Skin Truth Em Petrova When Kat’s boyfriend takes her to an upscale restaurant, she’s certain he’s going to give her the two-carat princess cut she’s always dreamt of. Instead she finds herself being dumped. Thrown into a downward spiral, she ponders his claim that he’s looking for someone who needs him to take control so he can feel complete. Driven by personal tragedy and determined that she can at least be adventurous between the sheets, Kat embarks on a sexual journey involving titillating phone sex and a growing obsession with the toy catalog. Soon she’s led into the darker world of bondage and whippings, only to be jumped by a group of men with a fascinating and fearless leader. Pushed to her limits, she struggles against the dark seduction. Until she discovers the leader’s secret.
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
Skin Truth ISBN 9781419935091 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Skin Truth Copyright © 2011 Em Petrova Edited by Jillian Bell Cover art by Syneca Electronic book publication August 2011 The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book. The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume any responsibility for, author or third-party Web sites or their content.
SKIN TRUTH Em Petrova
Skin Truth
Chapter One Daniel Chaser was six foot one, with smoldering brown eyes and neatly trimmed chestnut hair. An Armani suit with a crisp white shirt and silk tie were accompanied by cuff links and a gold insignia ring on his right hand. And he was Kat’s boyfriend of nine months. With a sigh, she settled back in her seat with her glass of white wine and let her gaze roam over his gorgeous form, wondering where he’d hidden the engagement ring. Dinner at the West Lion Inn was no small affair. Why else would he have brought her here? Piano music trickled through the decadent space and their waiter stood several feet away with a white linen napkin over his forearm, waiting to take up the frost-glazed bottle and refill their wine flutes. She took a careful sip, in case the ring was in the depths. She had glanced at it when the waiter set it before her but she didn’t want to hold it up to the light and blatantly search for a diamond in the glass. She focused on her man and gave him a soft smile and a flutter of her lashes. Another woman passed their table, her steps slowing as she got an eyeful of Daniel. He was buff and suave in a James Bond sort of way, equally as elegant at a senator’s party as he was rolling around in the sheets. And yet he possessed a darker look. Kat sometimes pictured him as a gangster rather than a banker—tie loose and collar undone as he fired a slug into an enemy and dumped him into the river. Her smile spread at her musings. Daniel wasn’t that exciting, but he was a good man. Witty, a whiz with finances, and a gentleman. His heavy sigh made the flame on the taper candle flicker and she looked at him more closely. Did she imagine the strain pulling the skin around his eyes or the worried gleam within them? Maybe he was just nervous about the proposal. 5
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“How was the meeting with the board members?” She leaned across the table and displayed her charms. Her black dress was low-cut and her breasts were pushed up in her sexiest bra. She hoped he’d strip the dress, bra, matching panties and stockings off soon, leaving her in only her brand-new princess-cut engagement ring. Eyeing him beneath lowered lashes, she bundled her long, blonde curls over one shoulder. The mass was extremely heavy and she rarely let it flow down her back this way, usually keeping it in a twist at the back of her head for the office. At home it was a ponytail. Daniel loved it loose and she wanted to please him tonight of all nights. He sighed again. “It was fine. Listen, Kat, I want to talk to you.” She set her wineglass on the table and reached for his fingers. She stroked the back of his hand, which was sprinkled with dark hair. His long fingers twitched and he withdrew his hand, sliding it over the tabletop. It vanished into his lap. A cold kernel of unease lodged in her stomach. Surely this was where he whipped out the little velvet box and sank onto one knee for all the restaurant to see? She studied his handsome face and realized that she really did love him. To spend the rest of her life with him would be a joy. “What is it, Daniel?” He cleared his throat and flipped back his lapel to reach into the interior pocket. Her heart flipped, tripped and sped out of control. I’m going to get the ring! I’m going to be Mrs. Daniel Chaser! But instead he pulled out a packet of cigarettes with a French label, tapped one out and placed it between his lips. Eyes downcast and with jerky movements, he lit the tip with a gold lighter. She sat back, stunned. She’d never seen him smoke. Nerves must be getting the better of him tonight. Didn’t he know she was head over heels for him? That she wouldn’t just say “yes” to his proposal, but crow it to the heavens?
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Someone at a nearby table gave a discreet cough and Kat cast a glance around. “You shouldn’t smoke in here. They have rules,” she said quietly. His eyes glittered. “I don’t give a goddamn. But listen, that’s what I want to talk to you about. About how we deal with one another.” She lifted one eyebrow. The cold seed of fear sprouted in her core and her skin suddenly prickled with the ticklish, crawling sensation that always came over her when she was nervous. She’d been to five different dermatologists in her lifetime and no one could find a reason behind her itchy state when she got worked up. He continued. “I’m going to try to be as gentle as possible, Kat. I don’t want to hurt you. But we need to talk about us.” “What do you mean we need to talk? We always talk.” “You’re a strong woman. You take charge of your career and personal life. You know what you want and how to get it. But where does that leave me?” “Daniel, I thought what we have is good. Am I wrong? Am I missing something?” “A woman should need a man. Or at least let him think that she does. But you’re an efficient machine running your life. You won’t let me do manly things. Take out the trash. Help with a big decision.” “There’s no reason for you to do things like that. I’m capable of taking out the trash, and as for the decisions…well, I’ve been making them myself for a long time. If I needed your insight, I’d ask you. You know that, don’t you?” Her heart gave a painful twist at the thought of giving up the tight rein she held on her life. Growing up in a chaotic whirlwind had fed her need for order in adulthood. No longer was she at the mercy of her mentally ill mother or her drunken father. She’d pulled herself up by the sexy straps of her Manolo Blahniks and she wasn’t about to let go. Daniel’s gaze was level. He blew out a plume of smoke. “No. I don’t know you’d let me be a bigger part of your life. I need a woman who needs me in a different capacity, Kat.”
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What was happening? This wasn’t the way she’d envisioned the evening. In desperation, she drank off her wine in one gulp, only to find the bottom of the glass empty. No diamond ring. No hope of becoming Mrs. Daniel Chaser. Only a discussion about the needs she wasn’t meeting. Daniel lifted a hand to wave the waiter over with more wine. She covered the glass with her palm. “I don’t want more wine.” “See? You won’t even allow me to have your glass refilled.” His lip twisted. He gestured for the waiter to retreat. A strange fog of unreality settled over her. She swallowed hard around the rising lump in her throat. “So you want me to let you take out the trash when you’re at my apartment. Fine. It’s your job now. And I have a big work project that I could use your expertise on.” He shook his head. His jaw, which had been freshly shaven that morning, now wore a dark shadow, giving him a more alluring look. When he scuffed it with his knuckles, a slight rasping noise met her ears. She shivered, her mouth suddenly dry again. Maybe she did need that wine after all. She lifted her glass and the waiter came forward. Beneath the table, she scratched at her thigh but the itch seemed to spread. Before long she’d be doing the scratchy dance. Only a stiff drink and an oatmeal bath would soothe her. Daniel gave a soft grunt and ran his forefinger around the rim of his glass. “It’s not only about the trash, Katherine. I want to take care of my woman. Be in charge. With you, I’ll never be in charge. You’ll never truly need me.” What was he saying? His words sounded so final, his tone so resigned. They were silent as the waiter filled her glass and then returned to his spot along the wall. Suddenly the atmosphere seemed oppressive. The West Lion Inn was the perfect place to get engaged but it wasn’t the perfect place for an argument with her lover—their first argument ever. Too many eyes were on them. Did they see the heat in her cheeks? Or the tears threatening to fall from her perfectly mascaraed lashes? 8
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All at once, the classical music grated on her nerves. The quiet voices of the diners at the adjoining tables buzzed in her ears. And Daniel looked more beautiful than ever. She leaned across the table. “Daniel, I do need you. You’re an amazing man and I love you very much.” “But it’s not enough, really, Kat, is it? We both need more, and if you look deep inside yourself, you’ll see this too.” Dread washed through her veins and left her fingers tingling. The evening was swiftly spiraling downhill. Her stomach cramped and bile burned at the back of her throat. The wine hit her head and her mind started to whirl. She could barely choke out the words. “What are you…saying?” The corner of his mouth tipped up into a sad smile. She loved that little bracket around the corner and the tender indentation above his full lips. Had she ever told him this? She didn’t think she had. Memories of a thousand kisses paraded through her brain. She might never have another. His hand closed over hers and she clung to it, afraid to let him go. “We aren’t meant to be, dear. We’ve given it a chance. But I want different things.” “What do you want? I can do things differently.” “That’s just it. I don’t think you can. Kat, you’re a beautiful, sexy, smart and talented woman. You deserve someone who is a perfect fit for you. And that’s not me.” Anger hit her. She wanted to grasp his shirt front and shake him. He’d fucked with her for nine months and now decided things weren’t working? Surely he knew before now. But what hurt the most was the fact that she hadn’t seen this coming—was blindsided. The pain rose in her, as intense as a bit of heated metal touched to her flesh, searing deeper and deeper, an excruciating ache that she couldn’t get away from, no matter where she turned. And she knew it wouldn’t ease anytime soon. She truly loved this man and wanted him as her husband.
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She yanked her hand from his hold and gripped her small beaded bag in her lap. Her heart slammed against her rib cage, swollen with the sting of his words. Let me out of here. Gotta get out. Shoving back her chair, she gathered her heels beneath her and started toward the cloakroom. Her knees were watery and her steps stilted, but she managed to reach the maître d’ and ask for her coat. She lifted a hand to the crest of her cheek and took care of the itch there. Daniel’s fingers curled around her elbow. His soft voice rumbled at her ear. “Kat, at least let me see you home.” She couldn’t look at him. If she met his eyes she’d burst into noisy, snot-stringing tears and she couldn’t do that. Not here. Not in front of him. She longed for home and her comfy bed and her heavy quilts. “No, Daniel. If you’re saying it’s over then it’s over. I can get home by myself.” She accepted her coat from the maître d’ and then, tucking it over her arm, she swung out the door and into the night. The sucking noise of tires on wet pavement assaulted her ears. Headlights and streetlamps blinded her and she squinted, searching for a cab. “Let me get you a cab.” He’d followed her out. “No.” She lifted her arm and one whizzed by her. “Dammit, Kat, this is exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about,” he fumed. He made a sharp gesture with his hand and then flicked his cigarette butt into the street. “Listen, I didn’t mean for tonight to go this way. I care about you and I know you’re hurting.” His words were like a slap—a cold, hard palm to her soul. The hurt he spoke of ballooned into a mushroom cloud of despair. Her chest burned with unreleased sobs and tears bulged at the roots of her lashes, prepared to fall. “Don’t you dare speak to me that way—in that soothing voice. Just turn around and go back inside, Daniel. I need to be alone.” 10
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He released a puff of air and shook his head. “I never set out to hurt you. Please know that. I hate for things to end badly between us.” She waved furiously at an oncoming cab, wanting more than anything to leap into the backseat and lick her wounds. The heavy, black sky seemed to press on her, making her shoulders slump. One rhinestone strap slid down her shoulder and she yanked it back up. The fragile fabric snapped and the gems flew. They skittered onto the shoulder of the road and winked up at her like the sky itself. The sky has fallen. My world has fallen. It’s over. As the first sob rushed up her throat, the taxi drew to a stop before her. Her world narrowed and she focused on the wet, yellow door, reaching for the handle. She stepped off the curb. Daniel grabbed her back, arm locked under her breasts. His scent filled her head—musk and expensive cologne—a scent she’d never breathe again. She drew a great gulp of air, filling her lungs and her memory. “Kat, don’t let this event shadow your life.” His voice rumbled in her ear, echoed to the pit of her being. Her heart had cracked and was leaking all sense of time and space. “I have to go,” she said. Like a wild, wounded beast, she tore from his hold, ripped open the door and hurled herself into the darkened depths of the taxi. The barrier of glass felt good to her—a place to hide. A cage that would protect her from the outside world. Until now, that world had seemed safe and good and calm. Now it was dark and vicious and full of pain. She hugged her coat to her chest, burying her nose in the soft fur lining. The rich notes of Chanel No. 22 filled her head and she remembered what Daniel had said about her signature fragrance on their first date. “So much more graceful than No 19. And more refined than No. 5.” Bitter tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and she dashed them away with the fibers of her coat. What had their conversation really been about? Her mind was in such a fog of grief, she couldn’t think straight. They’d talked about garbage and decision making. Stupid, unimportant shit. What was the real reason he’d broken up with her? 11
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His needs. A woman who showed him she needed him. Someone not so independent. Her mind twisted this into a new image, picturing a softer, more feminine, prettier woman at Daniel’s side. A woman who fawned over him and stayed home to iron his suits rather than take the world by the balls the way she did. Rain pattered the roof of the cab and streaked the night. She watched the rivulets track down the window, the light from the streetlamps splintering in the droplets. Through her blurry vision, they magnified, the bright beams piercing her eyes and creating an instant headache. She squeezed her eyes shut and fought to discern which city block she was on. Her longing for home was unbearable. She just wanted to kick off her stilettos, slip out of this constricting dress and dive into the cool cotton sheets she’d changed that morning. When she thought Daniel would spend the night. By the time the cab pulled up at the curb of her building, she was fighting her need to scratch her entire body and she was crying openly. To hell with propriety and tight lips. She wanted to spill her guts to her best girlfriend, Gigi. She wanted to tilt her head up to the heavens and howl in misery. But she did none of that. She paid the driver, walked up the steps and let herself into her building.
