Playing for Real: Paolo's Playhouse, Book 5 (4 page)

She looked up at him, her gaze still a little glassy, but he knew she was rapidly recovering from her dive into sub space. “What?”

Instead of answering, he crossed the room, picked up her clothes and shoes and brought them over to her. “Let me help you.”

She gripped the white cup in her hands. “I don’t understand. We’re done?”

The man in him wanted to gather her in his arms and keep her there all night long. The dominant knew better. “Yes,” he said, keeping his voice low, steady. “We are done for tonight.”

Julianne set the cup down on the floor by her feet. “But what about you?”

He sat on the cushion beside her. “Julianne, every session will not include sexual intercourse. Tonight I wanted you to get used to the feel of the chains and my hands on your body. And to allow me to learn your responses and your needs.”

“Well, I need to take care of this for you.” She placed her hand over his rock hard erection. “We don’t have to fuck. I can…”

He grasped her wrist, wrapped his fingers tightly around it, stopping her before he actually gave in to temptation and let her fall to her knees and take care of his aching need. “I am in charge here, or have you forgotten?”

“No, sir.”

He felt a small burst of pride at the way she lowered her eyes and let her fingers go limp. Paolo lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingertips. “Thank you for your desire to obey me, even when you may not understand why. That pleases me more than you know.”

He could tell she was uneasy. His biggest struggle was going to be to train her to submit without thinking it to death. To obey without hesitation. To respond without worrying why.

The ironic part was that she had been getting there tonight. Losing that control she so desperately wanted to cling to with both hands.

But he’d lost control too. Forgot all about what he was supposed to be teaching her. Forgot about everything but the softness of her skin and the sound of her sighs. He thought of nothing but the sweet way she responded to his touch, the possessiveness that crawled inside him. The primitive instinct to claim her as his.

Nothing else had mattered.

Luckily, he had come to his senses before he’d torn off his clothes and thrust into her like some animal. He was already afraid he had pushed Julianne too hard. Too fast. Holly used to accuse him of that all the time.

But he didn’t want to think about his first submissive tonight.

Denying his orgasm was only fair. A way to punish himself for forgetting about his sub’s needs and only thinking of himself.

Soon they were back to her building, and he followed her up the long narrow staircase to her second floor apartment. The view of her long legs and swaying hips in front of him made his mouth water. Still… “You should live in a more modern building. Some place with better security. And an elevator so you do not have to climb these dangerous stairs.”

Julianne turned to face him at the landing. “Dangerous? They’re just stairs.”

And the thought of her falling or being accosted on the narrow, winding steps made his stomach turn. “You should have an elevator. You should have security cameras. A doorman. For your safety.”

She stared at him, then sighed. “I appreciate your concern for my safety, but I’ve lived here for five years. I feel perfectly safe.” She turned, crossed the landing and unlocked the door to her apartment. “Would you like to come in?”

He didn’t want to argue with her now. “Yes. We need to discuss a schedule.”

She closed the door behind them. “Schedule. Right. My workroom is back here.”

He followed her through a small but bright living room. The splashes of color she’d added showed her creativity. Her talent at making a statement with a few select details. The artist in him appreciated it.

Two bedrooms opened off the back of the space. The doors were open and he got a glimpse of a tiny, feminine bedroom before he stepped into Julianne’s crowded workroom.

How could she work in here? She must have taken the master bedroom for her workspace, but still there were so many things crammed in this room, there was barely room to work. Photographs, obviously finished projects, were tacked to a corkboard beside the door. He took a moment to study them and appreciate her talent even more.

She stood before a calendar, a large dry erase board that hung on one wall. “I have my appointments in my notebook and phone too, but I like seeing it all laid out like this,” she told him.

There were more open days than Paolo would have liked to see. How successful was Julianne’s business? He glanced her way and she must have known what he was thinking. “Just because there aren’t appointments up on the board doesn’t mean I don’t have things to do. I spend a lot of time here drawing up designs, researching products, working up budgets.” He glanced at the desk along the far wall.

“I understand.” He gestured to the calendar. “What does this mean for the time we can spend together? Can I assume that all the open times are available for my use?”

“No, but I usually keep evenings free unless I need to meet with a client.”

“But those appointments would be listed on the calendar, am I correct?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent. I want three evenings during the week for our play dates. Saturday nights for our dinner dates.”

“Four nights every week?”

“Yes.”

“No, Paolo. That’s too much.”

“Too much?” Seeing Julianne every day would not be too much as far as he was concerned.

“I had no idea you would expect to take that much of my time. I have a life, you know. Work.”

“I realize this, of course. If you remember, I want to show you how to weave this part of your life into the one you have made for yourself. You can do it. You can have it all.” He stepped closer, brushed at the frown lines between her brows with the pad of his thumb.

Julianne tilted her chin. “Play date on Wednesday. And dinner dates every other Saturday.”

She was being stubborn. Struggling for her control through their negotiations. He understood this, but it didn’t stop the hurt that stabbed his chest. “You will be happy with only one night together?” He swept her dark red hair away from her face, cupped her jaw. “One night a week to feed your need for bondage? One night a week for me to touch you and arouse you and bring your fantasies to life?”

“I…”

“I need more than that, Julianne. You need more than that.”

She nodded. “But how often will our sessions be like tonight?”

“What do you mean?”

“Binding me. Commanding me. But no sex with me.”

