Kyle’s Bargain (25 page)

But he didn’t. Instead he moved back down to just above her
knees and began the slow climb yet again, striking slightly harder yet. Now the
slaps were firm enough to jolt and draw a few moans. Each painted a ribbon of
fire across the tender skin of her inner thigh. She yelped from the pain then
moaned as the sting changed into a strange burning pleasure that added to the
pressure of need and desire.

Her arousal grew so hot, stoked by each lash of the rod on
her thighs, that she doubted she could contain it. Tension tightened every
muscle and sinew in her body. It wouldn’t take much to blast her apart.

Then he stopped and stroked the rod up and down her inner
thighs. She sobbed as this new sensation drove her even closer to the edge. He
withdrew the rod and for a moment all was still and quiet.

Meg opened her eyes. Kyle still stood between her legs with
the rod poised for another strike. She sucked in a sharp breath as she noted
the position and where it would land. Her gaze met Kyle’s. He waited and
watched her and finally gave a small nod when she didn’t do anything to stop
him.

She closed her eyes. Dread mingled with the heat firing her
entire being and the results of the fear pulling her stomach tight just licked
the flames higher.

He brought the rod down on her pussy. It was barely a tap
but that area was so sensitive it felt much harder. Meg screamed. She felt it
first as a huge pain, but that blossomed rapidly into a burning pleasure so
overwhelming it broke through the dam of her control and lifted her into a jolting
release.

Kyle watched Meg twisting and spasming in the grip of
orgasm. Despite that, he worried that he’d gone too far with the last stroke,
that even though it had brought on the release, it might have been too much for
her. She’d seemed to agree to it, but had he misread the signs? Has he struck
too hard? Had he turned her off with it?

Was he being an idiot?

Kyle released her ankles and offered Meg a hand when she
finally calmed down. He hated to have to ask, but he did. “Are you okay?”

“Good Lord. Okay? After that? ‘Okay’ is a bit…weak.”

He let some of his tension dissipate, though she wobbled
when she stood. He steadied her. She met his gaze and in her eyes he saw a
blazing joy and passion, blotted out when she reached up to kiss him. It was a
long kiss with their tongues tangling and tasting. His cock swelled and thrust
painfully against his pants yet again.

Meg reached down and pressed the palm of her hand against
it. “We need to take care of that,” she said, breaking the lip-lock.

“How about upstairs on a bed?”

“Sounds good to me.” She turned and made for the stairs, so
he followed her nude form up. Red lines still showed on the insides of her
thighs but she walked normally and it didn’t seem to bother her overmuch.

When they got to the end of the hall and she headed toward
the guest room he stopped her, calling, “Wait.”

She paused and looked over her shoulder at him.

“In here.” He pointed to his own bedroom.

The change in her expression made his heart expand at least
two or three sizes. He should have realized Meg was too sharp to miss the
significance of using the guest bedroom rather than his own.

Once in the room he wasted no time in shucking off his
clothes and then Meg was dragging him to the bed, leading him there by her hand
wrapped around his cock. The action echoed in his mind, too close to what his
father had said about her, “leading him around by the balls”. But that wasn’t
the truth of their relationship.

When she actually did put her hand on his balls, it drove
all rational thought from his mind and turned him into an aching mass of lust
that couldn’t wait to drive his cock into her. Fortunately Meg was equally hot
and eager.

“Can you handle this?” He rubbed a hand down her thigh,
feeling the swollen lines of welts there.

“No problem. It adds to the general heat.”

That was good enough for him. He positioned himself and
drove into her. Need rode him hard and squeezed out any room for patience. Meg
didn’t seem to want it either. They banged together fast, hard, ferociously
until they climaxed together in a duet of groans.

As was her habit, Meg woke shortly after dawn. She cuddled
up to Kyle, rejoicing in the closeness, the sheer thrill of being with him. In
his
own
bed. For the first time they hadn’t used the guest room.

Kyle rolled over and reached for her. Their lovemaking was
slower and gentler than the fierce coupling of the previous night. When his
legs rubbed against her she felt soreness in a couple of places along her
thighs, but it was a welcome pain, a reminder of the submission he’d asked for
and she’d given.

Later, in the shower, she looked at her legs and was
gratified to see a few light bruises there. She still didn’t understand why she
wanted marks. It was so un-PC. Masochistic. But then, that’s what she was,
wasn’t she? Of course, if it had been anyone other than Kyle who put them
there… But… Maybe if it had been Rick… But only because that would be what Kyle
wanted from her.

Once she’d showered and dressed, she went back to the
kitchen where she found Kyle pouring coffee from the carafe into a pair of
mugs.

