Reckless Curves (4 page)

Chapter 6

By the time I reached the
hotel I was fighting back tears as my heart and head warred over my new situation. Once I reached my room, I plopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling through glassy eyes. This morning my only goal for this trip was to learn enough about this sport to find my client a new sponsor for his race team. Now I couldn’t think past the renewed need flowing through my body. How in the hell had so much changed in twelve hours?

Mentally exhausted, I stripped out of my
sandals and jeans and crawled beneath the covers. Trying to think about anything tonight would definitely be counterintuitive. I rolled over and closed my eyes, only to see Brent’s face. His vivid green eyes stared down at me with desire.

I want a woman that I know I won’t break during rough sex.

His words rattled around inside my brain, stirring my libido yet again. I groaned at the realization that no way was I going to just drift off to sleep. My mind was running a million miles an hour with no pit stop in sight.

If I’d been home, I would have made myself a glass of wine or dosed myself with Benadryl so I could sleep. Since my hotel room lacked anything close to a sleep remedy, I’d have to come up with something else.

Thinking maybe a hot shower would help, I tossed off the covers and headed for the bathroom. Steam slowly filled the room as I let the shower run. I stripped out of the rest of my clothes and stepped into the tub. Then I turned my back to the water and moved into the spray. Heat infused my skin, raising goose bumps along my flesh as the water cascaded over me.

The tension I’d carried in my shoulders all day began to release and I sighed. I closed my eyes and once again Brent’s face appeared, reminding me that even a shower wasn’t going to make my little conundrum go away. If I had any hope of doing my job this weekend, I
needed to face my new problem.

Easier said than done
, since no matter how much my head wanted me to be careful, my poor, neglected heart wanted me to grab onto Brent with both hands and not let go.

You might not see it, baby, but you are so damn beautiful.

Wayne had ra
rely called me beautiful, except when I asked for his thoughts on a particular outfit or something. He barely acted as if he wanted me, and, when we did have sex, it was always lights off. I’d figured he was imagining fucking some skinny twig of a girl whenever he was with me, but, when I walked in on him and the other woman, confirming my suspicions, it still hurt.

The memory of
Brent’s compliment flowed through me like hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day, warming my insides as the water warmed my flesh. Even as I took solace in his praise, I struggled to see myself through Brent’s eyes.

I grabbed the soap from the little dish and began lathering myself. As my hands trailed over my skin
, I pictured them being Brent’s hands instead. My fingers danced around my collar bone, then moved further down to the swell of my breasts. Being a large girl meant I had full breasts that were completely real. I traced along the slope, then slowly circled my areola before running my finger over my nipple. Despite the hot water, it pebbled beneath my touch and I moved a finger across it a second time, then a third.

That’s it baby, pleasure yourself.

I could hear Brent’s voice whisper. I indulged my imagination by tweaking my nipple between my thumb and forefinger
. The pinch just hard enough to create a delicious bite of pain that made a beeline for my pussy. My imagination ran wild and I lifted my other hand and repeated the process on my other nipple.

I want a woman that I know I won’t break during rough sex.

The implications of his statement hung in my mind, demanding to be explored.

Single, needing to believe love still existed and trying to rediscover my sexuality after three years of an unsatisfying marriage, I had devoured a lot of romance novels after the divorce. One kind in particular intrigued me and fed my hunger more than the others. Strong, dominant men totally devoted to their
submissives. Silk scarves, floggers, toys, clamps…

A
strange yearning formed in my stomach as a picture of Brent placing clamps on my nipples formed. I pinched them again, mimicking what I thought would be the feeling the clamps would conjure. Oh how I wanted to find out for real.

I allowed my hands to travel further down my body, t
racing the outline of my curves until I found myself frowning. How could he think my protruding belly or large hips were sexy?

In my mind he slapped my ass and growled.

What did I tell you about maligning yourself?

The funny thing was, I could totally imagine him saying that for real. Ignoring my need to find all my flaws, I slid my hand down even further, my fingers brushing over my mound.

Would Brent be the kind of man to take his time and engage in foreplay or would he simply take what he wanted? Somehow I suspected he was the former.

