Unraveled (24 page)

Immediately he sprinted and soared over the water trap and nearly cleared the sand
trap too.

She raced over and threw herself at him. “I wish I would’ve taped that on my phone.
It was picture perfect, baby!”

He laughed and set her down. “Need to breathe. Give. Me. A. Sec.”

“Oh, sure. Right.”

When he bent over with his hands on his knees, she stuck close by, rubbing his back.

Knox slowly straightened up and hauled her into his arms, although he warned softly,
“Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?”

“Be so goddamn sweet and gentle with me, Shiori. It’ll just make it twice as hard.”

Confused, her eyes searched his. “Make what twice as hard?”

He rested his forehead to hers. “When you go back to Japan. I can lie to myself about
the Domme-sub aspect of this, chalking it up as a sexual experiment. I can compartmentalize
our fights at Black Arts as coworker disagreements. But this? Having fun, sexy
banter and then your sweet, caring touches? That I can’t explain away because I like
you too damn much. And I’ll miss you like fucking crazy when you’re gone. I’d wonder
what I should’ve done to make you stay.”

Floored by his confession, she had to take a few moments to force herself to breathe.
How long had he felt that way? Shiori tilted her head back, needing to look into his
eyes, but they were interrupted.

“Holy cow, man. You annihilated the fastest course time!” Errol said with genuine
awe.

“Really?”

“By, like, fifty seconds. Dude. You should totally try out for
American Ninja Warrior
. They have open auditions all over the country. You’d be a shoo-in.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence.”

Shiori handed Knox a bottle of water.

“Anyway, as the new course holder, you should have your picture on our wall of fame.”

“That’s not necessary. We’re just here having a good time.”

Errol’s lip lifted as he started his rebuke.

Shiori put her hand on his arm. “He’s a very private man in a highly sensitive occupation.
Putting his picture up would violate about twenty rules in his contract.” She lowered
her voice. “Don’t you think if I could tape him in all his hot-bodied glory I would
have?”

“Uh. Yeah. Probably.”

“But I didn’t. So see? I’m making a sacrifice for him too.”

Errol dropped the cool act and stared at Knox as if he were Superman, Batman, and
Spider-Man all rolled into one. “Sure, I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble when
you’re just blowing off some steam, man.”

“No problem.”

“After you get your stuff gathered up, you can exit out the side door.”

They’d brought only one gym bag to share, and after switching out their shoes, Knox
shouldered the bag and they headed out.

Shiori snagged his hand and towed him to the front of the building.

“Kitten, my truck is the other direction.”

“I know. But I want a picture of my record-holding
American Ninja Warrior
in front of the building.”

“Jesus. Seriously? Why?”

“So we have a record of this.”

“Shiori—”

She shut him up with a kiss. Then, in a more commanding tone, she said, “Not a request.
Go stand over there.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

When he positioned himself in front of the sign, wearing sunglasses, his sweaty shirt
molded to his amazing chest, his athletic shorts showcasing his strong, muscular legs,
she took a moment to feel the possession that this man was hers. She could touch,
kiss, lick every part of him, anytime she wanted.

But for how much longer?

She had to lower her phone for a second as Knox’s words hit her in the gut.
I’ll miss you like fucking crazy when you’re gone. I’d wonder what I should’ve done
to make you stay.

“Are we done?” he said loudly.

“No, hang on. I had something in my eye.” She snapped two pictures and then said,
“Smile in this one, Shihan.”

His smile . . . God. She was beginning to think she’d do anything for that smile.
She tucked her phone away and waited for him to come to her.

As usual, he kissed her and had to have his hand on her someplace, which she loved.

“Where to?” he asked.

“You hungry?”

“I could eat.”

“Find us a steakhouse and I’ll buy you a piece of meat worthy of a record-holding
champion.”

“Sounds good. Only you’re not buying.”

They had this argument all the time. He figured as the man it was his job to pay.
She figured as his Mistress, it was her job to pay.

“We’ll arm wrestle for the check.”

Shiori flexed her biceps. “Watch out because I’ve been lifting weights.”

In one fluid motion, Knox picked her up and rolled her entire body against his chest
like he was doing curls.

