nape. It might have been December, but
living in the Deep South, you never knew from one minute to the
next whether you'd be in a coat or shorts. She breathed deep,
detecting a hint of cinnamon, cloves, and leather. Soft music
played, sensual instrumental melodies that instantly had her
wanting to sway her hips to the seductive sounds. From a distance,
several whispered conversations filled the air.
"Dane, where are we?"
"Trust me, love. It will be worth
the wait. I assure you." The innuendo laced within his words sent a
shiver of anticipation down her spine and awakened her clit. What
in the hell was he up to? She barely recognized the man on her arm
tonight.
The soft tap of footsteps neared,
then stopped beside Dane.
"Sir, if you'll follow me. Your
accommodations are ready."
Accommodations?
A second later, they were moving again. Monica
held tight and followed, more than a little self-conscious of what
people must have thought of her walking in there with a red silk
scarf covering her eyes.
The jingle of keys alerted her that
they must be close to their room. Dane slowed to a stop, a door
latch clicked, and they moved forward once more.
"Now can I take this off?" Monica
touched the smooth cool surface of the material keeping her in the
dark.
Dane grasped her shoulders and
turned her around.
"Yes." His deep voice resonated at
her ear. Then his hands were at the back of her head, untying the
blindfold.
The silk fell away, and Monica
blinked against the sudden brightness of the room. It took a few
seconds for her vision to clear, then the warm colors around her
sharpened into focus.
"Oh. My. God." Monica took one
hesitant step, then another toward the extra-large king-size bed
filling the center of their "accommodations." She trailed her index
finger over the leather cuff secured to the headboard, directly
across from its twin on the other side. On the wall by the bed hung
a collection of items she'd only seen online, never in living
color: a couple of paddles, floggers, a ball gag, and various
masks.
Her heart pounded. Oh my God. The words
looped inside her head. Monica dropped her hand to the soft,
truffle-colored duvet draping the mattress. Never in her wildest
dreams would she have expected Dane to want to—want to— Not
after—
"Dane—?"
"Are you surprised?" He circled her
waist with his arms and pulled her against his chest.
"You could say that." She
nodded.
"Pleasantly surprised?" She didn't
miss the wistful tone in his voice. Her pulse skipped.
"Very," Monica
whispered.
"Good, because the night has only
begun."
Chapter Two
Monica closed the door to the
suite's bathroom and slumped against the wood. This was really
happening. He'd actually taken her to a fetish club. Who would have
ever thought? She sank her teeth into her lower lip, holding in her
squeal of delight. Her head fell back between her shoulders and
bumped the hollow surface. Something rattled behind her on the
door, reminding her of why she'd come in there in the first place:
she needed to change. Dane said he'd prearranged something for her
to wear.
She pivoted around and sucked in a
startled breath.
"Why, Mr. O'Laughlin. You have
definitely been holding out on me." She grinned.
The most gorgeous bloodred
thong and bra hung from a velvet-covered hanger on a hook, along
with a pair of snow-white, thigh-high fishnet stockings folded over
the horizontal rod. Monica removed the items, sauntered over to the
mirror, and held them up against herself for inspection. The color
popped against her milky-white skin and serve as a dramatic
contrast to her dark, shoulder-length auburn hair and green
eyes. Scandalous. The only word that could describe her reflection. Oh yes, this
was going to be a night she would never forget.
After several minutes and probably
a dozen or more rechecks in the mirror, Monica sashayed back into
the bedroom. The red six-inch stilettos left for her by the
dressing table were insane, but paired with her skimpy
Calvin Wade
Travis Simmons
Wendy S. Hales
Simon Kernick
P. D. James
Tamsen Parker
Marcelo Figueras
Gail Whitiker
Dan Gutman
Coleen Kwan