The Boss (28 page)

"Red," I panted, scrambling to climb off him.
I fell to the bed, trying to blow the hair out of my face. As Neil
immediately began to work on the ropes around my wrists, I forced
myself to remain patient. It was so strange, that the binding
hadn't bothered me before, but now I wanted to thrash and claw my
way free.

"Easy now," he murmured, loosening the ropes
quickly. He massaged my wrists, my forearms, and rolled me onto my
stomach to work on my back.

"What's this for?" I groaned in relief as he
kneaded my muscles, and I stretched my freed arms over my head.
"Not that I'm complaining."

"You were tied in one position for a good,
long time, and I don't want you to feel sore in the morning." His
big hands paused in their kneading of my muscles and he added,
"Well, I don’t want your back sore, that is. I fear there's no hope
for the rest of you."

I felt the hot blush in my face and muffled
my giggles with the duvet. "Is my ass bruised?"

"Not bruised. Cherry red, though. And you’re
hoarse, you should drink some water." He left the bed and
disappeared through the closet. I saw the bathroom light click on,
and when Neil returned - unselfconscious in his nakedness, making
my stomach do little backflips - he had not only a glass of water
for me, but a little package of single-use toothbrushes. "For the
morning," he explained as he set my dental-care saviors on the
empty nightstand. "So you don't bolt from my bed the moment your
eyes open."

I smiled, remembering my panic at waking up
with him that morning. "You're such a thoughtful host."

He smoothed his palm over my bottom. "Do you
want me to get you some ice?"

I sat up and reached for the water. I hadn't
realized how thirsty I was. "No. I like to feel it, remember?"

He picked up the vibrator from the bed and
turned it off. "I'm going to go take care of this, take out my
contacts then I'm going to come back to the feeling of a beautiful,
naked woman in my arms. If that's all right with you?" He waited
for me to lower the water glass then kissed the tip of my nose.

"I'll be here." When he was gone, I wriggled
down in the big bed and smoothed my sweaty hair back from my face.
I thought of Neil sleeping in here, all alone. Then I thought of
his wife, sleeping in here with him, and my stomach turned
sour.

I looked at the bedside table on my side. Her
side? Whichever, it was still a bare and depressing nightstand, all
set up for the new woman's weird tooth paranoia.

Neil came back and climbed beneath the covers
beside me. "How did that go, then?"

"Amazing as always." I fluffed up the pillows
behind me. There was a serious four-per-person pillow situation
going on. When I leaned back, it felt like I was never going to
stop sinking. It was heavenly.

"Is there anything you'd want me to do
differently? For next time?"

I loved the way his voice sounded late at
night, sleepy and deep. I mulled the question over, sliding my
fingers along the satin edge of the duvet where it lay across my
chest. "No. Honestly, you're very good at knowing what I need, and
you ask what I want, which is good, too. I just don't see what you
get out of it."

"I like the challenge." He rolled to his side
to face me, one arm over my stomach on top of the blankets. "It's a
bit like a puzzle for me, figuring out what it is that gives you
the most pleasure. What you need to be able to give me your total
submission."

"Good luck with that, I don't think I'll ever
be totally submissive." I snorted.

He cupped my cheek, and just that small touch
sent a shockwave of desire though me. Despite the fact that I was
exhausted and should have been completely satiated, I wanted him
again.

"You already are. You're thinking of
submission as an act of humiliation." He let his fingers slide down
my jaw, his thumb tracing my bottom lip. "And it can be, if that’s
what a sub needs. But you've been given the mistaken impression
that Dominance and submission are all about taking. You take the
orders, the pain, the restrictions, while I take control away from
you. The reality is far different. When you submit, you give
yourself to me wholly. Your desire, your attention, your mind, and
you give these things to me because you want to."

"So, that makes you the taker?" I asked,
sucking the tip of his thumb between my lips briefly.

"There is no 'taker.' I give you pleasure, I
give you limitations in regards to the sensations you feel and how
you feel them. But I'm never taking your control away against your
will. I wouldn’t want that." He leaned up and coaxed me down, until
our lips and tongues met in a slow, thorough kiss. His hand fisted
in the hair at my nape, and he pulled my head back. I gasped as our
mouths parted.

