Bonds of Trust (4 page)

“Very good,” he reassured her as he released her hair and massaged her tender scalp before moving his hand to her chin. “Your honesty will be rewarded. But first, let’s set some boundaries for this Scene.”

The tension in her stiffly held shoulders immediately subsided with the slow release of her breath. “Yes,” she said, the relief communicated in her eyes.

Idly, his thumb caressed the soft skin on the underside of her chin. His only contact with her at the moment. “Let’s start with what excites you,” he said gently. “When I ask you about something, answer me honestly. No moderating your responses. Do you understand?”

Her lips compressed, her muscles tightening once again. “Yes.”

“Good.” He rewarded her by rubbing the pad of his thumb over the lush skin of her bottom lip. Her eyelids drifted down in a sensual half closed flutter. “Does the thought of bondage excite you?”

A pause. “Yes.”

“Blindfolds?”

Her eyes closed like she was testing the thought. “Yes.”

“Nipple clamps?”

Her eye flew open, followed by a long pause. She licked her lips. “Yes.”

“Anal play?” He knew the answers from her application, but she needed to respond. To verbally admit to what she wanted.

“Yes.” Her replies were getting softer, barely spoken.

“Spankings, flogging, whips?”

A hesitant, “Yes...I think. Some.”

“Threesomes or more?”

A deep inhale held then slowly released. “Maybe.”

“Public displays?”

“I...don’t know.” She chewed her lip, her gaze finally darting away before returning to meet his. “Maybe. But not tonight.”

Her breathing was now erratic, her fingers so tightly clenched together that her knuckles were white. Her cheeks were flushed an attractive shade of pink, but her spine was still stiff and straight. The questions were obviously hard for her to answer.

“And dominance. Will you submit to me, Cali? Are you willing to follow my commands, to let me lead you through the Scene?”

“Yes...sir.” The quiet, hesitant tone of her voice was negated when she turned her head to force his thumb to rub over her chin. An act he would not tolerate with another sub. But with her, he let the small insubordination pass.

“Thank you,” he said, swiping his thumb over her lip once again. “For that, I’ll let you choose your reward. What do you want?”

Her tongue slipped out to touch the pad of his thumb, the action at once daring and teasing. Again, he let the act pass, more captivated by her courage than angered by her aggression. He held still and let her play. The barely there stroke tingled over his skin, testing his own tightly held restraint.

She challenged him in a way no one else ever had and he was letting her get away with it. For that reason alone, she screamed of danger. Any other sub would be gagged and bound for such defiance. But with Cali, he couldn’t find the will to stop her, let alone punish her.

“Can I kiss you?”

Her soft request tore through him and hardened his dick to an almost unbearable degree. He kept his face neutral, withholding his shock and subsequent desire.

He didn’t kiss subs, especially clients.

The very nature of the act was too personal, too intimate. All of his regular clients knew this and would never dare to ask. No good sub would ask for something so personal. He should deny her and define the act as one of his boundaries, like he always did.

But he didn’t. Instead, for reasons he couldn’t fathom, he found himself giving a short, sharp nod. He was certain his voice would give away too much. Show the sudden longing coursing through him to feel her lips on his, to taste her.

Tilting her chin, Jake dropped his head and brushed his lips over hers. He made it deliberately light, a temptation more than an assault. His restraint was as much for him as her. Her lips were as soft as they looked and, for the first time in years, he wanted more.

She sighed and strained forward, seeking a stronger touch, more contact. Abruptly he backed off and she followed before she pulled away and peered at him with questioning eyes.

“Are you ready to proceed?” he asked, trying to regain control of the situation. Of himself.

She inhaled and released the air slowly. “I want safe words.” She glanced down then returned her gaze to his. “I read about those.”

He smiled, an unwarranted sense of pride burning in him. She was new to this, but she wasn’t stupid. “Of course. Do you want your own or the traditional red, yellow and green?”

She thought on it for a moment. “Red, yellow and green are fine. Red means stop, yellow slow down, green go. Right?”

“Yes.” He dropped his smile and stepped back. “Does that mean you want me to continue?”

She gave a slight nod.

“I need the words, Cali.”

She looked down and closed her eyes. This was it. She might run. Right here, right now, after all of the progress they’d made. But she had to come willingly, completely, or not at all.

He waited, the silence extending around them in lengthening waves of tension. Finally she opened her eyes and raised her head until her gaze held his. The green of her eyes had darkened to emerald gems, her lips slightly parted and slick from being licked.

