A Taste of Winter: 1 (Red Masks) (2 page)

“Which are?” As the alcohol did its work Alaina’s worries
eased another notch. This talk of pleasure and delight stirred in her a need
she had not felt in ages, a longing to touch and be touched, to explore desires
she had hidden so far away she’d forgotten they existed. When the cat rubbed
its head against her leg Alaina reached out to stroke her hand across its fur,
the silky texture soft beneath her fingers.

“My rules are simple. If you choose to become a member of
the Red Mask Society, you pay only for food and drink if you should happen to
leave alone. The man, he pays for everything if he offers you a night of
pleasure.” Her tone grew serious. “No money exchanges hands between members. It
tarnishes the illusion and leads to misunderstandings.”

Alaina nodded. She’d wondered how Manette had managed to
avoid any confrontation with the law. “And the men? How are they chosen? Can I
be certain of their discretion?” If she was going to do this, she had no
intention of ever mentioning this to a single soul. Which brought up another
question.

“All our male members are carefully selected and have passed
extensive background checks. They are also tried out for size,” her lips took
on a teasing twist, “by either myself or another I choose specifically for the
purpose. We make certain our ladies will never be disappointed. And of course
they have to be approved by Louis.” She nodded to the cat now purring between
them. “One can tell everything about a man’s character by the way he treats
animals and those who pour his wine or serve his food. If he treats them with
respect he will respect his woman also.”

“Hah.” Alaina giggled as Manette topped off the champagne
again, liking the woman more and more. “Enough. I will fall asleep before I
have any fun.”

“And are you ready for some fun, Alaina? Have you had enough
of business and bosses and paperwork?” Manette’s eyes glowed. “There is so much
more to be experienced. Come, let us go to the ballroom.”

A frisson of excitement finally curled its way up Alaina’s
spine. She was actually going to do this. For once she was going to pretend to
be someone else, a woman ready to explore her sensual nature, her darker side,
and enjoy every single second of the journey.

But she still had one major concern. “What if I want to
remain anonymous? Is that possible?”

Manette giggled like a girl and Alaina wondered how old the
woman was. She could be anywhere from thirty to sixty. Her skin showed no sign
of wrinkles and her body was still tightly toned but she possessed a confidence
and wisdom that could only be acquired as a woman aged.

“I almost forgot the very best part!” Manette grabbed her
hand and led her to the far side of the room where a huge wooden cabinet lined
the wall. Plucking a key from somewhere in the chains that circled her waist,
Manette opened one of the cabinets to show a row of magnificently decorated
ruby masks. Alaina gasped in delight as she gazed upon the treasures, each one
unique and exquisitely crafted.

“I have them designed for each member specifically,” Manette
gushed, trailing her fingers across the row. “Each one reflects the personality
of their owner…each one as beautiful and rare as the woman who wears it.” Her
hands closed around a vision of red satin and pearls and handed it to Alaina. A
single feather curled from a rose on the side of the mask while a drape of
crystals and pearls hung below. “This one is yours, my dear. It has been
waiting here for a very long time.”

Alaina turned to face the mirror as Manette held the mask in
place, tying it behind her head with sleek satin ribbons. It looked even better
on, the shape and size fitting to perfection.

“It’s perfect. Just perfect. I look like a fairy princess.”

“Soon you will feel like one, too,” Manette replied, taking
her hand once more. “Your prince awaits.” She winked as they made their way
down another hallway to where a pair of double doors with lead crystal glass
panels waited to be opened.

Then Manette threw the doors wide and Alaina was transported
to another world where music and laughter and magic held sway. Although dimly
lit, the room sparkled with shards of light refracted from the crystal
chandeliers high above and everywhere she looked Alaina saw the beautiful red
masks, making her feel as if she had stepped into a fairytale.

“Enjoy,” Manette whispered, taking her by the hand and
leading her to the bar where she was handed a glass of water. “So you do not
overindulge too early,” the woman added as she melded into the shadows, leaving
Alaina alone to face whatever the night might hold.

* * * * *

Christ almighty!
Ryan spotted her the instant he
stepped into the room despite the several yards between them. There was no way
he could miss that sheaf of blonde hair and perfectly shaped ass. Alaina Winter
in all her icy beauty.

How anyone thought a mask could make them anonymous he’d
never figured out, but if Manette thought he wouldn’t recognize the woman she
wasn’t as clever as she made herself out to be.

Or she was far more savvy than he’d given her credit for. Manette
watched him from her perch by the bar and he ducked his head to her in true
appreciation before he ordered two glasses of champagne and headed across the
room, noticing Alaina had only water on the table beside her.

