Vulnerable (5 page)

“That’s seven in the morning, Ross,” Elise advised, as she slipped out and hurried down the hall.

Shit. She had read his mind. It was nearly midnight now. He would have to get up well before six to get ready and be at her place on time, and Ross knew the anticipation would keep him awake all night. If he hadn’t been so stupid, he could maybe have followed her home and stayed there and woken up with her. Shit.

It turned out to be hardly what Ross had expected. He showed up at Elise’s building just before seven, and she had run out to his vehicle, carrying a light jacket with her purse, wearing tight jeans that made her legs look as though they went on forever and a dark T-shirt that clung to her round breasts. Ross wanted to drag her into the back seat and fuck her, but had to settle for a kiss. She pushed him away after a moment.

“I have neighbors, Ross, and they think I am a good girl.”

Ross smiled at her, feeling hale and hearty despite his lack of sleep.

“If only they had seen you last night, honey,” he teased.

Elise’s face flamed. “No one is going to see me like that, Ross.”

Ross replied in his Dom voice. “That will be my decision, Elise.”

He watched her eyes widen and the blush fade, and noted how her nipples beaded under the cotton shirt. Elise was a true submissive, and he had just seen how the idea of being watched aroused her. He hoped she didn’t need to be shared, though, as he didn’t think he could manage that. Elise made him too possessive and selfish. But he could bring her the highest pleasure in the playroom or the soft dungeon with others witnessing her submission. All in good time.

He drove to the address she gave him, her fresh scent distracting him, while enjoying her light conversation. The place was in a disreputable part of town. Ross scanned their surroundings constantly and decided then and there that Elise was not paying attention to her safety. He would need to correct that oversight. When they pulled up to a storefront and Elise told him to park in the lot adjacent to it, Ross’s spidey senses were working overtime. What the hell was Elise doing here on a Sunday morning? He couldn’t wait to meet her commitment.

* * * *

Several hours later, Ross stretched his aching back and ruefully inspected his wrinkled, stained hands. He hadn’t peeled potatoes and carrots since he was a kid and never in such vast quantities. His only solace was watching his woman pass by, her face flushed with exertion, her pony tailed hair bouncing in tandem with her perky breasts and butt. Ross scowled at the other male volunteers in the soup kitchen when he saw them also appreciating Elise’s form. She fetched and carried, served the noon meal, and generally made herself useful.

“She’s something, eh?”

Ross turned to look at the owner of that statement. A tall, older man, with blond hair cut unfashionably short stared back at him. His jacket had patches on the elbows, and his wire-framed glasses made him look like a professor.

“George Norbert,” the man identified himself, thrusting out a hand.

Ross took it and tested the grip. He caught himself acting like a jealous schoolboy and quickly let go. “Ross Lassiter.”

“I run this place,” Norbert advised, gesturing casually at the kitchen and attached dining area. “Thanks for lending a hand. I hope we can count on you next week?”

Ross shrugged. “I’ll see what Elise is up to.”

A strange look passed across Norbert’s face, too quickly for Ross to read it, but his gut knew what Norbert was. Competition. The other man then smiled.

“I didn’t know Elise was involved with anyone.”

“She is,” Ross said, shortly. He read intent in Norbert’s face, an intense interest in Elise. His instincts were sound.

“Well, lucky you, then, Lassiter,” the other man replied. “Maybe we’ll see you next week.”

Ross watched him move across the room, stopping to connect with some of the people who had come for the meal, but always on an oblique course toward Elise. Ross cut him off at the pass and got to her in time to put an arm around her waist. She smelled like food and slightly sweaty woman. He willed his cock down.

“Elise,” said Norbert with a huge smile. “Thanks for coming again!”

Elise smiled back, and Ross wanted to spank her and punch Norbert. He wasn’t sure which to do first.

“George!” Elise looked to Ross. “This is my, um, this is Ross Lassiter.”

“We’ve met, sweetie,” George replied. “Good of you to bring the extra pair of hands.”

