Sweet Persuasion (Sweet #2)(22)

Another soft sigh escaped her, and her entire body trembled as his erotic words brushed her skin, reached to her most intimate places.

Yes, she wanted it too.

His fingers worked through her hair and to her neck, lightly caressing. “Are you protected against pregnancy, Serena? Or do you prefer that I use a condom?”

“I’m on birth control,” she said softly. “I—I don’t want you to use a condom.”

His hand squeezed her shoulder in approval.

“Now suppose we talk about your auction.”

She raised her head to look up at him. There was something warm and vibrant in his eyes, something that went beyond simple sexual attraction.

“You’d do that for me?”

He touched her cheek and let a finger trail down to her jaw, and then he ran it over her bottom lip.

“Of course. It is your fantasy. I admit that it’s a rather exciting scenario for me as well.”

She frowned for a moment even as she leaned further into his touch.

“So this is your fantasy too?”

His expression became more serious. “No,” he said distantly. “This isn’t my fantasy.”

“Then why . . . ?”

She let the question trail off as she looked intently into his eyes.

He continued to stroke her face, touching each part of her skin with inquisitive fingers as he stared back at her.

“Perhaps I’m tired of waiting for something I may never find.”

“And what is it that you want?” she asked softly.

A faraway look entered his eyes and they turned almost wistful. “What you want as fantasy, I want as reality. A woman who will surrender to me, who will trust me to take care of her, provide for her, and who doesn’t mind relinquishing control in all aspects of our relationship.”

“And you haven’t been able to find a woman who meets those requirements?”

She couldn’t help the surprise that bled into her question.

“No, I haven’t,” he said quietly.

She laid her head back on his lap, and he resumed stroking her hair. “Then why are you agreeing to this?”

He stopped for a moment, her hair tangled around his fingers. “Because I’m tired of waiting, and so for a little while, I’d like to experience my own fantasy.”

She nodded. That much she could understand. Fantasies were safe. It was a break from reality. A chance to act on desires for a short period of time.

“Now about the auction. You seem open to being nude in front of a room full of men, of even having them touch you, watch you and want you.”

She squeezed her eyes shut but nodded wordlessly against his leg.

“And you want me to f**k your mouth in front of these men.”

Again she raised her head to look at him and tried not to cringe over his bluntness. “Does that bother you?”

He smiled. “Does it bother me that a beautiful woman wants to pleasure me while every other man in the room is eaten up with jealousy?”

She let out a small laugh. “Stupid question, I guess.”

“I was more worried that it would bother you,” he said gently.

She tried to look down, but he wouldn’t let her. He nudged her chin up with his fingers, forcing her to look directly at him.

“It’s fantasy,” she said. “I want, for a while, to do things that I wouldn’t normally do, to be a person I’m not. I know this isn’t me but I still crave it. Just a taste. When it’s all over, I can look back without shame because . . . it’s not real.”

“You seem so sure this isn’t you,” he said. “And yet you articulate your desires so well. You know precisely what it is you want.”

She shook her head. “No, this isn’t me. I’m stronger than this. I don’t want to be weak. I just want . . . an adventure.”

His eyes flickered and became shielded. “Then that’s what you’ll have. If you trust me to make the arrangements, I’ll set up a night for your fantasy to begin at my establishment. I’ll enlist the aid of some of the club members, but I believe the fantasy will be more powerful for you if you don’t know every single detail.”

“And after?” She asked the question uppermost on her mind. What happened after Damon claimed her?

He tilted her chin even further upward as his eyes bore into hers. There was latent power simmering in his gaze. A tightly held current just begging to be unleashed.

“After the auction, you are mine.”

CHAPTER 8

“Julie, you’re killing me,” Serena said through gritted teeth. “This is supposed to be a massage, not a lesson in dough kneading.”

Julie eased off and muttered an apology.

“What’s wrong with you, Julie?” Faith asked from the next table. “Not like you to be so . . . grumpy.”

Serena raised her head. “She hasn’t gotten to you yet. Feel fortunate. I’m going to have bruises.”

“Nathan stood me up,” Julie said.

“Stood you up? You had a date?” Faith asked in an excited voice.

“Not exactly,” Julie mumbled.

She continued massaging Serena’s back, much gentler now, though Serena could still feel the tension in her fingers.

“What do you mean by ‘not exactly’?” Serena asked as she relaxed on the table.