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  “The suit so you can lay out in the sun and the sweater because it gets cool in the evening.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  Branch disconnected the call and sat there, a kaleidoscope of thoughts running through his brain. He’d seen Lee Sullivan—what—three times? He didn’t know how it had happened, but, suddenly, she’d become a different kind of challenge to him, one he wasn’t entirely sure he was comfortable with.

  Chapter Five

  At least a dozen times Lee was on the verge of calling Branch Colby and cancelling. She wasn’t an idiot. He might think he was concealing it, but there was no mistaking the underlying sexual innuendo in his invitation. What she had to decide was if she was ready to entertain accepting it.

  There was something so intriguing about him, something beyond just the dynamic of the self-made millionaire. Even in the meeting with her boss, she’d caught that same hint of darkness, of underlying eroticism. She was sure he’d be incredible in bed, probably even addictive. There were two problems with that, however.

  She had discovered that casual relationships outside Infinity didn’t work for her. She hesitated to involve herself with a man who had not one submissive tendency. She’d become an expert at sensing it by now, especially with the alphas like Drew who were so in control in every other aspect of their lives. Some of them, again like Drew, battled that submissive need, but when they finally gave in to it, the rewards were so rich and, strangely enough, made them only stronger.

  The dynamics were so unbelievable and so difficult for people in the vanilla life to understand. Not that they had a real understanding about the D/s lifestyle anyway, but that was a major reason why she kept her private life completely that. Private. As she grew older, she reluctantly came to the conclusion that she might never find the sub she’d be picking out drapes with or shopping for a home with.

  Still, she was happy with her life. And maybe a “side trip” with Branch Colby might not be so bad, as long as they both understood the rules.

  But what if she’d misread his signals? What if she was reading more into his invitation than he meant?

  Jesus, Lee. Is this your first date?

  She gave herself a sharp mental smack. By the time the doorbell rang Saturday afternoon, she was through dithering and ready to just enjoy herself, whatever happened.

  When she opened the door and Branch stood there in shorts and a tee shirt, she had all she could do not to drool. He was freshly shaven, and the scent of his aftershave tantalized her nostrils again. The breadth of his shoulders and the musculature of his arms and chest were even more defined than in the other clothing she’d seen him in. The sculpted muscles were just as evident in his strong legs, his calves, and the masculine thighs that disappeared into the legs of the shorts.

  Lee hoped she wasn’t drooling. If only she could convince him of the sublime satisfaction of submission, but she knew how futile that would be. The desire was either there, or it wasn’t. She swallowed a sigh and put on a smile.

  “All set?” he asked.

  “I am.” She lifted her tote. “Bathing suit and sweater as ordered.”

  He took it from her hands. “Then let’s get to it.”

  The drive to Canyon Lake, just over an hour, was pleasant and easy. Branch asked her what her preference in music was, found a station on satellite radio, and kept it on low the whole way, so music was a quiet hum in the background. Lee thought she was an expert at guiding the course of a conversation, but Branch Colby made it an art form. She nearly found herself telling him the story of her life, until she reminded herself what that story was.

  When they arrived at the marina, he parked his SUV and led her along the dock to where his boat was berthed. Boat? She stopped and stared at it. Small powerboat? Lee had seen plenty of boats before. Businessmen in San Antonio had invited the mayor to small gatherings on their boats, and often her presence had been required. Those were small powerboats. This thing? Forty-eight feet if it was an inch.

  “Problem?” Branch touched her elbow.

  “You said a small powerboat. I’d hate to see what you think of as big.”

  He chuckled. “I’m glad I didn’t take you to the really big one.”

  “You have another one?” Dummy. Of course he did.

  “I often entertain on the water. I need something to accommodate larger groups.” One corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile. “Want to take that one instead?”

  “Uh, no, thanks. This will be just great.” She winked at him. “Cozy.”