“How about we go out for breakfast this morning with your
sister?” he asked as he handed one to her. “Don’t you think it’s time I crossed
that bridge with her? I’ve seen her eat now. I know it’s not neat or pretty.”

Meg drew a deep breath. “I bet she’ll be thrilled.” She got
out her cell phone and called to warn Laurie.

Kyle heard the girl’s whoop of joy through the phone line.

“We’ll be there in about an hour to get you,” Meg said. “Get
washed and dressed but don’t eat anything.”

He didn’t hear what came next but it wasn’t hard to figure
it out.

“Yes, you can have pancakes,” Meg said. She looked up and
met his eyes.

He shrugged.

After they each had a mug of coffee, they went to get her
sister. Laurie bounced up and down on the back seat while they drove to the
restaurant. “Can I have strawberries on my pancakes?” she asked. “Or apples?
And syrup?”

Meg finally said, “Let’s wait and see what they’ve got.
Okay?”

Laurie sighed. “Okay.” After a few moments of silence, she
asked, “You’re sure they’ll have pancakes?”

“The place we’re going has pancakes,” Kyle assured her. “The
best. I’ve eaten there before.”

“Goodie!”

Laurie continued to chatter the rest of the way. Meg looked
pained but Kyle shook his head at her. “It’s okay,” he said under his breath so
Laurie wouldn’t hear but Meg would. “She’s excited. I’m getting used to it. It
doesn’t bother me.”

The chatter continued unabated when they got to the
restaurant, while they waited for a table and as they were seated. Fortunately,
the restaurant had picture menus for their breakfast offerings and Laurie
studied hers intently for some time.

After much debate, she asked for pancakes with strawberries
and whipped cream. Meg modified the order slightly by asking the whipped cream
be a very small dollop. Otherwise she remained quiet and let Laurie burble on.
Her gaze flipped between her sister and Kyle, apparently gauging his reaction
as the girl slurped the orange juice set in front of her, occasionally
dribbling some down her chin or onto the napkin Meg had tucked into her blouse.

Someone had obviously worked with Laurie on proper etiquette
for eating and some of it had stuck. She used her fork with slow, delicate
precision and stopped to wipe her mouth after every second or third bite.
Coordination was a problem for her, so getting the fork to her mouth without
something dripping or dropping off presented a major challenge just as it had
with the spoon and the ice cream.

Though she tried to hide it, he could tell it upset Meg, who
told her to be careful a couple of times and helped her cut when she struggled
with the task. It wasn’t pretty to watch, Kyle admitted to himself. He
understood why a lot of people wouldn’t be happy about it, especially not in
public. He wasn’t sure it thrilled him to think about every meal in the future
featuring this level of chaos and effort. Then he glanced at Meg as she shifted
in the chair, trying to get comfortable, and he remembered the previous night.
For her he’d put up with a lot worse mess than this.

And Laurie’s open pleasure with the pancakes in all their
gooey, drippy glory had an infectious quality that overrode the mess. He shook
his head at Meg’s distress, put a hand on her arm and leaned over to whisper in
her ear. “It’s okay. Stop worrying.”

As she met his gaze, the worried frown slid from her face,
replaced with a pleasure almost as deep though quite a bit less simple than her
sister’s.

After breakfast they drove to the zoo and spent the next few
hours wandering hand in hand, watching the animals and dragging Laurie from one
fascinating scene to another. It was a measure of Meg’s effect on him that for
a time he managed to forget about building projects, loans, rejections and
possible bankruptcy. Only for a while though.

“Something’s bothering you,” she said as they followed
Laurie to the otter pool and watched the cute, fuzzy creatures playing while
floating on their backs. “The shopping center?”

“Let’s go sit,” he said, nodding toward an unoccupied bench
a few feet away. Laurie had found a good spot to watch the otters’ antics and
ignored them. Once they’d settled, he drew a deep breath. “The financial news
isn’t good. I got another rejection last Wednesday. Only one more out and it’s
a long shot.”

Meg stayed silent a moment before she said, “Now what? Is it
too late to go back to the original plan?”

He nodded. “Way too late.”

“Are there any other sources you could tap? Private funding
like a foundation or something?”

He considered telling her about his father’s offer, but he’d
done his agonizing over it and had decided against it so it wasn’t relevant.
“Foundations don’t generally fund for-profit commercial construction ventures.”

“There has to be something else you can do. Private loan?”

“I’m making some inquiries, but I don’t think I can count on
any golden eggs dropping into my lap. I’m looking at a second mortgage on the
house and cashing out my retirement money. With that and maxing out my credit
cards, I might just be able to manage it as long as construction doesn’t hit any
major snags.”

