Unconditional Surrender (8 page)

“Ready?” he asked, looking carefully into her eyes to see what he could read there.

She wet her lower lip with her tongue, the sight of it making his cock flex.

“Yes, Sir. I am.”

He lifted the red cinnamon candle and held it just barely above her flesh at the beginning swell of her breasts, letting the wax drip slowly onto her skin. Twisting the angle of it, he created a series of loops and swirls before placing it back in its holder.

Next came the blue candle, then one at a time the others. Each had its own distinctive scent and they mingled in a pleasant bouquet. The more he dripped the wax, the more aroused his bottom became. It was obvious in her eyes, in her increased tempo of breathing, and in the moisture continuing to gather in her pussy.

Slade felt a tightening in his balls as the design took shape, as every drop of the heated wax fell to her skin, each one adding a new dimension. He dripped it around the ropes and over them, a zigzag pattern where colours blended and swirled. He dipped the candle in his hand so one tiny drop fell on the tip of each breast. His Butterfly moaned her pleasure, her eyes begging for more. He gave it to her, drawing thin circles around the knot on her clit, loving the way she jerked slightly at each touch.

When he’d finished with the candles he blew them out, inhaling the erotic scent that still lingered in the air. Very gently he ran a fingertip over the swirling design he’d created, following the lines of different colours. He pressed each distended nipple, pleased at the flash of desire in her eyes. When he pushed harder on the knot of the rope resting on her clit, she moaned again. And when he slid two fingers into her hot, wet pussy her muscles immediately clamped down tightly on him. Removing the fingers, he licked them slowly. God, she tasted like the best dessert in the world.

“You’re so wet. The wax excites you, doesn’t it?” When she nodded he said, “I want to hear you tell me. Say it, girl.”

“Yes, Sir, it does. It excites me. A lot.”

He reached for the small digital camera he’d placed on the table. “I’d like to take a picture of you like this. Just for myself. For when I’m…away.”

For a moment he thought she’d refuse. It could, after all, be construed as an invasion of her privacy and it wasn’t an order but a request. Then she nodded. He focused the camera, framing the shot to get her entire body, then snapped off two frames. Tonight he’d print them out and put them in his wallet. They’d definitely counteract the freezing cold of the Hindu Kush.

And speaking of cold…

“Time to remove the wax. The baby oil makes it easy enough but I find using ice cubes to harden it serves a dual purpose. They make a stimulating contrast with the heat of the wax and they harden it, making it easier to peel off.”

As he talked he lifted a cube from the thermal container on the table and ran it slowly over the loops and whorls of the design. He loved the way her body reacted as the fingers of cold reached her nerves. When the ice cube had melted he slipped his icy fingers into her cunt again. She sucked in her breath at the first contact and her entire body clenched—at least as much as it could with her arms outstretched, wrists manacled and the ropes encircling her.

Slade took his time peeling off the wax, rubbing ice cubes over one area at a time, teasing her with the contrast in temperatures until all the wax had been removed. By that time he wasn’t sure who was hornier—his sub or himself. His plan when he’d found her here tonight had been to draw this session out as long as possible, but now he had doubts as to whether he could handle that. He wanted his cock inside her more than anything else.

He used the time it took to clean her body with a soft, warm cloth to try to get himself under control. She watched him as if she knew exactly what he was thinking and he could see the thought excited her. People unfamiliar with D/s relationships couldn’t understand the term ‘exchange of power’, but here it was, plain as day. His dominance over her as the ‘top’ in the relationship created the arousal and excitement she needed, but her responsiveness to his actions created the same arousal in him.

Action and reaction
. It brought each of them to a level of pleasure and pain that enhanced every plane of satisfaction.

Slade stroked his cock as he continued to watch her until he knew he couldn’t wait a moment longer. He left the ropes in place but released the wrist cuffs and shifted her so she was on her hands and knees.

“Tonight I’m going to take you from the back,” he growled. “And next time it will be your beautiful ass.” He smoothed his hands over the globes of her buttocks. “Would you like that, girl?”

“Yes. Yes, Sir.” The breathy quality in her voice told him just how much she’d like it.