He grinned, looking mighty pleased with himself. “Gonna hafta grow a bit, kitty-cat.”

“Show-off.”

COME
to me, please.

The text had been sent at ten p.m. There was no follow-up to the message.

Knox hadn’t hesitated to act on it, and he saw no reason to analyze his reaction.
No need to respond because she knew he’d show up. She was every bit as obsessed with
him as he was with her.

So he got in his truck and drove.

Half an hour after receiving the text, Knox arrived at Shiori’s penthouse.

In the entryway, he shucked off his boots and jeans, then tossed his jacket on the
bench, followed by his button-down shirt. His boxer briefs would have to do, as he’d
forgotten a pair of athletic shorts.

He tracked down a glass vase in the kitchen for the flowers he’d brought her—a dozen
cream roses with pink-tipped petals that’d reminded him of her skin. He set them on
the coffee table in the living room because she’d never see them in the kitchen.

The candles weren’t in the usual spot in the window. And he hadn’t seen a note anywhere.
He cut through the open library to the hallway that led to her bedroom.

She’d left candles burning in her bedroom, and he paused for a minute to notice it
made the enormous space cozier. Then he saw that the door to the bathroom was ajar.
He knocked twice. “Mistress?”

“Come in.”

As Knox entered the bathroom, a sweet perfume drifted to him—possibly from the candles
she’d scattered in here too. Or maybe from the bubble bath. Peaks of foamy white rose
out of the waters in the soaking tub. And amid those bubbles sat his beautiful Mistress,
her hair piled on top of her head, a hint of pink on her cheeks.

“You look like you’re in heaven,” Knox said, noticing she held a wineglass.

Shiori’s assessing gaze rolled over his chest with such intimate possession he felt
it as powerfully as an actual caress.

“I’m in heaven now,” she said huskily.

“What would you like me to do?”

“Drop the boxers and get in the tub with me. But first . . .” She handed him her wineglass.
“Would you mind refilling this? The wine is in the bucket on the counter.”

“It’d be my pleasure.” Another wineglass waited beside the bucket, and he filled them
both. He handed hers back and slid off his underwear before throwing his leg over
the edge of the tub.

“You should know I like my bathwater hot.”

“Hot-tub hot?”

“Not quite. More the temp of the onsen in Japan.”

“Onsen. Those are hot-water mineral springs, right?”

“Right.”

She watched him as he eased his feet in, then his calves, and submerged himself completely.
He leaned back and grabbed his wine. “Very nice.”

“Glad you approve.”

“So can I ask you something without offending you?”

“Interesting way to phrase it, but go ahead.”

“You don’t seem like the bubbles-up-to-your-chin, soaking-in-floral-scented water,
sipping-wine-and-reading-a-book kind of woman.”

Her lips curled into a smile. “I’m not. I prefer a hot shower to start the day. Sometimes
a longer shower to end it. But every once in a while, I like to indulge. And if I
had to guess, taking baths isn’t your thing either.”

“To be honest, I’ve never soaked in a tub with a woman. Never mind doing so amid bubbles
and candlelight, sipping wine—so you popped my romantic bubble-bath cherry.”

She laughed softly.

“I missed you.” She’d been gone three days—a phone call on her way to the airport
had been his only warning.

Shiori looked at him and swirled the liquid in her glass. “Sorry for bailing on you
at the last minute. I want to say it won’t happen again, but it probably will.”

“Did you have a good trip?”

“Productive. Maggie, who runs the Seattle office, is always two steps ahead, which
is a nice change from being two steps behind.”

Knox took a tentative sip of wine. Normally he wasn’t a fan of rotten grape juice,
but this stuff wasn’t half bad. “Is your mother your contact person at Okada?”

“Yes and no. After I resigned my position, they promoted my assistant, which was a
smart move. She keeps me up to speed on the contracts I still handle. My mother . . .
She’s the one who sent me to Mexico to negotiate that deal. She’s the one who sent
me to Canada to negotiate this last one. My grandfather is essentially retired. Makes
me wonder what he’s doing with all his time.” She sighed. “I doubt he’s shaping bonsai
trees.”

Being this close to her and not touching her had him reaching beneath the water to
circle his fingers around her ankle.

“I missed you too. Which is why I sent the text.”

