Unwilling to break the kiss, he fumbled with the key, kicked open the door then lifted her into his arms. He carried her to the bed and gently laid her down. In the back of his mind, he heard the door slam shut and gave silent thanks to whoever invented spring-closing doors. He tore his lips from hers and kissed her neck, beginning with the tender spot behind her ear. He worked his way down, tasting the sweetness of her skin.
She clawed at his shirt and he knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her, but he wasn’t willing to grant her desire quite yet. No, she deserved to be punished. Far more importantly, she wanted to be punished. Lucky for her, though, the punishment he had in mind involved no pain, but would be no less tortuous.
“Not so fast, girl,” he whispered. “I plan on making this last.”
She moaned and he laughed.
“Don’t move,” he instructed.
Reluctantly, he lifted himself off her. He reached into his pocket and flipped open his knife. He recognised fear in her eyes and waited for it to fade. When she smiled at him, he grasped the neckline of her dress and slowly began cutting the fabric. Inch by inch, the copper corset was revealed. Rose lay perfectly still, her gaze never leaving his face while he tore away the dress he had purchased for just this reason. The ragged edges of the fabric added a primal rawness that he found intoxicating. He closed the knife and put it on the dresser. Next, he unhooked the front of her corset, revealing her perfect breasts. God, she was hot.
“Lift up a bit,” he said.
She obeyed and he slipped the ruined dress and satin corset out from under her. Nathan twisted the cloth from her dress into a long rope. Looping the soft material around her wrists, he tied them together and gently positioned a pillow beneath her head.
“Sir?” she questioned.
He silenced her with a finger to her lips. He saw her confusion, but she’d understand soon enough.
“Watch.”
He placed himself at the foot of the bed, making sure she could easily and comfortably see him. Then he pulled his white shirt loose from his jeans. Slowly, one at a time, he began unbuttoning his shirt.
“Oh, Sir,” she sighed.
Nathan smiled. “That’s right, little Rose. You can watch, but you can’t touch. How’s that for punishment?’
“Diabolical, my Lord,” she answered, her voice husky.
Holding her gaze, Nathan continued to undress, thoroughly enjoying the way her chest heaved with her obvious desire. When he unzipped his Levis, he smiled, seeing her hands reach out in a vain attempt to assist him. He kicked off his shoes and lowered his pants. Finally, he stood naked before her.
“Please, Sir. Please. No more. Let me touch you,” she begged.
“Now, how can I resist such a pretty request?”
Nathan sat on the side of the bed and gently touched her cheek. Her skin was soft as satin and he loved the way she pressed her face against his hand. She lifted her hands, still tied together, and reached for his shoulder. She looked at him with such trust and love that he was humbled.
Twisting slightly, he reached for her bound hands. He kissed her palms and held them over his heart.
“I love you, Rose,” he whispered. The desire to dominate this beautiful woman had vanished. He did not want to punish her. Instead, he simply wanted to treasure and protect her. Somehow, she had become his world.
“Nathan,” she answered, “I love you as well.”
He gathered her in his arms and held her next to his heart. Slowly, he unbound her wrists while she tucked her head beneath his chin and snuggled into him.
The game had changed. Rose was not simply his submissive, but his life. He tightened his arms, kissed the top of her head. He loved her. With his whole being he loved her. He thought about the trauma of her childhood and saw red. Rose had told him of the fear, the nightmares, the paranoia. One thing he knew—he’d rather die himself than let Rose be hurt again. His body began to tremble with suppressed rage.
“You okay?” she softly asked.
“Yeah. I’m fine,” he answered gruffly. “But I think tonight, I’d like to just hold you.”
Rose pulled away from him far enough to tilt her head up and look at him.
“You know, there’s more than one way to make love, and I think lying in your arms would be absolutely perfect.”
Chapter Twelve
Berries 4 You
—
A delightful blend of raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and elderberries creating a unique wine filled with layers of flavour and possibilities.
They all stood and watched as Joe and Alicia squealed, hugged, kissed, jumped around in a circle and squealed some more.
