“Jason?”
He heard the confusion in her voice when he abruptly pulled back. “Shhh, beautiful. It’s all good. I want you more than I should.”
“Yes.” She panted rather than spoke the word.
“But not here, not right now. I don’t want to rush this. We’re not making the same mistake twice.” He hesitated. “When I do get you naked, I don’t want to have to look over my shoulder.”
“But Jason…”
“No, we’re going to do this right. I’m going to get you alone, in my bed and take my time to discover every inch of your skin. I want to know what makes you giggle, when you squirm, where your sensitive parts are. All of it, all of you. And”—he couldn’t help but take enjoyment from his cruelty—“before we get to play, we need to work.”
He saw the slight frown on her face, and continued, “This party isn’t going to organize itself. We don’t have much time.”
The thought nearly ruined his happiness. She’d only been asked to come for a few days to get the preliminary planning out of the way. If he’d known who she was, he would have invited her to stay the two weeks between now and the party. As it was, she’d leave in two days and he’d no idea how to ask her to stay on without sounding pushy and demanding.
“I hate it when you’re right.” Heather pushed herself up, turned, and grinned at him.
“Take me back to your estate, Sir. Let’s get the work out of the way so we can concentrate on other things.”
Sir
.
The word went straight to his cock. At least she’d been getting up when she said it and had missed his instant physical reaction to her words. This woman made him feel things he’d not expected to feel again, feelings he wasn’t sure he was comfortable with anymore.
The realization hit him hard. She had no idea, but Heather had the power to make or break him. The thought scared the shit out of him. If he’d met her six months ago, if he’d been able to hang on to his needs for longer, if… He hated the word. Part of him wanted, needed to get her under his spell and make her submit to him. A bigger part was sure he’d get it wrong, harm her. He didn’t want to see her hurt ever again. If that meant putting his dominating self to rest permanently it would be a price well worth paying. He’d find a way to make it work. One way or another he’d learn to be satisfied without the play. He would, somehow.
* * * *
Heather couldn’t keep track of her thoughts and feelings. Walking back to the car and during the drive back, all she could think about was Jason’s mouth on hers, his tongue, his hand. She wanted those body parts of his all over her body. She wanted his body parts in her hands, his skin against hers. Her body was excited, her skin felt alive, her nipples hard. She felt the wetness in her panties increase as the car bounced over the pothole-riddled road.
She was glad Jason seemed as lost in his thoughts as she was in hers. Her mind went back to that one afternoon in Wexford. It had been about a week before the end of their holidays. She’d been delighted to spend the day with Jason. He and Moira had been so caught up in each other, or at least in each other’s bodies, that she and Rick rarely saw them. Looking back, she realized it had been strange she’d missed contact with Jason, who she barely knew, more than time with Moira, who was supposed to be her friend.
She hadn’t expected anything from their one day together except a chance to get to know him better. Not in her wildest dreams had she imagined kissing him. She’d been convinced Moira and he were made for each other. Any guilt she might have felt for kissing her best friend’s boyfriend had been tempered by the knowledge Moira had no interest in Jason beyond a holiday fling. Those kisses, with the calm sea flowing around them, had been magical and a wake-up call. Even while kissing Jason, she’d known she’d only been pretending with Rick. All she’d felt with Rick was comfort. It had been fun and sweet. Jason had brought her excitement, had woken up her body when she hadn’t known it was asleep. He’d made her yearn for things she couldn’t have named if her life depended on it. Things she hadn’t discovered until months after she’d met Darren.
She waited for the stab of pain she always experienced when she thought about her husband, and found she only wanted to smile. Maybe this really was okay. Her body had no doubts. She only regretted they’d not been able to take their exploration of each other further.
She sighed as The Blowhole appeared in front of her. A few hours of serious party planning before they’d be able to… She nearly groaned out loud. Dinner with Hector and Amber… How had she managed to forget? She looked forward to meeting them, to finding out if they were as similar to her and Darren as she imagined. Spending time alone with Jason was much higher on her list of priorities though. Patience had never been one of her virtues, and she needed a lot of it today.
