Master Class

STORY EXCERPT

Ward thought she might actually turn him down, which hadn’t happened in a while and was probably a timely lesson in humility. Mind you, he didn’t normally take women where he was about to take Tanya. He really did want to talk to her and hadn’t thought beyond that point. Seeing the way Melanie led her around like a poodle irritated the hell out of him and he wanted to understand why she put up with it. He wanted to understand a lot of things about this oddly compelling woman. For the first time since he couldn’t remember when, he wanted to be with a female for reasons other than sex. Not that sex didn’t feature high on his list of priorities, but he wasn’t looking for a long-term relationship and something told him Tanya wasn’t into casual sex.

So what the hell do I want from her?

He punched a four-digit code into a doorway at the back of the bar. It swung open, and Ward stepped back to allow Tanya to step through it first, making sure it closed firmly behind them. Tanya looked around the large, comfortably furnished room and blinked. There were overstuffed sofas, a blazing log fire, a fully equipped bar and, mercifully, no blaring music.

“What is this place?” she asked.

“It’s where Leo and the rest of us come for privacy.”

“It’s your lounge? You live here?”

“Kinda.”

“Well, what does that mean? Either you do or you don’t.”

Ward laughed. “We’ll get to that. First, what would you like to drink? More beer?”

“No thanks. I don’t like beer much.” He wanted to ask why she’d been drinking it in that case, but refrained. It wasn’t so very important. “A glass of white wine would be good, though.”

“Coming right up.”

Wade handed her a glass, opened a beer for himself, and joined her on the settee beside the fire.

“Tell me about yourself,” he invited.

“I’d much rather talk about you. Why a half dozen Yanks call this place home has to be a more interesting story.”

He wagged a finger at her and then ran one arm along the back of the sofa, his fingers within striking distance of her neck and all that gorgeous hair. “I asked first.”

“Okay, but there’s not much to tell. I had a wonderful childhood, great parents who loved one another, and me and my brother and sister. We weren’t beaten, or abused, or neglected, or any of the other things it’s fashionable to complain about nowadays. Mum and Dad are still together, still in love.”

“You were lucky.”

“I know.”

“Whereabouts were you raised?”

“I was brought up in Brighton, which is on the south coast of England. I still live in the area. I have a flat—what you’d call an apartment—close to Mum and Dad’s place. I run my own business. Website design. Hadleigh’s site could use some work, by the way.” Her smile lit up her features and they lost their reserve. She feels confident talking about something she understands, Ward realized, glad she was starting to relax. “No offense, but I checked it out and it’s…well, dull.”

Ward laughed. “Leo isn’t into all that stuff.”

“It shows.”

“He does so well here that he doesn’t really need an online presence anyway.”

“Everyone does. Hello, welcome to the twenty-first century.”

“Does your business do well?”

Her smile vanished. “I’ve got a good client base, more than I can cope with actually, but I hit a few problems recently.”

Hmm, Ward would like to know what they were but sensed now wasn’t the time to ask. She’d clammed up on him again and he could feel tension radiating from her. “What sort of clients do you have?”

A grin tugged at the corners of her mouth, telling him he was back on safe territory. “All sorts. One writes erotic romance, which is…er, interesting.”

“Nothing wrong with erotica.”

“No, but she writes BDSM. It gets pretty wild.”

“Does it now.”

Her eyes sparkled, a mixture of autumnal colors that mesmerized him. “I do think she gets a bit carried away sometimes. I mean, I just posted an excerpt for her, but the woman was in an impossible position.”

“Define impossible.”

She blushed, presumably because she realized what she was saying to him, a virtual stranger. It was interesting that she felt safer talking about this than about herself.

“Well, the woman had her feet…sorry.” She clapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from giggling. “She had her legs over her own shoulders and her feet almost flat on the bed. She must have to have no bones in her body.”

“No, she could do that.”

Tanya’s eyes flew wide—very wide. “You know about this stuff?”

ADULT EXCERPT

“Your obedience pleases me, Tanya.”

His rigid cock throbbed like a bitch as Ward feasted his eyes on an exquisite body that was designed for mortal sin—a body that way exceeded his expectations. Her ass was indeed large, but the thought of seeing it striped pink after he’d given it a good flogging sent spikes of lust straight to his groin. Her thighs were on the heavy side but that flaw was more than compensated for by her shapely calves, slim ankles, and endlessly long legs. As for her tits—Ward couldn’t wait to get to work with the clamps, the ones connected by the weighted chain that would put maximum pressure on those delectably large nipples and teach her a few things she probably didn’t already know about the pleasures of titty play.