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Chapter Two The hot bath water swirled around Kat’s form, slipping over her bare skin and reaching into her secret crevices. Four weeks without a lover. Without a man to hold her at night, to kiss away the stresses of the day. She soaped a sponge and ran it over the tops of her breasts, issuing a long sigh. She needed a man to ease the ache of desire inside her. Her breakup with Daniel weighed on her heart and mind. Since their devastating dinner at the West Lion Inn, she hadn’t spoken a word to him. Until now, she hadn’t realized how separate they’d kept their lives from each other. No bottom drawer to clean out. No CDs to return or toothbrushes to throw away. When he spent the night, he had carried a small bag with him. And when he walked out the door, he left no trace of his existence in her life. This almost seemed more hurtful than the breakup. The phone shrilled. For a moment, she stared at the blinking red light and wondered if she should bother to answer it. It was probably her mother or a telemarketer. But a small voice in the recesses of her mind nudged at her, whispering that it could be Daniel. She gathered her feet under her and leaned all the way out of the tub to reach her cell, which sat on the windowsill, where she’d placed it after stripping out of her work clothes. Heart thumping and a little breathless, she looked at the screen. When she saw that it was Gigi, the thin wall of her sanity crumpled and immediate tears clogged her throat. “Hello?” she squeaked. “Hey, Lady Kat.”
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“What’s up, Gigi?” She grabbed a dry hand towel, wrapped it around the cell to keep it from being damaged and sank back. The water had cooled and her flesh pebbled at the feel. “Why do you sound all snotty?” Kat snorted. Leave it to Gigi, the queen of blunt, to call her out straightaway. “I was crying.” “Again? Please tell me it’s PMS, because you can’t still be crying over Daniel Chaser.” She threw an instant shield over her heart, picturing an elastic film stretched taut around her. The woman in the bubble. That’s me. When she answered Gigi, she couldn’t keep the coldness from her tone. “I am.” Gigi softened. “Aw, babe, I’m sorry you’re hurt. But he didn’t see the things in you he should have seen. Like your amazing ability to see the good in people, no matter what. And how about your generosity? Did he know that every morning you hand over a couple bucks to the hobo who lives in the back alley?” Kat’s mind swirled. Who cared about that? Daniel wanted a different kind of woman, and her worry over a hobo’s dietary needs didn’t enter into the equation. Generosity didn’t equal to…whatever it was he was looking for. She still couldn’t wrap her head around exactly why he’d broken up with her. Something about trash and decisions. He wanted a needier woman. That’s what it was. “Look, I don’t want to talk about him anymore. We’re over.” “Then why are you crying?” She picked up the soapy sponge and dabbed at the length of one thigh. “I’m lonely.”
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Too late, she realized her mistake. Her best friend of fourteen years, Gigi was bisexual. She’d spent years trying to get Kat to come to the “softer” side. And Kat had just kicked the metaphorical bedroom door open wide. “Mmm. Well, you know, darlin’, that when you’re ready for me, you only need to say the word.” “I’m not.” “But you could be. Your breakup with Daniel might have been written in the stars, leaving you alone and open to new opportunities.” “It’s not a new opportunity. You’ve been trying to get into my panties since the ninth grade.” She could nearly hear Gigi’s pout, and pictured her luscious lips. Kat had to admit her friend did have a set of the most kissable lips she’d ever seen. And she was a lip connoisseur. If Gigi was a titty girl and Daniel an ass man, Kat had a fetish for lips. Everywhere she went, she found herself staring at people’s mouths, dissecting the attributes of each pair. The sultry curve of a lower lip. The heart-shaped bow of an upper. Wide and full. Thin and shapely. Gigi had a mouth like a lingerie model’s. And Daniel’s was utterly perfect. She sighed and dropped the sponge, suddenly agitated. Hot and cold at once. “Come on, Kat. You’ve been turning me down since the ninth grade. Saying you’re straight. But how can you really decide that there isn’t a single kink in your road if you’ve never left your hometown? No matter your sexual preferences, you need to explore.” A little tingle of heat settled in Kat’s belly. Her pussy pulsed once and the water swirled between her thighs. God, she must be horny to let Gigi get to her! She slid down in the tub until the water lapped her breasts. As she looked down at her body, she thought of being with a woman. Touching a body so like hers. Smooth
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and soft, rather than hard. Feeling the first shock of a woman’s kiss passing through her. “Go ahead and talk, Gigi,” she heard herself say, her voice echoing strangely off the tile walls. She pressed the phone to her ear and let her right hand slide between the mounds of her breasts. There was a beat of silence on the phone and then Gigi’s kitten purr filled her ear. “Talk about what? What are you doing?” “I’m in the bathtub.” A rasp of breath and then, “So you’re nude. And you want me to talk to you? Talk dirty?” Was that what she wanted? This was her best girlfriend. If she lost this relationship too, over something stupid like phone sex, she’d splinter into a thousand shards of nonbeing. Her breasts ached and her nipples were pinched into two tight buds. A sweet burn began between her thighs, urging her to touch that pulsing nub. And to hear what Gigi had to say. Explore, as she’d put it. Maybe she did need to let go of some precious control. Daniel might be right. At this moment, she could let go and allow Gigi to get her off. It was a big step, but all of a sudden she realized how much she wanted it. “I’m not sure how to take this conversation, Kat. Are you okay? Feverish?” She gave a short laugh. “I’m fine.” “But you’re horny.” “Oh yes.” Slowly, she circled her areola, letting her French-manicured nail scrape the sensitive skin. “Mmm. This is a new side of you, Kat. I’m glad to hear your miseries over Daniel are coming to an end. Time to dive back into the sea, even if it’s over the phone.”
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Kat stopped stroking her nipple and sat up a little. “What? You’re turning me down?” “Nooo. Just listen to my voice. Focus on the words and on the sensations of your body. Now tell me about how you look.” “Mmm.” She focused on herself in a brand-new way, taking stock of the play of light against her skin and the dip of her belly. “Water droplets are sprinkled over the sides of my breasts. My nipples are hard as jewels. Dusky pink. When I touch them, the water ripples around me, lapping at my bare pussy.” “Ooh, you didn’t tell me you shaved since last time I saw you. Nice. Now imagine the bathroom door opens. And a dark head appears around it.” Kat’s attention moved from the intense headspace she’d suddenly discovered to Gigi’s words. Gigi didn’t have dark hair. She was a tiny girl with a huge rack and short light-brown curls. “Gigi, who is it?” “A mystery man.” “Man!” Her tinkling laughter filled Kat’s ear. “You thought I’d buy that you’re suddenly willing to go girl? I don’t think you’re quite ready for girl-on-girl action. Now hush up and let me continue.” Kat pinched her right nipple, squeezing slow and hard. A spike of need pierced her sex, urging her to touch it. To slide her fingers into the slippery folds and grind the hard kernel of lust under her thumb. “The lights are low, stars twinkling through the window. He’s in shadow. But you make out the handsome planes of his face as he steps into the bathroom and closes the door. You don’t know him. Never saw him before. And yet there is an instant connection as you meet his eyes. Your body stirs at his heated gaze. His mouth twists into a knowing smile and he comes forward, kneels at the edge of the tub and reaches for you.”
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Images of a beautiful male mouth flitted through Kat’s mind. Like Daniel’s but appearing harder, set into the black shadow of a beard. She shivered as she thought of a rough beard running over her flesh, between her breasts, chafing against her belly and over her smooth mound. Her pussy squeezed hard and she could control herself no longer. She slipped her fingers into the wet crease. She’d always enjoyed watching herself masturbate, whether it was before a mirror or just lying down as she was now. She dipped two fingers into her opening and gathered some cream. When she tried to smooth it over her hard clit, it had dispersed in the water. She removed her hand for a moment to switch her cell to speakerphone and gently rested the device and the towel on the edge of the tub. She hitched one leg against the tub wall and, using her left hand, spread her pussy lips. Gigi’s voice filled the bathroom. “He cradles the back of your head as his mouth drops to yours, the first touch hard and soft at once. His tongue glides along the seam of your lips, demanding entry. As you open to him, his tongue sweeps into your mouth and he captures one nipple between his finger and thumb.” “Mmm.” Kat drove two fingers deep into her pussy and flicked her nipple back and forth, her ass slipping over the smooth porcelain bottom of the tub as she created the scene in her mind. “Dear God, I can hear the water sloshing. If I was in that room with you—” Gigi bit off her words and then, after a pause, she sighed and continued, “He releases your mouth and draws your nipple between his lips, swirling his tongue over the hard tip. Faster. More insistently. And, holding your eyes, he gently bites into it.” She pinched her nip hard to assimilate the man in her imagination and circled her clit faster. The flame of want that she’d thought so big before now doubled, tripled. Her pent-up passions were coming to an enormous pinnacle and she was going to come harder than she had in months. 18
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“Then he climbs into the tub with you, pulling you up onto his wet legs so you straddle him. He’s kissing you as he reaches between your bodies and finds your slash. He pinches the lips together gently, rubbing them so they chafe your clit. His tongue is wild in your mouth.” Kat plunged a finger into her pussy and wiggled her little bean with the pad of her thumb. The cool water dipped into her, caressing her intimately. “Don’t stop, Gigi,” she gasped. At once, her friend’s voice took up again, her words spilling faster and now breathlessly, so that Kat wondered if she was finger-fucking herself too. She hoped so. Her excitement soared to new heights, sharing this with her best friend. Why hadn’t she thought of it before? “And then he grips your ass and lifts you up. His cock is long and thick, the head shiny with hardness. He pulls you closer, kissing you. And spears you on his love pole.” Kat thrust her fingers in and out of her pussy, increasing her tempo to match Gigi’s excited tone. She felt the passion bloom on her cheeks, thinking of a big shaft filling her up, stretching her. The water created a slopping noise and Gigi groaned. “He fucks you hard, burying himself to the root and grinding so the head swipes your womb. Slowly, he removes it, pulling out almost to the tip. And then without warning, rams it back in. He thinks you’re beautiful, the way your head is thrown back and your lips are open, so pink and ripe. He kisses you again, matching his tongue to the movements of his body.” Scalding heat built in Kat’s core, mounting until she thought she’d be consumed and left as a pile of ash. With a gasp, she splintered—pussy pulsing, fingers frantic, as hot cum rushed from her love cavern. Gigi’s groan joined hers, resounding off the walls of the bathroom. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over her. Still jerking, she slowed her fingers, smearing the cream over her stiff nubbin as she imagined her lover claiming her mouth 19
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in a long, sucking kiss. Her senses seemed to return all at once and she realized what had just taken place. She blinked at the phone still resting on the edge of the tub, and heard Gigi’s soft rasps issuing from it. “Gigi…” “Mmm?” “You got off too.” “Oh God, yes. Kat, if I didn’t have to go to work tomorrow and we didn’t live an hour and a half apart, I’d be knocking at your door, ready for more play.” Despite her original inhibitions, Kat smiled. Something inside her felt a little lighter and freer. She trailed a hand over her nipples and shivered at the shocks shooting through her sensitive body. “Where the hell did you learn to have phone sex like that?” she asked and Gigi laughed. “Remember Danielle? We lived in different states for a while. You’d be amazed at the love you can experience through technology.” “Well, I’m very glad of your skill, my dear friend. Thank you.” She sounded suddenly shy and Kat heard a blush in her voice. “Really? I’m glad you loosened up to me and finally let me help you get off. Remember our freshman year in college, when—” “Gigi.” “When I showed you how I play with myself?” “Gigi.” “Hmm?” “Good night.” “Oh. Good night, doll. You get horny later, you know how to punch my number!” With that, she rang off.
