A Kink in Her Tails

An Ellora’s Cave publication written by

SAHARA KELLY

MS Reader (LIT) ISBN # 1-84360-528-7

Other available formats (no ISBNs are assigned):

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© Copyright Sahara Kelly, June 2003.

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave.

Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc. USA

Ellora's Cave Ltd, UK

This e-book may not be reproduced in whole or in part by email forwarding, copying, fax, or any other mode of communication without author/publisher permission.

Edited by
Briana St. James

Cover Art by
Sahara Kelly

Certain images contained within this e-book have been digitally marked by Digimarc Corp. If you purchased this e-book from a source other than Ellora's Cave or one of its known affiliates, contact [email protected] immediately. Please note that reading this e-book without first purchasing it through legitimate means is illegal and can result in heavy fines. As always, our authors thank-you for your support and patronage.

Warning:

The following material contains strong sexual content meant for mature readers.

A KINK IN HER TAILS has been rated NC17, erotic, by three individual reviewers. We strongly suggest storing this electronic file in a place where young readers not meant to view this ebook are unlikely to happen upon it. That said, enjoy…

To all those who shared so generously with me during the writing of this story, my everlasting thanks. I hope you’ll find I’ve treated this lifestyle with respect.

To one staunch friend whose support and encouragement never failed, whose seemingly endless supply of URL’s took me to places I’d never dreamed of, and who continually urged me to open my mind to all the possibilities, I thank you. If not for you and Matilda, this book would never have been conceived, let alone written. Thanks, Boss.

And to Jen and Briana—there are no words sufficient to express my profound gratitude for your enthusiasm and support. Bless you both for letting me take a chance.

Apartment 4B

It was Saturday morning. Nobody abused a doorbell at eight thirty on a Saturday morning. Nobody Eve Bentley knew, anyway.

Brrrriiiinnnggg.

“Goddammit. I’m coming, I’m coming.”

Eve sleepily dragged herself from her warm bed, slipped most of her body into her old chenille robe and tied the belt haphazardly round her waist.

She ran a hand through her spiky brown hair and stifled a yawn as she stumbled to the door before it made that disgustingly intrusive sound one more time.

She eased the door open a crack and tried to focus on whoever was disturbing her slumber so rudely.

“What?” she asked.

“Hello?”

She blinked and opened the door a smidgen more.

Oh lord.

He was delicious. Better than coffee. Her sore eyes relished the sight of him. Six foot-and-then-some of delectably masculine attributes. Shoulders that were just perfect for cuddling up to topped a broad chest and tapered down to a huggable waist. It was a package that cried out to be explored, all while being held close by a pair of muscular arms.

“Sorry to bother you…”

Eve shut her mouth with a snap, realizing her saliva had dried to dust and she couldn’t swallow. She also realized she looked like death on a bad hair day and wished she could slam the door, go change, and start again.

Given that changing would involve a facial, a hair appointment and possibly some liposuction, she supposed it wasn’t an option.

“I woke you, didn’t I?”

Swell. Obviously the man was also an Einstein.

“Um, well, I was just going to…actually…”

“Here.”

He thrust a package at her.

“This is so sudden. We hardly know each other.” Eve couldn’t stop the words from slipping out of her mouth.

His lips twitched. “It was delivered to my door this morning and I took it inside and opened it without realizing it. I am awfully sorry, but you know how it is before you’ve had coffee.”

“Oh, do I ever.”

She took the package from him and looked at it.

“It doesn’t bite, you know. And I already opened it, so I can guarantee it doesn’t explode.”

“Yeah.”

“So, it would probably be okay if you opened it and looked inside?”

“Think so?”

“Mmm hmm.”

Eve looked at him again. Her hormones slapped her upside the head—hard. She could swear she heard her dear departed mother’s voice someplace, yelling at her.
Eve, find a nice man, for God’s sake. You

’re not getting any younger.

“So, uh, did you have your coffee yet? I guess I’m just about to make some.” He tilted his head while he considered her contorted statement.

He grinned. “Hey, I’d love to. Can’t do anything on just one cup, can you?”

“No. I mean yeah, I guess so. Or not. Or whatever. Why don’t you come on in?”

“Thanks.”

“Oh. One question.”

“Sure.”

“Who the hell are you?”

“Simon Austen. Nice to meet you.”

He held out his hand, willing her to take it, wanting to touch the rumpled warmth he felt radiating from this enchanting woman.

“Eve Bentley, Ma…” she bit off the response as she shook his hand.

“Ma…? That would be the sheep Bentleys?”

“Sorry.” She chuckled as she led the way into the kitchen. “That would be Eve Bentley, Marketing Design, which is how I usually introduce myself when shaking hands. Force of habit I guess.” She glanced down at herself. “I remembered just in time that this wasn’t a formal moment.” She made a half-hearted attempt to straighten her robe, which failed miserably, bringing a mental cheer to Simon’s libido. From where she’d seated him at her small breakfast bar, he had an excellent view of the curve of her lovely breasts beneath her nightgown as she bent to the coffee machine.

She was delightfully mussed, warmly sleepy, and he was finding it hard to resist the urge to pick her up and carry her back to wherever it was she’d just gotten up from. He’d like to muss her some more.

A lot more.

His pants started to hurt.

“So you live here in the building, Mr. Austen?”

“Please, call me Simon. Yes, been here about two weeks, I guess, but what with trying to unpack and also meet a major deadline for a job, well…I really haven’t been anywhere for the last ten days but my desk.”

“Deadline?”

Simon had a feeling the question was probably more polite than interested. Damn, how long would it take this woman to wake up? To realize that from the first moment he’d set eyes on her, he’d developed a major case of lust, which was probably showing in his gaze and his pants?

“Yes. I’m an architect.”

