Scandalous-nook (15 page)

“God, save me from this party.”

“You’ll be fine,” she said, sliding her arm through his. “I’ll ask Ken to guide me
through one of his stretching exercises and you can see how bendy he is. It’s riveting.
Trust me, you’ll like it.”

Brady grumbled but followed her without resistance.

He’d be more than impressed. Ken was mesmerizing when he moved. Hopefully getting
Brady’s attention on him would win her back a few points with the rope master. Maybe
enough that he’d tell her what he was looking for in Burke’s laptop.

***

Dinner was lavish, just as Stephen had predicted when they were getting dressed. The
long table was covered in the finest linen, crystal glasses twinkled by the light
of an elegant chandelier and, though Stephen and Phil Burke were both wearing suits
befitting the occasion, most of the other guests were dressed in their finest fetish
gear. Latex and leather all around. Tasha wouldn’t be surprised to discover they were
all extras in a Lady Gaga video.

She covered her mouth with a napkin so people wouldn’t see her laugh. They were being
their beautiful selves—it was the situation that was surreal.

Rich people threw strange parties.

Tasha had decided to meet them in the middle. Her classic black dress seemed tame,
but on closer inspection, the narrow strips of sheer black fabric gave tantalizing
glimpses of her bare skin from the neckline to hem. This time, for Stephen’s sake
and her scheduled scene with Ken, she’d worn a pair of black lace boy shorts and a
matching bra.

When Stephen’s hand slipped between her thighs under the table, she startled and froze
in her seat. He’d been discussing something about estate tax with their host and she’d
tuned out and let her mind wander.

It wasn’t wandering now, but his hand was. She instinctively opened for him when he
found his way inside her underwear, his middle finger dipping teasingly into her sex.

He’d been like this all afternoon. Getting ready for dinner had taken twice as long
because he couldn’t seem to stop touching her. He’d come into the shower with a condom
and a determined grin. Then he’d bent her over the bathroom counter while she was
putting on her makeup and buried his face between her legs until she came.

After yesterday, it didn’t take much to drive her over the edge. Her clit still felt
swollen and sensitive, and every time she caught his scent or he touched her, she
was instantly aroused.

Now she was going to come right here, sitting at a table full of people, if he didn’t
stop what he was doing. She dropped her hand into her lap and pinched the skin at
his wrist. It wasn’t a gentle pinch, and it got her point across.

The breath she took when he removed his hand was one of relief, she told herself.
Not disappointment. This wasn’t why they were here.

Wendi chose that moment to lean across the table and catch her attention. “We should
exchange numbers and make plans to go out to lunch sometime. Or maybe the theatre.
Do you like plays?”

That was it. Wendi couldn’t have given her a better opening.

Tasha pressed her hands to her heart. “Love them. There’s a new musical opening downtown
next month that I’ve been begging Stephen to take me to. Maybe you and your husband
could convince him to agree.”

Phil Burke leaned an elbow on the table. “What about it, Senator? I know the one she’s
talking about and I have a private box you’re more than welcome to share.”

Stephen frowned, glancing at Tasha and shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He gave
every impression of being guilty.

Definitely could have been a soap opera star.

“I’d love to, but I’m afraid I’ve already discussed this with Natasha. The next few
months are some of my busiest. We have important bills coming to the floor, not to
mention my duties as co-chair for the annual charity gala. I won’t have time for anything
but work.”

Tasha let her fork clatter to the table. “You always say that.” She kept her voice
low enough for it to seem that she didn’t want anyone else to hear. “You never have
time for anything else, unless you’re escorting other women to openings or attending
fundraisers with your family. I thought asking me to come with you this week meant
the excuses were over.”

Stephen obviously wasn’t enjoying himself, but he played his part well. Gripping her
arm in warning, he said, “We’re here because Mr. Burke is a man of discretion. You
know the next election cycle is about to start up. I can’t just show up at a presser
and introduce you right now. I’ve explained this. An election is supposed to be about
the issues, but the instant they find out we’re dating, our love life is all they’ll
want to know about.”

