Emerald Dungeon (5 page)

fireplace? It has a sweet scent.”

“It’s not wood, it’s turf, organic material cut from the bogs.”

She stared at the blazing briquette. “Why not use firewood?”

“Not many trees. Lots of turf.”

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“It smells good and it’s warm.” She pulled her wet hair away from her neck and

shivered.

“Hang on.” Jack got up, went into the bathroom and returned with a comb. “Turn

your back to the fire.” He sat cross-legged behind her and ran the comb gently through her hair, lifting sections as he did, allowing the heat from the fire to dry her hair.

“Feels nice,” she said, closing her eyes.

“You’ll feel warmer once it’s dry.” He used his fingers to hold her hair away from

her neck. Sensations skittered over her skin, tightening her nipples. As he continued, her body relaxed. The pleasurable stoking of her hair, the gentle caresses along her neck made her pussy wet and achy. She trembled a little, feeling her body come alive

beneath his touch. Her clit throbbed. She was so aroused, she had to control the urge to turn around and pounce on him.

“It’s going to curl wildly without a hair dryer to smooth it out,” she said. Now the

fire was too warm. She let the blanket fall from around her, and as it did, his oversized sweatshirt bared one of her shoulders. Her breasts swelled against the soft fabric, her nipples clearly protruding and sensitive.

“I like it curled. Beautiful and soft. Smells like my shampoo now instead of the

bog.”

She play-punched his thigh, which was pressed against her hip. He laughed. Even

though her hair was nearly dry, his fingers still combed through the strands and

brushed the nape of her neck. God, it felt so good. Leaning into him, she wished his

hands would slide from her hair and neck and move inside the shirt to her breasts.

It took all the willpower she had not to grasp his hands and guide them to her

breasts. The attraction was so strong. She’d sensed the sexual teasing during their chats on line, nothing too obvious. He’d maintained a friendly professionalism, but she

suspected there was more. How much did she know about him?

Her cousin knew him, went to college with him. What was she worried about? Why

did she have to overthink everything in her life? Couldn’t she be impulsive,

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spontaneous and indulge in some fun for once? Wasn’t that the point of her taking this job? Putting her tea mug down, she slowly spun around and faced him. His hands

dropped from her hair and rested on his knees.

There was no mistaking the lust in his blue eyes. His lips were slightly parted,

ready to kiss her if she wished. He was letting her lead. If she wanted him, she could have him. All she had to do was give him a little encouragement. The sense of sexual

power was such a rush. Her pussy was soaking his sweatpants. That thought got her

even more aroused.

A muscle twitched at his jaw, a slight smile formed at his lips. “How are you

feeling?”

“Good.” She rested both hands on his arms. “And thanks for rescuing me and

giving me a place to hang for the night.”

“My pleasure.” His voice was hoarse. He breathed deeply as his gaze dropped to

her mouth then her breasts. Obviously, he wanted her. Why wouldn’t he try to kiss her?

She was so aware of him, thinking about how his muscular body would feel against her

damp skin.

The heat from the fire only added to her lust. She couldn’t stop herself from what

she did next. Her hands slid up his thighs, to his waist and moved along his sides. Jack let out a soft moan and shook his head.

What a fool she was. Had she misinterpreted his desire? “I’m sorry, Jack. Guess I

got a little carried away.” She jerked her hand back and tried scooting away.

He let out a long breath. “I offered you a safe place to stay.”

“I know.” She watched him stare into the fire as if withdrawing from her. Shadows

danced across his face and an uneasy feeling twisted in her gut. Picking up one of those briquettes, he tossed it on the fire and jabbed it with a poker. Sparks shot up into the chimney. “Anything wrong?” she asked.

“You were frightened today by something. What was it?”

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The question slammed into her as if he’d dunked her back into the bog. She

swallowed. “I’m not sure if frightened is the right word. At first I was, maybe. Curious, confused, intrigued. I’m not sure how I feel.”

He nodded. “Want to tell me about it?”