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With a sigh part pleasure, part exhaustion and part exasperation, Kat popped the drain with her big toe and allowed the cool water to swirl away. She was surprised at the evening’s events and exhilarated by them too. What would you think of that, Daniel? Her openness in the bedroom had never been discussed between them, but she admittedly was a little vanilla. Missionary sex, with the occasional oral or solo masturbation session. He’d never complained but he hadn’t exactly jumped her bones daily either. In fact, looking back on their sexual relationship, it seemed a little June and Ward Cleaver. Under the covers, non-sweaty sex, where afterward she slipped on a robe rather than parade around or fall asleep in the buff. Maybe she did need a boost in her life. As she climbed out of the tub and began toweling herself off, the thick cream on her inner thighs reminded her of her torrid phone call with Gigi. While it didn’t change her devastation over Daniel, she did feel a little lighter. Less uptight. She started to wrap her towel around her breasts and then, glancing in the fulllength mirror, decided against it. She tossed the towel to the floor and sauntered nude through her apartment—something she’d never done before. And when she spotted her silky nightgown hanging on the back of her bedroom door, she ignored it too. Climbing into bed without a stitch on felt deliciously wicked and sensuous—two things she’d never before felt. As she plunged two fingers into her wet pussy once again, thoughts of Gigi and a mystery man revolving through her mind, she realized she could get used to this new side of herself. After an hour and three more orgasms, she threw off the covers to cool the perspiration slicking her skin. Her body pulsed with sensation. But more than that, she felt alive. Almost as alive as when she’d won her first downhill skiing race in college. Almost as alive as the day she’d signed her mortgage for her expensive apartment and knew she made enough money to afford it.
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Almost as alive as the moment when she’d seen Daniel reach into his jacket and she’d assumed he was going to give her a ring. She curled on her side and, still cupping one breast, fell asleep.
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Chapter Three Kat tabbed through page after page of the sex-toy website, searching for new and exciting playthings. Since her foray into the world of phone sex with her best friend, she’d not only participated in it every few days but accumulated quite a collection of dildos. Big, meaty ones with bases she could suction to the bathroom—or kitchen— floor and fuck with abandon, long slender wands with vibrating balls inside, smooth faux cocks with rubber tongues for her clit or anus. Even a short, stubby shaft she used to fuck her ass. Clicking the “buy” buttons was one of the best things she’d ever done for herself. In fact, yesterday she’d called in sick so she could try out her newest toy, a Sybian. The saddle-like device had an electric motor and various rods could be attached for vaginal use while it stimulated her clit. She’d spent hours riding it, giving herself mind-blowing orgasms before she’d collapsed in exhaustion, wondering if she’d lost her mind. Still, it was one hell of a way to spend a Friday. By the time she’d met Gigi for drinks, she was well-worked and pleasantly sore. But that was yesterday. In the past few weeks, she’d tried a dozen new toys. When she’d confessed to Gigi her new obsession, her friend had cackled until she slipped off her barstool. “You’re finding out what most women discover in their early twenties—that there’s more to sex than a cock and a jar of lube on the nightstand.” And then she’d tried to kiss Kat, but Kat hadn’t been that tipsy. Now she reclined against the fat down pillows on her bed, looking for a newer, better, more exciting way to get off. You’ve lost your mind, Kat. You’re addicted to self-pleasure. 23
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And she was. But she still longed for a human touch. A man’s rough fingers plundering her pussy. His tongue deep in her mouth and the velvety head of his cock pressed against her hip. Her pussy squeezed, releasing a little flood of cream. She laughed aloud. After all the orgasms she’d had since her breakup with Daniel, she should be dehydrated by now. But the more she pleasured herself, the more she wanted it; the more intense her orgasms and the wetter she became. She clicked on the sidebar of the racy website, perusing several sections she’d never looked at before. Lingerie. Who needed lingerie when she was alone? Double dildos. Gigi would fall over with heart failure if she called her up and invited her over to join her, but Kat hadn’t graduated to allowing her friend to go that far. Their phone sex sessions still orbited around an anonymous stud. Bondage. The word jumped off the screen at her, the bold blue Arial type branding itself on her brain. She guided the arrow cursor up to the word and clicked it. Her chest felt a little tight as she flipped through toys she’d never dreamt existed. Did people really use these? And how? The mere appearance of some frightened her. Being bound while someone made love to her thrilled her to the core, but mashing her breasts in a device until they turned purple? Not so much. Still, she was already exploring a new lifestyle. Maybe something little from this online shop…some nipple clamps… The blare of a siren on her street sounded and she pulled herself away from the charming gold instruments she was perusing. She set her laptop aside and went to the window to look down on the alley below. Her heart pinched hard. An ambulance gave one last whoop and then several paramedics clambered out of the vehicle to crowd around a man lying still on the concrete near the dumpster. With a cry of despair, Kat grabbed her jeans and a t-shirt 24
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off the floor. She stabbed her gams into the denim, wondering what the fuck she’d been thinking to buy skinny jeans when she couldn’t get her goddamn foot through the hole. She zipped them on the way to the door and threw her shirt over her head as she burst into the hallway. Her heart thundered behind the wall of her ribs. It can’t be him. Moe. Yet even from her position on the sixth floor, she recognized the hobo’s shabby army flak jacket and his boot lying beside him with the tongue flopping out. She launched herself into the elevator, palming her thick curls off her face and mentally thrashing herself. She hadn’t gone to work yesterday, therefore hadn’t given Moe his three dollars to grab breakfast. Had he starved to death? She hugged herself, bouncing on her bare heels in impatience as the elevator took its slow old time. Her skin prickled with the familiar crawling sensation. Oh, it’s all my fault. I should have gone to work yesterday. Instead I was holed up in my apartment fucking that machine. The instant the elevator stopped, she hurtled through the crack between the doors and was running for the exit. Her morning visit with Moe had become part of her daily life. He called her “his special angel,” and though she had no clue what circumstances had put him on the street, she didn’t care. His face was haggard but kind. And he was always polite to her, even opening cab doors for her if he saw her about to climb into one. As she ran around the front of the building, the concrete sidewalk chafed her bare feet. Horns blared, people congregated on the streets and not far off, music pulsed. But there was a man who needed help, might be dying, and she simply had to see him, to touch his rough hand one more time. She reached the alley just as the medics were lifting the stretcher. And sure enough, she caught sight of Moe’s greasy black head. “Moe,” she cried, rushing forward.
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She nudged between two paramedics, bellying up to the stretcher. “What’s happened? Is he okay?” “You know this man?” “Yes. I mean, a little. He lives here in the alley and I help him sometimes. What’s going on?” Moe was utterly silent, his eyelids lying flat and his face chalky. “Has he had a heart attack?” “We think so, ma’am. But I’m sorry to tell you that it’s too late. He’s gone.” The words blasted through Kat’s heart. Her world suddenly clouded and she found herself in a fog of pain. She longed to share her pain with someone she loved, like Daniel. To be enfolded against his big chest would ease her. Thinking about the loss of both Daniel and Moe, extreme sorrow throbbed in the folds of her brain. “No.” Her voice was a ragged gasp. Someone’s hand came down softly on her shoulder. “I’m sorry.” She stood back as they loaded the stretcher with the dead man into the back of the ambulance. Before he disappeared from her life forever, she reached out and touched his dirty bare toe in farewell. Blindly, she turned toward the street, wounded by what she’d seen and guiltridden that she hadn’t been able to do more for Moe, even if it only to feed him yesterday. Her back itched abominably and she didn’t even have someone at home to scratch it for her let alone comfort her. As she emerged from the alley, she glanced up directly into Daniel’s handsome face. Her heart plummeted to her feet and she hugged her torso harder. “Kat.” His face creased with concern as he strode toward her. “My God, what’s happened? You’re white as a sheet!”
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She shook her head, shrinking away from the hand that reached for her. “Go away, Daniel.” “But Kat, I only want to help. What’s wrong?” She quickened her pace, practically running for the entrance and refuge, hoping to hell he didn’t follow her into her building. The breeze picked up, pinning her curls across her face. She tossed her head to free her vision. Her soul shriveled as the scent of his cologne struck her senses. God, why did he have this hold on her? Home, home, home, her mind chanted, just as it had the last night they were together. What was he doing here on her block? He ran along beside her as she pushed into her building. “Kat, please talk to me. Did you know that man they took on the stretcher? Do you need me to drive you to the hospital to be with him?” She met Daniel’s chocolaty gaze, feeling the tears spark in hers. “No, Daniel. He’s dead.” With that, she spun toward the elevator. “Hold it,” she called to the people beyond the closing doors. She squeezed inside just as they slammed shut. But before they did, she saw Daniel standing there, shoulders slumped and hands fisted loosely, his mouth folded tight across his teeth.
