Seduction (Club Destiny) (15 page)

“I wondered
about it the last time we met. She’s been eating a lot more lately, not that
the woman obviously has to worry about that, but it’s not like her. And she’s
talked about not feeling well in the mornings.”

“Holy crap. That
makes perfect sense.”

“I wouldn’t say
anything to anyone just yet though. We’ll have to talk to her first.”

“Of course.” Sam
stated, glancing down at her menu and acting like nothing had happened. How did
the woman do that?

Ashleigh stared
at the words on the laminated sheet of paper in front of her and tried
desperately to keep her mind on the menu. Instead, she wanted to ask Sam a
question while the two of them were alone. Not that she wouldn’t have asked the
same question if Sierra had been there, but she was sort of leery of sharing
too much personal information with too many people.

When the
waitress stopped by and took their order, refilling their water glasses before
she left, Ashleigh conjured up the nerve.

“What’s it like
being with Logan?” And wow, that did
not
come out the right way.

Sam looked at
her with a cocked eyebrow as if trying to understand what she was getting at.

“Good grief. Not
like that.” Ashleigh smiled. “If I’d been using my eloquent gene, I would’ve
asked what it’s like to be in a relationship with a dominating man.”

Sam laughed. “I
was beginning to wonder about you there for a minute. I mean last week you were
asking about threesomes and this week about Logan.”

Ashleigh
blushed. Last week she
had been
asking about threesomes.

Since her
friends were obviously having way more sex than she was, she was trying to get
a better understanding of what goes on in their unique relationships.

Sierra was in a
permanent relationship with two men, and they all three shared one another
while Sam was married to Logan and they had recently invited Tag Murphy as a
third in their relationship. The ménage thing must have something going for it because
her friends seemed incredibly happy. All the time.

“When you say
dominating, I’m assuming you’re talking about in the bedroom.”

“Does it have to
be in the bedroom?” Ashleigh said with a sigh of disgust.

“Um...”

“Sorry. I didn’t
mean it like that. It’s just that Alex –“ Realizing what she was about to
reveal, Ashleigh closed her mouth tight.

“Holy shit.” Sam
squealed. “You did it, didn’t you?”

Ashleigh knew
her face was as red as the checkered squares in the ugly tablecloth on every table
in the restaurant, but she couldn’t stop herself.

“Tell me.” Sam
insisted, taking a sip of her water.

“Yes.” Ok, so
there it was. She’d admitted to her friend that she’d done the deed. Now she
just needed to get some perspective on how to fix it.

“And?”

“And what?”
Ashleigh asked, confused.

“How was it?”

“Off the charts
amazing.” That was the honest to God truth. Every time was better than the
last, their bodies were so in tune with one another, Ashleigh was convinced
they’d each been created with the other in mind.

It wasn’t that
the sex was lacking, it was the spontaneity. Ashleigh would never get enough of
Alex, but she wondered if they’d eventually get bored with one another.

“So why do I get
the impression there’s a
but
in there somewhere?”

“It’s just
that...” Ashleigh didn’t know how to say it.

“What? Is it
boring? Is Alex bad in bed?”

It was her turn
to laugh. “Hell no. He’s amazing. It’s the bed part that I’ve got a problem
with.”

“Is there
something wrong with his bed?”

“No. Not
necessarily.” There wasn’t anything wrong with the bed per se; it was the fact
that it was the only place he seemed to want to be when they had sex.

“Ok, spit it
out.” Sam said, sitting back in her chair and looking far too serious for the
conversation they were having.

“I think he’s
worried he’s going to break me when we have sex. At first, before the first
time, he was the same Alex I’ve always dreamed about. Commanding, dominating,
sexy as hell. And then bam! We have sex for the first time, and he’s treating
me like I’m blown glass and one wrong move and I’ll break into a million
pieces.”

“So that’s why
you wanted to know what it’s like with Logan.” Sam put two and two together.
“From the impressions I’ve always gotten from Alex, he’s pretty dominating
himself. Is that not the case?”

“That’s what I
thought too. That was part of my original attraction to him. I’m beginning to
think I have some misconceptions on what it means to be controlled.”

“I’ve read your books;
you’re certainly right on the money.” Sam smiled but then looked serious again.
“Did you tell him you were a virgin before you slept with him?”

“Um, no. But I
don’t think he had any problems figuring that out.”

“Ash, I think
it’s safe to say he’s just scared. He’s the only man you’ve ever been with. And
my guess, since he’s a member of the club, he’s got some pretty kinky
fantasies. He’s just worried that you won’t be able to handle it.”

Ashleigh was
immediately taken back to ten years earlier when Alex had all but told her that
exact same thing. “How do I make him realize I won’t break? I mean shit, he’s
read my books. He knows what I think about.”

Sam grinned that
sly grin of hers. “I think it’s time you showed him.”

It did not take
long for Ashleigh to come up with a plan. That was one of her specialties,
remember? Well, in order to execute the plan, she had to get Alex to show up at
her house. Since she was trying to make it a surprise, she left him a
voicemail, as cryptic as possible but getting to the point.

He needed to be
at her house. As soon as possible.

She’d been
sitting on the back deck enjoying the fairly warm February evening, again
working on her most recent novel when she heard his truck pull down the
driveway. When the butterflies erupted in her belly, she forced herself to
remain sitting where she was though that was nearly impossible, and the
trembling in her legs proved it.

The front door
was unlocked, so hopefully he would either come through the house, or walk
around the way he did before. She wasn’t sure what she would do if he didn’t
think she was home and decided to leave.