“Lift your breasts up and show them to me,” he said curtly.

He could see that the request had confused her. She was nervous, waiting for him to pay her compliments and put her at her ease, but that wasn’t the way Ward worked. He needed to establish his role as the Dom, get her used to obeying him without question or embarrassment. She sent him a quizzical glance but then did as he asked, pushing the heavy mounds of flesh together until the nipples almost touched.

“Why don’t you like your tits?” he asked.

“They’re too big and have been a constant source of embarrassment to me since I was twelve.”

Now was the time for a reassuring smile, and he duly dealt her one. “Honey, half the women in the world, including your friend Melanie, spend a fortune having theirs made bigger.”

“How did you know about Melanie?” She glanced up at him, appeared to remember she wasn’t supposed to do that, and dropped her eyes again.

Ward chuckled. “A man can always tell.”

“Oh, can he?”

“Pull that bathroom door closed.” She did so and found herself confronted with a full-length mirror. “Look at yourself, babe, and tell me what you see.”

“Fat thighs and pendulous tits,” she said without hesitation.

Ward shook his head. Her dislike of her body ran deeper than he’d realized. Tanya wasn’t ready to accept it yet, but her friend bore a lot of the responsibility for that. She chipped away at Tanya’s confidence at every opportunity, couching her bitchy comments as humor or friendly advice, making sure Tanya didn’t wake up to her own sensuality.

“Do you know what I see?”

“The same thing, Master?”

“Hell no. I see a desirable woman with lovely curves in all the right places. You wanna know what your curves do to me?” She nodded, which was Ward’s cue to stand up, unsnap his jeans, and step out of them. He went commando so was now naked, and very erect. He grasped the base of his cock and pointed it toward her. Her eyes widened and she gasped. “You’ve made me like this, sweet thing. You. No one else.”

“You’re just feeling horny.”

Geez, what would it take? “We don’t have many days before you leave, but fortunately I enjoy a challenge.” He fixed her with a determined expression. “Before you go back to England, I’ll have you looking at yourself in a very different way. On that you have my guarantee.”

“The way you’re looking at me, with…well, with hunger in your eyes, does make me feel special. But I still think that’s just because you want to get laid and I happen to be here.”

“I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but if I just wanted a quick fuck, I could have taken my pick out there in the bar. Oh, I do want to fuck you, very badly as it happens, and I will. But it’s important to me that you see yourself as I do. Don’t focus on the negatives.” He ran his gaze lazily down the length of her. “Think of the whole package, which is pretty damned hot from where I’m standing.”

“Oh.”

“And, just so you know, I never bring women back to this room. It’s my space and I don’t like it being invaded by strangers.”

“But I’m a stranger. We only just met.”

Naked Exposure

STORY EXCERPT

Ross’s disgruntled mood evaporated the moment Darcy walked into his office. He sat up and took a keen interest in his would-be employee. She was probably five-seven, with long, thick brunette hair barely contained in a curly ponytail. Her slender body was a little thinner than he would have liked, but she had curves in all the right places and they more than compensated for the lack of meat on her bones.

When she took her coat off—geez! He could see the outline of her nipples through that thin top. They were disproportionately large in comparison to the size of her neat little breasts. Ross couldn’t shake the thought of biting them, clamping them, doing just about every damned thing in his repertoire with them. She was as sensual as get-go—Ross was never wrong about these things—and he could just imagine her shedding her inhibitions in Hadleigh’s dungeon as she writhed beneath his hands and begged him for more of the same.

Shit, he had to stop thinking that way. She would see his cock straining against his zipper and run a mile. Ross figured men came on to her all the time, and the last thing he wanted to do was to frighten her off. He needed her to take this job. He didn’t care why she wanted it, or even if she was too good for it. He simply had to persuade her to stay.

Darcy had large eyes, an unusual shade of silver flecked with hazel, the irises a deeper shade of brown. They dominated her face, enhancing high cheekbones and pouty, sculpted lips that cried out to be kissed. Ms. Sinclair was a real babe. Fiona would have hated her on sight, with good reason as it happened, because Ross was already smitten.

