Bejeweled and Bedeviled (3 page)

“I’m not used to depending on—”

“You will be.” He skimmed the backs of his fingers down her
cheek and along her jaw.

Oddly calmed by the tender gesture and not quite sure what
to say in response to his declaration, she focused on her task and freed her
other leg. Silently bemoaning the loss of her pantyhose, she offered them to
him.

“Thank you.” A small smile stretched his lips as he accepted
them, balled them up and, with a light toss, made a perfect two-pointer into
her waste can.

“Hey.” She stepped forward.

He grasped her wrist. “Leave them.”

Kayden shot an annoyed glance at his hand before
transferring it to his face. “Those were brand new.”

His brow rose in warning.

“Fine. I’ll leave them. I have plenty more at home.”

“Where they will stay,” he stated evenly. “As long as we are
together, you are forbidden to wear them. Now the panties.”

Shaking her head, she stepped back.

Still in possession of her wrist, he reeled her back in.

Braced for a scolding, she was struck motionless when he
laid gentle hands on her forearms.

“I wonder what it is you are so afraid of.” He slid his
hands up and over her shoulders to bracket her neck. “That you won’t like
submitting…” He lightly traced the rims of her ears with his thumbs, his eyes
warming at her resultant shiver. “Or…that you will?”

He claimed her mouth for a mind-numbing kiss. Had he not,
Kayden would’ve said that for someone who supposedly knew women so well, he was
way off base this time. Of course, it would have been a lie. The truth was he
was much too close to the truth for comfort. Because in a forgotten place, deep
down where she’d buried it a long, long time ago, stirred the scary suspicion
that he was right. Then as now, unwilling to face her fear, she surrendered to
his kiss, the slow, languid swipes of his talented tongue. His large, capable
hands spreading warmth as they slid down over her arms, then under them to
capture her hips and draw her close.

The unexpected nudge of the long, solid ridge of flesh that
met her stomach made her gasp.

He pulled his head back, his soft, throaty chuckle stirring
butterflies in her stomach. “The sooner you stop fighting me, the sooner we can
get beyond the basics and onto the more…pleasurable aspects of your being my
submissive.” Holding her still with his hands, he put his mouth next to her ear
and whispered, “You want that, don’t you? To have your pussy played
with—filled.” He nipped her earlobe at the same time he thrust his hips.

Kayden swallowed a moan generated by the simultaneous
stimulus of his warm breath, deep voice and obviously eager cock. Want it?
Wanting wasn’t the issue. She’d wanted him since he’d set foot in her office.
Before that. Since she’d unearthed a rare newspaper photo taken at a charitable
event to establish college scholarships for underprivileged women. How a dull
black-and-white picture could project so much power and charismatic sensuality
defied logic.

Until she’d met him.

She wouldn’t be one bit surprised to find a trail of panties
when she left the building tonight, hastily discarded by the women he’d passed
on the way in. He was screw-the-preliminaries-come-here-and-fuck-me sexy.

Hell no, wanting wasn’t the issue. She had no problem
relinquishing her body. It was her vehemently protesting independence that was
dragging its feet.

“Kayden.”

The distinct crack of command in his soft voice brought her
gaze up to his.

“You have much to learn in a short time. Attention is key.
And although I have no intention of being a jailer to your thoughts, when I am
with you, I expect your focus to be wholly on me. From today until the day we
part company, our pleasure and displeasure are irrevocably linked. Do you
understand?”

She caught herself mid-nod. “Yes.” The word was clipped.

His expression unchanging, he gave her ass a stinging taste
of his hand.

“Ow!” She flattened her hand over her left butt cheek to
disperse the light burn.

The intercom chimed. “Kayden, are you okay?”

Hunter’s mask broke to reveal a hint of humor as his
eyebrows went up.

This time it was Kayden’s
upper
cheeks that flooded
with warmth.

“I’m fine, Shayla. Thanks for checking.”

“You’re sure?”

Feeling a bit more relaxed knowing reinforcements were only
a closed door away, Kayden took a calming breath. “I’m sure.”

“Okay.” A single bleep announced the connection closed.

Hunter sighed and reached up to run a finger along the side
of her face. “You can’t imagine how disappointed I am right now.”

Sure she could. But she doubted he was half as disappointed
in her as she was in herself. After all, she was the one who’d initiated all
this. Wanting to experience, if only for a short time, what it felt like to
give one hundred percent to a man. To expose herself fully. No secrets. No
shame. Free to express her deepest needs and desires without fear of
censorship.