The moment lengthened until she said, “Yes.” The scarcely spoken word echoed through the empty quiet. With more conviction, she gave him a half-smile and finished. “I want to proceed.”

His tight muscles loosened with the release of her words, but he didn’t let her see that. Internally, the relief he felt at her agreement was both foreign and disturbing. Externally, he retained his composure and gave a sharp nod. “Good.” He stepped forward and cupped a hand around the nape of her neck. “That deserves a reward.”

Before she could respond, he leaned in and kissed her with all the desire and need that had been building in him since she’d stood and extended her hand in introduction. She moaned and opened to him, her tongue meeting his in an instant duel of longing. The hint of mint mixed with the heat of her mouth, drawing him in deeper. His fingers threaded through her hair, the soft strands encouraging him to hold on, to yank her close and savor the moment, but he drew back, leaving them both wanting.

Their breath mingled in shortened pants in the small space between them. He slid his hands down her sides then under her shirt, letting his palms rest against her warm, silky flesh. She flinched at his touch, her stomach muscles contracting sharply before they slowly relaxed.

“Remove your top.” Her eyes flashed, and he struggled to keep his voice even. “I want you naked.”

Her lip was immediately sucked between her teeth, but she didn’t pull away. He took a step back and watched. Would this be where she balked?

With shaky hands, she grabbed her shirt hem and followed his orders, removing the top and letting it drop to the floor.

The Scene had begun.

Chapter Five

The air whispered over her heated flesh, the cool edges barely registering against Cali’s flushed mind. It was all she could do to stay standing. To remain focused on what Master Jake was saying to her.

His touch was both firm and soft as he stroked his hands over her skin. She bit her lip to contain the whimper that threatened at the back of her throat.

“Don’t,” he commanded, his grip flexing on her sides. “Don’t hide what you’re feeling from me. I want to hear everything. Every sound, every moan, every desire you feel. Understand?”

She exhaled, a small wheeze escaping with it. “Yes...sir.”

He walked behind her, never releasing contact with her body. It was his touch that held her there. In the room. The simple pressure on her chin, the brush of his thumb over her lips, the slide of his palms down her sides—not once had he stopped touching her since the Scene began. It was as if he knew she needed that.

Like he understood her.

After being physically starved for touch for years, he was providing her with the intimacy she craved. The actual act of sex was secondary to the connection he was building. She wanted what he offered, but it was her own personal fear of everything he embodied and represented that made her legs tense, ready to bolt. Her senses were in overdrive, her base survival instincts in a fight or flight mode.

This man, Master Jake, owned his sexuality and desires without shame. He was decadence and freedom rolled into one delicious package.

And he scared the shit out of her.

Not him exactly, but how he made her feel.

Everything about him, from his looks to his actions to the way he touched her, made her knees weak and her mind reel. The whole experience was so much more than she’d expected. More than she’d wished for, and they were still clothed. If she was being honest, it was the intensity of the feelings and desire he stirred within her that she truly feared.

His warm breath fluttered over her bare shoulder as his hands smoothed down her back and deftly unclasped her bra.

“You have beautiful skin.” His hands came up to push the bra straps down her arms until the garment landed on the floor next to her shirt. Her nipples were already tight with desire, the physical ache for touch boarding on unbearable. “Before the night’s done, I will touch every inch of you.”

A noise somewhere between a whimper and a moan escaped from her lips. Never in her entire life had she felt this turned on, this overwhelmed, this desired by a man.

By anyone. Period.

His hands moved down her back before his fingers edged under the waist of her skirt. They moved back and forth against her skin in a silent foreshadowing of what was next.

“Remove your skirt, Cali.”

She swallowed but complied without hesitation this time. With smooth fingers, he undid the small clasp at the back, eased the zipper down, then helped her push the material over her hips until it pooled at her feet.

“Panties too.”

The order sent shivers down her spine, but once again she obeyed. She was helpless to deny anything he asked. He’d taken complete control of her body and was bordering on owning her mind too.

The lacy material fluttered against her skin before it landed at her feet. She released a shaky breath, feeling completely exposed. Naked except for her heels, she was bared both physically and emotionally.

And still he touched her.

Kept her there. Grounded. With him.

In the moment.

Callused, roughened fingers ran over her hips, down the sides of her thighs, back up and over her buttocks. Constant motion that focused her senses and her mind on nothing but him and the hot trail of fire that followed his touch.

“Beautiful,” he whispered before he took her hand and guided her toward the bed.

The very large bed that was the obvious focus of the room.

