After Billy’s birth, she’d had another person to love, to take her mind off her loss and, God help her, she hadn’t cared about Jacques’ secret meetings or rooms he’d deemed off limits. She’d been content, if not happy, until Cassandra took off without an explanation. Thankful Jacques had finally trusted her enough to stay out of his office and stopped locking it a few years ago, she slipped inside the dark room, wincing as her gaze skimmed the desk they’d had sex on. Shoving aside that disturbing memory, she went by the meager light from the hallway to find her way to the small plant sitting on the windowsill and slipped the tiny listening device under it.
After making sure she returned the small pot to the same position, she hurried out of the room and back upstairs. Crawling into bed, one thought kept her from sleep. Cassandra, where are you?
The purr of the boat’s powerful engine rumbled to life beneath her, waking Sandie from another night of deep, uninterrupted sleep. Blinking against the bright swath of sunshine splashing across the bed from the small window, she marveled at the time on a wall clock. Almost noon, again. That meant she’d slept another twelve hours and reinforced the fact that her body needed more than two to three hours of fretful, interrupted sleep four weeks in a row. With luck, she was shoring up a little extra instead of just making up for what she’d lost. Since Zachary would head back to Miami tomorrow, she knew more sleepless nights loomed ahead of her.
Rolling over, she stretched, enjoying the decadent caress of soft sheets gliding over her bare skin. Indulging in outdoor sex and experiencing the new pleasures to be had from alternative practices she never dreamed she’d enjoy had made her more aware of her body and how far small touches could take her. She wondered what she’d miss the most; the sex or the man.
Sandie had seen another side of Zachary last night while listening to him talk about his friends as they played cards. She couldn’t miss the look of concern that crossed his face when he spoke of the doctor, the gleam in his eyes when he mentioned the animal lover or the caring in his tone when he told her about the group of boys who’d bonded as teens. Hearing about his obvious close relationship with the men made her miss her own friends and mother and brother even more. She ached to go home, step into her classroom and see the eager, smiling faces of her young students, hear Billy’s laugh and roll her eyes at her mother’s annoying, endearing naivety.
Instead, she’d be returning to life on the run, hiding and trying to keep one step ahead of the thugs Jacques had sent after her. Succumbing to the need to connect with her mother and making that one call had been a mistake, one she couldn’t afford to make again. Where she would go or what she would do now, she didn’t know. The only thing she knew for certain was she couldn’t keep on as she had been since fleeing Alabama. For one thing, her finances were pitifully low and finding a job while staying off her stepfather’s radar proved impossible.
Flinging back the covers, she jumped out of bed, determined to wring every ounce of pleasure out of the next day and a half of freedom as possible. She’d worry about her future, or lack of one, after that. Padding into the bathroom, she closed the door and looked at herself in the full-length mirror behind it. She’d never given her body much thought, but now tried to find something, some way to use what she had to lure Zachary back on board with granting her a few more sexual experiences to take with her when she left. His cold attitude after he’d chosen to eat dinner alone last night sent a clear message he was back to finding her presence more of a nuisance than a boon. But he’d lightened up over cards, and she was banking on that small thawing being enough to entice him into giving her a few more of those off the charts climaxes.
Not much she could do about her average size breasts and pale turned slightly pink skin, but as her gaze wandered down her abdomen and caught on the brown curls shielding her labia, she recalled what he’d said about ordering other women to shave for him. Now, that might catch his attention, she mused, but would she have the nerve to go through with it? That small patch of hair afforded her, and most women, an ounce of privacy from the most sensitive, secret part of their anatomy. Envisioning herself without it sent a warm flush up her neck to cover her face. If she could stand there and turn beet red just thinking about the vulnerable embarrassment she’d be subjecting herself to, what would happen if she were to go through with it?
“How bad do you want more from him?” she asked her reflection. Sifting her fingers through the curls, she stroked the middle one over her damp seam before nudging it inside. The tight clasp of her slick channel folding around the first knuckle was her answer, and she withdrew to rummage in the small drawer where she’d seen an unopened razor among other personal toiletries, like toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Before she lost her nerve, Sandie stepped into the shower and lathered herself neck to thighs then, with slow, careful strokes, rid herself of the pubic hair she’d had since she turned twelve. Refusing to look down or in the mirror when she finished, she dried off as fast as she could only to come up short at the myriad of sensations that consumed her from one brisk rub of the nubby towel over her newly bared flesh. A hot flash of goosebumps rose along her skin, tickling her senses as her sheath contracted with a gush of moisture and her pouty nipples went taut. Oh, God. If she turned that hot and bothered from a small touch, what would happen when she felt Zachary’s fingers or his mouth on such sensitive nerve endings new to direct contact?
“Only one way to find out,” she muttered under her breath before snatching her tee shirt off the bunk and slipping it on. The hem skimmed the top of her thighs, just covering her butt and now naked mound. Rushing out the door before she could change her mind about not wearing panties, Sandie made a quick stop into the kitchen for a much-needed boost of caffeine then dashed topside to brave the lion in his den. She’d just popped the last bite of toast into her mouth when the loud rapport of a rifle drew her up to the top deck where she found Zachary skeet shooting off the end.
