Passion Flower: 1 (9 page)

The blooms were all for the little moths. And most moths
were nocturnal, to avoid daytime predators such as the birds she saw earlier.
Flower, moth, bird, all caught in a little dance on a tiny island. It wasn’t
certain, by any means. But it was a good working hypothesis, one she’d need
days or weeks of study to verify.

She told him, even though she doubted he’d be interested.
But he nodded. “And you want know for sure,” he said when she was done.

“Yes.”

“You’re only here for a few more days. Is that enough time?”

She shook her head. “Probably not. Maybe.”

“Well then.” He chuckled. “I don’t think it’s enough time
for me to get done with what I want to do to you either. We might be able to
come to some kind of arrangement.”

She blinked, not sure she’d heard him correctly. “You want
to—do more things with me? More kinky things?” She blushed. “More sex?”

“I want to see what it’s like being honest with each other.
Trusting each other. And yes, more kinky sex.” He grinned broadly. “I had
thought the main point of that statement for you would have been more time to
study the orchid, but I have to say I’m rather pleased your mind went in
another direction.”

“I would have thought it would be too,” she said. “But…” She
shrugged. “I guess I’m drawn to you like a moth is—”

“Drawn to flowers that smell like old books?”

“Something like that.”

“Surely in your broad experience with biology you can come
up with a better analogy than that.”

She giggled. “Maybe that will be my next paper. ‘Attraction
of the submissive female for the Dominant male in modern humans: An
evolutionary perspective.’”

“Sounds very erudite.”

“So what kind of arrangement did you have in mind?”

“I agree to let you stay here as my guest, past your paid
time on the island. I’ll make sure you have time to do your research, and even
use better equipment than you were able to smuggle in as a keychain fob. We
could even make a trip off the island for gear, if you like.”

It sounded as though she’d pretty much have everything the
university asked for in its original proposal. “And what do I do in return,
Sir?”

“Whatever I ask.”

She couldn’t agree to that. What if he asked her to do
something dangerous, or evil? Then she thought about what she’d seen of him so
far, the way he’d seen to her welfare first. He’d already had considerable
power over her, if he’d wanted to take it. And he hadn’t. She couldn’t be
absolutely sure—maybe no one could be sure of anyone but themselves—but she
trusted him.

And she wanted to submit to him. Badly. As much as she
wanted to study the night-blooming orchid. She flashed the light on the ground
and, seeing it clear of spiders, she went to her knees in front of him. “Yes,
Master.”

“Look up at me.”

She looked up and repeated it. “Yes, Master.” The ground was
wet, the moisture slowly soaking through her stockings. Her pussy was wet too.
Neither were going to move her from her knees until he gave her permission.

“Do you want to study your orchid now, or can it wait for
tomorrow night?”

She’d given him control, and he was asking for her
preference anyway. It seemed like a good sign. There was only one thing she
wasn’t willing to wait for. She wanted him inside her—no, more than that. She
wanted to show him the pleasure he’d given her. To make him come. “It can wait,
Master.”

Every time she said the word, she felt it more.

“Good.” He unbuckled his flashlight and handed it to her. It
was heavier than she had expected and she almost dropped it. “You light the
way. I’m taking you to the cove.”

He picked her up. She managed to find the switch on the
flashlight while he waited for her. Then he started walking down the path.
After all the ways she’d thought of serving him, she found more pleasure than
she would have thought in simply keeping the path lit for him. Dominance and
submission meant teamwork as well, two people working as one with clear
direction. No wonder the genes—if it was genetic, and she had no idea—had
survived.

When they reached the cove, he kissed her deeply and all
thought of genetics vanished. She kissed him back hungrily, her lips bruising
with the ferocity with which she pressed them against his, challenging him for
control. She didn’t care that a smudge of grease paint ended up on her face.
Their tongues wrestled for a moment and then he took the kiss back over from
her, leaning her back and taking her breath away. She loved his strength.

He knelt, lowering her to the beach. The waves beat at the
shore, barely seen, a gentle roar.

