LATE NIGHT COMMUTE An Ellora’s Cave publication written by LOIS BONDE MS Reader (LIT) ISBN # 1-84360-642-9 Other available formats (no ISBNs are assigned): Adobe (PDF), Rocketbook (RB), Mobipocket (PRC) & HTML © Copyright Lois Bonde, 2003. All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave. Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc. USA Ellora's Cave Ltd, UK This e-book may not be reproduced in whole or in part by email forwarding, copying, fax, or any other mode of communication without author/publisher permission.
Edited by Marty Klopfenstein Cover Art by Scott Carpenter
Certain images contained within this e-book have been digitally marked by Digimarc Corp. If you purchased this e-book from a source other than Ellora's Cave or one of its known affiliates, contact
[email protected] immediately. Please note that reading this e-book without first purchasing it through legitimate means is illegal and can result in heavy fines. As always, our authors thank-you for your support and patronage. Warning: The following material contains strong sexual content meant for mature readers. LATE NIGHT COMMUTE has been rated E-rotic, erotic, by three individual reviewers. We strongly suggest storing this electronic file in a place where young readers not meant to view this ebook are unlikely to happen upon it. That said, enjoy…
Lois Bonde
Chapter One "Damn," Karli Blake mumbled when she looked up after hours of intense concentration on a report she was compiling. Her word echoed in the deserted office. Quitting time had long since passed and she hadn't even noticed. Her breathing rate increased as she realized she was alone. Just to be certain, she rose to look over the gray metal office partitions. Yes, her desk lamp was the only one still burning in the cubicles around her. The huge florescent lights on the ceiling had been turned off except for the low-level ones that stayed on all night lighting the walkways between the cubicles. She shook her head. She hadn't even been aware when they turned the others off. "Double damn," she said loudly now that here was no one to hear her. She shoved her chair under the desk and held on to the back as she rotated her head to relieve the tension in her neck muscles. It shouldn't take long to get out of here now that I'm done, she thought. She slipped her completed report into an envelope and slipped it under her boss's door where he would see it first thing in the morning. Returning to her desk, she tidied it up with as much speed as she could muster. She hated working late, especially on a weeknight when she wouldn't have the comfort and safety in numbers of her fellow commuters traveling at the same time.
Why did the report have to be finished on this particular night, she
wondered? Whatever the reason, she'd made her choice. She'd decided at noon to finish up at the office rather than take the work home and spoil the big night she'd planned. Tonight was going to be special and she didn't want anything to ruin it. Yes, dinner tonight would be outstanding. She was hungry already, just
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thinking about it. She'd splurged on filet mignon and had even bought the fresh vegetables that she never seemed to have time for anymore. On any other night she might be tempted to throw a box of frozen ones into the microwave but not for this dinner. She was going to sauté fresh green beans in a little olive oil and soy sauce. That should complement the herbed steak and rice pilaf she'd decided to serve. Dessert would be simple for lack of freezer space—not to mention the time needed to bake anything in advance. Crème de cacao over French vanilla ice cream would have to do. She locked her desk and frowned as she realized the time—which meant walking down the dark, and dangerous street. Two years on the job and she was still frightened when walking from the office to the subway entrance. That was a big drawback to working and living in the city. Waiting on the subway platform, she sometimes wondered if it was worth the bigger salary and easy access to cultural events the city offered.
She loved her job, though, even with the
occasional rush on a report or two. So far the job and money had outweighed the possibility of danger. Of course, so far, no one had really bothered her. No sense worrying about something that the odds were against ever happening anyway. Or so she wanted to believe. Her burgundy wool suit jacket had been hanging from the back of her chair most of the afternoon. She picked it up and shook it out. The lapels looked droopy, but no one would notice with it under her navy overcoat. She reached for that from the coat hook by the entrance to her cubical and pulled it on. She buttoned it up quickly. After slipping her fingers into the snugly fitting rings that held her apartment and mailbox keys, she pulled on the black leather gloves that matched her purse. She always clutched the keys in her fist inside her gloves. She'd picked up the habit a year ago when Shelly, the general secretary in her office, had her purse snatched in a public parking lot. The thief used her keys that night to empty her apartment of everything valuable. 5
Fortunately, Shelly had been
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waiting at a friend's house until her landlord could change the lock. The incident could have been worse than losing some easily replaced electronic equipment. Karli was confident a mugger wouldn't get her keys without taking the time to find them and pull them off her fingers. She could cancel her credit cards easily enough, but getting the locks changed in the city took time she might not have. She prided herself in thinking ahead about everything. She pictured "worstcase scenarios" to think about what she would do. Her boss loved this ability because she could always plan ahead to what might come down the line. There were a few things—terrible things—that she didn't like to think about. Things like stalking, or assault, or worse. She took what precautions she could, tried to be aware of her surroundings, and would have to play the rest by ear. With one last glance to see if she'd forgotten anything in the office, she clutched the shoulder straps of her slender leather briefcase and purse to her chest, and crossed the hall to the elevator. Before she could approach the call button, one of the two elevators clanged loudly in the deserted building as it started into motion somewhere below her floor. Her company rented space in an old building and she thought the elevators always sounded more like freight elevators than people ones. They clanged and banged and groaned their way up and down. It didn't seem nearly as noisy during the day as it did now at night. Immediately, her mind produced an image of some unsavory character coming up on the moving car to accost her. Taking a deep breath and chiding herself for an over-active imagination, she pressed the call button and stepped back a few steps to give herself more options if someone was actually on the elevator. No sense acting stupid. The elevator in motion hummed past her floor and stopped at a level above. She released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Get a grip!" she told herself out loud. "You're acting paranoid."
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After the door grated open and closed, it soon groaned into motion again, heading down to her floor. She stayed back from the doors and waited for them to open. Empty. Good. She quickly stepped in and pressed the lobby button and then the button to immediately close the doors. She would have liked to lean against the side of the elevator and relax, but that wasn't possible this hour. A woman alone in this city had to be wary every minute. As the doors opened on the main floor, Karli glanced in both directions as she stepped onto the marble floor. The click of her sturdy heels punctuated the silence as she headed past the unmanned security desk toward the entrance door. She stopped and looked down at her feet. In her hurry to leave, she'd forgotten to change into tennies and socks. She preferred them for comfort and speed in all her walking to and from the office. Deciding to go back up and change shoes, Karli turned to reenter the elevator. As she turned, however, the doors clanged shut as it started up to answer another call. "Evening, ma'am." Jumpy as a drop of water on a hot griddle, Karli gasped and whirled around. Her purse strap slid from her shoulder and the bag hit the floor with a thump as the deep masculine voice echoed throughout the two-story foyer. Her free hand flew to her chest as if she could manually regulate her rapid heart rate. The security guard straightened and pulled his chair back under the desk, throwing the pencil he'd been retrieving from the floor onto the big calendar pad. No wonder she hadn't seen him at his desk when she'd left the elevator. "Evening, Roland," she replied, deciding not to return to her office for her other shoes. She could stand to walk in her two-inch heels for one night; she just wouldn't be able to walk very far or very fast. "Sorry to scare you," Roland said, shaking his head. He sat behind the row of black and white television screens that monitored the building's entrances and the parking area next to the building. Not for the first time, Karli wished she 7
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owned a car, but it just wasn't practical. Parking fees alone would cost more than the round trip subway fare. Adding the cost of insurance and maintenance and the fact that she hated to drive in heavy traffic, having a car was just too expensive all the way around. "No, it's okay. I just didn't see you there," she said as she retrieved her purse and put both straps back over her shoulder. Her heart rate gradually slowed as she flashed her security badge. Though he saw her every night, he never failed to look at her identification. "Thanks," he said with a smile. He wore the same brown uniform that all the security men in the building wore. His was the shiniest—probably from the most wear. He'd worked here longer than she had. She tucked the badge into the little slot under the button-down flap of her tan briefcase. "Well, have a good night," she said as she continued toward the door. "Thanks. You too, Ms. Blake." A gust of cold crisp air blasted Karli as she exited onto the sidewalk. The biting wind whipped her shoulder-length light blonde hair around her head and made her eyes sting. She quickly tucked the hair behind her ears before she pulled the lapels of her coat closed to her throat with her free hand and hurried to the subway stop. Even with the wool suit under her coat, the wind seemed to go right through her. She was shivering in no time. Her skin always had been over-sensitive. She smiled to herself thinking that wasn't all bad—especially when it came to intimate encounters with the opposite gender. Yes, then it was pretty much all good. Mmmm. What she wouldn't give for a close and intimate type encounter to warm her up about now. Descending the littered cement stairs to the station, she squinted as the stale, cinder-laden wind from below ground greeted her. She couldn't decide which was colder, but the air definitely smelled worse underground. Too bad women
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didn't carry around perfumed handkerchiefs like in Victorian days. She could use one about now. Karli slid her card through the slot to free the turnstile and walked through to the platform, her heels clicking. Even at this late hour, her train would be by in only a few minutes. That was good but, being ever wary, she chose to wait near the wall, feeling safer away from the edge of the platform by the tracks. She glanced around the dozen or so other people waiting. All but one were men. She caught a glimpse of a tall man in a long dark belted coat waiting beyond the last bench. She could see that he was a hunk. Their gazes met for a few seconds and he actually smiled in a friendly way—not aloof like most male commuters. Her first reaction was to smile back. As quickly as she had smiled, she stifled it and looked away. What was she thinking? He'd been staring right at her when she looked at him and she knew it wasn't wise to make eye contact with strange men. Not even handsome ones. There were too many crazies in the city and there was no law that said they couldn't be attractive. The rumble of a train on the near track sent her gaze to the tunnel at the end of the platform. The train shot into the light of the station and she saw that it was the wrong number. Not her train. She'd have to wait a few minutes longer. Unable to resist, she brought her gaze back in the man's general direction. He'd moved closer to her. She was able, using her peripheral vision, to get a better idea of what he looked like without him knowing she was checking him out. His dark hair was well trimmed, though a few strands had blown across his forehead in a sexy manner. She had to close her eyes for a moment and clutch both her fists around her straps. She couldn't believe that she'd just wanted to brush those hairs back and feel the strands between her fingers. His coat was unbuttoned and she could see he wore a dark gray suit with a conservatively patterned tie pulled loose below the unbuttoned neck of a pale
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gray shirt. He looked as if he had stepped right out of a sexy ad for a men's cologne. She tried to imagine standing close to him. She would smell the spicy scent of his cologne teasing her senses as she slid her cheek across his and nibbled on his ear. Oh, no, she thought. Here I am, doing it again. She glanced directly at him. Damn. He'd been watching her and took her gaze as an invitation to walk toward her. God, he was better looking than the guy whose picture was plastered in the Levi ad on the wall behind them. Her heart skipped a beat. She'd bet he would fill the jeans better than the guy on the wall, too. Their gazes locked as he strode smoothly toward her. She felt a rush of liquid heat run through her veins and swirl in her belly. Unable to understand such a reaction to a man she saw in the subway, she looked away. She smiled when she noted the one other woman on the platform was looking in his direction, too. Karli wasn't the only one to note the guy's strong appeal. She shifted her weight to her other foot and chastised herself allowing the stranger's sexy appearance affect her. She wasn't sex-starved and that wasn't the way a woman alone at night on the subway should be thinking. The guy was so good looking though. She turned her back to him under the guise of looking for her train and discovered he was practically at her side. The shadow of his evening beard darkened his strong chin. Whisker burn, she tried to tell herself. That's right. Think of the negative, she thought. He probably hadn't shaved since that morning before going to work. "Hi," he said softly behind her. "Haven't I seen you on this platform before?" What kind of a line was that? She turned a quarter turn to face the tracks so her side was to him. He was grinning and she knew he'd said the line to be trite and funny. She loved a guy with a good sense of humor that wasn't the in-yourface kind. She didn't want to appear too anxious to meet him, but she saw no reason to be rude either. "Um, yeah," she answered minimally but with a smile.