And now that she had the opportunity, she was blowing it—big
time.
Way to go, Kayden.

“I’m sorry.” Ashamed of her behavior, she hung her head. “I
don’t know why I thought this would work. Maybe we should call it quits.”
Shaking her head, she took two steps back. “It will mean a setback for this
particular article, but there were several other women interested in
submission. Maybe…”

“Kayden, enough.” Responding to the added authority in his
voice, exactly as she had the last time, her gaze flew to his. Hunter fought a
satisfied grin. “This agreement is between you and me. Non-transferable.” He
clutched her shoulders. “Again, this is your fear talking. If you’re looking
for the coward’s way out, say so and I’ll walk out that door. Think your answer
over carefully, because this is the last time I’ll allow you this option. If
you tell me to stay, it’s for the duration.”

Her expressive eyes shooting blue flames, she stepped back,
breaking contact. “I am not afraid and I am
not
a coward!” Her words
went from alto to an impressive soprano.

The intercom chimed again.

She snapped her head in its direction. “I’m fine! Damn it.”
She took a quick breath. “Sorry, Shayla. I’m fine,” she said more calmly. “And
from today on, anytime Mr. Trielle is in my office, assume we don’t want to be
disturbed,” she leveled a mild glare toward him, “no matter what you hear.”

“You got it, boss.” The intercom bleeped.

Her chest rose and fell with her agitation. “Answer enough
for you?”

“Pretty speech, but you know it’s not. Say it.” Reaching
out, he again grasped her shoulders and pulled her close. “And you may want to
think about what tone you use when you do.”

She took several deep, calming breaths, tempting Hunter to
look down at her luscious cleavage. With a stern reminder that there’d be
plenty of opportunity to bury his face between her beautiful breasts later, he
retained the needed eye contact.

“Yes, Hunter. I—”

“Master. Just so there’s no mistaking exactly what you’re
agreeing to,
this
time, it’s Master.”

There was a long pause, during which Hunter could see the
struggle going on behind the glimmer in her mesmerizing eyes.

“Yes…Master. I belong to you.” Another slight pause. “To do
with as you will.”

Having gotten exactly what he’d wanted, Hunter couldn’t help
himself. With no desire to be gentle, he firmed his grip on her shoulders and
yanked her up to meet his kiss. It was the first of many ways he intended to
claim her, mark her, stamp out any lingering doubt that she belonged to him.
And would stay that way. Her journey to reach the same conclusion began
here…now.

For several long moments, he devoured her mouth. It was the
sweetest mouth he’d ever tasted, warm, wet and welcoming. He could have gone on
kissing her forever. But they’d more important things to do.

With one last long, slow swipe of his tongue, he broke the
kiss and moved back. He dropped his gaze to her toes, inched it up her long
slender legs, paused in the vicinity of her pelvis and, with a slow, crawling
perusal, reconnected with her gaze. In silent command, he held out his hand,
palm up.

Without hesitation she reached up under her skirt and
wiggled out of her panties.

They were black, to match her skirt, a small bit of lacy
fabric. When she got them past her knees, she latched onto the arm at his side.
Catching his gaze momentarily, she balanced on one foot then the other,
removing her underwear more quickly than Hunter would have preferred, and
placed them in his hand. He drew some consolation in the fact that someday soon
she would perform a striptease for his pleasure. A very slow, sexy one that
would expose all her beautiful assets and give him time to appreciate each one
the way they deserved. The thought of how many ways he would take her afterward
made his cock so hard it threatened to shatter his control. And it was way too
early in their relationship for that. He knew eventually she would learn
exactly how much power she had over him. But it wouldn’t be today.

“Are you throwing those away as well?” She glanced toward
the trash can.

“These, I’ll keep. I may want you to put them on for me some
day. Just so I can have the pleasure of taking them off.” He tested the
delicacy of the fabric between his fingers for several moments before bringing
them up to his nose to inhale her scent. After a quick kiss to the crotch, he
carefully tucked them into his pants pocket.

Her eyes followed his every move, a good indication of her
attentiveness. Since her awareness of his movements and body language were as
important as hers to him, it was a pleasing step forward.

“Your smell is positively intoxicating.” He smiled at the
blush that dusted her cheeks. “But like the pantyhose, this is another item of
clothing you will no longer need.”

