His Lady Godiva (Lovers and Other Strangers) (10 page)

"I should be fine, I think, I... Look, I don't even really know how to talk about this. Not with someone that I want to spend time with..."

She snuggled up and spooned him burying her face between his shoulder blades and pulling the covers over them. "Would it help if I told you my history? There isn't a hell of a lot of it, so it should only take a second. I'm not a virgin but I have slept with a total of 2 guys before you. I didn't lose my virginity till I was out of college. That relationship lasted a few months but I wasn't really ready to deal with all the questions about my body and then there was a one night stand with a good friend of mine who then decided he was gay. That did wonders for my ego! He said it wasn't me and I do believe him but still, it was weird. After that my back was so bad I didn't have any real sexual response so... Anyway, I don't exactly have a wealth of experience to judge you, so I won't. Does that help?"

"What? Sorry I missed everything you said after I started picturing you playing with yourself. Am I safe in assuming that is how you knew you didn't have any sexual response?"

She slapped his shoulder. "Ugh, scratch a man and you find a fifteen year old boy underneath!"

"Hey, you started it. Would you rather I be professionally detached? How does that make you feel Ms. Bellows?" He parroted in his most uptight clinical voice, which earned him a pinch. Violet kissed where she had pinched him.

"Don't you dare go back to being clinical, I...Michael, the dominant thing really, um, gets to me. I like you being in control but still kind of a wild man. Does that make me crazy?"

Michael turned over to face her. "I hope not. Because tonight was the most alive I have felt since I got sick when I was a kid."

"Michael can you tell me about what happened?"

"There isn't a lot to tell. I was 12. I got what seemed like the flu but wasn't and when I got better I couldn't move my legs anymore."

"How horrible. I mean, you were just a boy, just figuring out who you were and suddenly everything is different."

"It really wasn't like that. I mean at first they thought that I'd get back to normal or at least close. That was how Cam and I met. I needed to get my homework from school and the nuns thought he needed a lesson in humility. They didn't count on us teaming up. I helped him with school work. He would sneak me out of the house against doctor's orders. He was going through a bad ass phase he never did really out grow. Witness his behavior tonight."

"I think that was only to make you jealous."

"What?"

"Um, let's just say that there was a lot of smoke and not a lot of fire. He also whispered that I could thank him later. I think he wanted to make sure you didn't, um, chicken out. By the way, you -jealous, whoa, seriously hot."

He pinched her ass, hard.

"Hey! That is going to leave a mark."

"Don't get any ideas Kitten, trust me you do not want to deal with the consequences." He growled.

"Ooh, that is what I am talking about. That look in your eyes right now takes my breath away. Makes me want to wrap myself around you and..."

"I thought you were tired? Damn, woman."

"Sorry, guess when I am with you I don't need food or sleep or anything but you."

"Yeah well, you are going to need your strength so enough talk, sleep now, it is going to be light in a few hours. We can talk more later." With that he lay on his back and pulled her half on top of him, her ear over his heart. She had never felt so content in her life and promptly fell asleep.

She felt herself responding to his touch before she even woke. His fingers stroking her bare mons were drugging. She growled and stretched opening herself up to him. Slowly she opened her eyes and smiled.

"Go use the bathroom if you need to."

"Good morning to you too. Wha..."

He cut her off. "Last night you were allowed to talk back, that is over now. If you don't get up in the next 10 seconds I will assume you do not need to."

Violet looked at him and realized he wasn't kidding. She jumped up and ran to the bathroom. After taking care of the necessities she came back as quickly as she could. Standing in the doorway of his bedroom she hesitated. He looked at her and crooked his finger for her to come to him. She went to him and sat on the bed. He motioned for her to lay down where she had been. "You will not get out of bed unless I let you." And with that he took two of his silk ties and tied her wrists to the bed. Her heart was pounding, not in fear she realized, but anticipation. It was going to be a very long interesting weekend.

***

"Vi, can I talk to you?"

"Hmmm, Oh, Allyn, I was just..."

