smart and caring?”
“Doesn’t matter what I think. What were you thinking at the time you squirted into my hand?”
She thought for a moment. “If I thought you were a total dickwad, I wouldn’t have come. Maybe some women are okay being felt up by strangers and assholes, but if some lech—billionaire or not—groped me, I’d want to punch him in the balls. See how he likes being touched in the privates without permission.”
“That’s an interesting perspective for someone who auctioned off her body.”
“It’s completely different. I consented to the auction. I chose to do it.”
“So what would have happened if I had been a complete asshole?”
“I reserve the right to change my mind and drop out of the arrangement.”
“But then you don’t see a penny from the auction.”
“I know. Plus, I’m out a ‘processing fee’ of two thousand dollars.”
“That’s pretty steep, assuming most of the women are participating because they need the money in a bad way.”
“It is.”
He scratched his chin. “So, you were betting on not being bought by an asshole? Not sure I would have taken those odds.”
“Not a complete asshole,” she retorted. “I figured there would be some element of asshole-ness, or at least desperation, in all the buyers at the Scarlet Auction. Who else would need to buy a woman in the first place?”
He could have clarified that he didn’t need to buy her. He just wanted to. Instead, he said, “Maybe it’s the thought of owning a woman, even for a week, that makes it exciting.”
“Last I checked, slavery ended with the Civil War in this country.”
Some of his former classmates at Howard would disagree with her statement and argue that slavery was alive and well, just in more insidious forms that society wouldn’t recognize as slavery. But he didn’t want to get too deep into a scholarly debate.
“In BDSM, the bondage is titillating for the slave, too.” And just to rile her up a little, he added, “You’ll like being my slave.”
Her breath seemed to stick in her throat. “You so sure about that?”
“I found the right buttons to push yesterday, didn’t I?”
“That was yesterday. You weren’t being as big an asshole.”
Inwardly, he smiled. He had sensed, correctly, that she wasn’t pleased with his decision to have her go naked like the other women.
Grabbing her by the arm, he yanked her to him and caught her jaw in his other hand. Leaning closer, he said low into her ear, “First of all, it’s risky calling your Master an asshole, even if I am one. Secondly...challenge accepted.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Kimani maintained what she hoped was a cool exterior, but her toes curled at his nearness and gruff handling. She was not herself with this guy. When she should have been quiet or focused on asking questions to probe into his psyche, she found herself defensive and much too verbose with her own opinions. It was like all her training had gone out the door. She couldn’t shut up and just do her job.
“What challenge?” she asked, her words coming out shakier than she wanted.
“You think you won’t come for me today? I’m going to prove you wrong, pet. Over and over.”
Jesus. How was she going to get herself out of this? Did she want to get herself out of it?
Jake had finished with his skiing and was back aboard the boat. Derek cut the engine, leaving them to float near the middle of the lake. When the two of them climbed to the front of the boat, Ben pulled her closer till she sat between his legs. Kimani didn’t mind being as far away from Jake and Derek as possible, though feeling Ben’s thighs pressed to hers rattled her more than she would have liked.
“You sluts having fun?” Derek asked after he plopped himself down beside Ryan with an open bottle of ale.
“Yes, Master,” Ryan replied.
Jake settled into the seating next to Claire. “Why don’t you sluts put on a show for us?”
“What kind of a show?”
“I like me a little girl-on-girl action. Let’s do Slut #1 with Slut #3.”
Claire looked a little bewildered. “Umm...”
“Maybe she’s not up for that,” Kimani said, and received a glare from Jake.
Claire nodded. “I’m not a...lesbian.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” Jake said. “Nothing turns a guy on more than girl-on-girl. You want to please your Master, don’t you?”
“Yes, Master.”
Clearly more at ease, Ryan went to sit beside Claire.
“Now kiss,” Jake ordered.
Ryan cupped Claire’s face and brushed her lips over Claire’s before pressing her mouth down more fully.
“Let’s see some tongue.”
The two women parted their lips and obliged.
“That is so hot,” Jason exhaled.
“Now feel each other up.”
Claire put a tentative hand to Ryan’s breast. Ryan covered Claire’s hand and squeezed.
Ben’s chest grazed the back of her shoulder as he leaned in. He whispered in her ear, “What are you thinking?”
Depending on her answer, would he make her participate with Claire and Ryan?
“Do you really care what I think?” she deflected.
“Answer me.”
“At the moment, I’m thinking...” That Jake is a jerk. “I’d rather not say in present company.”
“You don’t like that the women are being told what to do.”
“Something like that.”
“That’s part of the appeal of BDSM. When you’re told what to do, you’re free.”