"Your trust in me, your ability to surrender
totally and give yourself to me freely... that's the payoff for me,
Sophie. It's an aphrodisiac."

I leaned forward, brushing my lips across his
with the small freedom of motion he let me have. Then, carefully,
so our heads didn't knock together, he let me go, and I snuggled
down beside him.

He was so warm and naked and good-feeling
against my skin. No matter how soft and fluffy the pillows were,
they were nowhere near as comfortable as resting my head on Neil's
shoulder.

"So, you've done this with other women
before, right?" I walked my fingertips through his chest hair. "I
mean you kind of talked like you knew what you were doing when we
were in L.A."

He covered my hand with his, holding it flat
to his chest. "Do you really want to know?"

"I asked." I rubbed my cheek against his
shoulder. I would never get enough of his scent, the feel of him.
"I'm not going to get jealous of the people you used to sleep with.
They're not here right now."

"Yes, I have had prior relationships where
Dominance and submission were involved." He idly stroked the back
of my hand. "But I've also had relationships where it wasn't."

"Which way is better?" If I ever did get
long-term with someone, they would have to be able to make me
respond the way Neil did. I couldn't imagine it any other way.

His hand stilled, pressing over mine. I could
feel his heartbeat beneath my palm. "Being with you is better.
Either way."

My chest squeezed painfully. But it was the
good kind of pain.

* * * *

Waking up with Neil
beside me was the most exquisite, perfect feeling.

I was all comfortable and warm and safe - a
demented thing to revel in, considering I'd never actually been in
anything close to danger in my entire life. Sleeping with Neil's
warm skin pressed to mine, his strong arm around me, made me feel
protected, even if I didn't need protecting from anything.

I wriggled in his embrace and reached for the
single-use toothbrushes on the nightstand. I quickly tore one open
and stuck it in my mouth, hurriedly scrubbing away my morning
breath.

"Vanity, thy name is Sophie," Neil murmured
sleepily from behind me as he released me and rolled away.

"Ish not vani-y," I muttered around the
brush. I reached for the half- full water glass and quickly swished
some around my mouth. "It's just manners."

His hand closed over my hip, and I scrambled
to replace the glass on the nightstand before he jerked me down in
the bed, smoothly covering my body with his.

"Well then, I have excellent manners," he
said, his suspiciously minty breath in my face. "Because I've
already been up for morning ablutions."

"Oh, and
that
isn't vanity?" I
wriggled beneath him as he reached over me to a remote on the
bedside table. He hit a button and the shades over the windows
slowly rose, flooding the room with daylight, unimpeded by
neighboring buildings.

"Now, we have the entire day to ourselves.
And I haven't the faintest clue what to do with you." The head of
his cock prodded between my thighs, making a liar out of him. He
knew exactly what he wanted to do with me.

All it would take was a shift of my hips, and
he would be inside me. I held his face in my hands. "You didn't
shave."

"You like my stubble," he pointed out,
rubbing his cheek against my throat.

I sighed, totally content as he nibbled and
sucked along my jaw, up to my ear, finding that totally weird and
totally awesome spot behind it, the spot that could make me come
when he paid it enough attention.

"I do," I moaned, stretching my neck to give
him more room to tease me. I lifted one leg around his waist and
his cock slid into me, pulling sighs from both of us.

"That... oh, that's lovely," he murmured
against my neck. “But I should really get a condom.”

He was right, I knew, but he felt so damn
good, I didn’t want to stop. At least one of us had the presence of
mind to be responsible.

“Hurry, okay?” To punctuate my sentence, I
squeezed him with my internal muscles.

“Good lord,” he cursed, dipping his head to
my shoulder. His breath on my skin, the prickle of his unshaven
chin against me, the feeling of him deep inside me, with no
particular hurry to be anyplace else... okay, I could now fully
understood why he was into sleepovers. I couldn’t think of any
better way to wake up.

He pulled out and rolled away from me,
rummaging through his nightstand, then quickly sheathed himself. He
was back between my legs with a speed that both impressed and
flattered me, and I giggled.

