Cat Scratch Fever (6 page)

Katherine’s breath was already a bit more ragged, a combination of excitement and working through the sudden, sharp pain. But she didn’t appear to be in any distress, judging from her Mona Lisa smile.

The next blows fell in a flurry, not giving Katherine time to process them or to catch her breath. Valerie wasn’t holding back. Her own palm was pink and stinging, but she didn’t care. Katherine’s reddened ass, her noises that blended ecstasy and pain, the way she’d flinch away and then arch back, all conspired to arouse her as well. She’d meant to give ten and stop, a tease to both of them, but the reactions were just too exquisite. She kept going, sometimes staccato, sometimes with slow deliberateness. Her own sex seemed to pulse with the blows, or maybe with Katherine’s reactions to them. She wondered if they were throbbing in rhythm.

Moisture was trickling down Katherine’s thighs now. Her pussy lips were swollen, visibly twitching. Clearly, she was ready to come from just a little more attention. She must have needed this session even more than Valerie had suspected, as she didn’t usually react so fast.

Valerie stopped. She stroked her hands along Katherine’s trembling body. Although the room was air-conditioned to a pleasant temperature, the redhead was lightly glazed in sweat, releasing more of that delicious combination of civilised cologne and wild feline. Her eyes, too, looked glazed.

‘Still with me?’ Valerie whispered.

A nod showed that Katherine still understood simple English sentences.

‘Good. I’m going to give you five more and on the fifth I want you to come. Do you understand?’

Another small nod.

Katherine made it to three.

Then she threw her head up and howled. No pain in there now, just ecstasy. Her hips twitched and bucked. Then she slumped bonelessly forwards, sprawling over the arm of the chair in a position only particularly relaxed cats could normally achieve.

‘Good girl,’ Valerie murmured, kneeling down beside the chair and gathering Katherine into her arms as best she could. ‘That’s my good little pain slut. Is that better now?’

Katherine looked up. Her grey eyes weren’t very focused, but it was post-orgasmic haze now. Pain always relaxed her. ‘Better? It’s so much better I don’t even remember what was wrong before!’ she exclaimed. Then she began to giggle.

Another job well done. Now they’d have dinner, a little wine, and then they’d start again.

She wondered how Katherine would react when she learnt she’d be eating dinner naked on the deck.

*   *   *

It was late when Katherine left, so late it could equally well be called early. Valerie saw her to her car, a courteous hostess, then stood and watched as she headed down the long driveway and on to the winding back road. With all the road’s twists and turns, the car’s lights were soon lost to sight, but still Valerie lingered in the cool night air. The moon was high over the desert, just past half-full, and she was too charged to sit still, let alone sleep.

The rest of the night had continued as beautifully as it started. The naked dinner under the evening sky had put Katherine into a strange frame of mind, receptive and malleable, perfect for an experiment with blindfolding, restraints, velvet scraps and leather ‘vampire gloves’ ornamented with small pointed metal studs. Valerie had finished off with the elk-hide flogger, leaving Katherine drained but happy.

Now it was closer to dawn than dusk and Valerie’s blood was still racing. In the whole time they’d been together, she’d remained fully clothed, fully in control – excited but untouched.

Now, under the cool light of the moon, she reached down and touched herself through the fabric of her red silk jersey slip dress. She was wet, as wet as Katherine had got, yet curiously detached. It happened that way sometimes when she was playing the untouchable-goddess style of domme. To put herself into the right frame of mind, she cast her mind back to images from the night: Katherine’s plump ass with her hand prints on it; Katherine shuddering to climax; Katherine shyly sitting at the dining table on the deck, nude and blushing and trying so hard to resist the urge to cover herself.

That was better. The self-control was starting to loosen. She stroked herself, not raising her skirt, but circling her clit through the soft fabric, letting the texture be another stimulation. Her pelvis felt heavy, weighted with blood.

She imagined pushing Katherine further, using the braided cat to slice at that fair fine skin, letting the little knots at the end of the falls leave bites like bee stings. Caning her. Oh yeah, she’d probably love that stinging, cutting sensation, the fiery line of pain it left behind.

Caning her across the breasts.

It was building.

She let her mind stray to Danny. He was staying with an understanding friend tonight, someone who knew enough about his lifestyle not to ask too many questions. She wondered if he was sleeping well in the chastity belt; she didn’t have him wear it often.

Thinking of that – not so much the image of his imprisoned cock and balls but the look on his face, both stricken and blissful, when she’d given the instructions for their night apart – pushed her to release. She came silently, clutching the front-deck railing with her free hand until her knuckles were sore.