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Chapter Four “I will not sink back into despair,” Kat informed her reflection. She’d just soaked in a long oatmeal bath in hopes of soothing her skin, which she’d ravaged with her nails after yesterday’s events. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying and her pale complexion was mottled. Why had Daniel appeared in her life at the very moment when she least wanted to face him? The loss of her sweet homeless friend stung. It was late Sunday night and she’d purposely avoided going out over the weekend because she didn’t want to pass the alley where he had lived his meager existence. And she most assuredly did not want to run into Daniel again. What the fuck had he been doing near her building? Her brows slanted downward as anger ripped through her. Daniel could just go to hell. She didn’t need him. In fact, she was having much better sex on her own than she’d ever experienced with him. As this thought surfaced, a voice in the back of her head niggled that she might be the reason for that. Spinning away from the mirror, she padded across her thick bedroom carpet and tore open the drawer of her antique nightstand. Her new collection of dildos rolled to the front. She snatched out the first one she saw and collapsed into bed. She stretched across her mattress, drawing deep breaths of the lavender-scented candles that were supposed to infuse her with calm. But it wasn’t working. She was more pissed-off than ever. Too pissed, even, to get off. With a disgusted snort, she tossed the vibrator aside. Tears sparked in her eyes and she stared up at the high ceilings, waiting for her self-pity to dry up. Where was her life
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headed? Since her breakup with Daniel, she was spinning out of control. The only happiness she’d experienced during this time was for her newfound sexuality. Yeah, that’s something. Don’t discount this new level of sensuality in your soul. Dammit, she had loved every pulsating, orgasmic self-fuck. It freed her in ways she’d never dreamed. But she still craved a kiss. One of those bone-melting, heart-shattering kisses you read about in a romance novel or watched on television. Were there kisses like that happening in the world? And if so, would she ever take part in one? With a sigh, she let her head drop to the side. The clock read four-thirty. Happy hour was just starting at the club she frequented when Gigi was in town, but her friend was back in the suburbs, winding her weekend down and gearing up for the new workweek ahead. And Kat couldn’t face the bar alone. How depressing. How desperate. She sat up straight as a sudden thought tore through her. She’d broadened her sexual horizons at home. Maybe it was time to take it farther afield. A short distance from where Daniel lived there was a sex club. She knew nothing about it other than what he once told her on their way to his apartment. “It’s a strange place. Not for you.” “Why not for me?” she’d asked. He’d turned his face to the window and stared at the neon club sign as they passed. But he hadn’t said another word. Hours before, he’d grown agitated after he tried to put the moves on her in the middle of a crowded dance floor, grinding his erection against her and palming her breasts. Embarrassed by the public display of affection, she’d shut him down cold. She couldn’t help but wonder now exactly what he wanted in a physical relationship. He’d tried to explore with her, but she’d been resistant. It never occurred to her to question him more about the club, but now she wanted to know what was behind that wrought iron gate barring the entry. The gothic façade gave a foreboding air. Glossy black marble columns supported several iron balconies 29
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and various gargoyles clung to the stone front. But the word “Touch” was scrawled in blue neon across the face, indicating there was something different about this club. She swung her feet over the side of the bed and sat for a minute. Should she go to Touch? It might be an exclusive club and refuse her entry, but it might be worth the risk. Jumping off the bed, she grabbed her cell and punched Gigi’s speed dial. Her friend’s kitten-like purr filled Kat’s head. “Hey, baby. Ready to play?” A spike of need struck Kat’s pussy and it pinched hard, releasing the cream that was always present now. “Not now, Gigi. I wondered if you know anything about that club on Fourteenth Street—Touch.” There was a beat of silence and then Gigi cracked up laughing. Her tinkling laughter filtered into Kat’s brain. “That place is a BDSM club, Kat! I know you’re exploring new opportunities, but that place isn’t for you.” Her words—so similar to Daniel’s—drove it home for Kat. Sudden determination slid into place in her brain and securely dug in its hooks. She started rifling through her drawers for the sexiest panties she could find. “I’m going,” she said to Gigi. Gigi’s laughter abruptly silenced. “What?” “I’m going to that club.” “You’re crazy, Kat! You might get hurt there. You do know what BDSM stands for, don’t you?” “Yes. I’ll be fine. I can handle myself. Besides, they might not let me in. But I’m going to try.” With that, she hung up on her oldest friend and dropped her cell on top of the dresser. She strewed the contents of her lingerie drawer with a finger. White cotton 30
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panties, stripy panties she used for her period days. Not a thong or a snippet of lace in sight. They were all in the laundry. “Fuck it. I’ll go commando.” She immersed herself in her walk-in closet and rifled through her wardrobe, looking for something sexy and slightly kinky for a Sunday night virgin debut at a BDSM club. What the fuck would that be? Dress? Skirt? Skinny jeans? More like whips and leather. Excitement slithered down her spine. She was really doing it. Taking more control of her life, rather than giving up some control as Daniel suggested. Her perverse side trilled with glee. Five minutes later, she sported a slinky black minidress that hugged her curves without a bump of a bra strap or pantylines. Her leg muscles were stretched taut in skyhigh stilettos and a row of bangles jangled on her arm. She hadn’t taken the time to run a brush through her hair, instead fluffing the long curls with her fingers. And the only stitch of makeup she wore was a smear of lip gloss. As she exited her building and hit the sidewalk, she smiled to think of her cell phone upstairs, ringing like crazy as Gigi called her to convince her to rethink her decision. The street on a Sunday evening was calm. Only a few pedestrians wandered in and out of local eateries. The spring night was balmy but the tang of rain was in the air. Kat’s heels clacked as she ran up the sidewalk to where a taxi was parked at the corner. She slid into the backseat and gave the driver directions. Then she sat back, twisting her hands and trying to calm her nerves. Suddenly her skin felt hot and tight, too small for her bones. Dammit, now is not the time for a flare of a chronic case of hives. The sun was sinking below the city skyscrapers, casting bluish shadows that made her think of night skiing in Vail. Though she welcomed spring, she longed for the blast of icy air in her face, the tingle of the powder settling over her as she swooshed
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downhill at high speeds. She’d asked Daniel to accompany her on her last ski vacation but he had begged off. Hindsight was crystal clear. She should have known he wasn’t that into her. The city blocks whipped past the window and she fidgeted as the shadowy front of the club loomed into sight. The cabbie pulled up at the curb and twisted around to talk to her. “You sure you wanna go in there, lady?” She fought the rising lump in her throat. “Yes. This is the address. Thank you.” She handed him a couple of bills and then climbed out. Up close, the entrance looked more foreboding than when driving past at twenty miles per hour. Standing before the inky twisted metal gates that stood twelve feet tall, she felt a true ripple of fear. What the hell are you doing, Kat? So you like ramming yourself with a dildo. What makes you think you’re ready to face what’s in there? Daniel’s voice thrummed in her memory. Not for you. Like hell it isn’t. She wrapped her fingers around a metal bar and tugged on the gate. It gave an inch and then caught. She rattled it, searching the surrounding stone for a doorbell. The cold blue neon light from the sign fell over her, transforming her bare arms to ice. “State your name.” Kat released a shrill little scream. She let go of the gate and jumped back. Her ankle turned over in her high shoe, yanking her tendons painfully. Her heart throbbed in her throat and she clapped a hand over her chest, trying to still it. “Name?” The voice filtered from the very stone. She stared hard at the place where it came from and finally saw a small black speaker concealed in the gray rock. Her mouth was horribly dry. Running her tongue over her lower lip, she answered. “Kat Sredinsky.” Her voice wobbled and she wondered if the voice of Oz or who-thefuck-ever was in there was having a good old laugh at her expense.
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Are you doing this or are you wimping out? She steeled her spine. Gripped the gate again. Deep within, she heard a door opening and then another. A light formed behind the gate and she realized she was looking at a long corridor like a tunnel. Walking down the center was the biggest motherfucker she’d ever laid eyes on. Instinctively she stepped back as he reached the gate and shot her a grin that mocked her trepidation. His enormous bare biceps bulged as he folded his arms against the gate, leaning close so his face was almost pressed to the metal. Black leather stretched taut over his mammoth thighs. A glimmer of blue light outlined his bulging erection, which extended to the very top of his waistband. If he shifted a bit, she expected the velvety head would pop into view. A shudder went through her as his cold, blue eyes rested on her. He sized her up as if she were a juicy steak and he were the Doberman. Fuck that. He was no Doberman. He was a Newfoundland and she was a Pekingese. “What do you want, dearie?” His voice was so gravelly he’d probably been smoking in the womb, or perhaps he was a professional knife-swallower. He tilted his head and part of his face was brought into the waning daylight, revealing a jagged scar that ran from the corner of his left eye to his mouth, hooked like a J. “I want to…see what…what’s inside.” Her skin rippled with prickly irritation. God, she’d give anything to tear off her dress and start scratching! The shirtless Goliath threw back his head and issued a booming laugh. It echoed down the hall and someone else suddenly appeared, his body in shadow. His steps increased, the heavy fall of boots thudding on the concrete floor. He stopped dead, hands twitching into fists. The sun was behind Kat and she couldn’t make out his features, only the silhouette of broad shoulders tapering to a trim waist and strong hips that made her want to grip them. Yes, this was definitely the place for her tonight. “Boss, this lady would like admittance.” 33
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The man in shadow spoke in a hoarse whisper that would put Christian Bale’s Batman to shame. “Touch is no place for a woman like her.” A tingle ran down her spine and she arched slightly, bringing her breasts against the metal bars, inches from the giant’s hands. He licked his lips and she straightened, raising another laugh from him. “I want the experience.” Her voice was none too clear. He might sound like Batman; she sounded like his sister. His hands twitched. She heard the creak of leather and realized he was wearing black gloves. A thrill speared her pussy, imagining that smooth leather on her heated flesh. A long minute passed while the man who was obviously in charge contemplated her request. What if she was turned away? Could she happily return to her vibrators, her fingerings and her late-night phone fantasies with Gigi? “Let her in. Bull, she’s your charge. Take care of her and don’t let her get hurt.” Something about the way he said “hurt” sent a hot stone of emotion to her belly. As the leather-clad man retreated into the depths of the club, the man called Bull nudged a metal bolt until the gate sprang open. He pulled it open with a wide smile. “Welcome to Touch. I’m Bull. Stick close to me, miss, if you know what’s good for you. There are some here who prey upon virgins.” His words invoked stone slabs, rites of passage and blood offerings. Her stomach dipped a little as if she were on a rollercoaster. In the back of her mind, she heard Gigi’s cautions and Daniel’s admonitions. Hell with them. She was a strong woman and she could handle anything, even this unknown hallway and her own personal chaperone. She also had a strong urge to find that man with the leather gloves and the throaty tenor. Her nipples puckered up tight under the thin fabric of her dress. As she followed Bull down the dark corridor, her steps echoed off the stone walls. As if she were on a journey to heaven, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. 34
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Suddenly, fear doused her. Icy dread replaced her excitement and all at once the slippery wetness between her thighs didn’t matter anymore. Ohh, this might not be a good idea. Her common sense returned with a vengeance, a devil on her shoulder digging in his pitchfork. Or was it an angel, beating her with a halo? Her mind had blurred the two. Right or wrong. Sexy or dried up. Vanilla or kink. She had no clue what described her anymore. Bull didn’t give her a backward glance but strode ahead, his muscled legs like tree trunks and his hands swinging at his sides, brushing his leather pants. As they neared the end of the hall, the dim light cast a circle on the floor. Here we go, she thought as she stepped into it, blinking a little at the smoky glare. They spilled into a large room that was outfitted like a club, with leather chairs and stools set around the room on Oriental rugs. A mammoth fireplace lined one wall and a wet bar stood opposite, with padded leather stools. It smelled like liquor and cigars, but the warmth of the fire permeated her skin after the chilly walk down the tunnel. The room was devoid of people. She sighed in relief. This didn’t look so frightening. “Since this is your first time here, I’m going to show you around.” Kat nodded and brushed her curls over her shoulder. She felt them sway against her lower back like heavy ropes. Bull shot her a grin. “Come on.” He moved off toward a doorway at the back of the room and she followed. So far, she didn’t see a single thing to indicate this was a sex club. Not a pole or a half-clad girl in sight. They entered a smaller space and Kat squinted into the dimness. The scent of oils was in the air and something darker, muskier. A soft moan sounded and she whirled to see a row of frames shaped like X’s against the wall, where two women were bound. Kat’s heart jumped into her throat, strangling her gasp.
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Their arms were bound to the frame by tight red silk and their ankles clasped in little metal cuffs. Both women were entirely nude, pulled onto tiptoe so their calf and thigh muscles were beautifully carved with strain. A gorgeous little brunette was fixed to the frame on the right, her back arched, her nipples tight jewels. And the dark curls of her sex glistened as though they’d been oiled. Her ripe lips underneath hung like a plump peach, split by a prominent pink clitoris. Kat’s pussy gave a little squeeze at the sight. The slender redhead on the other frame seemed to be slumbering, her eyes halfclosed and her body relaxed, almost hanging in her restraints. But her big dusky nipples were still tight and moisture gleamed on her inner thighs. A noise in the corner made Kat look up as a man wearing all black rose from a stool she hadn’t noticed before. His thick black boots rang on the stone floors. Dangling from his belt was a selection of wooden instruments. One spray of feathers on a long handle looked like a duster. She shrank away as he passed before her but he didn’t give her a single glance. Purposefully, he selected a long, narrow flat of wood from the grouping on his belt and removed it. The brunette twisted and made soft pleading noises from behind her closed lips. Her eyes were wide and glassy and Kat couldn’t help but glance down at her soft nether lips. They seemed to swell as the man approached. The wooden rectangle slid between her legs, chafing her pussy. The thick lips stretched backward and then they were brought forward, riding on the instrument, her clit a hard pearl. The man moved the wood in small spurts, lifting her wet flesh on his paddle. Lifting her high onto her toes, so they almost left the floor. Kat’s slash clenched with need, wondering how that wood would feel. And then, with an abrupt movement, the man removed the paddle and brought it sharply down on her tender folds. The snap of wood against her sensitive flesh resounded throughout the room and roused the redhead from her sleep. 36
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Kat cried out, her body pulsing with outrage, feeling that blow to her quivering core. Again the paddle rained down, delivering several successive blows. The woman twisted in her bindings, a scream sounding behind her lips, which were sealed behind a gag. Tears spilled over her cheeks. For a horrified moment, Kat watched the woman’s tender pussy being beaten. When he lifted the paddle away, relief surged through her. Before a sigh could pass her lips, he whacked the woman across the nipples. Kat spun away and practically bolted for the door. Her legs threatened to spill her but she forced her muscles to obey. Her heart rattled the bars of her ribs and her skin crawled. With eyes only for the exit, she made a run for it, the walloping noises echoing behind her. As she entered a light-filled hall, Bull caught up to her. And dammit, he was laughing. Her mouth opened, prepared to eviscerate him with the sharp edge of her tongue. But no words to describe that scene came to mind. She could ask why those women were strung up there. She could ask why the man in black had given the curvy brunette pleasure before he struck her. She could ask why the fuck she was being struck at all. But the annoying voice of Gigi was in her ear. You asked for it, Kat. Bull grasped her, his big meaty fingers wrapping around her forearm and meeting on the underside. She looked down at his hand. The knuckles were peppered with dark hair and he held so much power in that big fist; he could easily crush her bones. But his touch held no trace of menace. “Come on.” He guided her forward. They turned left into the first door they came to and Kat drew up short. “Ohh.” Bull tugged her across the threshold, grinning broadly at the sight of a young man on his hands and knees. He was stripped naked but a heavy gold weight dangled off his cock, riding slightly off-center on his long shaft, forcing the tip down. His erection throbbed, bobbing against his abs, the head dark purple.