“This time, will you please seek your own pleasure first, and
let me serve you?” she asked.

He looked surprised for a moment, then nodded. “Yes.”

“No showing me how much you can endure, how long you can
last?” She wanted to feel all his desire, to know that he wanted her. She
already knew he was skilled.

“I set the rules,” he said darkly.

She wanted that too. “Yes, Master.” She’d said her piece,
now she’d have to let him make the decision.

He grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it over her head,
then tossed it on the ground. He lifted her and put her butt on it. Then he
stood up and started to undress.

The flashlight lay beside her, pointing into the jungle. She
watched in the reflected light as he shucked his shirt, taking in his six-pack
abs and hard, muscular chest. She couldn’t resist picking up the flashlight and
shining level with his belt for a better view.

He grunted and smiled at that, then kicked off his shoes and
pants until he stood gloriously naked, his cock jutting out proudly. She moved
to her knees and reached out for it, folding her hand around it then moving her
lips to kiss the head.

He groaned. “I was going to fuck you.”

“You can, if you want to. All of me is available to you.”
She took him into her mouth and was rewarded with the salty taste of his
precum. Yeah, he wanted her. It made her feel powerful and beautiful.

He wrapped his hands in her hair and pulled her forward. For
a moment she panicked, worried she’d choke on his cock, but he didn’t push her
that far. She relaxed and sucked on him. He pulled on her hair, sliding her
back, and then pushed down again. She closed her eyes and inhaled his musky,
masculine scent. She tightened her lips around his cock and licked the
underside while he controlled the pace. She’d never had a man take control like
that before. Going down on a man had never been her favorite thing, but she’d
always been in charge. Now she wasn’t. Somehow that made it ten times better.
She wanted him to use her for his pleasure, to have him gush in her mouth and
force her to swallow.

She let go of the flashlight, which she wasn’t using anymore
anyway, and slipped her hand between his legs. She caressed his balls for a
moment, feeling the silkiness of the skin there before moving on. She’d never
tried this before, but she’d heard guys liked it. She slid her finger between
his cheeks and found his opening, then pushed. He moaned and his grip tightened
on her hair. He almost pushed her down too far, in fact, and she gagged for a
split second before he quickly pulled her back. His control wasn’t perfect
after all. But clearly good enough to keep her safe. She licked the saltiness
from the head of his cock before he thrust in her again, and then she wiggled
her finger into his ass.

The reaction was so immediate it caught her by surprise. He
was so deep in her mouth that his first spurt went straight down her throat and
she hardly tasted it. Her swallow was reflexive. She sucked on him, milking his
cum out of him, swallowing it all down hungrily, greedily. She didn’t know what
had come over her exactly, but in that moment it was as if she could see
through his eyes the woman who was serving him, and that woman was incredibly
sexy. And it was herself.

He pulled her off him. He knew how to pull hair—she could
feel it, and it was intense, but it wasn’t
pain
. He knelt down on the
sand and kissed her hard and passionately. She was taken aback. No one had ever
wanted to kiss her after she had done that. But he did. He crushed her to him
and she gloried in his strength.

“Mine,” he whispered.

“Yours.”

“I’m still going to fuck you.”

“Don’t you need recovery time?” she asked mischievously. A
nap, perhaps. She’d happily sleep with him on the cove.

“Some. But I know what will get me there. Stand up and take
the rest of that ridiculous outfit off.”

She blinked. “Yes, Master.” She stood and he picked up the
flashlight and played the beam across her body.

“I’m not—”
that much to look at
, she had been about
to say. But she stopped. For once she felt sexy. The way he looked at her, she
might as well have been Amber or Rhonda. His cock was still big, half-hard.
When she took off her bra, it grew. When she slid off her panties, it
straightened. When she ran her hand over her bare breasts and then dipped
between her legs, it jutted out from his body.

“How do you want me, Master?”

“On your hands and knees,” he said.