“I’m glad you did.”

“At one point this morning, when I looked across the Seattle office and heard everyone
speaking Japanese, I swore I was in our Kyoto office.”

“Do you miss Japan?”

“Yes, I do. More than I thought I would.”

Was it too much to hope for that what they’d become to each other would make a difference
in whether she stayed?

Yes—this was just another aspect of their relationship where he had no control.

Knox set his wineglass on the back edge of the tub and floated toward her. Putting
his palms on her knees, he said, “Can I kiss you, Mistress?”

“Yes.” She set her glass aside, wreathing her arms around his neck when they were
face-to-face. Shiori’s eyes were a darker gold tonight.

He slanted his mouth over hers, keeping the kiss lazy, all soft lips and twining tongues.
Their bodies weren’t plastered together, just barely touching, and he had a dizzying
need for more of her. “Can we switch this up so I’m holding you?”

“Maybe I wanted to hold you?” she countered.

“That works for me.”

“Sit on the step in front of me.”

She spread her legs, and he started to drop down onto the step. But it was deeper
than it appeared, and Knox felt the water close over his head.

He surfaced, sputtering.

“Guess that wasn’t a great idea.”

He spun around and faced her. “Sit on my side. The seat is bigger.”

Shiori floated over to him, pressing her back to his chest and straddling his thighs.
“Before we get too comfy, we need more hot water.”

Knox reached over and cranked the handle.

“Must be nice to have such long arms.”

He rubbed his lips across the top of her ear. “All the more to wrap around you, kitten.”

She sighed. “I think I might like your sweet talk even better than your dirty talk.”

“I can give you a dose of that too, Mistress.”

Shiori closed her eyes and angled her head, allowing him full access to her throat
and ear. “Yes, please.”

“I love your neck.” He let his breath flow over the damp skin. “Long. Graceful. Begging
for a man’s mouth right here.” He slid his lips up and down and back to her ear. “So
responsive.”

“Nice. But that’s still being sweet. Give me dirty.”

“Oh, Little Miss in Control, I can do dirty. See, I fantasize about grabbing ahold
of your hair like this”—he latched on to the mass on top of her head—“and bending
you over the nearest surface. No sweet and soft words. I push your skirt up, rip your
panties aside because I’m too fucking impatient to wait. I finger you, opening you
up so I can plunge in deep on that first hard stroke. My mouth at your neck, my hand
pulling your hair, my cock stretching your pussy.”

“Keep going.”

“But I still have one hand free. So do I stroke your clit? Do I snake my hand under
your shirt and pinch your nipples? Do I slip my hand between your thighs and tease
your asshole?” She shivered. “There it is. That’s what you want, dirty girl. Using
your pussy juices as lube, I’d start swirling around it with just the tip of my finger,
coaxing that pucker to open up. Once I breach the tight ring of muscle, I’d add another
finger so you can feel me at both places inside you. Fucking your cunt so hard your
hips will have bruises. Jamming my fingers in your ass, wishing it were my cock. You’re
moaning and aching, telling me to fuck you any way I want. And, oh baby, do I want
in this ass in the worst kind of way.”

She squirmed on his lap.

“I pull out of your wet pussy and poke that pucker until it yields. I push my cock
into your ass slowly. Distracting you with my mouth on your skin. My hot breath in
your ear. Can you feel your ass throbbing it’s so full of me? When I ease out, I leave
just the fat head of my cock inside that spasming hole, keeping it open . . . so you’ll
feel that sharp edge of pain and pleasure when I unleash myself on you. Riding your
ass like I own it. Plunging harder, trying to get deeper with each frantic thrust.
Then you toy with me. Test my stamina. You clench those anal muscles around my pistoning
cock. Milking my release as soon as my seed explodes from my balls. I can’t stop fucking
you, because my come makes that tight heat so slippery. I keep slamming into you until
I come again.”

Shiori hadn’t said anything.

“You okay?”

Then she spun around and fused her mouth to his, guiding his hands to her ass. Rubbing
her slit up and down his dick. The cooling water and the increasing friction, soft
woman and hot mouth—everything felt so damn good.

As they rocked together, water sloshed over the edge of the tub. The fast pace of
their breaths echoed off the walls.