She’d been surprised and relieved when they’d first entered the room to see both the bed and the lack of other domination equipment. Again, Master Jake had known what she needed.

He turned her to face him, the back of her legs bumping against the smooth cotton of the bed sheets. He lifted her chin with one finger until her gaze met his once again. “What are you feeling?”

Talk about an impossible question to answer. Her hands fidgeted at her sides as her mind scrambled to process an answer. “Scared...exposed...” There was more, but did she dare to tell him?

“What else? I want to hear it all.”

How did he do that? She swallowed and pushed on. “Flushed, excited...like I’m going to die if you don’t touch me soon.” The admissions made her heart race; her blood pumped through her over-sensitive body in heated waves of longing.

He smiled, a devious, yet sensual curve of his lips that had her almost begging for everything he had to offer. “Where, exactly, should I touch you?”

Damn him.
“Can’t you figure that out?” she snapped, irritation forcing her voice to deepen. She didn’t want to direct him. She’d told him that. Her desire faded to disappointment. She took a step, ready to leave.

“No.” His hands tightened on her shoulders, his body coming flush against hers. His eyes narrowed, cooling in their intensity. “Unless you use your safe word, I won’t allow you to run.”

“Then stop talking and just do something,” she demanded, caution forgotten with her rising frustration.

“Is that what you really want?” he challenged. “To be thrown down, paddled and taken blindly?” His hand landed with a sharp slap against her naked ass, forcing her to stumble into his chest and gasp in surprise. “Or do you want this?” He stepped back an inch, just enough for his hand to snake between their bodies and skim over her sensitive nipple.

She moaned at the touch, the reaction impossible to hide.

“And this,” he said, right before his mouth covered hers. His lips were firm and demanding, crushing over hers with authority. His tongue entered her mouth, engaging hers in a desperate battle. He tasted like chocolate and felt like heaven to her starved senses. He owned the kiss and she was helpless but to follow his lead.

Her mind fuzzed, her head spinning with unleashed desire. She reached for him, her hands grasping his bare arms in a failed attempt to stay grounded. A nail scraped over her nipple, teasing the nub with just a hint of pain, and she arched into him, seeking more. Abruptly he pulled back, his hands coming up to frame her face. His breathing was deep and labored, much like her own.

“Tell me I’m wrong.” His eyes were filled with challenge as they held hers.

Which one did she want? One was distant, less emotional. The other could break her. But there was really no choice. It was all or nothing, and she wanted it all.

She slid her hands up his arms until her fingers laced in his dark hair. It was soft, thick and felt exactly like she had imagined. She tugged his head down until his lips where just a breath away for hers.

“I want this,” she breathed then crushed his mouth to hers in a kiss filled with everything she’d missed in the last ten years. It was the touch, the contact, the mutual desire that she craved.

He’d been right. Again.

He broke the kiss but held her close, captured in his arms and by his gaze. “Stop fighting me, Cali.” His low voice stroked over her skin like another touch.

“Yes, sir.” Again, the only possible answer.

He stepped back, his hands sliding down her arms until they clasped hers. “Sit down.”

She nodded and slowly lowered herself to the edge of the bed, the sting on her bottom reminding her of the choice she’d made. His hooded gaze scanned her before he kneeled and removed her high heels. His touch was gentle, caressing. Each act of tenderness reeling her into his web of trust.

His palms smoothed up her legs, spreading them apart as he skimmed over her knees and up her thighs. He stared pointedly at her exposed pussy before a half-smile curved his lips. “You waxed.” He looked at her, a daring gleam in his eyes as he stroked a finger over the smooth flesh. “For me?”

Her cheeks burned, but he’d asked for the truth. “For tonight, yes.”

“Perfect.” A simple statement that fired her blood even more. He stood and reached for the bedside table, opening the drawer and removing a black silk scarf. He turned back to her and held the cloth up. “Tonight is about trust. You’ll trust me to put this on you.”

A blindfold. She shouldn’t, she knew that. She’d just met this man. But it didn’t matter what she should do. Those thoughts left her long before she’d entered The Den’s door. In reality, she shouldn’t be doing any of this.

“Yes.”

“Good,” he murmured before he reached down and pinched one of her tight nipples. The shot of pain and passion fired through her instantly, causing her to gasp then groan. “Turn around.”

Nipple throbbing, she slid on the bed until her back was to him. The material covered her eyes, sending her world into darkness. She shivered, not from the cold, but from the sheer vulnerability that descended on her with the lack of sight.