“Your hair! It’s beautiful!” Joe said.
“Mine? You’re the creative one,” Alicia responded with a big smile. “I’d never be brave enough to cut all mine off and tip it with purple like yours.”
“Good thing,” Maverick muttered.
“Oh, God, but it’s good to see you again,” Joe said.
Maverick gently cleared his throat.
“Oh!” Alicia squeaked. “I’m sorry. I haven’t introduced you to my husband and Master. Maverick Devonshire, this is my cousin Joe. I believe you two met briefly at the wedding, but there were so many people there you probably didn’t get a chance to really get to know each other. I’m sorry, but I don’t really know the rest of you.”
“Nice to see you again, Maverick,” Joe answered, extending her hand.
Rose lifted her eyebrows and her heart beat a tad bit faster when, rather than shaking Joe’s hand, Maverick raised it to his lips and kissed it.
“The pleasure is mine,” he answered suavely.
“M-Maverick,” Joe stammered, “this is my husband, Vincent, his best friend, Nathan, and my best friend, Rose. As you can see, they’re everything I said they were.”
“Yes, I agree. I am quite pleased to meet you all. I’m sure we’ll have a wonderful week here. I’m anxious to see the landscape. It’s so rugged and natural. I can’t wait to get started…on a number of ideas,” he responded, looking at Joe and Alicia with a suggestive glint in his eyes.
Maverick and his beautiful wife had just arrived at Giant City. Rose was somewhat surprised but quite impressed by how fresh they looked. After all, they had just endured a very long flight and then a two-hour drive, not to mention a major time change. She’d felt sure they would need a day or so to recover, but they seemed energetic and anxious to socialise. Joe had been pacing in front of the cabin for half an hour before their arrival and when she had seen their rented car pull up, she’d launched herself at Alicia practically before the vehicle had stopped.
“Here,” Nathan offered, “let me help you with your bags. You two have the cabin adjacent to ours. There is a connecting door so we thought that would allow for both your privacy and an openness between the two suites, if that pleases all parties.”
“Excellent. Thank you,” Maverick acknowledged.
When Maverick bent over to pick up a large suitcase, Rose couldn’t help but admire the Brit’s fine, firm ass. Nathan noticed her appreciative stare and chuckled. Rose blushed but shrugged. What girl wouldn’t appreciate a pretty view like that? Silently, she thanked Nathan for his understanding. Some men would have been jealous or even angry over such an action, but not Nathan. He knew she loved him but also knew she had a fine eye for the masculine form. Rose smiled. Life was very good.
“Alicia? Are you coming, my dear?” Maverick asked.
“Oh, yes. Be right there.” Grabbing Joe’s hand, Alicia selected a smaller bag from the car’s interior and went inside. Rose and Vincent followed.
“Just so that I’m clear with the arrangements here,” Maverick began, leaning gracefully against the dresser, “You are all into the BDSM lifestyle, although not quite as strongly as my lovely wife and I, correct?”
“Yes,” Vincent answered. “I believe I sent you a copy of the rules for the weekend, but the women made a few changes when we arrived. They’re posted by the door if you’d like to see them.”
“Thank you,” Maverick acknowledged. After he perused the list of rules he turned, looked at the group and laughed.
“Seems you have a very interesting relationship with each other. I think we’ll all get along well,” he assured them. “However, before we married, Alicia agreed to become my full-time submissive…slave, if you will. She’s even registered as my official slave, aren’t you, my dear?”
“Yes, Sir, I am. And quite proud of it I might add.” Alicia smiled seductively at her husband and extended her left ankle so that the others could admire her slave anklet.
“As such, she is constantly in a submissive frame of mind,” he explained.
Rose glanced at Alicia in amazement. While she loved her playtime with Nathan, she couldn’t imagine living her whole live as a slave. Still, judging by the pretty blush, the lowered eyes and the smile on Alicia’s face, Rose had to admit the woman looked quite content. Radiant, in fact.
“Greet me,” Maverick stated.
