His face turned pink. Yes. She’d gotten to him. He inhaled slowly. “I’m sure you’re smarter than me. After all, you finished far more schooling at a younger age. I was impressed and defensive. If you tell anyone I said so, I’ll deny it.” He offered her a slightly chagrined smile. It was cute.
Shit. She was supposed to be ending this. He was making it difficult.
“Let’s go eat. We can talk more while we stuff our faces with chips and salsa.” He released her hand and opened the car door.
Before she had a chance, he was at her door, opening it too. He led her into the crowded restaurant and over to an open table for two with the same attention he’d used earlier.
“What shall we drink? Beer? Margaritas?” he asked as they took their seats.
She concentrated hard not to fidget. This was Rex. No reason to be nervous around a man who just told her she was smart and had dominated her like a pro two nights ago. “I haven’t developed a taste for beer. I could drink a margarita, but if it’s very strong, I probably won’t finish it. I don’t want to have a headache in the morning.”
He was smiling at her.
“What?”
“You often overanalyze things.”
It was her turn to flush. “Yeah. I do.” Did it bother him? It didn’t bother Dayton. He seemed to find it endearing.
Rex sobered. “I didn’t mean that as an insult.”
“’Kay.” She looked down at the menu.
When the waiter came by, Rex ordered two margaritas on the rocks. He left her alone to peruse the menu, and when she lifted her gaze, she found him watching her. She felt awkward again, and tucked her hair behind her ears before sliding her palms under her thighs to avoid fidgeting.
When he didn’t speak, but continued to watch her, she finally said, “What?”
“Nothing. I’m just thinking about what I want to do with you when we get back to your place.”
She froze. Her mind raced with how she wanted to respond to that. Her first thought was to tell him this was not happening between them. They needed to stop right now. She never should have agreed to dinner.
Nope. That wasn’t her first thought. Her first thought was that her pussy pulsed and she had to squeeze her legs together against the arousal. Shit.
Rex slowly leaned forward and set his elbows on the table. His voice was barely a whisper as he spoke. “Those jeans are sexy, but I can’t wait to peel them down your legs. I haven’t had a chance to see your breasts yet either. That’s going to be first on my list. I want to wrap my lips around your nipples and suckle them until you writhe.”
She squirmed, pressing her thighs into her palms. She couldn’t even manage to swallow or lick her lips or breathe. She wasn’t sure she’d blinked yet either.
He slowly smiled. “You like my plan.”
Finally, she found her voice. “We shouldn’t be doing this.” It sounded weak and lame even to her own ears.
He didn’t flinch. “You’re probably right, but we are doing it.”
“The list of reasons why we shouldn’t take this one step further is long.”
“Yep.”
“We work together.”
“We do.”
“I’m dating another man.”
“I’m aware. I can take the competition.”
“I’ve never dated two men,” she pointed out with no conviction behind her words.
“I don’t intend for you to be for very long.” He wiggled his brows.
She rolled her head back and groaned. “Can’t you just agree this is a bad idea and end this after dinner?”
“Nope. I think we have chemistry. In and out of the office. I’m going to convince you I’m the better man.”
Her shoulders sagged. “What if I have sex with Dayton?”
He lifted his brows and grinned. “So, you didn’t yet. Then you can have sex with me first.”
The waiter returned with horrifying timing, and Rex pointed at Erica’s menu. “What did you decide on?”
Erica was still staring at him, uncertain how she felt about his last statement. She could argue her point that they shouldn’t see each other as if she were the best attorney in town. But at the moment, she was so turned on from his declaration she would probably let him take her out back and fuck her against the wall as long as he did so while dominating her.
Chapter 19
Rex was feeling pretty cocky as they left the restaurant. In his opinion, the date had gone well. Once he changed the subject to more mundane things, Erica relaxed. He quickly realized if he stopped pressuring her about the future, she could be engaging and even funny.
They told college stories, hers being far more interesting than his since she’d gone to school so young. He learned that she’d taken her time, spending a number of years in school, which also meant she had a variety of degrees. When asked, she often only spoke of the one she was using, but the truth was she had a degree in biology and had finished all of the prerequisites for law school too.
Erica claimed she hadn’t been able to decide what she wanted to go into and left every door open while she dabbled in a variety of classes. She’d also taken music classes and art. She giggled when he questioned her about theater, saying that was one subject she hadn’t attempted. “Can you imagine someone as awkward as me performing on a stage?” she’d joked.
Except he could. She performed every time she was at Zodiac. Did she not realize it?
The night air felt good after spending two hours indoors. True to her word, Erica had only finished about half of her margarita, and Rex had followed suit, meeting her sip for sip. He didn’t want there to be any doubt of his sobriety when they got back to the apartment complex.
Erica was quiet when he parked the car. He knew he was going to have to work hard to get her to come to his place. She was uneasy. Maybe he shouldn’t pressure her, but he was in a battle for her affection, and he wouldn’t pass up any opportunity to prove himself the better candidate.