Once her breathing calmed, she went inside. In her office, she sat down at her writing desk and set heavy pale-green monogrammed notepaper and a Mont Blanc fountain pen before her. A glance through her address book unearthed Richard Enoch’s address, not the business one he’d given to all the trustees, but a private one she’d had for several years now and had never used.

‘Richard,’ she wrote, ‘several times in the past you’ve let me know that you would like to explore certain mutual interests with me. It was never the right time in the past, but if you’re still interested, it seems the time may be right for me.

‘There will, of course, be conditions. I always establish conditions. And you will be expected to obey them without question.

‘But that’s what you want, isn’t it?’

Richard wasn’t exactly her type – she liked them younger, prettier and more artsy. But, ever since they’d run into each other at a high-end fetish event in LA a few years back, he’d been saying he’d do anything for a chance to play with her.

She’d see if ‘anything’ included getting off his designer-clad ass and doing something concrete to help Katherine and SCCS – like writing a cheque.

A very large cheque.

Felicia’s mouth went dry at the sight of Gabe standing there nearly naked and absolutely edible.

He grinned, the dimple flashing in his cheek. ‘Just couldn’t stay away from me, could you?’

He stepped back and gestured for her to enter, and she came through the doorway before she even thought about what she was doing.

The air conditioning in the hotel, as well as her proximity to his nearly naked, terribly enticing body, had brought her nipples to an almost painful peak. They pressed insistently against the silk of her top, and his gaze was drawn to them.

If she wasn’t mistaken, she spotted a stirring beneath his towel. His own nipples peeked from his chest hair, and she imagined sucking on them, finding how sensitive they were, hearing him growl with pleasure.

Beyond him was his hotel room. She could hear the low murmur of the TV. From the entrance alcove, she really couldn’t see much of the room itself – the only thing that her brain processed was that there was a bed, and she wanted to push him down on it, rip the towel away, climb on top of him and rub the wetness of her cleft along his hard cock, professionalism be damned.

Then the phone in her hand vibrated and hummed, reminding her why she’d come upstairs to his room. Reminding her of the message she’d seen, and the fact that Gabriel Sullivan was still, potentially, the enemy.

‘You dropped this in my car,’ she said, thrusting the phone at him.

He glanced briefly at the display, and regret flitted across his chiselled features. ‘I have to take this.’

The spell was broken. She knew damn well when she was being dismissed. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ she said, and fled.

*   *   *

‘Hey, Tom,’ Gabe said into the phone. ‘Hold on a sec.’

He peered out the door. Felicia stood at the elevator, one leg jiggling. She pressed the down button three times in rapid succession.

Damn, but he felt the same way. Restless, like he wanted to jump out of his own skin. It wasn’t travelling that did it; one hotel room was the same as any other, and he was used to that.

No, it was Felicia DuBois who’d messed him up. He could still smell the spicy floral scent that she wore. He could still see in his mind’s eye the way her nipples distended the soft fabric of her blouse, and he could still feel the urge to run the silk over her bare skin, to gather it between his fingers and pinch her nipples through it, causing her to arch her back like a cat.

‘Gabe? You still there?’

He stuck the hands-free plug into the phone and tucked the earbud in his ear. ‘I’m still here.’

‘Did I catch you at a bad time?’

‘I was about to take a shower.’

‘Hmm.’ Tom, his boss, was also a friend, and could usually read him pretty well, which meant he knew from Gabe’s tone not to ask if the shower plans had been solo ones. ‘Sorry about that. I waited to catch you after dinner.’

‘It’s fine,’ Gabe insisted. He flopped into the easy chair in the lounge area of the suite. The chair was covered in that weird, semi-annoying hotel furniture fabric, but it was better than the bedspread. ‘We agreed to talk when I’d be away from the office.’ There were some things that shouldn’t be overheard.

‘How are the problems at the Sanctuary?’ Tom asked.

Gabe blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. The problem was a sexy brunette with an admirable passion for her work and legs that went up to there – and possibly beyond there.
Wuf.
‘I only got here yesterday, Tom. There’s not a whole lot to report yet.’

‘But time is of the essence,’ Tom said, stating the obvious. ‘The fundraiser is next Saturday.’

‘Well, how does a false fire alarm strike you?’

‘As something that could easily be construed as an accident.’

‘Precisely.’ Gabe said. ‘Give me a couple of days, OK? Oh, but I do have one possible lead; apparently, there’s a kid volunteering who’s had some brushes with the law. I’ll see how easily he can be turned to the Dark Side.’

