Fearful Cravings (4 page)

At home, she took a shower, wrapped herself in a fuzzy robe and relaxed on the couch with a cup of coffee. She had an hour before Reece was to pick her up for dinner.  Bringing the mug into her bedroom, she set it on an end-table and crossed to her closet doors. She wanted a knockout dress. Flinging hangers aside, she bypassed a few stunning dresses. She didn't have time to go shopping. Why was she so worried about wearing a sensational dress for him? It was only dinner.

Who was she kidding? At least on the inside of her own head, she could tell the truth. It was going to be more than dinner.

She settled on a red halter dress. It covered her from her neck to mid-thigh but the silk was almost sheer, and the open back landed just above her ass. Incredibly sexy. She'd bought it recently with no chance to try it out.

She used an all-over body moisturizer that left her skin feeling like silk. Between that and the sheer lightness of the dress, she felt almost naked. She was wearing a red, lace thong and red heels. She gave herself a critical once over in the mirror, turning and twirling. It was a lot of red but it made her feel incredibly sexy. A tiny reward for all the hard work lately. She wrestled her hair into soft curls that cascaded to the middle of her shoulder blades. It tickled against her skin as she moved around the bedroom. She had applied minimal make up. Her dress spoke volumes. She didn't want her make up to compete with it. She went very subtle on her lip but accentuated her eyes.

She told herself it wasn't just because he had said her eyes were beautiful. She smirked. When the doorbell rang, all she had to do was grab her purse. She was ready.

He stood in the doorway. His gaze swept from her face lingered on her breasts down to her thighs and back to her face. He gave her one of those patented lopsided grins. “You look incredible.”

She flushed, “Thank you. You look very handsome. We did say we were going to dinner to celebrate, didn't we?”

“You look like a celebration in that dress, Chloe.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. One arm wrapped around her and lightly skimmed her back.

She laughed softly, “Should we go?”

She was slightly afraid they wouldn't make it to the restaurant. She hadn't decided how far this date would go. It scared her a little to realize that mostly the decision wasn't up to her.

As they waited for the elevator, he smiled at her.

She tried to control her breathing, whispered, “No.”

He chuckled, “I didn't say anything, Chloe.”

“You didn't have to say anything. That smile said it all.”

He laughed again as he guided her into the elevator and pushed the lobby button. As soon as the doors were closed, his hand skimmed across her exposed back down further to where the material just barely covered her ass. The delicate silk wasn't stretched taut over her body. There was room to move which meant there was plenty of room for the tip of his finger to edge under the seam. His finger skimmed so very close to the swell of her ass.

She let out a small gasp that was thankfully covered by the ding and metallic clunk of the doors opening into the lobby.

He guided her outside and whistled for a cab. The evening was cool. A bit too cool for the simple, sheer dress that she was wearing. She crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself as she felt her nipples start to harden.

Thankfully, it only took a moment for a cab to stop for him. And he didn't even have to jump in its path. He opened the door for her. She climbed in and slid across the seat to give him room. He climbed in behind her, gave the driver the name of a restaurant she'd never heard of before.

They made small talk on the way to the restaurant. She was laughing, definitely less nervous than when he'd picked her up at her apartment. Maybe because the elevator was behind them. He wasn't going to do anything to her in a restaurant full of people.

Less than fifteen minutes later, they pulled up at a small Italian restaurant. After giving his name to the hostess, they were escorted to a booth against the wall. The small space was warm and cozy. It was a surprise to Chloe. She assumed because of his interest in contemporary, modern clothing he'd take her to some trendy restaurant filled with flashing lights, sharp angled see-through furniture and minimalistic decor.

The restaurant's walls were painted a deep burgundy, but the rest of the restaurant was light and airy. The tables were covered with cream tablecloths, small shaded lamps in brilliant jewel tones along with a sprig of wild flowers. Chloe was pleasantly surprised.

At the booth, he guided her to the side facing away from the restaurant. The angle of the booth made seeing any other patrons impossible. It felt secluded.

