The Dom's Dungeon (22 page)

She sighed
as the dawning need tightened like a noose around her, squeezing her into
urgency. She wanted to have sex with someone who cared and someone she cared
for. She needed to make all those memories of other men go away. Her hands slid
to his front, and she squeezed his growing cock until it stood erect.

He
chuckled and started to lift her up, and she realized he intended to put her
hips on the pool rim at a nice level for his mouth.

“No.” She
shook her head and gasped when his hand slid between her legs, finding her wet
already. “I want—I need you inside me. Now.” His finger slid over her clit, and
she whimpered at the surge in her blood. “Please. Sir?”

He set his
other hand against her face. “Do you realize how difficult it is to say no when
you call me that and look at me like this?” His hand tangled in her wet hair,
holding her for his kiss. His lips expertly teased hers, his tongue as
possessive as the finger that slid into her vagina. When her tongue entered his
mouth, and he sucked on it lightly, she moaned and pulled back. “Please, Sir?”

She moaned
again when he withdrew his finger from her pussy.

“All
right, then, little cat.”
When she made a move to straddle his legs, he
chuckled. “I don't think so. Stand up.” He pushed her to the side of the
Jacuzzi that lacked a seat. Grasping her hands, he placed them on the rim.
“Bend over.”

Her
fingers pressed into the cold, rough concrete. The rain hadn't stopped, and
cold drops splattered on her face and back.

Standing
behind her, Alex put his arms around her, and his hands closed over her
breasts. He played with her, lifting her breasts in his big hands, rubbing her
nipples with his thumbs until the peaks turned as hard as the cement under her
fingers.

Dammit
, she
wanted him inside now. She wanted to be engulfed by him, have him drown out her
memories so she could pretend no one else had ever touched her. She pushed back
and rubbed her bottom against his erection.

He
stilled, then bit her neck, his teeth pressing down on the muscle. She
remembered when just that had almost sent her over, but not tonight. Tonight
too many other things filled her head. That man had touched her. Her mouth had
been… She pushed back again, more frantically.

“What you
need and what you want aren't the same things,” he murmured in her ear, “but
you're going to get both tonight.” His warm breath made her shiver despite the
heat of the water.

He entered
her in one merciless thrust, lifting her to her toes. Filling her fully,
painfully. She cried out, and her hands clenched on the rim, abrading her
fingers. Cold rain sluiced over her shoulders and arms, which were out of the
steaming water. He thrust into her once again, and she pushed back.
Take me. Make me forget.

Suddenly
his hands slid lower to touch her intimately, and need sizzled through her,
shaking her control, entering her soul. She didn't want to feel anything that
deeply, not tonight. She started to straighten.

“Keep your
hands on the rim,” he growled. She froze.

Still
embedded in her, he pushed her legs apart until they gaped widely and she had
to hold the rim for balance. His hips pushed her forward, closer to the wall,
and then his hand covered her mound—her bare, hairless mound. The sensation was
startling. She wiggled up and down on his cock. “Move,” she whispered.

He ignored
her, anchoring her against him with the hand pressing against her pelvis. The
other hand touched something on the Jacuzzi's side. When he moved his hand away
from her mound, she realized what he'd done. A jet of water hit her directly on
her pussy, and the forceful streams of water felt like tiny fingers flickering
all over her clit and labia. She jumped and tried to move back.

“Don't
move, little cat,” he said, his hips keeping her in place. He secured her
further, one hand over her breast, the other right above her mound.

“I don't…”
The water demanded a response, and her clit tightened. “I don't want this,
Sir.”

“I know,
sweetheart. That's why I didn't give you a choice.” With a finger on each side
of her clit, he opened her labia, exposing her completely to the throbbing
water.

“
Uuuuh
,” she moaned, unable to move away from the barrage.

And then
he started to move inside her, his cock dragging over sensitive tissues,
wakening her nerves from inside. Each relentless thrust raised her up on her
toes and moved the water up and down her clit like stroking fingers. Inside
her, need grew, blossoming along her nerves. Her legs started to shake as her
vagina clamped tighter around him. She panted, breathing the cold, moist air
that warmed as their movements stirred the water. Tendrils of steam curled
around them.

Then his
thrusts changed to a forceful rhythm, one that overwhelmed her mind and her
emotions, leaving only sensation after sensation. Her clit engorged, growing
more and more sensitive, but she couldn't seem to go over. She balanced right
on the precipice until every breath came out a whimper.

With a
merciless grip, he pushed her closer to the jet, then twisted her hips back and
forth in front of the pulsing water. The stream of water hit her clit and then
was gone. He turned her back, and water pounded across her for a second. With
each twist, he shoved deeper inside her.

Nothing
could fight against that. Her clit tightened until it felt as if he'd clamped
it between his fingers, and then everything inside her uncoiled violently,
shooting pleasure through her in jagged, excruciating waves.

With a low
laugh, he slammed into her, keeping her spasms going and going, until his
fingers dug into her hips and his thick cock jerked inside her as if her orgasm
had compelled his.

Battered
inside and out, she leaned on her hands, realizing he must have pulled her back
from the jets when she came.

His hands
caressed her breasts as he kissed the side of her neck. She'd given him what he
wanted, but it seemed as if she'd given him her soul with that orgasm. Now her
defenses lay shattered, and she stood there, vulnerable. Exposed. When he
pulled out of her, she wanted to cry, but nothing remained inside her.

He didn't
try to talk. He simply lifted her up and out of the Jacuzzi and bundled her
into her robe. He actually carried her up the stairs to his room, dried her
gently, made her drink a glass of water, and pulled her into his arms, never
leaving her alone for a second. As she'd wanted, he engulfed her with his
presence and the sense of safety he carried with him.

