Claimed (11 page)

“Come on.” His tone was masterful and it sent
thrills through her. She loved him taking control. Loved it.

She hesitated again as he pulled the leash
but he tugged harder and she gave in to trusting him. She felt a
shift in the air and realized they had passed from one room into
another. The floor was carpeted, soft beneath her feet and then she
felt cool tile and she realized he was leading her into the
kitchen.

He guided her forward then stopped her and
played with her nipples. “Kneel,” he said and helped her so that
she wouldn’t fall. “I should put you on all fours and make you lap
water from a bowl. Then you would be my little puppy girl.”

Being his puppy girl sounded exciting,
sending pleasant thrills throughout her.

“Stay,” he said.

She didn’t know where he thought she might go
with her hands bound behind her back and a blindfold on, while
sitting on her knees. The butt plug made her feel even hotter.

He opened the refrigerator and she listened
to the rummaging sounds, wondering what he was doing. A dish
clattered on the table when he returned along with what sounded
like silverware. What had he brought back?

Something smelled like chocolate. He removed
her gag and then took a chair close enough to her that his knee
brushed her breast.

“Open your mouth.” He pressed something cool
against her lips and when she obeyed he slipped a spoon into her
mouth.

Whipped cream. Smooth, creamy, delicious.

He pulled back on the spoon and kissed her,
his tongue slipping into her mouth as he tasted the whipped
cream.

He leaned back and said, “Again,” and she
opened her mouth and he slid the spoon inside.

Chocolate cake. The most incredible, moist
chocolate cake she could ever remember tasting. “Mmmmm.” It was
nearly orgasmic. Again he kissed her and tasted her.

Then he pressed a maraschino cherry to her
lips and she let it slide in. It tasted sweet and delicious and he
kissed her again.

“I have another treat for you.” He tugged on
her leash and moved her so that she felt his knees on either side
of her. He had her between his thighs and he was lowering her head.
She opened her mouth, knowing what kind of treat she was going to
get.

He pushed his thick cock into her mouth and
she made a sound of pleasure. She loved doing this for him. It made
her feel both powerful and feminine at the same time. She hummed as
she licked and sucked him and he clenched his hands in her hair and
moved her up and down his length.

When he pulled her head back and his cock
slipped from her mouth, he put another bite of chocolate cake in
her mouth before having her go down on him again.

It was an intoxicating blend of eroticism as
he fed her cake while blindfolded and then had her suck his cock in
between bites. He was so thick, so hard.

And then he swept her up into his arms and
carried her in what she guessed was the direction of his bedroom.
Her heart began to pound faster and faster and liquid heat filled
her veins.

He laid her on the bed, pressing the butt
plug in tighter. She heard rummaging and then a low hum. He moved
between her thighs and then placed something against her clit at
the same time he thrust his cock inside of her.

She almost came up off the bed. She’d never
felt anything like it. He had put some kind of super vibrator
against her clit and was pressing it tight against her with his
body as he fucked her.

It was one of the most amazing things she’d
ever felt. There was no holding back her orgasm, even if she had
tried. The combinations of him taking her with the butt plug inside
her ass, while the vibrator stimulated her pussy, made her come so
hard and fast she didn’t even expect it. Her cries were loud as her
body bucked and jerked beneath him.

He pounded in and out of her and then gave a
sound like a low growl as he came. He moved in and out then pushed
aside the vibrator and it fell to the floor as he pressed his groin
tight to hers.

Her body was still pulsating as he rolled
over and brought her into his arms and kissed her. She gave a happy
sigh and snuggled into his arms and let herself slip away into a
deep and wonderful sleep.

Leslie covered a yawn as she walked through
the house toward Rick’s kitchen. She could smell the coffee he’d
made a mile away. She was dressed in what she’d worn last night.
She would have loved to roll around in bed all day but she had to
get home and take care of a few things.