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“Spread your legs farther, Adrian,” a tall beauty said from behind him. Kat’s gaze leapt to her, taking in the long red trench coat belted around her small waist and her black hair pinned off her temples. Her eye makeup was exaggerated into cat eyes and she held a whip with a rhinestone-studded handle. “That’s it. Beautiful.” The woman flicked her wrist and the thin end of the whip sliced the air with a whooshing noise, striking the man’s carved buttocks. “No,” Kat gasped, plastering a hand to her face to keep from seeing the man’s pinched eyes and the tears spurting from the corners. She didn’t want to listen to the rise and fall of the whip a moment longer. And yet she was fascinated by the gyration of his buttocks. His back arched and he thrust them back with every blow, as if begging for it. Kat was trembling and a little dizzy. If she looked in the mirror, she’d know she wore a red splotchy rash on her throat, which itched abominably. “Ahh, have you had enough, my lovely?” the woman in red asked. The man on his knees shook his head and thrust his ass toward her, bringing a laugh from her and from Bull. “First I think you deserve a reward for your good behavior. Our practices have obviously been good for you. Six weeks ago, you couldn’t have endured so many blows from my whip.” She tucked the handle under her arm and stroked the man’s shaggy brown hair. Her nails were blood red against the soft mass and she scraped them lightly downward to his jaw. She lifted it using the tip of one nail, taking a kneeling position in order to kiss him. Kat’s mouth suddenly watered to taste that handsome man with the long cock. His lips were full and wide and a dark red from biting them during his ordeal. Their tongues warred in a passionate game of cat and mouse. One pink tongue appearing and the other receding into the other’s mouth, only to pop out and follow again. Heat climbed Kat’s body, enveloping her cunt and making her breasts heavy and aching. 38
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And then the woman reached out and grabbed the man’s shaft. The man stiffened. His muscles grew taut and trembled as she pumped the swollen head through her fingers. His balls drew up tight to his body. The gold weight dangled strangely between his thighs. She kissed and fondled and stroked him until the first pearly drops of precum appeared on the tip. Kat’s pussy throbbed, anticipating his orgasm, not wanting to miss a single spurt from that pulsating cock. But just as the man began to pant, Bull took her arm again and led her out. She twisted to look over her shoulder, but the woman in red blocked her view of the man. He issued a guttural groan and then Kat heard the wet splat of his cum on the flagstones. She drew an unsteady breath, more turned-on than she’d been in ages, and yet horrified by the things she’d witnessed so far. She felt as though she were Ebenezer Scrooge being shown the awfulness of each room in this club. But also the pleasures. The door to the third room was closed but Bull pushed through it without knocking. Forceful moans reached Kat’s ears and the scents of lovemaking clogged the air. Her skin rippled with gooseflesh as she realized she’d walked in on an orgy. Various stools and leather benches were scattered throughout the square room and couples dotted them, bent in bizarre positions. Looking closer, Kat saw they were tied into these postures with black leather strips. A stunning Hispanic woman was folded in half with her full breasts bulging around her knees. She was standing but strapped at the high hip, mid-thigh and calf. Her arms were loose but she clutched her ankles—whether of her own will or forcibly Kat was uncertain. Behind her a gloriously well-hung stud fucked her ass. Kat’s belly somersaulted. She’d only seen anal sex on pornos. Never in person. And never from three feet away. Her cunt released a flood of cream. Her fingers twitched into a fist, trying to control the urge to plunge them into her dripping slit. 39
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Across the room a man was tied spread-eagle with his head and torso resting upon a padded piece of furniture. His hairy inner thighs jerked as another man wearing a studded collar sucked him off. Kat grew transfixed, mesmerized by the swirl of the man’s tongue over the other’s swollen organ. She was dying to see a man come. How long had it been since she’d run a sticky load through her fingers or tasted its salty goodness on her tongue? She released a sighing moan under her breath. The guy with the long blond hair getting the blowjob started to buck, rocking his hips to fuck his lover’s face. All of a sudden, his master jerked upright and removed a short rod from his belt. He tapped it on his palm smartly, revealing its flexibility. Whatever ecstasy the blond felt must have fled. His face became a mask of resigned calm. His lips pulled over his teeth in steely resolve. And he took the first blow like a lion takes a hit from his tamer. His head jerked but his body remained eerily still as the rod came down on his thighs again and again. Kat’s stomach flipped as the master reached down and cupped the blond’s ball sac in one hand while wielding the weapon with the other. No! Her mind revolted at the things she was seeing. It was too much. She couldn’t understand why these people would come here freely—they were coming freely, right?—to be tortured and then brought to the edge of bliss and then dealt cruel blows again. What was behind this madness? Who wanted this type of sex play? If being kinky or adventurous meant suffering pain and anguish, she would rather be vanilla. She tugged her arm from Bull’s hold and pivoted toward the door. He didn’t pay any attention to her—he was too busy ogling another couple involved in a double spanking from a sixty-nine position—their mistress’s arms widespread, using the flat of her small hands with surprising force. From the corner of Kat’s eye, she saw movement and automatically turned to look. She gasped. Seated against the far wall was the man from the tunnel. The boss. 40
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He wore black from head to toe. Tight leather pants strained over his thick thighs. A slim-fitting, long-sleeve shirt clung to his bulging pecs and biceps. His hands were concealed in the gloves that had turned her on so much, and heavy boots were laced at his ankles. But his face was completely hidden by a hood. Only his eyes and mouth were visible, with a tiny slot for him to breathe through his nose. And he was staring at her. Suddenly she felt exposed, as if she were clad in only bindings like the others in the room. Why oh why had she chosen not to wear undergarments? A trickle of love honey slid down her inner thigh. She clamped her legs together discreetly, shifting from heel to heel to try to disperse the wetness. The boss’s gaze never budged from her. Her breaths came faster, in time to the pleasured cries of the Hispanic woman being banged in the ass. Kat had a strong urge to turn around and watch the woman’s face as she came, to watch her lover pour his hot cum into her anus. Kat’s eyes flicked to the boss again, a horrid blush creeping over her. The palms of her hands stung and she rubbed them against her thighs. A tickling sensation ran down her nape and spine. She flexed her shoulders, hoping to stop it, but it continued on to the uppermost crevice of her buttocks. The boss slid down a bit on his stool, wriggling his back to get comfortable. His knees fell apart and as Kat looked on, he unzipped his black leather pants. His gloves stretched tight, conformed perfectly to each long finger as he drew his enormous erection onto his palm. From this distance and in the low lighting, she couldn’t make out the color of his eyes or their expression, but he continued to stare at her as if to say, “This is what you want. What you’ve wanted all along.” And it was. She was dying to see this man come. All these people were being touched, sucked, tormented by a range or instruments, and so many were held in a state of titillation, not allowed to climax. Even the man butt-fucking the woman had stopped
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to beat her ass with his bare hand. But the leader set fire to kindling buried deep inside Kat. Witnessing his pleasure would be like gaining pleasure herself. Bull reached to take Kat’s arm again but the boss gestured for them to stay. So Bull fell to watching the couple in the sixty-nine position. The boss slid his cock in and out of his tight fist, fucking the head through his fingers, legs splayed wide and muscles tense. He pumped it hard in a series of quick jerks and then let off, rubbing it slowly from root to tip. Kat watched his velvety rod stretch and swell, wondering how it would feel to suck such a cock, to entwine her fingers with his in the leather gloves and hand-fuck him. Her clit grew with desire, spreading her lips apart. She knew they couldn’t be stretched more than a millimeter, but it felt wide, her love nubbin huge. She was dying to thrust a hand under her skirt and add her own musky scents to the air, her own moans to the many, but her hands remained knotted together. The boss pummeled his cock now, banging it hard, drawing his hand so tight around the head it grew a dark red-purple. Come on. Come all over those black gloves. Her breath rasped in her ears and her breasts jiggled with the tension rippling through her. His head was thrown back and his lips parted. His strokes were frenzied. Just when she thought he couldn’t withstand another caress, he released his cock. She stared at it hard, waiting for white-hot cum to erupt from the tip. But it simply bobbed against his shirt and the open V of his leather pants. His hands fell to his sides. The Hispanic woman collapsed in a fit of sobbing as her lover whipped her ass and the exposed lips of her wet pussy. What the fuck was wrong with these people? Kat twirled on her heel and walked out. In the hallway she paused to get her bearings. She saw a dozen more doors to rooms she hadn’t explored and had no desire to. Gigi was right. This place was screwed up.
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I’ll stick with my dildos. Bull was suddenly at her side. “I’ll see you out.” “Thank you.” Back through the main lounge and through the long tunnel leading to the gate, they went. Kat continued to battle to make sense of everything she’d seen and felt. As for understanding her reasons for coming here, it would take a long time and maybe some therapy to try to come to terms with that. She stood aside so Bull could open the gate and then she was shut out onto the street. Into the night. More frustrated and confused than she’d ever been.
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Chapter Five Sunday night and not a fucking cab in sight. Which meant she was on the street wearing her sluttiest dress in front of a sex club. Brilliant, Kat. You’ll be mistaken for a hooker. How the hell had she ended up at this place in her life? She scanned the street for the glow of a taxi’s on duty sign but saw none. The street was empty. Silent. A lot more than eerie. In fact, fucking scary. She started to walk uptown. In two blocks she’d be in a ritzier district where she was bound to find a taxi. The sun had fallen and the cool air assaulted her skin. No bra, no panties and no coat. Apparently she’d been losing brain cells with every orgasm. When she reached an intersection, she looked both ways and crossed the almost empty street. She’d never spent much time in this section of town, other than when she passed through to visit Daniel, and never on a Sunday. There should be people heading out to supper. Or heading home from their weekend benders. But no, she didn’t see so much as a homeless man. A pang shot through her heart as she thought of Moe. How strange it would be to leave her apartment on Monday morning, expecting him to be waiting to get the door for her. As she passed a sports bar, the golden glow of the lights fell across the sidewalk. Loud music and excited voices carried through the plate-glass window. Suddenly a stiff drink sounded delicious. Necessary even. On her upper thigh she wore a garter with some cash pinned to it. She’d worn it because she hadn’t wanted to deal with a handbag at Touch. She had enough money left for a drink and a cab. In that order.