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Maybe it was his confident air made her less wary than she probably should have been. He was a businessman, the type she called a "suit". No doubt very respectable, probably married, he was definitely dressed for success.
The
presence of "suits" always made her feel safe on the subway at night. No one would try anything when a few of them were around, she believed.
Until
another thought occurred to her: half the movies she'd seen recently were about "suits" doing bad things. "I thought so. You work near here?" She didn't want to give him personal info about herself yet, just in case. "Yeah. Me and a million other people." He laughed, a deep rumbling in his chest, sexy kind of laugh. "You seem nervous. Ah…I'm not making you nervous, am I?" "Oh, no," she replied, somehow embarrassed by watching for her train so intently when he was just trying to carry on a polite conversation. "Well, 'cause if I am, I can go stand over there." "Thanks, but I'm just watching for my train. I had to work late and don't want to miss it." "Then you have something to get to in a hurry? You wouldn't want to stop for a drink or something? A cup of coffee maybe?" His modulated voice flowed over her like hot caramel on butter pecan ice cream. She wanted to hear more. He seemed to take all her tension away. "Uh, thanks, but I think I'd better get right on home." Looking disappointed, he nodded and stepped back. "Sure, I understand." Karli decided she was being rude to a perfectly nice guy. "Um, maybe some other time, okay?" He face brightened and he smiled. It made his eyes sparkle and set off fireworks in her. "Sure. It's not like tonight is the only night our paths might
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cross." Karli jumped when her train screeched to a halt and all the doors opened in unison with a chorus of metallic bangs. She hadn't seen it coming. Not good. "Oh damn, that's my train. I gotta run." She started crossing the platform. "I'll see you," she said hesitantly over her shoulder. She entered the subway train through the closest door and took a window seat, lowering her briefcase and purse onto the cracked green vinyl to leave less than a full seat next to her. The train was almost empty and she hoped she could deter anyone else from taking the space she wanted to keep for herself. Too bad the cute guy wasn't getting on here, she thought. She hadn't looked back to see what he was doing. She'd taken a seat that faced forward behind one facing in the same direction. The backs of the seats could be moved back and forth to accommodate sitting in either direction and she didn't want to spend the twenty-minute ride with her knees pressed together to avoid bumping legs with someone facing her on opposite seat. She was tired. She wanted to get home and take a hot shower and fix the yummy dinner she had planned. She had just concluded no one would be sitting by her and had begun to relax when the back of the empty seat in front of her flipped away from her. She looked up to see the tall handsome "suit" she'd spotted on the platform. He was here. On her train!
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Chapter Two Karli smiled when she saw him on her train and he returned it in spades. He tossed his briefcase on the seat opposite her and sat in the aisle seat beside it. With deafening clangs that echoed inside the car, the doors closed and the train lurched into motion. "At least we get our choice of seats at this hour," he said easily with a grin. He sat back and allowed his legs to stretch out under her bench seat. One leg leaned against hers and he made no effort to avoid that touch. She glanced down to see the soft wool of his trousers stretched tightly over his muscular thighs. His overcoat had separated when he sat down. His legs were relaxed and spread apart. Before she started imagining what else the wool was stretched over, she shifted in her seat to put several inches between their legs. She looked up to see him smiling. He had seen her check him out. A new rush of warmth rose across her neck to her temples. She glanced at the older man across the aisle from her. He appeared to be soundly asleep. His head bobbed in a rhythm matching that of the motion of the train. She looked back at the man seated opposite her. "Getting a good seat is the only advantage." God, she liked his smile. His lips were full and his teeth clean and straight. She wondered what it would be like to kiss those lips right now. "Do you work near here?" He shifted in his seat. His leg fell against hers again. Karli straightened and slid her hips all the way back in her seat, again leaning her legs away from him. But to do so meant her knee rested against the side of the car. She didn't care for the game he was playing. He had her boxed
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in. If he moved toward her again, she would have to think of alternatives. Or was she just being silly? She finally nodded. "Yes." She tried to smile a neutral little smile. There were too many nuts on the subways to assume that some of them could not be dressed as nicely as he was. She turned to look out the window though all she saw was her own reflection in the black tunnel. The train wheels clacked loudly and lights on the train flashed off for several seconds that felt like minutes. Though the train did that every night, it never failed to worry her. Especially tonight with the man sitting so close. Karli felt a sudden pressure on the inside of her knees. She gasped. The lights switched on again. She looked down to discover that, in the darkness, the man had moved so that he was sitting directly opposite her. He had slid one of his legs in between hers. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear your answer," he said, his smile still in place as if what he was doing was pleasant or at least very ordinary. "Where did you say you worked?" He leaned forward a bit and pressed his knees together, trapping one of hers between them. Her hips were and already pressed against the back of the seat, and she knew she couldn't avoid the contact—not unless she changed seats. She'd do it. She just wasn't comfortable with the way he was acting. She lifted the straps on her briefcase and purse back onto her shoulder, but before she could rise to move away, the man leaned forward in his seat slightly and pushed up her short skirt with his knee. He increased the pressure and gripped her thigh between his knees. "You don't want to move away," he said confidently. "We're just getting to know each other." His smile remained, but she thought it was not as friendly as before. Karli looked up and down the train car and saw that no one was paying any attention to her and the man. Even the other woman from the platform who had
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been looking at him, had her nose in a paperback book. She thought she could scream bloody murder, and they probably wouldn't pay any attention to her. But she didn't want to cause a scene. Not if she didn't have to. No telling what the guy would do then. She only had twenty more minutes on this train and then she could escape from his attentions by getting off. She took a deep breath and tried to lift her knee from between his. But lifting her leg had been the wrong thing to do. His knees clamped on her calf, keeping her knee high, and he blatantly stared up under her raised skirt. She pressed down on her skirt between her thighs, but it was too short and too tight. She reached to push his knee away. His hand captured hers and pulled it up toward his groin, forcing her to lean forward. He spread her fingers and pressed her palm high on his thigh. She felt the power in his muscular legs and knew that if it came to a race, she could not outrun him— even if she'd remembered to put on her jogging shoes before leaving the office. She'd bet he jogged as often as he could. "You have lovely legs. You shouldn't mind showing them off a little." He slid his free hand along the inside of her raised knee and dipped his middle finger into the fold behind her knee where her skin was so sensitive. He slid it out and then plunged it back in the fold repeatedly in a rhythm that could not be misunderstood. The sensation raised goose flesh over her legs. The train screeched to a stop at the next station, surprising them both. She yanked her hand free from his. She tightened her grip on her shoulder straps and rose to flee when he stood suddenly and pushed her off balance. She fell back down into the same seat where she'd been sitting. He swung around and sat down beside her as the doors slammed open. It probably looked like she had moved over to give him more room to sit beside her. Tugging her briefcase and purse from between them, he swung them onto the opposite seat. From there he slid his hand under skirt and along her inner
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thigh. She stared into his steel gray eyes that were so close to hers. "Get your hand off me right now or I'll scream," she warned in a hushed but stern voice. "Not if you don't want to get embarrassed. Or hurt," he countered with a shrug. He relaxed and leaned his shoulder on the seatback so that he faced her and pointedly tapped his coat over his breast pocket. "Just relax and enjoy a little fun." She imagined a knife or a weapon of some sort must be hidden there. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. Her mouth was so dry her tongue felt like it was sticking to the roof. Taking a deep breath, she willed her heart to slow its erratic beat. Frantically, she tried to imagine how she would exit the train and escape from him. She slowly became aware that all of his fingers on her thigh were sliding back and forth a couple of inches in a soothing manner. His hand felt warm even through her suit skirt. But it didn't stay there long. "My hand wasn't really on you there, like it is now." He had slid his hand to the hem of her skirt and slipped it underneath the fabric. He moved his shoulder over against hers so they were sitting as near as possible. "Now we're close enough to hear each other over this noisy subway car," he said as if in explanation. He was so close to her that she felt his hot breath when he spoke. It smelled minty. He must have been sucking on little breath mints. She wished it was boozy or unpleasant so she could hate him for it. "Where did you say you work?" he asked, his hand not moving except for the little circles his fingers were drawing on the inside of her thigh. "Um. In the Fielding building," she lied. She couldn't just sit here and take this, but what could she do? "That's funny. I don't remember seeing you around there." Was that where he worked? She wasn't going to ask, but she stored the
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information in her memory in case it would be helpful later in identifying him. The train started with shuddering jerks and they both lurched forward. His hand shot out as if to protect her but instead, it slipped between the deep lapels on her coat and suit jacket. The small buttons on her blouse quickly gave way as he reached in and unhooked the front clasp on her bra. Shocked, she gasped as he pushed the bra aside and lifted her breast on his palm and began gently kneading it. Smiling, he removed his hand long enough to wet the tip of his index finger. Then he rubbed the tightening nipple with the dampened digit. "Nice," he whispered. "Very nice." When he pinched the hardening tip, she uttered a little cry. She tried to will her body not to respond to his touch, but the combination of fear and desire was doing strange things to her. "Please stop," she pleaded without looking at him. She clutched his wrist and tried to push it away. It didn't budge except to slide over to the other breast and raise that one to attention, too. She dropped her hand to her lap. He was definitely a lot stronger than she was. Now that she wasn't pushing on his arm anymore, he calmly unbuttoned both her topcoat and her suit jacket. She closed her eyes and couldn't bear to look down as he slid his hand inside her blouse. His fingers drew a line along the curved outline of her breasts from one strap to the other and then came back to the center to dip down into her cleavage. With a twist of his wrist, his hand was kneading her breasts one at a time. Her nipples felt tight and eager for his touch. "I hope my hands aren't too cold," he said softly. She opened her eyes and looked over his shoulder. No one could see what he was doing. No one was going to stop him. She had to think of something to do. She had to stop him. The lights from another station came into view and finally he slowly retracted his hand from inside her coat without bothering to redo the buttons.
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Karli buttoned her coat again and glanced over her shoulder. The train was nearly empty now after several more passengers exited. Even the man who'd been sleeping across the aisle had pulled himself up and walked out the open door. She had to get off before she was all alone with the man beside her. "This is my stop," she lied. "I have to get off here." "No, it's not." He chuckled and then clucked his tongue. "How can a nice girl like you tell a lie like that? I've been watching you, sweet thing. I know where your stop is." He laughed at the fear that must have been reflected in her face. The doors slammed shut with a finality that made her shudder.