Ross knew that the jerk hadn’t missed Elise’s stumble when she introduced them. But then he didn’t know what to call her either. Girlfriend? Lover? Sub? Intended? Yeah, “intended” covered all the bases. He tightened his arm around her waist and then slid his hand down to fleetingly stroke one buttock. Elise tensed and stood a little taller.

“We should probably get going, honey,” he said to her.

“I usually stay to clear up, Ross,” Elise replied, looking anxious.

George interrupted. “The two of you have done enough today, Elise. Run along and have fun. See you next week, with or without your, uh, Ross.”

Elise must have felt Ross’s tension, for she stepped neatly in front of him and used her body to turn him toward the door. Because it suited him, Ross let her guide him, and they made their way to his car, which still had all its parts from what he could see. He handed Elise inside and waited until she fastened her seat belt. He wondered if he should take her to her place and fuck her or if he could last until they got to his. If that George Norbert was one of her commitments, then Ross was going to help Elise lose him. She could find other do-good work, and he could be on top on the list. He hurried to get into the driver’s seat.

“Thank you.”

Ross, pulled from his carnal thoughts, turned to give Elise a glance.

“For?” he asked.

“For helping out today. I wasn’t sure if it would be your thing.”

“It was fine, honey, although we’ll talk later about how you set me up.”

He caught Elise’s swallow from the corner of his eye and managed not to smile. She was so his sub. He wanted to talk about Norbert.

“How long have you been going down there, Elise?” he asked.

“I guess it’s been nearly two years,” she replied. “I don’t have time for volunteer work during the week, and they really need the help on Sunday.”

“What’s going on with Norbert?” he asked.

“George? What would be going on with George, Ross? He runs the place. Why would you think something is going on with him?”

“Because he’s possessive of you, and now he thinks that I’m invested and you’re not.”

The silence that followed was punctuated only by the muted sounds from the radio and the outside traffic. Finally, Elise spoke.

“I can’t think of one time that George showed any interest in me other than as a volunteer. Until maybe today. So that might mean he is reacting to you.
Are
you invested?”

Ross winced. She had cut straight to the chase, and he had to reward that, except they were in traffic.

“Your place or mine, honey?”

“What? Oh, I guess whichever,” Elise answered, and Ross was elated at the anticipation in her voice.

“Mine, then, honey. I don’t imagine you have some of the things I might need anyhow. And Elise? I’m invested. We’re going to talk some more about Mr. Norbert and the fact that going to that area alone isn’t safe.”

He heard her sharp intake of breath and braced himself for the tirade that never came. Beautiful, sexy,
and
intelligent. Not a woman to waste energy on an argument that she recognized she couldn’t win because he was right. He drove faster, the sooner to ease his aching cock.

Elise wandered around his condo living room like a curious cat. Ross liked cats, but he liked pussy better. He tossed his shoes into a corner of the foyer and smiled at her sneakers placed tidily side by each on the little mat put there by his housekeeper for just that purpose. He watched Elise for a few minutes as she looked at his art and admired the view. He could feel the sexual tension build with every moment.

“We need to shower, Elise. Let’s go, honey,” Ross said, holding out his hand to her.

Elise placed her hand in his, and he led her into the only bathroom in the place. Ross had originally wanted a bath off the master, but settled for this condo because of what it offered. The huge stone shower was meant for two or more, and the separate bathtub was closer to hot tub status. The toilet and bidet were tucked behind a glass block screen, next to the vanity. He could tell that Elise appreciated the space, too, but he was too occupied in trying to strip his own clothes off while divesting her of hers to want to discuss it. Ross adjusted the spray and pulled Elise under it.

He washed her from head to toe, shampooing her hair and then conditioning it. The smell of soup kitchen subsided. She leaned into him, eyes closed, clearly enjoying his ministrations. Ross felt his chest swell with emotion, emotion he didn’t examine too closely. But it felt really good, right somehow, to take care of Elise, and he hadn’t even fucked her yet today. He finished rinsing her hair and kissed her. Her eyes flew open, and she kissed him back with fervor. Then she reached for the bath sponge.

“May I?” she asked.