Chapter Ten
There
.
With one final brush, she finished her mascara. This was the best she could do. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d put this much time and effort into her appearance but had to admit it felt good.
And didn’t look too bad either
.
She thought she’d managed to strike the right balance. Sexy but not too over the top. The little black dress couldn’t be called original, but it fitted her well and was just short enough to tease without looking slutty. She loved how it supported and emphasized her breasts without the need for a bra. It had been a while since she’d worn heels this high and hoped she wouldn’t have to walk too far, but it was worth it. Her legs looked longer and her posture was better.
Disgusted, she turned away from the mirror. When had she become this vain? The last time she’d worked this hard in the hope of impressing a man had been the first time Darren had taken her on a proper date. In fact, she’d been even worse then. She’d also been almost twenty years younger, of course.
Surprisingly, admitting she wanted to impress Jason didn’t worry her. She wasn’t afraid he’d change his mind, not really, but she didn’t want to leave anything to chance either.
She shook her head, marveling at her sudden and rather extreme conversion. Less than forty-eight hours ago she’d been sure she’d never revisit sex, only to find herself doing everything in her power to ensure it wouldn’t elude her now. It was as if someone had pressed a switch in her head.
She thought back to all the work they’d done after they’d returned from their outing. It had been nonstop. Jason had organized lunch and coffee in his office and they’d gone over his plans, his expectations and the guest list. Yes, the guest list. She’d expected most if not all of the names and had been surprised and relieved to find one name missing. She’d been sure he would top the list and wasn’t sure what his absence meant. Still, it was one potential headache less.
There had been one or two other things left to address, but those were details and could be ironed out closer to the date. For now, the catering had been organized and the preliminary timetable established. Being a party planner for the BDSM community meant you rarely needed to come up with a theme for the event. Still, they’d managed to divide the weekend up into several sessions with a different focus. Overall it had been a productive afternoon and it was good to know that all the basics had been covered.
She sighed. Except that with the work done, there was no reason to stay. The schedule had made perfect sense when they’d agreed on it. She was supposed to return the Monday before the weekend kicked off to finalize all the details. In theory therefore, she was good to go home. There was no official reason to stay here any longer.
Two days ago, when she’d driven up from Dublin, the only thing stopping her from turning around and driving straight back had been the knowledge it would only be for a few days. Now, with nothing preventing her from returning to Dublin, she wanted to stay longer.
A knock on her door stopped her from pursuing that thought further. That would be Jason collecting her for their dinner with Hector and Amber. Her earlier excitement about meeting them fought with worries she couldn’t suppress. They seemed nice but reminded her a lot of herself and Darren and she wasn’t sure how much she wanted that reminder now that she was about to give in to her lust for Jason. One last glance at her image in the mirror and she opened the door, only to forget how to breathe.
Jason looked overpoweringly male. The man standing in front of her personified dominance. She’d had her doubts about how dominant he actually was over the past few days—it was one of her worries about this party. Any reservations she might have had were gone. All her long dormant instincts kicked in. One look at this face and she lowered her gaze, felt her nipples tightening and her pussy contract. She wanted to fall to her knees and stay there, worship him—and only just managed to stop herself.
His hand underneath her chin had her looking into his dark eyes again. Shivers ran down her spine as his gaze skimmed over her body and back to her face.
“Beautiful.”
One word, in the tone of voice she recognized on an instinctive level, sent thrills through her.
“Jason, you look… Wow.”
She found herself completely tongue-tied, and the smirk on his face did nothing to alleviate her tension.
His kiss did help. When he pushed his tongue past her lips and pulled her flush against his body, she felt herself relax. Oh, God, she wanted this. She yearned for contact. The moan escaping her mouth still took her by surprise.
“So beautiful and so eager.”
Jason’s smile set all her nerves off again.
