14. Reed

Chapter fourteen

Reed

It takes a hundred years—a thousand—as cloth rustles behind the bathroom door. A million years, while I’m stretched taut as a bowstring. I try not to picture her under her clothes—plush and sweet, with hips that would fit perfectly in my hands.

Pull it together, Reed . I pinch myself to keep my brain from wandering off, fucking Petra without me. Dinner opened a door that I wasn’t ready for. I want her, but this bath isn’t for me. Well, it’s a little for me, because I get to drown in each noise she makes.

We both have an aural kink, but the boundaries are hers. At least she’s used to my voice. God, how many times has she come while listening to me? A surge of power, greater than any aphrodisiac, has me hard as granite.

My thought is interrupted by two soft knocks. I take a deep breath, allow myself one insufficient pass over the fly of my jeans, and crack open the door. “Everything okay?”

There’s a long exhale, full of nerves, before she clears her throat. “Come in.”

I nudge the door open, closing it behind me to keep in the steam. It’s sweltering inside, and I wish I could strip down and join her, but she’s nervous as a doe. She’d bound off into another state if I tried it.

“It’s just me.” I set my phone on the counter with the flashlight on and shut off the overhead light in hopes it will ease her nerves. Her shadow stays quiet when I close the lid of the toilet and sit down. “You’re still in control, Petra. Breathe. ”

“I don’t know how. I’ve never been in control. And Nate wasn’t receptive to…listening.”

Her tone sets me on edge. “In what way? Did he make you do things you didn’t want?”

“No. Yes. Sort of. Then I became adamant about condom use and we hardly had sex at all.”

What the hell? I fight my urge to rip the curtain back and demand answers. All my muscles clench with the effort to stay where I am, and the curtain stays closed. Her most basic boundary.

“It sounds like an unequal relationship,” I grit out, and Petra snorts. I file the information away for later. I’ll beat Nate Fitz to a pulp later. Right now, I want to heal all of Petra’s bruises. “What did you want that he wasn’t receptive to?”

Her pause is heavy. “Toward the end, even wanting a kiss annoyed him.”

If I ever meet Nate Fitz, he’s toast. “Kissing you is a privilege, Pet. I’m sorry he made you think otherwise.”

“Maybe this isn’t a good idea,” she whispers. There’s a small splash of movement behind the curtain, the shadow of her hand comes up to her face. She’s crying. This was an awful idea. I’m dying to pick her up, carry her to bed, and replace her sadness with bliss.

“Let’s come at this from another angle.” I slide to the floor to sit against the bathtub, hoping that taking her out of my view will help me focus.

“Reed?”

I’ve miscalculated, because the heat at my back and Petra’s voice in my ear distract me in new ways. But if she’s not ready to take charge, I will. “Lay back for me. How do you set the mood at home?”

“Oh no,” she groans. But then she giggles quietly, and the water ripples around her while she shakes. Her chagrined reaction is familiar now. She’ll move past it, if given time. We have plenty of time .

“I’m curious. Tell me, baby.”

Sure enough, her giggles slow into sighs that drift across the back of my neck. “I light candles and add bubbles. Have a glass of wine.”

“What kind?”

“Whatever we have. We stock some pricey wines for Bella Vita , but drink the best of the cheaper ones at home.” She relaxes while she speaks, and the water ripples as she slips lower.

“Do you drink it beforehand, or in the bath?”

“Both. And I save a little for…after.”

Something primal in me perks up. “After what?” I ask. She squirms. “I need you to use your words, Pet. I only have words to give you, and you’ll need to do the same.” At my firm tone, she sucks in a sharp breath.

The water shifts behind me. Is she pressing her thighs together? This was a terrible idea because, though I can’t see her, her smallest moves are amplified. Deafening.

“After I come.”

I wish I could see her to check if I’m pushing too hard. I want to push harder. Want to see if my doe thrives under pressure. “Good job, baby.”

“Oh.” She sighs, and water splashes against the side of the tub. She’s torturing me.

“There she is,” I murmur, letting my voice drop down. “What’s your favorite nickname? Baby? Kitten? Sweetest? Darling?”

There’s a loaded pause, but I wait her out. “Anything is fine.”

“The foundation of trust here is honesty, Petronia. I’m trusting you to be honest with me. To tell me your favorites and what your limits are. I’ll ask again: what do you want me to call you? Am I going the wrong direction? Do you want to be my filthy little slut instead?”