She was definitely a player—or could be, given the right persuasion. Ross could always tell when a woman leaned in that direction, even if she didn’t know it herself. She was nervous, too, and Ross would give a lot to know why.

“My parents divorced recently,” she said in answer to Ross’s earlier question.

“I’m sorry.”

“Yes well, these things happen. My mother is French. She’s returned to live in France and so I figured it would be good to be near her. She needs my support right now.”

“So why not get a job in France?”

She offered him a smile that didn’t quite reach her remarkable eyes. “There’s such a thing as being too close.”

She’s lying. “I see.”

Fiona came in with coffee for them both, and lingered, sending frequent glances Darcy’s way.

“Thanks, Fiona,” Ross said, and finally Fiona left them, closing the door behind her.

“Where did you learn to ski?”

“I’ve been skiing about as long as I’ve been walking. We lived in England as a family but spent a month in France every winter.”

“And photography?”

“It’s all in my résumé.”

“Working for a film company is a hell of a lot more glamorous than what’s required here.” Ross leaned forward. “I’ve gotta tell you, Darcy, frankly I think you’re over-qualified for this job and will get bored within a week.” Why am I trying to frighten her off? “I’m sure you could do a lot better with your talents.”

“I know what’s required.”

“There’s not a lot to do in Nevella. It’s not a hip place like some of the French resorts.”

She fixed him with a probing look. “You’re here.”

“This isn’t about me.”

“No, I’m sorry.” But her gaze remained on his face. Shit, she was flirting with him. Why was she so desperate for the job? Ross had an uneasy feeling about her, but knew he wouldn’t turn her away. He needed her, in all respects.

“You know the salary. It’s minimum wage stuff.”

“Yes, but I can make extra by doing private projects. Film the classes in the mornings, offer my services to clients in the afternoons if they want me to follow them and record their activities, isn’t that right?”

“Yes, but there are no guarantees. If you quit on me after a couple of weeks, I won’t be best pleased.”

“Let me show you some of my stuff so you know what I can do.”

Oh, darling, I know what I’d like for you to do! “Sure.”

She pulled an iPad from her bag and swiped through it until she found what she was looking for. Ross took a look at a video of a kids’ class she had taken somewhere—not skiing but in a playground. She’d got the light and angles exactly right, catching the expressions of rueful mischief on the children’s faces as they played some sort of complicated tag game. The little monsters looked like the innocent cherubs they almost certainly weren’t, and he couldn’t imagine a single parent not snatching up a copy. He certainly would have if it had been…he forced his thoughts back on track.

“You have great talent,” he said, genuinely impressed.

“Thank you. I try to be different.”

“If I offer you this job, you know it will mean editing your day’s footage and putting it up on the big screens in Hadleigh’s in time for happy hour?”

“Of course. I can manage that.”

“Have you got accommodations in Nevella?”

“Yes.”

She told him where it was, and Ross frowned. It was a pretty rundown apartment block—seasonal lets. Nevella was a safe place, almost no crime, but he still didn’t like the thought of her living in such squalor. He looked at her for some time, resting his elbow on his elevated knee, cupping his chin in his hand. She met his gaze, a kaleidoscope of emotions flitting through her eyes, mostly desperation. Why the hell was she so anxious to work here? Something was off about her, but Ross knew he would take her on, simply to have her in his life for as long as she was prepared to stick around. He didn’t think it would be for long.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Your turn.”

Her eyes flashed with desire as she closed her sweet lips around the head of his penis and sucked. He thrust his hips forward until his cock hit the back of her throat, completely filling her mouth. She slid her tongue down the length of him, tugged at the hairs on his balls with her teeth, and then allowed him to slip almost all the way out of her mouth. Her tongue dipped into his slit, sipping up a drop of salty pre-cum, before repeating the process, her cheeks hollowing out as he filled her mouth with the hot brand of his cock.

“Shit, baby, you’ve done this before.” No longer quite so in control, Ross pulled out of her mouth and released one of her wrists. “Turn over and get onto your knees,” he said abruptly. “The restraints swivel.”

As soon as she had scrambled into this new position Ross reattached her wrists, and got off the bed so he could look at her. In the PVC, with her clamped tits dangling below her, she looked good enough to eat. Damn it, he needed a reminder of this. He rummaged in a drawer until he found his digital camera. She wasn’t the only one who liked pictorial records. He snapped off several shots of her, looking wanton, sexy, desperate, her hair all over the place, her hands shackled, that trashy dress the finishing touch. He stood behind her, taking a few shots of her naked ass.