“Something funny?” he asked as he rocked
against me slowly, reaching down to hook his arm under my knee,
holding me wide open so he could sink deeper.

"Just enjoying my morning," I gasped, my
fingers fisting in the pillow beside my head. "That's good, just
like that."

"Just like this?" He withdrew slowly, until I
was shaking and panting, desperate to have him back. But in the
position I was in, I couldn't really move.

I clamped my lips together tightly, a catch
in my breathing the only sound I could make. It was odd, but the
daylight made me feel a little self-conscious. Sure, my morning
breath was taken care of, but my makeup was probably smudged, I
didn't even want to think about what my hair looked like, and this
close up he could probably see every pore on my face.

And just like that, I was out of the moment.
He went still inside me and lifted his head. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Okay. It was difficult to lie to
him when he was on top of me. "I'm just feeling a little...
self-conscious."

"Why? Is there an audience here that I'm not
aware of?" He pretended to be concerned as he looked over his
shoulder.

"You know, you could be less sarcastic, with
your dick in me." I wriggled. "Come on, let's just - "

"No, we will not 'just.' There's no point in
continuing if you've got something on your mind that's going to
prevent you from enjoying yourself.” He moved to roll away from me,
but I locked my legs around his hips.

"Okay, okay.” I scrunched up my face. "I feel
like it's different, at night. Night is supposed to be this dirty,
wrong time. Mornings aren't supposed to be sexy. And I mean, I
look- "

"You look absolutely fucking gorgeous." He
kissed me, smoothing hair away from my brow. "You look like a woman
who was well and thoroughly shagged last night, and who's waking up
all mussed and sweaty and - " he broke off to bury his nose in my
shoulder and sniffed loudly - "reeking of sex to do it all over
again."

"Reeking? That's some sweet talk there," I
giggled, but he did, strangely, make me feel better.

"Sophie, I don't care if your makeup is
smeared, or if your hair isn't perfect. The only thing I care about
is that a beautiful, sexy, confident woman half my age wants to do
depraved things with me in the bedroom."

"And in the kitchen," I reminded him with a
snort. "There might be some depravity we missed in the bathroom,"
he suggested, pressing deeper inside me. The motion dragged a long,
slow shudder through my body. He covered my mouth with his, swept
his tongue in to tangle with mine. The heels of my hands rested
against his shoulders, my fingers curling and uncurling helplessly
as our bodies and tongues writhed together. When he lifted his
head, he added, "Perhaps we can find out after breakfast?"

I nodded, breathless, and rocked with him as
he thrust into me.

"'Mornings aren't supposed to be sexy,'" he
muttered, leaning his forehead against mine. "Really, I had thought
better of you."

"Oh, shut up and fuck me." I grabbed one of
the pillows and smacked him with it.

We had a brief, playful struggle, wrestling
with each other until he held both my hands under his, pinned to
the mattress.

"Tell me what you want. Tell me what it is
you need, and I'll give it to you," he pledged against my mouth.
His hips lifted and he pulled out of me until just the head of him
stretched my cunt.

I looked up, into fierce green eyes that sent
shockwaves of arousal through every cell in my body. I could have
played the game, said something really racy to tantalize him, but I
knew I would never beat him at dirty talk. "You. I want you."

He filled me again, so quick and hard it took
my breath away.

"Fuck me hard," I whispered, and it turned
into a moan as I moved with him.

He released my hands to sit up and grasp my
hips. "What was that?"

"Fuck me," I repeated, though he didn't need
my urging. He surged in me, rocking my hips in his hands, pulling
my whole body down the bed with the motion until my back was
bowed.

"I love to hear you say that," he groaned,
grinding deep. “Louder, Sophie.”

"Fuck me!" I shouted. I hoped there was good
soundproofing between him and his neighbors. "Fuck me! I want you
to fuck me harder!"

He grabbed my arms and pulled me up, into his
lap. We were caught in a tangle of my hair, our limbs and tongues,
and when he pulled free of me he said gruffly, "Get on your hands
and knees."