The Game (6 page)

“I did.” It was so hard to concentrate on his words with his damn thumbs grazing my
boobs. The soft silky material of my dress rubbed like sandpaper against my nipples.
I tried to find some brain cells. “Why didn’t you just tell me? Is this why you left
me at the engagement party?”

“Yes.” His hands rose higher, cupping my breasts. “Oh God, Cheyenne. I love how you
respond to me.”

I lifted onto my tiptoes, thrusting harder into his palms.

Suddenly he covered my breasts and pinched my nipples between his thumbs and forefingers.

I yelped at the shocking sensation. No one had ever pinched me like that.

“Oh, baby. You make me so fucking hard. Do you have any idea how sexy you are?”

I didn’t respond.

Riley released my nipples but continued to graze them with his thumbs. “I need to
see you.”

I furrowed my brows. He was looking right at me.

“Naked, Cheyenne.”

Naked
.

If anyone would have told me I’d be in this position ten minutes ago, I would have
laughed in their face.

Now?

Now I wanted whatever Riley requested.

I nodded, shocking myself.

Riley moaned. “Jesus.”

I wasn’t sure what upset him, but a tight expression took over his face. He released
my breasts and stepped back, his hands still on my waist to steady me. “Have you seen
enough yet?”

I blinked. That question was loaded.

“Of the party, I mean. Come home with me.”

Should I? Leave with this man I’d only met on three occasions? None of which had ended
well.

I leaned around him to find Cade lifting Amy off the bench. He set her on the floor
and she inched toward us. “Riley. I didn’t realize you’d be here.”

“My fault, baby,” Cade said as he tucked an arm around Amy’s middle from behind. He
kissed her shoulder. “I told him.”

Amy grimaced at me. “You okay?”

“She’s fine. Relax. I’ll take it from here.” Riley’s voice was firm.

Amy inhaled sharply and then pursed her lips. She met my gaze.

I didn’t have any idea what to say. My mind was still focused on Riley’s words.
I’ll take it from here.

“I’m not sure public is the best place for Cheyenne to find her footing.” Riley stepped
to my side, one hand sliding around to flatten on the small of my back.

I was quite sure public would
never
be the best place for me to find
any
footing.

Amy nibbled on the corner of her bottom lip, not taking her gaze off me. She started
to speak, her mouth opening, but Cade silenced her with a finger to her lips. “Let
Riley handle this, baby. You know him. He’s not going to do anything stupid.”

She nodded, but her eyes still questioned me.

“She’ll call you tomorrow,” Riley said to Amy. Without another word, he turned me
around and led me from the room and back toward the stairs. My legs were wobbly, but
he kept his hand steady around my waist, guiding me expertly through the house and
outside.

Chapter Seven

When we stepped into the night air, I took a deep breath as though the inside had
been void of oxygen. Riley turned toward me and tucked a curl behind my ear. “You
okay?”

I nodded. I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t
not
okay either. I was so damn horny, that was all I could really concentrate on. I was
no longer sure I cared about much of anything but wrapping my body around Riley’s
and sating my lust. I’d been drooling over the man in my head for half a year. It
was time I actually got some.

Riley slid his hand down to grab mine and led me down the steps toward his car. His
driver leaned against the hood and jumped to standing as we approached. “Sorry, Les.
I know I said I’d be a while, but I changed my mind. You can take us home now.”

Les opened the back door, and Riley urged me forward.

I climbed into the back seat and scooted over to make room for Riley. He followed
me. The second he was inside, before Les had even shut the door, he leaned over me,
cupped my face, and kissed me again.

This time he was even more thorough than the first.

I melted into the seat as he thrust his tongue into my mouth. His lips were soft but
demanding. He nudged my lips wider and proceeded to devour me.

We only separated when the car started moving. I found my hand on Riley’s forearm,
gripping tight.

He eased back against the seat, rubbing a hand over his face. He grasped my hand and
settled our tangled fingers on my lap.

We rode in silence for several minutes, but when Riley stroked the skin of my inner
thigh, I fidgeted.

“Sit still, baby.”

I froze. Insanity. Three commanding words and I instantly rose to a new level of arousal.
How was this possible?

Was I submissive?

How could I have not known this about myself?

Something about his tone and the deep pitch of his voice lulled me under his spell.
I wondered again how it was possible I hadn’t known this about him.

The car continued, smooth and silent. What did his driver know?

I flushed as I glanced at the front seat. Les’s gaze was straight ahead, paying no
attention to us in the back.

How many women had Riley brought home like this?

My leg bounced as nerves wormed their way under my skin.