How had he ended up in his position? Vying for a woman’s attention. In any other case, he wouldn’t think it was worth it. In his former life, he would have stepped back and let the other man win.
Except that wasn’t true. He had fought for Charlotte before grasping the complexity of her commitment to two other men. And even then, he’d continued to dominate her, part of him hoping on some level she would ultimately choose him.
Not that he’d wasted time pining over her or anything. He’d enjoyed every moment with her and learned several things about himself along the way. There were pluses to sharing a woman with two other men. One was that he was under no pressure to ensure the insatiable woman was satisfied. There were always two other Doms around to make sure her infinite needs were met.
As Rex rounded the car to help Erica out of her side, he took a deep, fortifying breath. He wouldn’t pressure her to sleep with him. That was a given. But he did want to spend more time with her. He could do vanilla romance. Whatever she needed. Right?
The truth was he wasn’t sure. He hadn’t done vanilla since he was a teenager. Dominating had come natural to him, and he hadn’t dated too many people outside of the lifestyle.
After Erica exited the car, Rex shut the door and then pinned her against the side of it, not touching her but framing her with his hands on either side of her shoulders. “If I walk you back to your place, are you going to invite me in?”
“No.” She shook her head.
He tensed. “Why?”
“Because I let Dayton come into my apartment last night. It feels weird.”
“Okay. So, you don’t have any problem going to my place?” He prayed she would consent.
She chewed on the bottom corner of her lip for a moment, and then she surprised him. “Depends.”
“On what?”
“Two things really.”
“Put them out there. I’ll try to keep an open mind.”
“You have to know that nothing we do changes the fact that I’m still datin
g another man. If you think you can convince me to sleep with you and then use that to corner me into something exclusive, you will be extremely disappointed. For the first time in my life, two men are interested in me. I’m not choosing. I intend to have my cake and eat it too.”
He was impressed with how emboldened she was. “Done. What’s the other thing?”
“Lose the vanilla act when we step through the door. I’m not into it. It’s fine in public, probably mandatory. But I’m unable to fully relax when I’m pretending to be a regular person. Unlike a lot of people, my true self isn’t the public version. That’s a weird, awkward Erica who stammers and can’t stop fidgeting. It may sound weird, but the real me comes out at a club. I’m submissive. I enjoy it. I don’t want to pretend to be something else.”
He listened to every word and then hesitated before clarifying. “Are you saying you’ll only come home with me if I agree to dominate you as soon as we get there?” His life just kept getting better.
“Yes.”
“And you think there’s a snowball’s chance in hell I would turn that offer down?” he teased.
She shrugged. “You never know. I barely understand my own true self. I can’t be expected to read your mind too.”
“Erica, I’m a Dom. Through and through. I’ve been a bit worried about how the hell I could possibly pretend to be vanilla for you all evening.”
“Well, stop worrying about that because I don’t want you to be.”
Slowly, he leaned closer, thinking to at least kiss her right here. Now. Next to the car.
She flattened a hand on his chest and met his gaze with a stern look. “You don’t own me. We can scene together in your apartment. But the next time Dayton calls, I’m going to accept his offer for another date too, understood?”
Damn, she was adamant about that subject. No way would he turn her down though. He’d be a fool. “Loud and clear.” May the best man win.
Her hands went to his hips and then slid up his torso. “Good answer,” she whispered just before he closed the gap and took her lips.
Chapter 20
Erica wasn’t even sure who she was as she let Rex lead her to his apartment. This bold woman didn’t usually exist outside of a club. And even then, she wasn’t exactly bold. She was a submissive. Aside from negotiating a scene, she didn’t make demands like the ones she just made to Rex.
Maybe she was developing a comfort level with him from spending so much time with him. Her normal awkwardness was fading around him. Perhaps because she needed him to understand there was a clear and definitive line between work and play. She was most assuredly a capable employee in the office. She didn’t want him to doubt that. Not for a second.
Now that she knew him better, the nervous tension she exhibited in the beginning was waning. She could outperform him. Not that she intended to be a bitch about it, but there was no need to feel inferior to him either.
Rex didn’t say a word as he led her by the hand to his apartment. Before he opened the door, he turned to face her. He cupped her chin and met her gaze. “We’re embarking on uncharted territory here. I’ve never dominated a woman at home, and I assume you’re not accustomed to submitting outside of a club scene either.”
“Correct.”
“My inclination is to set a few rules first. As soon as we step into my apartment, you’re submitting to me. You’ll refer to me as Sir. You’ll do as you’re told. Is that acceptable?”
“Yes, Sir.” Her heart was racing. She was completely on board with this plan.
“I’ll pause anytime we need to negotiate or clarify, but you’ll remain in the role unless you need to use a safeword—algorithm to stop the scene or parallel to pause.”
“Yes, Sir.” Every inch of her was tingling from the place where he was touching her skin all the way to her toes.
“Good.” He unlocked the door and led her inside.
He was right about the apartment. It was so identical to hers that without personal touches no one would know there was a difference. Hazard of living in corporate housing. It also made it much easier to move around the country going wherever the job took you.