“Before we leave here tonight I’m going to give you something to help prepare you. I know you aren’t a virgin in that area—at least I don’t think you are—but I may be bigger than other Doms you’ve been with. Longer and thicker. I don’t want to hurt you. Understood?”

She nodded. “Understood.”

He rolled a condom on to his shaft and nudged the opening of her cunt with the head. She pushed back against him, silently urging him to go deeper. He gritted his teeth to force himself not to ram into her with one hard plunge but to ease himself inside. He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath as her tight, wet walls closed around him like a fist, hugging him, sending electricity shooting straight to his balls and along his spine.

When he was fully seated, the head of his cock bumping up against the mouth of her womb, he let out one breath and pulled in another. The air in the room was redolent with the mingled scents of jasmine, vanilla, cinnamon and raw sex. Butterfly’s musky aroma teased at his nostrils and aroused his other senses. Every nerve in his body was popping, his cock flexing as her liquid heat bathed him.

And then, unable to wait any longer, with a roll of his hips he began the rhythm that would take them both to the top of the mountain and out into an erotic whirlpool. He grasped her hip with one hand while he slid the fingers of his other hand beneath the ropes and clenched around them, tightening them. He knew exactly how much pressure to exert to cause the right amount of pain and that the added constriction would tighten the pressure of the knot on her clit. The accelerated rhythm of her body as it rocked with him told him exactly how much she liked it, how much it aroused her. The only sounds in the room were the rasping echoes of their breathing as he rode her harder and harder.

The climax grabbed them both at the same time, roaring through him like a tornado as her pussy gripped him and clenched and her body shook with the force of the spasms. It seemed to go on forever, hurtling him through space with her until he’d emptied every drop from his body into the latex sheath and the contractions in her cunt had subsided.

Slade took a long moment to catch his breath and calm his racing heart before sliding from her body. He disposed of the condom then went about the business of removing the ropes, easing them carefully away from her body. When he finished, he lifted her from the bench and stood her before him. She immediately lowered her head and looked down at her feet, her hands clasped behind her.

He tilted her head up with two fingers beneath her chin so she was looking directly into his eyes.

Here we go.

“My name is Slade Donovan.”

Her eyes widened and she slid her tongue over her lower lip.

Jesus.

That little action actually made him semi-hard.

“It’s customary when someone tells you their name to tell them yours.” His voice was tinged with an edge of humour.

Another swipe of the tongue. “Kari. Kari Malone.” She frowned up at him. “Why…?”

“Why do I want us to exchange names? Not maintain the anonymity?”

She nodded.

“Because I think I want more than sex with you, Kari Malone. I want to get to know you.”

And he really did. He wanted the permanence he needed, and he wanted it with someone who was more than just a partner for sex. He kept feeling he’d found it with Kari Malone.

An expression of surprise washed over her face. “You do?”

“Yes.” Had he misread her completely? Was she only interested in what they had here? He’d been so certain, especially when she’d shown up here tonight and hadn’t hooked up with anyone.

Then she smiled. “Me too.” She reached up and touched his cheek, a soft caress.

He cleared his throat. Here came the hard part. “I have a job that takes me away for long periods of time. The next time I’ll be in town won’t be for a couple of months. Will that work for you?”

He curbed his impatience as he waited for her answer, relaxing when she nodded.

“Yes. That’s fine. My own job keeps me pretty busy, too.”

“How about a cell number so I can call you? I’d like to take you to dinner. Spend some time talking to you so we can get to know each other. And I don’t think we need to go through Bruno for that. Right?”

“I’d like that, too.” She smiled again. “That would be very nice.”

Slade wondered if there was any other place where two people would have this conversation standing completely naked and not think it strange.

“I’ll call you.”

They dressed silently but just before he opened the door to the corridor he turned to face her, cupped her face with his palms and pressed his mouth to hers. He licked the seam of her lips and she opened for him. His tongue swept inside, tasting every inch of her. His senses reeled at the exotic flavour and his hands tightened on her face. They were both breathing heavily when he finally broke the kiss.