Ross nodded his permission and realized that she had remembered his edict from last night, even though he wouldn’t expect it of her away from the Club or unless they were playing at home. There was lots of time to discuss protocol, but he liked that she was already comfortable with ceding sexual control. She was perfect. He kept thinking that, but it was true. He really wanted to have sex immediately, if not sooner, but the anticipation would make it even better. Every intimacy felt special, and the feel of the sponge in her hand gliding over his body made him harder, and his cock slapped his belly. Elise’s nipples were equally hard and the moisture between her thighs wasn’t just soap and water. Ross planned to have her waxed there, but if she wanted to be shaved instead, he would accept it.

Elise washed his neck, shoulders, and chest, standing on tiptoe, and then turned her attention to his stomach, carefully skirting his boner. She then did his back and buttocks before kneeling to wash his legs, and finally, his feet. Only then did she lather up her hands and reach for his cock. Ross almost came then and there. He preferred his own hand jobs, but Elise’s intense efforts were a close second, and with a groan, he pulled her to her feet and rinsed. He wanted to find out where Elise had learned her sexual skills, if only because he needed to address his jealousy, assure himself that she was his and his alone.

He wrapped her in a towel before swiping as much of the water as he could from his body with another one, all the while moving her toward his bedroom. Her hair resembled heated, stretched caramel, and the moisture dripping from the ends made little tracks down his chest. He had planned to play awhile, but he couldn’t wait. Elise went willingly, and when he pushed her back onto his unmade bed, she pulled the towel away from her body and spread her legs for him. Ross dove on top of her and fitted his cock to her entrance, then stilled.

“Are you on birth control?” he gritted.

Elise gasped. “No! Oh, Ross, I’m sorry, but it’s okay.”

Her words didn’t process, and with a major effort Ross rolled to the bedside table and opened the drawer, taking out a condom. He ripped the foil packet open and fished the sheepskin circle out, his shaking hands making it difficult to sheath himself. Shit, she made him crazy with need. He rolled right back onto her and pushed inside with no preliminaries, his cock fighting for every fraction of an inch of territory. She was tighter than tight, and it almost hurt to push higher. Ross tried to slow down, worried he would cause Elise discomfort, then her legs circled his waist, and her arms went around his shoulders, and she pulled him to her with amazing strength, heated lubrication slipping down over him. Ross sank in to the hilt and came up against her cervix. The tight, slippery heat of her channel nearly undid him, and he breathed through it, thinking of dentist drills and ice cubes. When he opened his eyes and raised his head, she stared right into his soul.

“Fuck me, Ross, please. Do it now.”

Ross gave up all pretense of control and hammered into her. The bed shook, and the headboard rattled against the wall. Elise found his rhythm and matched it, and he knew he couldn’t last. He swiveled his hips and ground his pelvis against her clit. The little tremors started multiplying around his cock and he managed three more thrusts before he emptied himself into the condom, just as Elise shattered around him, crying out her release. Ross collapsed on top of her, not caring if he was too heavy. He had such a need to cover her, absorb her into his body, while keeping his cock inside her. Elise held him tightly. When at last he felt her chest begin to labor against his, he rolled away to his back, his cock pulling out grudgingly, their sides still touching.

“Ross? I’m invested, too.”

Ross found the energy to prop himself up on one elbow and press a kiss on Elise’s lips, before falling back to let sleep claim him. It had been a long day.

Elise watched Ross sleep for a long time. His face looked like an innocent little boy’s, with his long dark lashes softening the jut of his cheekbones, his chiseled mouth relaxed, despite the dark shadow of his facial hair. He must have shaved that morning, but already he needed to do so again. He was huge, and obviously in good shape, his abs delineated and his pectorals quite pronounced. She already knew how strong his arms were, bulky and corded with sinew. She admired his muscled thighs and then looked at his cock, still covered in the condom, and thought that it matched the rest of him. She had nearly let him take her without protection. Impulsive she was not. It was just that she had wanted him so badly. He might be kinky, hell, he was definitely kinky, but Elise thought maybe she was kinkier than he or she knew, and if the kink made the sex better than what they had just shared, well, bring it on. And once they had established the other’s sexual health, there would be no need for a condom.