Unbind My Heart (3 page)

He gave them a chin lift as acknowledgement and began making his way toward their table.  As Jonas Mitchell wound through the large crowd, Regan helpfully filled her in, giving her so many details that Lexie suspected she could write the man’s biography.  Lexie was surprised to hear that she and Jonas shared an interest in martial arts and that he was busy opening a mixed martial arts studio.  He was also looking for a model to help him with a private project.  Regan suggested that with her gymnastics and modeling experience, she’d be perfect for Jonas.  Lexie found that last comment odd and wondered what one had to do with the other.  Then she tried to see a correlation with something BDSM. 

Still puzzling over it a minute later, she turned to ask Regan for an explanation just as the extremely easy-on-the-eyes, well-built Dom reached their table.  He was strikingly good-looking, and Lexie couldn’t take her eyes off him.  Although not as big as some of the other owners, he was still an imposing figure, muscular and well over six feet tall.  As he walked up, Rick and Dex joined them, each stealing their subs’ chairs before pulling them onto their laps.  

Lexie lost track of the conversation as Master Jonas took the only vacant chair, coincidentally right next to her.  She picked up a subtle woodsy scent of cedar and sandalwood as he settled in his chair.  She inhaled deeply.  He smelled fantastic, the barely-there cologne mixing with another clean smell she couldn’t place.  She sat quietly soaking in the intoxicating masculine scent as it swirled around her. 

“Lexie!” 

Elena’s voice calling her name startled her back to awareness.  To her mortification, the entire table was watching her stare at Jonas like a lovesick girl.  Could they tell?  Was she drooling?  It took every effort to keep from wiping her chin.  Elena, who was on a break, was watching from Dex’s lap, an amused smile on her face.  Her eyes glinted as her gaze shifted from her to Jonas, the knowing look telling Lexie that her old friend knew exactly what was on her mind when she’d zoned out a moment ago. 

Regan was also watching Lexie with a twinkle in her eye.  All the meaningful glances were making her uncomfortable.  She hadn’t spoken a word to the man, and already her friends were planning the bachelorette party.  Giving Regan a frown and a subtle headshake was useless, her only response a delighted giggle.  Lexie gave Jonas a sidelong look, trying to see what they found so amusing, when a splash of vivid yellow caught her eye.  Seeing her and Jonas’ reflection in the wall mounted mirror across the way, she saw what they saw and had to agree—they looked good together.  Lexie had always been told she looked like the wholesome girl next door, and her natural beauty perfectly complemented Jonas’ all-American good looks. 

“You know, Master Jonas, Lexie has done some modeling.  She might be interested in that project you have in the works.”

Regan let out a startled yelp.  Lexie turned back to the table and noticed Rick whispering into his wife’s ear, a stern expression on his face.  Lexie bit back a smile, enjoying the little bit of retribution.  Rick had obviously picked up on his wife’s matchmaking, Jonas and Lexie in her sights.  Regan appeared to heed his warning and nodded dutifully.  Lexie wasn’t fooled; there was more to come, she was sure.

“That’s a very pretty dress, Lexie.  Are you typically a non-conformist or is something else at work here?”  Like a warm hug, Jonas’ rich baritone voice wrapped around her, his tone soothing and relaxing but at the same time stimulating a tingle of excitement deep inside.  Of course he would notice her dress and think she was a free spirit.  She was the only one wearing color and stuck out like a beacon in a sea of black.  

Her friends, giggling at her expense, had her mind conjuring various plans for payback, which she kept that to herself while sending the culprits a mockingly vengeful glare.  “Thank you.  It seems someone forgot to give me the memo that it was little black dress night.”

His laugh, deep and full, changed the tingle to a buzz of awareness, which coursed through her body.  Yowza!  This man was dangerous
. 

“I think you’re a refreshing ray of sunshine in a sea of perpetual black.”

Startled, Lexie stiffened at his words, so similar to her own thoughts.  Regan and Elena sighed, charmed by his eloquent words and oblivious to their men’s eyes rolling.  Conversation ceased as the others looked on, making Lexie even more ill at ease.  Her gaze returned to Jonas, who was watching her intently, a small smile on his handsome face.  She melted a bit beneath his regard.  He was a heartthrob that was certain, and probably had women throwing themselves at his feet.  With his good looks and smooth, effortless James Bond delivery, she knew he’d be hard for any woman with a pulse to resist. 