She woke
once during the night, curled in a ball with her back against his chest. His
hand cupped her breast. Knowing he was asleep, she whispered, “Thank you.”

She was
shocked when he nuzzled the back of her neck and murmured, “My sub, my
pleasure.”

She fell
back asleep knowing how a kitten must feel in a pile of its brothers and
sisters.

The next
day, Mac drove Alex's spare car to downtown Seattle.

Lacking
the money to extend her lease, she'd returned her rental car. When Alex caught
her poring over maps of bus routes, he'd insisted she use his BMW. Stubborn
bastard.

Just like
Alex, the car both terrified and thrilled her. She shut the door and patted the
BMW's sleek hood. Unlike Alex, the car handled like a dream.

She looked
around at the wet streets and tall buildings. The gray day suited her mood
perfectly. A thin drizzle of rain plastered her hair to her face and dampened
her jeans as she strolled the streets.

Just as
the sun came out from behind the clouds, she discovered an odd little park that
spanned the freeway. There, she perched on a slab of concrete to eat the lunch
she'd bought and watch man-made waterfalls cascade over numerous blocks of
cement. The jubilant noise of the water almost drowned out that of the freeway.

As the sun
glistened off the wet bushes and warmed her shoulders, she sighed. Time to
decide what to do next. So many problems, so little time…

Meeting
Dickerson last night had pretty much screwed up her plans for living here. Just
thinking about him made her skin crawl. She studied the water, how it splashed
down and into the dark pools at the base of the blocks. Perhaps she should give
up on living in Seattle. Since she hadn't sold Jim's house, she could go back
to Oak Hollow and make some money, then choose a different city for her fresh
start. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she rested her chin on her knees.
That would solve the problem this time, but there was no guarantee this
wouldn't arise again. She had an unsavory past that apparently could surface at
any time. Wasn't that lovely?

If she
didn't leave…

She
breathed past the clenching in her stomach and tried to be logical.
C'mon, Mac. Use your head
. What could
the guy do, after all? Announce her previous occupation to the world? Publish
her past in the
Seattle Times?
Not
likely.

So
. He'd shaken her up a bit. She shook her head
and attempted a laugh through the tightness in her throat.
A bit?
He'd scared the shit out of her, made her sick, and now Alex
probably wondered if she didn't have a screw loose. But hey, she'd turned the
bastard down and gotten away. She deserved a major award for not having a
hysterical crying fit right there in the ballroom.

But
really, Dickerson couldn't do her any harm. And if, God forbid, she ran into
him again, she'd be a lot smoother about blowing him off. Her lips curled at
the phrase. Not blowing him, but blowing him
off.
Heh-heh
.

That's sick, Mac
. She shook her head and
grinned.
But okay, then. I'm staying
here.

She took a
bite of her sandwich. Tuna on sourdough and filled with so many veggies, she
had to squish it to get her mouth around it.

Next
problem.
The
BDSM stuff. Her body warmed as she remembered last night and how Alex had
controlled her, stripped her, taken her…and held her. His voice, his hands,
just his sheer authority, had kept her from any real protest.

Being
taken over like that was pretty scary…and pretty cool. Having Alex in control
meant she didn't need to be. Didn't need to think, didn't need to worry about
what to do or if she performed adequately; he'd make sure she did what he
wanted. Something about that kind of mastery seemed to turn her head off and
let her body just
feel
—at least so
far. So BDSM stuff could go into the “explore further” category.

What about Alex?
Just as the thought of the
other man had made her sick, the thought of Alex sent warmth through her and
gave her a little flutter in her stomach. Setting the sandwich down, she pulled
in a breath. Really, Alex was far scarier than the BDSM stuff. Everything he
did pulled her closer, bound her to him.

She wasn't
exactly fighting getting closer. Beyond just the sex, she liked him as a
person, liked his commitment to the little companies he helped start and to the
animals he considered in his care. His friends were diverse and honorable and
fun, and that said a lot about Alex right there. He had a temper—she remembered
his face when Steel had almost hit her—but he controlled it and not the
reverse. Majorly bossy…and protective and caring.

She
pressed a hand to her stomach.
Frak
, the man had
sucked her right into caring for him.

Before
they'd become lovers, she'd known she liked him more than was wise. And the
liking had deepened when she gave herself to him.

He could hurt me badly.

She rubbed
her hands over her face and sighed.
But
what in life doesn't hurt?
Losing Jim and Mary had devastated her, but even
if she'd known what would happen, she wouldn't have given up her time with
them. Taking care of animals had taught her that. To live without the little
fur balls was unthinkable, even when you knew their lives were so much shorter
than your own.

And so it
would be with Alex. He didn't want a real relationship. He was ritzy and rich
and way out of her class. So she already knew the ending to this journey. But
being with him was worth it.

She'd walk
the path until she reached the end.

* * * * *

Alex
jotted down another note.
If the
bookstore added some
—The phone rang. He reached across his desk and picked
it up. “Fontaine.”
Maybe specializing in—

“Excuse
me.” A tenor voice. “I was given this number to contact
MacKensie
Taylor.”

Alex
glanced at the caller ID and paused. A Midwest area code.
Oak Hollow Veterinary Clinic
. Well, now… “This is where she's
staying,” he said. “Did she used to work with you?”

“Well, no.
Yes.” The man gave an exasperated laugh. “She worked for Jim, the previous
owner of the clinic, and came in to help out now and then when I got
overloaded. Can I leave a message for her?”