The waitress approached with menus and when she left, Chloe said, “This is a very nice restaurant. Have you been here before?”

“I come here fairly frequently. The owner and I go back a long way. What will you have to eat, Chloe?”

She couldn't decide. Finally, she lowered the menu, “Since you've been here so often, what would you recommend?”

“How do you feel about meat, Chloe? If you're not a vegetarian, I'd recommend the veal. It's delicious.”

She nodded, “I'll have the veal, then.”

When the waitress returned, Reece ordered for them both. He barely spared a glance at the waitress as he handed back the menus. He kept his gaze on Chloe the whole time until finally when the waitress left, he said, “Now that I have you alone, and away from the office, we'll talk about what happened that night in the elevator, Chloe.”

She flushed and shook her head. For some reason, all her brash aggressiveness left her when she was with him. She felt off-guard when he brought up the elevator.

“I'm not interested in talking about the elevator.”

He stifled a small chuckle. “It bothers you. Does it make you uncomfortable or does it turn you on, Chloe? Is that why you don't want to discuss it?”

With her heart racing, she realized that both statements were true. It made her uncomfortable because it did turn her on. His control of that woman gave her shivers but she didn't want that for herself. She wasn't the kind of woman to be controlled by a man.

She sighed softly. He was determined to have this conversation, and maybe it would be good to get it out in the open. She was attracted to him, curious about how he would be in bed and maybe with some conversation, she could get him to understand she wasn't interested in that kind of kink.

“Fine. I am uncomfortable with what I saw you make that woman do. It turned me on but I'm not interested in being a puppet for you sexually, for any man.”

He gave her that crooked grin as he leaned forward and quickly captured her hand. “Have you ever tried it, Chloe? How do you know you wouldn't like it? The fact that it turned you on is something to consider.”

She tugged lightly but he wouldn't release her hand. Her heartbeat quickened at the strength of his grasp. He was staring at her intently, and it was loosening feelings deep within her.

“Sex turns me on. I'm not ashamed of that, but the rest of it is not for me.”

“Again, Chloe. How do you know that when you've never experienced being controlled by another? All choices taken from you as someone else controls your pleasure. Your arms pinned over your head as a mouth ravishes your breast. No way for you to participate as you take the pleasure being given to you. Screams and cries ripped from your throat by sensations beyond your power.”

He gripped her hand tighter. “It excites you, Chloe. I can feel it in your racing pulse.”

A small noise escaped her. He could feel her pulse in her wrist. She couldn't deny the desire and arousal boiling inside her when he had a direct line to know exactly how she felt. She snatched her hand away. He let her go reluctantly.

A moment later the waitress brought their food. Chloe stared at her plate. She picked up her fork but couldn't bring herself to put any into her mouth.

She had to admit that she was turned on. She flashed back on the night she'd first seen him in the elevator with his date. She'd been disappointed in her own date's reluctance to take control that night. Did she really want someone to control her to the extent that he controlled his date, though?

She looked up from her plate to see him watching her casually as she processed the turmoil he had caused.

“Where is your girlfriend now?”

“She's not my girlfriend. We play together occasionally. She likes to be controlled, and I give her what she needs. Where is your boyfriend?”

She nodded as he asked the question. She'd jumped to conclusions about the woman in the elevator having seen them together twice. “He's not my boyfriend.”

The rest of dinner was uneventful. He brought the conversation around to movies, and she found they both had a fondness for comedies. She picked at her food and lingered over wine. She was stalling, and she could tell he knew it. She was frightened about getting into the elevator with him. He couldn't make her do anything she didn't want to do. Maybe she was afraid that deep down, she really did want what she'd seen in the elevator.

He let her linger for a while then signaled for the check.

On the way back to their building, she was quiet. The elevator ride was looming in her mind. The fear confused her. She tried to get herself to snap out of it but couldn't.