“How likely is that?”

“Sometimes the gods are kind.”

“You could buy a lottery ticket,” Meg suggested.

“That five bucks could buy another box of nails.”

“True. So what happens if you do hit a snag?”

He sighed. “The firm tries to bail me out with profit from
another project, which would put them at risk, possibly driving them into
bankruptcy. Unless another firm comes in and buys us out. There’s probably a
good chance that would happen.”

“And you’ll be penniless and out of a job.”

“Just starting over again,” he said. “I’m still fairly young
and I still have a strong body, a good mind and a degree from a decent
university.”

“But your reputation will be damaged.”

“That’s an issue,” he admitted. “But I’ll get around it.” He
drew a breath. “Either way it would help knowing I had the right woman at my
side. Someone who would love and support me, submit to me, play with me, care
for me and let me care for her. Someone who would share my joys and troubles
and let me share hers.” He looked at Laurie, who leaned over the fence, trying
to get a better view of the animals frisking. “A strong woman who can submit
without submerging herself, who’d let me help her while she helps me.” He shook
his head and paused but went on before she could say anything. “I want the
whole deal—for better or for worse—but I’m not sure I have the right to ask. It
could get worse. A lot worse if things don’t break right for me.”

Meg didn’t respond for a moment. He held his breath until
she did. The words were low, soft, thoughtful. “My life was pretty normal until
five years ago. Then it went downhill in a tearing hurry. My parents both died
suddenly and before I could even recover from the grief I had a sister with
special needs to take care of. I had to resign my job and split with my fiancé,
who couldn’t handle the whole thing. In just a few weeks my entire life fell
apart. Putting it back together wasn’t easy. I had to rebuild, almost from the
ground up. But I learned I could do it. I’m a survivor.”

“It’s one of the things I love about you,” he said. “You’re
strong enough to handle anything life throws at you.”

“As are you,” she answered. “You did it too after your wife
died. But you know… Sometimes I get tired of being strong and being in control
and handling everything all the time. That’s why it’s nice to just submit. To
let someone else be in charge, to worry about things. Not that I could do it
all the time, but the way we’re doing it with you taking charge in some things,
some ways.”

“And sometimes it seems like so many things are
out
of my control that it’s a thrill when you let me take complete control of you.
It’s a gift. The honesty and trust it shows. It makes me…more of a man
somehow.” He stopped and braced himself. “Anyway, I know it’s not the most
romantic of spots for a proposal, but it seems sort of right for us. Would you
consider marrying a man who may be broke, busted and unemployed in the
not-too-distant future?”

She looked up at him and grinned. “At least no one would say
I married you for your money.”

His heart began pounding harder. “Does that mean you will?”

Her smile took on an endearingly crooked slant. “I guess it
does.”

He reached in his pocket and pulled out the box holding the
ring.

* * * * *

Sunday night after he’d left Meg and Laurie at their
apartment, he began making phone calls. The first one was to Rick. His best
friend was happy to hear he’d asked Meg to marry him and that she’d accepted.
“You told her about your situation?”

“She knows.”

“And it doesn’t matter to her.”

“It matters, but she’s okay with it. Maybe it matters more
because she knows it matters to me.”

“Most likely,” Rick agreed. “She wasn’t put off by what
happened with us?”

“Curious about it, but she got it. Don’t know how she’d feel
about doing it herself, but she wasn’t totally freaked out, anyway.”

“Good. Do I get to return the favor and be the best man at
your wedding?” Rick asked.

“Of course.”

“Told your family yet?”

“They’re next on my list.”

“Luck with that one.”

“Thanks.” He hung up and sat there for a moment with the
phone in his hand before he dialed the next number.

When his mother answered, Kyle gave her his news. For a
moment she said nothing before she asked, “Are you sure about this?”

“Very sure, Mom. Meg is the woman I want in my life
permanently. She completes me. She makes me laugh. And she reminds me of what’s
important in life. She is not another Rita. I know her well enough to be sure
of that. She’s much stronger and smarter than Rita.”

Another pause then, “If you’re sure. Really, what we want
most in the world is for you to be happy.”

He wasn’t sure how to answer that, being too polite to snort
or make a snide comment to his mother. “Then you’ll welcome Meg into the
family,” he said finally. “Because she does make me happy.”

“If you’re sure. Anyway, when is the wedding?”

“We haven’t gotten that far. Probably in the fall, but we
haven’t discussed it much yet. Is Dad there?”

“No, he’s helping a couple of the guys sort out some
financial paperwork. I’ll tell him when he gets back.”