"Staring off into space?"

"Funny."

"So are you going to tell me what you did this weekend?"

"No."

"Well, I can only assume its a guy. Look, Violet, I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"He's not going to hurt me."

"Really? No broken heart?"

"Better to have loved and all that crap."

"Don't be crude. Am I also safe in assuming that the lucky gentleman, and he damn well better be a gentleman, is Dr. Dennison?"

Violet blushed but went on the defensive. "Allyn, I am not a child and you are not my father. Do you expect the men I date to declare their intentions to you? Are you going to institute a curfew? Will I get grounded?"

"Look, I would be the first one to say you never really had a rebellious teenage stage. But because you didn't make those mistakes then, you are kind of vulnerable now. I just don't want to see you get hurt when you are finally in a position to do whatever you'd like."

"Allyn, I know you are being the caring big brother you always are. But I am already in love with him. You had to know something was wrong the last few weeks. I felt like I was half dead not being able to see him. I don't know how this will play out but I do have to let it play out."

"I'll be here to pick up the pieces, hopefully you won't need it. When are you going out with him again?"

Violet wanted to cry and looked it. "Not till Friday. Our schedules during the week are horrible so we will just be together for the weekends."

"Do you need me to move anything around as far as your travel plans?"

"No, my schedule is pretty good right now. The weekends are free."

"Okay kiddo, I'm here if you need me."

"Allyn, you could stand to take a chance too, you know. When was the last time you asked a woman out?"

"We weren't talking about me."

"But Allyn..."

"Gotta go."

"Chicken!" She yelled to his back. Her cell phone rang then.

"Hello."

"Hello Kitten." Just the sound of his voice set all her nerve endings on alert. She jumped up to close the door to her office.

"Hi Michael." She sounded as breathless as she felt.

"I miss you." He said. She tried not to squeal like a teenaged girl.

"I miss you too. I've been useless today. Allyn kind of called me out about it. Got all protective big brother on me."

"Am I in trouble?"

"I told him I'm old enough to make my own mistakes."

"Am I a mistake?"

"I don't think so. Of course if I'm this useless every Monday my boss might disagree."

"Sorry, I just couldn't resist you this morning. I'll try to show some restraint next time."

"I wasn't complaining, not that it would have made any difference if I did." If she smiled any harder she was going to sprain something. "Did you call for anything in particular?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. Any chance of dinner tonight?"

"Michael, I'd love to see you but... I don't know if I can..."

"Just dinner, promise. Well, I do have a little gift for you."

His voice stroked across her as if it were his touch. She knew she shouldn't be this aroused just by him talking to her but in the state she was in even the shower this morning felt like a caress. It was as if her sensuality, having been dormant for all of her twenties had come alive and was demanding satisfaction.

"Why does the promise of a gift raise the hairs on the back of my neck?"

"Don't you trust me?"

"You know I do."

"Silly Kitten, if I were there I'd pet you and make..."

"Okay, I get the picture." She was having trouble breathing and being any more aroused at the moment was going to be the death of her. "What time do you want me there."

"Shall we say around 7:30. I'll make reservations for 8:15."

"We aren't going to eat in?"

"No, I'd like to show you off, if you don't mind."

"Oh, Okay. I'll see you then."

"See you then."

After she hung up with Michael she needed to get through the rest of the day which unfortunately included a meeting she needed to actually participate in. At least she wasn't wondering how she was going to get through the week till she saw him again, like she had when Allyn walked in. She had forgotten to ask Michael what kind of place they were going to. Hopefully the skirt and blouse she had on would be okay because she wasn't going to have time to go all the way home and then back to Michael's in time.

She looked down at her clothes, wishing they were something other than the boring, conservative, but appropriate things she always wore. Would Michael like her in more sensual clothes? He didn't seem to need get ups or costumes to be aroused. He insisted on her being naked in his apartment so maybe he didn't care what she wore the rest of the time. Still, he had said he wanted to show her off and in the outfit she had on, she looked like the well off secretary she had led him to believe she was. She felt a little guilty not being utterly truthful about what her life was like but being an heiress had scared most men from even asking her out. At least this way he would get to know her before having to deal with the whole Bellows Foundation legacy thing, that wasn't so bad was it?