“Baby is nice. Darling is…” she clears her throat. “I like when you call me Pet. ”

I swallow my moan as my cock swells. She wants me to talk to her , not someone interchangeable. Kinley always preferred DK, and I was nothing more than an afterthought. But it’s just Petra and Reed in this bathroom. I can’t tell if she’s caught in my trap or I’m caught in hers. She could do anything now and I’d still be putty at her feet.

“I appreciate your words, Pet. Keep using them and you’ll be rewarded. Now, lay back.” There’s a ripple of air as she does, without question. “Do you want an imaginary scene, or do you want me to tell you what to do?”

Her voice is shaky. “Your choice, Reed.”

Her surrender sends electricity down my spine. It’s hot, powerful, and dangerous. I want to ground her to this moment with me. “Lift your foot, flex and point your toes. How does the air feel?”

The water drips as she obeys. “Not freezing, but the water is much warmer.”

“Switch,” I command.

“But I—”

“No arguing.” I have to hide my smile. “Foot on the tap, Pet. Is your hair up or down?”

“Up. Would you prefer it down, sir?” she asks. Maybe she is a natural submissive, but we need to move at a pace she can handle.

“How considerate. Hair up is fine. Breathe deep with me. With the pads of your fingers, massage around your hairline and your temples. Move down your cheeks, your jaw. Easy little circles.” I follow my own commands with one hand to provide me the feedback I need to guide her. She sighs as water drips into the bath from her fingers, wrists, or elbows. It destroys me that I can’t tell from where. “What a deep sigh, baby. Feeling tense?”

Her hair brushes against the porcelain as she nods. “Yes. But in a better way than before.”

“I appreciate your honesty. Brush your fingers over your lips. You have a beautiful mouth: full, but not overly so. Bring your hands down your neck, to the line of your throat. It’s softer there.”

“How do you know that?” she asks, but I don’t answer. I want her focused on herself.

“Any man would be lucky to kiss the curve of your neck.”

She lets out a sound of protest. Fuck. Any allusion to her past will pull her out of the moment.

“Cup the water in your hand. Pour it over your collarbones, your chest.” There’s a trickle of water accompanied by a sharp inhale, and I have her again. “Slide your palms up to your breasts. Do you play with them to orgasm?”

She makes a sound that has my blood pumping. “Sometimes, but sometimes I forget about them. Is that normal?”

Little doe, so forthcoming now. “Simply personal preference. Cup them in your hands and squeeze gently, slowly.”

“But what do you do? Do you touch your nipples when you…”

I chuckle, because I knew she wouldn’t blindly go along with a scene. “When I what?”

“When you touch yourself.”

“Brush your thumbs over your nipples, Pet.” I wait for her breathless moan before I answer. “Not often. A long warm up is almost never necessary.”

“Do you enjoy it when women do? Touch yours, I mean.” She giggles then, and the water shakes around her. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

Me either. I’m fucking dying to replace her hands with mine. “Yes. Touched, licked, and bitten. You?”

The water splashes and she moans. “Not sure about the biting.”

“Are you skipping ahead?” I scold.

“No,” she grumbles. “I always want to.”

A wide grin spreads across my face. “Oh?”

“I—” The water moves again and she lets out a hiss through her teeth. I can guess what the sensation is.

“Is that good? When the water shifts across your clit? Your leg must be getting cold. Switch.”

She does, the water shifting and trickling as she gasps. “Fuck. ”

The sound goes directly to my cock. I’m hot from the steam, wound tight from her noises. My dick is begging for attention, but I rein it in. “That’s right. You’re open, wet, and wanting. Does it get you hot knowing that if I ripped open this curtain you’d be completely exposed to me?”

“You wouldn’t,” she says, but I know her sounds now. She’s not frightened. She’s exhilarated. She blazes through my cells until I can’t remember my own name.

“I won’t , because that’s your boundary. Doesn’t change how much it turns you on. You want it and won’t let yourself have it.” I don’t give her the chance to deny it. “Walk me through what you enjoy.”

She swallows. “I press harder, and I use my whole palm because it makes my hand feel bigger.”

“Like mine?”

“Like yours.” Her breathless tone puts each muscle in my body on high alert. “Sometimes I run my hands down to my knees and shift back up my thighs, to tease.”