The
remaining passengers were all far behind them. They couldn't see what the man was doing to her and they couldn't hear them unless she shouted. Or screamed. And he knew it. He raised his foot onto the edge of the seat opposite him in a casual and relaxed looking position. His trench coat draped over his knee to form a curtain that hid them. She never should have done it, but she glanced down when he moved. She could see the ridge of his penis pressing against the wool. He chuckled and took her hand in his and pressed it against the ridge. "See what you do to me?" "Please," she pleaded in a hoarse whisper. "Please what?" he asked. He released her hand and she jerked it back to her lap. "Please do this?" He moved his hand to her knee and slid it up under her skirt again. Why hadn't she worn a longer skirt, preferably floor-length? He stroked lightly up and down the inside of her thigh. Her skin tingled and she shivered with sexual awareness. "What? No panty hose?"
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She shook her head. "No, I…ah…I got a run this morning and didn't have a spare pair left in my desk," she explained inanely. She bit down on her lower lip as she pressed her knees together with all her strength. He fought her protective movement and pinched her thigh. Tears burned in her eyes. "You're hurting me," she whimpered. "I'm sorry," he replied quickly. He released his tight hold immediately but kept pulling her near leg away from the other in a more gentle manner. "I don't want to have to hurt you, baby, so move your leg where I want it," he ordered, moving his fingers all the way up to her panties the moment she relaxed her leg muscles. Karli gasped. "You can't do that here." Her heart was racing. He rubbed left and right over her mound with the back of his knuckles for a few moments and then slid a finger under the bikini panties. "No. You've got to stop! Please!" she begged. "You can't do this!" Instead of stopping, he grasped her chin with his free hand and turned her face to him. "Yes, I can. Just watch me." He slanted his lips over hers and kissed her gently. Her eyes slid shut of their own accord. He traced the outline of her lips with the tip of his tongue and nipped at her lower lips. Her head bent back as he kissed her again. She heard a moan and knew it had to be her own. Her body was acting like a traitor and she couldn't seem to stop it. She was his captive and, unable to resist; she was giving him everything he wanted from her. And frightened as she was, she was enjoying the feelings he evoked in her. With a quick jerk, he ripped her panties apart. She opened her eyes and swallowed the scream that hovered in her throat. "Please, you can't do this," she whispered desperately. He lifted her slightly with his arm around her. With another little snap of his wrist, he'd pulled her ripped panties from around her hips and crushed them in his fisted hand. Sliding his knuckles along her thigh, he lifted the panties to his
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nose. He inhaled and smiled. "So sweet," he said as he stuffed the panties into his pocket. He hand slid back under her skirt, higher and higher until his fingers probed intimately between her folds. "Hot. That's what you are. So hot," he murmured. "I'll bet my hands don't feel cold anymore." He slid his free hand behind her hips and easily slid her bottom forward a few inches to expose her more openly to his fingers probing. "Hot," he repeated, opening his mouth and bringing his teeth coming together in a biting motion. "And lady, you're wet for me already. I guessed this was the way it would be between us when I saw you on that platform tonight. I just knew you would want this as much as I do." "No, you're wrong. No! I want you to stop. I don't want this at all." He chuckled and wiggled his fingers rapidly so they made a squishing sound between her wet lips.
"This tells me that you do, sweet thing."
His face
brightened. "Say, I've heard of the mile high club of people who have sex in an airplane. I wonder if there's a subway club. I bet it would be fun if we got it on. The vibration of the speeding train could only help." She grabbed his wrist with both hands and pushed to halt his invasion. "Stop. You can't do this. Please." He grinned. "You keep saying that, but I'm not listening." She pressed against his hand with all her might but couldn't move it until the bright lights of a station appeared around them. The train brakes wailed as the car slowed. Only then did he withdraw his hand from under her skirt. He lifted his elbow to his raised knee and let his hand hang freely. She could see his fingers glistening with her own juices. Looking out the window to get her bearings, Karli realized there was only one more station left before her stop. Her apartment was just over a block beyond that. If she could only get free of him on the street above. She had to try. 20
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No one entered the car from the platform. While he was distracted watching the doors, Karli grabbed her purse and case and pulled them onto her lap. Just as she wrapped the straps securely around her wrist, he suddenly shoved them onto the floor. The weight pulled that arm off her lap. "Leave 'em there," he said in an angry tone. The doors clanged shut. His anger disappeared as he smiled and slid his hand back under her skirt onto her thigh. "Now then, where were we?" He slid his fingers upwards and she tried to sit up straight to deny him access. He pushed her hips forward and slid her even farther down in her seat. She was lying on it more than sitting, but her knees against the opposite seat kept her from sliding to the floor. Immediately, his fingers were back in between her private folds. He moved around slowly until he found the firm nub he was seeking. "Ah, there it is," he said with a smile. Karli closed her eyes and tried to think of anything but what he was doing. She couldn't bear to think that this was happening to her. She knew what she would do if someone grabbed her purse, but what could she do now against this big strong bruiser who threatened her if she did anything other than what he wanted her to do? His finger moved in lazy circles around the nub for a time and then he increased the speed. Just when she couldn't take it anymore, he switched to pressing the erect button back and forth. His touch went from light to firm. She couldn't deny the sexual heat growing within her. Her arms and legs grew weak with desire. She held her breath, knowing that would intensify the sensation he was creating within her. He'd taken her so far that—now—she didn't want him to stop. "Yes, yes," she whispered in damning encouragement she couldn't help but give.
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The wheels of the train clacked as the speed of the train increased for the longest run between stations. Her heart beat even faster. She gulped a deep breath and held it again. The result of his rhythmic strokes was inevitable. Suddenly, her stomach muscles clenched and her head bowed as her climax took her. He stayed with her, milking out every contraction. Spent, she dragged air into her lungs and leaned her head against the cold glass, turning her gaze out to the night and away from him. "Very nice, sweet thing. That was really amazing. You almost had me joining you just from watching you." He pressed her furred lips together and massaged the throbbing knob between them. The oncoming lights beyond the tunnel brightened the car. He slid his hand out from under her skirt and straightened in his seat, dropping his raised foot to the floor. "You are so beautiful," he whispered. "And that was only the beginning of what I have planned for us tonight." She raised her head and straightened in her seat. She looked at him just as he turned away to look out the opposite windows to read the station name. She read it, too. Ohmigod! This is my stop. Now what do I do?
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Chapter 3 Exiting the train at her stop might be her last chance to free herself, Karli realized. She didn't hesitate another second after the doors swung open. Not caring if she ripped her suit skirt, she leapt over his feet into the aisle beyond him. The straps still wrapped around her wrist, her purse and briefcase flew along behind her as she raced the distance to the doors. She hit the platform running and heard the doors slide shut noisily behind her as she dodged the few waiting people. Without stopping to see if he'd gotten off the car to come after her, she darted toward the exit. The sound of her heels hitting the platform was drowned out by the growl of the train pulling out of the station. Two teenagers were waiting for a train at the end of the platform, and an old man was going through the waste bin. They paid no attention to her. On she ran. The tall turnstile that prevented people from sneaking in through the exit loomed ahead of her. She could hear her heart thumping in her ears as she ran. She pulled her bags against her body so they wouldn't catch on the bars and held out her hand, ready to push her way through the narrow opening to safety. Inches from freedom, she slammed to a halt against stationary bars. She drew a ragged breath but didn't need to turn around to know what had happened. He had caught up to her and stood with his hip against the bars on the exit. Until he moved aside, she couldn't get through the gate. She leaned her head against the cool metal frame of the passage out and waited. She was well and truly captured. "You've been a naughty girl and after I was so nice to you. I can't allow that." He pushed an errant curl from her face to tuck it behind her ear, but she
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wouldn't turn around. "We're going to go very slowly from here on and not do anything foolish like trying to escape from me," he told her. "Got that?" he added harshly. She nodded and rubbed her thigh where she had hit the bar he held in place. She swallowed, finding the process difficult with such a dry mouth. She swiped her tongue over her lips, but there was no moisture to spread. "I'm gonna let the bar loose and follow you through. And if you know what's good for you, you'll behave yourself," he added as a warning. "No more racing away from me. You don't want to make me mad, do you, sweet thing?" He reached out to cradle her chin. She could smell herself on his fingers. Her shoulders slumped as she shook her head. "No, I won't." What would he do to her to get even? "Why are you doing this? You're a good-looking guy. Why are you forcing yourself on me?" "Honey, I'm doing this all for you. I would do anything for you," he said simply. "And before I'm done with you, you'll believe that." "But why me?" She looked back at him then to see his face and to hear his answer. A slow smile crossed his face. "Because you're special. I've loved you since the first time I saw you," he responded as he kissed her gently. "From the very first time." He released his hold on the bars. Karli took a deep breath and stepped through. She walked steadily but not too fast toward the steps to the street. She didn't dare run, but she wasn't going to stand there waiting for him either. Her mind raced to discover another way to try to escape from him on the street above. She thought about the deli on the corner. If she could make it into the deli, she could get help, or at least get away from him. But what about now? She lifted the straps on her bags up to her shoulder and reached for the railing. The stairs were steep with metal edges to protect the 24
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cement from chipping. Half-way up, if she could hang on and not fall herself, she might be able to kick him back down the stairs and make a run for it. He must have read her mind because suddenly he was on the step right next to her. He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her tight against his side. To anyone looking on, they appeared to be lovers coming home from work together. "Please, I won't tell anyone what you've done. Just go away and leave me alone. I'll pretend this never happened." "'Fraid I can't do that, lovely lady," he said with a grin. "I've got plans for you for the next few hours. Hell, all night, if I can last that long. Then, if you still want to run away after that, I won't stop you." "All night? What are you going to do?" she asked. "I'm going to do whatever feels good, sweet one. And it's gonna feel too good to stop, I promise." Karli shuttered. This couldn't really be happening to her. She was just an ordinary twenty-five year old woman who went to work each day and watched TV or read each evening. She tried to keep her little apartment clean and tidy, and hell, she did laundry every Saturday morning. How could she get into a situation like this? She stepped off the curb into the street only to have the man jerk her back against him. He held her tight against his chest as a taxi rounded the corner and drove right over the spot where she'd stood. "Watch it, there," he warned softly. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you." He loosened his hold a little and smiled down at her. "Thanks," she managed. "I didn't even see him coming." He kissed her quickly on the lips, but when she tried to turn her face away from him, he deepened the kiss. When he finally raised his head and slowly
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released her, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and he shook his head and laughed. "Nice touch." The straps had fallen off her shoulder and she was too tired of wrestling with them to put them back up. Instead, she wrapped them around her wrist a couple of times to keep the bags from dragging on the ground and let them hang. His arm slid around her waist and stayed there as they passed the deli. He closed his fingers more tightly on her coat when he noticed her looking inside. "Don't get any ideas," he warned. "I'm not giving you up or sharing you with anyone for anything. And you wouldn't want anyone else to get hurt, would you?" She shook her head. "No, don't hurt anyone else." "Then you'll be good?" She nodded. "Then when I get you home, I'm going to reward you. I'll have you take off all your clothes first. You'll do a striptease for me. You'll like that." "No…no I won't." "Oh, there you go again, saying 'no'. I can see I might have to punish you. I think it would be fun to take you just to the very edge of your orgasm and then stop whatever we're doing. And when you've cooled a bit, I'll take you right back to that sharp edge and stop again. That would punish you." "Please, don't even think about doing things like that." "Oh, yeah. I'm going to slide my hands all over and in your body. And you're going to convince me you love it." Her breathing had become erratic.