Studying his face, she saw concern and warmth in his eyes. “Yes, I do want to tell

you. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. That’s why I followed those people into the forest.”

“What happened at the castle this afternoon?” He took her hand.

She felt like she could trust him and it didn’t seem like such a big deal now. “It’s

kind of embarrassing. I went into the castle, even though Mr. Donegal said it was

closed. I was curious and wanted to look around, maybe find my harp. I saw a light

flickering in the basement and thought there was a fire so I went to check it out.”

“You found the dungeon.” His mouth twitched into a slight smile.

“Two people were having a…sex.”

“Really?” He held her gaze as if he was studying her response to the event. “Is that

what scared you?”

“No, I mean, at first I thought the woman was in trouble because she was naked

and tied up, hanging by her hands and feet. But then she seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit. And a man in a robe was whipping her.” Dana shivered.

“Guess you’ve never done anything like that.”

“No!” With Dana’s abrupt answer, Jack glanced into the fire again.

“When you realized the woman was having a grand time, you took off?” He met

her gaze so intensely, her heart leapt in her chest.

“No.”

“No?”

“I couldn’t stop watching. The woman was obviously in ecstasy. I don’t think I’ve

ever experienced that. And I thought I’d had a couple decent lovers in my past.”

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He chuckled. “Damon did say he thought you were getting turned on by

watching.”

“Damon told you I was there?”

“Yep.”

“And you let me go through all the gory details?” She felt her face flush, her pussy

tingling, from the memory and from sharing it with Jack.

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“Why do you think?” He grasped her arms and pulled her closer.

“You wanted to hear a good sex story?” She grinned.

Smiling, he shook his head. The smoldering look he gave her sent her heart

fluttering. “I wanted to know about you. How you felt about that situation.”

“Why?” But she had a feeling she knew the answer.

“To see how familiar you are with that lifestyle.”

“Not very, I’m afraid. You?”

His look was so intense, she had to hold her breath. “I’m a Dom. I’ve been in the

lifestyle for years.”

“Oh.” Breathing again. His admission frightened her a little but she was more

excited by it. The business card came to mind. 1-800-DOM-help. Could Jack have put

the card in her sweatshirt? He didn’t seem the type to do sneaky things. “That’s

interesting. I’d like to hear more.”

Had he been wondering about her during their flirty conversations online? Could

he be fantasizing about torturing her the same way? All she knew of this lifestyle was from an erotic novel she’d read. Now that she thought about it, the story had shocked her then but also turned her on. She had been too embarrassed to talk about it with the boyfriend she’d been with at the time, but those fantasies had drifted into her mind

during their lovemaking.

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“Good answer,” Jack said. Before she could say another word, he slipped his hand

around to the back of her neck and lowered his warm lips to hers. The slow, gentle kiss teased her mouth then he moved to her ear. Her fingers dug into his hips, wanting

more, so much more. Turning her head, she drew his mouth into a kiss again.

He moaned and parted her lips with his tongue. The intensity and heat surged

through her body in sensuous waves. Hooking his arm under her knees, he pulled her

across his lap and deepened the kiss. They both gasped for air.

She could feel the hard ridge of his engorged cock pressing against her thigh. Skin,

she wanted bare skin against her. She wanted him. Boldly, her hands slid under his

shirt, across his hard abdomen to his chest and felt his arms tighten around her. Then he grasped her breasts, first through the sweatshirt, then yanked it off, tossing it aside. His mouth captured one nipple and sucked it, rubbing the tip with his tongue, leaving raw nerve endings tingling.

Jack’s clothes were so loose on her, it wouldn’t take much for her to wriggle out of

them. The thought heightened her arousal, making her clit throb. Images of the extreme sex scene in the dungeon played over and over in Dana’s mind. This was a side to her

sensuality she must explore. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she met Jack’s gaze.

“Teach me. I want to understand what this is all about.”

He closed his eyes and took in a breath, then looked at her for a long moment. “It’s

not for everyone.”