“How’s that?”
“Free of responsibility, free from having to think, free to enjoy the moment. The decision-making is on the dominant.”
“What if you don’t like how the dominant is handling his responsibility?”
“You tell him, or you lay out ahead of time what your hard and soft limits are. And if you don’t know what they are, the dominant helps you explore them. He helps you step out of your comfort zone and try things you might not otherwise consider.”
She couldn’t help but wonder what limits Ben might have her explore.
“Oh, shit,” Derek mumbled when Ryan dropped her head down to take Claire’s nipple into her mouth.
“Does tha
t turn you on at all?”
Claire looked a little less uncomfortable as their kissing and caressing continued.
“You ever kissed another woman?”
Kimani observed the softness of Claire and Ryan’s bodies, the supple curves a stark contrast to the straight lines of a man.
“Once. In college, at a dorm party. I don’t know why, maybe I was a little drunk, but Leticia and I started flirting.”
She thought she heard a soft growl in the back of his throat.
“And then?”
“We kissed, nothing more because I knew I wasn’t gay. I didn’t want to lead her on.”
“Have you thought about kissing a woman since then?”
“I’ve seen a few porn videos of woman making out.”
“And did they turn you on?”
She wasn’t sure why she was being so candid with him. Maybe she wanted the safety of their conversation.
“It’s okay to admit that you were turned on,” he said. “Men and women are conditioned to the sexualization of women. And the sight of women together is beautiful. Who better to worship a woman’s asset than another woman?”
It was a rhetorical question, so she didn’t answer. Ben threaded his fingers through her right hand, his touch always warm and firm. With their fingers entwined, he brought her hand to the base of her pelvis and smoothed the curls there.
“Now go down on her,” Jake ordered Claire.
Claire balked, scrunching up her nose. But Ryan willingly lay down and spread her legs.
“Come on now. Don’t keep me waiting.”
Claire lowered her body, settling her shoulders between Ryan’s thighs.
“Get a good whiff of her snatch. How does it smell?”
“Umm...okay,” responded Claire.
Ben pushed one of her fingers between her folds to stroke her clitoris. The memory of last night slammed into her. They sat a little ways from the rest of the group, but she wasn’t comfortable being aroused in front of everyone. Not that anyone was paying attention to her. Jake was busy directing Claire. Lisa and Jason were making out again. Derek had pulled his erection from his swim trunks and was giving himself a hand job.
“Play with yourself,” Ben said. “Get that clit nice and big.”
Together, they stroked her sensitive nub of flesh before he disengaged his fingers from hers. She stopped.
“Keep going,” he urged, “or I’ll make you take Claire’s place.”
Her breath hitched. Would he really make her do that? She had a safety word, which he’d said he would honor. But rather than testing him, she resumed stroking herself on her own.
“That’s a good pet.”
She could feel his hardness pressing against her backside. Lisa was making all kinds of noises, gasps and little high-pitched cries. Now Ryan joined in with her moans. Derek jerked himself faster.
Ben entwined his fingers with her free hand and brought it to her breast, compelling her to feel herself up.
“Would you rather be Claire or Ryan at this moment?” he asked.
“Ryan.”
“Why?”
“Because she looks like she’s enjoying herself.”
“You sure you wouldn’t want to be Claire? Being made to do something you’ve never done before, maybe something you think is wrong and embarrassing, and because it’s wrong and embarrassing, it’s fucking erotic?”
Kimani swallowed with difficulty. “I’m not so sure Claire thinks of it that way.”
“What would you think? How would you feel if you were the one licking another woman’s pussy? Do you have a secret desire to try it? What if I made you do it, and punished you if you didn’t?”
Did he want answers or was he just provoking her?
“Imagine it.”
She gasped when his hand, still on top of hers, forced her to squeeze her breast. Kimani closed her eyes, preferring not to see Jake, who had positioned Claire on her knees, inserting himself from behind. She pictured herself in Claire’s place, between Ryan’s thighs. Could she go down on another woman? Would she want to? Maybe not in real life because she didn’t know Ryan well enough, but maybe in a fantasy? Sometimes the fantasy was more titillating than reality.
“Are you imagining it?” Ben asked, his voice low and husky.
She nodded, then started when his forefinger joined hers, teasing her clit. His finger dipped lower and connected with wetness. How had that happened? Maybe it was the sights, sounds and scents of arousal all around her. It was contagious.
What was that challenge he had mentioned?
When he touched her like that, she couldn’t think straight. So much for being enlightened. Maybe she wasn’t so different from the other women?
