9781618853462BlindEcstasyHoltNC (2 page)

“Okay.
I won’t push. But will you at least think about it? You can’t hide in the house
from your life forever.”

Was
that what she was doing?
Probably.
Except for her work
as an event planner she had stripped everything else from her life. Her clients
thought she walked on water because she immersed herself in each event as if it
was the only thing that existed. What they didn’t realize was that—for her—the
events
were
her life. She might as well face the fact that she was
vicariously living everyone else’s existence because hers hurt too much.

Sean,
what happened? Why did you leave me that way? You proposed to me in such a
unique way. There in the club, in the room we’d come to think of as ours.
Me on my knees before you in submissive pose.
When you
released the handcuffs around my wrists you brought my hands around in front of
me, cradled them to your lips, and kissed each finger. You told me how much you
loved me. Asked me to marry you and live with you forever. Damn you, you fell
of the face of the earth. Was it something I said? Something I did?

She
couldn’t face going to Fantasy without him. She could still sense the sting of the
single tail whip he loved as it snapped against her ass and thighs. She
remembered the sensation of warm wax as he dripped the sensual heat onto her
skin during wax play. And she’d never forget how with great love and tenderness
he pushed her to expand her limits, to let him take her right to the edge of
pleasure each and every time.

She
was sure the orgasms she’d experienced with him she’d never feel with anyone
else. Sean was the perfect Dom. She’d seen others who were harsh, who demanded
more than their subs could give, who didn’t give their subs the proper respect.
But Sean was caring, attentive, possessive, and respectful. He was well aware
of the power exchange between them.

At
night, when she closed her eyes, the image of him naked shimmered in her brain.
His tall, powerful, tanned body gleamed in soft lamplight, muscles rippling
beneath the skin. Fire shone from his emerald eyes in a square, masculine face
framed by rich, brown hair that brushed his collar. Even now the thought of him
ratcheted up the pulse throbbing in her pussy. Longing made her ache for his
mouth on her nipples.

“Hello,
earth to Johanna?”

Her
mind snapped to attention as
Kira’s
voice penetrated
her erotic fog. She hoped her wild thoughts hadn’t caused her to blush.

“Sorry.
I was just—,” her voice faded off.

“Just thinking about Sean.”

Kira
moved from the chair, sat next to her sister on the couch, and took one of her
hands.

“I
know, honey, and I ache for you. I just wish there was something I could say or
do to make you feel better.”

“If
I just knew what happened—”

She
drew her knees up under her chin, collapsing her body as if she could squeeze
out the painful memories. A sharp spike of emotional pain speared through her
from head to toe.

“One
day he’s here, an up-and-coming lawyer working for the government. The next day
he’s gone and no one knows where he went. Or else they won’t tell me.”

“That’s
so weird.” Kira frowned. “I mean
,
to not tell you
anything
?”

“They
only told me when I went to his office that he’d been transferred to one of
their other offices and they weren’t sure if he wanted me to know where he
was.”

Jo
shivered.

“His
boss gave me the creeps. Grey suit, grey hair, grey eyes. No smile. No
expression at all, as a matter of fact. He looks like he’s not even human.”

“Maybe
something happened to him?” Kira suggested.

Jo
shook her head.

“They’d
at least have told me that. Nope, I think he had buyer’s remorse, got his boss
to send him to Timbuktu or wherever their other offices are, and completely
forgot about me.”

“But
if something
did
happen,” Kira persisted, “you might be able to forgive
him.
Right?”

Jo
snorted.

“It
would have to be something really disastrous.”

She
stood up.

“Let’s
drop it. I don’t want to talk about him anymore.”

“Okay,
but will you at least
think
about going to Fantasy on your birthday?”

Kira
smiled at her sister.

“A gift from me.
Something
special.
I’ve paid the cover and made the arrangements. They have my
specific instructions. If you get there and decide you don’t want to play, my
feelings won’t be hurt. But damn it, Jo, try going there once and see if the
atmosphere works. Okay?”

Jo
threw up her hands.
“Alright, already.
I’ll do it. But
don’t blame me if the whole night’s a disaster.”

“Just
go with the flow. You might be surprised.”

* * * *

The
hotel room was pretty much standard luxury issue—king-sized bed, a conversation
area, a work area for laptops and other electronic devices. Sean Murphy
impatiently paced the room, raking his fingers through his shoulder-length
hair. It was a new look, along with the short beard that concealed the scar on
his chin. There was nothing he could do about the ones on his body.

He
stopped and turned toward Kira, sitting cross-legged in one of the arm chairs.

“So
she said yes?”

“After
a lot of pushing and arguing,” Kira told him. “Listen, Sean. Don’t you think it
would be better if you called her or went to see her and told her what
happened? It’s not like the situation wouldn’t be something she couldn’t
understand.”

“Oh,
right.”

First
I’d have to tell her I lied to her about my job. Then I’d have to lay out a
tale that sounds like something out of a movie or a work of fiction.

“It’s
better than having her believe you walked out on her.”

“Yeah?
Tell me how you’d react to the truth?”

He
paused and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Hi
honey, sorry I ran out on you the way I did, but some things came up. See, I
wasn’t really a government lawyer, although I have a law degree. I’m part of a
covert agency that tracks and “disposes” of bad guys. Our entire operation is
off the government books. The day after I proposed I got called away on a
critical mission to South America. Only, shit happened, I got captured.”