‘Excellent.’ Tom said. Gabe could imagine his boss giving the thumbs-up signal. ‘How’s the Sanctuary otherwise?’

‘Efficiently run, with a smart, dedicated staff. It’s a bit run-down at the edges, but the animals are in fine shape so far as I’ve seen.’

‘Hmm,’ Tom said again. ‘Well, we’ll just wait and see how it holds up to your scrutiny.’

‘Roger that.’ Gabe hit the disconnect button, tossed the phone on the desk and headed for that much-needed shower.

He’d never been much of a one for cold showers, but after the heat of the desert day he settled for lukewarm. His soapy hands brushed against his cock, still semihard, and he groaned. Damn Felicia DuBois and her floral perfume and killer legs and perky nipples that begged to be nibbled like ripe raspberries.

It made no sense. Oh, she was gorgeous, sure, but so were many women, and they didn’t affect him the same way. The stacked blonde he’d seen coming out of Felicia’s office yesterday had made him look twice, but that was it. A glance, a second glance of added appreciation, and then he was done.

But Felicia showed up at his door and all he could think about is what she would taste like and how her hot wet sex would feel as she posted up and down on him. He’d play with her nipples, twisting them between his fingers, and she’d throw her head back and scream, clenching against him and sending him over the edge with her.

He’d stroked his cock to full hardness now, the soap allowing him to squeeze as he ran his hand from root to tip. A flick of the wrist at the top, his fingers skidding against the sensitive base of the crown. God, it felt so good. It would feel better if it were Felicia’s hand coaxing him to explode.

Random images flashed through his mind.

Felicia on her knees before him, masturbating him, licking her lips, eyes bright as she anticipated his come.

Felicia on her hands and knees as he ploughed into her from behind, her bottom reddened from a brief sharp spanking that had aroused both of them.

Felicia in lingerie: lace, satin, leather; scarlet, snowy white, dangerous black; high, high heels to accentuate those legs.

Felicia beneath him, legs wrapped around his neck as he drove into her, writhing and crying out his name as she shuddered through another orgasm.

His balls tightened, prepared to release their load. His cock swelled in his hand, purple and taut.

The mental pictures looped around to the beginning, with Felicia in front of him. He groaned as strands of slippery semen shot out and decorated her eager face. His hand flashed up and down as he coaxed every last bit out, until he was gasping from too much sensation and had to pull away.

Then he’d gather her up and gently wash her face clean with the shower nozzle and kiss her…

Gabe’s legs wobbled and he leant against the cool tiles, his hand cupping his spent balls.

What the hell had she done to him?

*   *   *

Boneless from sleepiness and heat (the office air conditioning needed an upgrade, but office repairs were on the absolute bottom of the list), Katherine leant away from her desk and stretched.

Partway through the stretch, she froze in position, arms above her head. Then she settled back into a slightly different position, a sly grin taking over her face. Stretching had meant shifting in her chair. And, even though the desk chair was padded, she felt a sweet ache in her butt.

She rocked her hips back and forth, encouraging the sensation to resonate through her. It wasn’t much, just a quiet reminder of her adventures with Valerie, but, during this brief lull in another hectic day, she wanted to enjoy what she could.

A little sting marked where Valerie had grabbed at her with the vampire gloves, leaving fine scratches behind. A duller, deeper ache radiated from bruises from the hard spanking and flogging. The sensations spread, slipping her back towards that soft languid state into which a session with Valerie could put her.

She’d been staring at the fundraising and event income projections that Felicia had sent her for an hour now, and no amount of rosy afterglow could make them look anything but discouraging. At least the new caterer was less pricy than the one who’d backed out.

Faced with this mess, it was tempting to lose herself in erotic reveries, to try to get deeper into that blissful state of mind Valerie could give her. Val-vana. Bound, helpless, unable to make decisions, nervous – and utterly safe. Utterly cared for and loved, for those moments. Not that she and Valerie were in love in the usual sense, but to be the focus of so much care, so much fierce attention, felt a lot like love when it was happening.

And then there was the beautiful pain.

No, not exactly pain. Pain was having your life’s work on the brink of collapse around your ears.

What she felt when Valerie was working her over was alive and aroused – just like she felt now. Her body was heavy and heated, as if she were moving through warm water. She could almost feel the sharp impact of Valerie’s hands on her ass again, and the memory sent thrills through her body.