As they approached the corner, she
glanced around the intersection, desperate to see someone she knew. There was no one. The neighbors she knew were probably home enjoying their dinner at this hour, or maybe watching TV. They weren't out on the street like she was,
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walking with a man who was telling her how he was going to torture her. She didn't even want to think about it. She concentrated on waiting for the light to change so they could cross the street. On the opposite corner, four older teenaged boys were talking in a small group and eyed her up and down as they crossed the street toward them. They wore leather jackets with their tee shirts sticking out below them. Their loose jeans hung so low they probably would have fallen off without the partially erect masculine hook in front to hang on. She thought, not for the first time, that sexual ability and stamina were wasted on the young. "Yo, mama. When you're done with him, I'll take some of what you got," the boldest one called out. The other boys laughed and one whistled. She felt the man's hand tighten on her waist again, only this time it felt protective of her welfare. The boys stood here most nights and she was glad to have the company getting by them. She always tried to laugh with them at whatever they said to her, and they never failed to invite her to have sex with them all. "This is a hell of a neighborhood at night," he muttered so only she could hear him as they walked on. She realized that there were worse things that could be happening to her tonight. "Now you can't be thinkin' of keepin' all that lush sweetness to yourself, my friend," one of the punks taunted. Karli looked back over her shoulder and saw him walk after them pumping his hips forward and back in an imitation of the sex act. "Mmm, mmm," his friend scolded.
"You shouldn't get to keep her to
yourself, mister. She's hot enough for all four of us to share with you." The man at her side pointedly ignored the comments and steered her on down the sidewalk. Before the punks gave up on them and turned away, she had actually felt safer with this man beside her than she would have if she'd been
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alone. But she didn't always have a man with her when she walked home after working late.
The next promotion at work that she got, she was definitely
looking for an apartment in a safer neighborhood if there was one she could afford. But that wouldn't help her tonight. She looked up at the man who still held her close. No, she had to admit the man had helped her tonight. "Thanks," she said. "They bother you often?" He'd really sounded concerned and looked down to meet her gaze. "Yeah, they're there every night.
All they've done so far is talk."
She
shuddered. She hated to think of them carrying out their fantasies on her. "You cold?" the man asked, his breath fogging as he spoke. He must have felt the shiver. "Yeah." He pulled her closer and reached down to close the long lapels on her coat. She held it closed with her free hand. "Thanks." The sidewalk was lit by streetlights and the lights in several front rooms inside the row houses along the sidewalk. She stopped suddenly. Without thinking, she had steered him toward her apartment. "What's wrong?" "Where are we going?" Karli asked now, trying to act dumb. He laughed. "You're taking me home, sweet one," he responded easily. "Which one is your apartment building?" For a frantic moment, she thought of lying. After looking around the dark street, she knew nothing would be gained by it. She pointed to the three-story structure with a painted brick façade. "That one," she admitted. "Good."
He kissed her lightly on her temple as if rewarding the right
answer. He urged her on and they covered the remaining distance in short order.
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At the foot of the cement stairs leading to the entrance, he pulled her against his chest and kissed her fully on her lips. She pressed her free hand against his chest and tried to turn her face away. But his strong arms stayed around her like a vise. He slid one to her hips and jerked her close against him, grinding his hips against her stomach. Her movement stilled. His tongue pressed against her clenched teeth, but she refused to give it entry. Before she realized what he was doing, he pinched her nose shut so she had to open her mouth for air. What she got instead was a deeper kiss. Open to him, he ravaged her mouth with his tongue and she forgot to breathe. It wasn't until he ended the kiss that she heard the catcalls of the teens on the corner. "Save some for us, Sugar," they called. An old man walking a dog scurried by. He glared at Karli and the man with a look that told them to take it inside. Karli started to say something to him when the man turned toward the apartment building and pulled her against his side again. "Unh unh, sweet one. You don't want to talk to the old man or anyone." They climbed the steps. "I don't need to tell you about what might happen if you do something stupid like that, do I?" He patted his breast pocket. One look at him and Karli remained speechless and shook her head. She didn't stand a chance against his size and strength. She'd read stories about women being slashed when they resisted. If that was a knife he had in his pocket, she didn't want him to use it on her. At the glass entrance door, he grabbed her purse and rummaged through the contents for her keys. "Where the hell are your keys?" he asked, his voice full of angry annoyance. As if he suddenly remembered feeling them in her gloved hand, he grabbed her wrist and squeezed until she opened her fist and he could feel the keys in the palm of her hand. He pulled off her glove and then removed the key ring from her fingers. "That's a good girl," he told her as he opened the entrance door on the first
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try with the largest key on the ring and pulled the door shut behind them. "You haven't got someone upstairs waiting for you tonight, have you, sweet one?" "No, but a neighbor is coming by shortly," she added, hoping the fiction might somehow protect her. Maybe he would finish what he'd started and leave. "She as cute as you? Maybe we could have a party, just for the three of us," he said, thrusting his hips forward suggestively. "I don't think so," she hedged. "Then I'll have to be content with you, baby." They stood in the darkened mailbox area between two locked doors. The light had burned out again. It was sometimes days before the janitor got around to replacing it. Her theory was that people took the bulb and replaced it with a burned out one from their apartment. Whatever the cause, she certainly wished it wasn't so dark tonight. She stepped to the side expecting him to open the second door. "The silvercolored key opens this one." He didn't move and she looked back at him. He was staring at her. Smiling. She backed away until the cold tiles of the wall behind the door stopped her. Their gazes locked as he slowly walked toward her. Feeling more threatened than she had on the subway, she felt frozen in time and space and couldn't look away. She heard him drop her keys into his coat pocket and then unzip his trousers. She gasped and looked out each door but saw no one who could stop him. His long coat kept him in too much darkness to see what he was doing for a few seconds more. When he reached down and yanked up her skirt, sliding his hard rod between her legs, she knew. In one swift move, he slid his hands inside her coat and, with his hands under her thighs, he lifted her. Not trusting him to
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hold her up, she threw her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist to keep from falling. "Now you're mine, sweet thing.
Now and forever," he whispered.
"Wherever and whenever I want to take you." Saying these words, he plunged into her. She gasped and threw her head back. "Mine," he growled, slamming into her a second time. He stilled, regained control, and slid his hand between them to stroke the already sensitive point of her desire. He filled her and when he withdrew, she wanted him in her again.
Higher and higher they flew
together. His mouth covered hers to swallow her cry as they came together. Slowly, his kiss softened. His hands on her buttocks lightened the pressure and he allowed her to slide slowly downward until her toes touched the floor. His semi-rigid cock slid from within her and grazed her furred mound. He laughed softly, sending goosebumps down her bared legs. As he stepped back, she jerked skirt down into place. She felt his hot semen oozing down the inside of her thigh. Surely there would be enough left on her for a DNA test. He zipped up his trousers and looked again at the keys. "Which one?" Unable to speak, she pointed to the second key. He used that and the door swung open. Music blared louder from the apartment on the first floor. The odor of stir-fried food assaulted Karli's nostrils and a wave of nausea rolled through her. If she screamed, she didn't know what the man would do. From the level of music, no one would hear her anyway. Sweet Mrs. Kelly lived in One. She liked her music loud but always turned it off by ten o'clock. She wouldn't want anything to happen to the dear old lady. Karli had heard that it was better not to fight an attacker. Give him what he wants and he'll leave sooner. Maybe she'd read that somewhere…or had she heard it on TV? But how could that work? After he left, how could she ever recover? She would never forget. Not ever.
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Chapter Four There was no elevator in Karli's building and she had a third-floor walk-up apartment. They didn't get much cheaper this close to the city. She started up the wooden stairs. He was on the step right beside her. At the second floor she turned, her hand on the newel post, and walked down the hall past the two doors leading to apartments. There were no sounds from either second floor apartment. Mr. Rosen worked nights and Mrs. Dantini was probably napping or already in bed for the night. The old lady would be no help. And Karli couldn't bear to have her hurt either. At the front end, she stepped up the two steps to the landing where the stairs turned back toward the rear of the building for the climb to three. Gripping her upper arm suddenly, he swung her against the faded wallpaper on the outside wall and held her there with his body pressed against hers. He flattened a hand on the wall on each side of her head. He rubbed his pelvis against her stomach as he kissed her hard. His tongue plundered her mouth. Without stopping the kiss, he yanked open her coat and captured her breasts in his hands and squeezed them. She squirmed but could not get free. When the need to breathe was greater than his desire, he lifted his face. "Don't fight it, baby, and it will be a whole lot sweeter. That's only a hint of what I'm gonna do with you tonight." He chuckled as he straightened and circled her waist with his arm to guide her up the stairs to her apartment. "I'm gonna taste everything you've got—like a tapas bar," he whispered. When she didn't react the way he wanted her to, he laughed out loud at his own joke. "Then I'm going to rub my tongue all over you and inside you, too, until you're so hot, you cry out for me to do you again and again."
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Karli twisted away from him and ran up the stairs to the top level. She turned on the newel post again and headed for the front apartment. "That's far enough," he ordered. "Come back here." "How do you know where I live?" she managed as the man urged her back toward the door to her apartment. Had he been spying on her? He slipped the remaining key into her door and opened it. She lost all hope of getting any help from the young couple that lived in the front apartment on her floor. They were probably out at this early hour anyway. "I know a lot about you. I've been keeping my eye on you for a long time." He shrugged. "I just waited until the time was right for us to be together. And that's tonight. All night." Once they were inside her apartment, she switched on the lights. He shut the door with his foot, locked it and then threw the deadbolt into place. "And I'm going to make sure this night was worth waiting for." Pulling the key from the extra lock she'd added, he dropped her keys into his pants pocket and patted them with a smile. "I'll keep these. I wouldn't want you to get any funny ideas about using them to run off." She looked away, knowing the door was the only escape unless she broke the window over the fire escape. She hadn't been able to get the window to open since moving in. She dropped her purse and briefcase on the couch and waited. She had no idea what he would do next or what he expected of her. He was looking around the room and dropped his briefcase and coat on the couch beside hers. "Nice place you got here," he said. "But then I knew it would be nice. You got good taste, baby." He stepped over to her and she backed up away from him. He grabbed her shoulders. "Un huh, baby. Don't move away from me," he ordered. "Not ever. You got that?" "Okay, okay," she promised. "But don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me." "No, baby. I'm not one of those guys that think it's good to hurt a woman. I
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don't get off that way. No, in fact, as long as you do what I say, I won't hurt you at all." He smiled and Karli thought that at any other time under other circumstances, she would have thought his smile wonderful. He had so much going for him. Why was a man like him doing this? He lifted the lapels of her coat and slipped it off her shoulders. He tossed it on the couch. "That's a sharp suit," he said, running his hands over her shoulders and down to cover her breasts. "I like the feel of this blouse fabric, too. It's so soft," he said, kneading her breasts. "I like it a lot. What is it?" "It's silk," she managed as talons of fire licked at her core. "Well, I like it and the light blue color suits you; it matches your eyes." His hands slid to circle her back and closed around her buttocks and lifted her against him. "Feel how much I like it?" Karli closed her eyes fighting the sensations he evoked. She licked her dry lips and tried to think what she should do to save herself. "Open your eyes," he ordered sternly. He waited for her to open them and his voice suddenly softened. "I want you to see me and to remember me and everything I do. You're going to think about what happens tonight for the rest of your life, baby. The rest of your life." She swallowed, but she couldn't speak. He released her and she stumbled back against the couch. She barely caught her balance before falling. She should be able to figure out how to get him to leave, yet she could only watch him. He slid off his suit jacket off slowly as if he were doing a seductive strip tease and tossed it on his coat. His tie was next. Holding one end in one hand, he drew the length slowly from around his neck and then over the palm of his other hand. He cocked his head to the side a little and frowned a bit. "Now are you gonna be good or do I have to waste this silk necktie to tie your hands behind your back?" 34
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"No, please! Don't tie me. I couldn't stand that." Her panic level rose as she thought of loosing the use of her hands and arms to defend herself. There would be no protection for her then. He could do anything he wanted. Anything. "I promise, I won't do anything to get away." She didn't know what she could do, though as he unbuckled his belt and slid it from the loops on his trousers, she saw what he might do if she tried. He looped the belt in half and slapped it against the palm of his other hand. The sharp sound made her jump. "I'd really hate to have to hurt a pretty girl like you. And I know you wouldn't want nasty marks all over your body, would you?" Karli shook her head.
