Bonds of Trust Read online

  “Let’s go upstairs.”

  Upstairs. To the third floor, full of private rooms for individual use. Anticipation mingled with anxiety and sat like a rock in her gut. The moment of decision not so easily made. She was way too old and cautious to go into anything blind. No matter how much she wanted it.

  “What will you—” she swallowed, “—we do?”

  “Only what you want,” he reassured her. His fingers traced an intimate line down the edge of her jaw. “We’ll discuss details upstairs. Remember, a Dom/sub interaction is all about negotiation and honesty. No pressure. No expectations. It’s you who holds the power. I’ll only give what you’re willing and able to receive.”

  He made it seem so simple. Safe.

  His fingers tightened on her jaw. “But I want to see you beg. I want you aching for a release that only I can give you. I want you tied up and bowing to my desires to get yours.” His eyes darkened to a deep gray and were filled with all the passion and need he expressed. His look, his words triggered that deeply buried longing she’d denied for so very long. A tremor raked her body as she fully accepted that she could have this.

  A high-pitched wail reverberated through the room and surrounded her with the pure pleasure of the seemingly tortured sound. She wanted that even if she doubted she’d ever find it. Even if the very thought of actually reaching it both enticed and scared her senseless.

  And Master Jake was offering it to her.

  “Yes.” Cali breathed. She licked her lips and nodded, attempting to put some conviction into the movement. She could do this with him. More importantly, she wanted to do this with him. It was now or never. “Let’s go upstairs.”

  * * *

  His boots thumped low and hollow across the hardwood floor, projecting an ominous feel to the thick tension cloaking the small room. Jake walked a slow circle around Cali, touching her shoulder, stroking her arm, inhaling her scent that had turned deeper, muskier with her arousal. She shivered at his touch, but her body was once again stiff, her nerves seeming to resurface now that they were alone.

  Jake had purposely requested one of their less intimidating rooms. This one contained nothing shocking outside of an unobtrusive spanking bench along the far wall. Everything about the space spoke of seduction with a subtle hint of dominance, the primary item being a large bed with black sheets and iron headboard. The cuffs attached to both ends of the bed were tucked away and all the toys and other equipment were hidden behind the closed door of the armoire.

  “What do you want, Cali?”

  Jake would keep asking her that question until she answered. They would only proceed if she had the courage to voice her desires. Her hesitation, and almost immediate defensiveness to his direct questions, told him she needed to overcome the fear—or maybe it was shame—she seemed to associate with her needs. Otherwise, she would be filled with self-loathing and recriminations in the morning.

  She’d come to the club willingly, asking to be dominated without fully understanding what that meant. Her courage called to him, even as her natural submissive tendencies began to show. The way she melted under his touch, how she automatically followed his commands as she began to trust him. They were like lures, reeling him into her charms until he was unable to pull away.

  Despite her hesitations and obvious inexperience, the mysterious Ms. Reynolds had him completely enthralled. The odd mix of courage, tempered with vulnerability, made her far more enticing than the young twenty-somethings who came into the club, brazen and cocky in what they thought they wanted, or even his seasoned clients who knew exactly what they wanted. She was like an exquisitely wrapped present just waiting to be stripped of the bows and ribbons to reveal the hidden prize beneath the tightly held pretense.

  She stood before him, illuminated by the light strategically placed around the edges of the room. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her, her chin lifted, shoulders back, but her eyes refused to meet his despite his instructions.

  He grabbed the back of her hair and gave a soft, but firm tug. Her head jerked and her gaze flew up to meet his.

  “Look at me and answer my question. What do you want?”

  Her eyes widened, the green depths deepening as her pupils dilated more.

  “Answer, or we’re done.”

  After a brief, tense pause, she spoke. “I told you, I don’t honestly know.” Her cheeks flushed. “I want a man to make me come. No vibrators. No toys. I want...” Her gaze darted away from his, but with a tug on her hair it returned. “I want a man’s touch. His control. His confidence in owning my body and giving me everything I want. I want sex that is also about me...not just him.”

  A good start. He could give her that. Easily. But he sensed there was more. “And...” He let the question trail off.

  She swallowed, her lips working as she gathered her courage. “I don’t know,” she admitted, the honesty projected in both her voice and eyes. “My sexual experience is so embarrassingly limited that I don’t honestly know what I want outside of what I just told you. I don’t know what I like or don’t like because anything outside of vanilla sex has never been given to me.” She sucked in a breath of air like she was shocked at the admission.

  Jake clenched his free hand behind his back, the hidden action his only break in the calm, controlled facade he displayed. The desire to do exactly as she asked was so overwhelming it took everything in him to hold himself still.

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

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

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

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

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

  A pause. “Yes.”

  “Blindfolds?”

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

  “Nipple clamps?”

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

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

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

  “Spankings, flogging, whips?”

  A hesitant, “Yes...I think. Some.”

  “Threesomes or more?”

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

  “Public displays?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  “Can I kiss you?”

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

  He didn’t kiss subs, especially clients.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  She gave a slight nod.

  “I need the words, Cali.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  The Scene had begun.

  Chapter Five

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

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

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

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

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

  Like he understood her.

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

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

  And he scared the shit out of her.

  Not him exactly, but how he made her feel.

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

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

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

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

  By anyone. Period.

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

  “Remove your skirt, Cali.”

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

  “Panties too.”

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

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

  And still he touched her.

  Kept her there. Grounded. With him.

  In the moment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

  “What else? I want to hear it all.”

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

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

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

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

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

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