Katherine sank down in her chair. Without consciously willing it, her hand strayed between her legs, stroking at the crotch of her khaki pants. She could feel the heat surging. It wouldn’t do to unzip or to slip her hand inside her waistband, but if she imagined vividly enough, rubbed persistently enough, maybe she could…

The jangling telephone made her jump, stifling a shriek. She let it ring four times before picking up – two more than she’d normally let it go – to make sure her breathing was more or less back to normal.

‘SCCS. Katherine O’Dare speaking. May I help you?’ she blurted out automatically.

A muffled laugh prompted her to take a belated look at the caller ID: Felicia. ‘Guess I caught you in the middle of something?’ Felicia asked.

You might say that. ‘Just reviewing the fundraising report you gave me.’

Another chuckle from Felicia, but a different flavour, one that two years of working together let Katherine identify as a sympathetic noise. ‘I wish I were interrupting you with great news…’

‘But you’re not.’ The fire that had been building inside her suddenly felt more like boiling lead.

‘Relax. I’ve just got Valerie Turner on the other line and she insists she needs to talk to you right now. And she’s not going to be happy. She offered to donate some fur coats for us to auction off and I flat out said no. Thank goodness they were vintage furs, so I managed not to actually scold her, but still…I wasn’t as tactful as I should have been.’

Katherine smiled to herself, feeling the warmth rekindling in her blood. ‘Put her through. You’ve got enough to deal with right now without managing an angry board member. If she’s upset, I’ll let her get it out of her system on me instead.’

At least if I’m lucky…

*   *   *

The day had dawned bakingly, unseasonably hot, and now, at almost noon, it was worse. As Felicia dragged herself towards the clinic building in another attempt to deliver the press release, she found herself wishing for a big beach hat, or maybe a portable bubble of cool air that travelled with her. (Perhaps Valerie, with her fondness for wacky ideas, would finance the research to develop such a thing.) She’d headed out in hope of getting in a little flirting time with José and/or Mel. Maybe the vet’s big brown eyes (and the parts of him less visible in his scrubs) and Mel’s anime-character cuteness would exorcise the images of a towel-draped Gabe. That image kept popping up at the most inopportune times and causing the kind of hot, wet, sticky thoughts you didn’t need when the temperature was hovering near a hundred degrees and your air conditioning wasn’t working well.

Whether José and Mel would help with the hot and sticky problem was another question, but an increasingly irrelevant one with every step. The sun was baking all the juices out of her.

It seemed to take forever to make the relatively short walk between buildings. The only reason she wasn’t dripping with sweat when she arrived was that, in the dry heat, perspiration evaporated too quickly for that.

She staggered into the back entrance of the clinic, where José’s office was, gasping with relief at the blast of cooler air that greeted her. Due to SCCS’s philosophy of putting the animals’ needs first, this building’s air conditioning worked.

‘Guys, I –’

Mel burst out of the actual medical room, her face flushed, as if she’d been running in the heat. The door shut behind her before Felicia could get a look inside.

‘What?’ Felicia said, shaking her head in mock-disgust. ‘Did I catch you two fooling around
again
?’

‘Noelle’s in labour! We’ve got to tell Katherine!’ Mel was bouncing up and down in her excitement, and obviously she planned to run and deliver the good news in person.

‘Whoa!’ Felicia put her hands on Mel’s shoulders. ‘Katherine’s in town, having lunch with the board chair and Richard Enoch. And Gabe. Something about finances.’

She tried to sound nonchalant, tried to
feel
nonchalant. As she said Gabe’s name, though, her body filled up with knife-edged butterflies. Parts of her were focusing entirely on Gabe’s utter sexiness. The thinking parts were pondering once again what Gabe might pick up from Donovan Martinez and Richard, and what he might then go and report to someone in New York City who was interested enough to send him text messages about SCCS at midnight Eastern Standard Time.

And anyway why did that Zoological Association interloper get to eat at a good restaurant when she’d be eating a microwaved burrito at her desk?

Fortunately, Mel’s nervous energy distracted her before she could get too far down the slippery slope of resentment. ‘Should I call?’ Mel asked, an edge of anxiety in her voice. This birth was a critical one, not just for SCCS but for the species, and, even with someone as skilled as José in attendance, there was no guarantee everything would go perfectly.

Felicia thought for about two seconds. On the one hand, it wasn’t good form to interrupt a meeting with the board chair. On the other hand, Katherine was Katherine. She’d want to rush back to be on hand for good or ill, not that she could do anything to assist José. And, knowing Katherine, she’d probably get Donovan and Richard to give ‘birthday gifts for the cubs’ before she left.