She hurried to obey, her knees on the dress, her hands
digging into the sand. He moved behind her and put his hands on her hips. Her
pussy felt as if it was dripping. She was so ready for him, physically and
emotionally. He slid inside her without resistance, but his girth stretched
her. She held herself still, fighting the instinct to push herself back to
engulf more of him. She wanted it to be at his pace.

She didn’t have to wait long. He buried himself in her to
the hilt, filling her pussy. His hands guided her into a rocking motion to
accompany his thrusts, and then he slid them up her stomach until he could palm
her breasts. “This is why I wanted you in this position. I want you under me,
but I want to be able to feel these.”

He gave her breasts a squeeze and she shuddered. Her nipples
tightened against the roughness of his palms. He caressed her, drifting his
fingers across her chest, tickling her tender peaks. Always, his hips kept
rocking, his cock stirring her to her core.

His fingers closed over her nipples, squeezing and pulling.
It would have probably been painful some other time, but right then it sent
sparks of pleasure running from her breasts to her belly. “Harder,” she heard
herself say. Her voice was husky with desire. She wasn’t sure whether she was
referring to the pinching or the fucking. Possibly both.

He squeezed one nipple hard enough to hurt. But he also
rocked her hard, moving one hand to her waist and pulling her onto his cock.
His torso slapped against her ass, almost as if he was spanking her. His balls
bounced against her clit, and that and the pain set her off. She screamed and
clutched at the sand as her pussy clenched around his cock, pleasure rippling
through her from head to toe.

Her hands slid out from under her and she fell forward, her
breasts rubbing against the rough sand. She was beyond caring about that. His
cock was still in her, still thrusting. Her desire was building again, although
she felt as if she should have been completely satisfied. Even after coming violently,
she still wanted more of him. More from him too. She managed to fight through
her pleasant haze enough to start rocking back against him.

He dipped his hand lower until his finger rested on her
clit. He stroked lazily.

“Don’t come this time until I tell you,” he whispered.

“Yes, Master.”
Hold back?
Usually her orgasms were
hard enough to come by without trying to resist.
Good thing he’s being
gentle. I won’t come too quickly.

Naturally, he started rubbing before she was halfway through
her thought.

Tension built in her core. Somehow the very fact that he’d
said she couldn’t come aroused her more. Soon she was struggling, trying to
hold on to the explosion building inside her.

“Please, Master.”

“Not yet. But soon.”

It made her ache not to come. She tried to think of
something else. Of moths and orchids. Of prime numbers. But she couldn’t shake
her awareness of her urgent need for release or the huge cock stretching and
filling her pussy.

He stretched his body on hers and his breath was hot against
her ear. “Now, beautiful. Come now.”

At his command, she climaxed. She screamed. He growled and
spurted his hot seed inside her. Her pussy clenched his cock as he pumped
inside her. Then her knees went weak and she collapsed onto the sand, sated and
complete.

He slid out and lay down beside her. He pulled her into his
arms.

“You’re so lovely, Natalie.”

She smiled. “Thank you for forgiving me. I’m sorry I kept it
from you, I thought I might lose everything if I didn’t.”

He kissed her gently. “Don’t do it again.”

“I won’t.” She meant it. Whatever happened next, she wanted
it to be because of who she was and who he was, not because of what she
pretended to be.

Chapter Eight

The men were all seated around the dining room table. Rhonda
and Amber were at the pool. Natalie was in the woods, kitted out this time in
an old shirt of his, a bush hat and shorts. She had his big flashlight and his
digital SLR camera too. He missed her already, but he had to straighten out
things with the guys.

“I’ll vote yes to the proposal with the movie people on one
condition,” said Carter. Of course putting it that way meant Kyle wouldn’t
agree, but Kyle liked his island solitude too much to want Natalie staying
anyway.

Kyle made a noise but it wasn’t intelligible. And it wasn’t
positive. “What’s the condition?” asked Roger.

