Hanging On (4 page)

Livia needed to see her mistress’s reaction to know if she would be punished for speaking out. Sophia knew her slave’s need, but she did not show a reaction.

“I’m sorry, Mistress. He seemed much more intelligent last night, and he took direction so well.”

Sophia was well aware of Drew’s lack of true submission. This wasn’t good. If she couldn’t master Drew, she would drop in Livia’s esteem. Her submissive would cease to respect her.

“From whom?” Sophia couldn’t resist the question. Had Livia taken him to someone else last night?

“My boss.” The two words were pronounced with a finality that invited no further questions. Sophia knew better than to get personal.

She respected his boundary and returned to the business at hand.

“Straddle her face. I want to see your dick in her mouth.” She didn’t wait for his reaction. “Livia, take all of him. He’s a little large, but nothing you can’t handle.”

She swatted Drew on the ass to get him moving. She would take any available excuse to touch those graspable half-moons. He looked at her curiously but didn’t voice his question.

Sophia kept no pillows and no bedding beyond the sheet and mattress pad, so there was nothing to get in his way. Drew knelt over Livia, leaning forward to brace himself against the low headboard with one hand and feed himself to her with the other. Sophia watched to make sure he treated her right. Plus, the sight was erotic as all hell. She wanted to taste him. She wanted to slide her tongue along the slit in his head and lick away the precome.

She had to settle for this.

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Livia’s color was good, though Sophia could tell she only had another half hour in her.

Drew set a steady pace. Livia caressed him with her lips and tongue. If Sophia commanded, Livia would use her teeth as well.

Turning sharply on her heel, Sophia returned to her toy box. A brief rummage produced a leather paddle. The short handle widened into a six-inch rectangle of thick black leather. Its sharp sting left a nice red mark. She hadn’t planned to use it, but Drew wasn’t exactly following her plan.

She needed to know how much Drew could handle before he choked.

This would be as much a test as a punishment. If he wasn’t a true submissive, he would lose his erection during the punishment.

The moment was perfect. Lost in Livia, he couldn’t prepare for the first stinging blow. Sophia swung, loving the sound of leather against flesh.

He cried out, stiffening and pausing in his movements.

“I did not give you permission to stop.” She purred with pleasure, knowing she startled him. With the slightest inclination of his head, he acknowledged his gaffe and resumed pumping into Livia’s mouth.

The next blow caused his rhythm to falter, but he recovered quickly.

Sophia struck him again and again. He took the punishment with grace, but she didn’t see any real signs of submission in him. Yet, she wanted him with a need that made her weak. That was another caution sign. Weakness wasn’t a good thing in a dominatrix.

Livia’s legs were still spread wide. Lowering her aim, Sophia whacked that drenched pussy with the paddle, using a lighter hand than she had with Drew’s ass. Livia moaned loudly, bucking her hips clear off the bed. Given that her ankles were tied, that amount of movement was impressive.
Whack
.

Thick juices wept from her hole, making the smacks echo wetly through the room.

This was how a submissive reacted to the paddle.

Using the side of the paddle, Sophia slid it through Livia’s wetness, teasing that glistening little nub. “Livia, come for me, baby.” Two more sharp smacks and she did, her hips stalling high above the mattress as the spasms shook her.

Sophia dropped the paddle to the floor and watched them, hoping the sight of her submissives doing exactly what she wanted them to do would calm her.

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It didn’t.

Jealousy seized Sophia. She wanted to be in Livia’s place, only not tied down. She wanted Drew’s lips on her body. She wanted him to fuck her with all the intense ferocity she saw in his face lingering just below the surface.

She had to stop this. She had never coveted one of her submissives’

dates, not ever, no matter how hot they were. “Come,” she commanded, and, with a loud cry, he did.

Reaching out, Sophia guided Drew back until he lay next to Livia, with his feet near her head. She thought he would be sated, but the hunger in his eyes told a different story. Somehow, she knew he wouldn’t be satisfied until he had her.

This was about control. Not only did Sophia have to control her submissives, she had to control herself. There was no way she could allow Drew to have her and remain in control. But, oh, did she want to feel him between her legs.

Hastily, and before she could change her mind, Sophia unbuttoned her shorts and let them slide to her ankles. Her useless, drenched underwear followed. Those blue eyes lit, smoldering with icy heat, and his erection grew.

She unbound Livia and helped her sit up, massaging her shoulders as she brought them forward from their bound position. Because she wanted so badly to kiss Drew, she kissed Livia hard.

Livia responded, knowing it was Sophia’s way of bestowing praise upon her. Sated, her return smile was sleepy. Sophia was going to make Livia give her more than the fifteen or twenty minutes of energy she had left.

