Chapter Twelve

Cynthia drew in a deep breath as she watched Chris. No matter how many times she’d seen him without clothes, it still made her heart skip the moment she was granted the privilege. Cream coated her pussy lips, and the pressure between her legs intensified. She’d been thinking about this all day, planning this for most of a week, and now that it was actually happening, she’d be amazed if she could contain her eagerness.

The need to assert more control had built over the last few weeks, with each day, each time they made love. The research she’d done had given her confidence to attempt this action. A big step, yes, but one of many she had left to take.

Even so, her palms dampened, a slight chill slinked down her spine.

She was nervous, of course she was. Who the hell wouldn’t be nervous about telling a six-foot god of a man to strip for her pleasure? Although, at the moment, she was losing a bit of the conviction she had gained. Trepidation snuck into her mind. She shook it away, ignoring any of the negative thoughts that might pop up. This next step was natural and exactly what both of them needed.

He pulled the black cotton shirt out of his pants, then slid each button free. As soon as he’d undone the last one, he slipped it off. Knowing the game, he folded the shirt and put it on the occasional chair that sat next to the door. His hands trembled as they went to the waist of his pants. It was hard not to notice that, or the long, hard ridge of his erection easily seen against the soft fabric of his trousers. Seeing his excitement spurred her own, but she tried her best to mask it. It took him two attempts to unfasten the button at the top, then unzip his pants. To her disappointment, red cotton instead of skin appeared behind the zipper. The knit boxers were a favorite of hers, but she’d hoped for nothing. The snug fit afforded her a wonderful view of his cock. As he turned to place his pants with his shirt on the chair, she couldn’t stop herself from leaning to the side to get a better view of his rounded ass.

When he straightened again, his lips quirked.

“Something you find amusing?” she asked, proud that she’d kept her voice so cool while her body almost went up in flames.

“No. It pleases me to please you.”

Without any other explanation, he slipped his fingers beneath the band of his shorts and tugged them down. The motion of removing them didn’t allow for her to see his shaft. He didn’t rush. With slow, measured movements, he skimmed the fabric down his legs. He took his time, drawing out his action, heightening their excitement. When he’d placed them with the rest of his clothes, he turned to her. His erect penis curved up to his belly.

“Spread your legs.”

He obeyed and she stifled a moan. Her greedy gaze roamed over him, zeroing in on his cleanly shaved testicles. Every drop of moisture in her mouth evaporated as she fought the urge to place her lips there. To nip with her teeth and pull the sensitive skin into her mouth to suckle.

All in good time, Cynthia.

She rose to her feet. Her juices had flowed so freely, the tops of her thighs were wet. With each step she took, she reached a new level of tension. The friction caused her to wince. As she approached him, his nostrils flared as if trying to scent her. Her nipples tightened in reaction. The action spoke of a basic need, primal desire.

She stepped behind him. With a featherlight touch, she skimmed her fingers over his ass, enjoying the way it clenched in reaction. Dipping one finger in the crevice between his cheeks, she smiled when he shifted his weight from foot to foot. She bent forward, placing her open mouth on his shoulder blade, and slipped her hand down to caress his sac. A surprised indrawn breath told her he hadn’t expected that. She continued to move her mouth down his back as she massaged his testicles. His flesh was dewy with perspiration, the sweet, salty taste of it filling her senses.

She dropped to her knees, replacing her fingers with her mouth, and taking his cock in her hand. As she sucked and licked him, Cynthia caressed his sex. Each time her hand stroked up, she rubbed her thumb over the tip. His breathing increased as he muttered. She increased her rhythm, driving him to the brink. Another drop of precum wet her fingers, and just as she sensed he was ready to let loose, she pulled away. Aggravation filled his groan.

“I didn’t say you could come yet, Chris.”

Knowing anticipation made the release she would give him even sweeter, she stood and walked around his body, tracing her fingers over his flesh. When she stepped in front of him, she stood so close she brushed his erection.

