Authors: Erin Lark
It was the
most frightening, freeing sensation I’ve ever experienced, to have every bit of
control taken away, to be trapped and left to someone else’s protection, all
the while knowing he’d do no harm. Some may have thought it was foolish of me
to feel this way, to just lie back and submit. Yet it was exactly what I
wanted. He had control. I didn’t have to think. I had no reason to doubt
myself. He led, and I followed.
Willingly.
Completely free.
"Still
with me?"
Master Orion whispered against my ear.
It took me a
moment to resurface and realize he’d actually asked me a question. "Yes,
Master." I slurred, and just as quickly as he brought me back to him, I
was gone—falling back into subspace.
My mind went
numb. I could hear and feel everything, but there were no thoughts.
Just reactions.
Needs.
Desires.
I moaned
against him when he leaned in to kiss me again. He was gentle then, but no
matter how absent his lips may have been, I felt them just as strongly as I had
before.
I swallowed
when he sat up.
He lifted the
condom wrapper to his mouth and tore the foil with his teeth.
I watched him
as he removed it, rolled it on, and opened the lube. The longer I stared, the
more grounded I became.
We could’ve
been in the middle of a busy street and I probably wouldn’t have noticed. All
that mattered were those damn lips, his
firm hold
on
me, and those eyes, honing in on me as if I were some kind of prey.
Kneeling on
the bed, he positioned himself between my knees. He offered me an encouraging
smile and paused, possibly waiting for me to say something, to use a safe word.
I didn’t
speak. I
couldn’t
speak. But my body
did, and as I arched my back, he slipped inside.
I shivered
and reached out to him. When he didn’t force my arms back onto the bed, I
wrapped them around his neck.
His lips seized
mine moments later, if only to taste whatever was left on my tongue. He broke
our kiss briefly when he withdrew halfway, taking a breath before thrusting
back in again.
I rocked my
hips back, drawing him in even further.
He let out a shuddering
gasp. Bowing his head, he placed one of his hands against the small of my back.
I did
everything I could to stay alert, to feel him. I tried to meet him thrust for
aching thrust, but my rhythm was lost on him when he upped the pace, taking
over completely when I faltered. I threw my legs up along his sides, crossing
my ankles behind his back. Locked in to place in a tangle of arms and legs, we
rocked back and forth. And every time I let my back lie flat against the bed,
he passed over my g-spot.
My vision
blurred, and I pressed up against him, positioning myself just right so his
stomach just barely touched my clit. A tremor ran over my spine, and I held it
back.
You don’t have his permission.
Had
it been a part of our agreement? I couldn’t remember.
Opening my
mouth, I tasted the words on my tongue before they floated over my lips. "M-master,
I…that. Keep…
keep
going."
He half
laughed as he looked down at me. "Like that?"
I must’ve
given him some kind of affirmative nod, because as soon as I did, his thrusts
became harder, faster.
Fuck.
I tried
to think of something else.
Anything else at all.
I thought
about
Jace
.
Think
of someone else, anyone else.
I couldn’t. Every time I thought I had a
grasp on some form of reality, I’d think of my long walk with
Jace
.
Of him sitting in the bar.
In a suit.
To
Orion hitting my g-spot.
Just. Like. That.
Shit.
"I’m…" My mouth was dry. My throat refused to work.
"I’m
gonna
…"
"Not
yet," Orion
said,
his voice hoarse. "Wait
for me, baby. Don't come yet."
I stared up
at him, studying his eyes which instantly reminded me of
Jace
,
of the man I’d barely met. The one I wasn’t sleeping with.
What the hell is wrong with you?
I was cheating on him.
On Orion.
Jace
.
Both of them.
At
the same time.
Someone
called my name. I focused on his voice, on his raw words and strangled gasps
for air. The room was growing dark and I could no longer make out Orion’s—or
was it
Jace’s
—face.
There it was
again, more desperate than before.
I closed my
eyes.
Opened them.
It was then I remembered where I
was.
In a dream.
Who I was with?
Orion.
I sucked in a breath of
air and looked right at him.
"M-master.
Please,
Master. Let me—"
"Come,"
Orion groaned and let his head fall back.
I whimpered,
held my breath, and came.
As I fell
back into his arms, he rolled over to one side, excusing himself while he
disposed of the condom. When he came back, he was smiling, his skin slick with
sweat. Climbing into bed, he asked, "Are you happy?"
I yawned and
offered him a curt nod.
He must not
have noticed when I envisioned
Jace
in his place, in
my bed. Either
that,
or he didn’t feel like bringing
it up.
Either way, I was very pleased with how things went,
and
even if I ever did anything with
Jace
, it
would be while I was awake.
Just as Orion had said.
There’s no way I could ever give this up.
Not
unless
Jace
also just happened to be a Dom.
Yeah, like that’s ever going to happen.
I was fine
with having just one Dom, regardless of how real or imaginary he may have been.
And as I curled up against him and rested my head on his chest, I held on to
that thought. The one thought that would keep me from drifting away from him,
the one thing that could keep me from using
Jace
as a
replacement.
"I’m
very happy." The words drifted off my lips just as I fell asleep.
Very happy indeed.
Chapter Six
By the time I
woke up, it was well past noon. At first, I couldn’t remember where I was or if
I’d managed to call out of work before returning to bed. Rolling over, I
checked the clock, relieved when I realized it was my day off.
