Slapping Leather (3 page)

“She won’t be alone.”

Liz recognized the voice and froze. What was Alex
Wright doing here? Of all places? She looked up to see him smiling at her. His
expression was friendly, but the look in his eyes was feral.

“A-Alex?”

A cauldron of emotion bubbled inside her—shock at
seeing him here. Anxiety at his reaction to her presence. And over it all, a
bolt of pure lust that shot straight to her nipples and her pussy. Because
damn. Didn’t he look just too mouth-watering for her sanity.

Dark leather slacks molded to his long muscular legs
and lean hips. His white silk shirt was partially unbuttoned, exposing a wedge
of dark chest hair. Those blue eyes blazed with a hunger that took her breath
away.

The other day he’s been relaxed and casual, but
tonight, despite his smile, he was every inch in command. Every bit the Dom.

Liz didn’t know if she should smile invitingly or
stand up and run. This was her first foray into the scene after a long time
away. Plus she had a history that she kept tamped down in a corner of her mind.
For her first contact to be this man was more than unsettling. She’d come to
Rawhide for the anonymity but holy Texas lord! How could she walk away from
someone so tempting?

Because you know how lethal
temptation like that can be.

“I wasn’t aware the two of you knew each other.”
Katie’s voice broke into Liz’s mental detour.

“Elizabeth is training my niece’s horse.” The low
timbre of his voice vibrated through her body. “Don’t worry, Katie. I’ll take
very good care of her.”

Katie frowned and touched Liz’s arm. “You just holler
if you need us.”

Alex chuckled. “Oh, I’m hoping she’ll holler but
not for you. Go on, now. I’ve got it covered.”

He dropped down into the spot Katie had been
sitting, lifted one of Liz’s hands, and brushed his thumb lightly over her
knuckles. Shivers skittered over the surface of her skin. And when his eyes
locked on hers they were like twin lasers, pinning her in place. She was aware
of nothing but this highly sensual man. Even the lusty, erotic screams from the
voyeur room faded into the background.

Something she’d been burying inside her broke
loose with frantic energy, engulfing her. The connection that jolted between
the two of them was so strong it was almost visible.

Get up. Run. Leave.

No, stay. Don’t be a coward.

But what if…

“First time here, right?” He studied her with a
heated look.

“Um, yes.” She wet her lips. Why was she so damn
nervous? “Does it show?”

“Not really.” He lightly stroked her forearm, his
touch waking up nerve endings and ratcheting up her pulse. “But first time in a
new place can be tricky.” He lowered his voice almost to a whisper. “I’d be
honored to ease you through it.”

Really? Hmm. “You come here a lot?”

He shrugged. “Enough. Like Reece, I can’t exactly
look for playmates in the community. And the women I date would probably shoot
me if I suggested a little D/s play. A friend told me about Rawhide and got me
a onetime invite.” He laughed. “Reece happened to be here that night. A
surprise for both of us.”

“Oh. Wow.” What a sparkling conversationalist she
was. She just couldn’t seem to get her tongue unstuck from the roof of her
mouth.

“Don’t worry.” His hand slid further up the bare
skin of her arm, his fingers brushing the side of her breast.

Her nipples reacted as if needles pricked them
and she longed for the torment of a good set of nipple clamps. She closed her
eyes against the sudden image of herself standing chained to a wall, her
nipples clamped and Alex striping her ass with a suede flogger.

She forced her eyes open to see Alex watching her
with a look of intense hunger.

“So how heavy into this are you?” He tucked a
strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers tracing the line of her cheekbone. “A
little? A lot?”

“I-I feel so weird discussing this with you.” Was
she blushing? Holy shit.

“Why?” He cupped her chin. “Because we met in
different roles? Here, in Rawhide, we are just two consenting adults looking to
satisfy our sexual needs in an environment that’s safe, sane, and consensual.
Right?”

“Y-Yes.” The throbbing in her pussy was so
intense she wondered why the small couch wasn’t vibrating with the force. God,
she had missed this. She just had to remember that nothing carried outside
these walls. If she chose to accept Alex’s invitation to play, it would stay
here and that was it. One disaster was enough to last her a lifetime.

Except…how could she handle this almost visible
connection between them?

“So how long, Liz?”

Right, right, right. How long had she been into
the D/s scene?

“Almost ten years.” God, had it been that long? “A
guy I was dating took me to a private club one night.” She frowned as she
remembered the details. “I was so young and green then, but he was older, kind,
and knew exactly how to introduce me to the scene.”

“He didn’t force you, did he?” Alex’s voice was
suddenly hard.

“No, not at all. We’d actually talked about it
and tried a few things by ourselves. Just playing a little.”

“Good.” She felt him relax. “This isn’t something
that can be pushed onto someone. But you enjoy it?”

“Oh, yes.” She most definitely did.

Alex rested one hand on her knee, the tips of his
fingers playing with the hem of her short skirt before sliding beneath the
fabric. The moment his palm rested against the inside of her thigh she squeezed
her legs together.

“Spread your legs,” he commanded, his voice low
enough that only the two of them could hear it. “Now.”

Alex Wright might deliver his words with that
thick-as-sorghum drawl, but Liz was acutely aware that beneath that casual
exterior was the unbreakable steel of a Dom. A Dom who knew exactly what he
wanted.

An electric thrill ran through Liz’s body.
Automatically she let her thighs fall apart. His hand slid up to the crotch of
her thong, and his fingers rubbed against the thin silk.

A smile of satisfaction curved his mouth. “Soaked.
How long has it been since the last time you played?”

“More than a year,” she whispered, unable to tear
her eyes from his.

