“I won’t.”
He frowned, reminding her of how he didn’t like to be kept waiting for anything. Well, tough. She wouldn’t be pushed into anything because of an ex’s suggestion. She liked Charles but didn’t want to see him any more than his occasional stop on the heart floor. Being a general surgeon, he didn’t have that many heart patients, but enough to ensure they still crossed paths at least once a week.
By the time her shift ended, Alessa was more than ready for the next day off. She just hoped she was as ready to accept Sean’s terms and dictates the next night.
AT FIVE MINUTES TO EIGHT, Alessa opted to park in the Hilton side lot and got out of her car on legs that wobbled in the black heels. She smoothed down the pink dress clinging to the shape of her full breasts before flaring out into a skirt around her knees. Getting dressed, she’d discovered she’d been right about the corset cups; they were only big enough to prop her breasts up, leaving her bare nipples to press against the thin material, the outline of each bump on her areolas clearly discernible. Her only saving grace was the loose, comfortable fit of the dress that didn’t mold to her waist and hips as she’d feared. Since there were no panties in the box with the rest of the ensemble, she could feel the brush of the dress against her butt as she walked, just enough to tantalize her already fired up senses even more.
The posh, downtown hotel with its doorman and valet parking out front was out of her league, but she tried not to let that show while crossing the marbled floor to the bank of elevators, keeping her face averted from the few people who mingled in the lobby. She hadn’t been this uncomfortable bared and tethered in the clubs. Maybe because there were so many others in similar straits she didn’t feel as if the focus was on her. By the time she rapped on room 752, she couldn’t say whether her rapid pulse and damp palms were due to embarrassment, uncertainty or excitement. Then Sean opened the door.
Oh, my. Wearing skintight leathers that molded to his thick, muscled thighs and taut buttocks, he appeared every inch a masterful Dom. The matching vest revealed an enticing patch of curly, black chest hair tapering in a narrow line to disappear inside his waistband. Her mouth went dry and her pussy spasmed when she imagined all that hard flesh pressing down on her.
A slow smile softened his face as he stepped back and beckoned her in. “Alessa. The dress fits, I see.”
“Yes, perfectly. Thank you.”
Entering the suite, she saw a small table set for two, and if it weren’t for their attire, she’d think this was a normal date. Sean crossed to a chair under the wide window and sat down then crooked his finger at her.
“Come here.”
That deep, commanding voice drew her like a magnet. A warm flush crept up her face when he eyed her breasts with cool appreciation and it took her a moment to remember he’d seen her naked from across the rooms at the clubs. He gripped her hips and pulled her between his spread thighs when she reached him, the warmth of his hands seeping through the dress.
“Are you wearing the corset?” he asked, his fingers going to the buttons at the scooped neckline.
“Yes. It’s the only reason I look halfway decent in this dress,” she quipped with a self-conscious laugh as his nimble fingers made short work of loosening the dress to just below her breasts.
On one hand, Alessa was grateful for the fast pace, which didn’t allow her time to fret over what he had planned. But on the other, she wished for time to adjust to seeing him in such different surroundings and different clothing than what she was used to. At the social functions with their mutual friends and in his office, he’d been dressed in casual slacks that fit his profile of a psychologist. Even though he’d mentioned seeing her at the clubs, she hadn’t seen him. The image of him as a strict Dom would now forever be imprinted in her mind, a picture she would be hard pressed not to respond to. Then again, she’d had trouble controlling her body’s reactions to just about every aspect of this man’s personality since dancing with him at the weddings.
His dark brows drew down in a frown as he spread the top of the dress open, tucking the sides in to hold them in place. “I dislike the way you put yourself down. Stop it. You don’t have anything to be ashamed of, and I like your figure.”
With his face just inches from her propped-up breasts, Alessa found it difficult to concentrate enough to decide if the warmth covering her face stemmed from his compliment or his heated gaze on her nakedness. A knock landed on the door and he ran one finger over her nipples before rising. His next order proved more difficult to obey when he cupped her shoulders and turned her around.
“Kneel and place your hands behind you.”
