STORY EXCERPT

“When are you going to find your perfect mate, Rhonda?”

Rhonda almost choked on the mouthful of water she struggled to swallow. Coughing, she swiped the back of her hand over her mouth. “You’re too funny. I gave up on finding Mr. Right a long time ago. I’ve just never really felt connected to anyone.” She shrugged. “You know, you need to be…what’s the word?”

“Bonded?”

Rhonda snapped her fingers. “Exactly. You’d think I would come up with that word, being here and all.” She took another long drink of the water, finishing the bottle. She tossed it in the trash can at the side of the fridge and whipped the huge towel from around her, handing it to Missy. “Here you go.” She padded over to the small closet and pulled out a thick white robe. Wrapping it around herself, she tied the belt tightly. “I’m heading for the pool house. I’m going to have a soak in the hot tub before bed.”

Missy shoved the used towels into a tall wicker hamper. “Don’t fall asleep in there,” she warned. “You’re pretty relaxed from the massage, and I’d hate for you to boil yourself in the hot tub if you happened to doze off.”

“Don’t worry,” Rhonda said, slipping her feet into some flip-flops. “I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Missy called after her.

“Good night.” Rhonda exited the spa and made her way through the silent building into the pool area. The lighting was dim, the bluish glow coming from beneath the water of the swimming pool. The smell of chlorine floated through the air, obvious but not too strong. The hot tub was at the far end of the building, past the pool. She stopped by a long, narrow table that was butted up against one wall and grabbed two nicely folded towels. Tucking them under her arm, she padded across the tile floor, admiring the clear sparkling water of the pool as she passed by.

She loved it here at the compound and came to spend some time every chance she got. When she was here, she felt fully alive, able to let herself go any way she pleased. And everyone here loved pleasing everyone else. Rhonda smiled, slipping her robe off and laying it, along with the two towels, on one of the chairs near the hot tub. She kicked her flip-flops underneath the chair and turned toward the gurgling, warm water.

Kneeling down, she dipped her foot into the water. “Mmm,” she murmured, sliding her whole body into the gurgling liquid. Warmth wrapped around her naked body. She reached over and hit the button to start the jets and settled into the lounge chair formed in the side of the hot tub. Bubbles swirled around her, caressing her skin like a million butterfly kisses. Rhonda closed her eyes and laid her head back, not caring that the hair at the nape of her neck was getting damp. The heat from the water began to infuse her already-relaxed muscles. All she needed now was a glass of wine and maybe a man to keep her company.

Rhonda let her mind drift. She wished she knew who was going to be here this weekend. There was no bonding camp scheduled. She was the one who did the scheduling, and they didn’t have another one coming up for a few weeks. Rhonda truly enjoyed working for Cane, Moss, and White, the law firm. The partners were amazing to work for, and the philosophy of bonding camp seemed to work. Their firm fully understood each other and shared a bond she’d never seen before. With each new associate, one of the partners would schedule a bonding camp session to get the newly hired person comfortable with everyone at the firm. Sometimes, they couldn’t schedule it right away, but they did as soon as they could. All the partners didn’t attend at the same time either. But it didn’t matter. They had never had anyone shy away from the chance to go to bonding camp, not anyone who wanted to work for them anyway.

She had found out, though, that if a certain person was uncomfortable with engaging in bonding camp, the firm didn’t force them. They gave them a certain length of time, negotiated in the contract of course, and if at the end of that time the new associate still didn’t want to attend bonding camp, they were given the option of working in the research department of the firm or taking a reasonable severance package. It wasn’t that the firm was very insistent about bonding. It was because they wanted to present a solidly tuned front in the courtroom, and bonding camp was what they’d found to make it happen. The partners were always fair, and when an associate came to work for them, as long as they did their job, they were paid accordingly and treated as well as the others, even if they didn’t attend bonding camp. Rhonda had only known of two people in the five years she’d had this job who had not attended.

“Stop thinking about work,” she murmured, letting her arms float up on the top of the water as the bubbles tickled them.

“You shouldn’t think too much about work when you’re here,” a very deep male voice commented.

Rhonda didn’t recognize the voice. She opened her eyes and sat up a bit. “Uh, hello? Can I help you?” She’d never seen this man, and here she was, naked and at a disadvantage. She wasn’t scared or embarrassed, only for the fact that anyone who was on this compound was associated with the firm, and that made her feel safe.

