Minutes later, she sank into the couch cushions, burying her face in the pillows. He remained behind her with his fingers still filling her. Now that her lust had been sated, Gabby’s embarrassment had returned, as well as the desperate desire to cover her exposed body parts. Her natural tendency to hide within herself warred with the woman he’d momentarily unleashed. The side of her that had been fighting for control for a very long time.
“Can you stand for me, Gabrielle?” His question came out a husky whisper that smoothed over her senses and reminded her that he’d not found the same release as her. He’d given her this gift first. Would he fuck her now? Fresh butterflies erupted in her stomach at the thought of him taking her like this, filling her from behind.
He wanted her to stand, though. Confused, she worked on focusing on his request. She nodded and pushed on her arms. They trembled underneath her weight, but she somehow managed to get herself to her feet. Her hips swayed to the side, and his free hand grabbed her arm, steadying her.
Only then did his fingers ease from her now aching pussy.
“Turn around, please.” She did as he asked while avoiding his eyes. Instead, she focused on a spot on his chest and waited for what came next. Would he ask her to leave? Did she not please him?
He swept his fingers across her cheek. “Can you get on your knees for me, sweetheart? Are you steady enough?”
She nodded and slid down, settling her knees into the soft plush carpet that cushioned her body. It was far easier than being on her feet at the moment. Automatically, she bowed her head and clasped her hands behind her back, just like she’d learned in her studies. This was considered a standard pose of respect and submission.
“Such a good little submissive you are.” He lowered his hand to her face—the hand he’d used to fuck her. His fingers still glistened with her juices. “Open your mouth and clean my fingers, please.”
Gabby did as he asked and opened wide, catching his gaze as she looked up at him. His intensity seared into her as she took his offering into her mouth. Tentatively, she lapped at his skin with her tongue, recognizing her own tart flavor as it exploded across her taste buds. Riding on the euphoria of her release, she didn’t bother to examine how she felt about this, but the pleasure that lit his eyes while she did as he asked was all the encouragement she needed. He seemed pleased.
“Damn. You are incredible like that. On your knees, cleaning me like a good little girl.” With a hiss, Thomas suddenly withdrew from her mouth and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her to her feet. He unzipped his pants and shoved the material from his hips. His cock sprang free and Gabby’s eyes grew wide at the size and breadth of it. No wonder he was so coveted—as if his powerful presence wasn’t enough. Without thought, she grabbed him with both hands and stroked his thick length. When a slick bead of pre-cum formed at the tip, she slid her thumb across it with the intention of massaging his head. Thomas grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands free. He clamped them behind her back and held them secure with one hand.
“Did I tell you that you could do that? Did I give you permission to touch me?” he growled. When she didn’t answer, he continued, “Do not try to control your time with me. It will not work. If this training relationship is to continue then you must accept my direction. If you want something, then by God, you’d better learn to ask for it first.”
Before she could respond his mouth captured hers in a searing kiss. Lips and teeth moved together as his tongue plunged deep, seeking more heat and moisture as their tastes mingled. His was as dark and smooth as his voice and something she never wanted to end. Thomas’ free hand curled in her hair, holding her tight against him, eliciting a whimper from her.
Want and need suffused. Her heart sped up and her mind raced until her knees buckled, and Thomas had to tighten his arm around her waist to steady her. This was no ordinary kiss. He consumed her with a combination of hunger and passion. She moaned into his mouth, and he deepened the kiss.
Thomas pressed her hands into her back, moving her forward until the hard length of his erection nestled between her thighs. The thin fabric of her skirt did nothing to hide the heat coming from both of them. In fact, when the crown of his cock nudged at her clit, her need for him spiked. Gabby fought his hold, her only thought of getting her hands all over him. His tongue fucked into her mouth much like she imagined his dick sinking into her pussy. Those images certainly didn’t help. Helpless to stop him or urge him on, she whimpered once again. He shifted his stance, brushing his chest across her hard nipples. With the beat of arousal pounding through her blood, she thought of little else than getting him inside her.
Never in her life could she remember an edge like this, an arousal so tight she hovered on the line between pain and pleasure. He nudged her clit twice more, nearly sending her flying from the ledge again then eased his mouth from her. A soft cry of disapproval fell from her lips. He was going to torture her; she just knew it.
Their gazes connected—his dark with power that told her in no uncertain terms he was in charge, something not to be forgotten. Gabby tried to catch her breath and find a calm that evaded her. Not possible with this much need swirling inside. The only thing that made her feel marginally better was the harsh breathing she’d picked up from him. She was not the only one in the room affected.
The skin around his warm eyes crinkled when he smiled down at her. A smug smile if she’d ever seen one, but she had no smart retort when her body tingled from head to toe and her pulse beat steadily in her clit.
“How do you feel?” He spoke with concern, but the smile still played around the corners of his mouth. He was far too pleased with his effect on her.
“I’ll be fine, Sir.”
He released her hands and took a step back. Before she knew it, he had his pants refastened and his clothes rearranged as if nothing had happened—except for the thick ridge of his erection outlined in his pants. Seeing it almost made her giddy. Knowing that Thomas desired her meant more than she’d expected.
“Good. Then when you get home, I want you to think this through. What happened here tonight is minor compared to what you’ll have in store for you tomorrow night and the nights after.” He pulled her into his side and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I’m not always an easy man, Gabrielle. You need to be sure.”
“But I—”
He placed two fingers across her lips. “Your need to argue is cute to a point. Go home. Take a warm bath. Get a good night’s sleep. You’ll need it. If you decide to continue, then I’ll expect you here tomorrow night at the same time.” He scooped up her belongings from the coffee table and handed them over.