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Behind her she heard a scuff of a boot on concrete. She glanced over her shoulder and her heart seized up. Not far off, two men wearing black leather were trailing her. Fuck. They must have followed me from the club. Stupid, stupid Kat! A raucous cry issued from the door of the sports bar and a seedy-looking man staggered outside. All thoughts of that much-needed Long Island Iced Tea abandoned her. Between him and the thugs behind her, her heart was about to seize up. She stepped out of the safe, golden ring of light and hurried up the street. Her strides were long and rhythmic. She hoped she appeared cool and that her confidence would deflect any violence they had in mind. But deep down, her stomach was in knots, her bowels were watery and her skin tingled with irritation. The noise of tires on pavement caught her attention and her heart leapt, thinking it might be a cab. At this moment, she wanted nothing more than to jump into a musty backseat and speed away from those lugs following her. Maybe they weren’t following her but just walking. She chanced a look over her shoulder and gave a soft cry as she realized they’d closed the distance and walked about ten paces behind her. Adrenaline surged in her blood, making her fingers numb. Dammit, without her purse, she didn’t even have her pepper spray. If she’d felt exposed in the club under the boss’s level gaze, now she was utterly vulnerable. A target. She longed for her cell phone. She could call Gigi and admit what a fucked-up idea this was. She could call the cab service. And she was three little numbers from help if those men attacked her. She rounded the corner of a building, turning on to the next block. One more and she’d be free. And if she couldn’t find a cab, she could always ring Daniel’s buzzer and tell him she needed a ride. No, not that.
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Hot fingers snagged her wrist. “No!” She fought to tear herself from the man in leather’s hold, but he caught her around the waist and plucked her off her feet. She kicked as if she were a chicken going to slaughter, the spikes of her heels stabbing his shins. “Get her feet, Darius.” She drew a gulp of air, preparing to scream her lungs out, when the man’s hand clamped over her mouth. Darius captured her ankles in one big hand. With her ankles crossed and her upper body lashed to the other man’s chest, she twisted and fought against them. She tried to bite the hand that covered her mouth but the man shifted his fingers, pinioning her lips against her teeth. She screamed behind her sealed mouth, visions of the woman on the X frame circulating through her mind. Another man spoke, and that voice sent currents through her—part terror, part excitement. “Into that alley.” The throaty notes of the boss’s voice tore through her mind and body. The memory of those black gloves wrapped around his thick cock rose in her brain. Wait. What the hell was she thinking? These people were kidnapping her, smuggling her away to a place where no one would hear her scream as they raped her or worse. She bucked but the man holding her torso just laughed quietly. Darius, who was carrying her feet, backed into a dark, narrow alley. Where was she? Her senses sharpened. She strained to hear what was going on in the world. The distant wail of a lone siren. The coo of pigeons taking up their nests for the evening. The smell of rainwater lying stagnant in the alley. And leather. She twisted, screaming behind her teeth until she felt her throat would burst. Suddenly the boss’s masked face loomed before her vision. His eyes looked as black as the surrounding mask. 46
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“Isn’t this what you wanted, Kat? Something to jog you from your everyday routine?” She shook her head, pleading with her eyes. “A little shake-up in your world?” “Uh-uh,” she cried through her closed lips. “Bind her.” Those two words sank into the folds of her brain as if they were two bullets. She fought to free her arms from the man’s stronghold but he only clamped his huge forearm more tightly across her arms and breasts. Darius carefully set her feet down. One of her heels fell off, tipping over into the damp alley. With horror, she watched as Darius pulled off his belt and began wrapping it around her ankles. This was no normal man’s belt but a length of soft leather. He pulled it so tight the edges would dig painfully into her skin if she struggled, and then tied the ends in a secure knot. No, no, no! Her mind screamed furiously but her physical cries were growing weak. They were going to rape her and she absolutely could not fight off three men. Pinned and trussed, she couldn’t battle a flea. After her feet were bound, Darius removed her other shoe and carefully she was tipped onto her feet while her arms were crossed behind her back. Her shoulders ached and her forearms burned where more leather was tied. Yet another piece of leather was knotted behind her head, gagging her. Her mouth worked around the bit of leather, her mind frantic. Helpless sobs racked her frame. “Good, Quentin,” the boss said, addressing the monster at her head. The boss drew close. His broad chest brushed her breasts, which were pushed forward from her posture. When his gaze settled on hers, quivers struck her anew. “Pin her to the building.”
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She bucked but her body did nothing more than undulate like a worm. Darius gave a little laugh. The boss cut him off with a hand on his shoulder. He stepped back, his gaze raking over her. “Yes, beautiful. All those gorgeous ringlets and the tears…” He nodded as he admired what he’d done to her. “Those tears are softening her already. Let’s see how much.” Without warning, he thrust his leatherclad hand under her short dress and between her thighs. The unfamiliar touch on her previously wet, pulsing sex sent a ripple of shock through her. He probed her outer labia gently and then spread her with his fingers. Humiliation captured her and she sank farther into the quiet place in her mind they could not touch. Roughly, the boss tugged her dress up around her waist. The building behind her was cold and hard on her exposed buttocks. She whimpered. He dipped his head, staring directly at her pussy. Keeping her lips spread, he used his other hand to stroke her inner folds. The leather glided along the juices that remained there. But when he pressed back her hood and gently plundered the hard core of her clit, her body sang to life. “Ahh, that’s my beauty. My little kitty Kat. When I first saw you enter my club, I knew I had to take a chance with you. To see what impulses really lived beneath that tight dress and behind those blue eyes of yours.” He circled her clit maddeningly. Her traitorous pussy released a flood of cream. He gathered a bit of wetness on one fingertip. Her cunt pulsed open as if to drag his finger into her depths. Abruptly he withdrew. Simultaneous relief and loss fell over her—a bizarre mixture of emotions. She couldn’t wrap her head around them. Didn’t want to. Let me go. Leave me alone. I just want to go home. A quieter voice deep in her soul urged them to touch her more. She needed to escape the mounting pressures warring in her core. The boss scanned her body once more. “Let’s sample those luscious, jiggling breasts, shall we, boys?” 48
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They each made hungry noises. She started to buck again. “You know. I think we need to untie her ankles.” She nodded frantically. “You are beautiful, Kat. I want to show you how beautiful you can be. Inside every woman has self-doubt. But I can tap into that and erase it. Your confidence will flourish in my hands.” Kidnapping her, tying her up and touching her against her will would help her confidence? Not fucking likely. Send her straight into a loony bin. He edged his fingers under the neckline of her dress. He pulled it down slightly, testing the fabric. Finding it stretchy, he whipped it down under her breasts, exposing them to the cool night air. She screamed behind her gag, twisting and fighting as best she could. Darius planted a hand on her navel and held her spine flush to the brick building. And then the boss thrummed her nipples. They pinched up like jewels even as nausea grew in her belly. The leather-clad fingers twisted and teased her nubs. Liquid desire pooled in her breasts and spread through her body, capturing her pussy. “Let’s see if I’m right about you.” With that, the boss’s hot mouth covered one bud. Shivers of fear and lust swept through her. He kneaded her other nipple while he suckled her, drawing long tendrils of her fear to the surface. Her mind battled even as her body gave in. Was this what those people in the club experienced? Their minds made to accept, to submit, even as their bodies were both tortured and pleasured? Her breath sobbed in her lungs as the boss kissed and sucked her nipples. His velvety tongue laved each one over and over until she felt her knees growing weak. “Unbind her feet.” Relief was a warm trickle of water on her. “Spread her legs and hold them.”
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Her mind shrieked. In an instant, her ankles were loosened. Darius nudged her leg to the side and then locked his thigh against hers, trapping her as if she were a butterfly on a pin while Quentin did the same on her other side. With a ball of dread clogging her throat, Kat watched as the boss’s mouth flexed into a smile behind his leather mask. “Such a pretty bare pussy. When did you start shaving?” His strange tone made her look at him harder. But she could detect nothing in his cold countenance. The mask hid any feeling from her and the darkness concealed the expression in his eyes. As he reached for her pussy again, she wondered why the hell she’d decided going commando tonight would be a smart thing to do. Although panties wouldn’t stop them anyway. The smooth leather caressed her slit, causing her to jerk. Bile rushed up her throat. “Boys, spread her pussy lips for me.” His ragged voice sent her nerves pinging even as she battled her nausea. Fuck, what had she been thinking to go to the club? Her strict lifestyle wasn’t so bad, if a little boring. This encounter ripped away every shred of her control she’d fought so desperately to achieve after leaving her parents’ home. Hot fingers fumbled against her labia, tugging them apart. Cold air rushed across her exposed clit and inner lips. She twisted her head to the side, fighting the sensations coursing through her core. Desire was an evil snake luring her from her true emotions. Just as desire had lured her to the sex club. Just as desire would now get her raped and killed. Suddenly all the times Daniel tried to get her to loosen up and explore flooded her mind. Besides grinding with her on the dance floor, he’d once slid his hand under her skirt at a restaurant and suggestively whispered that she should join him in the bathroom. A half dozen more times drummed through her brain. If she’d only opened up to him, she might be married to him now. In his arms instead of fighting off this gang. 50
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One meaty forefinger stroked her love button. Once. Twice. She trembled against the heat the boss created. Behind her gag, her mouth twitched into a grimace of pleasure and pain. Like Edvard Munch’s oil painting “The Scream” meets Cinemax After Dark. “Don’t tell me you weren’t begging for this, baby. You wanted someone to find that wet honey hole, didn’t you?” The boss’s gritty voice scalded her as he fingered her pussy. “No,” she cried behind the gag. Again, his finger flickered over her clit. Her thigh muscles quaked. She hoped he didn’t dip his fingers in her sex and discover her disloyal pussy had flooded with cream. “Don’t tell me you don’t like the way that feels. Your clit is as hard as a pearl.” She shook her head and when her curls tumbled into her eyes, he brushed them away almost lovingly. His leather-clad fingers trailed over her cheekbone and down to her jaw. Abruptly, he leaned in and kissed her. She went utterly still as his hard lips met hers. The edges of the mask around his mouth and her own gag chafed her sensitive skin, and a strange cologne, male musk and leather dizzied her. Her eyes slipped closed as she lost herself in his caress. And then without warning, he slapped her mound. Once. Very hard. A gasp of outrage burst past the confines of the gag. She twisted from his kiss but Quentin locked her head to the wall with a palm on her forehead. Her bare mound stung from the slap. “Don’t you know what an honor it is to be kissed by the boss here? He rarely shows anyone interest, let alone an amateur like you.” The boss gave him a silencing look and Quentin’s mouth shut with a snap. The skin on Quentin’s throat burned with a flush she knew ravaged his face beneath his mask. “I think you need another slap, don’t you, men?”
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She bucked. Her thigh muscles shook with the effort to clamp her legs shut but the thugs held her tight with their heavy bodies. The touch of their leather pants on her bare flesh stimulated her and when her pussy clenched hard, she mentally wrestled with the sensation. The flat of the boss’s hand came down on her mound hard. This time his pinky slapped her swollen clit. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks and soft sobs tore from her throat. “Oh, my little Kat. That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he soothed. He gripped her around the waist and leaned in to smooth the hair from her wet eyes. When his mouth moved over her cheeks, gathering her salty tears, she shook at the tenderness he offered. The tip of his tongue swiped away each tear, lapping them from the corners of her eyes as they fell. His touch branded her so hotly she felt if she ever got out of this situation and was faced with her reflection again, she’d wear several reddened scars. Please, please. Her mind begged for release but her body begged for a different kind of release. His kindness was awakening her again, bringing her back from the ledge of despair. Suddenly, the boss lifted his head. He gestured to the men, who pried apart her nether lips until they burned from being stretched. Excitement ripped through her. The leader’s fingers slid into the V of her legs, moving gently over her slick folds. The soft wet noise of him fingering her filled her with shame even as her body came alive. His fingers moved faster, harder, swirling around her straining bud. She forced her hips to remain still, not to respond to his touch, though she was a live wire dangling over a tub of water. “If that doesn’t feel good, don’t you dare come on my fingers. Don’t you dare squirt your cream all over my hand. No. No. Don’t.” His sweet breath washed over her face. She strained against the men holding her, hating that she wanted this man to claim her mouth again. She quivered.