Alicia’s head jerked up. She quickly glanced around the room, took a deep breath and knelt before Maverick. She unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants, pulled out his semi-hard penis and sucked. Rose’s eyes about popped out of her head. True, she was quite comfortable playing with Joe and Vincent, but they’d been friends for years. Alicia and Maverick had just met her and Nathan and the woman was brave enough to perform oral sex in front of them all?
Wow.
Rose felt herself grow damp.
“I don’t mean to be a stickler, but aren’t your young ladies in violation of a rule now?” Maverick asked, as Alicia continued to suck him. She made little cat noises, obviously enjoying herself immensely.
Rose whipped her head around to stare at Nathan, whose eyes had dangerously darkened. She heard Joe giggle, agree with Maverick and begin to remove her clothing. Nathan mouthed the words “up to you” to her. He was leaving the decision in her hands. She’d never been comfortable around strangers, but for some reason, she felt she could trust both Maverick and Alicia. She also knew that by obeying the rule, she’d please Nathan, so taking a steadying breath, Rose pulled her sundress over her head and stood naked before the group.
“Gentlemen,” Maverick began, “would you like my wife to greet you as well?”
Joe giggled, Vincent stared open-mouthed and Nathan threw back his head and laughed. Rose grinned. She loved it when he laughed.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Alicia?” Maverick commanded.
Immediately, Alicia pulled her mouth from him and smiled enticingly at Nathan. He looked first at Rose, who nodded her encouragement. Alicia crawled on her knees so that she was positioned before him and repeated her greeting to Nathan. Rose practically panted with excitement as she watched the woman’s pink lips work their way up and down Nathan’s olive-toned cock. Nathan’s low moan of approval almost put her over the edge.
“Rose, why don’t you show Maverick how you’ve been trained to give welcome as well?” he suggested. “Vincent, you mind?”
Rose smiled. Nathan understood that she very much wanted to show off her training but was too nervous to go near Maverick yet. Nathan had given her the perfect opening.
“Yes, my Lord. I’d love to,” she answered.
“In that case, I suppose you’ll have to put up with me, Mr Devonshire,” Joe added.
Within moments, the three women were happily engaged giving worship and service to their men. Covertly glancing around the room, Rose couldn’t help but be struck by the beauty of this moment. Alicia’s white skin and soft, brown hair contrasted with Nathan’s olive tones, Joe’s small purple-tipped blonde head bobbed against Maverick’s impressive length and, she knew her lightly freckled skin made a lovely juxtaposition next to Vincent’s athletic physique. Unlike Nathan’s strong grasp, Vincent gently ran his hand over her hair as she attended to his welcome.
“I believe,” she heard Nathan say, “that a full disclosure between friends is in order.”
“Excellent idea,” Maverick agreed. “Protection?”
“Three unopened boxes on the nightstand,” Vincent answered.
As one, the women sat back and assisted the men in disrobing.
Was this an orgy?
Rose thought
. Because if it is, I should have been doing this a long time ago!
“You good, girl?” Nathan asked.
She nodded quickly. She wasn’t just good, she was on fire. She stood to remove Vincent’s shirt—having already assisted with the removal of his shoes, shorts and boxers—and wrapped her arms around him. She kissed him, hard. He lifted her, carrying her towards the couch, his mouth demanding her attention. Then he deposited her onto the rough fabric of the sofa, tugged her head back and looked deeply into her eyes.
“Maverick was right. Both you and Joe should have been naked much sooner than you were. Maverick can take care of Joe, but I intend to give you a spanking you won’t soon forget. Agreed?” he stated.
Rose gasped. She’d never seen Vincent this stern before. Realising he was serious, she became both nervous and excited. She’d always seen Vincent as a sweet, easy-going guy, but Rose instinctively understood that his dominant persona would brook no hesitation on her part. Vincent meant business. Nathan loved her and, even though his punishments sometimes left an unintentional mark, looking into Vincent’s unwavering eyes, she knew that if she agreed, there would be no holding back from him. She shivered, her nipples hardened and her pussy lips plumped.