Damn, the woman was gorgeous. Gorgeous and as outwardly cold
as her name implied. Which suited Ryan just fine. He was determined to break
her and his cock roused in anticipation. A half-remembered quote from
Shakespeare lurked at the back of his mind. “She’s beautiful and therefore to
be wooed. She is woman and therefore to be won!”

Calm down,
he chastised himself,
we’ll have her
soon enough
. Shaking off the urge to throw her over his shoulder like a
Neanderthal, Ryan studied her every move as he crossed the room to join her.

He was certain she would not recognize him. He’d left his
hair hanging loose across his forehead, not slicked back in its usual manner
and it looked more black than brown in the dim light. He’d also changed his
normal suit and tie for a loose-fitting shirt and faded jeans, something he
knew she’d never seen him in before. And he pulled his own mask down across his
eyes, leaving them shadowed so she could not see their color. She would never
guess his true identity.

Which was the entire point. Although he’d never been a man
of such calculated deception, if Alaina knew who he was she would run out the
door in shock—something he refused to let happen, at least not until he’d made
her scream at least half a dozen times or more.

“I was told this was your indulgence of choice,” he said
when he was near enough to smell her rich perfume as he held out one of the
glasses. “A favorite of mine as well.”

“Thank you.” Her eyes were calm behind the mask, the color
of a frozen lake. But her mouth was a study in nervous longing, her bottom lip
swollen from where she’d gripped it between her teeth, her free hand moving to
smooth back her hair. “Do you come here often?”

It was a poor joke and they both knew it but Ryan got the
upper hand when he told her, “I haven’t come here in several weeks but I would
very much like to come tonight—with you—more than once if at all possible.”

When her teeth peeked out to catch her lip once more, a
surge of need hit hard between his legs. He hadn’t been this aroused this fast
in a very long time and the sensation was as sharp as glass, cutting away his
months of boredom in an instant.

“You are beautiful,” he said as he ran his thumb over her
swollen lip, pleased when he heard her sharp intake of breath.

“I bet you say that to all the girls,” she tried to joke,
her voice husky with uncertainty.

“Would that make you more comfortable?” He bent down until
their mouths were nearly touching. “If you wish it I could lie and tell you
I’ve felt this way any number of times—but you are the most exquisite thing
that has walked into the Red Mask since I’ve been a member.”

Where the hell had that come from
? Ryan didn’t know
what bothered him more—her look of cynicism or the realization he’d blurted out
the truth.

She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on,
damn it all to hell. He’d known that for some time now. And before the night
was through he vowed to lay hands and tongue on her despite the fact she was
shaking her head and rising to her feet.

“Thanks but no thanks. I really need to get going. I have a
long day tomorrow and—”

“I didn’t take you for a coward,” Ryan interrupted. When she
leaned over to place her glass on the table, he pulled her against him,
settling her fabulous ass along his erection and wrapping his arms around her
waist to cup her breasts. “Here you don’t have to be in control,” he whispered
against her neck, his lips brushing the silky skin. “Stay. Trust that I know
how to please you.”

The pulse in her neck beat harder against his mouth as her
nipples tightened beneath his palms.

“Why…why should I trust you?” Her voice was barely a whisper
over the noise of the crowd as she froze, her flesh quivering like that of a
deer ready to flee the hunter.

“Because I never fuck and tell.” Before she could make
another move he opened his mouth and bit into her neck, using just enough force
to add a slight sting. Her nipples knotted so hard they seemed ready to burst
through the lacy edge of the bra beneath her shirt and when he trapped them
between his fingers and pinched she trembled, unable to stop the cry of
pleasure from her lips.

He ground his hips against hers, one knee pushing her legs
apart so he could press his erection more fully between the luscious mounds of
the ass he’d admired so often from afar. Visions of spreading those perfect
cheeks and thrusting into the too-tight opening hidden there sent his cock into
overdrive, his flesh leaping to attention, more than ready to make his fantasy
a reality.

Had she ever been taken there? Or would he be the first to
explore the pleasures of her virgin ass?

He tightened his fingers around her nipples once more,
tugging them until she clamped her hand across her mouth to keep from crying
out again. “So you like that, my beauty? Pain and pleasure side by side?” When
she remained stubbornly silent, he slid his hand down her stomach to probe
between her legs. “And this? Would you like me to take you with my fingers?
Slide them deep into your cunt over and over until you beg me to let you come?”

