Maya Banks - Sweet Persuasion

“And you haven’t been able to find a woman who meets those requirements?”

She couldn’t help the surprise that bled into her question.

“No, I haven’t,” he said quietly.

She laid her head back on his lap, and he resumed stroking her hair. “Then why are you agreeing to this?”

He stopped for a moment, her hair tangled around his fingers. “Because I’m tired of waiting, and so for a little while, I’d like to experience my own fantasy.”

She nodded. That much she could understand. Fantasies were safe. It was a break from reality. A chance to act on desires for a short period of time.

“Now about the auction. You seem open to being nude in front of a room full of men, of even having them touch you, watch you and want you.”

She squeezed her eyes shut but nodded wordlessly against his leg.

“And you want me to fuck your mouth in front of these men.”

Again she raised her head to look at him and tried not to cringe over his bluntness. “Does that bother you?”

He smiled. “Does it bother me that a beautiful woman wants to pleasure me while every other man in the room is eaten up with jealousy?”

She let out a small laugh. “Stupid question, I guess.”

“I was more worried that it would bother you,” he said gently.

She tried to look down, but he wouldn’t let her. He nudged her chin up with his fingers, forcing her to look directly at him.

“It’s fantasy,” she said. “I want, for a while, to do things that I wouldn’t normally do, to be a person I’m not. I know this isn’t me but I still crave it. Just a taste. When it’s all over, I can look back without shame because . . . it’s not real.”

“You seem so sure this isn’t you,” he said. “And yet you articulate your desires so well. You know precisely what it is you want.”

She shook her head. “No, this isn’t me. I’m stronger than this. I don’t want to be weak. I just want . . . an adventure.”

His eyes flickered and became shielded. “Then that’s what you’ll have. If you trust me to make the arrangements, I’ll set up a night for your fantasy to begin at my establishment. I’ll enlist the aid of some of the club members, but I believe the fantasy will be more powerful for you if you don’t know every single detail.”

“And after?” She asked the question uppermost on her mind. What happened after Damon claimed her?

He tilted her chin even further upward as his eyes bore into hers. There was latent power simmering in his gaze. A tightly held current just begging to be unleashed.

“After the auction, you are mine.”

“Julie, you’re killing me,” Serena said through gritted teeth. “This is supposed to be a massage, not a lesson in dough kneading.”

Julie eased off and muttered an apology.

“What’s wrong with you, Julie?” Faith asked from the next table. “Not like you to be so . . . grumpy.”

Serena raised her head. “She hasn’t gotten to you yet. Feel fortunate. I’m going to have bruises.”

“Nathan stood me up,” Julie said.

“Stood you up? You had a date?” Faith asked in an excited voice.

“Not exactly,” Julie mumbled.

She continued massaging Serena’s back, much gentler now, though Serena could still feel the tension in her fingers.

“What do you mean by ‘not exactly’?” Serena asked as she relaxed on the table.

Julie sighed. “He rescheduled his massage after I sort of plotted to begin my grand seduction scheme. Well, he hasn’t exactly rescheduled yet. He just cancelled.”

“Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good,” Serena offered.

“Faith, is Nathan seeing anyone?” Julie asked.

“Not that I know of, but I don’t keep up with his love life. Why do you ask?”

“I want to hear about this seduction plan,” Serena spoke up.

“I wore a shirt that my tatas were damn near about to spill out of.”

“Oh my,” Faith said in amusement. “That had to be a glorious sight to behold. You have such, um, impressive tatas.”

Serena sat up, and Julie’s hands fell away from her back.

“I’m not finished, hon,” Julie protested.

“Oh yes, you are. I want to hear all about this, and I hate having a conversation lying down unless it involves a gorgeous man.”

Faith laughed. “You know we’re getting to you next, Serena. Just so you know.”

Serena rolled her eyes. “As if I thought I could escape you two.” She turned to look at Julie. “So? You displayed the tatas, then what?”

“Nothing. That’s what I’ve been trying to say. I’m here plumping my cleavage, planning how to plant it in Nathan’s face, when he calls to cancel his appointment.”

“Ah, gee, I’m sorry,” Faith said, sympathy shadowing her pretty features.

“It gets worse,” Julie said darkly. “Some bimbo in the background was informing him that he didn’t need to pay for a massage because she’d be more than happy to give him one. Then when I asked him when he wanted to reschedule, he said he’d call me.”

“Oh, ouch,” Serena murmured. “The I’ll call you line.”

“Yeah,” Julie grumbled. “Shot down before I ever got off the ground. Clearly I need to focus my attention elsewhere. I mean, I’m not a complete dog, right? I’ve never had a man want to put a paper bag over my head during sex or anything.”

Serena and Faith both burst out laughing.

“I’m so sorry, Julie,” Faith said as she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. “I have no idea what Nathan’s problem is. You’re gorgeous!”

Julie rolled her eyes. “Spoken like a loyal friend talking to an ugly woman.”

Serena snickered. “Well, you’re not as pretty as I am, but you’re definitely not paper-bag ugly.”

Julie shoved at Serena’s shoulder. “Gee, thanks, what a pal.”

“Why don’t you just ask him out?” Serena asked. “Stop with the hinting around—the plan to jump him while giving a massage, though that wasn’t a bad idea at all—and just come out and ask him on a date. If he refuses then wipe his existence from your memory banks and go ask Micah or Connor out. They’re both hot.”

“I can’t go out with someone who’s slept with one of my friends,” Julie muttered. “So thanks, Faith, for ruining Micah for me.”

Faith chuckled. “If you knew how good he was in bed, you wouldn’t be all holier than thou about going out with him.”