Livia was a remarkable woman. Sophia pushed the limits, and Livia repeatedly met the heightened expectations.

“Lick his balls,” she directed, dropping a handful of condoms on the bed. “When you feel up to it, ride him.” Ignoring the way the heat in his eyes turned to iron, Sophia moved around the bed to park her knees on either side of his head. Hovering over him, she dipped one finger between the hot, swollen lips of her pussy and rubbed it around. The hunger returned, more intense as his understanding dawned.

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“Sophia.” It was an adoration and a plea. She withdrew her finger and slid it between his lips. He opened for her, licking away her juices with a desperate man’s thirst.

The heat of his mouth traveled through her body. She needed to feel this on her pussy. She widened her position to lower herself to his mouth. He needed no direction. Reaching around her legs, he parted her and held her in place as his tongue lapped eagerly and expertly. She came much too quickly.

Sophia waited for him to stop, but he pulled her even closer, opened his mouth wider and sealed her to him. His tongue and teeth were everywhere, teasing and pushing and fucking. The sounds of pleasure vibrated through his mouth and into Sophia. She rode his face hard and fast, losing track of the number of times he made her climax.

“Mistress, may I come?”

Livia once again pulled Sophia back to herself. “Not yet.” It was more for her and less for Livia. She was close to another orgasm. Drew’s tongue delved deep inside, and his teeth scraped her clit.

“Come,” she breathed. “Everybody come.” She never knew if Livia came, or Drew either. She assumed they did, but she was only aware of the things going on inside her. Never before in her life had she so completely lost track of her playmates’ pleasure.

She didn’t know how long she lay next to Drew, trembling, before she roused herself to go get a wet towel to clean his face. He looked at her as she wiped away her juices, but she couldn’t meet his eyes. She tried to keep her movements aloof and her manner detached as she cleaned her submissives.

She didn’t know if she was successful.

* * * *

Drew followed Livia to his silver Mercedes. He opened the door for the attractive blonde who caught his attention with her brash attitude and promised sex that would be like nothing he’d ever experienced. Neither of them were under the impression this was going to be more than one night.

Turning the key in the ignition, Drew glanced over at Livia. He’d lost interest in her the moment that dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty opened the
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door. Sophia might have pretended to be unaffected, but Drew knew better.

Her eyes widened, and her nostrils flared, and then she licked her lips, all signs of arousal.

“Hungry?” Technically, this was a date and Drew knew how to treat a woman, whether or not she still held his interest. Livia had shown him a good time. Buying dinner was the least he could do.

“I could go for some coffee. Maybe something light.” It was past midnight. Plymouth had nothing open, so he headed toward Detroit. Places near the city stayed open later. He found a nice little café whose kitchen was still open. He could have taken her home and impressed her with gourmet coffee and award-winning desserts, but he didn’t like to bring women to his home.

Even though it was a warm June night, Livia inhaled the steam from the coffee. She sighed. It wasn’t a good sigh.

Drew eyed her warily. “Something wrong?” The cup clattered softly on the table as she put it down. Livia enjoyed a bite of strawberry cheesecake before answering. “I honestly thought she wouldn’t get the best of you.”

One eyebrow lifted. He had taken everything Sophia dished out. “The best of me? What do you mean?”

“I didn’t take you for a submissive, Drew. That’s why I invited you.” She nibbled another bite daintily, disappointment marring her smooth, sculpted brow.

Drew had no idea Livia’s true age, and he had no interest in knowing.

He recognized good plastic surgery when he saw it, but he held firm to the belief that a woman’s age was her own business. “I was your guest, Livia.

What did you expect me to do differently?” The fork stabbed the cheesecake viciously. “I didn’t expect you to just sit there and take it. I thought you were the take-charge kind, but you let Sophia call all the shots. You barely challenged her at all.” He took a sip of his iced cappuccino to give himself time to figure out an appropriate response. Livia was right. He wasn’t a submissive. He didn’t get off on pain, but he definitely liked watching Sophia dish it out. From what he saw, Livia seemed to like everything Sophia did to her. He honestly didn’t understand why Livia wasn’t on cloud nine.

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Drew knew why he wasn’t on cloud nine. Though Sophia had allowed him to taste her, he wanted more. He wanted to have her all to himself, with no distractions, no other sex partners. When he told her he could pleasure two women, he hadn’t been bragging. However, he might have failed in this instance because Sophia was all he could seem to focus on.

He wanted to touch her. He wanted to show her that he was an extraordinary lover, that he could pleasure her relentlessly. He was glad she hadn’t called a halt after that first climax. She hadn’t resisted him when he pulled her closer and held her to him. Livia had ridden his cock, but it was only because Sophia filled his senses that he had orgasmed at all.