“Oh…God…yes!” The words came strangled from her throat as a
drop of sweat rolled down her cheek.

Ryan sat down on the couch and pulled her onto his lap,
turning her face into his chest. She unbuttoned his shirt and wrapped her arms
around him as he slid his hand beneath her skirt. “Spread your legs,” he
ordered when he found she’d clamped them tight together. “I will only tell you
once,” he added when she hesitated. He would not punish her now—not before she
had learned the rules of his game—but she did need to understand he would
obeyed instantly and without question or there would be consequences.

He nearly bit off his tongue as he pictured her facedown
across his lap, the cheeks of her butt turning red and hot beneath the sting of
his palm.

“Your skin is like silk,” he praised her when her knees
parted and he ran his hand up the inside of her thigh to the flimsy lace of her
panties. It was his turn to moan when he felt the drenched material. Ryan found
the swollen bud of her clit and rolled it between his fingers. He could smell
her now, the sweet scent of her arousal filling the air between them as her
hips jerked against his hand and her legs spread wider as she surrendered to
his touch.

He slid his fingers beneath the edge of her panties,
stilling when she stiffened and sucked in a breath. “How long has it been?” he
managed to ask, not knowing how he was going to keep from coming in his pants.

“I-I don’t remember,” she mumbled against his skin. “Too
long. Too…ah…ah…aahhhhhh.” Her voice lowered to a whimper as he slid his finger
into her, the muscles of her sex clamping tight against the invasion. He slid
out and back in again over and over until he felt her begin to unclench, heard
the cries of pleasure she mouthed against his neck.

The ice queen was melting in his skillful hands.

Alaina had descended into a dark and desperate need the
instant she’d let the man run his hands across her breasts. Now, on his lap
with her legs splayed apart and his fingers delving into places she’d almost
forgotten existed, she was sure she’d crossed the line into a complete and
utter madness.

But if that was what it felt like to jump off the edge she
was bound and determined to enjoy every second of the fall. They were both
adults, she reasoned, both properly investigated and given Madame Manette’s
stamp of approval. What could she do besides whimper and squirm and beg him to
make her shudder in release?

“Wh-what should I call you?” she managed to stammer as he
rasped his thumb across her clit, causing her knees to tremble and widen even
farther.

“I have always been fond of Master,” he answered, thrusting
his fingers ever deeper into her sex. “Say it properly and I might even let you
come before I show you to my chamber.” With that he withdrew his hand, leaving
her cold and empty and beyond any hope of dignity.

“Master,” she whispered, almost too ashamed to say the word.
She’d never granted any man that title in her life and to give it to a stranger
now was way beyond any rational consideration. Yet she’d said it as he
demanded, whispering it again when he clucked his tongue in disapproval,
refusing to continue his erotic caress.

“It still needs work,” he mouthed against her neck, scraping
his teeth along her skin, causing her nipples to peak painfully.

But when Alaina raised a hand to soothe the hardened flesh
he smacked the inside of her thigh, causing her to cry out at the unexpected
punishment.

“I did not give you permission to touch yourself,” he
growled, landing a second slap on her already-stinging skin.

Too needy, too aroused, too tense, she fought to free
herself from his arms. “I don’t need this shit from you. Let me go or I’ll—”

Before she could finish the sentence, he set her free to
land in a heap at his feet, her skirt tangled so far above her thighs she swore
she was on display for everyone to see. “As you wish.”

Alaina scanned the room in apprehension but not a soul had
taken any notice of her predicament, the rest of the crowd so caught up in
their own masquerades they had no time for another’s distress.

Only the catlike eyes of Madame Manette at the bar met hers,
unreadable and aloof. Still it was a comfort when the other woman raised a brow
in question, as if she would stop the scenario should Alaina give the signal.

“Do you feel more in control now?” the bastard had the nerve
to ask as he reached out an elegant hand to help her to her feet. “My only aim
is to give you pleasure…if you will allow it.”

“What pleasure?” Ignoring his hand, she scrambled to her
feet, anger rising to replace her earlier complaisance. “I wasn’t aware this
was all for your amusement.”

“I assure you it isn’t. Submit. Give me complete control and
I will show you pleasures you have never even dreamed of.”

She opened her mouth to say some appropriately scathing
remark but snapped it shut as a wave of weariness nearly dragged her down in
its wake. She’d argued with her boss for months and she was just too damned
tired to argue any longer. And she wasn’t in the mood to make this as
complicated as it was becoming.

