Dangerous (The Complete Erotic Romance Novel) (15 page)

He had to admit that the idea of shackling her down for a week or two, of chaining her to a wall for perpetuity as Alicia suggested, was totally enticing. He’d have to tell Jackson that the house here would need a safe room.

Miss Jones might be using all of her vacation time in the near future.

“Strange to see you back after all this time,” Alicia said, lighting yet another cigarette. She drew deeply, watching him all the while. “I thought you’d turned your back on some things forever.”

“Apparently not.” Reid admitted. Miss Jones had begun to shake with the effort of keeping herself from reaching climax. Naomi was tormenting her on purpose, working deliberately, licking and sucking and drawing back in the nick of time. Her tongue stud flashed periodically, and Miss Jones’s flush deepened each time the stud disappeared into her snatch.

“What does bring you back this time? This tempting little package?”

Reid shook his head. “I came into possession of a company.”

Alicia laughed under her breath. “Only you could make it sound like you picked up a dime in the street.” Reid glanced at her with surprise. “Normal people don’t just happen into owning companies, Reid.”

“Well, I did. You might know it actually. Esperanza Enterprises.”

Alicia nodded. “Old fashioned shop, quality work.” She pursed her lips. “You probably picked it up for next to nothing.”

Reid noticed her displeasure in the idea. “Why do you say that?”

“There’s no money in the rag trade anymore. At least not here. It’s all being done in the third world for pennies a garment.” Alicia butted out her cigarette. “I’m surprised Leon was able to hold on as long as he was. I heard he was sick, so I guess it was inevitable someone would buy it, liquidate everything of value and sell it off.”

Reid wasn’t prepared to tell her that that wasn’t his plan. He didn’t think she’d give him a better opportunity to ask her for some industry data. “
All
of the garment trade?”

“What do you mean?”

“What about your niche?”

Alicia smiled. “This work is so custom that I’m basically a couturier, Reid. There will always be demanding customers, with specific tastes who can afford to pay for what they want.” She patted his shoulder.

“What about those who can’t?”

“Oh, well, the marketplace is full of cheap shit for them.”

“Nothing in between?”

“You have one of those genius ideas again, don’t you?”

“Made in America, quality goods, next best thing to custom.” Reid shrugged. “A designer who can refer clients to us, even as we build a taste for the custom work only she can offer.”

Alicia lit another cigarette, her manner thoughtful. “I’d start with leather,” she said. “Maybe corsets.” She nodded. “Shackles.”

“Why?”

“The quality of most of what’s out there is shit. The hides are too thick and the hardware is flimsy on restraints. There are better ways to allow customers some flexibility in sizing without their going custom, and I think there’s a market for better quality. Source me glove leather and forged hardware at a good price and we’ll have something to talk about.”

“I’m going to Asia tonight.”

“I’ll give you a list of who I use. What I buy is too expensive, but they might be willing to make a deal on a larger quantity of slightly lower quality product.”

“Use your name?”

“If it makes a difference. I’ll get you a list.” Alicia extinguished the cigarette, smiling secretively again.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I’ve wanted to give the Plume a run for their money in this niche for a while, and you might just make that dream come true.”

“Do I smell a discount?”

Alicia laughed. “Not on this purchase.” She rapped a finger on his chest. “You haven’t sourced my materials yet.”

Reid felt a familiar quickening, one that he experienced whenever a plan began to come together. The possibilities pushed out of his mind by the sight of Kendra, close to orgasm. She moaned, and he liked how the sound disappeared into the thickness of the gag. She struggled a bit against her bonds, her nipples tight and her back arching higher. He could see her toes point and her fingers clench, the flush rising over her skin.

“If you don’t want her to come, you’d better speak up now,” Alicia said from behind him.

“Stop now,” he said to Naomi, who stepped back with obvious reluctance. Miss Jones was vibrating like a hot wire, rocking her hips toward the spot where the other woman had stood, clearly desperate for more.

Rebuilding Esperanza Enterprises was her idea. It was becoming their plan.

Reid knew the perfect way to celebrate.

But first, he’d teach his slave the price of deception.

“Give me the riding crop now,” he said to Alicia. “We’ll finish this scene with a little reminder for the week ahead.”

* * *

It was a day filled with surprises, that was for sure.

Kendra hadn’t expected to be tied up in a shop and be eaten by another woman, a total stranger she couldn’t even see. She never would have imagined how much she’d enjoyed it. She hadn’t guessed the pleasure a tongue stud could give when its cool smooth ball was pressed just the right way against her aching clitoris.

She’d never been intimate with a woman, and supposed she was stupid not to have realized that a woman would best understand how to drive another woman wild. She also hadn’t anticipated that the knowledge that Reid was watching would drive her completely insane.

She supposed she should have expected him to deny her a release. She’d tried to obey his command, but just as the heat was building to the point she didn’t think she’d be able to stop herself, he’d called out to the other woman.

Kendra was panting, humming, itching when the woman moved away, her body hungry for Reid. She caught her breath like a girl with a crush when she heard the heavy tread of his boot on the floor and her body tingled in uncertainty and anticipation.

He’d take her now, she knew it. He’d claim what was his by right, and drill her so hard and so long that she’d have no doubt she’d been possessed. Kendra couldn’t wait.

She heard his footsteps go around her. She arched her back, wanting to look as alluring as she could. She rocked her hips, pretty much the only motion she could make, needing him to know how much she wanted him. He stopped behind her and she wondered if he would take her from behind.

Would he take her up the ass? The idea sent shock through Kendra. She’d never done that before, and wasn’t sure she wanted to.

Yet she didn’t have a choice.