Riley released my hand and flattened his palm over my thigh. “Cheyenne. Sit still.
You drive me crazy wiggling around.”

I inhaled sharply and held my breath.

Riley held my bare thigh. My skirt, which had been too short to begin with, rested
way too close to my pussy, barely covering me in any sort of decent way. His hand
lodged between my thighs, his pinky reaching toward my sex.

He turned and met my gaze. His expression was unreadable.

And then he smirked and shook his head. “You’re like a genie escaping from a bottle.
How did this happen?”

I had no response. I couldn’t answer him any more than he could.

The car pulled to a stop in front of Riley’s house, and we climbed out. Riley said
something to his driver, and the man got back inside and pulled away.

I stared at the front of the house. I knew about his house. It had been Cade’s before
he and Riley swapped. Amy had learned everything she knew about submission inside
this house.

And now it seemed I might follow in her footsteps.

Riley ushered me forward. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and let us in. When
the door shut behind us, he glanced down at my hands. “Did you not have a purse?”

“No. Cade said I wouldn’t need anything. I left it at home.”

Riley nodded.

Shit. I didn’t have anything. Not even a phone.

Riley stepped closer. He cupped my face and flattened me against the door. “Don’t
worry. You can use my phone to call Amy and let her know you’re okay. Relax. I’m not
going to harm you. I’m just going to show you the ropes. See what works for you.”

I didn’t move. His lips were so close to mine. I wanted him to kiss me again.

He stepped back instead, tugged his phone from his pocket, touched a few things on
the screen, and handed it to me. “There. Send Amy a text. She probably won’t answer
right now, but at least this way she’ll know where you are and how to get in touch
with you.”

I took the cell from him with shaky fingers and quickly sent my friend a text. When
I finished, Riley took it back and stuffed it in the pocket of his jeans again.

I hadn’t considered what he was wearing yet. The man was so fucking sexy in jeans
it made my mouth water. He wore a tight black designer T-shirt also. It displayed
his pecs to perfection, making him seem larger than life.

“Come.” He took my hand again and led me through the foyer and deeper into the house.
When we reached the living room, I glanced around. It was attached to the kitchen.
Both rooms were done in grays and blacks and whites. It was luxurious and inviting
at the same time.

Riley led me to the center of the plush carpet and released me. He circled me slowly.
Finally, he leaned down and removed my heels one at a time, setting them under the
coffee table. “You’re unsteady. I don’t want you to fall.” He righted himself and
then sat on the coffee table.

I fisted my hands, not sure what else to do.

“Stand tall, baby. Shoulders back. Clasp your hands at the small of your back.”

I followed his instructions, a tight ball forming in the pit of my stomach. Need.

“Spread your legs wider.”

I stepped out, shakily. This was so surreal.

My mind raced. All I could think about was the need growing inside me, keeping the
scrap of lace between my legs wet and threatening to leak around the edges.

Not for the first time, my chest felt tighter than normal. With my arms behind me,
my breasts jutted outward, the nipples puckering once again.

“Look at me, Cheyenne.”

I met his gaze.

“If I had known…” He hesitated and then shook his head. “When I met you, I had no
idea you were so submissive.”

“I—”

“Don’t deny it. I know it’s a new and foreign concept for you, but don’t try to refute
it. It’s real. You’re living proof. I bet you’re so wet right now, my hand would come
away soaked if I reached between your legs.”

I bit my lip. He was right.

“Don’t do that. Let your lip go. Open your mouth.”

My lips trembled as I obeyed him. “I’m nervous.”

“I know, baby.” He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees.

“And unsure.”

“Expected.”

“Are you going to hurt me?”

He gasped. “Never.”

“I mean spank me or whatever. Amy said Cade spanks her. He also makes her stand in
a corner. That sounds so absurd to me right now, I’m shaking.”

“I’m not going to spank you tonight. And I would never hurt you. The only time I will
ever lay a hand on you will be for your pleasure or to discipline you.”

More wetness when he said the word “discipline.” I shuddered at the implication. A
tear crept unbidden into the corner of my eye. What was happening to me?

Riley jumped to his feet and stepped in front of me. He brushed his finger across
my cheek to catch the tear. “Baby, don’t cry. Calm down. Deep breaths. I know it’s
overwhelming, but that’s because it’s so new. Unexpected. I’m not going to maul you.
I’m just giving you a taste of what to expect if you stay with me.”

Stay with him
… I wasn’t sure what he meant by that exactly.

“You okay?”

I nodded, and he stepped back. “I’m going to pour you a drink, to help calm your nerves.
Don’t move.”