Reaching out with her finger, she circled the top of his cockhead, smiling when it twitched. She tilted her head back, nipping at his chin. “Now. You’ve been pretty good.” Wrapping her hand around his cock, she pumped it twice. “I think you deserve a bit of a reward. One that I’ll enjoy.”

She lowered herself to her knees in front of him. “I’m going to suck you until you come.”

He looked down on her, his defiance easy to see in his features and glittering in his eyes. He enjoyed the act, actually loved getting head. But Cynthia knew he wanted to hold out his enjoyment as long as possible.

“No. You will do this because I want to give it to you.” She pronounced each word precisely as excitement gripped her chest. Her nipples beaded further, almost painful now. Her cunt pulsed at the thought of her plans, of controlling him until his orgasm.

Without another word, she leaned forward and took him into her mouth. As she worked him in and out, her hand followed along. She stroked his balls, squeezing them, then raked her nails over them.

“Cynthia.” He moaned her name as if it were a plea. “Baby—”

She slipped her mouth over the entire length of him, cutting off whatever he was going to say. Closing her eyes, she continued deep throating him, pushing him, wanting him to lose all control. His moans grew loader, his fingers threaded into her hair. As she caressed his sac one last time, she drew him in.

“Cynthia!”

He pumped his hips as his seed shot to the back of her throat. Cynthia didn’t stop her movements, continuing the rhythm until he stilled his hips.

With one last loving lick, she pulled him out of her mouth and looked up at him. The intensity in his eyes filled her with a combination of pride and tenderness. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. It was the first time she had pushed him this far, that she had completely controlled his orgasm. This had been about her control, her domination of him. From his behavior to his reaction, Chris had shown her that he understood just what it had been about.

She rose to her feet, took his hand, and led him to the bed. Quickly, she rid herself of her clothes, then joined him under the covers. Arousal still hummed, her sex still ached with need, but she knew it was more. The heightened excitement came from his pleasure, from his enjoyment of allowing her to make him come.

He wrapped his arms around her and brushed his lips over her forehead. “I haven’t taken care of you.”

She smiled against his skin. “Don’t you worry. You will. Let’s just rest here for a second.”

Pleased with the results of all her hard work, Cynthia let her thoughts drift. They’d turned a corner tonight. It was now her game, hers to control. She still had a way to go in her sexual development, but now that she had reached this point, there was no going back.

A slight breeze lifted Cynthia’s fair hair as she sipped her water and read the menu of a popular barbeque restaurant. The changes in her during the last month amazed Evan. No one would argue that she’d been attractive when she arrived. He’d always had a soft spot for Southern women. The slow, easy way their accent wrapped around words, as if savoring each one, drove him insane. How any man could be in a Southern belle’s presence and not think of lazy mornings in bed was beyond him. He might have even tried her on for size, but he didn’t poach—at least not from Chris.

“What’s good here?” she asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Their Carolina Barbeque is good. If you like pork.”

She glanced at him and smiled. “I’m a Southern girl at heart so of course I like pork. I think it’s a requirement.”

“That and sweet tea.”

She set down the menu. “Where are you from originally?”

Out of habit, his defenses rose up before he could stop them. Even something as simple as telling a person where he’d grown up brought back the memories he’d rather forget.

“South Carolina. Florenceville, mainly.”

She studied him for a second, then nodded. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to respond, but the waitress came over for their orders. After the young woman left, Cynthia turned her attention back to him.

“I have some family on my mama’s side up in that area. Do you know any of the Shipleys?”

Everyone did. One of the richest families in town, they employed a good portion of the working class in their businesses and their homes. Hell, his mother had earned a living cleaning the home of one of them. Before the drugs. Before the nightmare that became their lives. The darkness of his childhood pressed in on him. His chest contracted, his lungs seized. Sweat dampened his palms. Taking a moment, he mentally counted back from ten, but it did no good. Anger sharpened his voice when he answered. “No, not really.”