Too late to
worry about that now.

Ashleigh pulled
up the page she had worked on earlier, leaving it open on her laptop screen.
Thankfully it was dark outside, but again, that was in the plans as well. The
veil of night was needed for what she had in mind. After all, she was open to
adventure, not public indecency.

With her nerves
doing the jitterbug, she was now barely sitting on the edge of her chair. Where
was he?

Ashleigh hadn’t
seen him for the last couple of days – he was busy, she was busy... same ol’,
same ol’. However, they had made a point to talk to one another several times a
day. Which was why Ashleigh knew something was off with him, but he wasn’t
revealing his secrets and she wasn’t asking.

The sound of the
back door caught her attention, and she turned the computer so it was facing
her perfectly and she stared at it as though lost in thought.

When he
approached, she was aware of his intoxicating scent first, and she fought the
urge to squirm. Not long after she was assaulted by the delicious smell of him,
his big, warm hands were on her shoulders, gently kneading the muscles there.

“Mmmm...” There
was no way to hold back her groans of pleasure when he touched her. It was an
instinctive reaction.

“I got your
message.” He said, leaning down to place a kiss on her cheek and Ashleigh
stilled.

He would be able
to see the screen, which was the intention. Now she just prayed that he read
the words.

“What’re you
working on?” He asked, nuzzling her neck still, and Ashleigh lifted her hand to
hold his face close to hers because it felt too damn good. The slight bristle
of his five o’clock shadow, the warmth of his breath, and that delicious
cologne he favored were a heady combination.

“Just writing.”
She forced the words out, although she was now leaning her head to the side,
giving him better access to her neck.

When the
nuzzling stopped, Ashleigh held her breath, waiting for him to say more. But he
didn’t say anything, and the only give away was the way his hands tightened
slightly on her shoulders. She smiled. It was the reaction she hoped for.

Score.

Alex was
reading.

When he
approached, she was not expecting him, but in the same instance, his presence
made her body come to life. What was he doing there, she wondered. At that
moment, it didn’t matter why, as long as he was willing to continue touching
her like that.

Slipping his
hands inside her loose fitting shirt, he cupped her breasts, still standing
behind her, his arms hanging over her shoulders. She couldn’t see him, but for
some reason that only heightened the sensation because she could feel his
warmth, smell his unique scent, which overwhelmed her senses as it was.

Ashleigh didn’t
know how much Alex had read, but she knew he’d at least made it that far. His
hands slipped just inside her shirt – and yes, it was loose, and the top
buttons were open – palms down on her chest, easing beneath the lace of her
bra. It was erotic and stimulating, and felt so damn good that Ashleigh
couldn’t help but lean back into the chair, hoping he’d take the hint.

“Unbutton your
shirt,” Alex ordered.

Ashleigh didn’t
hesitate because she feared if she did, he’d take it as an excuse to tone it down
and this was exactly what she was looking for. It had all of the ingredients
for a hot, steamy encounter, and though she might have had to manipulate him to
get him here, it was happening, and that was all that mattered.

With a flick of
her fingers, Ashleigh had the remaining few buttons on her shirt undone, the
fabric hanging open. The computer monitor shining brightly allowed her to see
what he was doing. The only problem – that would also allow any curious
neighbors the ability to see as well. She briefly considered closing the
laptop, but then figured it would give Alex another reason to take this little
episode in the house and she refused to let that happen.

“Unhook your
bra.” Alex’s dark, sultry voice washed over her, caressing her skin and making
her nipples pucker. She flipped the clasp between her breasts and allowed the
cups to separate, freeing her breasts to the cool night air.

“So pretty,”
Alex whispered, his breath closer to her ear. “What happens next, Ashleigh?”

Oh God!
He should know
what happens next. It was right there on the screen. Wasn’t he going to read
it? Her head fell back against his chest when he pinched her nipples between
his thumbs and forefingers, rolling them gently.

“Read it to me.”
Alex continued to fondle her breasts, but that was as far as he was going and
according to what she had written, there was so much more they were supposed to
do to one another, right there on the deck.

His fingers
tweaked her nipple a little harder, making her cry out.

“Now.” He said
gruffly. “Tell me what they do next, baby.”

He was pushing
her.

Here she had
thought this would be simple, write a short erotic scene, let him read it, let
their passion take over, igniting a fire in the dark, and all would be right
again. Instead, Alex was going to push her, see how far she would go.

Fine. She could
do this.

Glancing down at
the screen, she picked up where she assumed he’d left off earlier, reading
aloud.

Delving his
fingers into her bra, he caressed her skin, lightly teasing her nipple...
Ok, they were
apparently past that part. Ashleigh skimmed down a paragraph.

As she removed
her shirt, allowing the cotton to fall to the chair beneath her, the cool night
air caressed her skin, but the contrasting heat from his hands made her moan.

“Take it off.”
He said gruffly, continuing to squeeze her breasts, a little harder than
before, making her moan and fight to get her shirt and bra off.

“Read it to me,
Ashleigh,” Alex leaned down, brushing his jaw against hers, “but, I expect you
to do everything you have written on that page.” He paused, nipping her neck
with his teeth, “Unless it’s a part for me.”

Nodding her
head, she was unable to find her voice. Here she was, sitting topless on her
back porch, the only light was that from her computer screen, but it lit up the
area enough that Ashleigh could see everything Alex was doing. But it wouldn’t
have mattered if she could see or not, the feel of his hands on her skin was
torturous. Her nipples were sensitive, her breasts swollen, but she needed
more.