“That’s what I’d like to find out.”

Abruptly, he pushed away from her, stood and walked into the kitchen area. She

stared at the fire for a moment, deciding whether or not to press him. Finally, she got to her feet and went into the kitchen. “I struck a nerve. Can you tell me why?”

He nodded. “A woman I was involved with was curious about the D/s lifestyle. It

wasn’t for her and she left. It was hard on both of us.”

“Well, you know ahead of time this would be a brief arrangement. I’m only here

until the end of summer. Haven’t you had a casual affair before?”

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“A few at the clubs.”

“Then we both know what to expect.”

“Perhaps.” But he didn’t sound convinced. What was wrong with a summer

romance and sexual exploration between two adults? She’d leave Ireland with fond

memories of her hunky liaison, and he might remember her as his sexy American fling.

They would remain friends after. Wouldn’t they?

Then a jolt of excitement and part fear struck her. Would he tie her up like

Shannon? Part of her wanted to try that and part of her was terrified of the thought.

“Are you going to take me to the dungeon?”

“No.”

Her insides wanted to scream at him in disappointment even though she didn’t

know if she was ready for that. “Why not?”

He let out a long breath. “Because there are things we should discuss first. Limits

for one. I wouldn’t want to do anything to make you feel uncomfortable working here.”

“Then we can take it step by step. I promise to let you know if something makes me

feel uncomfortable.” To Dana that seemed reasonable.

Jack nodded and stepped closer. Cupping her chin with his hand, he gazed deeply

into her eyes. Dana held her breath. “In the middle of a scene, you may not know what you can and can’t handle. I need to know you well enough to recognize a situation

that’s become too intense for you, and anticipate your needs. I don’t want to hurt you.”

If ripping off her clothes would prove her desire for him, she’d do it. But throwing

herself at him wasn’t going to convince him of her hunger for exploring the kinky side of herself. “I don’t know, Jack. I may not like a D/s lifestyle. I won’t know unless I get a chance to try it out. I’m not afraid to find out if this kink is my kink. If you were an asshole, you’d be dragging me to the dungeon and hanging me upside down right

now.”

He smiled. “Don’t tempt me.”

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“I’m serious. You’re concerned about your partner’s needs. That’s good. How

would we start?”

“Another term in the lifestyle is sub or slave. There is a difference, but I won’t go into that now,” he added. “We’ll begin by you calling me Master.”

Her stomach did a twirl and her nipples puckered. “Yes, Master.”

“Good.” The hoarseness in his voice sent a jolt straight to her pussy. God, she

wanted this badly. Dana had to know if she was capable of experiencing pleasure

through pain. “The music I play on my harp may be sweet and delicate. That’s not who

I am.”

He stared at her with a serious intent that made her breath catch. He was so

handsome. His powerful shoulders and chest muscles tensed in the firelight. “Not too

many women would chase after robed figures into a forest at night. Pretty ballsy.”

“I saw Shannon and figured the others were the entertainers. I was curious.”

He rubbed his forehead and sat down at the table. Was this his way of saying no?

“Trust me, I’ll tell you when a scene is too intense,” Dana said. “We only have the

summer to explore this. Why waste time?”

He shot her a dark look. “And what happens after the summer?” His words had a

sharp edge.

She wanted to kick herself for that. “I have to go back to my old job by September

first. Otherwise, I’ll lose it. Do you want to spend the rest of your life wondering about what if?” She hesitated when he didn’t answer and walked over and plopped down on

the bed.

Walking out of the kitchen area, Jack brought with him a ladder-back chair and

placed it in front of the fire. “Stand up,” he commanded. “Your first lesson begins

now.”

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Jack was reasonably sure he could handle a summer fling. His gut told him it was a

bad idea, having had more than his share of brief relationships in his younger days that had ended in disaster. For months as they chatted online, he’d fantasized about Dana as his sub in a D/s scene and here she was asking to be a willing participant. How could he refuse? He removed his shirt and tossed it onto the bed.