“What the hell?” Gathering the last of her failing courage,
Alaina looked him straight in the eye…at least as much as she could see beneath
the mask. “You want to tie me up and make me call you Master? No problem.
Another couple of glasses of that champagne and I’ll even call you God. But if
you don’t follow through and give me the best sex I’ve ever had I will have you
thrown out of this club, never to return.”

The chuckle that rumbled across her senses was amazing, as
was the brilliance of his perfectly wicked smile. “Fair enough.” He held out
his hand again and this time she took it. “Let me take you to my room where we
will finish what we’ve started.” With that, the last of her resistance was
swept to the floor as she let him lead her to the next step in her domination.

The instant she stepped across the doorway Alaina was
entranced. A huge bed held court in the center of the room, supported by sturdy
oak bedposts, thick leather lacings dangling from every one. Two chairs covered
in black baroque satin sat against the far wall and an ebony wardrobe stood
along another.

But her eyes were held by the bindings and she shivered at
the thought of what he intended to do with them, the throb of need between her
legs growing worse with every passing second. If he didn’t want her touching
her breasts what would he do if she stuck her hand between her legs to soothe
the want that burned and bit and demanded his renewed attention?

He unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves before he grabbed
a leather whip. He ran it over the back of one hand before draping it over his
shoulder.

When he took a step toward her Alaina backed a step away,
banging her knees against the side of the bed as he took off his shirt and
ditched it with his jacket. She stared in fascination at a tattoo on his left
shoulder, a swirl of intricate black Celtic knotwork that looked to be a wolf.
She raised a hand as if to protect her throat when he ran his tongue across his
teeth like the very animal inked into his skin.

“No no, none of that.” With a shake of his head, he pulled
her hand away and tucked it behind her back, securing it to the bedpost with
one of the lacings. “Do you know how to play this game?” He took her other hand
to bind it with the first. “No?” he added when she shook her head so hard her
hair spilled across her face. “Then listen carefully because I will only
explain the rules once.”

Torn between being so aroused she could barely keep her
knees from buckling and fighting back an unexpected wave of panic as she
realized she was locked in a room with a stranger whose sexual proclivities
might be more dangerous than she’d imagined, Alaina’s mouth had grown so dry
she couldn’t form a single word. She could only nod her head in assent as he
pulled open her blouse and slid it down her shoulders. “Wh-what rules?” she
managed to gasp as he reached around to unhook her bra, frowning when it got
stuck in the tangle of her blouse and the bindings around her wrists.

Carelessly he ripped the front of the bra apart and Alaina
stifled a whimper as he cupped her bare breasts in his hands. “I’ll give you a
safeword.” He thumbed both nipples and forced another cry of hunger from her
throat. “If things get too intense—if you really want to stop—you say the
safeword.”

She watched in agitated fascination as he moved to work the
zipper of her skirt, refusing to beg him to pinch her nipples once again. “Why
can’t I just say no? Or…or tell you to stop?” It was growing too hard to
maintain rational thought as he let her skirt fall to the floor and pushed one
hand between her legs.

“Because I want to hear you beg,” he said in an entirely too-steady
voice. “I want you to plead and scream and tell me no.” She nearly did scream
as he tucked a finger beneath her panties and rubbed it across her clit. “And I
want to give you the freedom to live out your wildest fantasies, knowing you
can say or cry out anything at all and I won’t stop giving you pleasure…unless
you say the single word that tells me you’ve reached your limit.”

With that he bent his head and bit down on one knotted
nipple, the sensation enough to cause her legs to finally cave, leaving her
sagging against her bonds with only his body against hers keeping her from
hitting the floor once more.

“Here you are the slave and I am the master, you the servant
and I the king,” he mouthed against her breast. “No means yes. Stop means go.
Only the safeword will cease our activities. Agreed?”

At this point and time she would agree to anything so long
as he kept his part of the bargain and let her topple over the edge that was
growing closer and closer with every bite on her breast and stroke along her
clit.

“Your safeword is peppermint,” he mouthed against her neck.
“Say it.”

“P-p-peppermint,” she stammered as he speared a finger into
her sex.

“Again,” he demanded with a snicker she felt all the way to
her toes.

“Pe-pep-pepperm-m-mint, oh God!” she squealed as he tucked a
second finger in with the first, stretching her open.

“That would be Master to you,” he had the gall to say,
slipping his fingers free before driving them deep once more. “Now you will not
say it again unless you are in true distress. Do you understand?”

Of course she understood but speech was beyond her ability
as he knelt before her and pulled her panties free. He lifted one leg over his
shoulder and trailed his teeth along her thigh, growling his approval when she
whimpered like a child.