Knox swept his thumb over that rosette, and it quivered at his touch. Shifting his
hand, he drew circles with his middle finger and slipped the tip in, pushing past
the resistance. The tight walls clamped down around his finger when he fucked it in
and out. From this angle he could brush the opening to her pussy, and he shoved his
thumb into her cunt.

She broke the kiss with a gasp and started to come, humping his cock while her anal
passage spasmed around his finger, his thumb lodged in her spasming pussy.

As she came, he whispered, “Such a naughty, sweet girl, liking ass play, wishing it
were my cock in your ass instead of this finger.” He carefully removed his hand, and
she smashed her mouth to his,
kissing him in an out-of-control manner that wasn’t like her at all. While she had
plenty of passion, she maintained a short leash on it.

“Take me to bed, Knox.”

He stood and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Bubbles plopped on the floor,
sliding down their slick bodies as he stepped out of the tub. He snagged a towel and
wiped off her back and her legs as he carried her into the bedroom.

As soon as he set her down, he finished toweling her dry. Then he dried himself.

Shiori had scooted to the middle of the bed.

When Knox paused by the side, she raised an eyebrow. “Problem?”

“Permission to join you, Mistress?”

“Of course.” She pulled him on top of her. “Let’s get back to where we were.”

He planted his mouth on hers and felt her hands mapping every ridge and valley in
his chest. When her hands moved to his hips, he followed the arch of her neck down
to the hollow of her throat. Then he dropped even lower to latch on to her left nipple.

She arched into him and her hands grabbed his ass. She squeezed and caressed his butt
cheeks and her fingers edged closer to the crack of his ass.

He glanced up when she pulled the lowest part of his cheeks apart.

Her lids were heavy, and she’d sunk her teeth into her lower lip. Then she smiled.
“I bought something for you.”

Knox had a tiny flare of panic. “Should I be worried or excited?”

“I’m hoping both.”

“You want me to stop what I’m doing right now so you can give me this present?”

“Yes.” She squeezed his ass again. “Roll on your back, close your eyes, and spread
your legs. Remain still no matter what I do to you.”

Sometimes when they were naked together he forgot they were Domme and submissive.
They were just lovers with need and passion driving them. But when Shiori used the
Domme voice and issued directions, he drifted into the headspace where he was hers
to do with as she pleased. The freedom in surrender blew his mind and had created
a bond between them that went beyond just physical.

The bed jiggled and she moved in between his legs. Her smooth skin rubbed against
his. She kissed his neck and his chest, taking time to play with and suck on his nipples.
Her southerly path continued over his belly. Then she pushed his legs up, one at a
time, so his feet were flat on the mattress.

Her breath tormented his cock. He waited for the tight grip of her hand, but the soft
warmth of her mouth closed over the tip.

That felt so fucking good, yet he didn’t jerk or grab on to her head; he remained
still.

Shiori didn’t offer him praise, because she expected him to follow her orders. His
pride in himself was secondary to her silent approval.

She slid her mouth up and down his shaft at a steady pace, and her fingers fondled
his balls.

Fuck, he loved that. Loved everything about blow jobs. Just when he relaxed, intending
to enjoy the hell out of it, her fingers swept over his asshole. Knox automatically
clenched.

She pulled her mouth off his dick and said, “Don’t do that. Relax.”

He had a better go of loosening up when her mouth did that deep glide down his cock . . .
until she smeared something slippery across his asshole.

Then she started tonguing the rim of his cock head with sassy little flicks of her
tongue, and his legs twitched in anticipation.

The next time Shiori took his shaft into her throat, something prodded his hole.

She repeated the cock head tease. Then wet heat suctioned
around his shaft. About halfway down his length, the pressure increased on his rectum
and whatever she’d pressed against his ass slid inside.

Knox automatically clenched around the foreign object lodged in his butt.

But this time when Shiori’s mouth popped off his dick, it stayed off and she slowly
kissed her way up his belly.

Don’t ask
.

He
had
to ask.

When he opened his mouth, Shiori was right there, sinking her teeth into his bottom
lip and then thrusting her tongue into his mouth. After several brain-melting kisses,
she whispered, “Condom.”