Red Hots (8 page)

“Oh.”
Her mouth parted in a perfect O and her eyes lit up with surprise. “Okay. Your
house is fine. Sundays and Wednesdays should work.”

“Meet
me tomorrow evening at five. I’ll call you with the address.”

“I’ll
be there.” She held her hand out to him.

“Business
meetings adjourn with a shake. However, dates end with a kiss, Kindle.” Not
giving her time to debate what he said, he took her hand and used it to pull
her into his arms. By the time her body touched his, his lips were on hers.

A
kiss that he meant to be brief went on for long moments because he couldn’t get
enough of her. She had the perfect lips for kissing, full and supple. He licked
and nibbled along them, coaxing her to open for him.

When
her lips parted beneath his, he plunged in. There was no room for thoughts of
finesse; only to take. The only thing was that she seemed to consume every part
of him through the kiss. There was nothing coy or hesitant about her kiss, she
gave back to him in equal measure. Something he enjoyed, knowing she was just as
turned on as he.

His
tongue swept across the tip of hers and she circled it, seduced him to go
deeper. Slipping a hand up the back of her neck, he cupped it and he held her
in place. Angling his head further to the side, he plunged his tongue deep into
her mouth. In and out.

Kindle
didn’t shy away from the aggressiveness of his kiss; instead she tightened her
lips around his tongue and sucked it in a rhythm that matched his thrusting.
When she swept her tongue along the sensitive bottom of his it was almost his
undoing.  He took a step forward, she followed with one back.

She
moaned and pressed tighter to him.

The
hand against the lower part of her spine flexed and he held her to him, feeling
every dip and valley of her body aligned with his. In such a position, it was
impossible for him to hide his response to her, his erection. His cock was hard
and fully extended.

He
groaned and pulled away from her enticing mouth. Even with nighttime falling
around them, they were not in a private place. He had to reign in his sexual
need and his dominant side. If he allowed the kiss to go on, he would have had
her pressed against her car, her arms locked at her back by one of his hands
while his other was beneath her conservative skirt, bringing her to an orgasm.
He wanted to hear her scream with pleasure.

This
was not the place.

Staring
down into her upturned face, her lips swollen from his kisses, he watched her
lids slowly rise. Her brown eyes were dark with passion.

He
didn’t doubt that if he suggested they adjourn this moment to the closest bed,
she would follow him unresisting. However, this thing between them was more
than just about sex. Kindle was a beautiful woman and she could find hundreds
of men out there that would willingly spend the night with her between the
sheets if she offered. Just the thought of another man touching her had his gut
boiling with anger.

Regardless,
none of them could give her what she really needed—peace and true release. The
kind he would show her beneath his flogger.

“Masaun—”

Slipping
his hand from her neck to the side of her face, he ran his thumb over her
bottom lip, silencing her. A man, even a Dom, only had so much willpower and
control. If she invited him back to her place, he would go.

Stepping
back, he released her and pulled open her door. “Drive safe, Kindle. Let me
know when you get home.”

She
didn’t move for a moment, she just stood there staring at him. He could see the
bewilderment clouding her features. Taking a breath, she clutched her purse
tight, licked her lips then moved and slipped behind the wheel.

After
her seatbelt was secure, he shut the door. Seconds later, he waved her off as
she backed out of the parking spot.

Moving
to his car, one lane over, he used the walk to take several deep breaths and
get himself under control. In less than twenty-four hours, Kindle would be at
his house and he needed to be focused and ready.

For
the first time since becoming a Dom, he recognized the small ball of
apprehension in his core. Not because he feared executing sessions with Kindle,
but because he
feared
the emotions already growing for her. That
trepidation, he’d never experienced with another submissive, not even with his
girlfriend—his last sub—warned him that Kindle could be
the one
. If he
didn’t handle this situation correctly and she walked away, she’d be the one to
destroy his soul.

CHAPTER six

A
quivering mess, that’s what she was. Kindle drove along the interstate headed
home and she felt as if she wanted to jump out of her skin. With fear and
desire. Both emotions were doing an Argentine Tango inside her stomach—battling
for ascendancy.

“What
the hell am I doing?” she wondered out loud for what seemed like the eighth
time.

Tonight
had not gone at all as she’d planned on multiple levels. She had intended to meet
Masaun at the restaurant and kindly explain to him she hadn’t time for him in
her life; thanks, but no thanks. That didn’t happen.

Before
talking to him, she’d been adamantly against anything to do with a Dominant and
submissive type relationship. However, she’d given in to that.

Finally,
at no point did she even conceive of him having her insides tied up in so many
sexual knots that she struggled to focus, to breathe. She shouldn’t have let
him kiss her. Even now her lips tingled and felt swollen and tender. Every beat
of her heart was felt in the pulsing of her lips and in the aching of her sex.

Squirming
in the bucket seat of her car, she tried to reduce the throbbing of her clit.
Unsuccessfully. She’d begun creaming her panties when he took her hand across
the table. Even as he revealed the truth about her secret, stroked the old and
new scars on her palm, she desired him. The shame of her concentration measures
was not enough to keep the spark that ignited beneath his gentle caress on her
tender palm and raced up her arms in a blaze causing an inferno of longing to
consume her. It had taken so much of her inner strength to hide the yearning
from him behind a mask of indifference.

