Role Play (9 page)

I
took a deep breath, silently cursing Dick for tossing me in the deep end. “So you don’t go around scaring every woman you flirt with?”

“No! Not even at the Chamber.”

“But you couldn’t resist me,” I said, echoing him from earlier.

“No, I couldn’t. I’m really
sorry, I thought you were something else.” He ventured a small smile. “But then again, you were wearing a disguise.”

I
had to admit that was true. “I guess it’s more dangerous than I thought.”

“It’s actually pretty safe, if you
use common sense.”

He was remind
ing me of his first warning which I had ignored. Why did he keep trying to get one-up on me? It kept me on edge even while we were talking so friendly-like.

Victor
pulled out a card. “Martin gave me this. It’s got his website on it.”

He opened it on his
iPhone. The website was mostly black with vivid slashes of arching fire, and brightly colored wisps of costumes on nearly naked girls. It was nothing I hadn’t seen on Martin’s profile, but it had a more complete calendar of events where they were performing. Including a park in Brooklyn on Sunday.

I
finally sat back, shaking my head. “Why would they do this kind of show in a park? There will be kids around!”

“Martin says they do vanilla events, more like a circus freak show, I imagine.”

I considered it. “Okay, that’s sounds more reasonable. But why did she let him hit her like that? That fire looks dangerous. I can’t believe they allow it here.”

“It’s mostly cement down
below.”

“What about the girls? What if Lola caught on fire?”

“She had stuff in her hair and on her skin to keep the fire away from her.”

I
looked at him closer. “Really? So it’s just an illusion?”

“I wouldn’t say that. It can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Like anything else. But from what it looks like, this guy Martin has a lot of documented experience. And that’s good in the scene.”

“You seem to know a lot about it.”

“I dabble. I work too much to make it regular thing.”

“Two Fridays in a row is sort of regular,” I pointed out.

His expression was more serious. “I came tonight to ask
the producers if they knew you. Most people come through here at some point. It’s one of the main gateways to the scene. I wanted to find you to make sure I didn’t hurt you. And I found you.”

My
face flushed. It was intensely flattering. Especially coming from a guy as successful and good-looking as he was. He could have any girl. Literally, any girl. But he came looking for me.

“Mission accomplished,”
I told him. “You actually proved to me how dangerous this is. I don’t get why you do it. I don’t get why Lola lets that guy hit her with those whips. It looks like it hurt.”

“It also feels good.”
              “Did it feel good when I hit you with the ruler?” I asked.

“Yes, because I was thinking I would be able to do anything I wanted to you
afterwards.”

And just like that,
my heart started beating faster. He was the golden boy when he was smiling, shining like the sun, but I preferred him this way, when he was intent and serious. Like we were sharing a secret together.

Victor
held up his right hand, looking from it to me. “I used this hand on you last week. Just this hand, holding that rope around your wrist.” His fingers flexed.

My
mouth opened, looking at his hand. I wanted to pull away from him. But that would be giving too much away. Then he would know how much he had scared me. I had thought about what happened all week, and now here I was sitting next to him, talking about it like it was a perfectly natural thing. It felt like everything I thought I knew was splitting apart.

“I made you feel
something real intense,” he told me quietly. “Now I could make you feel so good you’d do anything for me. Without touching you sexually, of course. We
are
in a bar.”

“Here? You want to touch me here?”

“You don’t understand why people like kink, or why your sister is doing this. I can show you. And I can make up for the… extreme introduction I gave you last week.”

I
couldn’t believe how tempted I was by him. “Look what happened last time I said yes.”

“We weren’t on common ground last time. Now I know where you’re coming from. And you can stop me at any time.
Just tell me if you don’t like it.”

“Like a
safeword?” I asked, remembering what Lola had told me.

“Yes.”

His hand dropped to the bench, straying closer to me. Like he wanted to touch me. He bit his lip as he looked down at my legs.

“Give me your foot,” he urged.

“My foot?” I was wearing stiletto pumps.

“Yes, what harm could that do?”

We were sitting at right angles so it was easy to lift my foot up. He caught me by the ankle and carefully removed my shoe. I could just see my red-tipped toes peeking from under the table cloth.

His touch sent a shiver through
me, just in the way he held me. So firm and confident, yet careful of me, like his hands were too big for my delicate ankle. The feeling reminded me of last time when he held me. And I knew that if he didn’t want to let me go, I wouldn’t be able to break free.

I
looked around. The place had mostly emptied out from the event, and a new post-happy hour crop of people were arriving. There were people at the nearby banquets and sitting at the bar. It felt safe enough, yet secluded.

Slowly, taking his time, he began to massage
my foot. Pressing in at my heel and stroking up the toes—it felt heavenly! For a girl who worked on her feet all day every day, there could be nothing better.

He
knew what he was doing. What wonders he could accomplish if he had lotion!

He moved up to
include my ankle and I relaxed even more. His touch was so strong and sure, almost to the point of pain. But it’s what I needed. I’d been strung tight as a wire for weeks over Lola.

Stop thinking about Lola,
I ordered myself.

“Stop thinking,”
Victor said quietly.

