Stripped (6 page)

I
drove home with the window down, pushing the speed limit, the wind in my hair.
I felt alive, reckless.

Chase
answered his cell on the first ring. After he was assured I was home, safe and
sound, he asked if I wanted to go on a road trip with him on the weekend. There
was a horse he was interested in buying a couple hours north of his ranch. We
would leave on Saturday; ride up early to see the horse and then take a
leisurely ride back, enjoying the day and the countryside.

I
thought it sounded like a wonderful idea. Chase suggested I come up Friday
after work and we could get an early start on Saturday.

“But
what about the club?”

“This
is why they invented assistant managers. Stacy will be there; she’s my right
hand in most things club related. No one gives Stacy any problems; she’s
tougher on staff and guests than I ever am. It’ll be in good hands for the
weekend.”

***

The
week dragged. I had lunch with Leslie on Wednesday, feeding her seemingly
insatiable desire for details about my sex life. She was alternately fascinated
and horrified by my encounter with Chase in the parking lot.

“Abby!
Really? How cool…and weird. He made you give him a blow job in the parking
lot?” We were at the sushi place, a plate of California rolls in front of us.

“No,
not made me…not really. He was forceful, but he didn’t force me. There’s a
difference.” I speared a roll with a chopstick, dunking it in tamari sauce,
coaxing a blob of wasabi onto the roll.

“There
is? Well, okay. Semantics I guess. When are you seeing him next?”

I
told her about the weekend road trip to see the horse. She laughed.

“You
hate big animals. They scare you.”

“I
know, but I’m not riding the horse. I’m just looking at it, not buying it.”

“When’s
Jake coming back?”

I
shrugged, pretended to be busy with my wasabi, pushing a tiny green bit around
on my plate. There was a pang of guilt mixed in with my excitement over Chase.
Leslie picked up on that right away.

“Don’t
you like Jake anymore? I thought you and he had some type of mystical
relationship there that transcended logic or something.” She took a sip of tea,
watching me through the curling steam.

“I
like Jake just fine.” I realized I was fidgeting in my chair. “It’s
complicated.”

Leslie
laughed. “That’s a Facebook status update, Abby. Spill it, what’s really going
on?”

I
sighed, looking up at her. “Jake and I don’t have a traditional boyfriend,
girlfriend relationship. It’s a no-strings-attached relationship, by mutual
agreement.” I laid my chopsticks across my plate.

“Neither
one of us wanted any romantic involvement.”

“Yeah,
but Jake already broke that rule, by telling you he loved you, right? So now
what, are all bets off? Did you dump him because of that? And does Chase fit in
with all of this? Do they know about each other?”

Trust
Leslie to get right into the nuts and bolts of things.

“I
care about Jake; he’s my dominant. That relationship I want to continue. His
professed love for me is his responsibility. He knows how I feel, or don’t
feel. And as far as he’s told me, he’s okay with that.”

I
took a deep breath. “Chase, well, Chase is the complication. He’s wild,
unpredictable…and I like that. A lot.”

“And?
You’re avoiding that one last question, Abby. Do they know you’re seeing the
other?”

“Chase
knows about Jake, of course. He knows the whole relationship.” I poked at
another roll, dissecting it with a chopstick.

“And
by your continued avoidance, I bet Jake doesn’t know about Chase, does he?”

There
was a glint in Leslie’s eyes. She knew the answer, but she was going to goad me
into saying it.

“No, Jake
doesn’t know about Chase. Not that I’m seeing him outside the club…or in the
club.” I cringed. It sounded bad, even though I knew it wasn’t. That twinge of
guilt came back.

“I
don’t know how you’re managing to do this, keep these two guys straight, not
get things all mixed up.”

I
winced. “Well, Jake’s been out of town, so it hasn’t been all that difficult.
And I really don’t know when he’s coming back. He’s never given me a date.”

***

I
left work early on Friday, driving straight to Chase’s ranch. I’d packed a bag
before I left work. And planning ahead, I’d bought the cat an automated feeder
and watering gizmo and pronounced myself guilt free in regards to him and his
care for the next few days.

I got
to the ranch a little after dark. The porch lights were on, and the house
looked warm and inviting. Chase was out the door and down the porch steps
before I was out of the car.

“Welcome.
How was the drive? You made good time.” He had me against him, arms around me,
kissing me before I had a chance to even answer.

He
took my bag from the car, leading me up to the master bedroom. “You’ll bunk
with me, if that’s okay with you.” He winked.

I
laughed. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Are
you hungry? Rachel’s left some of her rosemary chicken and mixed vegetable
something or other. I don’t know what it’s really called, but it’s excellent.”

Chase
served me another amazing plate of food, complete with cherry cobbler for
dessert. After we finished, he took me out to the back porch. There was only
one soft light burning, casting shadows over the rough-hewn log siding. He took
me down to the end of the porch, to a swing suspended by chains from the
ceiling. We sat for a long time, nursing the beer we’d brought, swinging slowly
back and forth. Eventually Chase spoke.

“I
love this place at night. It’s quiet, except for the crickets. But even those
are better than cars and trucks and city noises. I may have wanted to run away
from this all, but I’m a country boy at heart.”

I
took a swallow of my beer. “I’m always amazed by how dark it is away from the
city. You never get this kind of dark with city lights.”

He
laughed softly. “This kind of dark? Is there another kind of dark where you
come from?”

I
tried kicking his leg but only managed to set the swing moving in an elliptical
arc. Chase toed the porch floor with his boot, slowing the movement, setting us
on a smooth course once again.

