Carnevale and Subterfuge (3 page)

“Oh, sorry about that.” The man put the whip on the bed and dashed out of the room.

Ana’s head began to pound and she moaned. The day had gone from humiliating to worse. Now the man from the bar had kidnapped her…to do what, exactly? She didn’t have time to dwell too much on his reasoning. He returned with a small cup of clear liquid. He placed it on the nightstand and unshackled her wrists.

“Drink this slowly,” he said.

The soft, roughness of his voice, edged with an indefinable accent, sent a shiver of warmth through Ana, despite her unease. A cool breeze on her skin caused goose bumps to rise, and she realized she was naked. She squealed and looked down at her body. Not an inch of her was covered.

“Drink, and then we’ll discuss rules. I added a bit of something to help with the alcoholic aftereffects. I crushed up a food pellet, I assure you, not some sort of drug.”

Ana took the cup and drank it down without protest. For some reason, she trusted him. A glance into his olive-green eyes set her at ease. There was something there that made her relax despite him being a perfect stranger.

“I should tell you right off, I’m a very well-known con artist,” he said. “The reason I say this is because I looked you up. I know why you’re here, and I want to give you what you need. That is, if you still wish to continue with this holiday?” Uncertainty clouded his gaze, and Ana shifted uncomfortably at his confession.

“So,” she tested softly, relieved to find her voice was no longer hoarse. The pounding in her head had also disappeared. “You’re an admitted con artist, you hacked into my information, and you want to give me the holiday I wanted. I’m not going to ask what you saw, or how you know why I’m here, because I honestly don’t want to know. But I will ask you this: why are you doing this for me? I don’t have a lot of money, no gems to steal, and I’m not related to anyone important.”

The man ducked his head. Thick waves of midnight hair slid forward to cover half of his masked face. “I have my reasons. So, do you want to have a go, or don’t you?”

Ana thought about it as she took in his naked upper body. He was lean, with tribal tattoos covering one entire arm and half of his torso. His dusky pink nipples were pierced with black barbells. His mask still hid half of his face, and he still wore the spiked collar. Now she could see he also had spiked leather cuffs encircling his wrists. He had an air of danger and seduction, but there also something vulnerable about him. Ana found herself drawn to him and couldn’t understand why. She didn’t know him at all.

She sighed. “If I’m going to get tied up and fucked, I might as well do it with someone I’m attracted to. I’m sure you know the rules I had with the other gondolier, yes? No names, no personal information, although that’s too late. I want to be tied down and fucked. A little pain but not too much.” Ana couldn’t remember what else was on her list.

“We need a safe word, something that tells me that you want to truly stop,” he murmured, looking up at her.

Ana licked her lips and thought about it. “I choose ‘jasmine.’”

“Jasmine,” he murmured. “All right, good.”

“Um, what do I call you? No names. I just need to know how to respond.” She ducked her head shyly. This was a whole new experience for her, and she didn’t know how to act.

“What do you like? Do you want to call me Master? Sir? What?” he asked, running his hand through his thick locks.

Ana noticed he had a large silver hoop in the other ear as well. She stared at that hoop, trying to find a name she might like to call him. “Sir” reminded her of Captain Drogan, and she just couldn’t call him that—too weird. “Master” sounded too intimidating. Names rolled around her head, and she tried to pick one.

“How about Dodger, after the Earth character from fiction? You are a con artist after all.” She smiled at her sense of humor.

He chuckled. “I kind of like that. Dodger it is then, love.”

“Are you going to tell me what you’re about to do? Or do I have to guess?” Ana asked.

He stood up and looked down at her. “No, you let me be in charge and just get ready to feel. Now lie back down.”

Ana did so, extending her arms over her head and waited for him to move.

He shackled her to the headboard again. She swallowed and took in a deep breath. Excitement shimmered through her body, and she closed her eyes. Finally her holiday was going right.

* * *

Diego took her cup to the kitchen, drew in a deep breath, and pushed up his mask. He wasn’t sure if he could follow through with his plan. As much as he wanted to do this for her—be the dominant she needed from him—he wasn’t sure if he could carry out her fantasy and not become attached. He ran a hand over his face and sighed. His fingers traced the scar that slashed through his right cheek. He had one just like it on his left.