Setting the half-empty cup of subpar coffee on the table, Drew leaned closer to Livia. “Let me get this straight: You wanted me to turn the tables on your dominatrix? Why? She’s the one who knows what gets you off, not me. I couldn’t have done to you what she did to you, Livia. You enjoyed it, all of it.”

Her lips twisted in bitterness, and her fork clattered to a stop on her plate. “I didn’t want to. I want to be finished with her. I want to not need her the way I do. I wanted you to topple her, to show me she isn’t what I think she is. Instead, you just reinforced my dependence on her.” He stared at her, incredulous. Though his attention had been focused on Sophia, it was difficult to miss the way Livia’s body writhed and arched under Sophia’s punishments. Her pleas for orgasm were hard to ignore.

“Why don’t you just stop seeing her?” Drew frowned, his eyes falling on the half-eaten cheesecake, though he didn’t see the dessert. “Can you stop seeing her? Does she own you, or something restrictive along those lines?”

Livia shook her head. “Sophia is very clear that she only has open relationships. I can go months without calling her. Then, when I do, she greets me as if it’s only been a day. She’s unflappable. I really thought you would be able to ruin her perfect control of every situation.” Later that evening, after Drew saw Livia safely home, he drove all the way back to Sophia’s house. The neighborhood was filled with small, silent ranch houses cut from the same mold as Sophia’s. The windows in her house were as dark and quiet as the rest of the windows on the deserted street.

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Drew stared at the white brick house, wishing he’d forgotten something inside, wishing he had a reason to go back, to see her again. Livia hadn’t offered Sophia’s phone number after she told him she didn’t want to see him again, not even for casual sex. He hadn’t wanted to upset her further by asking.

But he would see Sophia again. He knew where she lived. Now, all he had to do was to find a way to establish contact without appearing creepy or stalkerish.

Yawning, he started his quiet car and headed home. He had somewhere to be tomorrow afternoon, and Jonas would shoot him on Sabrina’s behalf if he was late.

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Sophia woke alone the next morning, by design. As soon as Livia and Drew were able, she made them dress and leave. Drew kept trying to catch her eye, but she was able to avoid him completely.

For the first time ever, Sophia found herself restless after a scene’s completion. Normally, she was sated and exhausted. Now, every time she closed her eyes, images of Drew bombarded her. She didn’t know what his kiss felt like, but her lips tingled anyway. When she finally fell asleep, he invaded her unconscious mind. Erotic dreams made her wake up with drenched underwear and an orgasm thumping between her legs.

She slept later than she intended. Her plan had been to wake early enough to go for a run before she had to be at Sabrina’s house. Things didn’t work out so well. She stumbled out of bed and down the hall of her single-story ranch house to her bathroom, dropping her soaked underwear down the laundry chute along the way.

After a quick shower, Sophia flew out the door hoping Sabrina would have lunch ready when she got there. Her hair was wet, so she wrangled it into a ponytail. It was thick and dark, and it would stay damp all day this way, but there was nothing she could do about it.

She was ravenous by the time she parked in the street in front of Sabrina’s large house. Loud, raucous laughter came from the backyard, so she bypassed the front door and followed the long driveway around to the rear of the house.

Sabrina had a large wooden deck surrounded by some pretty spectacular flower beds. Next to the steps, a fledgling rosebush in full bloom climbed a trellis. A quick glance told Sophia that this was going to be a large wedding party. She recognized Ellen and her husband, Ryan, lounging on a pair of
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chairs, hands entwined. They would celebrate their tenth anniversary soon, and they still behaved like newlyweds.

Sabrina’s sister, Ginny, and Ginny’s wife, Lara, shared another lounge chair. Jonas’s sisters and his brother-in-law were there, as well as a very handsome black man Sophia hadn’t yet met. Jonas was nowhere in sight.

“Sophia.” Sabrina saw her friend and approached with her hands extended in welcome. “I’m so glad you could make it.” She was too polite to comment on Sophia’s lateness, but Ellen didn’t have that problem. “It’s about time,” she teased. “You missed lunch.” Sophia’s face fell. She would have killed for a saltine. Sabrina’s arm came around Sophia’s waist. “I had Jonas put away a plate for you,” she said, shooting a reproving glance at Ellen. “Let’s go inside and see where he put it.”

Excited about the wedding, she chattered as she led Sophia inside, thanking her at least ten times for consenting to be her bridesmaid. The way she spoke, she made it seem like Sophia was doing her the greatest favor in the world. More from her conversations with Jonas than from Sophia’s sessions with Sabrina, she knew her petite friend was nervous. For some reason, Sabrina had a hard time believing people really liked her.