“Oh. How nice.”

What she meant, of course, was oh, how boring. For the fifteen hundredth time in his life he wished he was a bullfighter, or a rodeo rider, or a NASCAR driver. Something that would get women’s attention more than an architect.

“Would I know anything you’ve built?”

“Westgate Mall?”

“Don’t shop there.”

“How about Treetorn Towers?”

“Too high priced for me. But nice windows.”

“Thank you. I picked them out myself.”

She glanced up and grinned, doing severe damage to his brain cells. That grin of hers was seriously dangerous. It went all the way down his spine and settled comfortably somewhere over his crotch. He could have sworn it hummed when it got there.

“Cute,” she answered.

“Aren’t I?”

“No, I didn’t mean that. I meant your windows crack.”

“No they don’t. And if they did, they wouldn’t be cute.” His rapid quip was out of his mouth before he’d really thought much about it. Something about her seemed to bring out his best lines.

There was a distinct moment of silence, when most everything paused. Even the coffee pot held its breath.

“Talking to you is like talking to a snake. Somehow the conversation winds back on itself and ends up biting its own ass.”

“I haven’t bitten your ass yet, have I?”

One mobile eyebrow flew up toward her serious bed hair. “You are getting quite fresh.”

“No, no. You misunderstand. I’m already fresh. It’s you who’s slightly wilted. But I expect the coffee will put the starch back in your stem.”

She shook her head slowly, and poured a large mug of coffee, adding cream and stirring it.

“May I have one too?”

“Oh sh—Oops.” She blushed. She’d almost said shit and she actually blushed. Simon promptly fell in love.

“I guess so. That’s why I invited you in, wasn’t it?”

“I was hoping you were overcome with serious morning lust and wanted to get me naked in order to slake your wicked desires, but this will have to do, I guess…” He gave her his best impish grin while patting himself on the back for his amazing ability to tell the truth no matter what the circumstances.

“Well, in the absence of any desire slaking, how about I open this?” She waved her hand at the package she’d set down on the countertop.

“Mmm. Do.” Simon, who already knew what was inside, restrained his urge to snicker.

She peered at the label. “That’s odd. No name and no return address. Just the apartment number, which is a bit smeared I must admit. Are you sure it’s not for you?”

“Absolutely.”

“Oh well, I guess that could be a “B”. And you’re in…what, 4D?”

“Yep.”

She was spreading the tissue aside as she spoke, delicately parting the folds in a way that Simon, for some reason, was beginning to find rather erotically stimulating.

He’d like to part her folds that way, he mused. She’d be pink, too, like the tissue, rippled and ready for him. But she’d be slippery and shiny and hot, not crackly and…her gasp interrupted his rather charming fantasy.

“Good God. It’s a dead critter.”

Simon burst out laughing. “No it’s not,” he huffed, gasping for breath at her horrified expression.

“Eeeeuww.”

“Oh for Pete’s sake, come on, look closely.”

Simon picked up the box and tipped it sideways so that the contents fell out onto the tissue between them.

Eve poked at the mass of fur. “It’s too small for a mink coat. And it’s real fur so that lets out any of my past boyfriends. Never had one that would spring for the genuine article.”

“How about present ones?”

“Don’t have any.”

Simon mentally cheered.

“It’s not moving.” Eve stared at the tangle on the tissue.

“No it’s not. And it won’t until you pick it up.”

Eve reached between the furs to find a hard length, swathed in the softest suede leather. “Oh my. This is quite lovely.”

Simon watched as she grasped the handle and straightened it out, letting the strands of fur slide into neat rows.

“It’s a flogger, isn’t it? I’ve seen some on the Internet.” Her eyes were wide as she looked at the intricately braided strips that covered the handle and the clever loopy knots at top and bottom. The soft rabbit fur lashes slid through her fingers like sand.

Simon was finding this whole little scene incredibly arousing. God he was hard. If she didn’t stop stroking the fur, he was going to grab the damn thing and demand she stroke him like that, not some inanimate object that couldn’t appreciate the delicacy of her touch.

“Yes. Definitely a flogger. And handmade too, by the looks of it. Did you order it from someone locally?

”

Eve’s gaze flew to Simon. “I didn’t
order
this. There must be some mistake.” She scrabbled through the wrapping paper to find the label again.

“There’s no return address, Eve. You already checked.”

“I know, but…damn.” She tossed the paper down with a frown. “Who on earth would send me one of these?”

She idly flipped her hand, watching the strands swing and sway.

“That’s the question, isn’t it?” agreed Simon, watching her expression as it changed from puzzled to contemplative.

The swing of her wrist got a little more deliberate.

Simon’s cock got a little more rigid.

“My goodness, it seems to be very well-balanced, doesn’t it? Just sways so nicely…” The strands were swinging hypnotically and rhythmically, and Eve’s tongue crept out to moisten her lower lip.

Even though she was in her old bathrobe, hair standing on end, no makeup and completely unaware of him, Simon was about as turned on as he could ever remember being.

She gave an extra swing and brought the lashes down on the counter with a thump.

Simon jumped.

Eve grinned. “Oh my.”

“So what did he do then?” Adele Martin put the finishing touches to Eve’s nails and blew gently on them.

“Then he got a very funny look on his face, insisted I have dinner with him tonight, and left.”

“What kind of a funny look?”

“Hard to tell. Kind of tight looking. Uncomfortable.”

“And you were doing what?”

“I was just playing with the flogger, you know? Swishing it around, slapping it backwards and forwards a bit, slapping it on the counter—oh, I think I may have slapped it on my thigh once.” Adele laughed. “Well, sheesh, poor guy. I’m not surprised he got a tight look on his face. His pants were probably cutting his circulation off in a very delicate place.” Eve stared at her friend.