“Spread your legs, sugar.” She did so without hesitation, giving Ross a full-on view of her pretty pink pussy lips. “You look so goddamned gorgeous, darlin’, but there’s still something missing.” Ross went to another drawer, produced a large vibrator and slid it easily into Darcy’s slick cunt. She groaned as she absorbed the toy, and Ross rewarded her by switching it on at a low speed. It protruded from her cunt, in danger of slipping out when he let it go. “Close your vagina muscles around it, sweetheart. I need to get a picture of you with it sticking out. Look at the camera for me.”

She did so, moistening her lower lip with the tip of her tongue, smiling like the cat who was about to get the cream. Shit!

“That’s it, darlin’. Fuck, I want you!”

Once again Ross resorted to his toy drawer, this time in search of a condom. He ripped the foil packet open and suited up. Then he returned to the bed and pushed the slipping vibrator back into Darcy. Hard. She grunted and thrust right back against it.

“Uh-huh.” Ross tapped her butt. “No one told you to move.”

“Sorry, but I—”

“No talking.” He tapped her a little harder. “Don’t make me punish you with the flogger.”

“Sorry, Master.” Her voice was breathy, her body bathed in perspiration beneath the clingy PVC. “I forgot.”

“Hmm.” He climbed up behind her and ran his cock down the crack in her ass, wishing…hell, it didn’t matter what he wished. All that was important was giving Darcy a good time. Then he’d try and get her to tell him why she disliked not being able to see. It was important for him to know. Real important. He wanted to know everything about her, especially why she was taking a lowly paid job she was grossly overqualified for. But first things first. “I’m gonna take you from behind, sugar, so I can play with your lovely tits at the same time.”

He removed the vibrator. A whole trail of her juices slid out with it, making him smile. She was so turned on, she probably didn’t know which way was up. He slid the tip of his cock into her pussy, pleased but not surprised to discover she was so frigging tight, it was almost painful. He sensed she wouldn’t want him to be gentle. Besides, gentle wasn’t a word he knew how to spell in his repertoire. He’d warned her what to expect and, with the exception of the blindfold, she’d taken to it like a natural. With one powerful thrust of his hips, he drove himself balls-deep into her welcoming warmth.

“Shit, baby, that’s tight. You okay?”

“Hmm, wonderful.”

He laughed as he withdrew almost all the way, conscious of her tightening and clenching around his length in an effort to keep him right where he was. His blood flamed as he drove himself home again, the friction intoxicating because she appeared incapable of passivity and, no matter how hard he drove into her, she always pushed back to meet him. His balls slammed against her butt as he set up a hot, slick tempo, straining to maintain control as he felt her excitement escalate.

“No orgasm until I say you can,” he said, breathing hard as he continued to work her from behind.

“That’s so not fair,” she replied, panting.

Ross chuckled. “You have to learn control, sugar.”

“But this is my first lesson.”

“True, that’s why I’m cutting you some slack.”

“This is you being thoughtful?”

“Oh yeah!”

He tugged hard on the chain connecting her nipple clamps at exactly the moment when his cock filled her to capacity. He felt her clenching him again, but this time her sheath spasmed around him. Hell, she’d make him lose control at this rate, and that couldn’t be allowed to happen. He lowered his head and sent a line of teasing kisses down her spine as he continued his assault on her pussy. She gasped.

“Ross, please! I’ll do whatever you say, but—”

“You’ll do what I say anyway.” He pushed her hair aside and bit her neck, the same flickering heat she was probably wrestling with now invading his own self-control. “You like the feel of my cock fucking you?”

“You know I do.” She was almost crying with need, every square inch of her appearing to vibrate with the effort she was taking to stave off her orgasm. “I didn’t realize it could be so…so vibrant.”

“Okay, darlin’, I’ll take pity on you.”

Ross upped the pace, pretending it was for her benefit, but actually because the fiery vibes shooting through his blood stream issued an exquisite warning. He tugged harder on the nipple clamp chain as readiness coursed through his body, as close to losing control as she was.

“Ross, what are you doing to me?” Her strangled cry was imbued with astonishment. “I can’t…I’m going to—”

“Let it go, babe,” he said in a husky voice. “Take what you need from me.”

“You’re killing me,” she groaned, pushing back hard to meet his next thrust.

I’m killing her?