The warm breeze coming in off the ocean wafted under her shirt, caressing her bare flesh with a soft, tantalizing brush. She shivered from the erotic sensation, never more aware of the most private part of her anatomy. With his back to her, Zachary didn’t see her come up onto the deck and she took a moment to get her spiraling arousal under control and to watch him unnoticed. With all his money, it still surprised her he seemed most comfortable wearing tee shirts with his khaki shorts. His back and shoulder muscles rippled as he raised his arms, aimed the rifle and pulled the trigger, his bullet shattering the clay disc to rain down into the ocean in a smattering of pieces. Braced with his long legs about a foot apart, he appeared at ease with the constant bobbing of the large boat, unlike her who still wobbled as she padded across the wide-open deck.
“Can I try?” she asked him, holding her breath when he stiffened before turning his head to look at her with a sardonic lift of one eyebrow.
Ignoring the instant leap of both his heart and his cock, Zach beckoned her over with one hand. “Sure. Come here and stand in front of me.”
Sandie breathed a sigh of relief, her body tingling in pleasure as she sidled in between him and the rail. As his thick arms came around her, she looked down and noticed a small lever by his right foot. “Is that what releases the discs?”
“Yes. I also have an automatic setting that’ll shoot them out at different intervals, according to the timing set. You ever shoot a rifle?”
“No, guns aren’t my thing.” With her butt pressed snugly against his groin and his wide chest bracing her back, she found it difficult to concentrate as he placed her hands in the right positions on the rifle. “But I’m game to try anything once.”
“I’ve noticed,” he returned, his voice a dry whisper above her head. “Lift it to your shoulder, yes, like that. When I release the disc, follow it with the end of the gun until you have a good bead on it. I’ll guide you with the first one.” Keeping his hands over hers, he pressed the lever and aimed the rifle with her, keeping a hold on the handle and trig
ger. “Now,” he ordered, pressing the trigger with her.
“Oops,” Sandie quipped as the untouched disc plopped into the water. “Missed it by that much.” She smiled up at him, her voice reflecting humor. She didn’t tell him her concentration and aim had been off due to being cocooned within his body. There was another sport she itched to switch to, one she knew she’d be better at, but even though the thick, rigid shape of his erection against her cheeks proved he wasn’t unaffected by her nearness, he didn’t seem inclined to act on it.
“Let’s try again.” Zach couldn’t believe they missed that shot, not with him assisting her aim. Even through his shorts, the softness of her ass cushioned his aching cock, igniting his lust. But he was just as determined today to keep from fucking her again, if only to prove he could set her aside as easily as he had every other woman who’d come before her. Lifting her arms, he tightened his hands again. “Follow, aim, pull. Ready?”
“Ready.”
This time their shot hit spot on and the disc exploded in mid-air followed by Sandie’s squeal of delight. Turning in his arms, he had to scramble to hold onto the rifle before it dropped into the swirling water below them when she let go in her enthusiasm. The press of her hands against his chest seared his skin even through his shirt, and he took a quick, hasty step back, away from a temptation he didn’t need or want. At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.
“Let me try it by myself. Please,” she cajoled, batting her eyes in a false, blatant flirtatious plea.
Spinning her back around, he gave in just so he wouldn’t have to look into those expressive green eyes. “Okay, but pay attention. Ready?”
“Ready.” Sandie followed the disc, aimed and fired, but missed. “One more,” she all but demanded. He started to question whether it was a determination to succeed at the sport or his blatant erection keeping her there.
“Okay, here goes.”
This time she nicked the clay disc enough to send it spinning and prompted her to ask for another. Her mouth curled in delight with the release of his deep sigh. He may not want her here, but he wasn’t sending her away either.
“One more, that’s it.”
Third time proved to be a charm as the disc shattered and once again drew a squeal from her as she spun around and thrust the rifle into his hands. “I did it!”
“Yes, you did. Now run along and leave me in peace,” he growled, holding out his arms to let her pass. Instead, her eyes lit with that wicked gleam he was coming to know too well, the look that meant she wanted something and wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Sandie.”
Ignoring his warning tone, Sandie slid her hands under his untucked shirt and skimmed her fingers over his thick pectorals. Keeping her eyes on his, she sifted through the curls until her fingers found the nubby outline of his nipples. His chest muscles tightened along with his jaw as he glared down at her.
“Come on, Zachary. Don’t be so cranky. It’s our last full day before you take us back.”
“This is going nowhere, Sandie, so let’s back off now. You’ve had your fun with me, and now I’m done,” he stated, his tone so cold it even made him wince. Before he caved to the guilt-stricken look on her face, he clasped her wrists and pulled her hands out from under his shirt. He could think much clearer and resist her much easier when she wasn’t touching him. “Be a good girl and go draw in your book.”
Sandie backed up a few steps, her mouth curving in a taunting smile. “Okay. You’re the Captain. I’ll just take this,” she flashed him her bare pussy, “and this,” she twisted and flipped her shirt up in the back, “and head to the front of your boat all by myself.”