The kitchen was huge, as were the rest of the rooms in the house. Cherry cupboards dominated one side of the room, but the theme continued as trim in the rest of it. Beige-and-pink marble countertops lightened the effect of the dark wood there and on the floor.

Jonas was in the midst of loading the leftovers in the industrial-sized refrigerator. Sophia heard someone else in there, and she saw a foot peeking out, but the wide door hid Jonas’s helper from view.

Jonas looked up with a smile on his face that widened when he saw Sabrina. Sophia couldn’t recall ever seeing him that happy. This was the first time she had been in a room with both Sabrina and Jonas at the same time. She almost didn’t believe her eyes. He gave his wire-rimmed glasses an absentminded shove as he leaned down to kiss his wife and bride-to-be.

They made an odd couple to Sophia’s way of thinking. Jonas towered over her by more than half a foot. He was lanky and lean, with curly blond hair and eyes that changed from light brown to olive green, depending on his mood. She knew his build was misleading. She’d seen him wield a whip for four hours straight with no more than a five-minute break between

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clients. He was one of the first Doms she ever met, and he taught her the basic rules for setting scenes and controlling submissives. She’d picked up a few things since he first mentored her, but the basic motivations and rules behind the scenarios were essentially the same.

“Congratulations,” Sophia said. “It’s about time you realized what a good thing you have going for you.”

“I’m just thankful she’s patient,” he said, pulling Sabrina closer for a deeper kiss.

Sophia slid onto a high stool at the other end of the large island and rested her elbows on the counter. It was freezing cold. Spreading her palm over it and pressing downward, she imagined heating Drew’s backside and laying him out on this icy surface.

The quiet clatter of a plate interrupted her thoughts. “Hungry?” She looked up to find Jonas staring with an amused smile quirking his lips. He probably had already acted out that particular scenario with Sabrina.

Sophia had no doubt he guessed the drift of her thoughts. “Thanks,” she said. “Nice counter.”

His only answer was a grin. Sabrina elbowed him sharply.

Their relationship amazed Sophia in so many ways. She couldn’t figure out how Jonas had fallen for such a strong woman. She had to be a handful in the bedroom. Though she loved to be disciplined, she fought it each time.

Sophia couldn’t imagine Sabrina giving in to Jonas easily. Her thoughts drifted once again to Drew. She wondered what he would be like if it was just the two of them. Would he be truly submissive, or would he try to turn the tables?

“Would you like something to drink?” Sabrina asked. “We have pop, apple juice, water…” She glanced toward the open refrigerator. “Oh, and fresh lemonade. Drew made it. It’s wonderful.”

“Lemonade is fine.” Sophia shook her head to clear away her thoughts.

Now she was hearing his name everywhere.

Jonas handed something wrapped in aluminum foil toward the refrigerator and received a pitcher of lemonade in return. Sophia had been so absorbed in watching Jonas and Sabrina, and avoiding her own thoughts, that she had forgotten Jonas wasn’t alone in the kitchen. The refrigerator door closed, and Sophia saw she had been wrong. Sabrina had said Drew, and she meant
Drew.
Her Drew.

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No, he wasn’t her Drew. He belonged to Livia.

He wasn’t surprised to see her. It was likely he recognized her voice from the few things she said to Jonas or Sabrina.

Pieces fell into place. Of course, Sabrina had mentioned him before.

Drew Snow was Ginny’s business partner at Sensual Secrets
and a longtime friend to both sisters. She made pastries and cakes, and he handled the cooking. He had a cooking show on Food Network, and Sophia had seen the commercials. No wonder she thought he belonged on television when she first saw him the night before.

“Sophia, this is Drew,” Sabrina said, oblivious to the civil war in Sophia’s head. So far, the sane half was winning. “Drew, this is Sophia.” Jonas poured a glass of lemonade as Drew and Sophia nodded uncertain greetings to one another.

Sabrina continued. “If you don’t mind, we have some things to do to prepare for this afternoon. Will you be all right without us?” Sophia nodded, and Sabrina led Jonas from the kitchen.

Utilizing her avoidance techniques, Sophia buried her head in her plate, eating with wild abandon. She attacked a green salad first.

She felt Drew’s eyes on her, but he watched in silence until she made it to something that looked like casserole. Sliding onto the stool next to Sophia, he closed his hand over hers, halting her fork as it went back for more and setting a million little butterflies free in her stomach.

His fingers were long and strong. Tamping down an intense wave of desire, Sophia flashed a warning look and tried to extricate her hand.

