Not Safe for Work(12)

“Good point.” I brushed a few strands of hair off his forehead. “Anyway, she does live with me, but she’s great about privacy. If either of us wants to have someone over, we just let the other know. If I’m bringing a play partner around, I try to give her a couple of nights’ notice. She’ll usually go crash at her sister’s or go visit one of the kids for the weekend, or she’ll just lay low so no one gets uncomfortable.”

“She really doesn’t mind?”

“No. She’s not terribly comfortable with some of the kinkier stuff, and the acoustics in the house suck, so she prefers not to be there at all if there’s any potential for it to get, uh, loud. I do the same for her, of course. If she wants someone to stay over, I stay out of the way as much as I can. Bit of a mood killer when you’re with a woman and her live-in ex-husband comes in, so…”

He laughed. “Yeah, I suppose that could put a damper on things.”

“Just a bit.”

“Well, if we want to be a little more spontaneous without stepping on her toes, we can go to my place.” He smiled. “I don’t have all the toys you do, but I’m sure we can improvise.”

“I don’t need a lot of toys.” I ran my nail along the inside of his forearm. “They’re fun, but all I really need is a man who’ll get on his knees and beg, and I’m set.”

Rick pulled in a sharp breath. “Good.”

“So you obviously have experience.” I watched my fingers drifting across his chest. “Have you been with many Doms?”

“Not recently.” He squirmed beneath my touch, biting his lip. “I’ve had a few. Yes, I have experience, but I do like to go slow at first.”

“Well, I’m not in any hurry if you’re not.”

Rick smiled. “Absolutely not.”

“Good. Because I’m not either.” I slid a hand over his side. “In fact, I’m more inclined to make you wait. Patience is a virtue for a Dom, after all.”

He licked his lips. “You like to tease, don’t you?”

“Oh, you’d better believe it.” I moved closer to him. “How about this—why don’t we try some lighter kink at first? Bondage you can easily get out of if you want to. Some mild pain.”

He swallowed. “Domination?”

“Oh, absolutely. Question is, where? Do you want to be in a hotel again?”

He shrugged. “Why don’t you come to my place? It’s a little more private than a hotel room, and we won’t be encroaching on your ex.”

“You don’t mind?”

“Mind?” His lips curved into a dizzying grin. “After everything we just did and everything we’re talking about doing? Do I mind?”

I laughed and leaned in for a kiss. “In that case, count me in.” I only meant for a quick kiss, but decided I liked how his lips felt, so I let it go on. He didn’t object. When I nudged him, he rolled onto his back, and somewhere in the middle of shifting positions, the kiss deepened. He gripped the back of my neck as I ran my hand up and down his side. He was assertive enough to touch me, letting his hands drift all over my skin just like I did his, but totally compliant—a little nudge, a little push, and he’d move, bend, stop, start. Jesus. Just being against me and kissing me, he pushed all my buttons, and I couldn’t wait to tie him down and push his.

Eventually, I broke the kiss, and we panted against each other’s lips.

“What were we talking about?” he asked.

“Fucking again, I think.” I combed my fingers through his hair. “Don’t know if I can come three times in one night. I’m not twenty anymore.”

He let his lips graze mine. “Neither am I.”

“Don’t think I need to come again, though.” I kissed him again. “I just like…kissing you.”

He wrapped his arms around me. “Far be it from me to stop you…”





Chapter Five The next day, my GPS guided me to Rick’s place. Unsurprisingly, the house was beautiful. Working in the field of architecture for my entire adult life had made me a connoisseur of buildings, and it took a lot to impress me.


This place? This place impressed me.

A high brick wall surrounded a manicured lawn, and a curving, tree-lined driveway led me to the front of a stunning three-story Tudor. It toed the line between huge and obscenely huge, but was nestled in amongst a cluster of thick pines, all strategically arranged as if to emphasize the house’s strong points, but give it the illusion of being hidden.

I parked in front of a four-car garage, pulled my small backpack from the passenger seat, and headed up the walk.

Just as I reached the bottom step, the front door opened.

And I nearly stopped in my tracks. Forget the house. Even after spending the better part of last night in bed with him, just seeing him there—dressed down in jeans and a gold shirt—made my heart skip.

“Hey,” I said as I came up the front steps.

“Hey.” He smiled, letting his nerves show as he pushed his hands into his pockets. Then he quickly withdrew them but didn’t seem to know what to do with them.

I, however, had no trouble figuring out what to do with mine—I cupped his neck in both hands and kissed him.