“Ready to have dinner with friends?”
“No. Yes, of course I’m ready.” His smirk told her he knew exactly what he was doing to her. She’d better get her shit together before they reached wherever Hector and Amber lived. She was liable to make a complete fool of herself otherwise. And Jason wasn’t helping. In fact, he appeared to be taking great pleasure from her discomfort.
The elevator felt too small for the two of them. Jason’s personality filled the space and Heather backed away. He didn’t give her an inch. Every step back was copied by a step forward until her arse hit the wall, their feet toe to toe and his face so close his breath touched her hair.
“I want you.”
Jason’s hand was in her hair, pulling her head back and up, his mouth on hers again. It was only a few floors, but by the time the doors dinged their arrival, Heather’s breathing sounded more like panting. Grinning, Jason took her hand and led her down the corridor, through a back door and into the garden.
In the early evening light, the colors were less vibrant than they’d been during the day, but the smell of recently cut grass combined with the wide variety of flowers almost overwhelmed her senses.
“Most of the permanent staff have apartments over there.” Jason pointed toward a large, two-story barn conversion partially hidden behind a line of trees. “Hector and Amber live over to the far side, close to the pond you saw this morning.”
The water in the pond was still and shone like a mirror. The deck chairs had been folded and piled away. Through a gap in a high hedge, Heather spotted the cutest cottage she’d ever seen. She stopped walking and took her time, drinking in the sight. The house wasn’t big, just about the right size for a couple. It appeared to be built from loose stones of various sizes. Plants in full bloom climbing up the walls gave the whole picture a fairytale feel.
“This is idyllic, Jason.”
“Isn’t it?”
The voice coming from her right, apparently out of nowhere, gave her a shock.
“We’re privileged to be allowed to live here.”
“Nonsense, Hector. I’m privileged to have the two of you working for me. This was the least I could do. The house was here anyway.” Jason seemed embarrassed by the other Dom’s praise.
“Heather, you haven’t met Hector yet. Hector Kelly, meet Heather Staunton.”
The Dom’s scrutiny made her want to squirm. “How are you, Heather? May I call you Heather?”
She knew her smile was feeble, but it was the best she could do. “Of course, S… I’m sorry, how would you like me to address you?”
“Call me Hector. I’m Sir to only one person in this world. We have to put up with guests who don’t know any better addressing me as Sir, but everybody else calls me Hector.”
This time her smile was strong and heartfelt. Knowing he wasn’t an egomaniac Dom made the evening less intimidating than it had been a moment ago. It also confirmed her first impressions of him had been right. She’d never been a fan of addressing men she didn’t know, and would never submit to, as ‘Sir’ and neither had Darren, but there were quite a few Doms who demanded it. She couldn’t help feeling it was because they weren’t too sure about themselves. Not that she’d ever say such a thing out loud, but the suspicion was there.
“Please, walk with me. We’ve set up for dinner in the back garden. The evening is too beautiful to waste inside.”
The walk around the little house was magical. The garden appeared to be wild, although Heather had no doubt a lot of planning had gone into making it look like a quirk of nature. This sort of garden, with all its corners and bushes in unexpected places, invited games like hide and seek, and the perfect climbing tree she saw near the far wall made her wish she’d put on trousers rather than a dress.
“You’ve got yourself a piece of heaven here.”
Heather was rewarded with the Dom’s huge smile. “We certainly think so. Jason may make light of it, but for us, having this house is what has made The Blowhole our home. Amber, love”—Hector turned to face the cottage—“our guests have arrived.”
Heather laughed out loud when she saw the beautiful girl walk into the garden. If they’d planned it, they couldn’t have worked it out like this. Amber’s outfit was an almost exact copy of hers although the girl wore all white for Heather’s all black.
“Must be a case of great minds.” Amber smiled.
“Or great taste.” The pride in Jason’s voice was mirrored in his eyes when Heather glanced up at him.
“What would you two like to drink?” Hector opened an outside fridge.