An American Submissive in Britain (6 page)

“I’d be delighted,” Guy replied with mock formality. Then he frowned. “It won’t be greasy hot dogs or anything like that, will it?”

Gina took in his teasing smile and retaliated with a loud gasp of shock. “How dare you imply that Americans only eat fast food of that nature. I’ll have you know that I’m a very proficient cook and can make a whole array of nutritious, delicious dishes for every occasion.”

Guy raised his eyebrows. “Well, maybe I’ll just have to take you up on that offer and see for myself.”

A look passed between them that neither could ignore. A spark of something was definitely there, just waiting to be ignited.

The moment was broken by one of the electricians, and Gina carried on with her exploration while Guy took care of business.

After a while, Gina returned to the now empty kitchen and decided to check out what was behind a small door she had missed earlier. A key was in the lock, and after struggling with it, she found herself at the top of a narrow flight of stairs, the bottom of which was completely in darkness.

She felt her pulse start to quicken but pushed the anxiety quickly back down. She was not going to indulge in any of those past fears, especially on an amazing day like this.

Catching sight of the switch, she turned on the overhead light and determinedly made her way down the staircase.

She found herself in a small, musty-smelling room, and as her eyes adjusted to the dim light back at the top of the stairs, she spotted several wine racks and boxes in one corner. It was just an old wine cellar. Gina made a conscious effort to relax, but the memories flashed determinedly through her mind.

“Stop… It… Now,” she said out loud to the empty room and worked to replace the anxious thoughts with ideas to improve the lighting, and she’d buy some great British wine to stock up her new home.

Positive thoughts began to replace her fears, and smiling to herself, she turned to leave the room.

Two things happened simultaneously. The light at the top of the stairs went out, and as she swung round in the darkness, something small and furry ran over her foot.

Gina let out a shriek, jumping back in alarm and stumbling over a small crate as she did so. She fell, landing with a yelp of pain on the hard concrete floor.

Instantly, all her control melted away, and she was back in the darkness of eighteen years ago, panic taking over any rational thought, desperate to get out of that other pitch-black basement and into the daylight where her friends would be waiting for her.

She was terrified that more of the rats would appear and begin to crawl over her, but was frozen to the spot, too scared to try and run for the staircase to safety.

Her mind was dragged back to the present by a deep voice calling her name. She heard footsteps making their way toward her, but her eyes were squeezed shut, her hands holding her knees tightly against her body.

“Gina, where are you?”

She opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out. Suddenly, firm hands took hold of her upper arms, and she gasped. “No! Get off me. No!”

“Gina! Open your eyes and look at me. Now!”

Her eyes snapped open at the tone of his voice, and she realized, at once, that the light was back on. But just as suddenly, it was gone again. She screamed.

Guy lifted her to her feet and moved his hands to her shoulders, holding her so she faced him in the darkness. “Hush, I have you. I won’t let anything hurt you.”

The light clicked back on, and a voice from the upstairs hallway called out an apology, and something about testing a circuit breaker.

Gina, started to struggle, needing desperately to get out of the room, convinced that more rats would converge on her at any second. Her eyes scanned the room feverishly as she tried to pry loose from Guy’s grip.

“Be still. Eyes on me only, Gina.”

She complied at once, giving in to the overwhelming urge to hold herself against his chest, knowing without a doubt that she would be completely safe there.

“Are you hurt?” he asked in the same tone.

“No, I’m fine,” she managed, her body still shaking uncontrollably.

Guy scooped her up into his arms and held her tight against his hard frame. Just for a second, Gina felt the need to fight to get loose and run as far away as she could from the situation, but the tightness of his arms around her meant there was no chance of that. Instead, she looked deep into his eyes, now so close to hers, and realized that this was the safest place she could be at this moment.

Guy walked up the stairs, holding her as if she weighed nothing at all, and by the time the two of them reached the kitchen, calm had descend on her.

Settling her on a large window seat, he put a finger under her chin, raising her eyes to meet his again. “I’m going to the car to get a bottle of water. Stay right there.”

Gina nodded and worked on steadying her breathing as she watched him leave the room. He returned with a bottle of water and opened it for her, handing it over with a reassuring smile.

“Drink some of that, and then I’m going to drive you back to the pub. We can talk about this on the way.”

“Okay,” Gina replied in a small voice.

*
* * *

Gina watched the countryside pass her by as the sleek Jaguar made its way back through the pretty village. What an absolute fool she had made of herself. Guy must think she was a basket case. She was surprised that she had let him take control of the situation. Every time this kind of thing had happened in the past, she had retreated inside herself, believing she couldn’t deal with the trauma of facing her fears and pushing anyone away that had tried to offer support.

She knew, without a doubt, that Guy would not have allowed her to do that, and for the first time since that awful night so many years ago, she had welcomed the help he had given. Why did this man have such a strong effect on her?

The man in question interrupted her thoughts. “Tell me what happened to you, Gina.”

Gina knew he didn’t mean just the incident today. He was perceptive as well as comforting.

She took a deep breath and kept her eyes firmly on the scenery outside. “When I was a kid, my dad got transferred, which meant a move for the family. To be included in the ‘in-group’ at my new school, I had to prove myself to them, and the challenge that would let me be in their gang was to go into an old haunted house a couple of blocks from the school. I had to bring back something from the basement and an upstairs bedroom, to show that I had been all over the house.

“There were no working lights anywhere in the house, and while I was in the basement, I tripped over a stool and hit my head on the edge of a metal table. I was unconscious for quite a while, and when I came to, there were two rats nibbling on my jeans, right in front of me.

“I freaked out and ran back up the basement stairs, but the door was locked. I was terrified, and I shouted for hours, but nobody came.

