Show Me The Ropes ~ Lothario Series ~ Book 2 (22 page)

Richard eyed the hotel logo on the envelope. Besides her handwriting on the outside, he knew it was from Fallon. Had she seen him this morning? Is that why she left before he could get to her? Maybe she
had
come to see Thor and Charlotte before they left. He tipped the bellhop and sent him on his way, folding and pocketing the envelope as his assistant approached with a new stack of problems. Whatever Fallon had to say, it would have to wait.

More than once over the last few hours Richard wished Ryan was onboard. Sean, Ryan’s brother, did a good job of filling in, but Sean had his hands full with the ongoing unsolved incidents that continued to plague the
Lothario
. Richard hadn’t had any idea just how much of the day to day decisions Ryan had taken care of. The envelope remained in his back pocket, out of sight, but not forgotten. The new crop of passengers were streaming across the gangway when he went to his cabin and drew the envelope from his pocket.

He slid an index finger under the flap and tore the heavy paper. It held a note and one small gold key. He tilted the envelope on end and the key dropped into his palm. His cock went instantly hard. The key to the rope ensemble. His heart hammered in his chest as he stared at the small gold key. The note. He had to read the note. His fingers closed around the key and he flipped the note open with his thumb.

Richard,

I’m sorry. I was wrong to leave the way I did. I’m sending you the key. You can throw it overboard, or use it to set me free. Either way I am bound to you forever.

Love,

Fallon

He read it again. And again. Convinced it said what he thought it did, he checked the time. Still time to do what had to be done before the
Lothario
sailed, but just in case he called Sean and instructed him to delay the sailing as long as possible. Fallon had slipped from his grasp once, he wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. A few minutes later, he hailed a cab on the dock. Room #1201. He hoped it was suitable for what he had in mind.

The hotel was only a few blocks from the dock in the busy downtown area, but since it was Sunday, traffic was non-existent. It suited Richard just fine. He’d had three weeks to think about what he would do if she contacted him. Three weeks to think about the way they parted. He still didn’t know exactly what had gone wrong and probably never would, but he had one more chance to get it right. He prayed he wouldn’t fuck it up.

The elevator doors opened on her floor and Richard stepped out. This was it, the moment he’d hoped for. He took a cleansing breath and knocked on the door.

Fallon opened the door and he had to remind himself to breathe. Her exquisite body was criss-crossed with the gold ropes, her nipples clamped to stiff peaks.

“You came.” She stepped back, holding the door open for him. His feet moved of their own accord, propelling him inside. The door closed behind him.

“You knew I would.” He scanned the room, taking in the small seating area in one corner near the window, the low built-in dresser, and flat-screen television facing the king-size bed centered on the opposite wall. The short comforter exposed the legs of the bed frame. Twin wall lamps on either side of the headboard would serve his purpose well. He could make it work. He turned to her.

“I hoped. . . . ”

The vulnerability in her voice got to him, and for a second he considered reaching for her, holding her against him the way his body insisted he do, but sanity prevailed. He’d endured her walking away from him once. He couldn’t do it again.

“Why did you leave?”

“I was stupid.” Her voice cracked and she seemed to be studying her red-tipped toenails. “I jumped to conclusions without having the facts. I assumed the worst.”

“What changed?”

She looked at him then, her eyes reflecting the effort it took to admit she’d been wrong. Again, he fought the urge to kiss her senseless, to pluck the nipple clamps off and draw her engorged nipples into his mouth, to devour every inch of her.

“I saw Thor and Charlotte. They got married.”

“Yes, I know. Captain Whittier performed the ceremony. I was Eric’s best man. What does that have to do with you leaving?”

He listened to her explanation, hating that she’d been hurt by what she saw, but hurt she hadn’t given him the benefit of the doubt. Her voice broke more than once as she related the events of that night, seeing Charlotte throw herself at him, in gratitude he knew for introducing her to the ship’s
masseur
. The object of Charlotte’s affection had been off to the side watching indulgently as Charlotte thanked him. He supposed to someone across the room the scene could have been misconstrued. That didn’t diminish the hurt she’d caused him by leaving without explanation. She was coming back with him, today, but not before he made sure she understood his love was binding. Now and Forever.

“I made a mistake, Richard. I’m sorry.”

“That was it? You left because of that?”

“Not exactly.” Richard listened while she told him about seeing Crystal in the holding cell, and how, on top of seeing Charlotte kissing him, she’d jumped to conclusions. If only he’d insisted she tell him this weeks ago, they could have been together all this time. He understood how she could have misinterpreted the events, and he could forgive her for leaving, but he had to know where they stood now, how much of a commitment she was looking for. He knew what he wanted.

“What do you want from me?” He knew what he wanted from her, a lifetime together, but maybe she had something else in mind.

“I need you.”

“Lie on the bed, on your back.”

“Yes, Richard.”

She strode past him and he allowed himself to look at her. It was all he could do to not grab her, and shove her against the nearest flat surface and fuck her. It would satisfy both their needs, but wouldn’t be the reminder he knew she needed. Before he bound her to him for life, he needed to show her once again the freedom she would have if she chose to wear his ropes.

She read his mind, spreading her arms and legs wide for him. For a moment, he stood at the end of the bed staring at her. The labia ropes parted her folds, revealing the dampness of her arousal. She was wet for him. Her clamped breasts rose and fell with each labored breath. Her nipples puckered underneath. He knew the sound she would make when he removed the clamps and replaced them with his mouth. Knew how she would arch her back, offering herself to him.