The tip of my finger parted my pussy lips and the image of Brent grew stronger in my mind. As I parted my
nether lips I gasped with shock at the amount of wetness I found. My lady bits dripped with desire, just waiting to be filled. Without thinking, I slid two fingers into my slick passage and began to pump, mimicking what I wanted Brent to do to me.

It took mere minutes for me to ride the sweet edge of release. Deliberately holding back, I toyed w
ith my control, just as the Doms in the stories I’d read did to their subs. Just as I hoped Brent might do to me.

Finally, when I couldn’t take anymore, I lowered my other hand and raked a finger across my clit. The extra stimulation sent
me right over the edge and I whined as my channel pulsed around my fingers. For several long seconds I worked my nub, milking every last twinge of pleasure.

Temporarily satisfied, the haze of lust lifted from my brain, leaving me to face the ugly truth. Not only had I just masturbated in the shower while thinking about a man I’d known for less than a full day
…chances were damn good he’d get his way and I’d be in his bed before the weekend was over.

* * *

After a fitful night’s sleep, I dragged my tired body from the bed and tried to put myself together. I donned my clothes like armor, hoping they would somehow insulate me from Brent’s smoldering heat. Once I did all I could to hide the bags under my eyes, I headed downstairs to take advantage of the hotel’s continental breakfast.

As I ate, I
ran through the list of Brent’s associate sponsors, looking for one who I hoped would be willing to become a primary. If none would go for the big sponsorship, I’d have to look elsewhere.

With Calen being a bit of a sexy rogue
, with a reputation for partying and womanizing, finding a company willing to be associated with him wouldn’t be easy. From what I understood, Brent’s sponsor issues could completely go away if he’d just replace Calen with another driver. Two major problems arose with that solution. The first being that Calen was currently the hottest driver in motorsports and on a major winning streak. The second being that Brent wasn’t a man who was willing to be told what to do.

Due to both those issues, here I was eating a stale bagel and drinking what could barely pass as coffee
, while I worked on solutions for both my client and myself. Maybe I could find a casino or alcohol company to sponsor Brent. Maybe one of those dot com dating sites might be interested in ponying up some money.

Despite my attempt to focus on work, my thoughts slowly drifted back to last night, my episode in the shower and my new feelings for Brent. Romance and love
weren’t even on my radar when I arrived Thursday night, yet here I was, Saturday morning with new and exciting feelings coursing through me and not a clue of what I was going to do about them. When we started our business, Marcy, Kayla and I hadn’t specifically created any policy against dating clients. Being young and upstarts we hadn’t needed to, since all we wanted at the time was to be successful. Now I’d wished we had, so I could use it as an excuse for not getting involved with the man who’d dominated my dreams last night.

With the dining area slowly filling
with people, I gathered my things, tossed my empty plate and cup, and headed for my room. Though I wasn’t really ready to face Brent again, I needed to get moving before traffic heading to the speedway created gridlock on the streets.

Chapter 7

During my hour plus drive
, my mind continued to analyze not Brent’s sponsor issue, but my budding relationship, if I could even call it a relationship yet. No matter what angle my head approached the problem, it always seemed to come back to the same solution. Which left me nervous and wary. Yes, I liked Brent. The man had an ability to stir feelings inside me I hadn’t felt in years. And yes, he’d made it perfectly clear that he wanted me, but what happened if I gave in? What if once he got me into bed, he walked away? After what Wayne did to me, could my fragile ego handle yet another blow? I wasn’t so sure and that uncertainty scared the hell out of me.

By the time I finally arrived at the speedway, I was no closer to a real answer to my problem, or Brent’s. I showed my track pass and the parking
attendant directed me toward the back side of the track. I pulled into an empty spot next to a local news van, turned off the engine and stepped out. What a difference a day could make. Unlike yesterday, where the place was nearly empty, today it teemed with fans donned in their favorite team gear. There was palpable excitement in the air that seemed to spread from person to person like some runaway disease. I even found my heart beating a little faster as I made the walk to the entrance. Whether it was from the outside influences or internal issues, I couldn’t tell.

After showing my pass, I worked my way through the crowds of people and headed for Brent’s team hauler. With each step I took
, my heart beat just a little faster. My mind churned with possibilities as I approached. How would Brent react to seeing me today? Would he regret what he said yesterday? What he did?