Julie groaned. “For the love of God. Stop already. You’re killing me. What I wouldn’t give for a threesome with two hot guys. Hell, right now I’d take one hot guy. Or even a not-so-hot one. I just want to get laid, damn it.”

“Toys not working for you?” Serena asked innocently.

“Fuck you,” Julie said darkly. “So speaks the woman who is assured of some killer sex now that she’s signing on to be someone’s sex slave.”

“Which brings us nicely to the next topic of our conversation,” Faith said. “Did Damon find someone for you yet?”

Serena bit her lip and looked between her two friends, wondering if she should tell them everything.

“He has, hasn’t he?” Julie pounced. “Dish, Serena. We want details.”

“He didn’t exactly find someone,” she hedged. “He sorta volunteered himself.”

Faith’s mouth fell open while Julie just looked confused.

“He did what?” Faith demanded. “Are you serious?”

Julie looked rapidly back and forth between Serena and Faith. “What am I missing? This is the GQ guy, right?”

Faith ignored her. “But he’s so not into all the role-playing and games. I mean, he once told me that if he had his way, he’d have a woman collared and tied to his bed.”

A delicious shiver started at Serena’s toes and worked up until her entire body was bathed in goose bumps.

“Well, we don’t need a rocket scientist to figure out where this is going,” Julie said dryly.

Now it was Serena’s turn to ignore Julie. “Well, he did sort of mention that. Not in such specific terms, mind you, but um, it works for me, at least on a temporary basis.”

Concern shadowed Faith’s eyes. “I never figured Damon would go for something temporary. He’s very focused on what he wants.”

“Maybe he’ll talk you around,” Julie teased.

Serena shot her a glare. “Come on, Julie. Can you really see me as someone’s permanent sex slave? It’s fine for some really hot sex and a scorching fantasy, but for real? So not me.”

“Why isn’t it for you?” Julie challenged. “Obviously it appeals to you on some basic level or you wouldn’t be advertising for a man to tie you up and have his wicked way with you.”

“Has anyone ever told you how obnoxious you are?” Serena grumbled. “It’s a fantasy. Everyone has one even if it isn’t something that would translate to the real world. I’m too . . . strong-willed to ever permanently submit to a man.”

“Gray once told me that he would never go for a woman who wasn’t strong enough to submit,” Faith said softly. “It takes a strong woman. Don’t ever doubt that.”

Julie and Serena both turned to look at Faith in shock.

“Wait a second. Are you saying that you and Gray . . . that you have that sort of relationship with him?” Serena asked.

Faith shrugged. “I wouldn’t classify our relationship as typical of anything but what we make it, but if you’re asking if he’s the dominant force in our relationship, then yes, he is.”

“Oh, shit, and now I’ve gone and insulted you,” Serena said as she frowned apologetically at her friend.

Faith smiled. “No, you haven’t. I used to think as you do. That it made me weak to want a man to take care of me, that I was some lily-livered ninny for submitting to a man. But it was what I wanted, and I was tired of settling for second best.”

“Owning your sexuality,” Julie murmured. “I tell you, I’m going to have to get me some of that.”

“Amen,” Serena seconded. “Faith, I don’t mean to pry, but you’ve simply got to give me more to work with here.”

Faith grinned. “Well, I’m afraid that Damon is probably a little more hardcore than Gray, at least going by what he’s told me. He wants . . . he wants a woman. In his own words, he wants a slave, although he did go to great lengths to say that he objected to the word, but for all practical purposes that’s what he wants.”

“Wow,” Julie breathed. “It’s getting hot in here, and suddenly I’m thinking about shit that’s never before crossed my mind.”

Serena rolled her eyes. “Julie, you don’t have a meek bone in your body.”

Julie grinned cheekily. “Nope. I don’t.”

Serena turned back to Faith. “Okay, so if Damon isn’t into games or fantasies, why the hell is he signing up to be my . . . master? God, I hate that word. It just sounds silly.”

Faith shrugged. “Maybe he’s attracted to you? Maybe he’s tired of waiting for the right woman?”

“Or maybe he just wants a few nights of hot sex with a slave,” Julie added with a mischievous smirk. “I mean, come on, what guy is going to turn down a gorgeous woman begging for a man to own her?”

Faith’s eyes glimmered with amusement. “Micah informs me that men go crazy for a submissive woman.”

“Ah shit, not him too,” Julie groaned. “Good lord, woman. So you let him and Gray both have their wicked way with you? What did you do, let them tie you up and fuck your brains out?”

Faith pretended interest in her fingernails and cast Julie a sidelong glance. “Pretty much.”

“You are such an evil whore,” Julie muttered. “And Gray was okay with this?”

“You’ve already asked that,” Serena said patiently. “Obviously he was since they were both there.”

Julie shook her head. “I just can’t get past that. I mean, Gray is all forbiddingly possessive of Faith and yet he lets another man fuck her while he watches? That’s seriously messed up.”

Faith snorted. “Like you’d turn down a threesome with two hot guys?”

“Hell no, I wouldn’t,” Julie exclaimed. “I’m just stunned that your man let you get away with it.”

“It was his idea,” Faith said with a grin.

Julie closed her eyes. “Why are all the good ones taken?”

“Maybe you should rethink your stance on sleeping with men your friends have had sex with,” Serena said. “Forget about Nathan and redirect your attention to Micah. If you just want to get laid, I bet he’d accommodate you.”

“Oh, right, like I want him out comparing notes with the guys on mine and Faith’s performance in bed. No thanks.”

“Not that I’m encouraging you to go after Micah, but he’d never do that,” Faith said. “He’s not like that.”

“So are you still sleeping with him . . . them?” Julie asked.