She looked at him, stunned. He was a little shocked himself. Very little kissing went on during D/s play at The Edge. Kissing was so personal, so intimate—a connection to the emotions as well as a physical response. And he was sure she hadn’t been prepared for the explosion of feelings the kiss had ignited any more than he had. But it just reinforced his belief that he had made the right decision. That there was really something here. For both of them.

“Just something to hold you until I get back.” He grinned.

“I’m pretty sure it will.” She started through the open door then turned back to him. “And Slade?”

“Yeah?”

“I won’t be coming to The Edge until then, either. Just so you know.”

The image of her holding herself out just for him made his balls tighten and his cock swell. The next two months were going to be very, very long.

Chapter Seven

If there was one thing San Antonio was filled with, it was Tex-Mex restaurants—that particular blend of Texas-Mexican food for which the state was known. The types of restaurants ran the gamut from tiny neighbourhood
taquerias
, through noisy restaurants with busy bars and filled dining rooms, to the most upscale. Once Kari and her friends had discovered Olivia’s in a shopping centre on the north side, they’d stopped searching for other places. Whether you wanted a quick or leisurely lunch, drinks after work or dinner with friends, Olivia’s had it all, along with a warm, friendly atmosphere and a smiling staff. By now it was almost like a second home to them.

Kari had been avoiding it, politely evading all of Sasha’s invitations as well as those of any of her other co-workers. She was sure by now they were convinced she’d become antisocial. She just couldn’t get back into the mood to hang out at a bar and make small talk. Before it had been a pleasant counterbalance to her nights at The Edge. But lately nothing and nobody had appealed to her. No one except a tall, dark and dangerous Dom who wouldn’t be back until…well…whenever.

But tonight she’d finally given in and headed here with Sasha. The day had been completely draining, a gruelling round of depositions that had almost wiped her out. She and Sasha had both been assigned to work a new high-profile assault case that could have heavy repercussions in the city’s political and judicial circles. So she’d allowed herself to be talked into coming here directly from work. Only Olivia’s frozen margaritas and special salsa with chips could ease the tension of the day.

They sat now at one of the pub tables in the bar, doing their best to unwind.

“Garrett Hudson’s going to be first chair on this,” Sasha said.

“I know.” Kari sighed. “You’d think after I won the Harold Webster murder case they’d let me take this one.”

Sasha gave a ladylike snort. “Are you kidding? I’m not even sure I’d want it. The son of a sitting judge who’s been re-elected four times? And has the backing of every politico in the city? Both parties? You’d either be the person who put his son away—and God knows how he’d take it out on you—or the person who let his attorney get him a ‘not guilty’ verdict and people would wonder if you’d been bought off.”

“You’re so cheerful,” Kari said with a wry smile. Dipping a warm chip into the spicy salsa, she popped the whole thing in her mouth and sighed as the flavours burst on her tongue. “Man, this place makes the best dip in the city, I swear. Anyway, what makes you think as second and third chair we won’t get tainted the same way?”

“Because it’s always the lead attorney they remember—the one whose ass is on the line with the big boss.”

That was the truth. Kip Reyes, district attorney for Bexar County, was in his third term and more than lived up to his reputation as a tough prosecutor. He expected the same of the assistant district attorneys on his staff. Kari and Sasha had worked their way up to the trial division through sheer grit and guts but they knew, like everyone else, that with Kip you were only as good as your last performance.

In some remote ways he reminded her of Slade—tall, lean, dark, totally masculine. Always in command. The face he presented to the world was expressionless and hard, but sometimes, in meetings, Kari saw something deep flaring in his eyes. She’d wondered more than once if he was into the BDSM lifestyle. Not that she had any intention of finding out. Besides, being her boss, he just didn’t appeal to her that way.

But Slade Donovan was another matter entirely. There was a humanity to him, buried under all those layers of machismo, that Kip didn’t have. She’d felt it five years ago at their first encounter, a connection that went much deeper than sex. Nothing had happened since to diminish it. And now he wanted to take things further. Get to know her outside The Edge. Even though he’d been very specific that it would probably be two months before he was back again, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Couldn’t stop herself from checking her cell phone regularly. Even now, she slid a glance at it lying on the table next to her.