Startled,
I looked at him. He was making his way up my calf, and was giving my work-hardened muscles a good deep massage.

“You could tell
that just from touching me?” I asked.

He didn’t answer, so that was reply
enough.

As he kept stroking
me, I relaxed back again, focusing on how his hands felt as he mixed the deep massage with delicate stroking, running his fingers up to the inside of my knee.

He went slowly, and when he got to the hem of
my skirt half way up my thigh, I was feeling like I didn’t want to stop him. My entire leg was thrumming along with a few other things. Just from him touching my leg!

But he
showed he could be a gentleman, and he stopped at my skirt.

Gently, he picked up
my hand. He leaned over and raised it to his lips. He didn’t say anything, but he looked at me, and I felt his eyes pierce my heart. Desire and regret were in that look.

I
know exactly how you feel,
I wanted to tell him.

Looking deep into
my eyes, he began to stroke my fingers. Gently at first, bringing the blood to the tips, then squeezing harder as he pulled on each one.

Suddenly,
I was flooded with emotion, with tears rising to burn my eyes. Just being touched, so deliberately, with such care, was overwhelming. I rarely felt any touch. I avoided intimacy because I was too busy, and because I had seen Lola get into so much drama with her male protectors over the years. I was more concerned with building walls to protect us, but she was more impulsive. And not very careful. Lola had had two abortions, one when she was sixteen. That wasn’t something I wanted for myself. So I waited for the perfect man to complete my perfect dream of the city.

But my first
boyfriend in New York turned out to be a player that I mistook for a real man. He manipulated me into thinking he really knew me, that he cared about me. But all he wanted was to beat the challenge I gave him, and convince me to go to bed with him. Our whirlwind affair didn’t last two months, before he was on to the next girl.

It certainly taught me a lesson.

But this man wasn’t asking for sex. Victor was touching me to make me feel good. And it felt so very, very good!

I
sighed, my eyelids growing heavy. But I never took my eyes off him. It felt like I was in his hands completely again, only this time he was holding me like a baby bird, cupping me in his palms as he took care of me.

Chapter 6

Victor

I wanted to kiss her hand again, and trail my lips all the way up her lovely arm. But I had promised to use only my hands. But how tempting she was! I was leading this dance, but her shining eyes were drawing me in with her, exactly like last time.

Her skin was so smooth and creamy. And those soft sounds she was making made
me want to lose my mind.

But
I couldn’t let go like last time. I couldn’t believe she was letting me touch her after what I had frightened her. After she had seen the darkness in me.

Yet she was softening under
my hands, going limp and languid. Trusting me. I could feel it pouring off her as she gave herself over to me completely.

My
fingers stroked the curve of her shoulder, feeling the perfect arch and the curve at the base of her neck. She tensed again slightly, as I neared her throat, so I began to rub her shoulder, pressing one hand against the front of her should and the other on her shoulder blade until she relaxed in spite of herself.

I
was still touching only her left side—I had a reason for that.

My
fingers lightened, as I made swirls down along the top of her halter, under her arm and then back up again.

This time
I didn’t stop. I trailed my fingertip up her neck, feeling her sudden tremble. I continued up, gently forcing her head back, exposing her throat.

Her breath caught, and she stiffened, like she was going to protest. But
I trailed my finger back down along her halter, and then back up, soothing her once again.

Then
I stroked up with my whole palm, cupping her neck, feeling her fluttering pulse.

Then up to her face. She let out her breath in a rush, as
I ran a finger along her jaw and up to the hollow of her check. I barely brushed her lips, feeling them pucker slightly under my passing fingertip.

I
wanted to kiss her so badly, but I had to finish what I started. I traced the arch of her nose, and up her forehead into her hair. Massaging only one side of her head was impossible, but I concentrated on the left side. Her hair was so long it felt like a silk scarf in my hands, and was so light that it weighed nothing for its length.

Her eyes were closed as she leaned back against the cushion, making little moans at how good it felt
with my fingers rubbing her head.

Finally,
I honed in on her lips again and she stilled. When she opened her eyes, I was leaning so close I could have kissed her. But I held off by sheer will, remembering my promise to let her say no.

“I’m going to kiss you,”
I warned.

She lifted her face, reaching for
me, silently saying
yes
. Her lips were so hot against mine, so ready and eager. I tried to hold back, to restrain myself, not wanting to scare her again. But I had to devour her lips, pausing to look deeply into her eyes, then kissing her face and lips again.

My
cock was hard as stone, raging to take her. The sane part of my mind knew that wouldn’t happen here. But I would make sure it did happen. Soon.

Her hands were on
my face, as I pulled her against me. I couldn’t stop kissing her! It was like a flash explosion had been set off, and nothing could stop it.

Until she broke free,
pushing both hands against my chest and leaning back to get away from me. “I thought you said you were only going to use your hands.”

“Scene’s over.
Now we’re on to more important things.” I tried to kiss her again, but she avoided my lips.

Pushing at
my chest, she said, “I think that’s enough PDA for now.”

I
didn’t want to let her go. But I had to. She slid her leg off my lap and sat back into her seat. She ran her fingers through her hair. “That was a lot better than the first time.”