Rex took her purse and set it on the coffee table before turning back to her and surprising her with another deep kiss. One hand went to the small of her back while the other threaded in her hair. He angled her head to the side and took control of her mouth.
She leaned toward him, drawn to get closer, her bones liquidizing as he made her head spin from the intensity of this kiss. She could easily get lost in him, and she realized she was doing exactly that.
By the time he pulled back to stare into her eyes, inches between them, she was breathing deeply, her breasts heavy, her sex eager and swollen. She had little doubt he was going to find out how wet her panties were soon.
His hands trailed down her body to the hem of her T-shirt and he whisked it over her head. He haphazardly dropped it on the sofa and then his warm palms were on her waist. “Your skin is heavenly. So smooth and soft,” he murmured as he eased his hands up and down her sides.
She arched into him, needing more, knowing she shouldn’t ask for it. She was submitting to him now. In that role, it would be unacceptable to make requests.
Rex found the clasp of her bra next and easily flicked it open. He drew it down her arms and tossed it with her T-shirt, leaning back as he did so, just enough to fully take in her chest.
She shivered under his gaze. This was the first time he was seeing her breasts bared to him.
His hands smoothed reverently up her sides again to cup her heavy globes and gently mold them. Without a word, he gripped one with a bit more pressure and lowered his mouth toward her nipple.
Erica rose onto her toes, her breath hitching as he sucked her tight bud hard. The twinge of pain mixed with arousal so fast that her knees threatened to buckle. She could get used to this.
There were definitive differences to submitting alone in someone’s home instead of performing in a club. Rarely did a Dom kiss her so intimately in a club setting where she’d signed up for a specific impact scene and then turned herself over to the Dom for the duration of her timeslot. Rarer still was having the Dom take the time to fully make out with her, teasing her breasts or anywhere else.
It wasn’t that she didn’t orgasm in clubs. She did. Often in fact. But her heightened arousal stemmed from impact play instead of a make-out session. This… This was nice.
Rex switched to the other breast, laving the swollen nipple before gently biting it just hard enough to make her moan. When she arched her chest again, he slid his palms up to fully cup her breasts and used his thumbs and forefingers to pinch her nipples.
She grabbed his waist to keep from swaying.
The pinch increased.
She moaned and tipped her head back. Who knew breast play could feel this good?
“I know you enjoy the release from impact play, but has that always been on your backside?”
She swallowed, trying to concentrate on his words. “Yes, Sir.” Most often she signed up to receive a flogging or paddle or even spanking. She wished Rex would do one of those things right now. The craving was deep.
“But it’s the sting of pain that gets you off,” he pointed out, switching the pressure on her nipples to a twist now.
She moaned, her lips falling open. Maybe he was right. Even though she craved contact with her butt, and thighs, she was enjoying this torment immensely. So much that a few strokes to her clit would bring her to the edge.
After another hard, brief pinch, Rex released her nipples and slid his hands down her body to cup her ass. He met her gaze again. “What about other forms of BDSM? Do you enjoy bondage?”
“Yes, Sir. Especially while I’m being spanked.”
He smiled. “Of course, but what about being restrained for other reasons?”
She blinked at him. What did he have in mind?
“I know your bottom was the focus both Friday and Saturday nights. What about last n
ight?”
She flushed, her face heating at the mention of Dayton. “Then too, Sir,” she managed to state. He had a point. Three nights in a row was a lot of impact. She’d never in her life been in a situation where she went to a club this many nights in a row.
“Then I think you need to experience something different.” His hand came to the button on her jeans as he spoke, again not releasing her gaze.
“Okay, Sir.”
He slowly released the button and lowered the zipper, and then he eased the denim over her hips, not breaking eye contact until he needed to bend down to draw the jeans off her body. He slipped her shoes off first and then tugged the pant legs, leaving her in nothing but a thong.
His hands smoothed up her legs as he returned to standing. “There are other parts to BDSM that might be just as powerful if you give them a chance.”
She nodded, part of her doubting she would get the same release from other aspects of kink. However, at the moment, she was so turned on that she was willing to consent to just about anything. It was interesting that Rex has specifically stated he didn’t do vanilla very well because as far as she was concerned, he was nailing it right now.
She would have said she didn’t do vanilla well either. The number of times she’d been in vanilla situations were few, and every one of them had included her feeling so awkward that she couldn’t relax enough to enjoy herself.
Erica was glad when Rex tugged his T-shirt over his head next, dropping it in the growing pile. She enjoyed a topless Dom, and Rex was no exception. He wasn’t the broadest, largest man, but he was muscular and fit and his skin was flawless. She found herself wanting to explore him the way he’d explored her, but didn’t dare do so.
Her hands were at her sides, fisted.
Rex cupped the back of her head and gave her hair a tug, hard enough to yank her head back.
The sting made her mouth drop open.
He lifted his brows as if in question before speaking. “There are other ways to experience pain than being spanked on your bottom.”
Taming Rex Page 11