"No, you don't have to hurt me.
You said you
wouldn't. Remember? I'll do what you want. I promise." "Good." He whipped the belt around her and caught the free end with his other hand. He pulled on the belt, forcing her to step closer to him. "Closer, baby. Closer." She moved toward him until their bodies touched.
"Sure," she said
hesitantly. "I'm closer." Her hands hung at her sides and her breasts rose with each quick breath. She opened her mouth to breathe, trying in vain to get more air into her starved lungs. "Now kiss me," he ordered. "Kiss you?" she squeaked. He pulled hard on the belt, slamming her hips against his. "Yeah. Kiss me. Like you mean it." She rose on her toes and tentatively pressed her lips against his but only for a moment. Dropping back down onto her heels, she tried to step back, but he would not allow it. "You call that a kiss? Try it again, baby. And you'd better get it right this
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time." Karli swallowed and inhaled deeply. She had to do as he said and then he would go, she told herself. She tried to concentrate on the theory, thinking it would work and she would earn her freedom. You can do this, she told herself. Rising again on her toes, she kissed him again. This time she rocked her head a little as her lips pressed against his. She heard the belt hit the hard wood floor before he raised a hand to cradle her head and press her lips more firmly against his. His other hand pulled her hips closer. She felt his erection surge against her belly. "Hmmm. Good girl. Now that was much better." She touched her lips with her fingertips.
They were swollen and they
tingled. Her skin felt raw from his beard rubbing against it. "That didn't hurt, did it, baby?" he asked with a smile. "No," she managed. "It's just a little whisker burn." He rubbed his hand over his beard. It sounded like rubbing sandpaper. "Well, I suppose you want me to do something about that." "It hurts my face." He laughed. "Certain parts might get a bit sore, but there doesn't have to be any pain. Not if you do as you're told. Got that?" She nodded. "So far you've liked what I've done, haven't you?" He rubbed her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "Well?" She stared at him, not knowing how to answer. "Those weren't faked orgasms, were they?" She shook her head. She felt tears sting at the back of her eyes. "No, they weren't. I…I couldn't help myself." "Hell, that's nothing to be embarrassed about. No, no. That's good, baby. Very good. There are millions of women who would be jealous of you." He
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smiled at her. "Now then. Take the suit off," he ordered as he stepped back to the couch and sat down to watch her. "Okay, go on. Right there." He calmly slipped out of his loafers and pulled off his socks without taking his gaze from her. "Well?" "Ah…Wouldn't you like a drink or something first?" she asked, desperately thinking of a ways to put off the inevitable. "Great idea, but I like my bar maids to be topless." He folded his arms. "It's a pretty blouse but take it off." She looked around the room. "Or do you need me to come over there and rip it off you?" he asked, raising his voice sharply when she didn't obey. "No, no," she said, frantically unbuttoning the buttons he hadn't undone in the subway. "I'll take it off." This was one of her best silk blouses. She didn't want it ripped. However, even if it wasn't, she didn't know if she could ever wear it again. Her hands shook as she slid the last button from the hole. He watched every move, obviously enjoying himself. "Maybe we should have some music for this," he said with a grin. She slid the blouse off her shoulders and caught one sleeve as it slid toward the floor. She laid it across the end table and then quickly fastened the clasp on her bra that he had opened on the subway train. "Very nice. Very nice, but don't stop now." He pointed at her hips. "Lose the skirt." She unzipped the skirt and let it slide to the floor. She stepped out of it and picked it up. She tossed it onto the couch. Left in her bra and half-slip, she folded her arms protectively across her waist. She could feel his gaze as it moved over her as if he'd trailed his fingers across her sensitive skin in the same path. Goose bumps raced up and down her legs and arms, and she shivered in the warm room. "Don't tell me you're cold," he said with mock concern. He looked around
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the room until he spotted the thermostat. He rose and turned the lever to raise the temperature. He glanced over at the ancient radiators. "Hell, looks like it may take a while. I'll just have to warm you up myself in the meantime." He strode over to stand behind her and swiftly unhooked her beige lacy bra again and slid the straps off her shoulders. He flipped it over on top of her blouse. She crossed her arms over her breasts to cover them. "Don't do that, baby. They're too beautiful to hide." He pulled her arms down to her side and slid his hands around and under her heavy breasts. He lifted and played with their weight, gently squeezing them with his fingers. Grasping the hardening nipples between his thumbs and first fingers, he lightly pinched and rotated them. "Nice. Very nice," he murmured into her ear as he kissed the side of her neck. At her sharp intake of air, he chuckled. "See, baby? You like that, don't you?" She shook her head, denying his accusation. "No, no, I shouldn't." He tugged on her earlobe and rubbed his erection against her buttocks. He pinched the nipples harder and she cried out. "Say you like this, baby." "Okay, okay. I...I li...like it," she stuttered. He went back to gently massaging her breasts as he kissed her shoulder and softly bit it.
"Now say it like you mean it," he ordered softly but no less
threateningly. "I do." She arched back against him, her head tipped up and coming to rest against his shoulder. "I like it," she whispered. "I like it a lot." Her nipples, now hard peaks, bounced as he tapped his fingers over them in a fanning motion. Karli balled her hands into fists and fought the sensations that filled her despite striving to feel nothing. The body she'd thought was well disciplined, was betraying her again. She didn't want to feel hurt, or frightened, but she certainly didn't want to feel desire. But with the blending of all three, her 38
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arousal was undeniable. "Oh, Karli, what you do to me!" Karli straightened and looked at him over her shoulder. "You know my name." He looked surprised for a moment and then smiled. "I told you. I know a lot about you, sweet thing. I've tried to learn all there is to know about you." "Aren't you going to tell me your name?
What can I call you?"
Her
breathing rate increased as she tried to draw him into telling her what she needed to know. A captive woman would do well to find out a name of her captor to help the police to find him after he left. He chuckled. "Well, let's see. What's your favorite man's name?" he asked as his hands slid down across her stomach in circles that dipped lower and lower with each sweep. "Um, I'd have to say Alan. Yeah, I like Alan a lot," said, giving him the name of someone she loved. "What? Not some fancy name out of the movies. Or a rock star? Not even Rhett or Brand or something out of a romance novel?" She shook her head. "No, I love Alan." "You love him, huh? Then by all means, call me Alan." He slid his hands from her breasts down across her midriff, and slipped his thumbs under the waistline of her half-slip. Without hesitation, he slid the silky item down across her hips and thighs. He kissed a path down her spine as he bent down behind her, helping the garment fall to the floor. He lifted each ankle and divested her of her chunky heels. He tossed them with her underclothes behind the couch. Too late she realized what damage she could have done with her shoes. He slid his hands back up the outside of her legs to her hips as he rose. She wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging herself, covering herself.
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With gentle pressure on her shoulders, he turned her to face him. His gaze swept her slowly from head to toe and back again. "Now that's the way I like my barmaids dressed." He smiled. "So I guess I'll take that drink now." "I don't have much variety. It's in the kitchen." "After you," he said with a wave of his hand in that direction. She opened the cabinet over the refrigerator where she kept the things she didn't use often. "All I've got is Scotch," she said, keeping her back to him. "I love Scotch." He sat on one of the backless stools while she poured him a drink and added several ice cubes as he directed. She handed the glass to him and backed up against the counter, as far from him as she could get. She didn't like facing him when she was naked, although when she thought about it, it was better than having him behind her where she couldn't see what he was doing. He poked the ice cubes down into his drink a couple of times and swirled them around the glass. "Come here," he said, never having taken her gaze off her the whole time. "I am here. What do you want?" He spread his knees wide. "I said, 'Come here.'" He pointed to the floor between his legs. Her fingers clutched together, covering her furry mound, she stepped slowly to where he'd motioned. For a fleeting moment she thought of raising her knee to make sharp painful contact with the exposed long bulge in his pants, but if she hurt him and didn't get away, there was no telling what he would do to her to get even. And how could she run away naked? If she ran out of the building like this, the punks on the corner wouldn't have helping her in mind when they saw her in no clothes. He pressed his wet finger between her lips. She tasted Scotch and turned away. "I don't like the taste of Scotch." "What do you like, baby?" 40
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She wasn't going to acknowledge the double meaning one could take from his question. "I drink mostly wine." He gulped most of his drink in one swallow and slammed the glass down on the counter. She jumped and thought he must be angry. But what had she said or done to make him angry? He leaned forward and took a breast in his mouth. He sucked almost painfully and then drew out the nipple between his teeth. His lips and tongue felt cold. When he tired playing with one breast, he drank down the rest of his drink and then repeated his attentions on the other breast. Karli tried to concentrate on the cold feel of his tongue as it laved the nipple rather than the swirling heat that was settling in her belly. "Unbutton my shirt," he told her without stopping what he was doing. "Go on." She tilted her head to one side to see past his head to the buttons and began slowing undoing each one. He quickly lost patience with her and rose to finish the job for her. The cuff buttons bounced across the tile floor as he tore off the shirt and flipped it onto the counter. He wore no tee shirt. Dark hairs swirled in a vee on his chest that narrowed as it crossed his stomach and disappeared into his pants. He pulled her close and his chest hair tickled her breasts. He seized her wrists and held her arms out to the sides as he rubbed his chest against her breasts. She backed away from him but couldn't go far because her back was pressed against the counter. "No, baby. Don't try to stop what's happening. Just enjoy it. Ah, maybe you want to play a new game." Keeping a hold on one of her wrists, he reached into his glass and retrieved an ice cube. From the freezer icemaker, it was wedge shaped, long and narrow. Grinning, he drew a circle with the tip around her nipple. The dark pink skin shriveled and tightened more. She drew air in between her clenched teeth. "That's cold," she told him.
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The ice cube slipped from his fingers and bounced on the floor.
