Gabby’s muscles tightened, frozen in shock at the sound of the voice at the other end of the line. Why the hell hadn’t she checked the caller ID?
“Thomas?”
A low chuckle sounded at the other end. A soft sound that pulsed through her body and straight to the clit she’d been about to massage. Oh God, she was masturbating. Guilt surged through her.
“You recognized my voice. I like that.”
“It’s very distinctive.” And seductive.
“Your friend, Angel, gave me your number. She thought you wouldn’t mind. Have I caught you at a bad time?”
You have no idea.
She cringed at her thoughts but didn’t move her hand, too afraid he’d hear her.
“No, no, it’s fine. I was just taking a break.” Her voice shook when she spoke, and she prayed he wouldn’t notice.
“You sound out of breath, like I’ve interrupted something.” He paused. “Actually, you sound just like you did at the club the other night.”
No, no, no way could he know what she was doing when he called. Gabby closed her eyes and willed her body to calm, but just hearing his voice made it worse. She wanted to fuck so bad now she almost told him so.
“I was outside reading a book. I had to run for the phone.”
No way could she admit her actions. Not only was he a stranger, but she’d be mortally embarrassed to be caught.
“Gabrielle, are you telling me the truth? What were you really doing?”
Damn it. Busted. He wasn’t going to let this go, and she had no idea what to say.
“It’s nothing really. I was reading a book—”
“Uh-huh. You’re as breathless as when we met, and you weren’t reading a book then.”
No, she was masturbating to his voice. Exactly the same thing she’d been doing when the phone had rung. He was far too perceptive for her own good.
“Where are you Gabrielle? Are you alone?”
“I’m outside in my garden, and yes, I’m alone.” Her heart raced at his questions. Embarrassment warred with need, resulting in the ache to move her fingers. To rub her clit while he spoke to her. Did she dare? She moved her hand a fraction, careful not to make a sound.
“Gabrielle, why are you holding your breath?”
She exhaled slowly, trying to stay calm. “Nervous, I guess.” Her voice shook.
“You have nothing to be nervous about, although I do expect the truth. What were you doing exactly when the phone rang?”
She chewed on her bottom lip at a loss for words. She was actually considering telling a practical stranger that she’d been touching herself, that she still was.
“Answer now, or I’ll hang up.”
Fear punched her gut. No, she didn’t want him to go.
“I was…I was…” She couldn’t get the words out.
“It’s okay to tell me. You have nothing to fear from me.” For some unknown reason, that calmed her. He calmed her.
“I’m embarrassed.”
“Gabrielle, you’re a sexual woman, a submissive, being embarrassed is never important. Obeying is all that matters. Now, tell me.”
Fine, embarrassment be damned. She’d just do it. “I was touching myself when you called.”
“Was that so hard?”
“I guess not,” she ventured. “Sir,” she added as an afterthought.
“Did you stop when you answered the phone?”
Her breath hitched, and her face flamed, but she’d let him take her this far so why stop now? “I stopped moving my hand, but I didn’t remove it.”
“You fingers are in your pussy now?”
“Yes,” she breathed.
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, Sir.” Oh hell, the more he talked and demanded answers the more she wanted to succumb, to give in to her own desires as well as whatever he might ask of her.
“Touch your clit with your thumb for me, Gabrielle.”
“But—”
“Gabrielle,” he interrupted. “Since we’ve been talking, your breathing has grown heavy, your voice shaky, and your resistance has faltered. I recognize the sounds of your need.”
“Yes, Sir,” she acquiesced. Gabby shifted her hand and moved her finger over the hard little nub. The gasp she tried to bite back fell from her lips. This close to her release it wouldn’t take much, in fact, if he tried to make her hold it she might fail her very first task from the one man who haunted her every waking moment.
“Now, just hold still like that for a few minutes and tell me why you are outside playing with yourself? Can anyone see you?”
She shook her head. “No, this is a private garden that I’ve created. No one can see me unless they come in through the gate.” Her breathing accelerated into short, hard pants as she tried to talk and not think about the clit pulsing under her thumb or the fingers being covered by more of her juices.
“You’re a naughty little girl this afternoon. That pleases me. I’m intrigued.”
Her stomach jolted at his praise. The phone began to slip in her hand, and she tightened her grip to maintain her hold. Shifting back into place, she grasped it closer to her ear.
“You want to come, don’t you? You want me to tell me you to come.” His voice rose, louder and deeper than before. “Go ahead. Ask me. Now.”
She hesitated only for a second. “May I come now, Sir?”
“Fuck your pussy first. Let me hear how much you need it. Convince me.”
She moaned on his words, her control threadbare. Still, she followed his instructions. She moved her fingers and moved them fast in an in and out motion that created increasingly more friction.
“Mmm, I can hear you. You’re nice and wet, aren’t you?”
“Yes…yes, Sir.” She couldn’t hold back, sensations swirled through her body. Her nipples tightened, and her muscles clamped.
“Please, Sir. I’m going to come. Please.”
“Then come, Gabrielle. Come for me. Now.”
She flicked her thumb once…twice and everything exploded around her. Her body shook, knocking the phone from her hand, and she screamed out her pleasure. She fucked herself hard, adding a third finger as she rode the wave after wave that crashed over her. “Oh fuck. Yes. Yes. Yes.”
Minutes stretched out as the pulses continued until finally she slumped back into the chair and eased her hand from her sex. Never before in her life had she come this hard. Master Thomas did this to her.
Incredible.
Oh crap…the phone.
Gabby searched the grass and found the handset lying where she’d dropped it. She scooped it up and pressed it to her ear as quickly as she could. “Thomas, I’m so sorry. Are you there? I didn’t mean to drop the phone.”