It was 7:15PM and she was sitting in her car in his parking garage. The meeting had been horrible. Actually the meeting was fine, she had been horrible. Figuring out which of the areas they wanted to focus on for the next round of grants was always difficult. There was only so much money and there was a whole world of worthy causes to spend it on. Trying to narrow it down to those areas they could do the most good, have the greatest impact was gut wrenching. She tried to stay focused but knowing she would be with Michael tonight even if it was just for dinner made it hard to think clearly. The fact it was just for dinner actually made it worse. This was their first real date, which in light of the weekend they had had seemed crazy but then so was falling in love with your doctor.

Now the big question, panties on or panties off? Michael had been pretty clear the other night but how into this dominance thing was he going to get? If she left them on and they didn't have sex would he even know? He had said he'd check but what the hell did that mean? If she took them off, she'd feel exposed all through dinner but it also made her smile thinking about having a secret. Since they weren't having sex she could tell him on her way out the door when she left and let him think about it for the rest of the week. She smiled and shimmied out of her panties and stashed them in the glove compartment. Thank God for Pilates, she thought to herself. This skirt was stretchy and didn't hide anything.

She was jumpy as a nervous cat on the elevator ride to his apartment. All her nerve endings were tingling, maybe dinner was a bad idea. She didn't feel like eating but there needed to be more to their relationship than just sex. There was more. They had spent a lot of time in bed but a fair amount of it had been talking too. Wasn't that what lovers did? The thought of Michael as her lover soothed her and made her feel warm all over. She didn't feel nervous because this felt wrong just nervous in anticipation. When Michael opened the door, she drew in her breath. It had only been a few hours and just the sight of him, handsome as he was, made her want to do nothing but curl herself around him. Unfortunately it also made her feel shy at the moment.

"I missed you Violet."

"I missed you too."

"Look at me Kitten. Are you okay with this?"

Why did him calling her that send shockwaves through her? She immediately felt drugged and wanted to tear her clothes off because they all felt too tight. Her lips felt swollen and he hadn't even kissed her yet.

"Do I get a kiss, my sweet kitten?" he asked as he eased her down to sit his lap. Her arms went around his shoulders of their own accord.

"Of course." She barely managed to say. It was hard enough to breath let alone speak, with her heart pounding the way it was. Then he was kissing her but it was more like making love to her mouth. There were little nibbles, licks, bites, suckling her lips, her tongue, exploring her teeth. His hands ranged over her body. She was lost in his kissing till she felt him smile and pull away.

"You take to training well Kitten."

"Hmmm?"

"I wondered whether or not I would get to spank you before we left but you remembered my instructions."

Violet tried to hide her gasp but knew she hadn't when she saw Michael's smile. "I said I would check, didn't I. Now get undressed Kitten, I have some presents for you."

Violet almost fell off Michael's lap but managed to steady herself and started taking off her clothes in a daze. Michael reached over to the couch and picked up three jewelry boxes. As she removed the last piece of her clothing she moved closer to the fire. She was covered in goosebumps even though she wasn't really cold. Michael smiled at her and motioned for her to sit in his lap again. She shook her hair back from her face and tried not to feel self-conscious as she walked over and did as he wanted.

He handed her the first box. "I think my pretty little Kitten would look even better in a beautiful collar." When she opened the box she gasped. Inside was a stunning necklace, choker length, each link was a diamond, or looked like diamonds, more likely they were CZs.

"I'm afraid it was rather expensive so you'll have to wear it all the time."

"You mean they're real?"

"Of course, I wouldn't want anything fake for you, that would be like lying and I couldn't tolerate that. Here let me help you put it on." When he had fastened the clasp she turned to look at him and he nodded his appreciation. "Yes, quite beautiful. Now that you have a collar I think a leash would be appropriate?"