A weight settled over his shoulders as he pulled down the mask. Anarrae was innocent. All she wanted was pleasure and he was going to give it to her, but things would change. Maybe not for her but for him.

No attachments. That’s what he had told himself daily. Now something was forming for her and his number one rule was being broken. When she’d said no names, he’d had to bite his tongue.

Diego had wanted to give her his so that every time she came it would be his name on her lips. Now he had to deal with being called Dodger. Amusing in one way and annoying in another.

“I’ll just deal with it,” he mumbled to himself. “After this is all over, I’ll let her go and everything will go back to the way it was. No attachments. Just fuck her and run. That’s it.”

When he returned to the bedroom, his breath caught in his throat. She lay there stretched out, waiting for him. His stomach clenched and fire flooded his body, pooling in his groin. For a moment he imagined what it would be like to find her just like that every night when he got home. A groan threatened to rise up and he quickly quashed it down. No, no, no. That line of thought would only lead to a place he didn’t want to go.

He pushed away any notion of what could happen between them. Instead he decided to focus on doing something different with her, something that could get her to trust him and would be pleasurable for both of them. He would have to be the one tied down. His cock jumped at the thought. His heartbeat picked up speed.

She lifted her head and their eyes met. Fire danced in her brown gaze. He glanced over her body and held back a moan. Golden light bathed her skin, making her look like a decadent treat. He wanted to bite, nibble, feast and flick. One look at her exposed sex had him licking his lips. The plump petals were slick with her dew. The very sight almost made him growl. He clenched his fists as he tried to hold himself back.

“You like bondage, yes?” he asked, surprised at how gruff he sounded. Arousal was unfurling its talons in his gut as he watched her move on the bed. A slow slide against the simple Tunisian cotton made him lick his lips. Diego yearned to taste the salt of her skin, the tangy sweetness of her honey. The ache in his gut increased as blood pounded to his cock. He closed his eyes to push back the need.

“Yes,” she replied in a soft, husky tone that made Diego bite his lower lip. He had to keep himself from crawling up on the bed and covering her body in biting kisses.

Diego approached the bed but did not climb on it. “I propose a change. I will be the one tied down, and you get to have your wicked way with me.”

To keep himself from reaching out, he grabbed his right wrist with his left hand and picked the riding crop back up off the bed. The hardness of the handle helped him focus on something other than the ache of his balls and the throbbing of his cock.

“You want to be tied down?” There was uncertainty in her eyes and for a moment Diego thought his plan might go down the drain. “I’ve never been in charge before.”

Anarrae’s gaze wandered over Diego’s body, a heated caress that sent a flush of fire over his skin, made his cock twitch and his heart pick up pace, beating against his chest so hard that he thought it would burst past his rib cage. In his mind’s eye he could see her above him, riding him, kissing him, caressing him—doing things that would blow his mind. He tightened his grip on his wrist and didn’t wince at the pain. Diego had to focus.

“Haven’t you ever wanted to be in charge during sex? Has any man ever given you that opportunity?” If they hadn’t, he would love to have a word with her past lovers. Just the thought of her giving her body to someone else pricked something in him that made him uncomfortable.

He pushed the odd feeling away and watched her very carefully. There was a hitch in her breath. Her breasts moved up and down rapidly. She was interested. The idea seemed to amuse her. Her legs slid over the bed, and she gripped the leather straps tightly.

Diego knew he had to move this along. Need was riding him hard and the night was burning away. In the morning he had somewhere to be. Diego didn’t want to waste any of the time he had with her. He let go of his wrist, undid his pants, and removed his shoes.

Diego stood before her naked. He ran his fingers over his chest, pausing to circle the pad of his index finger around his nipple. Sensation shot to his groin. When he tugged the barbell that pierced his nipple, electricity shot straight to his cock. He rolled the small bud and groaned as pleasure ebbed through him.