Apparently picking up on his tone, she changed the subject. “How did you and Chris meet?”

Still irritated, he asked, “Just what the hell do you want, Cynthia?”

Her eyes widened at the question. Cocking her head to one side, she studied him as if he were some kind of animal in the zoo. Other memories of dingy offices, overworked city employees, and the all-too-uncomfortable questions rushed at him so fast he couldn’t stop them.

“I thought we were supposed to get to know each other. Chris wants us to be at least friendly, if not friends.”

She didn’t know his past. Chris would never reveal that information without Evan’s permission. It wasn’t Cynthia’s fault that her innocent questions brought those things back up. He smiled to cover his mood.

“There is that. I think I’d like to be friendly with you.”

The waitress returned with their drinks. After she left, he continued. “I know we’re both doing this for Chris, but I wondered why you aren’t comfortable around me?”

Her eyes narrowed and fire snapped within the blue. His body reacted to the look, the anger that simmered beneath the cool Southern veneer. Damn but she would be a wildcat to break.

“What did Chris tell you?”

He held his hands up. “Hey, take it easy. Chris didn’t tell me anything. I swear.”

She crossed her arms beneath her breasts and frowned at him. He couldn’t help but notice the rounded flesh that rose above the neckline of her sweater. “Why don’t you think I like you?”

He settled his hands on the table. “I didn’t say that. I said you weren’t comfortable. But now that you said it, I think we should discuss why you don’t like me.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t…” She huffed out an annoyed sigh, then made a face. “Okay, part of me doesn’t like you. Or at least the part of you the world gets to see.”

Again, she was too close for comfort, and he didn’t like it one damn bit. “Are you saying that I’m hiding something?”

She shrugged. The dainty gesture drew attention to the smooth skin on her shoulders. The ruby red sleeveless sweater she wore enhanced the tan she’d gotten in the last six weeks. The bit of color had added warmness to her features and accentuated the thin line of gold that rimmed those blue eyes. Humidity had taken control of her hair, causing it to curl. The multitude of highlights from the sun now wove through her heavy locks. Need slipped under his skin, and he suddenly found himself ravenous. He craved to slide his hands into her mane as she closed that wicked mouth over his cock. Evan would love to return the favor and find out just how closely the curls between her legs matched the hair on her head.

“You just don’t seem to want anyone to know what you’re really like.”

Her voice broke into his fantasy and the desire that had surged died almost instantly. She was right. There was only one person who knew about Evan’s past. Evan had told Chris almost every shameful, dirty thing.

“I have nothing to hide.”

“Fine. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t force the issue.” She turned from him, donning her sunglasses, then studied the activity out on the pavement. They’d chosen to sit outside to enjoy the warm day. Mid-afternoon Honolulu boasted businessmen and women rushing to their next meeting, their Bluetooth earpieces in place. Mothers were walking their babies among the ever-present tourists roaming the area. Evan sensed that she wasn’t really interested in it.

“Cynthia.”

She faced him. He wished he could read her eyes, but they were hidden behind the dark lenses. She said nothing. The tension grew between them, but she didn’t move to fill the silence. Instead, she seemed to be challenging him to some kind of stare down. And, although he was well known for his poker face, he didn’t have the time or patience to mess around.

“What?”

She hesitated before answering. “I thought we were here for Chris.”

He dipped his head. “Agreed.”

“Then why are you acting like some superficial jackass?”

The bite in her voice surprised him. He’d been pushing her buttons, and being, well, a jackass. He’d wanted to get a rise out of her, and he got it. But the absolute authority lacing her question momentarily stunned him. Evan might have been wrong thinking she couldn’t take to her role. This wasn’t the mouse of a woman he’d met in Chris’s restaurant. Her posture spoke of a woman in control, with new confidence. Chris’s request for this lunch now made more sense.

When he didn’t answer, she continued. “You want to act like that? Fine. Just let me know. But for some reason Chris wants us to know each other better. Why, I have no idea. Probably because we both mean a lot to him.”