“So you can have access to my pussy?” she stated bluntly
with raised chin.

“No.” Capturing her chin between thumb and forefinger, he
lowered it slightly. “So I can have access to
my
pussy.”

To drive home his point, he stepped closer, slipped his hand
under her skirt and indulged himself in a slow, sampling caress up one trim
thigh and cupped her.

“This,” he buried his finger between her folds, pleased by
her soft gasp, pleased even more to find she was damp and slick, “and every
other luscious inch of you now belong to me. And I believe in taking very good
care of what’s mine.” He wiggled his finger.

Just as she melted into his caress, he pulled out with a
steady, quick glide over her G-spot. “Starting with a good, nutritious
breakfast.” Ignoring her soft, needy moan, he clasped her wrist and, seating
himself, pulled her sideways across his lap, cradling her back with his arm.

“Breakfast? But I thought…”

“I know what you thought.” He held back a smile at her
bemused, slightly disgruntled expression. God, she was just all kinds of
beautiful. Sexy as hell. Not the in-your-face sexy, but a combination of earthy
sensuality and naiveté that brought men to their knees. And if he wasn’t
careful, that’s exactly where he’d end up. “We’ll be getting around to this,”
he splayed his hand over her lower thigh and, with a firm slide, pushed her
skirt up high enough to graze her soft curls with his thumb, “soon enough.”

Kayden sucked in a breath. Talk about being between a rock
and a hard place! Hunter’s long, hard cock cutting across the back of her
thighs and his thumb toying with the hair between her legs. Her pussy throbbing
in wanton need of either.

She canted her hips. His thumb bumped her clit. Maybe if she
moved a little more…

“No.” His hand clamped her thigh, stilling her. “I’ll tell
you when it’s time.”

Now! Now would be a great time
, she wanted to scream.
Couldn’t we just forget all this in-between bullshit and get to the
you-master, me-slave, tie-me–up-and-fuck-me part?

A light pull on her pubic hair got her attention.

“Have you ever shaved here?”

“No.”

“We’ll take care of that tomorrow. Are you aware it
heightens the senses?”

If her senses were any more heightened, there’d be a new
skylight in the roof. “So I’ve heard.”

“After tomorrow, you’ll know it for a fact. One more thing
before we get started on breakfast. Have you chosen a safe word yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Good. Because after some serious thought, I’ve decided to
choose for you.”

“Isn’t that against some sacred BDSM rule or something?”

“I think it best we clear something up so you don’t go into
this with another misconception. There are no hard-and-fast rules. This is not
a board game, which comes with an instruction manual. There are, however, many
tried-and-true guidelines with respect to safety and comfort. All to cultivate
trust. As I said earlier, without trust this relationship will fail. Have I
given you reason to distrust me?”

Kayden was surprised to find her answer required little
thought. “No.”

“Excellent. Then your safe word will be
Diamond
. Do
you know what Trielle stands for?”

“A triangular cut of a diamond. Trademarked by the Trillion
Diamond Company, the word
Trillion
is also sometimes used to describe
the diamond’s shape.” She looked into his eyes. “Everything about you revolves
around the gem. The name of your club, the month you were born.”

“And Triangle, what does that symbolize?”

“Point up, male power. Point down, female power.”

“Diamond?”

“Passion. Energy. They’re believed to enhance relationships,
increase inner strength and provide the wearer with balance, clarity and
abundance.” She paused, wary of the road he was leading her down.

“Don’t stop there.” His lips eased into a knowing smile.
“I’m curious to see if you’ve discovered something I’m not aware of.”

Kayden sighed. “The word diamond derives from the ancient
Greek
adamas
, meaning
impossible to tame
. And they’re renowned
for their superlative physical qualities, especially their
hardness
.”
Deciding to share some of the discomfort she was experiencing, she shifted her
hips over the huge erection she was sitting on.

If not for the slight tightening of his thighs, she would
have thought he was impervious to the gesture. Miffed at his iron control, she
vowed to crack it before their agreement came to an end.

“
Hard
, as in durability and strength,” he clarified.
“The perfect safe word for you.”

“But all that relates to you. Not me.”

“Precisely. Through me, you will find your strength. Your
balance. With me, you will find your safety. The indestructible rock behind
your back.” With his free hand, he tucked her hair behind her ears and cupped
her neck to bring her lips to his. “Your safe haven.” The promise was a warm
breathy whisper. “What’s your safe word?”