It
had been too long. Too long since she’d had sex and intimate male companionship;
that was the only reason her nipples had drawn up so tight while they danced.
Even as she fought against her urges, she pressed her breasts to him needing to
subdue the aching. However, the slow movement of their dance had only
intensified the throbbing in her nipples and the pulsing of her sex.

But,
she knew she wasn’t the only one feeling the effects of their attraction. She
had not missed the pressure of the hard shaft at the juncture of her thighs. In
heels, she had been close to his height, making their bodies align perfectly
when they danced and during the hot, spine-tingling kiss in the parking lot.

Regardless
of their attraction for each other, it still rankled her mind why she’d agreed
to meet with him. To allow him to do things to her that she didn’t understand,
in a situation where she’d have no control.

Without
looking at her palms, she knew. She was unraveling at the seams, one thread at
a time. Even as she hid it from others. Even as she fought against it. Even as
she took on the biggest case in her career, she was coming undone beneath the
strain. She didn’t doubt her ability to handle the case. If she had to give
every ounce of herself to ensure she was at peak performance every day, she’d
sacrifice both kidneys to see it done. What would remain of her after this case
was concluded was what worried her.

For
that reason alone, she was willing to give her trust to the man that had seen through
all her masks, shields and defenses and saw her. And wanted her.

~YH~

“What
do I wear?”

“Excuse
me?” Emmalee questioned, her voice laced with confusion.

Kindle
paced her living room with her phone pressed to her ear. She had waited a full
two agonizing minutes while Randolph took the phone to Emmalee who had apparently
been in the kitchen cooking her Sunday meal. When her friend was finally on the
line, Kindle felt frazzled and at her wit’s end.

“What
do I wear? What do you wear? No…no, don’t give me that, it is probably
something way too extreme for my taste,” Kindle rushed on.

“Whoa,
my friend, slow down.”

She
stopped pacing. Glancing at the digital display of the cable box under her
television, Kindle saw the time: 3:23. She was supposed to meet him at five,
but he had yet to text her the address to his house. Maybe he decided this wasn’t
something he wanted.
She
wasn’t something he wanted. The thought made
her body tense.

Inhaling
loudly through her nose so her friend could hear it, Kindle exhaled twice as
loud. “Good enough?”

“Sure.
Now, what gives?”

“I
don’t know what to wear.” Kindle marched down the hall to her room and didn’t
stop until she was before her closet.

“Where
are you going?” Emmalee asked.

“Nowhere.
Well, to Masaun’s house, but that’s all.”

“Masaun?
Um, have I missed something?” There was the sound of something sizzling in the
background.

“Yes,
but I don’t have time right now to explain it. I don’t want to be late.”

“With
Dom Hawk, you don’t. It is a pet peeve of his, trust me,” Emmalee declared.

“You’re
telling me.”

The
green-eyed snake of jealousy slithered through Kindle’s core. She knew Emmalee
and Masaun had worked together in the past; he was some kind of BDSM trainer,
but hearing that whatever he planned to do to her he had already performed on
her best friend didn’t sit well with Kindle. She pushed that sour emotion to the
side, not having time to analyze it, especially since she didn’t have any
particular ties to the commanding man.

“So,
if you all have arranged for you to meet him then why are you asking me what to
wear?”

What?
Did Emmalee think that I should just know?
“Because this is your thing…not mine. I never thought
to ask you very many questions.” For that, Kindle felt slightly ashamed of
herself. The bondage lifestyle was something that was important to her best
friend and Kindle had ignored it for the most part and not discussed anything
about it with Emmalee.

Some
friend I am.
Emmalee and she had shared almost everything since they had met as preteens,
but when Emmalee made her journey into BDSM, Kindle had disapproved of it and chosen
to stay far away from the conversation because she didn’t want to offend her
friend’s choices for her life. Besides it and Randolph seemed to make Emmalee
extremely happy, that was all that was important.

“What
did Dom Hawk tell you to wear?” Emmalee asked.

“Nothing.
Nothing. I haven’t even heard from him since last night when we had dinner and
I agreed to…this.” She still was unsure how to classify what she and Masaun
had. “He was supposed to text me with his address and I’ve checked my phone
repeatedly throughout the day and there’s been nothing.” Kindle groaned.

“Wow.
This is not you at all.” There was a note of gaiety in her friend’s voice.

“You
better not be laughing at me, Emmalee Eugene Eagleton,” Kindle enunciated
between clenched teeth.

Emmalee’s
laughter erupted through the phone. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Using my whole
silly name is real cold,
Kindle
.”

Kindle
had to smile. Even in her nervous state she could see a glimmer of the humor in
the situation.

Finally
calm, Emmalee said, “Okay. Maybe he wants to see what you’re going to do. I don’t
know. If you’re going to his place and you’re all anxious, I’m going to assume
that you’ve decided to let him do some scenes with you…work with you.”