Gabby stood there in a confused stupor. He wanted her to just go home? Now?
“Don’t look so surprised or disappointed. This isn’t any sort of punishment. You’ve been amazing tonight.” He pressed a soft kiss on her lips in front of the door. “If you have any questions I can help you with, I’m only a phone call away.”
Before she could utter another word, Thomas led her out the door and down to her car. He opened her door and ushered her in. Apparently satisfied she was all set, he backed away and waved goodbye before slipping back into his mysterious house.
She stared at the red brick façade with its neatly trimmed hedge.
What the fuck had just happened?
Chapter Five
Thomas walked into the media room in the back of his house and took a seat in one of the plush chairs located in front of the big screen television. The idea of returning to the living room cramped his stomach. Instead, he needed some space and time to clear his head after the scene with the enigmatic Gabrielle. The potent combination of her fear and bravado pulled at him even now. Talk about a conundrum. Surprisingly, he’d been only moments away from taking things too far too soon.
He stared at the blank black screen in front of him as he replayed the evening with Gabrielle in his mind over and over. He’d barely expected her to show up let alone go through with everything he’d asked. Under his hand, she’d begun to bloom with only the barest of encouragement. Sure he’d sensed apprehension, but the underlying need had fought for dominance and won. Now, his mind raced and his dick throbbed with a desire for this woman that worried him. He couldn’t afford to let anyone get under his skin. That knowledge didn’t dissuade him from acknowledging his need for a submissive. Some things could only be ignored for so long.
It had to have been her eagerness to please that got to him. So many of the submissives he met these days were jaded beyond their years. The needs that so often brought people to the lifestyle were often consuming, and it was the many players that often left women like Gabrielle broken in their wake.
“Here. You look like you need this.”
Thomas stared at the tumbler of amber liquid his friend and houseguest David held in front of his face.
“Thanks.” He reached for the glass and swallowed the shot. The rich smooth alcohol began to warm his throat and insides immediately.
“So that was the woman you told me about? The one looking for a Dom?” David dropped into the chair next to Thomas and extended his legs in front of him, his feet resting on the coffee table.
“Gabrielle.” He loved the way her name rolled from his tongue. He’d listened to Angel refer to her as Gabby more than once, but he refused to acknowledge the nickname. He loved the lyrical sound of her full name being pronounced not to mention it suited her far better than the girlish abbreviation.
“She’s beautiful,” David sipped at his glass before he continued, “and from the sound of things, very responsive. I really enjoyed her screams. My dick’s been hard since the first one.”
Thomas smiled despite the tension surging through him. “I know what you mean. She was more than I expected. Although, she’s possibly a little on the naïve side. It’s obvious how much this means to her, but I suspect the emotional aspect will be intense. I’m not sure she’s the right candidate for us.”
“Who’s emotions are you really talking about?”
Thomas turned sharply to meet David’s gaze. His friend had every right to ask the hard questions, but that didn’t mean Thomas had to like them.
“Haven’t you always said how it’s impossible to separate the emotions from a Dom/sub relationship?” David asked.
Thomas relaxed into the leather chair once again. “Which is exactly why I can’t take this lightly. The goal is not to get her attached to me.”
David swirled the liquid in his glass. “Or for you to get attached to her, right? Maybe it’s time to rethink your position.”
Tension arced between them at David’s insinuation. No. Nothing had happened to change Thomas’ mind. His intentions were to not get too involved. Attachments were for the David’s of the world not him. “It’s not going to happen. You asked for my help, and I’m happy to give it.” Thomas traced the etched groove of his glass as he remembered the smooth expanse of Gabrielle’s ass. An overwhelming hunger threatened his mind. God, he’d wanted to take her so bad he’d nearly lost it.
“And in the meantime?”
“In the meantime, nothing.”
David swallowed his drink and stood. He crossed to the small bar, and Thomas listened to him pour another drink. They were both in trouble.
“You don’t think she’s in the right place?”
“Oh, she’s in the right place all right. In fact, she’d be prime picking for a less scrupulous Dom.” An unsettling thought. The idea of her being broken tore at his mind.
“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow night at dinner, we spell out the terms for her and see where things lead. Hell, she might say no.” David returned to his seat and flashed his trademark devil-made-me-do-it smile.
“She won’t.”
David held up his glass in salute. “I do admire your confidence, my friend.”
“I’d call it more instinct rather than confidence.” His gut was telling him far more than that. They definitely needed to proceed carefully with her. But as much as his head told him to walk away, his mind filled with the image of her at Sanctuary. The innocent rapture across her face had mesmerized him from the first moment he’d lain eyes on her. Her ability to get caught up in a scene she wasn’t even participating in astounded him.
He’d been determined to learn more about her, and Angel had been more than willing to fill him in on her situation. Freshly divorced and desperately in need of a good Dom to teach her was how Angel had described her friend. She’d been right about the “in need” part. He’d felt that first hand. Angel had assured him her friend would be open to an arrangement of his liking. So then why was his stomach tied in such severe knots it would take more than a bondage expert to get them undone?
“You are going to explain the situation to her when she comes for dinner tomorrow night, right?”
Thomas didn’t like the tone of David’s question. Of course, he would. And he’d do whatever it took to get her to accept. Any other option made pain throb behind his right eye and forced him to imagine her with someone else learning what he ached to teach her. She was clearly on a quest that suited her well. If he and David didn’t intervene someone else would.