“Finally, this elderly couple walking their dog heard me yelling and got some help. It turns out that a cop had stopped and told the children to move away from the house as it was due for demolition. The door hadn’t been locked at all; it was warped from the damp and had stuck fast when it swung shut behind me.

“The whole episode left me with a fear of the darkness… and a fear of small furry creatures,” Gina added with a wobbly grin. Sucking up the tears that threatened to fall, she laughed, embarrassed. “You must think I’m such an idiot, freaking out like that back at the cottage.”

Guy pulled the car into the parking lot at the pub. Gina glanced around, surprised to be back already. She had been looking firmly out of the window but hadn’t taken in a single thing around her.

Reaching over, Guy took her shoulders and pulled her toward him until her face was just inches from his. “Thank you for sharing that with me, sweetheart. I realize that it couldn’t have been easy. And by the way, I certainly don’t think you’re an idiot. After what you’ve just told me, you have every right to feel that way in the dark.”

Gina’s eyes lowered, and her cheeks flushed a dull pink. She loved the way he had called her sweetheart. But she had better get any illusions about getting involved with this man out of her mind. Two weeks. Just two weeks and then she would be back in the States.
Do not get involved, Gina. That’s an order.

“Eyes on me,” he said softly.

Immediately, she glanced back up at him.

He leaned in and kissed her, his hand coming around the back of her neck to hold her in place. His lips were warm and firm, and he grasped her hair tightly while his tongue pushed against her mouth until she opened her lips. He pulled on each one, biting them gently until she moaned, her hands coming up to find their way into his thick dark hair. The kiss became so intense that Gina felt her pulse speed up just as fast as it had in the basement a half an hour before, only this time her body came alive in a good way.

“Lower your hands, Gina, and don’t move them unless I give you permission.”

She felt dampness form between her legs, not only because of what he was doing, but at his spoken command. Lowering her hands, she kept very still as he moved back from her and proceeded to run a finger down her cheek.

“Good girl.”

His finger continued down her neck and inside her coat. She jumped when his hand brushed her breast and found her nipple straining against the fabric of her sweater and bra.

Guy eased her coat off and tossed it on the backseat. Keeping his eyes locked on Gina’s, he lifted her sweater and pulled up her bra, her breasts bouncing free as he did so.

She hitched a breath as cool fingers took one puckered nipple and rubbed it between finger and thumb. Although she felt exposed and vulnerable and her mind screamed at her to push his hand away and cover herself, heat and need that had appeared in her pussy totally overrode that anxiety.

She gave a soft sigh as he tended to the other nipple. The dampness between her legs became definite wetness. Guy lowered his head and took each hardened bud into his mouth, sucking and pulling until she gasped with delight. Instinctively, her hands started to move up toward his head again.

“Put them back, or I’ll restrain them behind you.”

Her eyes widened at the threat, but this was what she had wanted for so long and she needed to prove to herself that she could do as he commanded. She lowered her hands again, and he smiled at her, raising his head until it was leveled with hers.

“You know I’m a Dominant, Gina.” It was a statement, not a question. “I was not expecting anything to happen between us, but I think we both feel it. Would you like to pursue these feelings further?”

Gina studied his face and took in his strong features, which seemed to match his commanding personality perfectly. This man had made an impression on her, no matter what she had instructed herself to feel, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wanted more.

“I feel it too. I think I’d like to get to know you properly, Guy,” she replied, her voice soft. She dropped her gaze after saying the words, suddenly feeling a little shy.

“Look at me, Gina.” Her eyes met his again as he put one finger under her chin. “It would mean that you would be my submissive for however long we were together. You would hand over all control to me, and I would show you exactly what being a submissive is all about. Is that what you really desire?”

Gina hesitated, letting his question sink in. She hardly knew the man, but deep inside, it was what she desired, so much so that she was willing to take the risk. There was so much that she wanted to explain, to tell him, to ask him.

She nodded. “Yes.” It was all she could say at that moment.

Guy studied her expression, and after a few seconds, he tucked a strand of long dark hair behind her ear. “In that case, you will address me as Sir from now on.”

Heavy silence descended in the car as his words registered with her. It was as if the world stopped, all quiet as if awaiting her response to her very first command. This was what she had craved for such a long time. He was giving her a chance to explore her submission, in a safe, trusting environment. She had to take the bull by the horns and embrace what he had offered her.

“Yes, Sir,” she said in a firm, clear voice.

“Very nice,” he replied. “Now come with me into the pub. I think you deserve a strong drink after everything that’s happened in the last hour.”

Chapter Four

Ten minutes later, Gina sat in front of the fire, sipping a large brandy and tentatively trying a small portion of Becky’s toad in the hole. Guy and Andy were close by, at the bar, talking quietly, having promised to join her in a few minutes.

She glanced around the warm, inviting salon and thought how nice it must be for Becky, to be in a successful D/s relationship with a great guy like Andy, and get to live in this wonderful old inn.

Her mind jumped back to what had just transpired outside, and she sat there, allowing the feelings of shock, desire and anticipation to wash over her.

It was crazy. She’d spent over two years reading and researching the BDSM lifestyle, wanting so much to find someone she could explore her needs with and having no luck whatsoever. One day—just
one
day in a brand new country, not really knowing how this new adventure was going to turn out, and she had acquired a beautiful historical cottage in the English countryside and found a man who wanted to be her Dominant, someone who would help her, finally, to be a successful submissive…if only for two weeks. However, it was an experience she could take with her back to the States and use to fulfill her lonely nights until she could find a more permanent arrangement.

She glanced over in Guy’s direction and found his eyes already on her. He smiled, and she took in the sheer presence that seemed to emanate from him. How had she got so lucky? Her stomach flipped as he made his way to her table.

“I’m going to be in the back with Andy for just a few minutes. Please eat all the toad and at least some of the hole,” he said with a grin.