A man could only take so much, at least that was the excuse he used to succumb to her verbal and physical taunt. Her flashes had been quick, but enough for him to catch an enticing glimpse of soft, bare flesh. Her laugh surprised him as much as her denuded folds and he took a menacing step toward her. With her pinkened face suffused with mirth that erased the hurt he’d caused a few minutes ago, she spun and skipped behind a lounge, putting it between them.
“Or, maybe I’ll go down to the kitchen and fix lunch before I go sunbathe on the back deck.”
Stalking her, he couldn’t help the small curl of his lips at her playful attitude and taunting quips. She’d been hard to resist from the moment he set eyes on her in his bed, and it had only been his irritation at her interruption of the solitude he had craved that kept him at arm’s length that first day. Wanting to prove to himself he could resist her seemed idiotic now as what difference would it make tomorrow when they parted ways since they’d never see each other again?
“Haven’t I shown you what happens to little girls who play with fire?”
“I’m not a little girl, and you’re not fire.” Filled with elation over his capitulation, some perverse part of Sandie couldn’t help taunting him further. She hadn’t been able to relax and have fun in so long, she wanted to stretch it out as long as possible. Even with her body humming in aroused awareness of the calculating look in his cobalt eyes, that glint that hinted he was pondering ways to torment her body, she couldn’t resist pushing him a little more before she bent to his will. Before she lost her nerve, she pulled her top off then whirled around and raced toward the other end of the deck. Whipping her head around, she laughed and shouted, “I changed my mind. I think I’ll go sit up front and draw like you said.”
Without hesitation, Zachary took off after her, his chuckles at her antics as she reached the bow and raced around the hot tub, mixed with her giggles before she took off again with another deliberate, provoking wrong term.
“I like the lounges in the rear better. I think I’ll head back there down the right side.”
Her bouncing, clenching buttocks proved too tempting to resist, as did her fun-loving, cock-teasing mood. By the time Zach caught up with her and hauled her wiggling, perspiration slick body against him, he too was hot and sweaty.
“I think you could use a cooling off.” Hauling her over to the showerhead he’d had installed right outside the covered outdoor kitchen, he flipped it on.
“What! Damn it, Zachary, that’s cold!” Sandie struggled in his grasp, laughing and shivering as the cool spray all but sizzled against her overheated skin. Thankfully, he cut his sadistic streak short and carried her back out into the sun seconds later. Her reprieve was short-lived however, because the next second she found herself bent over one thick arm, her butt held up, his hand descending with resounding force upon her damp buttocks. The sun blazing down added heat to the fire he built over her buttocks, a sizzling burn that spread to encompass her swelling sheath.
“You knew exactly where your little game would lead, didn’t you?”
“No, I just hoped,” she admitted, flipping him a cheeky grin that turned into a wince when he tormented her sit-spots next. “Ow!”
“Not so cocky now, are you?” Zach reddened the tops of her soft thighs then ended the first part of her punishment with a sharp whack in the middle of both cheeks that set them to bouncing. Lifting her, he clasped one hand and tugged her to the starboard side.
Sandie watched wide-eyed as he pulled a bar flush with the side of the covered top over the kitchen straight out, revealing a dangling chain with two attached cuffs. Before she could assimilate what it was for, he had her wrists enclosed in the lined manacles, leaving her arms stretched above her, her body strung taut as she hung suspended on vulnerable display.
“Where are you going?” she squealed in panic when he started to walk away.
Zachary spun about, cupped her face and held her still as he reassured her. “I’m just going to get something out of that chest.” He nodded to a built-in cabinet she hadn’t noticed before, just like she hadn’t seen the outdoor shower. “I’d never leave you bound alone, Sandie. Trust me on that.”
“Okay,” she breathed in relief then watched wide-eyed as he pulled a two-foot bar with more attached cuffs on each end from the cabinet. “What’re you going to
do with that?”
She could tell he fought back a laugh at the suspicion in her voice when he brought the spreader bar over and knelt in front of her. “Make part two of your punishment easier for me.”
“But, I thought the spanking was my punishment,” she complained as he made short work of spreading and immobilizing her legs with the contraption. Mortification and excitement fought against each other as she looked down at his mouth right in front of her gaping labia. His warm breath brushed across her exposed skin, a caress that elicited a gush of moisture she had no hope of hiding.
“The spanking was because I wanted to feel your hot, soft flesh under my hand again. This will be your punishment.” Gripping her hips, he licked up her seam then said, “Test time, baby. You don’t get to come until you pass.”
“Oh, God.”
Chapter 8
The stroke of Zachary’s tongue over flesh never touched before without the barrier of hair sent a frisson of pleasure rippling up through Sandie’s core. She held her breath, waiting for the next electric touch, but instead he used his mouth to pose a question.
“The front end of a boat is called what?”
“What? You’re serious?” she gasped when she realized he was testing her on nautical terms.
“You bet, baby.” Running one finger in a light caress over her folds, he gazed up at her with patience that set her teeth on edge. “Well, what’s your answer?”