Riley headed across the room and into the kitchen area of the enormous great room.
He rounded the phenomenal island and ducked down beneath the counter. I bet he had
a wine fridge under the surface where I couldn’t see.

Sure enough, he stood and reached for a fancy electric cork screw. Moments later he
had two glasses on the counter and was filling them with white wine.

Taking one glass in each hand, he returned. “You can let your hands go, baby.” His
voice was gentle as he held out a glass.

I took it, trying not to shake, and then sipped the wine. It was delicious.

“You like it?”

“God yes.” Or maybe I needed a drink so badly anything would have been welcome. I
doubted that, however. This bottle of wine was probably more expensive than the last
ten bottles I drank put together. And judging by the taste, I was definitely right.
Who knew it made that much difference?

Riley sat on the couch this time, leaning back, kicking his shoes off, and propping
his feet on the coffee table. “I want you to remain standing to keep you in the zone.
But don’t lock your knees.”

I didn’t know what that meant, but I took another sip and tried not to shake so badly
that wine sloshed out of the glass.

“I’m sure you have questions.”

“About a thousand.”

He smiled. “Let me try to answer some of them.” He ran his finger over the rim of
his glass. “I’m a Dom. You were rudely informed of that fact by Christine. I’m sorry
about that. She’s obviously got issues. She was also a horrible sub. I have no explanation
for why I wasted so many years with her.”

I flinched. I imagined I too would make a horrible sub.

“In retrospect, I should have seen the signs. Hell, Cade knew she was a fraud. He
should have told me. But then again, I had blinders on, so I might not have listened
to him.”

I took another drink, letting the cold liquid soften me a bit more. I wasn’t sure
it was working. “Why did you stay so long?”

He ran a hand over his face. “I’m an idiot, apparently.”

How could he not know?

“She played a game. She was only in it for the money. She faked like she cared about
me the entire time. When I started in this lifestyle, she followed. She didn’t submit
to me well, but she tried. I thought it was enough.”

I nodded and took another sip. It was going down too easily.

“After we split, I knew she had been faking. I Dommed for other submissives over the
next few months. They were nothing like her.” He closed his eye and then opened them.
“And then I met you.”

I held my breath.

He smiled. “God I wanted you. From the moment I saw you, I wanted you. But I knew
you weren’t in the lifestyle. And I knew you were way too innocent for this scene.”
He grinned. “Obviously I’m a poor judge of character.”

I watched his face.

“I thought about taking you home that night and having a normal sexual encounter.
I thought about dating you. I even pictured changing my ways to accommodate your innocence.
But it would have been a lie to fuck you as if I were vanilla without saying anything.
So, I took the coward’s path.

“I walked away from you that night because you were so damn perfect. And so young.
And so naïve. I wanted you. Badly. I’d only been single for a matter of months. You
were so full of life. Fun. Youthful. Gorgeous. You looked like you walked off a fucking
magazine every time I saw you.”

I said nothing. He had more to say. And I wanted to hear it. That was a line I’d heard
before. It didn’t faze me.

“By the end of that evening, I wanted to fuck you senseless. So badly I knew I wouldn’t
be able to control myself if I didn’t get the hell out of there. So I ran. Like a
coward. I left you sitting there wondering where the hell I was. I’m an asshole. And
I’m so sorry.”

“You could have just told me.”

“Yeah. I should have. But then again, what if I had stood there at Cade and Amy’s
engagement party and told you I was a Dominant? And I wanted you to submit to me?”

I nodded. He was right. That wouldn’t have gone over well.

“And then there was the fact that you knew nothing about Cade and Amy’s arrangement.
It wasn’t my place to tell you. That was up to Amy.” He glanced up and down my body
until I felt naked. “Hell, you’re still so fucking innocent. I can’t believe I’m even
entertaining the idea of dominating you.”

I shuddered again. My body was under his spell. I wished he would stop talking about
dominating me. Every time he said a word, it went straight to my pussy.

“I’ve thought about you non-stop since that night. I’ve masturbated in my shower more
times than I can count.”

That did it. My knees buckled. I lowered myself to the floor and set my glass on the
coffee table. I slumped forward, putting my hands on the carpet in front of me.

Riley watched me. He didn’t comment. Instead he kept talking, his voice lower, softer.
“When I saw you at that fundraising meeting the other day, I swallowed my tongue.”

“Me too.”

“I wanted to yank you into a closet and fuck you senseless.”

“Me too.”

He groaned. “Don’t say that. I’m trying to be a gentleman.”