He
chuckled. "Come here," he ordered, trying to pull her into his lap facing him with one leg on each side of his hips. "The stool will break. It won't hold us both." "Nah, it'll be fine," he insisted. "Just relax." She felt so exposed. He kissed her again and she heard the clink of the ice in his glass. She leaned back to break off the kiss and saw he had another ice cube in his hand. He ran it back and forth on her lips. She sucked in the moisture and licked her lips to get moisture into her dry mouth. It felt good. "You like that, huh?" "Yeah." "How about this?" he asked as he drew a wet line with the ice down her neck, between her breasts. He circled each one before sliding across her stomach. He stuck it in her navel and wiggled it. "That tickle?" "No, it's just cold," she said. "Yeah," he admitted. "And you're hot." He continued down her stomach to slide through the furry patch and slip between her lips. She gasped and threw her head back. "God, that's so cold," she whispered. He circled the firm nub and slid back to circle her warm deep spot. She sucked in quick breath and held it. He wouldn't, would he? With a quick jab, he pushed the piece of ice up into the opening. "How does that feel?" His fingers kept it inside her, twirling it around and around, while his thumb rubbed at the nub. Her breathing rate rose. Around and around it went. "Ah, it melted," he said, sounding disappointed. "You're so hot, it couldn't cool you down." She tried to resume normal breathing.
His fingers still teased the nub,
circling, pressing, and she knew she couldn't stop the fire building within her.
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"Unzip my pants," he ordered. She had trouble moving the tab over the bulge in the fabric, but managed. "The button too," he added. She unbuttoned the top button and he rose, lifting her with him. To keep from falling, she lunged for a grip around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist as his pants fell to the floor. He stepped out of them and sat back down. She looked down and him and was surprised to discover he wasn't wearing any underwear. "Now touch me."
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Chapter Five Karli didn't stop to think how to get out of doing as the man ordered. She reached down to hold his penis. She squeezed it and marveled at his sharp intake of air. She had some power over him. She ran her fingers lightly up and down, but when she started stroking it firmly, he stopped her. "Whoa there, sweet one. Too much of that and I'll fire before you're ready." He lifted her hands to his shoulders and pressed his cock down between her legs. Her toes found purchase on the stool rungs and she raised up to rub against it. "That's the way," he encouraged, pressing it against her hot nub as she slid over it back and forth. "I'll bet we can have sex in every room in your apartment tonight. What do you think?" She was finding it difficult to concentrate on what he was saying much less answer him. His fingers were doing their magic at the apex of her thighs and she was past the point of wanting him to stop. She moaned as a flash of intense heat washed over her. "That's it, baby. Let yourself go." She threw her head back and cried out as the spasms shook her. The second they began, he thrust into her repeatedly. She rode him for all he was worth until he came, hot and steaming, inside her. With one final thrust, he yanked her tight against him and held her still. They were both sweaty and exhausted. At least she was exhausted. He seemed to have some energy left because he rose, staying within her, and carried her out of the kitchen. He crossed to the only door other than the front door. It led to her bedroom and the bath beyond. He stopped beside the bed.
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"Didn't that feel good?" "Yeah, it did," she admitted. Her forehead rested on his shoulder. He slowly lightened his grip and let her slide down and stand before him. She found herself regretting that he slid out from inside her.
He swung his weight from one foot to the other,
maintaining the light contact between her breasts and the hairs on his chest. She inhaled deeply to gain more control over her galloping emotions and inadvertently raised her breasts to press more firmly against his chest. Her nipples turned from side to side with his movements and she felt her insides turn molten. How could this be happening again so fast? It just wasn't possible, was it? Sex had always been good for her but tonight was unreal. He was right. She would remember what happened tonight for the rest of her life. "You got any music to play on that thing?" he asked pointing to the tape deck. "Something slow we can dance to." She nodded and slid something slow in the slot and turned it on. She was saving for a CD player but hated to switch because she owned so many tapes. She turned the music low. "Is that okay?" she asked, her back to him. "That's fine," he said. "Come here and dance with me." She knew it was an order that she couldn't disobey, and he'd said it so sweetly, she found she didn't want to. She turned back to him and walked into his arms. They danced through most of one side of the tape. She had to admit he was a good dancer. They moved together as one and seemed to anticipate each other's moves. They laughed when he tried to dip her. Her foot slipped and she fell back on the bed. "Good thing I dipped you over the bed," he said, leaning over her with his hands on the mattress on each side of her. Before he could move to take advantage of her being on the bed under him, she slid under one arm and hurried to the tape deck. She turned off the music 45
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and heard him cross to stand right behind her. "No more dancing?" "No, I've had enough." "Me too. There's other things I want now." He turned her around to face him and kissed her fully on the lips, not taking no for an answer when she would have denied him access to her mouth. He was demanding and yet he was giving as well. His erection throbbed against her belly. "I want this to last all night, sweet one. But you've got me so hot, I can't wait any longer for the next one." He slid a hand between them and cupped her furry mound. His fingers probed her intimately. "Hmmm. You're so hot. Feels like you can't wait either, huh, baby? I knew you'd like it with me tonight." Her heart sped up as she felt his cock surge between them. She couldn't speak. He was so big and he had felt so good within her. There was nothing she could say to deny that. Her limbs felt heavy with desire to hold him. She didn't think her trembling legs would support her. He pulled over the chair and sat on the edge. "Come here, sweet one." He moved his hand from between her legs and slid the back of his bent knuckles up over her stomach. "I want to see how good a lap dancer you are when your feet can reach the floor," he said in a low voice. "I'm gonna let you do all the work this time." "What do you mean?" She'd never seen a lap dancer and didn't know what they did. He drew her down onto his lap as he had in the kitchen. Though she tried not to think about it, she felt his cock throb against her. "I think you can figure it out. Show me what you can do." She exhaled the breath she'd been holding as he grabbed her head and yanked it down for a crushing kiss. He spread his legs to part hers farther and gained access to her soft folds. He rubbed them with his erection as she began to 46
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rock her hips forward and back. "Dance for me, baby," he whispered. "Stand up and dance," he ordered as he lifted her weight from his thighs. She rotated her hips, brushing his chin with her breasts as she rose and then fell again "That's the way." He held his erection up to rub against her folds as she moved closer and then away. He was teasing her as much as she was teasing him. She tried to stay close and bent her knees to slide onto the tip. She rose and fell, circled with the tip inside and then rose again. Suddenly, he'd had enough and he jerked her hips toward him and impaled her with his cock. She cried out as her body arched away from him. His strong arms around her, he took a breast into his mouth and sucked on it as he throbbed within her. He released the breast with a popping sound and loosened his hold on her. "Stand up and dance! You like that, don't you?" She rose until they barely touched and then slid ever so slowly down on him. "Not even the ice could cool you down. I like that. I like that a lot." Her heart pounded in her ears. She threaded her fingers into his hair and pulled his head toward her other breast. Suddenly, she realized what she was doing. She didn't want him to know that he was doing anything but frightening her. She didn't want him to have this power over her. Too late, she realized he already knew. He grasped her buttocks and lunged into her more and more quickly and she forgot to be afraid. She forgot how they came to be together and only felt her body swell with heat and urgency. But she shouldn't forget. Was she loosing her mind? She grabbed his shoulders and fought the rhythm he'd established. "No! Don't stop," he urged through gritted teeth. "You're too late to stop what's happening between us now." "No," she cried, but even as she said it, she felt her body, with a will of its own, tense and explode into a thousand pieces. Her breathing stopped as she 47
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rhythmically clamped around his hot and hard cock that was giving her such pleasure. His climax came moments after hers and she felt his hot come filling her. Exhausted, she fell forward, her forehead on his shoulder. Her legs were trembling from the exertion of so many knee bends.
She couldn't find the
strength to stand up and allowed him to cradle her in his arms. Minutes later, when their breathing rates had steadied, he rose, holding her weight against him in a way that allowed him to stay within her. "Where are you taking me?" she managed. "You'll see," he promised but she could see they were heading for her bed. He slowly severed their connection as he lowered her to the floor. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. "Again? You can't mean to do it again." "Sure, baby. We're just getting started." She backed up away from him until her calf hit the bed. "Please, I need a break. I want to take a shower." He grinned. "Hey, that's a good idea." He followed her into the bathroom and even turned on the water for her. "I want to take a shower alone," she told him. "Aw, now that wouldn't be any fun." He grabbed a wash cloth from the rack and took her arm to help her into the tub. Seemingly considerate of her, he covered the showerhead with the cloth until the warm water was flowing. With his hands on her shoulders, he urged her to move into the water and turned her all the way around to wet her down. He soaped up the cloth and began to circle her entire body with suds. There was no hope for her, she was certain. He nearly brought her to another climax just washing her intimate parts. "Now you wash me," he ordered.
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She tried to get it over with using swift wide strokes, but he grabbed her wrist. "Come on, baby. You can do better than that." Warned, she tended to her job more carefully. He placed her hands on the erection that had never completely gone away. She didn't look at it as she slid the soapy cloth up and down it and cupped his scrotum. If she squeezed with all her might, would he pass out? Could she get out of the apartment before he caught her? She knew the answer. "Yeah, that's it. God, that feels good." Judging them both washed enough, he made certain they were rinsed before they stepped from the tub. She grabbed a towel to wrap around her torso and he snatched it from her hand. "I'll do that." With maddening slowness, he rubbed her whole body with gentle strokes. By the time he asked her to do the same for him, his skin was mostly dry. He tossed the towel over the rod and motioned her back into the bedroom where he pulled back the covers on the bed. He motioned toward the center with a jerk of his thumb. She sat down on the edge and scooted away from him across the bed. With a knee on the bed, he reached over and grabbed her ankle. "That's far enough." Pulling her back toward him, she slid easily across the fitted sheet that felt cool against her heated skin. With a hand on each ankle, he spread her legs and bent her knees. She could feel his gaze on her, touching her in all her private places. He slid his hand up the inside of her leg and blazed a trail of kisses that followed its path. As his hand cupped her thatch and his thumb circled her most sensitive point, he spread her legs farther apart until they lay flat on the bed to each side. Karli closed her eyes. Her head twisted from side to side. Holding her legs apart with his elbows, he kneeled beside the bed and leaned over the edge to her.
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He laved her engorged folds with his tongue. He found the same point his thumb had circled and sucked it until it became harder and more erect. Sliding lower, he flicked his tongue in and out of her. She could stand no more and cried out. "Please...please." "Please? Please what?" he asked rising above her. "Is this what you want?" With one knee on the bed for balance, he circled her hot folds with the hard tip of his penis. She tried to draw her legs together and he pressed them out again. "Oh, yeah. This is what you want. Say it. Say this is what you want." "Yes. Yes. This is what I want." He chuckled as he entered her slowly but not deeply. "How much do you want it?" he asked. "Tell me how much. How many inches? Is this enough?" "No. More. I...I want more," she managed, her breathing rapid. She lifted her shoulders and grabbed hold of his arms for balance as she tried to raise herself farther onto his shaft. His teasing was such sweet torture. "Yes," he cried. "That's right. Come to me, baby. Come to me." Karli clung to him and raised her hips off the bed repeatedly to the rhythm he set, but she couldn't get him inside her all the way. She thrust her hips up farther and faster, but still he teased her by giving her only a little of himself. "How much do you want now, lovely lady? Hmmm?" "All of it," she shouted, pounding on the bed with her fists. "I want it all." With a loud groan, he plunged deeply into her. When their wildest fantasies of thrilling sensations had been fulfilled, he collapsed on her, his head beside hers. She felt his hot breath on her neck. He was breathing as rapidly as she was.
