bridge of her nose. Then they moved down to her jaw line, to her throat, to her shoulders. And, all the while, I studied her face, searching for clues about what was going on inside her head. Her sudden show of submission had taken me by surprise. It wasn’t what I’d been expecting. Not that I really knew what to expect at this point. The whole evening had been one surprise after another. About the only thing that wasn’t surprising me was my own response.
The dominant side of my nature was something I’d long ago recognized. I’d told her I was used to being the boss, and that was certainly true. But what I hadn’t said was that the trait had never been confined to business. Command was something that had always come naturally to me. I liked it, felt comfortable with it, was good at it. Wanted it.
In the bedroom, however, it was something I generally tried to suppress. Claire’s every action tonight was making that less and less possible.
Unable to completely resist the impulse, I slid my hands down her arms and took hold of her wrists. Claire gasped in surprise as I swept her arms up behind her head “Grab hold of the headboard,” I whispered against her ear. “Keep your eyes closed and don’t move again until I tell you to.”
I told myself I did it mainly to test her. But I might have been lying to myself. I might have done it purely for the thrill it gave me. In either case, I knew I was safe. At this point I could still pass it off as a joke, if I had to. As it turned out, however, no such subterfuge was necessary.
A red flush stained Claire’s cheeks as she twined her fingers willingly through the wrought iron bars. Then she held herself motionless, seeming scarcely to breathe.
Dick throbbing at the sight of her tightly curled fists, I stared at her uneasily. Just how badly were the events of the night affecting my judgment? On one hand, I knew this was what we both wanted. On the other... what the hell made me think I knew anything about what Claire might want? She was an actress! This could all be part of an act, couldn’t it? Maybe I was imagining things--seeing only what I wanted to see. Maybe Claire had intuited my needs and was merely playing along, humoring me.
I stroked my hands down her arms again, taking comfort in the shivers that coursed through her, from the tiny smile that played across her lips. She could be acting, I supposed, but why would she do that? What was in it for her? A laugh at my expense? If that was all she was after, she was taking the joke a little far.
Her closed eyes made me bolder than I might have been otherwise. Bold enough to tell her what I was thinking. “I guess it’s no secret how I feel about you,” I said as my hands moved slowly over the top of her slick, oil-coated chest, gently kneading the muscles there, trying to proceed as planned with her massage. “You must have known it all along.”
A slight frown creased Claire’s forehead. “I’m not sure I--Known what?”
“How big a fan I’ve always been. The fact that I’ve loved you for years. You knew that, right?”
“Oh.” Her lips quirked. “Well, you, um, did sort of mention being a fan when we met.” She opened her eyes and gazed at me steadily. “I hope you know that’s got nothing to do with why I’m here tonight, Mike. Much as I appreciate my fans, I really don’t go around sleeping with all of them, either, you know.”
“I certainly hope not,” I replied, dropping my gaze. It was insane, I know, but I couldn’t help feeling just a little bit jealous at the thought. Sure, she said that wasn’t the reason she was with me now, but how did I know for certain? How could I separate the woman from the actress? Maybe that was exactly why she was here. Sex with an adoring fan--that would have to be a gigantic boost to anyone’s ego. Who wouldn’t want that from time to time?
My hands swept outward along her chest, curving down and around her breasts and then in again over her
The dominant side of my nature was something I’d long ago recognized. I’d told her I was used to being the boss, and that was certainly true. But what I hadn’t said was that the trait had never been confined to business. Command was something that had always come naturally to me. I liked it, felt comfortable with it, was good at it. Wanted it.
In the bedroom, however, it was something I generally tried to suppress. Claire’s every action tonight was making that less and less possible.
Unable to completely resist the impulse, I slid my hands down her arms and took hold of her wrists. Claire gasped in surprise as I swept her arms up behind her head “Grab hold of the headboard,” I whispered against her ear. “Keep your eyes closed and don’t move again until I tell you to.”
I told myself I did it mainly to test her. But I might have been lying to myself. I might have done it purely for the thrill it gave me. In either case, I knew I was safe. At this point I could still pass it off as a joke, if I had to. As it turned out, however, no such subterfuge was necessary.
A red flush stained Claire’s cheeks as she twined her fingers willingly through the wrought iron bars. Then she held herself motionless, seeming scarcely to breathe.
Dick throbbing at the sight of her tightly curled fists, I stared at her uneasily. Just how badly were the events of the night affecting my judgment? On one hand, I knew this was what we both wanted. On the other... what the hell made me think I knew anything about what Claire might want? She was an actress! This could all be part of an act, couldn’t it? Maybe I was imagining things--seeing only what I wanted to see. Maybe Claire had intuited my needs and was merely playing along, humoring me.
I stroked my hands down her arms again, taking comfort in the shivers that coursed through her, from the tiny smile that played across her lips. She could be acting, I supposed, but why would she do that? What was in it for her? A laugh at my expense? If that was all she was after, she was taking the joke a little far.
Her closed eyes made me bolder than I might have been otherwise. Bold enough to tell her what I was thinking. “I guess it’s no secret how I feel about you,” I said as my hands moved slowly over the top of her slick, oil-coated chest, gently kneading the muscles there, trying to proceed as planned with her massage. “You must have known it all along.”
A slight frown creased Claire’s forehead. “I’m not sure I--Known what?”
“How big a fan I’ve always been. The fact that I’ve loved you for years. You knew that, right?”
“Oh.” Her lips quirked. “Well, you, um, did sort of mention being a fan when we met.” She opened her eyes and gazed at me steadily. “I hope you know that’s got nothing to do with why I’m here tonight, Mike. Much as I appreciate my fans, I really don’t go around sleeping with all of them, either, you know.”
“I certainly hope not,” I replied, dropping my gaze. It was insane, I know, but I couldn’t help feeling just a little bit jealous at the thought. Sure, she said that wasn’t the reason she was with me now, but how did I know for certain? How could I separate the woman from the actress? Maybe that was exactly why she was here. Sex with an adoring fan--that would have to be a gigantic boost to anyone’s ego. Who wouldn’t want that from time to time?
My hands swept outward along her chest, curving down and around her breasts and then in again over her
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