“You’re eating too fast. You’re going to choke, or worse, not properly enjoy the many flavors on your plate.” There was nothing flirty or teasing in his eyes or in his tone. He was serious, cheflike.

“I’m hungry,” she said. She felt a little stupid for being so affected by him when he seemed more affected by the rate at which she ate than the fact he was touching her. “I didn’t have breakfast.”

“Another crime,” he said as he eased the utensil from her grasp and speared some casserole. The loaded fork hovered near her lips.

Like last night, she couldn’t tear her eyes from his. Like last night, she was too entranced by him. He expected her to part her lips, to allow him this intimate act, but she could not. Taking the fork from him, Sophia was

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careful not to let her skin brush against his. The scorching heat from his hands radiated outward, searing her anyway.

He watched her. Sophia saw him from the corner of her field of vision, but it wasn’t enough to read his expression. After a minute, he shifted to face the counter, folding his hands neatly on the cold surface. Moisture flooded between her legs as she thought about how he would look, splayed in front of her, his skin burning from the heat of her whip.

He played with his hands, a nervous gesture. There was something he wanted to say, and Sophia was sure she didn’t want to hear it. She had enough trouble controlling her own inappropriately timed desires.

“You don’t have to keep me company,” she said, offering him a way out.

Those hands rubbed the counter absently, and she remembered the way his hand felt on her thigh. She was jealous of the damn counter.

Finally, he spoke. “Last night was incredible.” Sophia froze for a millisecond and hoped he didn’t notice. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. It was supposed to be fun.”

“It was more than just fun, Sophia. I can’t get you out of my mind.” Damn. Damn, damn, damn! He wasn’t going to make this easy. If she let him, he would tell her he had trouble falling asleep or that his dreams were filled with images of her astride him. He was dating Livia. She had to be careful. “It was just a scene, Drew. We played, and now it’s over.”

“And if I want to see you again?”

Hunger deserted Sophia. She dropped her fork. “That’s not possible.”

“Why?”

He wasn’t looking at her, and she refused to look directly at him. His fingers gripped the edge of the counter, pressed white as lilies. Sophia relented a little, softening her tone and turning toward him. She managed only to stare at his hands, but it was better than nothing. “You were Livia’s guest last night, not mine. She is one of my submissives. Trust is paramount in our relationship. I would never poach one of her dates.”

“Are you dating her?”Livia was a friend, a playmate. They had a relationship with certain expectations, but they weren’t romantically interested in each other. Sophia’s brows dipped together. “No, you are.”
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She could see he was about to argue. Vanillas didn’t often understand the nuances of the sub/Dom lifestyle. Hell, subs and Doms frequently didn’t understand them, either.

“We’re friends, sort of,” she continued. “Not the kind that hangs out and shares their personal problems, but the kind who fulfill certain needs in the other. Last night wasn’t meant to be romantic, only fun.” He shook his head. “No, last night was her attempt to break away from you.”

How in the world had he arrived at that conclusion? For a moment, self-doubt took over. In the past forty-eight hours, Sophia had lost two of her favorite submissives. She didn’t invite many over to play. It was a blow to think she was going to lose another one, even one she only saw sporadically.

“I don’t understand.”

“She wanted you to fail with me. She wanted me to turn the tables on you.”

Sophia’s instincts had been right. Drew wasn’t a submissive, and Livia knew that fact before she brought him over. She pushed the plate away, knowing there was no way her once-voracious appetite would return, and folded her hands in her lap.

“She told you that?” Why hadn’t Livia said anything to her? Why had she behaved as though Sophia still gave her bliss? It did explain her lapse, for which Sophia neglected to punish her. Maybe Livia saw the fact that Sophia rode her date’s face as punishment? Or maybe the fact that nobody licked her this time was perceived as punishment? Sophia knew how much Livia loved oral sex, and that’s the one thing she didn’t get, but Sophia did.

Drew released his hold on the counter and rested his hand on hers.

“Afterward. Believe me, I was floored when she said it. She never once indicated that she didn’t love what you did to both of us.”
Afterward.
After she sent them home so she wouldn’t be tempted by Drew. “What about you?” she asked suddenly. “Did you love what I did to both of you?”

“No. I didn’t love what you did to both of us.” His hand squeezed hers, holding it in place when she tried to withdraw. “I didn’t love that I didn’t get to have you the way I wanted to have you. When I told you I could pleasure two women, I meant it.”

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He did pleasure two women, at the same time. She didn’t bring that up because she knew what he meant. He wanted more, and she couldn’t give him more. She would call Livia later and sort things out. Sophia didn’t like knowing she failed. Livia was supposed to be safe, someone Sophia could always count on.