Wendi was glaring at Stephen, obviously insulted on her behalf.

Burke, meanwhile, was hiding a smirk behind his look of concern. “He has a point Miss
Rivera. Politics is a fickle mistress. The Senator’s devotion to his duty is one we
must nourish and endeavor to aid him with however we can. He has a big future, our
man Finn. Surely we can make plans to go out in the world and celebrate together after
he wins his third term. Would you like that, Miss Rivera? Senator?”

Stephen sent him a grateful glance. “That sounds good to me.”

Resisting the urge to shove her coconut shrimp appetizer down Burke’s pants, Tasha
pushed her plate away and stood up. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m not very hungry anymore.
I have to go get ready for Ken.”

Burke’s average face showed genuine surprise. “You’re doing the rope scene with Tanaka
tonight?”

There was no reason to lie. “We know each other from the club. I’ve worked with him
on suspension bondage demos before.”

Burke glanced at Stephen with interest and Tasha followed his gaze. Stephen’s hands
were fists on the table, his whole body tense. “I’m so glad Stephen gave us permission
last night—Ken can do magical things with his ropes.”

“So I’ve heard,” Burke murmured. “His reputation precedes him. We’re fortunate you
both accepted my invitation this time so you can show us how well you work together.”

Was he insinuating she and Ken were more than friends? All the better for her, but
the man needed to do his homework.

Tasha simply nodded and smiled in excitement, letting her gaze wander to Wendi. “I
can’t wait for you to see this. For Stephen to see it. I think he might enjoy learning
how to tie me down.”

“God knows you deserve it,” Stephen muttered, earning a boisterous laugh from Burke.

He waved her away. “Get ready, Miss Rivera. We’ll have dinner cleared away and adjourn
to the living room for dessert and a show.”

Ken stood as she passed him at the long table and followed her out. When they reached
the middle of the empty room, where the titanium steel ring was already attached to
a hook in the ceiling by a well-knotted rope, Ken reached for her hand.

“Tasha? I adore you, but I’m very close to dragging you out of this pervert’s mansion
and starting an intervention. Senator Finn is obviously not worth your time.”

She widened her eyes and pressed her finger over her mouth. “Don’t…don’t say things
like that Ken. I’m in love.” She pointed to her ear, trying to mime “We’re being bugged”
without much success. “I don’t want him to
hear
you talk that way.”

Ken bent his head until he could look directly into her eyes. “I disabled all Burke’s
recording devices this morning. When he goes to look over his footage after we’ve
gone, he’ll find several days of static and no sound.”

She gasped and covered his mouth with her hand. “You hacked Burke? Oh my God, don’t
do anything else, please. You have no idea what’s going on here.”

“Not with you and the senator, no. But everything else?” Ken smiled. “I believe I’m
more up to speed than you are. Now take off your dress and shoes and get ready so
we don’t look suspicious.”

No longer sure of anything, Tasha stripped off her dress, folding it before setting
it in a corner on the floor, and left her heels beside it. Ken handed her a hair band
and she gathered her curls into a sleek bun.

He stepped behind her and started to stretch her limbs with her, ensuring she was
limber enough for what came next. As he did, he kept an eye on the entrance and spoke
softly in her ear.

“You know I freelance. I actually volunteered for this, though. Burke is a perverse
bastard and he’s using our friends to gain political influence through blackmail.
But that’s only the tip of his iceberg. He’s connected with truly dangerous people
and I need to know who they are.”

“Volunteered for what?” she whispered, allowing him to bend her forward and sighing
as she felt the tight areas in her back release.

“To help the feds and the senator set this trap. To see what’s on Burke’s laptop.
Finn doesn’t know about me. He’s not supposed to. But then Brady found me in the office
and I had a feeling you’d be suspicious since you know a little of my background.”

She turned to face him, letting him lift her leg until her ankle was on his shoulder,
stretching out her hamstrings. “If you know why we’re here, why are you giving me
grief about an intervention? I’m just playing my part as the secret mistress.”