Still feeling
a little lost from my dream, I searched the corners of my room for Orion, but
he was nowhere to be found. It was odd. I’d had realistic dreams before, but
nothing like this.
Not before Orion.
Anymore,
I couldn’t tell when I was awake and when I was asleep, and I was pretty sure
things were only going to get more complicated the more time I spent with Orion…and
Jace
.
With them both.
Looking back
on the night before, on how Orion held me down and freed me of all control, I
debated whether or not going to sleep would mean seeing him again before this
evening. But after checking the clock again, I figured I could wait another ten
or twelve hours. Not to mention there were still plenty of things to do around
the house.
You never clean.
I had to start
somewhere, and while I may have been able to keep Orion locked in my bedroom,
that didn’t mean I’d be able to keep
Jace
, or any
other guy, out of my apartment forever. Nothing like scaring a guy away before
you
get
the chance to sleep with him.
Granted,
Jace
didn’t seem ready for a new relationship, but that
wasn’t to say he wouldn’t be at some point in the future.
So long as I have Orion, I can wait.
Dom or not,
Jace
was a guy I wanted to learn more about, and it was all
going to start with a phone call.
To a
number you don’t have.
Shit. I could’ve
looked him up. I did have his full name, but then that just sounded desperate.
Instead, I fixed the sheets of the bed and made my way into the shower. I
needed some fresh air. Maybe then I could think with a clear head.
****
I swirled my
drink as I eyed the usual patrons in the bar. It was still early, but the
drunks weren’t the reason I’d come down here. It was a long shot, but when I
couldn’t find
Jace
listed in the phone book, I
figured going down to the bar was the next best thing. If he didn’t show up,
all I lost was one evening. I could handle that, especially when I knew Orion
would be waiting for me as soon as I hit my pillow.
"You
look like hell," Simon said, nodding to my flat coke. "Not feeling
the sweets tonight, eh?"
I shrugged
and glanced at the door leading out to the main area of the bar.
"
You waiting
on someone or something?"
I looked back
at him and my vision blurred.
"Hmm?"
"Man,
you’re really out of it tonight. If I knew you drank, I would’ve sworn you were
drunk, but I’ve never seen you sip a beer the entire time we’ve been here."
He took some glasses from another patron and set them behind the bar to be
washed once he had a spare minute. "What’s going on? I’ve never seen you
like this?" He leaned forward and gave me a sheepish grin. "David and
I didn’t keep you up, did we?"
I returned
the smile. "You did, but
it’s
okay."
He laughed
and brushed a hand through his brown hair. "Sorry about that. I keep
telling Jonah we need padded walls or something but…" He shrugged. "Landlords,
am I right?"
I nodded. "I’m
still waiting for him to fix the rattling in the vent when I turn the bathroom
light on.
Thing’s annoying as hell when you’re trying to take
a shower and want to avoid as much humidity against the walls as possible."
"Especially
with the cheap-ass paint he used to fix up the place. Is it just us, or do you
have those bubbles on your ceiling as well?"
"Yup.
That’s why I
really need that vent fixed. But I guess if he just wants to wait for the
mildew—"
"Man, I can see his reaction now." Simon shook his head. "You
should check with David. He knows a thing or two about carpentry. Maybe he can
help. I can tell him about it later this week if you want."
"Could
you? I mean, I’m okay with it most of the time, but in the winter, the last
thing you want to do is get out of the shower before the
room's
nice and warm."
"Well,
if all else fails, you could have Jonah put in a bathroom window."
"Oh
yeah, because having a hole in the wall is so much better than fixing a simple
exhaust fan."
"There’s
the smile I’ve come to know." He washed something from the bar and threw
the rag over his shoulder. "So what brings you down here anyway?
Meeting
Karie
again after work?"
"Not
tonight. I’m actually waiting for someone."
"Oh?"
Simon’s voice reached new heights as he cocked an eyebrow at me. "Well?
Don’t leave me hanging. Who’s the guy?"
"How did
you know—
"
He gave me a
stern look. "Come on, you can’t honestly think I’m that oblivious. He must
be some piece of eye candy, though. I’ve never seen you like this, and girl, if
you don’t mind my saying so, it’s about damned time! So, when should I expect
to meet him?"
"I…I
honestly don’t know."
"Keeping
him to
yourself
, huh? Not afraid I’m going to steal
him from you, are
ya
?"
"No,
it’s nothing like that." I set my drink on the bar and waved a hand at it
when Simon offered a refill. "I actually don’t know if he’s going to show."
"Well,
when did he tell you to meet him?"
"He
didn’t." I explained things a little further when Simon gestured at me to
continue. I watched him pour a few drinks and then told him about my meeting
Jace
the night before. "Anyone you might know?"
"Can’t
say I do, but I wish I did. He sounds perfect."
"Taken,
Simon."
I glared at him playfully. "I’m just hoping he wants
to meet again."
"And
not at three in the morning."
"Exactly.
Thank you."
As Simon
worked off the rest of his shift, my attention drifted to the door leading in
from the front room, to my bed upstairs, and finally to whether or not
Jace
Evans was real. I knew I’d meet
someone
at the bar the night before, but what if
Jace
was just his cover? Hell, I hadn’t even gotten the
names of his friends. Now I really wished I would’ve put my number in his phone
on the off chance of him finding it and dialing just to see who it was.