Evan understood why, but he was sure that Cynthia didn’t. Knowing Chris, he hadn’t revealed his ultimate fantasy. It pleased Evan to see her so secure with her burgeoning Domme. Still, being a Dom himself, the behavior nicked at his temper.

“And so you think that for some reason I should open my heart to you over sweet tea and lunch?”

She stood and grabbed her purse. With a shove to her chair, she whipped around to leave. Irritation and regret warred within him. High maintenance women—with their demands for attention and soul-searching conversation—were not his cup of tea. He preferred the straightforward approach. When a woman like Cynthia flounced off, it was better to enjoy the view as they left. But she was what Chris wanted, what he thought he needed. Owing his life to the man was getting damned inconvenient.

“Cynthia!”

She paused but didn’t give him the courtesy of turning around.

“I apologize. Please stay.” He bit each painful word out.

She didn’t react to his plea. Not right away. Annoyance crawled under his skin, an uncomfortable irritation. Women didn’t think about refusing a request or demand from him. They begged for his attention, good or bad.

“I promise to behave.”

Cynthia glanced back over her shoulder at him, her eyes narrowing as she studied his face. “I doubt very much you behave often, if ever.”

He gave her a look of mock innocence. Her laughter allowed some of the muscles in his stomach to relax. She eased back into her chair, setting her purse on the one beside her.

“I didn’t mean to upset you. Truly.” He tried to appear sincere, because he was, but he couldn’t sound completely contrite.

“I know. And I’d say I didn’t mean to pry but we both know I’d be lying. But as someone who pretended to be someone she wasn’t for most of her life, I know it when I see it.”

He leaned back as their plates were set in front of them. “Why does it matter to you that I do? That is, if I do.”

“Mainly because your public personality reminds me too much of my brother.”

Oh, that wasn’t good. Sisterly feelings might put a crimp into Chris’ plans. “And that’s bad because…”

She bit into her sandwich and hummed her pleasure. Lust coiled in his belly. Images of having her mouth on his dick, the vibrations of that action skimming across his flesh, his balls drawing up tight…

Shifting in his seat to ease the ache, he waited as she daintily wiped some sauce from her mouth.

“My brother is a bastard.” Blunt and to the point. The blush stealing up her neck ruined the boldness of her words.

“I take it you two aren’t close.”

She shook her head. “I could say that it’s because we’re several years apart in age. But it’s more that he’s just a bastard. He was raised to be one.”

He nodded. “So, you think I’m really a good guy underneath the bastard personality.”

She choked on a sip of water. “I didn’t say you had a bastard personality. I said that’s the way you act.” Cynthia set her glass down. “My brother’s personality is just that. Self-serving. You’re not like that.”

“So, you think that everything I do is for a higher purpose?”

“No. I would never say that. But I do think you use it to keep people at a distance. I also have a feeling that you don’t do that with Chris, or he wouldn’t be your friend.”

The woman was too perceptive for her own good, but he had to concede she was right, especially about his best friend. Still, he didn’t like her getting too close and he definitely resented her assumptions. “And you want to get to know the real me?”

“I’m not sure if I want to get to know you at all. But the truth is, Chris wants it, or needs it for some reason, and he never asks anything of me. I want to do this for him if it will ease whatever worry he has.”

The truth and sincerity in her voice touched something in him. Cynthia recognized a need in Chris that had taken Evan years to realize. Chris worked overtime for sick employees, arranged work around people’s school schedules, and handled his family’s squabbles. Whatever you needed, he strove to offer it to you. He never questioned your reasons, your lifestyle…he just accepted.

In return, Chris asked for nothing. He’d saved Evan, literally picked him up out of the gutter more than once, and in return, Chris wanted nothing but his friendship. A nurturer at heart, Chris had been searching high and low for someone to shower with that love and attention. Evan had worried that Chris would get tangled up with a woman who’d bleed him dry and leave him. For the first time in weeks, Evan was getting the feeling that Chris had chosen wisely.

