Total pages in book: 148
Estimated words: 139606 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 698(@200wpm)___ 558(@250wpm)___ 465(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139606 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 698(@200wpm)___ 558(@250wpm)___ 465(@300wpm)
“Why?” Dare’s handsome face had gone a polite blank, but there was a wealth of ache in the question.
He really was a lovely man. Brian was a work of art, but Dare’s rugged masculinity actually called to her more. It was the difference in appreciating a painting and being drawn to a real person. “I don’t think you want to talk about this in front of the doorman, and I think I should walk away now.”
“If I stand here and let you talk as much as you like, will you tell me? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound harsh. I’m used to keeping things like this private.”
From everyone it seemed. “You’re not comfortable. I understand. The problem is I am. I am perfectly comfortable talking about sex and what I want out of it. I’m not ashamed of my needs, and I won’t apologize for them. I like some fairly rough D/s sex. I have a home club, and I’ve been to a couple of others. I’ve had three boyfriends over the years, though I only slept with two of them, and there was a guy back home I had a friends-with-benefits agreement with. So my body count is exactly three, though I’ve played with more tops than that. It doesn’t always involve sex. I recently came out of a relationship that ended poorly, and I thought it would be nice to have a fun night with a guy I’m attracted to. No strings attached, but I’ve learned that men who aren’t comfortable with themselves often throw that discomfort on their partners. So I’m not going to risk that.”
“What do you think I would do?”
“Oh, any number of things. Disrespect my boundaries. Hurt me more than I want to be hurt. Call me all sorts of names. Make me feel used because if I’m a whore, you don’t have to accept that the instincts you have are actually natural and okay. You can keep hating the instinct, but for a night you don’t have to hate yourself because you can hate me.”
He reached out and smoothed back her hair, an infinitely sad look coming over his face. “I would never think that, Tasha. Never. I’m sorry. This is a touchy subject for me. My ex-wife divorced me over it. I have gone to a club. There’s one in Toronto, and do not make a joke about polite Canadians. I assure you I can be nasty if I want to. If you want me to. Please come upstairs with me. I think if you don’t, I’ll regret it for a long time. I’ll honor your boundaries. Hell, I’ll keep it vanilla if you don’t trust me enough to play. Come up to my room and let me show you how good I can make you feel. Remind me how fucking good it can be when I’m not thinking about anything but how much pleasure I can give my partner.”
He was staring down at her, and she no longer had to wonder what the man looked like when he was focused on sex. Her breath caught in her chest, and she could feel her nipples go hard.
She was pretty sure no walk on the beach would ease the ache she suddenly felt. It was low in her pelvis, but also somewhere close to her heart. How long had it been since she’d felt this deep longing? It wouldn’t last for more than a night, but she wanted to sink herself into it, to revel in it and let herself float for a couple of hours. Submission could be like a drug, but the safe kind she could easily shake off when she needed to.
“That sounds like a right good offer,” the doorman said with a nod and a smile like they’d been talking about going to brunch and not upstairs to fuck like rabbits.
Or maybe both were just damn fine offers.
Dare’s cheeks were stained a light red, but he straightened up. “See, Tash, Giles here thinks you should.”
He was trying. She could reward that, but she needed him to understand a thing or two. “Fine. I’ll come upstairs with you, but you should understand that if you don’t treat me well, I know how to twist a man’s balls off and stuff them down his throat. Your dick and I can be friends or we can be something else.”
“Fuck, Tash. Why does that do something for me?” His hand was at the back of her head, fingers slipping in and lightly twisting.
Had he forgotten they were in public? She didn’t care. It honestly sent a thrill through her, and she didn’t mind the idea that she could make this man forget all his uptight ways. She could also answer his question honestly. “Because you need a sub you believe will speak up when you go too far. I’m that sub, Dare. I can take care of myself, and you if I need to. Don’t think your physical superiority will save you from me if I feel I’m in danger.”