He laughed. “I understand completely, sweetheart. I like hearing the sounds you make when you enjoy yourself. Now, before you go inside and clean yourself up, I want you to find a pen and paper. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, Sir.” It wasn’t easy to remember the “Sir” every time he addressed her. She twisted to the little table where she’d lain her book and grabbed up the small notebook and pen she always kept by her side no matter where she went. She liked to journal a lot, and there were always little things here and there that she didn’t want to forget. “I have a pen and paper.”
“Very good. Prepared—I like that, too. Write this down. 310 Franklin Street. Tonight at 8:00 p.m. sharp. You’ve piqued my interest, and I’d like to spend some more time with you. I also called to speak with you about a job.”
“A job?” That threw her off track. He’d called her for some other reason than personal? Fresh heat crept up her neck and face.
“Yes, Gabrielle, a job. But I believe, now, that we need to spend some time together beyond that. Which changes my requirements for tonight.”
She stilled, her friend’s warnings running through her head.
“If you want to get to know me on a personal level, and I think you do, you will have to do so on my terms. So tonight, you will come dressed in a skirt with no panties. When you arrive at that address at eight sharp, you will let yourself in. Proceed to the living area at the end of the hall where you’ll lift your skirt and bend over the end of the couch. You will not move or speak until you are instructed. Do you understand these instructions?”
Gabby sat there open mouthed and speechless. She barely knew this man, and he expected her to walk into a strange house that might or might not be his and bare her bottom for God knew what?
“Gabrielle, I know we’re barely acquainted, but I like what I’ve seen so far, and I think you’re attracted to me as well. It could very well be worth the exploration, and the small dare I ask you to make. You don’t know me well enough to fully trust me, but what about Angel? Do you trust her?”
“Of course, I trust her. She’s my best friend.”
“Then ask her if you should come tonight. However, these are my non-negotiable terms. I hope you will come, but if you do not, then I will wish you well in your search and hope we can become friends.”
“What about the job you mentioned?”
“We shall see after tonight. Goodbye, Gabrielle.” The click sounded in her ear, telling her he’d disconnected from the line before she’d had a chance to say another word. Despite that, she sat there stunned and unmoving for several minutes.
Was he serious? Really serious? She would have to be crazy to put herself in a position like that. Right?
Gabby eventually put the phone down and attempted to fix her skirt. She still sat exposed with the fresh air and sunshine beating down on her and now she desperately need to talk to Angel. But first, she wanted a shower and a chance to recover from what had happened in her quiet and usually boring garden on an otherwise average Carolina sunny afternoon.
Twice now, she’d gotten off to a voice that left her shivering in pleasure with a wicked desire to obey him. How had that happened? And should it continue? Angel’s warning from the other day struck her then.
She was right. I do worry way too much.
This was about letting go of the past and becoming who she craved to be.
Can I do it?
Chapter Four
Gabby turned her car down Franklin Street, and her anxiety soared to an all-new level. She’d gotten dressed per instructions and rushed out the door. A glance at the dashboard clock said ten minutes until her deadline, and she still wondered what the hell she was doing. Every possible scenario she’d imagined led to nothing but more questions.
What would Thomas do to her if she went through with this?
Surely he would touch her, but how far did he intend to push her in one night? Her mind raced with myriad possibilities as fear gripped her so tight she found herself strangling the steering wheel.
Get a grip Gabby. This is what you’ve been waiting and wishing for, isn’t it?
A gamut of emotions coursed through her; fear, excitement, arousal, curiosity, and…her arms trembled…more fear. A bark of nervous laughter pressed through her lips. Angel had assured her repeatedly that nothing bad would happen to her, and that Thomas could be trusted with her safety.
She’d learned that he held a considerable position in the community and commanded a generous amount of respect from the members of the club. Those assurances had been enough for her to get this far, but as she searched the numbers on every mailbox, she considered giving up and returning home.
No one would think less of her if she wasn’t the right type for Thomas’s unorthodox demands. Who could blame her for wanting to get to know a man before letting him dominate her?
Yeah, too late for that Gabby. Whether you like it or not, he’s been dominating you since you first heard his voice.
Gabby sighed.
She spied the number three hundred and ten on a black mailbox encased in brick and quickly turned to the right into the drive. A wrought iron gate stood open as if awaiting her arrival. She slowly drove beyond it and up the winding drive. The house loomed in front of her, large and old. If this was indeed Thomas’s house, he had very expensive taste. She’d guess the stately brick home was built in the late 1800s and had been restored sometime in the last decade.
The few gaslights that were lit out front did little other than cast shadows across the footpath that led to the front door. Compared to her modest uptown townhouse she was way out of her league. She parked her car close to the walkway and strained to see through the inky darkness. No other cars were in sight. She shook her head and banned the negativity from her mind. Just because she didn’t see any other vehicles didn’t mean they weren’t there. These houses typically had hidden garages around back.
Gabby took a deep breath and rested her forehead on the steering wheel for a minute, releasing the air one short puff at a time. If she didn’t calm down, she’d be shaking like a leaf by the time she got inside.
Get a grip, Gabby. You decided you’re going to do this so buck up already.
She stepped from the car and carefully balanced herself, wondering once again why she’d worn ridiculously high-heeled shoes.
Because they’re pretty, that’s why.
She walked to the front door and automatically reached for the doorbell. Lucky for her, she caught herself in mid-air seconds before she pressed it. He’d said to enter the residence unannounced and proceed instead of waiting for an invitation to come in. She struggled with her social conditioning as she complied with his directions. Nerves jumped in her belly at the thought of walking into the wrong house and finding herself in more trouble than she could handle.