She was trembling by the time he guided her into the building's lobby. When they stood at the elevator's doors waiting for the car, he wrapped an arm around her waist. His fingers brushed up and down her back. It was a reassuring gesture that made her lean into him.

The ding of the elevator made her twitch. She'd built up a significance with the elevator that she couldn't shake. When she hesitated, he gently tugged her into the car. He pressed the button for his floor, and she didn't object.

Her breathing became ragged with anticipation. He pushed her against the wall of the elevator and kissed her hard and deep. Her heart stuttered in her chest. She returned the kiss with a passion and hunger that surprised them both. She wanted to wrap her whole body around him but at the same time, she was still nervous. Each ding of the floor indicator button eased her panic somewhat.

He whispered against her lips, “Relax, Chloe. We're going to take things slow. No elevator sex...yet.”

Her relief was ridiculously overwhelming. She let out a breathless laugh.

“How did you know that was on my mind?”

A noise rumbled out of him as he grabbed her ass and pressed her against him. She could feel how hard he was.

“It was on my mind. How much I want to take this pretty little dress off you and fuck you naked right here pinned against this elevator wall.”

A ragged moan escaped her.

He slid a hand into her hair and clenched it into a fist. His low growl flowed over her like liquid igniting her body in heat wherever it touched. “Since that first night I saw you in here, Chloe, I couldn't get you out of my head.”

She whimpered as a sharp pain mixed with her arousal like an accelerant added to flames. She pulled against his grip to kiss him again. When the elevator dinged and the doors clanked open, he pulled her back from the kiss.

“God, Chloe. We have to talk once we get inside. I should be going much slower with you since you're new to this, but I want to tie you up and fuck you until you scream. It's making me feel reckless.”

He released her hair but she clung to his side kissing his neck.

He laughed softly as he tried to fit his key into the lock. When it took more than a moment to get the key into the lock, he slid a hand into her hair and pulled her away from his skin.

“Stop distracting me.”

He finally got the door unlocked and pulled her in from the hall.

“Can I get you some wine? We have a few things to discuss.”

She nodded as she looked around his home. He'd only moved in recently so there were some boxes pushed to the side but overall it was coming along nicely. It was a masculine color scheme with rich browns and light beiges but there was surprising flashes of color. He had some interesting artwork. A small bronze statue on his coffee table of a woman kneeling, her hands behind her back and her head bowed. 

Chloe prowled around his living room touching books, picking up titles she didn't recognize to flip through them. Venus in Furs. The Story of O. The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. The Art of Bondage.

Chloe dropped the book like it was on fire as Reece stepped in with wine and glasses. His smile held amusement.

“Find something interesting?”

“The Art of Bondage?”

He set the glasses down and poured. He indicated a seat on the couch. “Yes. I have eclectic tastes in books and bondage happens to be a subject that interests me.”

She perched warily on the edge of the cushion and sipped the wine he handed her. He settled back into the cushions lazily sipping his own.

“Chloe, bondage can be exciting, thrilling and sometimes scary. It can be dangerous when practiced by anyone who doesn't take it seriously. I'm more than serious about it and I don't plan on endangering you, though, I do plan on hurting you. We can go slow. We
will
go slow at first, and you'll pick a safe word.”

He watched her as he spoke, gauging, testing, observing. “This safe word, when uttered, will bring everything to a halt. So, while you will be under my control, that control only exists because you have given it to me. Ultimately, you are the one in control.”

“If I don't want to crawl on the ground in public, I don't have to?”

He laughed. “That stayed with you, didn't it? Chloe, one day I may decide that I want you crawling on your knees from the elevator to my apartment and when that day comes, you will be more than willing to scrape your knees raw. But for now, no.”

“Pick your safe word, Chloe. One you'll remember in the heat of the moment.”

Her whole body was tensed. How heated would these moments get? What word would she remember to stop him?

“Red?”

He smiled reassuringly at her. “It's a common safe word. Red does mean stop after all. I have to say I expected something a little more creative from you, Chloe. Now that we have the preliminaries out of the way--”