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A rumble ran through his chest. “Don’t come. Don’t, little Kat. That doesn’t feel good. Don’t let those juices flow. Don’t…” Blinding moments of terror were interspersed with long spells of ecstasy as he fingered her soaking pussy. She tuned in to his voice, to the soft rasp of his breath, forgetting about Quentin and Darius and the alley and her arms bound behind her back. Her world narrowed. White heat stabbed her pussy and the first pulsations began. “Come,” the boss finished. Her mouth clamped around the leather and cut off her cries of bliss as the waves of pleasure rocked her. Her knees sagged and the men supported her as the boss’s hand sank deep into her opening, drawing out all the juices and slicking his glove. “Mmm,” he groaned, removing his hand. He spread his fingers, revealing her thick love cream stringing between his fingers. “Boys, we’ve got a gusher here. And I don’t know about you, but I’m dying to taste it.” With a burning flush of shame, she watched as he held out his hand. Each man sucked a finger, lapping her pussy juice, drawing the black-clad digit into his mouth and letting his tongue swirl to the webs. When his hand was clean, the boss reached gently between her thighs again. She tensed and he crooned to her, raining kisses all over her throat and to the crest of her cleavage. As he explored her in nipping bites, she relaxed. He smeared her moisture over her clit and folds, raising a moan from her. “That’s it, my love. Let yourself go. Give yourself up to me, to my voice, my smell, my taste and my touch. I’m your world now. Your safe harbor. You’ve given one orgasm to me, but I will demand many, many more before I’m finished with you. And when I withhold, you will beg me to beat your round ass, if only to know my touch once more.” Uncontrollable shivers possessed her.
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The men released her pussy lips and they felt suddenly too big. Swollen. Loose. She longed for the tight, burning feeling of being stretched even as the boss’s words incited fear in her. Her nipples ached and her mouth watered to be kissed. Her eyes flashed to the boss’s as he brought his hand to his lips. “Now for my taste.” He stuck three fingers past his lips. His eyes slipped shut as he moaned. Her gaze dropped to the bulge in the front of his tight-fitting pants, remembering too well the length and girth of that cock in his hand. A shudder ripped through her. With a shock, she realized she was dying for him to fuck her. Was it rape if she was dying to be filled by him? “Kat, you have the sweetest pussy. I want more. So now, you’re going to sit on my face while my men hold you. And I hope you’re getting accustomed to pain, because my boys like to experiment.” He looked between Darius and Quentin. “Strip her, guys. And don’t let her get away.”
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Chapter Six They undressed her then lowered her slowly over the leader’s face. Her thigh muscles jumped and burned with desire. And with the need to run. The cool air stroked her bare flesh but the heat emanating from the leader’s body staved off her shivers. “My darling Kat, your scents overwhelm me.” His throaty words ran through her and were locked in the vault of her memory to be replayed later…if she lived to see a later. “Spread her legs farther.” Quentin nudged her knee out, scraping her flesh on the concrete, but she took no notice of the small pain. Her needy lips literally vibrated with desire. The boss’s fingers dug into her hips, prying apart her ass cheeks. With a violent crack, a belt struck the left globe. She screamed behind the gag as the searing sting doused all hints of arousal. She fought to climb off this man’s face, to gain her feet and flee, uncaring that she was nude. Another slap from the belt struck her other cheek and hot sobs erupted in her chest. “Sweet woman. Don’t you feel better for that? You need the pain to give yourself up to the pleasure.” Did she? His words confused her. The real voice of Kat said, No. I don’t need to feel the hurt to achieve the pleasure. But a smaller, newborn voice said, I might. I might. Show me. As the belt struck her a third time, the boss captured her pussy in one big, openmouthed bite. He sucked her slash, gulping down the love cream from her previous orgasm and, just as the belt came down on her ass again, he drew her nubbin onto his tongue.
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A scream of pleasure and pain broke from her lungs, muffled behind the gag and absorbed by the buildings enclosing her in this alley. She wished her arms were unbound so she could grip his face and ride it, fuck it, come all over it. The belt walloped her harder this time, drawing a squeak from her, but when the boss’s fingers soothed the rising welt, she calmed and reclaimed her enjoyment. She slammed her sopping pussy into his lips again and again, silently begging for release. His teeth grazed her hard pearl and the first pulsations began deep in her core. Before she could come, he lifted her off his face. The men grabbed her beneath the arms and drew her to a stand. Her legs shook. Her pussy gaped open as if to beg. And her mind whirled between the riots of pleasure breaking over her and the absolute fear of the situation. She was whirled to face the wall, her ass slapped hard with a big hand, her breasts pinched until a sob rose from her. “I think she needs more of that strap. Hand it to me, Quentin.” “No,” she cried behind her gag. Why was he doing this? Thirty seconds ago, he’d been delivering the most pleasure she’d ever received in her life. And then he was smacking her, the leather belt licking her sensitive flesh with blows that felt brutal. Why, why, why? Her mind sobbed, wondering how she could put an end to his madness and maybe get to the high state of pleasure she’d previously been given. As the belt worked over her ass and the backs of her thighs, she sobbed, sagging between the men holding her up. She let her mind wander, listening to the cracks of the leather as if from a distance and finally knowing only a sort of calm. What had he meant when he said she needed the pain to give herself up to the pleasure? As the words ran through her mind, she recalled the beginning of her sexual journey. After Daniel had broken up with her, imposing upon her the most pain she’d experienced in her life, she had found ease in her body through orgasm. Could this be the same? 56
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The belt silenced and Kat found her dress tugged over her head and down her hips. Then she was lifted and thrown over the boss’s shoulder. “I’ve got her. You go ahead of me and unlock the doors.”
***** Before they reached their destination, the boss stopped walking to allow Darius to tie the soft leather strip from her ankles around her eyes. She squirmed as this precious sense was cut off and was awarded a hearty smack to her buttocks by the boss’s firm hand. “Be still if you know what’s good for you.” Blindfolded, gagged and with her arms still pinned painfully behind her back, she dangled over his body, aware only of the strain between her shoulder blades and the warm feel of his body against her. His back muscles rippled as he walked and his biceps bulged against her thighs. Fleetingly she wondered what color his hair was. She hadn’t glimpsed so much as a nest of pubic hair cushioning his hard cock or a dusting of hair on his knuckles, and his hooded mask concealed him entirely. The rolling movement of his gait calmed her until she knew only the darkness and the unbearable pressure in her pussy. Was this what the redheaded beauty on the X frame experienced before she had managed to fall asleep? The boss man’s steps seemed to change and she felt herself being carried upstairs. A new chord of fear was plucked in her soul. Was this the point where they stabbed her to death, rolled her body in a carpet and pitched her into a dumpster? Her heart thudded loudly and she longed for the use of her hands to fight, to break free. But his hold on her was like a vise, binding her to him as surely as those women had been tied to the frames. She heard doors opening and closing and the thud of boots on hard floors. Then their steps quieted, making her believe they were crossing an expanse of carpet. Through the blindfold, she couldn’t see even a chink of light. But her nostrils flared at the scent of candle wax.
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“Leave us.” The boss’s voice shredded what felt like the last of her control. She broke into helpless sobs again. A moment later, she was laid gently down on a bed. Her fingers twisted into the silk coverlet, bunching it into peaks. She crunched into a protective ball with her knees to her chest and her ankles crossed. Footsteps sounded, followed by the closing of a door. And then the mattress sank beneath someone’s weight. Quivers began in her core, spreading outward to capture her limbs. Her teeth chattered around the gag. “Oh Kat.” His tender tone wheedled into her psyche. He prodded the knot on the back of her head. “If I release this gag, do you promise not to scream?” She nodded frantically. The cloth fell away and she gasped as if she’d been rescued from quicksand. She drew great gulping breaths. The cool air passed her lips and teeth and coated her parched tongue. As if he detected her need, a moment later she felt the chill of a glass touch her lips. With a hand on the back of her head, he helped her to sit up. He tipped the delicious red wine into her mouth. She gulped greedily, the bouquet bursting on her tongue. He removed the glass from her lips and she bathed them with her tongue, licking off the last drops. A soft moan rose from him. With her thirst quenched, she noticed how abominably her shoulders ached. She flexed them, feeling like a chicken impersonator. “Please.” Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears. Throatier than usual. He pressed a finger to her lips. “You must not speak unless I ask you a direct question. But you’re beautifully tame right now, so I’ll indulge you. What would you like, Kat?” “I’d like my arms freed.”
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“That’s better.” She could hear the smile in his voice. He stroked her curls and then a moment later he released her arms. Her fingers had lost feeling and she flexed them. She pressed them into the bed but they couldn’t support her. She flopped onto the mattress and resumed her fetal position. “Kat.” His voice wound through her brain like the headiest wine. “Dear Kat. Why are you still frightened?” Was she allowed to answer? “Y-you might hurt me.” He made a clicking sound with his tongue. “Have I hurt you? Truly? Look deep beneath your skin for the truth.” Her mind flipped through the events of this entire encounter. The kidnapping, the bindings, stripping off her dress and touching her… “You’ve struck me.” He chuckled. “But left no marks. Your porcelain skin is unblemished. You’re not hurt. But you have learned, whether you believe it or not. The things you’ve experienced have softened you perfectly. I see the way your lips have fallen open and your shoulders have relaxed. I see the looseness in your joints and deeper, in your soul. I never realized it would take so little to skin you.” She shuddered at his choice of words. Skin her? What did that mean? The words bubbled on her lips but she quickly swallowed them. More than anything, she wanted him to keep talking. And she wanted to look upon him. Not just have the blindfold removed, but for him to strip off his gloves and the hood that concealed him utterly. His voice came from the right, far away from her. “Kneel up.” She froze as a new wave of terror splashed over her. An icy trickle of dread coursed down her spine. “When I order you, you must obey. I am your master and you are my servant.”
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Tears welled behind her blindfold and leaked from under it, wetting her cheeks. Would he kiss them away again? She wished he’d come to her again, touch her with more than his rugged voice. She gathered herself to her hands and knees, head twisted to the place where his voice had been. Her muscles shook, threatening to spill her, but she forced them to do his bidding. When he spoke again, he was to the left. “Not on your hands and knees. Just your knees. And clasp your hands behind your back. That’s it. Lace your fingers.” She followed his instructions. Her breasts were thrust outward with this posture, and she felt her shoulders give a growl of complaint. “Spread your thighs. Far apart, until your pussy almost touches the silk beneath you. Ahh, that’s beautiful.” He moaned. Knowing she was able to affect him with her body gave her a sense of pride. She’d always worked to keep her body toned. Even Daniel had complimented her on it. That and her curls. Stop thinking of him. It’s over. You’ll never get him back no matter what. And you don’t want him anyhow, do you? At this moment she was aching for the man in this room—the boss. Her master. Panic snaked down her spine. Master. “Now pull up your dress so I can see that bare little pussy and then thread your fingers behind your back again. If you hadn’t been such a bad girl and needed to be put in your place, I could have eaten that dripping slit until you screamed with release. I suppose you aren’t completely tamed yet, though you seem meek.” His voice came from a few feet in front of her. She nodded quickly, seeking his approval. Anything but the spanking or the thrashes with the belt. Her skin began to tingle as the itch returned. “Pull up your dress!”