He smiled, this time with genuine happiness. Cynthia blinked, then returned the gesture, although her smile was a bit wary.

“You’re right. About me, about Chris.” He took a bite of his sandwich and chewed it, never taking his gaze from hers. “But there are reasons.”

“I understand. Take it from someone who was a world champion in pretending to be someone you’re not, one of these days, it will bite you in the butt.”

He chuckled. “That isn’t always a bad thing, Ms. Cynthia.”

She snorted. “You would know.”

Easy with her now, he relaxed against the back of his chair and stretched his legs out. “So, I hear you went to that sucky school in Athens,” he said, referring to the University of Georgia.

She wrinkled her nose. “Better than being a loser from USC.”

Every true Southerner understood college rivalry. “We had a saying in Columbia about Georgia. Something about how they picked the mascot because it reminded them of their girlfriends.”

She shrugged off the insult of being compared to a bulldog. “Yeah, well I still say it’s better than a school with a penis for a mascot.”

His laughter turned the heads of several patrons, but he didn’t care. It had been a long time since he’d traded insults with another Southerner. Enjoying himself, he dug into his coleslaw and launched into reasons why South Carolina was superior to Georgia.

The front door to Dupree’s opened, and Cynthia’s laughter drifted over the music. Chris turned toward the sound, releasing a sigh of relief. Evan’s arm was draped over her shoulders as she giggled at something he said.

“I’m telling you. Georgia just got lucky that year. They should’ve never made it into the playoffs.”

She rolled her eyes. “Give it up. USC couldn’t beat their way out of a paper bag.”

Evan threw back his head and laughed, more relaxed than Chris had seen him in months. The tension that had been niggling the back of his mind since Cynthia had left eased.

“Looks like you two had a good time.”

She smiled at him. “Went to one of your competitors. I have to say, they do have a way with Carolina barbeque.”

Placing her hands on the bar, she lifted herself up and leaned over to give him a kiss. She jumped up on one of the barstools, settling her elbows on the counter. “How’re things going here?”

The warmth of her breath still tingled over his lips, scrambling his thoughts. It took him a second or two to answer. “Okay. Had a bit of a problem with a customer who must’ve started drinking at eight in the morning. But May handled it.”

“May can fix anything,” Evan remarked, smiling at the woman in question. She offered him a vague look, then walked away.

“What the hell was that about?” Evan asked, still watching May as she sauntered to the back of the restaurant.

Chris shrugged. Sharp as a tack, Evan could work the most complex figures out in his head. If he couldn’t understand why May was mad at him, Chris didn’t want to be the one who told him.

Cynthia slid off the stool. “I gotta get going. Mike wanted to show me another property for rent in Hawaii Kai.”

He frowned at her. “That’s some pricey real estate.”

She smirked at him. “Spoken by a man who owns a home in the area.” Giving him another quick, hard kiss that had his head fogging and his body humming, she smiled at him. “It must be within my price range or Mike wouldn’t have suggested it. I have some shopping to do after I get done. Wanna meet back here for dinner? I won’t even mooch off ya. My treat.”

That was a bit too smooth of an offer, but he let it go. “Sure. Whatever you want.”

“Good, because I’m stealing May.”

May walked out of the back, her purse in her hands. She tossed Chris a lethal smile. “Don’t worry about Chris. He knows better than to say anything. I’ll leave him high and dry.”

Cynthia turned to Evan. “Thank you for lunch.” She rose to her tiptoes and brushed her lips over his cheek. “Even if it was ruined by the stench of a USC fan.”

She waved her fingers, then slipped her hand through May’s arm and walked out of the restaurant.

“You know, if you hadn’t snapped her up, I might’ve taken her for a ride.”

Chris glanced over at his friend. “Really? Good girls aren’t your cup of tea.”