He took a deep breath before he answered because he wanted to give her everything she desired, whether it was the best thing for her or not. He told her the truth. “As often I wish it.”

“Oh.”

“I understand you are hesitant to believe that submission is what you need, but if you do not give it an honest chance, you will never know for certain. Do you understand what I am saying? A half-hearted attempt is not going to do either of us any good.”

“Yes. I know.” She swallowed, stepped away from his touch. “Can we start with two evenings, Monday and Wednesday, and then dates on Saturday?”

Paolo smiled. “Of course.” He pulled her back in close. “Monday is taken care of, is it not?” She nodded. “I will pick you up Wednesday. I am looking forward to our time together.”

She trembled. “Me too.”

He ached to kiss her, those moist lips were so tempting, but he knew if he gave in to a kiss, he would not leave without fucking her on that small bed with the flowered cover. He took a deep breath and released her. To take his mind off his raging erection, he said, “You need more space to do your work. You should have a true office, a real workspace instead of doing it all in a bedroom. You cannot be at your best in a crowded space like this.”

Julianne narrowed her eyes, crossed her arms. “My business is doing fine and I have had no problem doing my work here.”

“I can help you find a better space. Office space. Apartment space.”

“No.” She frowned. “I don’t want you doing that.”

Why was she being so stubborn? “But I can help you.”

“I don’t need your help. I know your big bad dominating personality makes you want to control everything, but my work is off limits. Understand?”

“Of course. I did not mean to upset you. I am only trying to help because I care about you.”

“I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for years. This is my business. This is my office. This is my space. My life. You have no say here, Paolo. You have my Monday and Wednesday nights. You have my body on those nights. That’s all.”

He already longed for so much more. “Julianne. Please. I am sorry. I will never interfere with your business, but you cannot expect me to keep my concerns to myself. I will not command you regarding your business. But friends help each other, do they not?”

“Is that what we are? Friends?”

“I hope we are. I like you, Julianne. Aside from the sex. Aside from the submission. I like the woman I am beginning to know. This is why I want to continue with the dinner dates also. I could find a willing submissive to play with at any club if that is all I wanted.”

She nodded. “I know.”

“Remember to shower and prepare yourself for our time together before I pick you up on Wednesday. You will be stripping again as soon as we reach the Playhouse, so I do not care what you wear as long as you can take it off quickly.”

“All right.”

“I have taken enough of your evening. I will see you Wednesday.”

Julianne walked him to the door. His hand was on the doorknob when she said, “Can I give you a goodnight kiss…sir?”

Paolo paused. It wasn’t a good idea. It was too tempting. But still he gathered her into his arms and lowered his mouth to hers. Her taste burst on his tongue like a fine wine. She intoxicated him.

He’d overstepped his boundaries tonight, he realized that, and he knew he couldn’t push her that way. She wasn’t a young girl like Holly had been, but Julianne was still new to BDSM.

His cock throbbed, a reminder of the way Julianne made him lose control. She pressed up against him in a blatant invitation to fuck her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he groaned into her mouth.

Without raising her lips from his, she slid her hands down to his fly and had started to loosen his belt before he realized what she was doing. Paolo fisted the hair at the nape of her neck and yanked her head back. Her eyes widened as she stared up at him.

“What are you doing?” He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to.

“I…I…” She dropped her hands to her sides and drew in a shaky breath. “Please. Let me take care of you.”

He leaned her back farther and she grasped his shoulders to keep her balance. “I have already told you more than once that we would not be doing any more tonight.”

“But why?”

“You must trust me to know what is right. I pushed you too hard tonight.”

“No.” Leave it to Julianne to argue, even in the awkward position in which he held her.

“It is my hope that someday you will accept what I say without asking why. All you need to know is that is the way I wish it. Do you understand?”

“I’m trying.”

Paolo brushed his lips over hers before he released his hold on her hair. He lifted her arms from his shoulders, held both her slender wrists with one hand and drew her away from him.

“Goodnight, Julianne,” he said, his voice rough. “I will see you Wednesday.”

“Please don’t pull back because you think I can’t take it,” she whispered, not seductively, more of a plea. “I can take whatever you want to give me. Let me show you that I can take more.”

“Wednesday.” He got out of there before he gave in to her plea.

Paolo didn’t feel like going home after he left Julianne in her small second floor walkup. He had Jack drop him off at his friend Ben’s place, Scandals, and let his driver go home to his wife. Paolo took a stool down at one end of the horseshoe-shaped bar and waited for Ben to finish serving a young couple at the other end who couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

He ran his hands over the smooth surface, but it wasn’t the polished wood Paolo felt, but Julianne’s soft skin beneath his fingers. Already he longed once again to tangle with the fire in her auburn hair, hear the throaty cries she’d made while she was spread over his lap.

“So how did your date go Saturday night?” Piper, Ben’s girlfriend and waitress, hopped up on the empty stool beside him.

He blinked, brought his mind back to the present. He gave Piper a quick hug. Since she and Ben had come to his Playhouse six months ago, he’d gotten to know and like the spunky blonde.

“We had a delicious dinner and a long talk.” No need to tell Piper that he and Julianne had negotiated their D/s relationship over their meal.

“Are you going to see her again?”

“I saw her again tonight.”

“You did?”

Ben appeared and tugged Piper across the bar for a quick kiss. “Are you bugging the customers?”