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His anger slammed her. Frantically, she gripped her hem and bared her pussy to him, a sob clogging her throat. What the hell was she doing here in this situation? She should be tucked up with a nice mug of tea and a romantic comedy, awaiting the Monday morning slog. But no, her pussy had led her into this. And God, it wanted desperately to be pleasured. Thick cream squeezed onto her inner thighs. Again, he moaned. His footsteps neared but he did not touch her. She craved his fingers splitting her needy flesh. She needed his voice. She wriggled her hips, begging him, urging him, hoping to entice him. A soft chuckle sounded. “What do you want, dear Kat?” Could she ask for him to touch her? His words came to her unbidden. When I withhold, you will beg me to beat your round ass, if only to know my touch once more. Did she want that? The sweet sting of a belt or his hand on her flesh, knowing the pleasure would soon follow? The pleasure and pain were mingling in her mind so she couldn’t remember where one ended and the other began. It was one continuous loop in her brain. “I-I want…” “What?” His voice was stronger, harsh almost, and came from behind her. “Want…” Her lower lip trembled and she bit it brutally. He slid his fingertip over her lip, forcing it from her teeth. “Tell me, Kat.” All at once the rigid lines of her strict life blurred and tonight’s events mingled with the new Kat’s experiences—the experiences of a woman who skipped work to indulge in self-pleasure and visited sex clubs without a thought to anything but feeling good. For one shimmering moment, the worlds touched. Became one. “I want you to…” Tears spilled from her eyes and drenched her blindfold. “Ssmack me.”
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“Oh Kat.” He tumbled her into the mattress, flipping her and delivering several slaps to her bare bottom. When his hand left her, she followed, arching her back, thrusting her buttocks toward him. “Fuck,” he whispered as if it were a prayer. There was a flurry of activity on the bed and then she was thrown over his thighs, her sex pushing against his muscular leg. Her love cave contracted once as he swatted her, lifting her cheeks on his leather-clad palm. He beat her left ass cheek and then the right until they felt enormous and steaming. She remained silent through the ordeal, both reveling in his touch and mentally shying from this particular touch, though she knew if she endured she would be rewarded. Soon he alternated smacks with caresses, soothing the hurts he caused. Lightly he trailed his fingers over the round undersides of her globes, so near her pussy that she whimpered. At last, he dropped his face to the nape of her neck and nuzzled. Her tears continued to fall. “Skinned. Each layer peeled away one by one until you are totally exposed to me. God, how I have longed for this.” He rolled her over and stretched atop her. He tore off her blindfold. She blinked up at him, stunned by his weight upon her, by the broad shoulders that held her prisoner. She didn’t want to be anyplace else. His black eyes burned into hers, but now that she could study them up close, they were brown. Chocolate. Like— Before she could think, he kissed her. Tongue driving between her lips and sweeping the hot recesses of her mouth. She sucked his salty tongue deeper, raising a groan from him. He brutally ground his cock into the V of her legs. Her clit throbbed against the swollen head that pummeled her. Shivers of bliss ran through her.
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He angled his head to deepen the kiss and then suddenly pulled back. He pinched the leather of his hood and yanked it over his lower face, exposing his nose and lips. Lips she would know if she lived to be two hundred. Daniel Chaser’s lips. With a cry, she tore the hood off, stripping it over his thick chestnut hair. He attacked her. Tongue battling hers, lips bruising, his fingers rough against her throat, her jaw, fisting her hair. “Daniel,” she sobbed. She arched to meet his gulping kisses, biting his lower lip, scraping his tongue with her teeth, raking his back with her short nails. “Why? Why did you do it?” His kiss slowed and grew bittersweet. “Baby, I’ve hated being away from you.” Confusion blurred her mind. Her passions surged through her like quicksilver and she couldn’t think around them. Emotion mounted in her. She was in his arms. And he’d known all along who she was. He’d known when she stood at the gate of Touch, seeking entry. He’d known when he stroked his hard length for her in the orgy room. And he’d known when he asked her to give herself to him in mind, body and spirit, and she’d wholeheartedly agreed. “Then why did you break up with me?” She searched his gaze. He hovered over her, strong arms locked. “I needed more. My God, I thought my heart would stop when I saw you at the gates. At first, I couldn’t understand why you’d be there and I thought to toy with you. Frighten you.” “I was frightened.” A fresh shiver whipped through her and he kissed her cheek softly. “But you overcame it. You let me strip it from you until all that’s left is pure, golden love. Kat, when I told you I wanted a woman to need me, this is what I meant.”
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“I do need you. You’ve shown me how much,” she cried, yanking him back to her mouth. He kissed her wildly. His beard was sprouting and chafed her deliciously. She locked her heels behind his back and tipped her hips into his. “My beautiful Kat, I love you.” His gaze wandered over her face as if she were precious glass. Then he dipped his nose to her hair and inhaled deeply. “You had no idea who I was, did you?” She shook her head. “I came to Touch because I’ve been exploring myself since you disappeared from my life. I didn’t know what to expect there and I’m still confused by it all. But I love you and the things you’ve shown me tonight.” With a growl, he ravaged her mouth, kissing her until her lips pulsed. She slipped her fingers beneath the hem of his shirt, reacquainting herself with his muscled abs and the narrow love trail running into his pants. Small noises escaped her. Whether he spanked her or went down on her, she needed his touch. He flicked his tongue over her earlobe. “Mine. My baby. My Kat. My precious. I needed to possess you so badly. Never in a million years did I dream you could be this woman.” “I didn’t know either,” she admitted shyly. The point of his tongue poked into her ear. “I’ll show you things you’ve never dreamed,” he said in the hoarse way she hadn’t recognized as his voice. In a swift movement, he stripped off her dress. She stretched beneath him, her nipples hard pearls against his leather shirt. Everything about his disguise had fooled her, from his attire to the hood, which had seemingly altered the hue of his eyes. But nothing could rival those sexy lips. And she wanted them now. He kissed her hard as he pinched her nipples, twisting them until she cried out and then lapping the sore buds in long, maddening strokes. He kissed a path down her ribs to the bare crest of her mound. Her hips lifted automatically to him, seeking his touch. When his gloved hands slid between her soaking folds, she knew she was more than lost to this man. 64
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All of a sudden, his fingers retreated. He gripped the fingertip in his teeth and pulled off the glove. The touch of his hot, bare hand sent her rocketing up the steep slope of bliss. The knot in her core grew. She breathed in his heady, musky scent and tasted his need and knew utter submission. His thick digit invaded her pussy. He drove it deep, tearing a cry from her. Juices flooded his hand. Ducking his head, he bit her nipples tenderly, rolling the tips through his teeth until she thought she’d go mad with want. She tugged at his shirt, desperate to feel his heated flesh against hers. With a grin, he reared up to allow her to divest him of it. But when she reached for his fly, he shook his head and collapsed back against her. “Not yet, my love.” Her heart sang. His love. Had he ever in their months of dating confessed his love to her? She couldn’t recall him doing so. In fact, now that she thought of it, she realized what a huge blunder she’d made in assuming he was going to propose that night at the West Lion Inn. She’d been a fool, but now she was his in every way possible. He ran his scruffy jaw downward until he reached the heat of her. He swallowed her cunt in a huge sucking kiss—running his tongue over the slick inner labia, nibbling her swollen clit. She rode his tongue. Shocks of ecstasy shot through her body. Being with this sexy man was heightened now that she knew his identity. She couldn’t believe she’d been deceived, but now was very glad. She twisted her hands into the short hair at his nape and forced him harder onto her. Her ass cheeks were on fire from his blows and now she wanted the fire to consume her pussy. He moaned against her, the sound vibrating through her tissues. Cries burst from her as she fucked his mouth. “More, more.” When he slipped two fingers into her slit, she exploded in a blind wave of release that racked her body as the contractions captured her. Before she could come down, he had worked his way out of his pants, rolled a condom into place and was poised at the quick of her. She met his gaze. “Do it. Fuck me, Daniel. I need you like never before.” 65
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“I know you do,” he whispered in his throaty way before kissing her. In one powerful thrust, he joined them. Burying his long shaft to the root, he went perfectly still. His jaw flexed as he fought against moving too fast or coming too quick. She kissed him tenderly, adoring the upper bow of his lips and worshipping each corner. She laved his bottom lip with her tongue. Slowly he started to move, pulling all the way out to the tip and then plunging back in deeper than before. It felt as if his engorged head swiped her womb with every thrust. He cupped her ass and yanked her to meet his penetrations, pounding her as he never had. Determination branded his handsome face. His eyes darkened as the pupils blew wide in pleasure. And when he slapped her ass with each jerk, the sharp sting and the sound sent her over the edge. She came in a great rush of cream, bathing his cock in her slick juices and yanking him deep into the crazed waters with her. He bellowed as he shot, hips pumping against her, sealing him tight to her body. Her heart overflowed with love for this amazing man who she thought had been lost to her forever. Really he’d been brought back to her in her personal discoveries. Their mouths collided in a tangle of delights as he slowed his pace. The last of his movements ceased and she gave an all-over shudder. His breath rasped in her ears. She locked him in her arms, wishing she’d known this bliss in bed with him months ago. She hadn’t realized the joys of giving herself to a man wholeheartedly as well as entrusting him with her spiritual care. The headspace she’d found tonight was priceless. “I’ll never give you up again,” he murmured against her ear. Perspiration slicked them together. She drew him closer and kissed the side of his face. “You’d better not. Because I love you, and I want you to teach me more.” He drew away minutely in order to stare into her eyes. His gaze was soft with passion and glowed with love. “You’re not angry with me?”
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She squeezed him. “Not at all. Even when you broke up with me, I found a path that taught me things about myself. I learned the pleasures to be gained—pleasures I was missing out on. And this… I never knew emotions like this could exist in me. I feel freer than I’ve ever been.” “God, Kat. I’m so glad.” He rolled into the covers and tucked her tightly against his body. She ran her toes up his calf, loving the crisp hairs on his legs. His hard cock still bobbed between them and she remembered him jacking off for her while the orgy raged around them. She wondered if the other people were ever satiated the way she was, and guessed they had been. “I thought the people at Touch were crazy at first. But I couldn’t help but be turnedon too.” His laughter vibrated into her. “I know you were. I could see it written all over you.” A long moment of silence followed. He caressed her shoulder to her upper arm, down to her hand, and back up. “Daniel?” “Hmm?” “What were you doing on my block the other day? When you saw me leaving the scene of…the scene of…” He nudged her chin up to look into her eyes. “I was thinking of you and thought I’d see if I could run into you.” His lips pursed in thought. “A stupid move, I know. I should have just called you or dropped by. What happened that morning? You said someone died.” She swallowed the sudden lump of tears clogging her throat. “Yes, a homeless man I helped every day.” His gaze was tender. “You’re an amazing woman. I’ve always known it. Can you understand why I demanded more?”
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“Yes.” “And you forgive me for it?” “Absolutely.” She sought his kiss and he gave it to her willingly. “Kat, stay here with me tonight.” “Where is here?” she asked, putting a breath of air between their entangled bodies. He grinned, and it was like the sun rising over the lip of her world. “My apartment.” She bolted upright, glancing all around. “Your apartment?” He sat up too. “Yes. I had it redone after we broke up. But I had to blindfold you, so you didn’t know my secret identity.” “Have you been playing at Touch since I first met you?” “I’m part owner. But I never lay a hand on anyone. I haven’t been intimate since we were together.” Moisture filled her eyes and she folded her lips against the impending tears. This was no time to cry. She’d found a new, magical universe right here in Daniel’s arms. And though this was a side of him she’d never guessed he possessed, she also owned a secret side. He yanked her back into the warm pool of his embrace, locking her against him from head to toe. When he spoke, his breath fanned her hair. He directed a thick lock behind her ear and smiled at her. “Thank you for this. For giving yourself. For trusting me.” She returned his smile, letting it spark in her eyes as well as her heart. “I don’t know if I could give more, Daniel. You own me.” “That’s what I wanted all along, my darling. But let me tell you—I can draw more out of you. And I will.” The rasping promise sent shivers through her. She tucked her head beneath his chin and closed her eyes, feeling more peace than she’d ever felt before. A chain of events 68
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had fired a need in her that only he could satiate. There was no turning away from this new Kat. And she didn’t want to.
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About the Author Em Petrova lives in backwoods Pennsylvania, where she raises four kids and two feral kittens and pays too damn much for utilities. But seeing her sexy husband tromp out back with a chainsaw in hand is well worth the frustration of living miles from a mall. She adores writing sex scenes and anything paranormal. When she has the opportunity to mix the two, she’s in her element. You can learn more about her smutty reads on her website.
Em welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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