“You
know what I mean. It’s never dark in the city. There’s always light coming from
somewhere.”

Chase
chuckled, taking another swig of his beer.

“I’m
glad you decided to come out for the road trip.”

He
wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me against him. His lips followed,
softly caressing my neck, up to my ear, his tongue tracing lightly over my
skin. Hands followed, gently moving over my body, leaving trails of heat along
my skin.

After
a time he rose, silently taking my hand and leading me through the darkened
house, up the stairs to his room. With gentle fingers he undid the buttons on
my blouse, slowly pulling it away from my body. He bent his head to my breasts,
his lips brushing across the round fullness. 

I
watched as he moved from one breast to the other, his hands sliding around to
my back, expertly undoing the clasp of my bra. He pulled it away, nuzzling my
exposed skin, rubbing his cheek slowly against each, raining soft kisses over
them.

My
fingers threaded through his hair, holding him against me, breathing in his
scent; smelling faintly of leather and hay, spicy and wild. And totally
arousing. I felt that deep throbbing start low in my body, my breath going
shallow, heart beating faster.

Chase
lifted his head, taking my lips in a deep kiss, slow and passionate, his tongue
lingering in my mouth. I responded to his slowness, his gentleness, surprised
by this side of him.

He
guided me toward the bed, shedding his shirt along the way, his fingers undoing
the snap and zipper of our jeans, sliding them down my legs before removing
his.

“No
buttons on the floor tonight?” I looked at him in the low light of the single
lamp in the room, his face soft, his eyes hooded.

His
laugh was a gentle rumble. “It’s early. We have all night and I want this night
to last, to be one you’ll remember.”

Chase
pulled the covers back on the bed, slowly lowering me down onto the cool
sheets, stretching out alongside me.

And
he was good to his word. We spent hours slowly exploring each other’s bodies
with fingertips and hands, lips and tongues. Chase spent what seemed like hours
kissing my breasts, tracing circles on my skin with his fingers and tongue,
sucking my nipples until they were hard, until I was arching up against his
mouth.

I ran
my hands down his chest and over his flat stomach, the muscles rippling beneath
my fingers. My hand brushed against the head of his cock, eliciting a low groan
from Chase. I held his cock in my hand, rhythmically squeezing and releasing
him, moving down from time to time to fondle his balls, rolling them slowly
between my fingers.

We
were moving against each other, hot bodies barely touching but that touch just
enough to light a searing fire inside of me.

By
the time Chase took me, I was ready, my senses heightened from his prolonged
attention to my body. I was almost vibrating at a high pitch, but my limbs
languid and slow moving.

He
entered me slowly, his first thrust filling me completely, making me draw in a
long breath, exhaling in a soft gasp. In the dim light, as he held himself
above me, I watched his face, the wild edge in his eyes I’d come to expect
softened, mellowed.

Our
bodies moved as one, long slow strokes from Chase, as I rocked my hips up to
meet him. This pace carried us for a long time, fueled by passionate kisses
claiming my mouth and Chase’s renewed attention to my breasts, sucking them
greedily now as he thrust into me.

Chase
lifted his head, holding my face between his hands. His eyes traveled over my
face, the curve of my lips, taking everything in.

“You
are one beautiful woman, Abby. I’m so damned lucky to have found you.” He
kissed me again, his body moving faster, his thrusts harder.

We
built to a crescendo quickly, desire flooding through me, my body no longer
languid, but insistent, wanting more, the intensity of our movements
increasing.

Chase
broke away from my mouth with a gasp, burying his head in my shoulder, his
breath rasping in my ear. I ran my hands over his back, feeling the muscles taut
beneath his skin as he thrust into me.

When
I came it was with a force that surprised me, took my breath away, made me arch
up against Chase in a silent scream. He lifted his head, watching me, taking in
every nuance of pleasure that passed across my face. When I finally took a deep
ragged breath, I heard him exhale, as if he were holding his breath with me.

In
that exhalation, I felt him release, felt the pounding and pulsing of his cock
as he came inside me. His next breath was a cry of pleasure mixed with
something dark, the wild side of Chase coming out in the end. He pounded into
me feverishly for several seconds, his body taking control, hips lost to his
control in that delicious dance.

I
wondered if that felt like subspace for him, that uncontrollable thrusting,
that moment of release when there was no more holding back, just leaping
forward.

We
relaxed slowly, letting our bodies adjust, shifting arms and legs, like water
finding its own level. I was on the verge of sleep, Chase’s arms wrapped tight
around me, my back nestled against his chest, when he spoke.

“I
really like that you’re here, Abby.” His voice was dreamy and I wasn’t sure if
he was on the edge of sleep.

“I
like being here too. It’s nicer than driving up early in the morning.” I snuggled
closer.

“No,
I meant I like having you here, period,” he murmured into my hair. “You should
be here all the time.”

I
shifted in his arms, suddenly awake. But Chase was already asleep.
 That
was just a random thought, on the edge of sleep.

But
it was a long time before I fell asleep.

***

It
was pitch black in the bedroom when the alarm went off. Chase stirred beside
me, fumbling briefly with the alarm before collapsing back onto the bed. I
burrowed under the covers, curling up next to his chest. He wrapped one arm
around my shoulders, pulling me close.

“Don’t
get too comfortable. We need to leave as soon as it’s light. I want to get to
the Paradise Ranch early, before anyone else gets a look at this filly. She’s
supposed to be something special.”

Eventually
I managed to get out of bed, after much cajoling from Chase. I’d have preferred
another long session of love making, but he was insistent that we needed to get
going. I decided if there were horses involved, he was impossible to derail.