“That Natalie be allowed to stay here after the week is
over.” Technically, they all had the right to bring a friend to the island. He
could fly her off and fly her back on, and they couldn’t say no. It was his
home as much as any of theirs, after all. But he didn’t want there to be
resentment. Kyle’s he couldn’t help. The rest, well, better if they thought
they’d driven a hard bargain.

“You’re in love,” said Tom. “When did that happen?”

In love? He hadn’t thought of it that way. If someone was
going to hear those words from him, it would be Natalie first, anyway. “I just
want to explore the possibilities,” he said.

Tom chuckled.

Roger frowned. “We agreed that these Submission Island weeks
would stay professional. That we’d stay detached.”

Carter remembered that discussion. They’d all agreed a long
time ago, in Iraq, that no woman was ever going to tie them down. Too many fish
in the sea and too much variety to settle for one. Maybe that had made sense
then, when they were younger. It definitely made sense when they were all in
the service and could be sent hither and yon by their countries at a moment’s
notice.

But maybe none of them had met the right woman. He’d had his
share of pleasurable experiences. Hot, kinky sex with women who were either
submissive or willing to be for a night in exchange for enough orgasms. But in
a perverse way Natalie’s secret had made him see her as something more than a
hot fuck. She had passions that had nothing to do with sex,
and
she was
passionate in bed too. Or on the beach.

“What the hell are you thinking?” asked Roger, cutting
Carter’s train of thought like a knife.

Nothing, he was about to say, and then he remembered Natalie
telling him the same thing in response to a similar question, the first time
they’d been at the cove. He guessed now that she had been thinking about her
orchid. He’d wanted her honesty. He couldn’t be less than honest himself and
deserve it. Sure, he’d tell a white lie here or there, but not to her. And not
to his closest friends, if he could help it. “I’m not detached. Fair enough.
And it’s not just about her staying with me. Natalie is going to stay”—he
carefully didn’t say
if
—“and study our plant life. She’s a biologist.
It’s what she does. It’s part of what makes her special, and she can’t be here
and not do it.” There, that probably thoroughly pissed Kyle off. But it was
time his friend started making steps forward, and while it wasn’t his job to
push, he couldn’t see it as a bad thing.

Roger’s frown deepened. “So that’s why you wanted the
proposal so badly.”

“Yep.”

“No deal,” said Roger.

“Aw, come on, Roger. He’s gonna do what he wants to do
anyway,” said Tom.

“That’s different than going along with it,” insisted Roger.
He stood up and glowered at Carter. “We have a nice setup here and we agreed to
have it one way. Don’t fuck it up.”

Carter shoved back the chair. If Roger needed to have his
ass handed to him to be okay with it, Carter was willing.

Tom moved between them. “Cut it out. I like to see a good
fight as well as anyone, but that’s what pay-per-view is for.”

Roger glared at Carter. Carter glared back. Yeah, an
agreement was an agreement. And maybe things wouldn’t work out with Natalie
after all. But his instinct said it might—and that she was worth fighting for.

“The heart wants what the heart wants, Roger,” said Kyle
suddenly. “For a guy who knows all about psychology, you sure can be clueless
sometimes. Besides, you’re not going to stop him, so you’re damn stupid not to
take his deal.” He shoved his chair back. “I’m going to go work out some of my
issues on a girl who likes how I work them out. See you guys later.”

Everyone stared at Kyle as he walked out of the room and
headed toward the pool.

“All righty then,” said Tom. “Glad we worked that out. And
hell, maybe she can cook.” He clapped his hand to Roger’s back. “Come, let’s go
entertain ourselves with Rhonda. And when the week’s done we can go to Sydney
or L.A., your choice, and enjoy some variety while Carter figures himself out.”

Roger took a deep breath and nodded. “You’ve got yourself a
deal.” He glanced at Carter and shrugged. “You do too.” He walked past him and
headed out to the pool, with Tom following.

Carter waited for a moment and then shrugged and followed
the rest. He unfolded a lounge chair, stripped off his shirt and settled back.
He didn’t want to rush Natalie, but the pool was the best area to wait for her.