She had a heartbeat to worry about it, then something cracked hard across her butt. It was slender and hurt like hell. She jumped and screamed, although the gag swallowed most of the sound. Reid’s leather-covered fingers slid across the point of impact, the smooth touch of the leather making Kendra swallow in relief.

Pleasure and pain.

Hopefully with more pleasure after the pain.

“A riding crop, in my opinion, provides the most effective discipline.” His voice was pitched just loud enough for Kendra to hear, seductive and private. He sounded possessive, which worked for Kendra.

Then he struck her butt on the other cheek. The riding crop snapped against her skin, a fleeting impression that stung for much longer than it seemed that it should.

Again, his hand slid over the point of impact, soothing away the pain with a caress.

It didn’t actually hurt. It stung. It was sharp and surprising, and left a burn that lingered hot.

“Each strike leaves a welt, and those will last up to a week,” he continued calmly. “The truth of your status will be inescapable each time you look in the mirror, Miss Jones.”

He was marking her, as his toy. The idea was oddly comforting, a sign that she was claimed.

He struck her again, the riding crop leaving a burning line on her flesh, then the gentle brush of his gloved fingertips awakening the skin to a full range of sensation. But the sixth blow, Kendra felt an unexpected surrender slide through her body.

Reid knew what he was doing.

He was introducing her to an addictive kind of pleasure.

She was his, to use as he chose.

And the only choice she could make was to surrender completely.

It was easy when she thought it of that way, and once the fight slid out of her body, her arousal didn’t just reawaken. It doubled and trebled, her vision of Reid eliminating the memory of all the other partners she’d ever had.

She was his captive, and there was nothing else she wanted to be.

The next blow was across the back of her shoulders, leaving a burning diagonal line that made Kendra arch her back harder.

“You won’t forget me while I’m gone,” he said, humor in his tone. Kendra would have liked to argue that there was no chance of that happening, even without the riding crop.

Then the blows fell quickly, the burn blending with the caresses so that she couldn’t tell them apart, much less anticipate which would come next. Her skin was burning, crisscrossed with lines.

It was a net encasing her body, from below her bust to the tops of her thighs.

Like a cage.

He worked steadily and with a definite rhythm, setting her skin on fire. She was keenly aware of everything, every waft of air, every brush of leather, every crack of the riding crop. A haze filled her mind, driving away her thoughts, her fears and her doubts. She was in the moment. She could only feel. She was a creature of vibrant needy flesh and there was nothing beyond the pleasure and pain he could inflict.

He awakened a desperation in her for more, a hunger that might prove insatiable. She yearned for his undivided attention, and each strike only made her desire more powerful.

She was aching with need when he struck her across the front of her left thigh, then electrified when he bent to touch that place gently with his lips. Kendra felt his breath against her skin and shivered to her very bones.

He ran his hands over her then, from shoulder to hip, the smooth stroke of his leather gloves awakening her skin even more. He stood behind her, his chest pressed against her back, her breasts in his hands, the erection that strained his jeans pressed against her butt. She rubbed herself against him and he chuckled, the feel of his breath against her throat making her tremble.

She was pulled taut, vibrating with need, so close to orgasm that she thought a breath of wind might take her over the edge. She quivered, certain that her release wasn’t part of his plan, and tried to hold back.

That only made it worse.

When Reid kissed her earlobe, sweetly and deliberately, she thought she might explode.

“You are mine,” he reminded her in a gruff whisper. “If you ever lie to me again, I will terminate our agreement immediately. Understand?”

Kendra couldn’t imagine a worse fate. She wanted him inside her. She wanted him to bang her hard and put her out of her misery. She wanted him to claim her and finish her off. She nodded repeatedly, trying to show her submission with enthusiasm.

“I hope you enjoyed yourself today, Miss Jones,” he continued and she deliberately shivered. She rocked on the chain and bucked her hips, hoping he knew what she meant.

It had been almost perfect.

Reid chuckled then cupped her breasts in his hands, catching her nipples between his finger and thumb on each hand. She could feel his hard strength pressed against her back, his jeans against her butt, the cold zipper on his leather jacket on his back. He had a little bit of stubble on his chin that she felt as he rubbed his face across the soft skin of her shoulder.

Kendra wanted him to unfasten those jeans and take her. She drove her butt against him, grinding herself against his erection. Nothing would be good enough, nothing but his hard cock filling her up and stretching her wide open.

He rolled her nipples and squeezed them, his touch making her moan with need. “You are marked as mine.” The satisfaction in his voice thrilled Kendra. “You will show no one these marks, because they are our secret.”

Kendra nodded. She loved having this secret with him.

“And each time you think of me this week, you will pinch one.”

His left hand slid down her side and he pinched a welt on her hip, hard. The move sent a jolt of mingled pain and pleasure through Kendra that was more powerful than she’d anticipated.

It also brought her orgasm dangerously close. She moaned into the gag, but made no sound.

“Think of me often,” Reid murmured with unexpected humor, his other hand sliding down her body. He pinched two welts simultaneously and Kendra arched back against him. She moved her hips again, then his one hand dove between her legs. Those strong fingers, those leather gloves, were on her wet puss. He rubbed the seam on one finger against her clitoris hard, then pinched her just as surely as he’d pinched her nipples.

“Remember that you are forbidden to come,” he said quietly.

Kendra twitched. She fought it, but she felt the tide rising. She feared she would disobey him, that he would compel her to disobey him, but she couldn’t stop the feeling. He deliberately drove her to the edge, and she didn’t know what his punishment would be, didn’t know how she could do what she was told. She struggled in her bonds, twisting in her shackles as her skin seemed to simmer.