Kayden swallowed the lump in her throat. “Diamond,” she
murmured softly against his mouth.

“Diamond,” he confirmed, the low, strong tones sending a
tingle across her lips.

The pressure of his hand was light, non-threatening. His
lips, when they met hers, soft and requesting—demanding nothing. So why in hell
did Kayden feel compelled to give him all?

Unnerved by the thought, she broke the kiss and turned her
head. “I can’t…” She bit her lip.

He dropped his hand to give her thigh a light squeeze. “Can’t
what?”

Thankfully her stomach chose that moment to growl, saving
her from answering. “Can’t…wait to eat. I’m starving.” She reached for the
silver dome covering the plate.

His hand covered hers. “Look at me.”

Prepared to be chastised for her lie, she turned.

“Running from the truth won’t change it.”

“What truth?” she asked tentatively, assuring herself the
queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach was the result of hunger, not that he
was intuitive enough to have guessed her secret longings.

“The truth you will come to terms with sooner or later. The
one you’ll willingly share when you’re ready. But as I doubt very much it will be
this moment, I think we should proceed with today’s training session. Lean
back.”

Relieved to be let off the hook, Kayden relaxed into the
curve of his strong arm.

“You are not to lift a finger unless instructed.” Hunter
reached over and uncovered the plate. “Spread your legs. Keep them open,” he
instructed, setting the lid aside. “You’re mine now. I expect to have easy
access to your pussy
whenever
I want it,
however
I want it. First
we’ll appease your hunger. Starting with a bit of cream.” He skimmed a healthy
dab of white fluff from the top of the waffle and brought it to her mouth.
“Some for you.”

Imagining it to be his cock, Kayden dutifully, slowly sucked
the cream from his finger. His amber gaze heated as it tracked her lip’s
progress.

“Very nice. Now some for me.”

Expecting him to help himself to some whipped cream, she
couldn’t stop the gasp when he stroked his hand up her inner thigh and slid a
finger deep inside her.

“Wet and warm,” he said, swirling his finger before pulling
it out. His eyes locked on hers, he inserted it into his mouth and sucked it
clean. “Just the way I like it.”

Next he fed her a plump red strawberry, and while she
chewed, marveling at the sweet juice that exploded over her taste buds and
trickled down her throat, he took one for himself.

Kayden almost choked on a swallow when he ran his strawberry
between her pussy lips in a long, slow stroke before popping the berry into his
mouth.

“Another?”

She wet her lips. “Yes, please.”

His gaze warm and intent, he dipped the very tip of the
small plump fruit inside her wet channel. Rotated.

Kayden fought to hold back a moan, losing the battle when he
brushed the textured berry up, over her clit, circled once, twice, and then
rode it through her swollen folds. After several tantalizing moments, it found
its way into her mouth.

If he kept this up, she’d expire before they got to the
waffle.

“Open your eyes, sweetheart.”

Open? Crap, she hadn’t even realized she’d closed them. When
she lifted her lids, it took a moment for his smile to come into focus.

“Here,” he said, pressing a fork into her hand. “I think you
can manage the rest on your own.”

“You’re done eating?” she said, trying not to let her
disappointment show.

“Not entirely. I have every intention of stealing a little
nibble now and then.” He shifted sideways slightly to allow her easier access
to the plate. “Go ahead and eat.”

The first bite of waffle hit her palate at the same time he
drove two fingers deep inside her. She caught the fork between her teeth and
his hand between her thighs. One look at his stony expression had her releasing
both.

“You expect me to eat while you’re doing
that
?”

“Yes.” Applying more pressure, he rotated his fingers,
slightly withdrew them. Added a third.

Moaning, Kayden caught her legs mid-close.

“I’ll expect that of you. And much more. I’ll slip my
fingers…or anything else inside you whenever the mood strikes me. And you’ll
not utter a single sound of complaint. Not because you’ll be afraid to. Because
you’ll come to love it. Open your legs wider and continue eating. Close them
again and you’ll find yourself face down over my legs.”

“I—”

“No more talking. The only times I want to see that pretty
mouth of yours open is when you’re putting food into it or when I ask you a
direct question. I’m running out of both time and patience.”

He was running out of patience? He could have fooled her.
The man must have King Kong restraints on his temper. Some day, when she knew
him better and was feeling more courageous, she’d test his limits. Running her
tongue over suddenly dry lips, she cut off a generous portion of waffle and
stuffed it into her mouth. The quicker she got this over with—

His thumb brushed her clit.