Soon, Kyle took Amber back into the house. For the serious
kind of play he probably had in mind, a slippery pool deck wasn’t the best place.
Roger and Tom picked up a squirming Rhonda and carried her off to the woods, no
doubt heading for the cove. He thought of chasing them, since they’d probably
encounter Natalie on the way, but he’d given them enough of a heads-up that he
doubted they’d be surprised by her snapping pictures of plants and insects. She
needed time to do her work, and he needed time to figure out what, exactly, she
meant to him.

Natalie was having trouble focusing. She’d have to make a
return trip at night, probably several, anyway. Hopefully he’d come with, and
keep an eye out for spiders. Now that she knew where the orchid was, however,
it was easy enough to recognize it even during the day. She’d snipped a closed
flower and put it in an air-tight bag for analysis later. Especially, she
wanted to know what chemicals were responsible for that musty old book scent,
and what the plant’s mechanism was for producing them. She’d taken pictures of
it from every angle, along with the eucalyptus whose branches it grew on and the
other plants around it. She’d spent an hour looking at the funny burrowing
caterpillars too, as they might be the same as the moths that were attracted to
the night-blooming orchid’s flower.

But increasingly, her thoughts turned to Carter instead.
When had a man, any man, distracted her from science? And the odd thing was, he
wasn’t trying to. He was leaving her alone, letting her do what she needed to
do. Maybe that was part of the attraction, actually, part of what made him
worth her interest. He respected her work and yet he wanted her submission. She
hadn’t expected that combination to be possible. On top of that he was very
nicely made, with six-pack abs and big, thick corded arms. And he knew what to
do with his cock.

She’d hidden things from him and he’d had to ferret them
out. He didn’t seem to hold it against her, but she wasn’t sure she’d forgiven
herself. Yes, she had her reasons. But it wasn’t a good start to a
relationship, was it? She wanted to start fresh with him.

Then there was the question of submission. She’d come here
to play at it. And now it filled her mind. She had thought a little kinky fun
might be a chance to step out of character, have an exotic joyride in someone
else’s shoes. But she had never felt more herself than when doing what he told
her to do.

She walked back toward the house, the camera swinging
heavily from her neck, flashlight and baggies of samples clutched in her hand.
She hadn’t realized how useful the flashlight would be, but even in daytime it
wasn’t bright in the jungle, and when the spot she wanted to look at was
beneath a shrub or even some particularly thick eucalyptus foliage, it could be
as dark as a moonlit night in Illinois. When she emerged from the jungle, the
intensity of the tropical sun had her blinking for a few minutes.

Carter was half-sitting, half-lying in a lounge chair at the
edge of the pool. His chest was bare but he had a hat pulled over his eyes. She
wondered if he was asleep. He looked so relaxed. There wasn’t anyone else
around. It was so quiet and peaceful without the sounds of civilization.

She put the flashlight and her samples down on a chair. She
took the camera off her neck and put it on top. She’d resolved not to care
whether there was an audience, but she was glad there wasn’t one. She didn’t
know what to do about the fact that he was asleep. And then she grinned.
I
think I know one way to wake him up so he won’t mind.

She moved in front of him and unbuttoned the shirt she wore.
His shirt was almost long enough on her to be a dress. She watched him
carefully, but he didn’t stir. She took the shirt off and then shimmied out of
her shorts.

She knelt down next to him and reached for his zipper.

“Hello, Natalie,” he said, tipping his hat back.

Well, looks like that won’t be necessary. Just as well.
She didn’t mind the idea of having his cock in her mouth one bit, but she
wasn’t really in the mood to lead. She’d rather do what he asked. “Hello,
Master,” she said.

“You’re naked.”

“You can put clothes on me if you want to, Master.” Every
time she said the word she felt more submissive. That, in turn, aroused her.
And being turned-on made her want to submit.

“That’s not going to happen. Not unless it’s absolutely
needed. It’s a sin to cover up a body like yours.”