With Herculean effort he rolled them sideways without breaking the
connection and held her tightly in his arms. She didn't have the strength to move away. She didn't know how much time
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had passed. Maybe she'd slept. At least she felt as if she was waking when he propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at her. "That was unbelievable." "Haven't you had enough? Can't you stop this now?" She held her breath waiting for his answer. But a sudden surge within her gave her the answer. He kissed her softly. "See what you do to me?" he said into her mouth. "I knew it would be like this with you." He kissed her so exquisitely that it brought tears to her eyes. He acted as if he really did care for her. She already knew that her body could not resist what he did to her. "Food. I need food. I'm tired and hungry," she insisted. He kissed her quickly and popped out of her so fast she gasped. He laughed and rolled off the bed. "What have you got to eat?" "I had a special dinner planned for tonight. I guess we could eat that." She gave him the menu she had planned for dinner as she pulled on her robe. "The menu sounds great but you won't be needing that," he said, tugging the belt loose and divesting her of the robe. "I'll help cook," he offered as he tossed her robe aside. "What can you do?" He chuckled and pulled her against him. "I think I've already given you several samples of exactly what I can do." He kissed her, making certain she didn't doubt what he could do in that department. "Yes, yes, you have," she agreed, pushing away the moment he ended the kiss. "But I meant what you can do in the kitchen?" His grin broadened. "I thought I'd shown you there, too, on the stool." She groaned and looked at the ceiling before straightening and marching past him into the kitchen. She'd be damned if she'd let spattering butter burn her bare stomach, so she pulled an apron out of the drawer, ready to explain she
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needed it. The apron had a short gathered skirt topped with a small bib top. Both sections were circled with a ruffle. The belt tied in the back. She pulled it over her head and quickly pulled the ties behind her to tie in a bow. "Nice," he said, studying the effect. She looked down and discovered what he was looking at. The apron was made of red organdy.
Two pockets on the skirt were appliques of red
poinsettias. It was still in the drawer from Christmas when she'd bought it to wear for a small party she had. Except for the pockets, the whole apron was seethrough. The top barely covered her nipples and the bottom ruffle ended just below the apex of her thighs. She'd never imagined how sexy she would look wearing it over her naked body. Seeing it through his eyes, darkened with arousal, she could now. Wanting to turn her back to him to hide the view, she crossed to the refrigerator and pulled the beans from the crisper drawer. "God, am I enjoying this. I never knew working in the kitchen could be so much fun." She straightened and looked at him over her shoulder. He'd seated himself on the stool right behind her and was watching her bend over with her uncovered backside facing him. She blushed. She tossed him the bag of beans and while he was looking at them, she grabbed the steaks and butter. Reaching into the cabinet over the counter, she got down the canister of rice and set that in front of him on the small section of counter that doubled as a breakfast eating area where the stools were. She plopped down a pan beside that and dropped a measuring cup in it. "Two tablespoons of butter and a cup and a half of rice." Let him figure it out, she thought as she picked a small onion from the basket. He was still measuring by the time she had the onion chopped and dropped in the pan. Cutting onions often made her eyes water and tonight was no exception. She 52
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sniffled and he looked up. "You okay?" He actually looked and sounded concerned. "Onions got me." He nodded and dropped the last of the rice over the onions. She told him to start cooking it, stirring often until the rice was browned and the onions translucent. That ought to keep him away from me, she thought. She washed the beans and broke off the ends. Into her wok she poured a three-inch circle of olive oil and realized she had to find the soy sauce in the refrigerator. A quick glance at him told her he wasn't watching her so she opened the refrigerator and hunted for the slender bottle. She didn't use it often because she didn't like the salty taste. She didn't need it when she got take out because the restaurant always sent along the little packages. She finally found it on the bottom shelf at the back. She really had to clean out this refrigerator one of these days. "Don't move," he said softly as he walked up behind her.
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Chapter Six "Why shouldn't I move?" Karli asked. She started to straighten but he put his hand on her back, keeping her bent over at the hips. He pushed away the apron ties and held each side of her hips. When had he gotten another erection? she vaguely wondered as she felt the hot tip seeking entrance between her legs. She braced herself against the bottom of the refrigerator to spare her back in this position. The second her back relaxed, he found the opening he sought and slid slowly into her. "There is nothing like it this way," he whispered. "You're so smooth, so soft and so deep." He leaned down over her and wrapped his arms around her so he could fondle her breasts. Keeping the steady, slow sensual strokes in and out he had her nipples erect in short order. She was standing with her head practically in the refrigerator and she felt hot. His fingers glided lightly around the apron to her stomach. Then two held her furred lips apart while two more ministered to her most sensuous spot. She was breathing rapidly and had to open her mouth to take in air. She moaned and once again surrendered to her capable captor. Moments after she spasmed rhythmically around his cock, he ejaculated deep within her. When their breathing had slowed, he slowly retreated as he lifted her gently by her shoulders so she could stand and lean against him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her shoulder.
"That was a most unexpected
pleasure, lovely lady." "I…I have to clean up." She turned out of his arms and started through the kitchen when she heard the rice crackling. She pushed the pan from the burner so it wouldn't burn and hurried on to wash herself.
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When she returned minutes later, she saw he had availed himself of the paper towels to tidy himself up. When he'd finished, he rinsed soapsuds from his hands and dried them, too. Returning to the stove, he stirred the rice. "What goes in next?" He asked calmly. He looked up at her and grinned. "Or are me and an ice cube enough for tonight?" "You mean you'll stop now?" She held her breath waiting for his answer. He shook his head. "No way! Not as long as my body is willing, baby. But tell me, what goes into the rice next?" The window of hope that had opened briefly, slammed shut. She got out the cans of chicken broth and told him how much to measure in. "Be careful. It might spatter." He jerked his head up to look at her. His forehead was knit in a little frown. "Thanks," he said softly. Karli had to wonder why she would warn him. Maybe if he burned himself, he would stop his sexual assault on her. She'd heard on television that captives often came to care for their captors. When they were released, they even made excuses for the captors and didn't want to see them punished. Ohmigod, she thought. Could that be happening to me? Because the rest of the work to fix dinner had to be done at the stove, they stood side by side. As he finished the pilaf and set it on low to absorb the liquids, he took every chance to caress her back or to kiss her shoulder. When the rice was nearly done, she laid the steaks in a frying pan to braise in butter seasoned with thyme and garlic. As soon as they were started, she turned on the beans. She concentrated on stirring the beans as they cooked and didn't look at him once. She turned the steaks and counted the minutes until everything was done. He was very helpful in setting food on the plates. She grabbed forks and steak knives and he carried the plates to her little table at the end of the living
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room. It took her a few seconds to get used to sitting on the wood chair without any clothes on. It felt cold but, more importantly, she knew she would have to scrub them with soap tomorrow. He went back to the kitchen and returned moments later with a bottle of wine. "I saw this on the counter. Is it good?" She had bought that for her dinner tonight and here he was opening it. "It's very good," she muttered. He poured two glasses and sat down. Raising his glass for a toast and waiting until she did the same, he smiled. "Here's to our time together—a night to remember." He pushed his glass to hers so they clinked and then he drank. "Very good. Thank you." She swallowed a little and at once loved the smooth character and fragrant bouquet. "This is one of my favorites," she offered. "This is really a very special dinner. Do you eat like this every night?" She shook her head. "No. I bought it all for a private celebration tonight. I didn't expect an evening like this." "Ahhh. Were you expecting someone else to come?" She shook her head. "No. No one else." He took a bit of steak and closed his eyes as he chewed. "Mmmm, that is so good." "Thank you." He opened his eyes and looked at her plate. "Aren't you going to eat?" She'd been watching him enjoy his food. "What? Oh, yes." She should eat to keep up her strength, she thought absently. She would need all the energy she could muster to get away from him—if she ever was permitted to put her clothes back on. She didn't manage to eat as much as he did, but she felt better when she had
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eaten something. She rose to take the dishes back to the kitchen when he raised his hand. "Leave them," he said. He rose and looked at the table. "On second thought, I'll show you what a nice guy I am and help you clear the table." Between the two of them, they cleared it in one trip. They stacked the dishes in the sink. She reached for the bottle of liquid soap to wash them when his hand stayed hers. She set down the soap and clutched the front of the sink waiting to see what he would do next. She felt him tug on the ties of her apron. After he had it loose, he turned her around to face him. He lifted the bib strap over her head and tossed the apron on the counter beside the sink. The edge of the counter felt cold against her back, but she didn't move. He couldn't possibly want sex again, could he? He smiled. "Thank you for dinner," he said politely. "I have some dessert, if you want," she offered to keep him happy and not seducing her. His smile widened. "It can wait until later. We'll take another break then." "Only a break? But you can't keep this up all night." "Can't I? Just watch me." He took her hand and pressed her palm against his throbbing erection. "Feel this? You do this to me, baby. Only you." He kissed her then and apparently he was correct; she could feel his penis surge against her. He nipped at her fuller lower lip and chuckled. "We haven't done it in the living room yet." "In the living room? Where? I don't want anything smeared on the couch," she tried to insist. Was the man intent on leaving her a reminder of him in every room in the small apartment? Was there no place to escape his attentions? He grasped her at her waist and, as he kissed her again, he steered her backwards into the living room. He paused by the dining table and looked down at it. "Nah, that table doesn't look strong enough to hold us both. He 57
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kissed her again and steered her toward the couch. "To lie on the seats of the couch would be so ordinary." He tipped his head to the side and sized up the overstuffed back on the low couch. It was just a little shorter than his legs were long. "This will do for a start." He sat on the end of the back and spread his legs out wide. He reached for her wrist and pulled her to him. He tugged on her hair next to lower her head and kissed her, demanding entry with his tongue. His tongue danced with hers and then pumped in and out in an insistent rhythm. She could feel her skin heat up though none of her skin touched his other than their mouths. She felt lightheaded and had to yank free of the kiss to drag air into her lungs. She straightened and he slid his hands to behind her waist. He laved one breast and sucked the nipple until it stood erect reaching for more of his attentions. He did the same for the other and then slid his hands to her shoulders. With gentle insistence, he pushed her down until she kneeled before him. Her face was at the level of the back of the couch. Level with his surging cock. He grasped a handful of her hair on the back of her head with one hand and his cock with the other. He pulled her face close and rubbed the length of the shaft against both cheeks. It felt like velvet. She closed her eyes and easily enjoyed the sensation. He aimed the tip at her mouth and circled her lips. "That tickles." She flicked her tongue out to wet her lips and tasted the little drops of love juice seeping from him. When the tip had circled her lips a second time, he diverted it to slide between her lips. Maybe if she'd been thinking and not enjoying, she would have clenched her teeth and bitten him. But she didn't. He rubbed the ridge around the tip on her teeth and then slid it over her tongue. She formed her lips into an O and circled the tip with her tongue. "Oh, yes, yes," he breathed. He slid it in and out, never going too far in, never going all the way out until he was ready to move on. He slid it from her mouth and
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cradled her jaw with his hands. "Now it's my turn." He urged her to rise and then turned her back to the couch. Pushing her back, he helped her lie down on the padded back so the end came to the middle of her buttocks. It was an uncomfortable position with her feet down. When he saw that, he hooked an arm under each knee and lifted her legs to rest on his shoulders. He slid his palms down her thighs and around to her stomach. He used his thumbs to massage her furred lips and then slowly sank to his knees. Having to lean over only slightly, he found her special button with his mouth and sucked on it until it was as raised and stiff as her nipples. He circled it repeatedly until she was thrashing and throwing her head from side to side. Not finished yet, he slid his tongue down and entered her. In and out, in and out his tongue flicked until she thought she would go mad. She was teetering on the brink and wanted him to take her over. "Please," she cried out. "Oh, yes," he promised. "I will." He rose, keeping her legs on his shoulders, and pressed against her core with his cock. Leaning over her until her legs were nearly doubled back over her stomach to allow him complete access where he wanted most to go, he drove into her. "Yes," she cried out. Yet instead of moving in and out, he stopped deep within her. Only his hands moved to hold her shoulders. Still no other movement. She tried to move her hips, but he pressed up against her and wouldn't allow it. "Please," she pleaded. "Don't leave me like this." Slowly, he began to move within her. With painfully slow strokes, he heated her core until she thought she would suffer a melt down if he didn't move faster. She urged him on with a quicker movement of her hips. She clutched his arms.