“Yes,
yes.” Kindle ran her hands over her hair, frustrated. “So, you know him and this…this
lifestyle thing, what should I wear?” Kindle stepped into her walk-in closet
and looked from left to right then from right to left, moving in a full circle
in the center of the small area. All she saw was professional attire no matter
where she looked. Even though she’d worn it yesterday to attempt to make a
point to him, tonight it just didn’t seem important. Better yet it didn’t seem
appropriate.

“I
know you, Kin. Anything that I or others wear at the dungeon probably would not
feel comfortable to you. Not so early in this set up… whatever it is supposed
to be.  Mind you, I am expecting a full explanation soon…real soon.”

“Lunch
one day this week. But, you will have to be flexible and meet at my house for
sandwiches or something. You know, with the case and all, I wouldn’t have time
to be very far away from the courthouse.” Kindle reached out and examined one
outfit after another, pulling them out to view them then discard it for one
reason or another just to do the same to the next.

“Understandable,”
Emmalee said. “Okay. What you wear over there isn’t as important as what you’re
willing to take off.”

That
made her hands still. “Take off?” Kindle inquired. Maybe she should have asked
more questions of Masaun before she agreed to put herself under his hands. “Why
do I need to remove my clothes?”

“I
don’t know what he plans to do with you, or what you all negotiated, but if
there is any spanking, flogging, caning or any hundreds of things people do in
scenes, you will need to be naked. Dom Hawk, just as any other Dominant or
Master, needs to see the form of their submissive without obstruction. Make
sure they’re not too hard or have other problems. Also to ensure the strike hits
you in just the right place and the right way.”

Kindle
buried her face in her hand and gripped the phone tighter.
Oh, damn, I
really should have researched this. I investigate everything that has to do
with my career, why didn’t I do the same with this? I knew what Emmalee was
into. Well, at least a general idea. However, I walked into that restaurant
practically blind.

 She’d
never even been physically disciplined as a child by her father or been in a
fight and had anyone hit her. Her anxiety spiked higher and she considered
calling him.

“Maybe
I should just cancel.” Making her way back into the bedroom, she went to her
bed and sat down.

“Don’t
do that.” Emmalee sighed. “Look, Kin, you’ve already agreed to see him. Knowing
him the way I do, he will not do anything without explaining it to you first.
If you get over there and decide you can’t go through with it after you hear
him out, then say so and it will be done. Your choice to submit is
always
your choice.”

This
time Kindle inhaled slower and let it seep from her parted lips softly. “Okay.
I still have a problem of what to wear.”

“Something
comfortable.” Emmalee stopped talking as the sound of a food processor whirled
in the background, halting her speech for a moment.

Kindle
waited.

When
it was quiet again, she continued. “If you two actually do a session tonight,
you will not want anything constricting against your skin. Yoga pants and a
t-shirt.”

It
seemed so casual, too casual for Kindle’s liking. She didn’t really own a lot
of ‘dress down’ items and when she wore fitness gear, it was only to the gym.
Rising from the bed, she went to her dresser, taking her friend’s experienced
advice, Kindle agreed. “All right, I’ll trust you on this.”

“Smart
woman,” Emmalee teased.

At
that moment, Kindle’s cell phone vibrated against her face letting her know a
text message was coming through. Pulling the phone away from her face, she read
the name in the indicator bubble—Masaun Hawkes.

“Emmalee,
I have to go.” Kindle pulled her bottom drawer open and removed one of her
college t-shirts and a pair of cotton pants.

“No
problem. I need to get dinner on the table anyway. Love ya.”

“Same
here. I’ll call you next week.” Kindle hung up then pressed the message icon
with her thumb.

Her
heart lifted when she saw Masaun’s address then instantly it plummeted when she
saw the words at the end—HAT. GLOVES. SCARF. SHOES. TRENCHCOAT. NOTHING ELSE.

So,
much for yoga pants and shirt.
There
was no easing into this.

She
swore this man got off on pushing her to the extreme of her tolerance.
Evidently, her association with Masaun was going to take her through her long
list of Nevers.

Never
let a man control the relationship.

Never
been struck.

Never
gone out to meet a man nude beneath a long coat. Not even any of her
ex-boyfriends had gotten that sort of surprise at their door.

Can
I do this?

She
could risk showing up in jeans and a turtleneck and see how he’d respond. Most
likely send her packing.

Do
I dare do this for Masaun?

Yes,
was the small, whispered response
from somewhere deep in her core. Listening to that voice, not evaluating it was
pure lunacy, but she went back into her closet and started pulling out the
articles.  

After
a quick shower where she washed and shaved, she toweled off then applied lotion
everywhere. If the possibility was there that Masaun would see her completely
nude, she wanted to take the extra minutes to prepare herself right. Done, she
brushed her hair and put it back into a ponytail like it had been while she
cleaned her home. Not wanting to prolong the time, she dressed then
straightened up her room. She refused to have it in complete disarray as it had
been last night while she was out meeting with him.