She smiled as she thought of last night. She
had almost told him how she felt but she didn’t know how to say it.
She’d never told a man that she was in love with him except
Michael.

Because she had never been in love before
except for him.

In lust, yes. Infatuated, yes. But real love,
never.

Even if she felt comfortable, how was the
best way to tell Rick? Did she just blurt it out over coffee? Did
she wait until a romantic evening out? Or did she tell him in bed
when it was just the two of them snuggling together? It was
probably best not to say anything. Why did she have to be like
this?

She mentally shook her head. “I won’t think
about it for now.”

When she reached the kitchen she saw a clean
mug sitting by the coffeepot like he’d told her there would be, and
next to that was a jar with sugar and a small carton of
half-and-half. She put liberal amounts of both into the coffee that
she poured and then walked out of the kitchen, looking for
Rick.

She thought she heard his voice and her heels
sank into the carpet as she walked to the opposite side of the
house where he had shown her his office. She reached the office
door. Rick was on his cell and was listening to someone on the
other end of the line.

She started to knock softly on the doorframe
to let him know she was there, but then she stopped.

Rick pushed his hand through his hair as he
spoke into the phone. “I thought I had more time to wrap things up
in Annapolis.”

Leslie tilted her head, wondering what he
meant.

Rick paused to listen. “Yes, sir.” He
frowned. “I’ll get out there immediately.”

Another pause. “Thank you, sir,” Rick said
after a moment then ended the call.

He looked up and saw that Leslie was in the
room. “Hi, honey.”

“You’re going on a trip?” she asked.

“Not exactly.” He sighed.

A slow chill began to creep up her spine.
Something was wrong.

He dragged his hand down his face. “Orders
came through yesterday. I’m being transferred to San Diego.”

She felt like all of the color had drained
out of her. Rick was leaving and he hadn’t said a single word to
her. He had just let her fall in love with him like she meant
nothing to him. Nothing at all.

Her hand shook and a little coffee sloshed
onto her wrist. “When were you going to tell me that you’re
leaving?”

“Tonight,” he said. “I just got my orders a
few days ago and that’s where I’m headed. It was supposed to be
another position at Annapolis and not San Diego. It was also going
to be a month, but now it is immediate. The guy I’m replacing just
went into the hospital. They want me there as soon as
possible.”

She found her whole body was shaking with
anger and pain. She stepped forward and smacked her coffee cup on
his desktop before she could drop it and coffee splattered onto
some of his papers. “How can you act like it’s nothing?” She
clenched her fists at her sides. “So you screw around with me and
then you just leave without giving a damn about how I feel?”

“Like I said, I just found out,” he said.
“I’ve been trying to figure out this whole thing.”

She took another step back then straightened
her spine. “Goodbye, Rick. Have a nice life.”

“Wait.” He went after her and caught her by
her shoulder. “We need to talk.”

She swung around and jerked away from him. “I
don’t want to hear it. Not a word.”

He followed her as she went to the front door
and picked up her purse from where she’d left it. “Don’t go,” he
said. “We’ll work this out.”

She grabbed the doorknob and gave him one
last look. “I need time alone. Don’t call me. Don’t stop by my
house.”

“Let me give you a ride home.” Concern was
clear in his voice.

“I don’t need a ride.” She stuck her hand in
her bag and jerked out her cell phone. “I’ll get a cab.”

“Don’t leave like this, Leslie.” He followed
her down the steps. A part of her realized he was in his boxers and
T-shirt. “Please don’t leave like this.”

She turned her back on him and pulled up the
phone number to call a taxi, pressed send, and held the phone up to
her ear. She gave the address of a store down the street to the
dispatcher and she started walking.

Rick called after her one last time and she
could feel his gaze on her.

She never looked back.

Leslie climbed up the stairs to her home. It
had been an exhausting day at work with spoiled models and one
emergency after another. A broken nail, a five-pound weight gain, a
missing collection, an injured runway model with a limp, and
preparation for tomorrow afternoon for a big show in New York City,
made for one hell of a day. She’d have to fly from Baltimore into
JFK tomorrow and she wasn’t really in the mood for a fashion
show.