Ken raised one slender eyebrow. “Don’t lie to me, Rivera. You have a history with
him. What’s going on between you isn’t acting, it’s therapy. You have enough chemistry
sparking between you to send this whole place up in smoke, but you’re not exactly
happy about it. It seems like these roles you’ve been playing aren’t too far off the
mark.”

She groaned as he stretched her other leg. “You don’t get to excel at everything
and
be psychic. Seriously, develop a stutter or trip every once in a while. People will
thank you for it.”

He laughed and released her. “My sincerest apologies. What can I do to make it up
to you?”

She looked into his golden-brown eyes and marveled at this strange turn of events.
“Make Stephen jealous. That’s the plan, anyway.”

Ken smiled as people started to file in, clutching dessert plates and searching for
a good seat. “Trust me. He will be.”

She did trust him. She stood comfortably beneath the titanium hoop as the lights around
them dimmed and Ken put on music with a sensual, hypnotic beat. This was a demo. He
was going to keep the knotting simple for the party atmosphere, but it would still
be a performance as much as an experience. And no one knew how to play to the crowd
like he did.

The instant Stephen entered the room her body came alive. She met his stare head on,
knowing that in his current state, this wouldn’t be easy for him to watch.

Maybe Ken was right and they weren’t acting. She wanted Stephen to see her like this.
To see that she wasn’t just a body that appeared when he needed her. To see that what
she did wasn’t sordid or something to hide. It was beautiful.

And yes, she wanted him to be a little jealous.

Ken put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently, and she felt his lips against
her ear. “We good to go?”

Knowing Stephen was probably grinding his teeth, she couldn’t help her naughty little
smile. “Definitely.”

The nylon rope dangled against her back as Ken started to move with the music. She
followed. Their movements were like steps in a dance as he formed her first halter.
He wound the ropes around her torso above and below her breasts and attached them
to the hoop, then tipped her back until she was gazing at the ceiling, swaying to
the beat.

Next his skilled hands went to work on her waist and thighs, creating a secure cradle
with his intricate knots. The knots all had names, and she’d known many of them a
few days ago, but right now she was just enjoying the sensation and feeling Stephen’s
eyes on her body.

What was he thinking as Ken described what he was doing to their audience? When Ken
smoothed his hands over her skin to ensure she was okay with each step of the process?

Ken attached the ropes around her waist and thighs to each other, and then to the
hoop, and suddenly she was off the ground. Weightless and floating. She smiled and
let her arms and legs dangle as Ken turned the hoop this way and that, taking her
with it.

Tasha was feeling the effects now. Lighter. A little dreamy. This was what trust looked
like. Dangling in the air, relying on someone else and having faith that they knew
what they were doing.

This was what she wanted to feel for Stephen. To trust that he was feeling the same
thing she was.

Ken began the last phase of the demo with a basic hogtie. He tied her ankles together
and knotted the remaining rope at the halter behind her neck, forcing her head to
tilt and her back to arch. He gave her wrists a similar treatment behind her back
and attached them to the rope between her legs.

The restraints were snug and movement was severely limited, but Tasha wasn’t panicked.
She was peaceful. Almost giddy. Nothing in life was as comfortingly secure as this.
The admiration and desire she could feel coming from the other guests only enhanced
the experience.

Ken stepped away from her to answer questions and other people moved closer, studying
the knots pressing into her skin. Tasha closed her eyes and drifted, thankful for
the time he was giving her before he took her down.

Had this made Stephen jealous? The plan had been to show a relationship with loose
threads for Burke to pull, but she had no idea where her lover was right now. For
all she knew, he could have left the room, which could lead their host to the right
conclusion but still leave an ache in Tasha’s heart.

She didn’t want to waste a minute of their time here. It was selfish. This wasn’t
about her. It wasn’t about them.

Ken had known she was lying and so did she. She was here for Stephen, to be with Stephen
more than for his “mission.” Of course she wanted to protect him from Burke, but more
than anything else, she wanted to belong to him, if only for a few days.