He licked his lips and forced his eyes away from the candy on display. Soon. Soon he would taste her, every inch of her. Once she was free to express herself without hotel security banging on the door he would satisfy his cravings, and take her to the heights of passion as he did so.

He drew a hank of nylon rope from the small bag he brought with him. A tentative smile came to her lips and her eyes closed on a sigh. It was all the permission he needed. In a few minutes, he had her limbs secured. Her hips rose off the bed, an invitation he had every intention of accepting, soon. He placed one knee on the bed and braced his hands on either side of her head. Leaning down, he took her mouth in a possessive kiss. His tongue broke past her lips. He swept his tongue over hers and thrust deep. Soon she would close her soft lips around him. He knew what she could do with her tongue, and the thought made his erection turn from wood to stone.

He broke the kiss and left the bed before he forgot entirely what he planned to do. Her eyes popped open and she protested the loss with a groan. Her sweet tongue swept over her full bottom lip. He turned away and closed his eyes, steeling himself against her lure. He dragged a deep breath through flared nostrils and bent to his bag.

“Now, for the gag.” He pulled a small ball-gag from the bag and dangled it above her face. “We can’t have security interrupting us. This should allow you to express yourself without the neighbors calling the police.” He pulled the gag taunt between his hands. “Do you want me to gag you?”

“Yes, Richard.” Her voice was nothing more than a husky whisper that made his cock twitch.

“Open up then.” He slid the small ball between her lips and lifted her head to secure the back fastening. “Is that okay?”

She nodded and sighed against the hard rubber ball.

“Excellent.”

He stood at the end of the bed surveying the feast waiting for him. She was far from helpless. Bound by her wrists and ankles, she held more power over him than she knew. Her body sang to him, called him like a siren to the rocky shores of love. A crook of her finger in his direction, a lift of her hips, a sound from the slim column of her throat and he would be lost. Hell, he was lost already. She had him more tied up than any ropes he could use on her.

He’d had one week with her and three without her. In the week they’d spent together, he knew what it felt like to love beyond yourself. He knew the contentment of giving pleasure to the one you love. Before Fallon, he hadn’t known how satisfying it could be to be the instrument of someone else’s bliss. The first time he’d brought her to orgasm, asking nothing for himself, he’d become a different person.

Today, Fallon would give him physical release, but giving the same to her meant more to him. He’d gladly wear the cock cage the rest of his life if he could spend that time watching Fallon fly apart at his hands.

She clenched the muscles between her legs and a tiny bead of moisture squeezed from her vagina. Richard licked his lips and turned his back on the wet pink slit. He could smell her arousal, could all but taste her on his tongue.

He left her, knowing she expected him to make love to her. He took his time. He put the Do-Not-Disturb sign on the door before going into the small bathroom and closing the door.

* * * * *

Fallon tested her bindings. Richard had done a good job. She couldn’t move more than a few inches, not that she wanted to. She’d missed this. Richard understood her need, understood the irony of being bound in order to experience true sexual freedom. She squirmed, her hips moving in invitation. What was taking him so long? The nipple clamps she’d put on before she opened the door to him were becoming uncomfortable, but one touch from Richard would turn the pain to pleasure. She arched her back. The thin skin covering her breasts pulled tight bringing fresh pain to her nipples. She clamped her teeth against the ball-gag, swallowing hard.

The room was so quiet she could hear her own heartbeat growing erratic as anticipation built. If he didn’t come to her soon, she’d soak the bed with her juices. Her clit throbbed against the pearl clamp adorning it. She whimpered as the need to put pressure on the swollen bud intensified. What was he doing in there? Didn’t he know how desperate she was? She ground her hips against the bedspread, seeking fulfillment. She needed Richard. She needed him to touch her, to bring her to the mindless state of ecstasy only he was able to. She needed him to fill her. She closed her eyes and an image of his hard cock made her groan. She had to swallow hard as saliva pooled in her mouth. God, she wanted to take him in her mouth, but with the gag, it was impossible.

Tears of frustration streamed down her temples just as Richard stepped out of the bathroom.

* * * * *

He splashed cold water on his face then shut the tap off and listened. The sound of fabric shushing told him Fallon was testing her bonds. Christ he wanted to go out there and fuck her brains out. He would, he promised himself, after he saw to her needs. Not that fucking her brains out wouldn’t satisfy her needs, but she was capable of handling a great deal of passion. Just climbing on top of her and giving her a good ride would do the trick, but she deserved more. She deserved to be loved thoroughly, and she would be. When he finally got around to entering her, there was no way she would doubt his love for her.

Then he’d bind her to him for life.

Richard stripped off his clothes. As he removed each article, he folded it neatly and stacked it on the bathroom counter. When he was naked, he stood before the full-length mirror. His cock rose proudly from his manscaped groin like a warrior’s sword. He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. The breath whooshed out all at once and he wrapped his fingers around the doorknob, and went to her.

* * * * *

The bathroom door swished open. Fallon turned toward the sound. Blood rushed through her system. Air trapped in her lungs.

Richard skirted the bed and came to a stop close enough she could almost touch his naked thigh with the fingers of her left hand. Almost. He towered over her like a magnificent god, all bronzed skin dusted with dark hairs. If he didn’t touch her soon she thought she might die of frustration. The few minutes he’d been in the bathroom had felt like hours. Patience, never one of her virtues, failed her now.