His cock throbbed with need. Diego tossed the riding crop onto a nearby chair and took hold of his cock, squeezing just below the wide helmet before moving his hand down to the base and then up again. Slowly, he stroked himself. His eyelids lowered until he gazed at her through a veil of dark lashes.

“See how the idea affects me? How aroused I am at the thought of being under your control? Let’s try something new. This will only be for one weekend after all.”

The uncomfortable reminder returned, pricking his mind again. One time only. One weekend to sink into her fantasies and desires. He didn’t like that one bit but there was nothing he could do.

“And if we do this, will you get to be in charge later?” she asked him. Her face was like a mask, her emotions under tight control. She was trying to hide her reaction from him, and yet he knew her answers. She wanted to be his master in this round.

Diego nearly moaned. He stroked his cock faster. He wanted her to control him, have her way with him. Never had anyone been given that chance. Always in command, always in control—that was him. You give away control, you lose in the con. For this one time, he would relinquish himself to another person. He just prayed the odd feeling inside him that wanted to get to know her better would go away after he allowed Ana her way.

“Anything you want, love.” He meant it.

The odd expression fell from her face and emotions rushed over her features almost too quickly to read. He did manage to catch need, desire, and yearning before she closed herself off to him again.

“Then release me from my bonds,” she said.

That sultry sound was all he needed. Diego released his cock and followed her orders. “
Qualunque cosa tu possa desiderare da me, sara' tua,
” he murmured.

Anarrae sat up and slipped off the bed. “On the bed, now.”

His cock twitched at the steel in her voice. He didn’t hesitate to slip past her and lie down on the bed. Diego stretched his arms over his head and spread his legs wide. The heated look in her eyes warmed his body, stoked the fire within. Tonight he was hers and hers alone.

Chapter Three

Anarrae couldn’t fight the desire rushing through her body. As she watched Dodger spread out on the bed, her arousal only grew. Need clawed at her stomach as the ache between her legs increased. She fought for control. When he trailed his hand over his chest and he tugged on his pierced nipple, a burst of heat rose up in her. When he began to stroke his cock, her vaginal muscles tightened. He was thick and long. Perfect. The slit at the top already leaked precum.

She wanted him inside of her, thrusting hard, making it hurt, stretching her to the limit. Ana wanted him wild and passionate. Now she was adrift, unsure of what to do. He was handing over the reins, contrary to her expectations. The rules had changed and yet, as she watched the play of his muscles under his skin, the way he laid himself out for her pleasure, she didn’t want it any other way.

Purpose slipped into her veins as a need to dominate him and mark him as hers mingled with her arousal. She wanted to cover his body in love bites. This Dodger, this mystery, this conman was hers for the weekend. Ana was not going to pass up an opportunity to live out her fantasies and be the center of attention for once.

On the
Hades’ Helmet
she was just another officer, always in the background. Even when giving her status reports, she felt no one heard her.

This man saw her, wanted her, and heard her. It was a heady feeling. She wasn’t sure what to start with. Should she taste him first or maybe cover him in kisses? Was kissing allowed or would that be too intimate?

He made the decision from her. “I know you’re in charge, love, but I want you to kiss me, taste me. Just let go and do what you feel. Don’t worry. I can take anything you dish out. Give me pain and pleasure. Give me heaven and fire. I’m all yours.” His voice was low, edged in roughness. He took hold of the leather bonds and laid his head back on the pillow.

Ana stilled and her breath caught in her throat as she watched him surrender to her control and desires. He trusted her; she was awed. Dodger arched his back and thrust his hips upward, digging his heels into the mattress. His cock jutted upward as if he was begging for her mouth there, in the place where he needed her most. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. Her mouth watered to taste him.

Anarrae didn’t hesitate. She quickly secured the straps just enough to bite into his flesh without risking his circulation. He groaned.

“Does that hurt?” she asked, worried that in her haste she’d maybe gone too far.

“No, no. Feels good. Tie me down, love, and make me yours. Mark me.” He turned his head and arched his neck, as if begging for her bite. Her pussy tingled as need took her. She wanted to give him that sweet kiss of pain.