Some people would call it protecting others’ eyesight.
But she didn’t say it. She didn’t even really believe it, she realized. She
felt too lovely in his presence.

“Get up off the tile, you’ll wreck your knees,” he ordered.
“Come sit on my lap instead. Straddle me.”

“Yes, Master.” She climbed up onto the lounge chair, not
entirely sure it could take both their weight. She noticed there was a hard
ridge in his pants now, and settled herself down overtop it. The fabric of his
jeans was rough against her delicate folds, but it was a good rough. And she
hoped he could feel how wet she was through them.

He grinned. “To what do I owe the pleasure of having a
beautiful woman take her clothes off and submit to me?”

She resisted the temptation to argue with him about
beautiful. “It’s what I want.” No, what she’d been feeling was stronger than
that. “It’s what I need.” That didn’t seem quite right either. It made her
sound weak, and she didn’t think she was. She’d done perfectly fine without
anything but the occasional fuck for a long time. She didn’t need anything. She
looked at him and shrugged.

He glanced at her breasts for a moment—apparently he liked
what the shrug did to them. After a moment he said, his voice soft, “Your mind
is still working away at that one, I can tell.”

“It’s what I am. At least when you’re around. I-I don’t
really want to find out if it’s what I am with anyone else, if that’s okay.”

He smiled, satisfied. Actually, he looked downright smug. “I
don’t intend to give you the opportunity.” He arched his hips, which dragged
denim across her pussy and made her lose her balance. She fell toward him, her
hands slamming against the lounge chair for support. The metal arms and legs
creaked in protest. His hand clasped her ass, hard enough to sting, and pushed
her against him.

“Master,” she sighed.

“You like the way that feels.”

She did. She wasn’t sure whether it was a statement or a
question, but she answered anyway with what were becoming her two favorite
words. “Yes, Master.”

“Show me how much you like it. Rub yourself against me.”

That sounded rather shameless. “I’d rather have your cock
inside me.” She wasn’t sure when fucking in broad daylight had become the
refined, dignified option. Sometime in the last ten seconds, she thought.

“But you’ll do as you’re told.” That wasn’t a question either.
She tensed. She hadn’t heard him sound so stern before, and her entire lifetime
had prepared her to rebel. Then she realized it was only because she wasn’t
sure she was brave enough. She wanted him to be in charge. She wanted him to
take her places she wouldn’t go on her own, to make her do things she wouldn’t
normally dare.

“Yes, Master,” she said, and felt the tension go out of her.
She shifted her weight so she was more stable and moved her hips, angling
herself so that her clit rubbed against his seam. He was very hard. She started
at the base of him and worked her way up, determined to take advantage of every
inch of his prodigious length. Her tits swayed heavily beneath her, their tips
especially eager for attention. He complied, his rough hands cupping her
breasts, his thumbs caressing her peaks.

She rubbed all the way back down again. Her pussy was on
fire. The fabric was almost too rough and yet it felt so good. She wasn’t sure
whether she’d come first or rub herself raw, but either way, she was determined
not to stop until he said so. And her bet was that she’d come.

She hoped he’d order her to. Slowly she inched herself back
up, making sure her clit never broke contact with his denim-covered cock.

“Fucking hell, girl, this is torture.”

She grinned. “For you and me both.” She didn’t mind
torturing him. She liked the idea of him aching with desire for her. She liked
the idea of him climaxing too. Above all, she liked it being his choice. As
long as she was involved. She didn’t want to have him doing it with any other
hussy. Or even jerking off, if she wasn’t watching. She wanted him, all of him.
She wondered how he’d take being told that.

He reached between them and pulled his zipper down, freeing
his cock. He pushed into her in one thrust, stretching and filling her. He
arched his hips. She moaned. For a moment she thought about how it all must
look, her naked, riding him; him with his jeans on, unzipped just enough to
fuck her. Shameless. But she didn’t feel shame, or even embarrassment. She didn’t
care if anyone was watching or not. She had a big handsome stud, and she was
proud of him. He was hers.