No, she was different. Because she wasn’t here for sex or money or to realize some fictional romance. She was here to get the scoop on the sordid world of the Scarlet Auction. And in order to do that, she just had to find a way to get back on that cliff.
CHAPTER TWENTY
To Ben’s disappointment, her body tensed, but not in a good way. With her wedged between his legs, her back resting against him, he had sensed it all too easily. She had been succumbing to arousal, losing her inhibitions in present company, but some thought had run through her head, interrupting the more primal desires of her body.
His hardened cock was going crazy being so near her without penetrating, but he wasn’t going to give up easily. He was looking forward to proving her wrong.
“Hey, how about we have Slut #2 and #4 take a turn putting on a show?” Jake asked as he thrust his hips into Claire, who was bent over and still trying to attend to Ryan.
Claire and Ryan were a pretty sight, but nowhere near as hot as the vision of Kimani going down on another woman. For a brief moment, Ben entertained the idea.
“I like my pet where she is,” he replied. If he was going to make Kimani perform oral sex, it was not going to be because Jake wanted it.
Jason let out a loud grunt as he came with Lisa sitting atop him. He shook as if having a seizure. Derek followed shortly after, and Jake went back to pounding Claire to seek his own release. Claire wasn’t able to keep up with the cunnilingus, so Ryan took matters into her own hand, literally.
“Do you want to come, too?” Ben asked softly to Kimani.
“I’m fine,” she replied.
She didn’t sound completely fine, but he let it go. After Jake finished, most of the men lay in a post-coital stupor. Claire nestled herself next to Jake, a pensive look on her face. Lisa was examining her nails. Ben shook his head. He’d have to have a talk with Jason about pleasuring women.
Turning back to Kimani, he placed his leg, bent, on the seating, pulling her leg along, spreading her. She gasped.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“It’s...people...” she replied, trying to set her leg back down.
But he held her in place. “You’re fingering yourself, and they can see.”
Ryan was rubbing herself furiously and making enough noise to draw everyone’s attention.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never exposed your pussy?” Ben asked.
“To boyfriends and my gynecologist.”
“So you’ve never had group sex?”
“No.”
“Witnessed it?”
“I’ve seen a lot of people make out, especially in college, at parties. My freshman-year roommate had a lot of boyfriends. They sometimes slept over, and I would wake up in the middle of the night to hear them going at it. But I didn’t look. I’d rather—maybe when we’re back in the cabin—”
“Shhh. I want you to close your eyes.”
She hesitated.
“It’s going to be a long night if you don’t obey the simple orders.”
She pursed her lips but complied, closing her eyes.
He continued to guide her fingers, stroking her clit as he asked the next question. “Have you had any other voyeuristic experiences?”
“Aside from watching porn
or reading erotica?”
He was glad to hear she watched porn. Not many women allowed themselves that activity. “What kind of porn do you watch?”
“Nothing in particular, just free stuff on the Internet.”
“Tell me about it.”
“They’re not that memorable.”
He pinched her clit, making her gasp. “If you don’t remember, you can make one up for me.”
“I remember one of them was a threesome.”
“What kind of threesome? MFM?”
“More like M, F, and hermaphrodite.”
Interesting.
“Was it hot?”
“Yeah...it was.”
“What was the hottest part?”
“It was the first time I had seen double penetration of one, um, orifice. I had never considered it a possibility before.”
“Ever have it done to you?”
She shook her head. Her breath was uneven, and he felt moisture building below her clit.
“Would you like to?”
She opened her eyes and glanced at the guys on the boat. “No.”
“Keep your eyes closed. What if the circumstances were right? Like, you’re locked in a room with Idris Elba and his twin?”
She laughed a little nervously. “Okay, I guess I’d give it a try.”
“Did you imagine how it would feel to have two cocks stretching your pussy?”
“It’s probably easier said than done.”
“It’s not as hard as you think.”
“You’ve done it before?” she inquired, sounding genuinely curious.
“A few times.”
He dipped a finger into her nectar and spread it over her clitoris, which had swelled in size. She squirmed a little.
“Tell me what kind of sex you like,” he said.
“Um, the good kind.”
“You don’t like to be specific.” He thought about asking her what was on the Scarlet Auction questionnaire, then decided, “That’s okay. It’s going to be more fun to find out for myself.”
Her chest rose as she inhaled sharply. Ryan emitted a groan when she came. Hearing, seeing, and even smelling the sex all around them was making his hard-on supremely uncomfortable. He had Kimani in his arms, one hand over a breast, the other toying with her clit. God, what he wouldn’t do to be able to pick her up and sit her down on his knob.