Tony
stood just inside the open hauler bay door. “Hey,” I called as I stepped inside.

He turned and his eyes widened. “Morning.” Immediately, he looked around as if he was checking to see if anyone else was
near. Then he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me further into the trailer.

“
Tony,” I protested as I pulled away. “What the hell?”

“What is going on between you and Brent?” he questioned.

“What?” Confused I stared blankly at him for a moment while my brain raced to catch up.

“You and Brent,” he repeated. “Is there something more to your relationship than just this ruse for your ex-husband?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but words failed me. What was I going to say when I wasn’t even sure myself? “I-I,” I stammered as I tried to formulate some sort of answer.

Tony
’s gaze narrowed and a frown formed on his lips. “Shannon.”

I held my hand out, cutting him off. “Don’t, okay.” Frustrated, I raked a hand through my hair. “You want the God’s honest truth?”

He folded his arms and nodded. “Yes.”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I don’t know
what
if anything is happening between us. Yes, we have this whole facade going for Wayne’s benefit, but Brent’s also expressed a real interest in me.”

Tony
groaned and looked skyward. “Shannon.”

“What?” I
put my hands on my hips as my confusion grew. Why did he have an issue with me and Brent being together? Besides the fact that Tony hadn’t seen me in years, I was all grown up now and certainly didn’t need him trying to protect me.

“There is something you should know about Brent.”

The concern in his tone set me on edge. Was Brent married or already involved with someone? And why in the hell was this the first time I’d even considered there might be someone else? “What about Brent?”

“He has a very strong personality.”

That’s it?
Unimpressed by Tony’s statement I leveled my gaze and arched a brow. “And?”

“And,” he continued. “Well…” He actually looked physically uncomfortable with what he was about to say. “He can be very...dominating.”

Still not quite understanding the importance of his statement I nodded. “I know that. I kinda figured that out yesterday.”

Tony
let out a heavy sigh and lifted a hand to his forehead. “Yes, but that’s not what I mean when I say he’s dominating.”

“Then what-” The words died in my throat as dawning awareness skittered across my skin. Did he mean what I thought he meant? A giddy excitement flooded through me a
t the idea. “You mean he’s dominating in the bedroom?”

Tony
nodded and a wave of desire nearly swamped me on the spot. Brent was a Dom and he was interested in me being his sub? “Okay,” I replied, while trying to keep my voice steady. “How do you know that?”

“He had a party at his house at the end of last year to celebrate the great season we had. During the course of the night I went off to find the bathroom and well.”
Tony’s face slowly turned red. “I opened a door and found some interesting decorations on the stairwell wall leading to the basement.”

“What kind of decorations?”

“Medieval looking sconces, an old battle-axe and some strange looking masks. Curious, I slipped inside and took a quick peek to see what other cool items he might have. Instead I found a bed with chains attached, some weird looking rack thing and what I think was some sort of spanking bench.” He looked away. “There were whips hanging on the walls, Shannon. It was pretty obvious what he did there.”

Even as my imagination ran wild with possibilities, something about
Tony’s demeanor didn’t set well with me. “If you have such an issue with his lifestyle, then why work for him?”

Tony
shook his head. “What he does in his off time, behind closed doors, is his business not mine. Besides, he’s a good boss.”

“Then why the warning?” I asked, though I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.

He finally managed to look me in the face again. “You’re my friend. Hell, you were like my little sister when we were growing up. I wouldn’t have felt right if I hadn’t warned you.”

His concern gave me warm
fuzzies inside and I smiled as I placed a hand over his. “I appreciate your concern and I promise I’ll be very careful. However, if something does happen between Brent and I, you need to know that it will be of my own free will. I promise that I won’t allow him to force me into anything I don’t want.”

He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. “You never stuck me as a girl who would like that kind of thing.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know that I do, but then I’ll never know unless I try it right?”

A slow grin spread across
Tony’s face and he shook his head. “Just do me two favors, okay?”

“Anything,” I replied even as I began to smile.

“Promise me that if you need help you’ll come to me.”

“Done!” I nodded.

“And don’t share any of the gory details.” He held up a hand. “I don’t want to ever think of you in that way.”