Healed by His Touch (4 page)

rush of warmth.

“I am your master in every way,”

Daniel stated as he flicked the flogger

against her ass, harder now.

“Yes, Daniel.” Jessica gripped the

ottoman with her hands, surprised by the

feeling of pain mixed with pleasure.

“You will keep me informed of your

actions, do you understand?”

Flick! Flick! Flick!

“Yes, Daniel.” Jessica was gritting

her teeth now, the intensity of Daniel’s

flogging spreading a heat to her belly

that she tried to resist. But each time he

brought the flogger down, a primal

sound of need and desire now escaped

her lips. She didn’t want to be aroused

by Daniel’s domination over her, but her

body’s response was uncontrollable. She

was wet for him and he knew it. His

control over her was complete.

Eventually, he set the flogger down

and kneeled behind her, using his hands

to soothe her reddened flesh. She relaxed

against the ottoman and heard the sound

of his zipper. When she felt his rigid cock
probe her opening from behind, she was

more than ready to take him deep inside.

She pushed against him and let her body

swallow the entire length of his erect

member. When Daniel groaned in

response, Jessica smiled. She was in

control now.

***

Marco took Jessica to lunch at a small

bistro in the same neighborhood as the

salon. They sat on the back patio, sipping

iced tea and making small talk while they

waited for their food.

Jessica told him about her work on the

auction and how Rebecca had entrusted

her with many important details. “To be

honest,” she confessed, “I’m a little

nervous. Planning your own party is one

thing. Planning an event that

disadvantaged children are depending on

is another.”

“Taking on a challenge such as this is

an excellent way to build confidence,”

Marco replied. “I applaud your

commitment to such a worthy endeavor.”

Jessica spontaneously reached across

the table and squeezed Marco’s hand.

“Thank you,” she said, smiling warmly

and meeting his gaze before drawing her

hand back into her lap.

Returning her smile, Marco said,

“Would you mind if I ask you a personal

question?” Then, before Jessica could

respond, he added, “If you are getting

divorced, why do you still wear your

wedding ring?”

Jessica looked away, appearing to

study a bug that had landed on the privacy

fence surrounding the bistro’s patio. “It’s

complicated.”

“Most relationships are.”

“Daniel left me for a younger woman

and . . . other reasons, I suppose.”

“Do you still love him?”

“No. If he hadn’t ended things, it was

only a matter of time before I did. But this

other woman is now pregnant with his

child and Daniel tells me that it makes her

uncomfortable that I’m still wearing his

ring. She stole
my
husband and
she’
s the uncomfortable one?”

“If you do not love him, why do you

continue wearing a ring that has no

meaning?”

Jessica diverted her gaze back to

Marco. “Pride maybe, or revenge. She’s

having the baby Daniel refused to give me

so I keep wearing the ring that symbolizes

that I had him first.” She laughed ruefully.

“I said it was complicated.”

Marco looked at Jessica intently.

“Perhaps if you stopped wearing Daniel’s

ring, he would no longer have power over

you. Maybe then you could learn to love

again. Or at the very least, be willing to

tell me what you really want.”

Jessica squirmed under Marco’s

scrutiny, aware of the underlying meaning

in his words. She was relieved when the

server returned with their lunch, providing

an abrupt diversion that ended that

particular conversation with Marco. The

rest of the meal was devoted to less

intense chatter, which suited her just fine.

Delving into her complex and convoluted

feelings about Daniel and why she had so

much trouble asking for what she wanted

was unsettling.

After lunch, Marco and Jessica walked

back to The Neighborhood Salon so she

could get her car and he could get back to

work.

Suddenly, Marco grasped Jessica’s

hands in his. “I want to see you again,” he

said.

“I’d like that,” Jessica responded.

“Are you available Saturday night?”

“I am. Would you like to come over for

dinner and a moonlight swim?”

“Yes I would. Is seven o’clock a good

time?”

Jessica nodded. “I’ll be waiting.”

Before she could change her mind, she got

in her car and drove away.

***

Jessica opened the door before Marco

had a chance to ring the bell. She had been

watching out the window, anxiously

anticipating his arrival. If things went as

planned, by the end of the night, Marco

would know exactly what she wanted.

“Hello Jessica.” She was dressed

simply in black leggings that hugged the

curves his hands had memorized and a

pale gray tunic with a deep v-neck. Her

face was nearly void of makeup, which

accentuated her natural beauty while

making her look much younger than her

real age. To Marco, her simplicity was

breathtaking.

“Hello Marco. Please, come in.”

“Dinner smells delicious. I brought a

bottle of wine.”

“Thank you.” Jessica led Marco down

the hall to the gourmet kitchen. “Would

you do the honors?” she asked, handing

him a bottle opener.

“You have a very nice home,” Marco

said, pouring the wine into the two glasses

that Jessica put in front of him. His

compliment was a colossal

understatement. The sprawling 10,000

square foot country manor was situated on

a two-acre spread and surrounded by a

pool, tennis court, rose garden and lush

landscaping.

“I love it here in the country,” Jessica

said, taking a big sip of wine to calm her

nerves. “It’s peaceful and private.”