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"Faster. Faster," she ordered. To see her so needy was all he needed. He withdrew and quickly plunged deep inside her once more. Then all the way out. All the way in. Again and again and again. Faster and faster, harder and harder. She couldn't get enough of him. Faster and faster, more and more. And suddenly, they were both flying high, meeting each other stroke for stroke as orgasmic fireworks exploded for them both. When at last they could float back to earth and relax, he held her legs in the crooks of his arms and fell forward on her.
His head nestled between her
breasts. She felt the gentle tickle of his cock relaxing within her. It was almost as fun to feel shrinking inside her as it was to feel it hardening there. His breathing approached normal, as did hers, and he straightened, kissing her breasts on the way to standing between her legs. He was just about to say something when the doorbell rang! "Ohmigod. What'll I do?" Karli glanced at the door and then back at him. He looked as confused as she felt. "I have to answer it," she whispered so whoever was in the hall wouldn't hear her. "Whoever it is must know someone's home." "Who would it be?" he asked as he helped her to stand. "It must be a neighbor because the outer door buzzer never sounded." "They could have pushed any button and gotten buzzed in." He seemed to weigh his options before he nodded. "Okay, answer the door but you don't try anything funny," he warned sternly. Rounding the couch, she grabbed her long coat and pulled it on.
"I'm
coming," she called out. She ran her fingers through her hair, hoping to affect some order. At the door she turned back and saw him standing behind her. He'd pulled on his pants and the shirt that had been tossed on the couch though he didn't 60
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button the shirt. He picked up the other odd pieces of their clothing and tossed them out of sight behind the couch. Whoever saw them had to know what they'd been doing, but at least the living room wasn't littered with the evidence. But the smell. She groaned. "I can't even smell what we had for dinner any more," she whispered. "All I smell is sex." "And it smells good," he said, smiling cockily. She groaned again and turned back to the door. "Remember what I said," he warned again.
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Chapter Seven Karli nodded and unlocked the deadbolt. "I need the key for this lock." He dug the keys from his pocket and tossed them to her. "Just one minute," she called as she fit the key in the security lock. Switching the standard lock open, too, she opened the door. "Mrs. Dantini! You're the last person I expected to see up here this late tonight," she said loudly so the hearing-impaired woman could hear her easily. "Well, I thought you were home and I came as soon as I finished this," she said with a big smile. She held a low chocolate frosted cake in her hands. "Didn't I hear some music before?" Karli made a mental note to remember that sounds in her bedroom carried downstairs that well. "Yes. Come in." Karli looked back at the man to discover his reaction to inviting her in and was surprised to see him walking slowly toward them with a warm smile on his face. "Do you need help with something, Mrs. Dantini?" he asked kindly. "No, dear. I brought you this," the old woman said as she handed Karli the single-layer cake.
Chocolate frosting had been applied thickly all the way
around. "I know how much you like chocolate so I wanted to make a cake to help you celebrate." She giggled. "I'm giving you one layer and I'm keeping one for myself." They laughed with her. "Why thank you. That's very sweet of you. It sure looks yummy," Karli told her, meaning every word. The man leaned over her shoulder, holding her upper arms to show possession. "Lookin' good," he said with a smile. "I love the smell of chocolate. Don't you, Karli?" He looked at Karli and she smiled, hoping the chocolate was 62
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the dominant smell in the small room now instead of sex. Mrs. Dantini nodded, obviously pleased. "It's my favorite, that's for sure." She looked down at the cake. "I wanted to write Happy Second Anniversary on top of it for you two, but I only had the chocolate frosting. You can pretend the letters are there, okay?" Mrs. Dantini asked with a chuckle. "How did you know about our wedding anniversary?" Karli asked. "Oh, I almost forgot." She turned back to the hall and picked up the florist’s bouquet of baby yellow roses she'd set beside the door to ring the bell. A gold number two rose above the flowers and the envelope for the gift card read, "Happy Wedding Anniversary." She smiled. "This is how," she said proudly. "The flowers came hours ago so I thought I had plenty of time to bake the cake." "Happy anniversary, my love," Alan said with a kiss on her cheek. "From you?" He nodded. "They're beautiful," she said, her voice hoarse from emotion. "And I've enjoyed keeping them until you came home," Mrs. Dantini put in. With a wink to the cook, Alan swept a finger full of frosting from the side of the cake in her hands and popped it into his mouth. "Mmm, that's heavenly." "Well, glad you like it.
I'll be going now so you two can get on with
whatever you were doing. Hope you enjoy the cake. I know Alan said he had something special planned for tonight since it was your wedding anniversary and all. Looks like you're getting ready to go out. I won't keep you." She stepped out into the hall. "Well, happy anniversary, you two," she said over her shoulder with a little wave. "Thanks again," Karli called. "You're a dear." She closed the door and leaned her back against it as Alan flipped the locks and turned the key. This time he left the key in the lock, the way they always kept it when they were home. In case of an emergency, they didn't have to hunt
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for the key to get the door open. Suddenly they both burst out laughing. "She's such a sweet lady. I wonder what she thought of me answering the door with only my coat on? Do you think she could tell?" She started to walk toward the kitchen with the cake and flowers when Alan stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Whoa." She smiled at him. "Those really are my favorite flowers. I'm so glad you remembered." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him sweetly. "Well, they were in your bridal bouquet so I figured you liked them." "You remembered that?" "I want to remember everything about you, my love." He took the flowers from her and placed them on the coffee table. Their gazes locked and he leaned down to kiss her tenderly. "And I do love you, you know." She grinned. "I know. Over and over and over again," she teased. They laughed. "And I love you," she added. He kissed her again and their tongues met in a sensual dance to music only they could hear. He lifted his face only an inch from hers. "You know what?" "Hmmm?" she asked, feeling to languorous with arousal to talk. She was lucky she hadn't dropped the cake she still held in her hand. "I think you have too many clothes on." She laughed. "Aw, the jig is up. We've been discovered so I guess this is the end of our annual anniversary game, huh?" she asked, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice.
"But my hat's off to you.
You really outdid
yourself this year." Alan looked down at the cake and then back up at her. "The night is young, my love," he said with a broad grin. "Your hat may be off to me, but I want your coat off, too." As she laughed at his play on her words, he took the cake from her
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with one hand while relieving her of her coat with his other. He tossed it back on the couch. "Turn about's fair play," she said as she helped him take off his shirt and pants without endangering to the luscious-looking cake. "Now then, what were you saying?" "I was going to say that our fun doesn't have to end yet." He swiped at the side of the cake with his index finger and held it up to her mouth so she could lick off the gooey, thick dark-fudge frosting. "Ummm. Delicious," she said sucking off the remainder from his finger suggestively. "Good," he said as he redipped his finger into the frosting. This time he spread the chocolate over her lips and then proceeded to lick it all off. She rewarded his efforts with a deep kiss. "My turn," she insisted when they came up for air. She loaded two fingers with frosting. She teased him by eating one clean herself and then made a show of putting the remaining frosting on his lips. The kiss she was rewarded with almost ended with the cake upside down on the floor. "Okay, my turn," he countered. Now he swiped the frosting and spread it around her nipples.
He paid special attention to project and extended the
coating to the tip of her breasts and hid all the dark pink flesh. Her nipples hardened under his ticklish light strokes. She groaned and lifted her breasts for him to lick off the yummy confection. "Harder, harder. That tickles," she said with a giggle. "Harder is exactly what I'm going for, my love." A sweep of her finger and the tip of his firm cock was decorated in fluffy chocolate.
She knelt down and licked it away, helping him gain his latest
objective with ease. "Want some more? I know I do," she said rising to her feet. Not giving him a turn, she dipped her finger into the frosting and then set 65
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the cake on the coffee table. "If Mrs. Dantini only knew," she said with a laugh. She drew a chocolate heart on her stomach around her navel with the bottom tip pointing downward in the direction she wanted him to go. She stuck her finger in her mouth to suck off what frosting remained. "Eat me," she whispered hoarsely. He swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Laying her on the bed, he followed her down and enjoyed every lick of the rest of his dessert. Quite a while after all the chocolate had been licked clean from their bodies, they lay in each other's arms, happy and sated once more. Sharing the same pillow, their gazes locked. "Happy anniversary, Karli," Alan said, his voice low. "I think I love you more now than when we were married two years ago today." "I'll love you forever," Karli responded. They kissed sweetly and relaxed back into the pillow. "Ummm," she hummed. "What? What is it?" She rose onto her bent elbow and ran her fingernail in circles in the dark curls on his chest. "Next year is our third anniversary." "That's a given." "Well, we agreed to play a very special scene to mark each anniversary." He smiled his agreement. "And?" "And next year is my turn to plan the event like you did tonight." She laughed. "I nearly forgot about the playacting when I saw you on the subway platform. I thought you'd come to meet me—which would have been very sweet, by the way—and then I remembered our roll-playing plans." She groaned and covered her face with her hands.
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"How could you do all that on the
Late Night Commute
subway? I nearly died of embarrassment. What if someone saw us?" "They didn't. The blackened window behind you acted like a mirror. I kept an eye on it in case anyone came near to us." "Now I've got to come up with something bigger and better, I suppose." He laughed. "We're not playing 'Can You Top This,' you know. We're only doing something special on our anniversary." "I know, but the excitement tonight made it all so much better." She rolled her eyes up." And so much more often," she added with a giggle. "We're just having fun. And, damn, what fun it is." "I'll have to keep up the tradition, as long as you can keep this up," she said, stroking his cock and enjoying the sensation as it hardened. "What do you have in mind?" he asked as he caressed her breast and toyed with the tip. "That will remain a secret," she whispered, closing her eyes at the pleasure swirling within her. "I can't wait," he said, laving her breast. "But in the meantime, I'm hungry. What about you?" "I'm famished," she admitted. "Don't move!" She leapt from the bed and retrieved the cake dish from the living room. She climbed onto the bed with it and sat cross-legged at his hips. He reached out to snitch some frosting, but she jerked the cake out of his reach. "I want you to know that I had another dessert planned for our anniversary dinner." "What?" She told him about the sundaes. "But that's too cold. The ice cube was cold enough for the night, let me tell you." He laughed. "Then let's eat the cake."
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"I get to start because I have a taste for another chocolate bar!" She ran her fingertip through the remaining frosting and reached for his satiny shaft.
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Also at Ellora's Cave
Uncharted Waters by Jodi Lynn Copeland Secret Submission by Diana Hunter Things That Go Bump In The Night 3 By Cheyenne McCray, Stephanie Burke and Mlyn Hurn Lawyers In Love: Gettin’ It On by Ann Jacobs
Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc. www.ellorascave.com