“This deprivation will heighten the rest of your senses,” Master Jake said into her ear. “It’ll keep you focused on what’s important. Not what I’m doing, but how it makes you feel.”

His large hands cupped her breasts. Finally. She pressed into the touch, which felt so good. He kneaded the flesh before he caressed her nipples, stoking each peak into an even tighter, harder nub. Another moan rose from her throat as the sensations swamped her.

She did want this. Needed this so very much.

His hands left her breasts and she whimpered in desperation for them to return. “Shhh,” he soothed as he guided her to lie on the bed. The sheets were cool and soft under her back. The heat of his body flanked her side and she leaned toward it, seeking what he could provide.

He grabbed her wrists and dragged them over her head. “Should I bind you, or will you hold on?” He wrapped her fingers around a bar, holding her grip against the cold, hard metal of the headboard. He was giving her a choice. Did Doms do that?

Confused, Cali fumbled for an answer. “Hold... I’ll hold on.”

“Don’t let go until I say you can.”

Her fingers flexed around the metal. “Okay.”

His lips touched against the tender flesh of her inner arm, then down, next to her breast. She jerked toward his touch, but he was gone. Then his hands were there, skimming down her stomach and leg until he gripped her ankle.

“I’m going to bind your legs.” He kissed the inside of her ankle before he drew it to the side and wrapped a padded cuff around it. “This will keep you open to me.” He quickly did the other, leaving her spread wide. She tested the bindings and found she had some give in the straps that let her move and bend her legs, but not close them.

She had never felt so blatantly exposed in her life. But despite her position and obvious subservient pose, she didn’t feel vulnerable.

No. She’d felt more vulnerable fully clothed with her ex-husband, trying to understand why he didn’t want her. What did she lack that had made him so resistant to having sex with her—his wife?

“Beautiful,” Master Jake said, the low purr of his voice caressing her heightened senses and bringing her back to the moment. “You look absolutely beautiful.” His hands moved up her legs. “Open. Waiting.” He nipped her inner thigh, his hair brushing against her skin, causing goose bumps to race over her legs. “Responsive,” he breathed against her wet pussy.

The sudden flash of warmth made her inhale, her breath sticking in her lungs as she waited and hoped he’d kiss her there. She twisted in frustration when he moved up her body, his lips trailing kisses over her hip and stomach until they reached the valley between her breasts.

She struggled against the sheets, her fingernails biting into her palms as she gripped the bar in a death hold. “Please, Jake,” she begged. “Please...” She just needed him.

“Please what?” His breath was hot, his mouth hovering over one of her aching nipples.

She inhaled, and the fresh shampooed aroma of his hair flooded her nostrils. He smelled of rain and man, the scent blending with the heat of the room and the desire of her body.

“Lick me,” she managed to say. “Kiss me, touch me.” She wasn’t picky right then.

Her head snapped back on the mattress when his mouth covered a nipple. God.
Yes
. Finally. His hot mouth sucked and licked at the hard bud before his teeth grazed over and then clamped down. The sharp spike of pain meshed with the pleasure and made her arch into his mouth. Her legs hitched in reflex before he let go and soothed the ache with a slow lap of his tongue.

He shifted and repeated the process with her other nipple. His mouth was the only part of him that touched her, but she felt surrounded by him. His heat was over her, near her, and she wanted to feel all of him.

The sounds of him working her nipple became intimate and erotic as her senses strived to accommodate for her loss of sight. Each touch, every noise was amplified into an overwhelming crescendo of sensation.

“More,” she begged now, her voice hoarse. “Please.” She felt no shame in begging. Not with him. He would give her what she craved. It was so freeing to be able to ask for what she desired and know she’d get it. Because Jake would give it to her.

She trusted that.

In answer to Cali’s request, a finger trailed through her pussy. A slow caress from bottom to top that made her pelvis thrust and reach for more. His touch was smooth, skin against skin, a sensation she’d never experienced. She’d been too embarrassed to wax down there before. But now, the uninhibited contact was amazing.

“Yes,” she panted. “That, please.”

He chuckled, the low rumble vibrating against her breast as he moved his mouth down her body. “Do you want that?” he asked, his finger making another swipe through her pussy. “Or would you prefer this?” The hot, wet tip of his tongue repeated the same path as his finger and her hips shot off the bed.

“That,” she croaked. “God, definitely that.” She moaned and shivered in response to the sudden warmth. It had been so long since she’d felt any kind of heat and wetness down there, she almost came from his one simple touch.