Marco took her hand and led her

toward the expansive stone patio off the

kitchen. The sun had just begun to set,

casting an orange glow over the grounds

and the swimming pool. They stood there,

hand-in-hand, sipping their wine and

enjoying the view in silence. The oven

timer interrupted the romantic moment.

“Dinner’s ready,” Jessica said,

breaking the silence and moving back

inside. She pulled the prime rib from the

oven, allowing it to settle while she

finished setting the table with salad and

baked potatoes. Marco refilled their wine

glasses while she carved the meat.

Once they were seated, Jessica was too

nervous to eat. But when Marco began

devouring the simple meal with gusto, she

relaxed and enjoyed it, too.

“I have not had a home cooked meal in

quite some time,” Marco said. “The food

is excellent.”

“I’m glad you think so. I’ve always

enjoyed cooking, but Daniel preferred

more exotic dishes prepared by a real

chef.”

Marco reached across the table and

gently took her left hand in his. Only then

did he realize that she was no longer

wearing her wedding ring. He gently

rubbed the groove it had left at the base of

her finger, a subtle message that said he

understood: she was finally ready to let go

of her painful past. “Daniel didn’t know

what he was missing.”

Jessica blushed, but was pleased by his

praise.

After clearing the table, the pair took

their wine out to the patio to let their

dinner settle. The sun had set and the

night’s full moon was already beginning to

rise. It would be a perfect night to swim

under the stars.

“Did you bring your suit?” Jessica

asked.

“No,” Marco replied. “Is that a

problem?”

A surprised Jessica turned to see his

wicked grin. When her eyes met his

smoldering gaze, heat erupted in her

center. Instead of replying verbally, she

stood and made her way to an electronic

control panel on the side of the house.

After punching a few buttons, music began

playing and the patio was flooded with

ambient light.

When Jessica stood before Marco,

swaying to the music as she slowly

undressed, it was his turn to be surprised.

With an agonizing slowness, she slid her

leggings down to her feet and discarded

the tunic by pulling it over her head. Clad

in nothing but her lacy bra and panties,

Jessica closed her eyes and ran her hands

over her body, caressing her curves

before removing the expensive lingerie,

which she dropped at his feet.

Marco forced himself to stay seated,

his eyes relishing the sight of Jessica’s

naked body bathed in nothing but soft

light. Although he had seen her nude form

on his massage table, this was different.

On his table, Jessica was a client in need

of healing. Here, she was a woman with

more carnal needs, a woman who was

offering her body to him as a lover.

She made brief eye contact with him

and licked her lips seductively. Then,

turning, she walked slowly, deliberately

toward the pool. Marco watched her

naked ass sway to and fro as she made her

way down the stone path before

disappearing into the water with a small

splash. Quickly, he discarded his own

clothing and followed.

Jessica surfaced just as Marco reached

the pool deck. He was gloriously naked,

his brown, muscled body clearly visible

in the moonlight. She drank in his broad

shoulders and expansive chest before

following the dark trail down his belly to

his fully erect manhood. Her eyes

widened at the sight of his enormous

member, which seemed to grow even

larger and more erect under her gaze.

Blood rushed to her private places at

the thought of having him inside her. She

had never felt this kind of desire before,

an absolute yearning to be completely

filled by the throbbing flesh of a man.

Her appraisal of Marco’s manly form

was cut short when he dove into the water.

After disappearing in the dark, she felt

him swim up behind her, his wet legs

brushing against hers. His arms came

around her and he pulled her against his

chest. Bending his head, his lips caressed

her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

When his hands cupped her breasts, his

cock sprang to life behind her and he

pressed his hardness into her fleshy

behind.

Jessica turned in Marco’s arms so they

were face-to-face, their bodies glistening

in the moonlight, their eyes locked in heat.

When his lips finally claimed hers, her

body went weak, and she clung to him as

he treaded water. He tasted like heaven

laced with wine and she met his

passionate kiss fully, drinking him in as he

devoured her mouth with his lips and

tongue.

Without breaking their kiss, Marco

moved toward the shallow end of the pool

so he could stand upright. Jessica

wrapped her legs around his waist and he

pulled her soft body closer against his

hard form.

When he moved his lips away from her

mouth, she whimpered in protest. But as

he worked his way down her throat, her

whimper became a moan. Placing his

hands under her ass and using the

buoyancy of the water to raise her up,

Marco’s mouth found Jessica’s breasts,

laving and sucking each one until her

nipples were as erect has his cock.

“Tell me what you want, Jessica,”

Marco whispered, needing to hear the

message her body was clearly sending.

“I want to make love with you,”

Jessica whispered back, finally stating her

true desire.

With Jessica’s legs still wrapped

around his waist, Marco gripped her

tightly and walked toward the end of the

pool and up the built-in steps. Then he

carried her along the stone path back to

the house. Once inside, he set her down on

shaky legs, recapturing her lips for another

long, slow, deep kiss that left her

breathless.

Jessica walked over to the gas

fireplace and flipped a switch that

instantly brought flames roaring to life.

She opened a cabinet and withdrew a

blanket which she spread out on the

carpet.

Kneeling, she motioned for Marco to

join her.

“You look beautiful,” he said, taking a

silky strand of her hair between his fingers

before brushing his knuckles gently across