“Do it.” The order comes out too harsh. I’m reaching the edge of my control, and I yank it back. “Show me, Petra. And switch out your feet on the tap.”

“You can’t even see me,” she protests, but the water is already rippling and moving around her. “Thank you, sir. I was getting cold.”

I want her on edge, not uncomfortable. “Should we add hot water?”

“I’m fine for now.”

“Tell me when that changes. Are you touching your thighs?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” All her sirs are piling on top of each other, winding me up until I want to unleash myself on her. Or, at the very least, pull out my dick and stroke it to her, naked and waiting on the other side of this flimsy cotton.

“Fuck.” My quiet hiss slips out. Petra whimpers in response, and my heart speeds up faster than if I had a triple shot of espresso. All my words come out in a rush. “You like hearing how you affect me? You might wish your hands were mine, but so do I . Palm your pussy—only the outside. Feel how warm and soft you are.”

Petra makes a sound of protest. “Our foundation is honesty. Don’t blur this into a scene, Reed. That’s not what you chose.”

“I left DK at the door, Pet. There’s no one here but me.” Her sharp inhale has my world blurring out of focus. I glue my eyes to the cabinet across from me. If I let them shut, even a fraction, I’ll picture her in front of me. “Spread yourself open, feel the water against your clit.”

“What does that mean?” she asks. Water laps the sides of the tub with each roll of her hips.

It means you make sex safe again, and it’s the most delicious, heady thing I didn’t know I needed. I curl my hands into fists so they won’t reach for her. My cock is uncomfortable against my zipper, but I don’t trust myself to adjust it.

“If you let me, I would scoop you out of that bath and worship you. I’d tell you how gorgeous you are as I lick every inch of your skin. None of it would be a scene, just Reed and Petra. Use your other hand, baby, stroke yourself.”

“You’d change your mind if you saw me,” she mumbles, and it shatters me.

“You’re stunning. Is it some age thing? I’m thirty-one. I don’t want a teenager, I want a woman.” She’s back in her head, and I drag her out. “Feel how slick you are, even in the water. Tease your clit, Pet.”

“I’m older than you. I have stretch marks. I’m too soft.” Her shame is tangible, but she’s breathing heavily, headed toward the edge. I’m determined to guide her through.

“By what? A few years at most.” I scoff. “And I fucking love your curves. I have scars too. You think I’m not aching to touch you? Taste you? Rock your hips into it. Is softer or harder better for you? Do you come this way, or with your fingers inside?”

She doesn’t answer as the water laps and splashes against her. Envisioning it beading on her fleck-marked skin makes my mouth water. She gasps, and I reel her in .

“What’s your favorite part of those audios? When I slide my fingers into you? When I lick your sweet pussy? When I fuck you so hard that it rips the sounds right out of you?”

“All of it!” Her needy cry makes me ache. I grip my knees and let my eyes slip closed, craving her.

“Slide one finger inside, baby. You’re silky soft. Press your palm against your clit and grind down. Are you getting close for me?”

Her gasps are an easy answer. “Yes. You really don’t care?”

I slide my hand over my zipper, aching fiercely. “I couldn’t resist you, flushed and beautiful. Add another finger, Pet. Don’t stop. What do you picture when you get close?”

“Whatever you tell me to, sir.” Her response is instant. Reflexive. Habitual.

I’m on my knees before I know I’ve moved, my fist braced against the wall next to her head as I struggle for air. “Do you talk to me? When you listen to all those scenes, do you imagine silently, or do you talk back?”

She breathes heavily on the other side of the curtain, and I know, I know , the answer. It makes me shake, on the verge of something frantic.

“Say it, Petra.”

“I do.” She moans, and the low vibration of it rings through me. “Touch me, Reed. Please.”

“What?” I push away my imagination to refocus on Petra’s needs.

“Never mind.”

My heart pounds fast as I consider the options. I could ruin it all with one question—or I could open a door to an experience I’ll never forget. “Can I touch you? It’s your boundary, you get to choose.” She’s hazy through the curtain, head tilted back, and her sharp inhale sends heat flaring through me. I grip the wall to steady myself.

“Yes.” Her shadow nods. “Open it. ”

She doesn’t need to tell me twice. I scrounge for some semblance of control. Though I don’t rip the curtain down to the floor, I yank it back faster than I should.