“Ohmigod!”
Kira covered her mouth with the tips of her
fingers.

He
scrubbed his face with his hands.

“These
are not nice people. They threw me in a concrete cell and barely gave me enough
to eat or drink. When they got drunk at night they’d draw straws to see whose
turn it was to beat on the prisoner. Some days, I prayed to die.”

“Jesus,
Sean. How long were you there?

“Three
years. Took the agency that long to find me and rescue me. It took another year
for me to recover. My voice will never be what it once was after the damage to
my vocal chords. But hey, here I am, ready to pick up where we left off!”

He
held his arms wide.

“Sean,
you don’t give my sister enough credit.”

“I
don’t want to screw this up.”

He
rubbed the ridged scar on the back of his neck from the rope where his captors
often pretended to hang him. They’d tighten a noose around his neck and stand
him on a short stool. There was some kind of game to see who got to kick the
stool out from under him. And as he’d sense squeezing pressure on his throat
they’d untie the noose and drop him to the floor. In the beginning, he’d
panicked every time it happened.
Trying to hold his weight in
a way that would ease pressure from the noose.
He’d tried kicking out at
whatever guard came forward to push the stool away. After months of this and
other forms of torture, both mental and physical, he’d begin to wonder if dying
might not be his best option.

Even
now he’d wake up at night, covered with sweat, heart pounding, feeling as if he
were choking. It had taken every bit of the past year to learn how to control
those dreams.
The panic.
So many
mind games.
Maybe he
was
screwed up and should forget this whole
thing.

“You
won’t screw it up. She agreed to the trip to Fantasy for her birthday. You make
all the arrangements and I’ll set the stage. I can at least convince her to let
them prepare her and take her to a private room. After that, it’s up to you.”

“Tell
me something,” Kira coaxed and cocked an eyebrow at him. “What made you think
I’d listen to you when you called me at work, Sean? At first I thought someone
was scamming me.”

 
“I figured you’d think that.
Which is why you nearly punched my lights out when I came to your
apartment that night.
”

“Damn
right,” she blew out a breath.
“After watching my sister
suffering all this time?
You’re lucky I didn’t kill you.”

“Why
didn’t you?” he asked.

“Because
you looked like such a wreck I was sure something bad must have happened to
you. I decided to at least hear you out.”

He
barked a short laugh. “I hope my appearance has improved since then.”

“Good
food, rest, and a gym will work wonders for a man,” she agreed. “Do you really
think you’re ready to see her now?”

The
memory of Jo made his cock harden with need.

“Oh, yeah.
I’m ready.” He paused. “Wish me luck?”

Kira
smiled at him.

“Of course.
You’re going to need it.”

* * * *

“I
don’t know why you had to make this so elaborate,” Jo complained, watching the
limo pull up at the curb. “I mean the fancy ride, the new dress, and all.”

“Because I want tonight to be
very
special.
By the way, that dress looks
wicked good on you.”

“What
there is of it. “

Jo
looked down at the short slip-dress, some kind of filmy material in screaming
red that barely covered her from her nipples to the tops of her thighs.

“And why no underwear?”

Kira
chuckled.

“The better for him to catch your scent, my dear.”

“Him?”
She cocked her head and gave her sister a questioning look.
“Him
who?”

“I
told you. I arranged for a particular Dom for your birthday that will make the
night extremely memorable for you. He’ll be perfect, I promise. And hopefully,
will help you get past those bad memories you keep next to you like a second
skin.” Kira frowned. “If you don’t chicken out, that is.”

“I
promised I’d at least meet him in the room and I will. But after that?” Jo
shrugged. “We’ll see.”

But
she was already anticipating the evening, something she hadn’t expected would
happen. The throbbing in her cunt was back and stronger than ever. Her breasts
ached for the grip of a man’s hand, her nipples tightened for the painful
restraint of nipple clamps.

The
more she thought about the kiss of the lash on her skin, the slap of the paddle,
and a Dom’s filling cock in her mouth, the wetter she got beneath her sexy
dress. For the first time since Sean disappeared she wanted that pleasure/pain.
A bite that could send her high over the top into orgasm.
The muscles in her tummy tightened and her pussy ached with need.

Pulling
in a deep breath she slowly let it out and opened the front door. The limo
driver was holding open the passenger side door.

“Let
it all hang out, sweetie,” Kira called.

“We’ll
see.”

Jo
took the driver’s hand and let him usher her into the rear of the limo. He
closed the door, hoofed it around to the front, and climbed in behind the
wheel. As the vehicle pulled away from the curb she glanced through the window
to see Kira smiling and waving at her. Butterflies began tap-dancing in her
stomach to an accelerated rhythm.

The
rhythm of uncertainty mixed with unexpected anticipation.

Chapter Two

Fantasy
discreetly stood in the north side of the city, an adobe structure with a red
barrel tile roof. It sat squarely between a one-story office building and
another Spanish-style building housing a home design firm. The difference
between the three structures was that Fantasy owned all the property behind it
to allow sufficient space for parking. Visitors entered through a canopied door
at the rear of the building.