“Oh please,” she heard herself plead as his tongue snaked
out to lick her clit. “Please don’t make me wait much longer.”

As if finally taking pity on her helpless state, he placed
her other leg over his shoulder, taking all of her weight as her legs buckled
when he clamped his mouth around her clit. He sucked, dragging another cry of
pleasure from her throat as he lapped his tongue along the sensitive knot of
flesh then moved lower to tunnel it into her cunt.

Alaina had never felt such wicked pleasure in her life as
she fought against her bonds in an attempt to grab his head and hold it where
she wanted. In a desperate measure she dug her heels into his back and was rewarded
with a sharp smack on her ass.

He removed his mouth and gave her a speculating look.
“Unless that is what you want. Do you want me to beat that perfect ass of
yours? Or would you rather I do something more depraved? Have you ever had a
man take you there? Bury his cock in that tiny hole until you cannot stand the
pleasure?”

As he spoke her body began to ache in places she’d never
before considered—the aforementioned hole of her ass clenching as if he’d made
good on his promise and treated it to the same lavish attention with which he’d
already wooed her cunt.

As she shivered and shook and fought to form a reply she
felt him slick a finger into the moisture between her thighs, running it back
to that other secret spot, his eyes flashing fire behind his mask as he watched
her every expression.

She tensed as he fingered the rim of muscle, the safeword
already on her lips. Sensing her hesitation he lowered his head to her sex once
more, his tongue doing such sinful things to her flesh Alaina barely managed to
breathe, much less find the strength to stop him.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed them in the
mirror, and the sight of him nestled between her legs and feasting on her flesh
was enough to topple her over the edge.

He was beautiful. He was dangerous.

And he was by far the best lover she had ever had.

With a sigh she let go and opened to him completely,
screaming out in both pleasure and pain as his finger breached her ass and led
her into a world of desire she had not known existed. He pushed in deeper as
the orgasm exploded, his other arm clamped around her legs to keep her in place
as she came, her head thrown back and her back arched in blissful release.

She thought he would release her then, but he continued to
lick and lave at her clit, tucking his thumb into her cunt as his finger
continued to torture her ass.

The second orgasm came faster than the first, as if once the
gates to her pleasure were opened they stayed locked into permanent place. She
gasped and squirmed and begged him to stop, it was too much, the sensations too
exquisite—but not once did she even think of peppermint, not even when he
untied her hands and threw her across the bed.

“Spread your legs for me,” he ordered, stepping out of his
pants to show her the full length of his erection. He looked like some pagan
god come to earth with his legs spread wide and his flesh so hard she thought
he must be in pain from the pressure.

Without thought she let her knees fall apart, watching in
fascination as he reached into a dresser and pulled out a condom. When it was
rolled securely in place he crawled between her legs, the feel of his skin so
hot against hers Alaina thought she would burn to ash.

She reached out her arms to touch him but he gave her such a
stern look she wilted into the mattress.

“Ask my permission,” he said as he loomed over her, his
thick cock poised and ready to invade.

“May I touch you, Master?” Alaina grew bold when she saw his
mouth soften. “I’ve wanted to touch you all night, feel your skin beneath my
fingers and your body in my arms.”

His fingers threaded through her hair as he pulled her head
back until they were mouth-to-mouth, eye-to-eye. “You have my permission,” he
whispered.

His skin jumped when she ran her hands across his chest,
tracing the lines of his tattoo before moving lower to feel his flat nipples
puckering beneath her fingers. She pinched them as he’d done hers, heartened
when he groaned in appreciation, every muscle in his legs and back coiling as
he readied to take her.

He broke into her body with a powerful thrust, sheathing
himself deep inside her. Alaina whimpered as her muscles clenched, struggling
to accommodate his size. But the discomfort was quickly forgotten when he
pulled back and thrust in once more, his moan of pleasure enough to make her
more than eager to take him fully.

Wrapping her legs around his back, she drew him in closer,
hunger blossoming again like an old friend, need and want biting hard at her
core. It was glorious to have him lodged so deep inside her, the slapping of flesh
against flesh an added sensation as he rode her, taking her higher and higher
with every steady thrust.

Then just when she thought he would come without her, he
pushed his hand between her legs and rubbed it along her clit, faster and
faster with each new thrust, a perfectly timed arrangement that sent her
soaring with him until she fell into her bliss, her body clenching him tighter
and tighter until with a cry he stifled against her neck he joined her in
release.