She’s beautiful, eyes closed, with the tight peak of her breast between her fingers. Her other hand is pressed between her legs, and— fuck —her lips are reddened with arousal, begging to be kissed.

I want the taste of her in my mouth, the silk of her around my fingers, the heat of her on my cock. No, no, not that one. This is about her. “You’re gorgeous, Petra.”

She laughs as though she doesn’t believe it. “Are you going to stare all day or touch me?”

I gently stroke her cheek. Part of me worries she’s an illusion. If I press too hard it will shatter. “Don’t deprive me. I love looking at you.”

When she opens her Bambi eyes, they’re luminous. “Please touch me. I want you to.”

I lose all my words. Every. Single. One. I nod, leaning forward. Her shoulder is smooth and supple, her breast full and heavy, and the curve of her hip is perfect. I trail my hand back up in wonder.

“That’s not what I meant,” she says, hand rocking between her thighs. “Make me come.”

“You’re on the edge, Pet?” She nods. I stroke across her chest to cup her breast, swiping a thumb over her taut nipple.

“Please, Reed.” Her hips swish in the water. It’s too much to bear—her desperate words, her pleading eyes. With a groan, I dip down to kiss down her neck and chest. I pull her nipple into my mouth and flick my tongue across it until Petra moans. “Please, sir.”

I grin against her skin. “I want to take my time.”

“There’s got to be a trade. Your hand for mine?” I shake my head and her eyes widen in disbelief. “Blow job, then? No one says no to that.”

I’m tempted to take the offer, but I’ll be damned if her first experience after being mistreated relies on tit-for-tat. “I do . I want my hands on you for more than two minutes. Nothing you offer could be better.”

“You could do it in two minutes?”

I laugh and nip at her breast. “Is that a challenge?”

Her hand moves faster over her clit. Stubborn woman, she’s not going to wait for me. But then she bites her lip, eyes blazing. “I’ll let you give me a second one,” she says in a rush. “I’m almost there. Let me come now and take it slow for the next.”

This woman is an absolute genius. For her, I’m a billboard: easily read and easily bought. “Done. Arms around my neck, baby.” I slide my arm under her, pressing her against me, my face in her neck. Her mouthwatering scent coats my tongue in something sweet. I push her hand away, flicking my fingers over her clit with practiced speed.

“Oh God.” she moans in my ear, toes curling against the porcelain. “Yes—please, Reed.”

Who am I to deny her when she begs so prettily? I clutch her back to pull her closer. “I get another?”

“Yes,” she pants in my ear. Her fingers knead my shoulders. I have only seconds to make this bargain.

“On the bed. Slowly.”

“Fine!”

I smile against her neck. “My hands all over you.”

“Don’t play with me! You said two minutes,” she complains between moans. “I’m right there. Don’t stop! And don’t slow down.”

I slow down immediately, trying to gain as much ground as I can. This is the condition I’m desperate for. “My mouth all over you.”

“Shut up and make me come, Reed!” She growls, angry and desperate.

I laugh into her skin, nipping her throat. “Don’t let go.”

I slide two fingers inside her on the next stroke and she arches into me, pressing her breasts to my chest and soaking my shirt. I use the heel of my hand to tease her clit with each upward, curling thrust, and her fingers dig into my back.

“Do you come when you’re told?” She moans, shuddering, and I take that as a yes. I growl a demand in her ear as I stroke my fingers inside of her. “Your orgasm is mine, baby. Focus on that. I need to feel you. Give it to me, Pet. Come. Now. ”

Petra tenses up, squeezing me tightly, and falls apart in my arms. She’s quiet, but I relish the way she trembles, her barely there gasp, and each twitch of her hands in my shirt. She traps my hand in a death grip between her thighs, and her hips roll, sending waves throughout the tub.

When she finally calms, she relaxes in my arms. “Good, Pet?” She nods against my shoulder. “You’re amazing. I can’t wait for next time, when we do it my way. Hold tight to me.”

I position my hand under her knees and pray for grace as I stand with her in my arms, and water streams to the floor. Petra opens the door for us, gasping when cool air rushes in. I stumble as her pretty nipples tighten further into dense, dark peaks.

I’m so screwed. No matter what I bargained for, it won’t be enough.