Sean waited for her to comply, those pewter eyes direct and calm. Alessa didn’t know if she sank to her knees before him because she wanted to obey him in the worst way or because she feared her legs would give out and she’d end up there anyway. He nodded, the flare of heat in his eyes going a long way in easing her tension. She held her breath as he padded to the door then released it on a whoosh when he blocked the room service employee’s view with his body. She wanted to prove to him she could do this, could give up complete control. The thought of the young waiter seeing her in this position, half undressed, didn’t concern her as much as failing right off the bat. A test? If so, she must have passed because he shut the door and turned to her with a smile.
“Come sit down, sweetheart. I’m starving.”
So was she, she realized, pushing to her feet. But she wasn’t sure if she wanted food or him. She hadn’t considered sex as part of this equation, but in this cozy room, with a king size bed just beyond an open door teasing her with images of the two of them sprawled naked on it, she found it difficult not to consider taking it that far.
After lifting the lids off the two covered dishes, Sean spooned a small serving of braised beef and one creamed chicken breast onto her plate. “Eat that, then we’ll have dessert.” Something of her instant annoyance at the way he hadn’t asked her preference then ordered her to eat must have shown on her face because he stated with a sarcastic drawl, “Problem?”
“Is this another test? You serving me without asking what I like or want then telling me to eat it?”
“You’re the one who said you wanted to give up total control, remember? Are we calling it quits? If so, we’ll enjoy this meal and I’ll walk you down.”
A cold chill puckered her nipples into even tighter pinpoints than his gaze on her. No, she didn’t want this to stop. If she were honest, she’d admit how nice it felt to have someone seeing to her nutritional needs. She couldn’t recall any of her foster parents caring enough to insist she ate what they set out. It was there if she wanted it was how they’d looked upon their responsibility toward feeding her.
“No, I’m sorry. You… just took me by surprise. No one’s… never mind.”
Taking his seat, he said, “Let’s continue our session with that cut-off remark. No one’s what?”
CHAPTER 7
Sean had thought long and hard over how to proceed with Alessa. He’d chosen to meet her at a hotel first because it was intimate without being personal like their homes. The yacht would have worked well for the scene he had planned, but there was always one or more of his friends using it on a Saturday night, or a play party planned with everyone, and she wasn’t ready to be stripped in front of their friends or to reveal their relationship yet. She put on a good front, but her self-esteem needed work. His job would be to build it up while giving her a good taste of what she claimed to want, all the while being careful not to let himself get sucked into longing for more from this relationship than was wise.
His own desire to demand complete control over a woman went beyond what most submissive play partners were looking for and was the reason he’d stayed away from committed relationships. In order to maintain that distance while tutoring her, he’d have to refrain from fucking her. As much as he’d been fantasizing about doing just that, he had his work cut out for him. In the meantime, it wouldn’t do
for him to continue to fuck others during their time together, which would be a first for him. But she might look at such actions as a betrayal, jeopardizing his end goal to build her up and show her what she thought she wanted wasn’t all that easy to actually do.
Alessa squirmed in her seat as he waited for an answer, keeping his gaze level on her. “No one’s what, Alessa?” he prodded when she toyed with her food without looking up.
“Must we discuss my past now? This is a bit awkward.” She waved toward the display of her up thrust breasts that kept drawing his eyes. The girl had an impressive rack, her pale pink nipples pointing at him, begging for attention.
He reached over and pinched one puckered bud hard enough to draw a wince of discomfort from her. “Yes. Now answer me.” Leaning back, he took a bite of beef, watching her.
“Fine,” she huffed with an exasperated breath. “Growing up, I was called when there was a meal ready. Whether I came to the table or not was left up to me. I’m not used to someone… insisting I eat what they put on a plate for me.”
Translation: No one bothered with her enough to care whether her nutritional needs were met or not. Damn, the system really had let her down. An ache formed in Sean’s chest when he imagined her as a child, hurting for attention.
“Thank you. That wasn’t so difficult, was it?”
“Not for you. You probably had parents who doted on you.” She bit into the chicken then closed her eyes as she chewed. Her face reflected her pleasure in the taste, the look close to the one she’d portrayed when he’d brought her to climax the other day. His cock jerked in response and it was his turn to squirm in his seat.