“Far, far too long.” He pulled his hand out and
slid it up her rib cage to cup her breast. “Liz, you don’t really know me. In
fact, we just met a few days ago. But I promise you can trust me. Go ask Reece.
He’ll tell you the truth.” He moved his hands away. “Go on. See if he’s in the
office.”

Liz stared at him, trying to read his eyes. She
knew Katie would never have left her with him if he wasn’t safe. She’d just
have to remember to keep her own defenses in place. Particularly where her
emotions were concerned. “No, it’s okay. I believe you.”

“I really want that trust, because I have to tell
you, I want to be with you very, very much. I think we could enjoy each other.”
When she didn’t say anything, he asked, “Did you come here tonight just to
watch? Or are you here to play?” He pinched a nipple between his thumb and
forefinger. Hard. “Because if it’s the latter, I want to be the one you play
with.

Desire spread through her like wet heat, burning
her. She licked her lips again. “To…to play. I came to play.”

“And would you like to play with
me
?” He
pinched her nipple again, this time maintaining the pressure.

She gasped at the bolt of pleasure.

“We are two different people here,” he assured
her in his low, deep drawl. “That’s the beauty of a place like Rawhide. We can
be anyone we want.” He bent his head closer and bit the lobe of her ear. “I
will take very good care of you. I give you my word on that.”

Liz looked around. Everyone in the lounge was
occupied. The dungeon master lounging against one wall looked at her and
smiled, giving a slight nod of his head. Okay. So Reece and Katie had probably
said something to him, and he was telling her Alex was okay. It wouldn’t do for
a friend of the owner to be hurt in this club. So, did she want to take this
chance?

Yes!
The word resounded in her
head.

“Yes,” she breathed. “I would like that.”

He stood up and held out a hand to her. “Then
come with me. We’ll find a room that suits us and see how well we do together.”

Chapter
Three

There was no light in the room except for a lamp
in the corner and a spotlight shining down on the wide leather bench.

Alex studied the woman standing before him,
sensing a skittishness he often found in horses that had been mistreated by
their masters. Was that what had happened to Liz Gillibrand. Had some man
abused her trust?

She was striking, with her strawberry blonde hair
and her startling green eyes, and skin that, despite hours in the sun, still
had a delicate appearance to it. His cock pressed painfully against the
restraining leather of his pants, making him aware of just how much he was
attracted to this woman.

“Take off your clothes,” he told her in a firm
voice. “Now.”

Her hands trembled slightly as she obediently she
reached behind her neck and unfastened the button holding the halter top in
place. Just as slowly, she undid the one keeping the rest of the fabric in
place, folded the garment, and set it on a nearby chair.

When she unzipped the short skirt and let it
slide down her legs, Alex had to stop himself from dropping to his knees in
front of her and lapping at her cunt. Jesus, she was a feast. Slender from all
her hard work with the horses but still with nicely rounded curves he wanted to
run his hands over. He’d been with a lot of women in his life, but he’d never
met one who turned him on the way Liz Gillibrand did, or who reached out to him
so emotionally. He had to be careful here. He had a very strong sense she was
dealing with issues of some kind, and he needed to work around them very
carefully.

“Leave your boots on for the moment, take off
your thong and hand it to me,” he commanded.

She shimmied out of the scrap of material and
held it out to him on her fingertips. He crushed it to his nose, inhaling her
musk. Then he tossed it to the chair where the rest of her clothes were. He had
developed a reputation of iron control, but now he was flirting dangerously
with it. What had started as a gamed to him, a way to interact with a woman who
turned him on, had suddenly turned into something far deeper, and he needed to
be very, very careful here.

“Now the boots. But turn the other way when you
reach down to take them off. I want to see your ass and your pussy.”

She turned obediently and bent down to remove
first one boot, then the other. Her ass was provocatively displayed, and as she
widened her stance to work on the boots, he saw the tempting sight of her
glistening cunt.

His cock swelled so painfully he wondered if he’d
damaged himself. Heat surged through his balls. He couldn’t ever remember a
time when he’d reacted this way to a woman. Or even allowed himself to imagine
it. He was a Dom very comfortable in his own skin, well respected, and not
looking for anything permanent. He enjoyed his single status too much. Until
now. This woman was about to turn his life upside down and she didn’t even know
it.

“Now turn and face me,” he commanded. “And keep
your hands at your sides.”

He lifted a set of nipple clamps from the table
at the side and pinched one taut bud until it stiffened. Taking a moment to
swirl his tongue around it, moistening it, he placed one of the clamps on it
and tightened the grip until the peak swelled and darkened. Liz tensed at the
first bite of the clamp but otherwise gave him no reaction. He moved to the
other nipple and gave it the same treatment, then stood back to admire his
handiwork.

Jesus! The sight of her made his mouth go dry and
heat surge through his blood.

Slowly, Alex, old boy. This
one is very special, and you don’t want to scare her away.

His friends would have a good laugh if they knew
the master swordsman was about to take an unexpected tumble. And he had to do
it while still holding the reins that controlled this situation.

“Climb onto the bench,” he told her. “Balance on
your knees and forearms so your ass is elevated.”

He allowed himself a moment to ease his hand over
the line of her back, the swell of her ass, marveling at the silken softness of
her skin. He dipped his fingers into the slick wetness of her cunt, then
brought them to his nostrils to inhale her scent. The level of his testosterone
shot off the charts.

Oh, yeah. He was in big trouble here.

“Some rules first.” Liz could feel his eyes on
her as he walked slowly around the bench. “What’s your safeword? I never play
without it.”

“Lullaby.”