His attention still fixed on where the two women had last been in view, Evan said, “Yeah, but there’s something about her. Something about how proper she acts and how she is with you. It’d be mighty fun to strip away all that good-girl veneer to see the naughty woman beneath.”

“Hey!”

Evan shook himself and glanced over his shoulder with a grin. “Even if I wanted her, that woman is stuck on you. Damn, it was disgusting the way she gets all goo-goo eyed when she talks about you.”

Chris smiled, warmth curling into his heart. “Yeah?”

“Ick. Yeah, just like that. You two are disgusting.”

“Come on, have a drink, on me.”

He nodded. “Give me a Dr. Pepper.”

“So, everything went okay?” He filled a glass and set it on the bar in front of Evan.

Evan took a healthy gulp. “No problems. Sure doesn’t take any crap.”

“What did you do?”

Evan’s eyes widened. “How did you know I did something?”

Chris arched one eyebrow.

“Okay, I tried to talk smack. Didn’t fly.”

Chris scratched his chin. “Yeah, I can imagine that it didn’t.”

“You didn’t tell me she was so smart, not to mention that nasty temper.”

Chris paused in wiping the counter. Cynthia did have a temper she rarely showed and only to those people she trusted. She held back her true personality traits because of her lack of confidence in her abilities.

“Well, that’s impressive.”

“That I pissed off your woman? Not really. Seems to be something I’m good at.”

Chris started his chore again. “No. It’s good. She wouldn’t have stood up to you if she hadn’t felt comfortable with you.”

“Then mission accomplished. Last week she looked like she was waiting for me to pounce on her, but if that kiss is anything to judge by, she doesn’t have any more worries.”

“Yeah, I noticed that kiss.”

Evan looked down at his glass. “It was nothing.”

For a moment, Chris couldn’t say anything. His mind was frozen on the fact that Evan Chambers, who’d had enough sexual escapades to make a seasoned whore blush, was sitting at his bar embarrassed by a little kiss.

“Is there something wrong?”

“No.” He studied his glass for a second longer before taking another sip. “Have you told her about us?”

“Us? I had no idea you had feelings for me.”

Evan’s lips quirked before he looked at Chris. “Smartass. I mean about us sharing women.”

Chris rubbed the back of his neck. “No, not yet. It isn’t like we did it that often and that was before I stopped going to Rough ’n Ready.”

Evan’s smile turned evil. “It wouldn’t be because you’re avoiding telling her, is it?”

“Maybe. Part of me wants to tell her, but then another part of me is afraid I’ll freak her out.”

“I think Ms. Cynthia is more than able to handle something like that. The longer you put it off, the worse it will get.”

Uncomfortable with the subject, Chris decided to change it. “Yeah, seems like you two learned a lot about each other. I mean, before she left, she didn’t even want to have lunch with you. Now, you’re like kissing cousins.”

“Shut up.” Evan frowned, took another long gulp of his drink, and slammed it down on the bar. “I gotta go.”

He abruptly stood and strode out of the restaurant, completely ignoring a rather well-built blonde. Not only did he not notice the woman, but he let the front door slam in her face.

Chris chuckled. It was about time Evan had his world tilted sideways. His friend saw women in black and white, good or bad. There was no in between for him.

He shook away his thoughts of Evan as he walked back to the office. He’d been worried over the lunch. Worried that Cynthia would refuse, or that Evan would offend her in some way, completely on purpose. If their relationship remained awkward, his plans would be ruined. She didn’t hate Evan, but she’d never seemed to relax around him until today.

As he let himself into his office, Chris turned over the next problem to solve. He had to be patient enough to allow Cynthia to complete her journey. Submitting was something within him he wanted to give her, but the part of him that wanted—needed—to dominate her itched to be set free. It clawed his belly and roared through his blood.

With a sigh, he dropped into his chair. He would force himself to accommodate her development. The changes in her the last several weeks were too precious to jeopardize with his eagerness to complete their journey.

He prayed it was damn soon, or he might just go insane.