“Do you have an interest in the lifestyle or are you like the twins’ cousins, only here for the band?”

Lexie froze, heat flooding her face.  Good grief, since walking through the doors, she’d blushed more than ever before in her life.  She was unused to such open discussion of sexuality—not that she was a prude or anything, she was a nurse for heaven’s sake—it was just… disconcerting.  How did she answer such a question in front of an audience?  Yes, I like the band, but I’m also curious about bondage.  Master Jonas, please, could you strip me, spank me and tie me up between sets? 

Dear Lord, where had that thought come from?  It must be this place, as addictive as crack, or maybe it was Jonas.  Either way, she was jonesin’ for a fix.

Crack being unavailable, she sought liquid courage and downed half of her newly refilled lemon drop in one gulp.  Glancing back at him, she saw his smile had widened to a full grin.  Had she thought him merely handsome?  No way, for when he smiled, he was unbelievably gorgeous, and like a fool over a pretty face, she lost her ability to speak.  As she sat there dumbfounded, the other girls took note and came to her rescue, speaking at once on her behalf.  Lexie couldn’t hear their remarks, their chattering drowned out by the pounding of her heart in her ears. 

Lexie’s sluggish brain knew that this was the time to come clean about her fantasies, yet she couldn’t do it, not in front of the golden Adonis and amidst a riveted crowd.  No, three martinis hadn’t loosened her inhibitions that much.  She wondered whether she could ever do it, set her reticence aside and ask for something she wanted.  Jonas’ deep voice sounding next to her again jolted her back to awareness.   

“Ladies, let’s give Lexie a chance to answer my questions on her own, shall we?  I asked about your interests.”

Just do it!

“Uh—I actually have some experience with, um—” Despite the little voice of encouragement, she lost her nerve and purposely misinterpreted his question.  Blurting out the first thing that came to her mind, she said, “Martial arts.”  There, she’d given him an answer, not what he was looking for, but it was the truth. 

Her tongue, having found a familiar topic, loosened, and she began babbling on like an excited child.  “I’ve been practicing Tae Chi since college.  I also do some yoga.  I enjoy the meditation and health benefits of both.”  A nervous habit, she became Chatty Cathy and yammered on about a recent Harvard study proving that practicing martial arts reduced stress and helped fight disease.  She paused for breath before starting a new discourse on the Mayo Clinic’s findings.  Thankfully, Regan rescued her with a soft whisper in her ear. 

“Lex, honey… chill.”

She flushed yet again as she saw everyone’s amused expressions.  This time, Jonas was the one to bail her out, his hand capturing hers as he squeezed it reassuringly.   

“Lexie, I apologize for being so insensitive.  I suggest we move our conversation to that corner table where we will have more privacy.”  She immediately agreed to his request, maybe because it was actually more of a command.  Leaping at the chance to escape the scrutiny of the others, she allowed him to assist her from her chair.  Murmuring a polite excuse to the rest of the group, Jonas guided her to the private table, signaling for a waitress to bring him a beer.

Offering her another drink, Lexie shook her head and declined.  “I better stop before my mouth says something else my brain will regret.”

Chuckling, he seated her and took the chair to her left, sliding it close as he sat.  “I forget sometimes that not every woman on open nights is submissive, or interested in BDSM, for that matter.  You might just be curious, but I think I can recognize a submissive when I see one.  Am I correct?”
“I… um, I’ve never really thought…”  Her tongue once again uncooperative, she dithered about for an answer.  She lowered her gaze shyly under his watchful eyes. They were compelling, but also disturbingly intense and flustered her usually intelligent and quick-witted mind. 
Damn!

“And there it is—a very submissive response.”  He took her hand in his much larger one and brought it to his lips.  “Let’s talk about something else, shall we, and give those blushes time to die down.”