“Mind if I share your hot tub?” He held each end of a towel he had draped around his neck and gave her a wide smile. He did have a pair of swim trunks on, but still, he was a very handsome man.

“If you don’t mind sharing with a naked woman,” she said, smiling back at him.

“Are you kidding?” He laughed and tossed his towel on one of the chairs at the edge of the tub. “How about I get naked, too. Just so you don’t feel at a disadvantage?” He cocked his head.

Rhonda waved a hand at him. “Be my guest.” This could become interesting.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Say yes,” he whispered, his breath warm against her mouth.

“Yes,” she said, her voice cracking.

When she tilted her head back up, his mouth descended on hers, crushing her lips in a ravenous kiss.

Rhonda melted beneath the power of it, surrendering without a fight when he wrapped one arm around her waist and urged her backward through the doorway into her room. He tasted of turkey and dill, a warm flavor that only served to whet her appetite for him this time, not food. She clutched at his shoulders, her body alive with electricity as she tried not to stumble while he moved her farther into the room.

The door slammed behind him. Rhonda gasped, jerking away at the sound.

“It’s okay. That was me,” he said, his voice like a low rumbling growl.

Rhonda shuddered and licked her lips. In the dim light of the bedside lamp, Jack looked like pure man. She could see the state of his arousal even in the loose-fitting swim trunks. His eyes were blazing and intense, his nostrils flaring as he took deep breaths that caused his well-sculpted chest to rise and fall.

Her pussy creamed, her heart thudding beneath her breastbone. With trembling fingers, she loosened the sash of her robe then opened it to reveal her nakedness.

She saw the muscles of his jaw clench, his eyes travelling over her skin in a blazing path. Rhonda felt exhilarated, pure energy crackling through her. The way he responded to her movements and her naked body was like a drug, one she wanted to overdose on. In slow, seductive motions, she slid the robe off her shoulders then let it slip down her arms, falling into a puddle of white terry cloth at her feet. Arching her back slightly, her breasts felt full and tight, her nipples hard little buds.

Jack reached up and raked both hands through his hair, drawing in a deep breath. “Damn,” he ground out, dropping both hands to the waistband of his trunks. “You are absolutely beautiful.”

It was like a butterfly opened its wings in her mind. A glorious feeling filled her, and she wasn’t sure why, but this man could make her feel things she’d never felt before even though they had just met. She watched as he slid his swim trunks down over his hips, then on down his legs, kicking them to the side when they reached his ankles. She’d seen him naked in the hot tub, but it wasn’t like this. He was fully aroused, his cock pointing straight at her like an arrow. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Was she going to be able to take all that?

Jack stepped forward, cupping her chin in his hand. “Rhonda, you’re sure about this?”

“Oh, please,” she said, clenching her hands into fists to keep from spontaneously combusting. “Take me, Jack. Take me now.”

Like a whirlwind, he exploded into motion.

Rhonda let out a tiny yelp when her feet left the floor. Jack picked her up and, in one smooth move, laid her on the bed. Her legs dangled off the side, the edge of the bed behind her knees. Before she knew what was happening, Jack dropped to a crouch, parked one hand on each of her knees and spread her legs. Then his tongue was doing wondrous things in the cleft of her pussy, hard and wet as he swiped it over her folds. When his mouth closed over her clit and he began to suck and flick the tender nubbin with his tongue, Rhonda’s world exploded, and she bucked her hips as she came. She grabbed a fistful of the coverlet she lay on, almost biting through her bottom lip, her pussy spasming as she creamed. Jack was unrelenting, sucking up every drop until she almost doubled over from the sweet pleasure-pain he was administering.

Finally, he’d drank his fill, but he wasn’t finished with her yet. Rhonda gasped for air, her cunt still quivering. Jack climbed onto the bed with her, scooting her farther onto it at the same time. He didn’t give her time to think before he’d positioned himself between her legs, his hands braced on either side of her head.

“I want you,” he said, his voice raspy. “I want to be so deep inside of you I won’t be able to tell where I end and you begin.”

Rhonda swallowed hard, emotion clogging her throat. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, feeling the dampness of his exertion woven into the silky strands. “God, I want you, too, Jack. I want to feel you buried inside me, my body accepting you as another piece of myself.”

He groaned and dipped his head, kissing her softly. With a shift of his hips, he pressed his cock into her pussy, sliding in so easily it was like a key in a lock.

And his key opened the door to her very soul.