Stomach muscles knotting, she whimpered around the food in
her mouth.

He nipped her shoulder.

She gasped.

Hunter smiled against her arm and kissed where he’d nipped.
“Women have no idea how much those sexy little feminine sounds turn a man on. A
breathy gasp, a throaty whimper. Especially when he’s caused them. You do it
especially well. I’ll have to make sure you do it often. Keep eating.”

Keep eating? She could barely keep breathing. All she wanted
to do was toss down the fork and concentrate on the delicious sensations
spiraling up from between her legs. But determined to stick to their agreement
and be a good little
sub
, she cut and speared another piece of waffle.

As it touched her lips, his fingers curled inside her.

Screw it. Tossing the fork onto the plate, Kayden leaned
back into his arm and spread her legs. Not the least deterred by his knowing
chuckle, she thrust her hips, impaling herself deeper.

“I can see we’ll need to work on your self-control.” He used
his thumb to toy with her clit. A light, gliding tease. “But since this is your
first day and I’m feeling magnanimous, I’ll give you what you want.”

Personally, at that moment she didn’t give a damn what he
was feeling. It was what she was feeling that mattered. And a little laughter
at her expense wasn’t going to deter her from getting it.

“Hook your heel on the table.”

An order she was eager to follow if it would help him get
the job done.

When his fingers remained unmoving, she pumped her hips in
encouragement.

He chuckled again. “I said I would give you what you want. I
didn’t say it would be on your terms.” He withdrew his hand.

She groaned.

“There are few sights more beautiful than what I’m looking
at right now. You… open, willing, waiting for me to give you pleasure. A sight
I could stare at for hours. Unfortunately, our time today is too limited for
such an indulgence.”

He smiled at her little sigh of relief.

“I suppose you think that’s a good thing. When in actuality
it’s not. Making love should never be rushed. Once you learn the pleasures to
be found in denial and self-control, you’ll look back and wish I hadn’t given
you what you want so readily.”

Bringing his hand up from between her legs, he lightly
swiped his thumb over her bottom lip, leaving behind a hint of moisture and the
musky scent of her own arousal. Kayden swiped her tongue slowly across her
lips, taking great satisfaction in the way his eyes darkened as he followed its
movement.

He bent his head, retraced the path his thumb had taken with
his tongue then lingered to nibble. His tongue invaded her mouth at the same
time his fingers invaded her pussy.

Her moan of pleasure passed from her mouth to his when he
started a slow, steady, synchronized rhythm that set both her body and mind on
the path to sweet oblivion.

When his magical thumb came into play, circling, sliding,
lubricating her throbbing clit with her own juices, it only took a handful of
masterful strokes to bring her to the edge, another two to make her shatter.

Seconds later, left unashamedly spread, panting and
satiated, she thanked God her
Oh
God
had been captured by his
mouth.

She couldn’t remember when she’d ever been brought to an
orgasm so quickly. It usually took forever. More than likely it was a
combination of not having had one in a very long time, the nature of the
situation she’d placed herself in and her strong attraction to the man. She
refused to believe any man could be that talented.

But as she lay there in the afterglow, eyes closed, her
inner muscles still fluttering around his deeply imbedded fingers, she hoped
like hell he was.

* * * * *

Hunter was loath to take his fingers from her sweet, hot
pussy, but he only had a half hour before he had to leave. Not once in the ten
years he’d been meeting Simon, his best friend and fellow Dom, at their health
club for their morning game of racquetball had he failed to show up on time.
That he was tempted to cancel today didn’t set easy with him.

His intuition about Kayden had been dead on target. He knew
from the start she would prove to be a distraction. He just hadn’t thought
she’d prove to be this much of one, this soon.

With great reluctance, he withdrew his fingers from her
moist, silky depths, took her foot off the table, grudgingly closed her legs
and helped her sit straight.

“Better?”

“Hmmm. Yes Sir.”

He smiled at her dreamy expression, planted a brief,
affectionate kiss on her forehead and reached across the table to snag the
small black box leaning against the candelabra.

“This is for you.” He placed it into her hand. “The reward I
promised for agreeing to our arrangement.”

She didn’t tear into it as many women would, instead studied
it with a skeptical eye reserved more for a boxed snake. Locating the trailing
end of the bow, she pulled until the white ribbon dropped into her lap, then
peeked inside.

His heart warmed at the appreciative breath she drew.