For the past two weeks Rick had called, left
voice mails, sent emails, and sent her text messages. At first she
listened to his voice mails and read the messages, but then she
couldn’t take it any longer. Her heart hurt far too much to open it
up to any more pain. Look where it had gotten her.

He hadn’t taken the hint. He wouldn’t give
up.

She rubbed her temples as she entered her
home and let the door slam shut with a hard thump behind her. She
dropped her purse beside the door and faced her living room, and
came to a complete halt.

A vase was on her coffee table and it was
filled with a huge bouquet of colorful flowers.

A vase that hadn’t been there before.

Someone had been in her house.

She took a step back. Her spine prickled.
Someone was behind her. She started to scream when a hand clamped
over her mouth and a strong arm pinned her up against a hard
body.

Terror ripped through her.

“It’s me, Leslie.” Rick’s voice made her sag
in relief. At the same time she wanted to kill him for scaring her.
“I’m not taking my hand off of your mouth unless you agree to shut
up and listen. Nod if you understand.”

She was tempted to bite his finger but she
nodded.

He moved his hand away and took her by the
shoulders and turned her around. He looked so good she wanted him
to hold her close. She wanted him to kiss her. But she couldn’t let
herself allow that.

“I want to shake some sense into you.” He
gripped her shoulders tighter. “But let’s start with dinner before
the manhandling begins.”

A feeling of excitement rose up inside of
her. Rick was here.
Here.
She would have smiled if her heart
wasn’t aching in her chest. She tamped down her excitement. “It’s
been a long day. I’m sorry but I really am not in the mood for
dinner out.”

“Then we’ll order in.” He pulled his cell
phone out of the holster on his belt. “Why don’t you get out of
your work clothes and get into something more comfortable.”

“And a quick, hot shower.” She rolled her
shoulder as she spoke. It didn’t look like he was going to leave
and she needed to clear her head before they talked.

Thirty minutes later, she caught the rich
smells of Italian food when she walked out of her bedroom and down
the staircase. Pasta with red sauce and warm garlic bread.

Her entire body hummed with awareness of him
as they put the rigatoni, bread, and salad on the table, along with
a bottle of merlot. She was hungry but didn’t feel a lot like
eating. For a little while it was quiet between them as she made
herself eat. The wine went down easier than the food and the warmth
of it as it passed through her helped bolster her resolve and her
courage.

When they started talking, it was about
anything but the two of them. He asked about her friends whom he
had met, how things were going at work, what had she been doing. He
answered her when she asked him how he liked his new position and
what it entailed.

After they finished eating, he brought the
conversation back to the two of them. “Did you listen to or read my
messages?”

She sighed and set her fork on her plate and
met his gaze. “At first. But it just got to be too painful.”

“I didn’t know if you did so I came back to
talk to you,” he said. “You will listen to me, Leslie. I’m not
going to throw away what we have.”

“Had,” she said.

“No.” His jaw grew tight. “It’s still there
and you know it.”

“I can’t open myself anymore to this kind of
pain.” She shook her head. “I should never have let myself fall for
you. What I went through with Michael—I didn’t want to ever
experience that again.”

He frowned. “I’m not Michael.”

“No,” she said. “You’re not. This is a
hundred times harder than it ever was when I broke up with him.
Can’t you see that I just can’t take this anymore?”

“It’s not like that with us.” He clenched his
fist on the tabletop. “You have someone right now who loves you and
wants to make it work.”

“How can it work?” She shook her head.
“You’re in San Diego now and I’m here.”

His expression was intense, almost fierce.
“People work out long distance relationships all of the time.”

“Not me.” She shook her head. “I don’t do
long distance.”

“What are you going to do?” he said. “Go
through the rest of your life being afraid of being hurt?”