Captivated by his full lips on her hand, she watched raptly as his slightly rough thumb brushed against her own.  Her eyes traced his face and over his broad shoulders.  She was drawn to the black leather armband barely visible over his black button-down shirt.  The DM emblazoned in orange stood out against the black. 

“Weren’t you working?”  Lexie looked around the lounge and noticed that several other men wearing the same leather armbands were now vigilantly moving through the crowd. 

Her comment seemed to jog Jonas’ memory because he slipped his own armband off and tucked it away.  “I’m off duty with nothing pressing except getting to know the beautiful woman in my company.” 

They talked easily for the next two hours, during which she learned that he
was a karate grand master and held belts in Taekwondo and Jujitsu.  Jonas was also very open about being a Dom and looking for a submissive that shared his interests.  His manner was casual and relaxed, and Lexie responded to it easily. 

Elena’s final set wrapped up just before midnight, and the live music was replaced by recordings.  At that point, the crowd’s focus quickly shifted as they searched for new entertainment.  Having changed from a concert-like atmosphere to a typical bar scene, conversation picked up, the music became a background element instead of the main event, and couples connected, getting more amorous at their tables and on the dance floor. 

As Jonas turned to speak with a man who had politely asked for a moment of his time, Lexie found her attention drawn to a couple sitting at a nearby table.  The woman was conservatively dressed, compared to many of the others present, wearing a simple black sheath that covered all the important parts.  Not out of the ordinary by any means, except for what had really captured her attention.  Standing out in vivid contrast to her pale skin and black dress, the red ropes wrapped around her wrists and forearms, binding her arms behind her back.  The Dom held her close, a protective arm around her waist, keeping her safe while preventing her from face planting onto the hard floor if she lost her balance.   

“A very nice two-column tie, don’t you think?”

“It’s beautiful, but doesn’t that strain her arms?”

“Alec and Lisette are both experienced Shibari practitioners, former students of mine, in fact.  He is very conscious of the fatigue factor of that pose and the strain on her joints.  He won’t push her past her limit.  Notice the protective arm around her waist, the close attention he pays her to the exclusion of others, and just in case, he carries a pair of scissors in his front pocket.  Do you see?”

“I do now.  I hadn’t noticed any of that, just how beautiful she looks in his ropes.”  She did notice that her voice had taken on a breathy quality and cleared it discreetly before taking a sip of her water.

“His ropes… that’s very perceptive.  The artist is often invisible behind his canvas.  Are you familiar with the Japanese arts of Shibari or Kinbaku?  Did Regan or Elena tell you I am a Shibari Master?” 

Lexie’s jaw dropped open.  Was this a set-up?  How had Regan and the girls known they had matching kinks?  Lexie had never let on to any of them about her secret bondage fantasies.  Surely, it couldn’t be coincidence. Puzzled, focused on his question for now. “Uh, well…  I’ve seen a few pictures on the subject.”

“And what did you think?”

“I found it quite beautiful, actually.  Not the trashy pornographic kind—I’m talking about the artsy ones with good photography and lighting, the ones that focus on the artistry of the ties that enhance the model’s beauty.  Sexual, yes, and very sensual, it was more erotic rather than carnal or graphic.”  She paused to look back at Lissette.  “I don’t know if I am explaining this right and doing it justice.”

“You’re doing just fine.  Please continue.”  His words encouraging, his tone coaxing, she warmed to the topic.

“I went to a show last summer that used other mediums like feathers, silks, fluorescent lights and different colored ropes.  It was fabulous and despite the nudity, it wasn’t pornographic or X-rated.  In fact, many of the models were draped so artfully, very little skin was even exposed.  The purpose was art and beauty, not specifically to titillate, although I’m sure many found it arousing.” 

Realizing she was gushing again, she stopped.  Too late, the extent of what she had inadvertently disclosed became clear.  Uh-oh!  What had caused her to spill her guts like that?  Was it the martinis? No, she hadn’t had a sip in a good while.  The subject matter, maybe, but as she looked at her companion, she suspected it was most likely Master Jonas.  Something about him caused her, no compelled her, to cooperate.  She was shocked that she had revealed such personal and private thoughts to him, a practical stranger.  Oh my!