  His laugh was like a shimmer of warmth sliding over her. “Come on. Let’s get on board.”

  He helped her up the ladder someone had put in place then followed.

  “Let me show you around before we cast off.”

  Carrying her tote in one hand, the other at her elbow to guide her, he walked her around the deck, pointing out the best areas to sun, indicating where the wheelhouse was up four steps, then urging her down a short flight of steps into the interior.

  “Galley, salon, two cabins. Just your basic little powerboat.”

  She burst out laughing. “That’s like saying the Ritz Carlton is just your basic hotel.”

  “Oh, I think the Ritz is a little bigger than this. Come on, Lee, relax. Pretend this is just a rowboat.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  He settled her in the guest cabin, suggested she change into her bathing suit, and said he’d see her on deck when she was ready. She changed quickly but took a moment to check herself out in the mirror. Damn! Her nipples were like two hard points against the soft fabric of the bra. No concealing that, unfortunately. And slim hope that Branch wouldn’t notice. He was a man who observed everything.

  She adjusted the miniscule bottom that barely covered her mound and gave thanks for her recent waxing session. Her legs were smooth all the way to her mound, no stray little curly hairs peeping out from the edges of the material. Okay, then. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and grabbed her lotion and a beach towel. The engines were already rumbling, the boat vibrating by the time she climbed the short flight of stairs again.

  She waved up at Branch, who sat relaxed in the cockpit, and spread her towel out on one of the lounge chairs. No matter what else happened, she’d get a good layer of tan accomplished.

  *****

  Branch congratulated himself on his behavior all afternoon. The moment Lee had emerged in that teeny, tiny bikini he’d wanted to lay her down on the deck and fuck her brains out. Instead, he motored them out of the marina, out onto the water, and gave thanks for the smooth surface of Canyon Lake. He took a moment to bring up the iced margaritas he’d had stocked in the fridge and served them both drinks, then dropped anchor away from the main traffic and stretched out beside Lee Sullivan’s very tempting body.

  As the sun set, he brought up the dinner he’d ordered—salad, cold lobster, and cheesecake—and they ate a leisurely meal. Now, though, he was through waiting. His cock was so hard and thick it nearly pushed a hole in his shorts, and, unless Lee was blind—which she wasn’t, she couldn’t avoid seeing it. He thought of all the casual ways he could lead into this, but he was way past casual. He just needed to keep reminding himself this wasn’t a session at Ultra. That she had no idea about that side of him.

  They were standing at the rail, watching the last of the sun dip below the horizon, so he simply turned her into his arms and took her mouth. Her lips were lush and full, and she tasted of margaritas and lobster and cheesecake and woman. His tongue slicked against hers, dancing with it, sliding into the corners of her mouth and licking up every flavor. He waited a heartbeat to see if she’d push him away, but, no, she’d apparently come here as intent on this as he was. He freed her ponytail and wound his fingers in her hair, sifting the silk of it before clutching her head in place. Her arms wound around him, her fingers stroking the nape of his neck, lighting his nerve ending.

  And, just like that, he was on fire.

  With some effort, he
broke the kiss. “Let’s take this downstairs.”

  Fire danced in her eyes when she looked at him, and, when she spoke, her breathing was uneven.

  “All right. Yes. Okay.”

  He was glad the bed in the master stateroom was king-sized. He liked a lot of room to play. He stood her at the side of the bed and untied the strings of the bathing suit top and tossed it to the side. Then, stripping back the covers, he deposited her on the sheet and lay her back against the pillows, hair spread out around her like a dark cloud. Her breasts were creamy mounds with tips a deep, rosy color. He bent low and took one into his mouth, sucking on it hard before scraping it with his teeth. He was rewarded with a gasp of pleasure from Lee, so he gave the same treatment to the other nipple. By the time he finished with both of them, kneading her flesh while he sucked and nipped, she was panting, and he hadn’t even moved below the waist.

  Jesus!

  He’d love to see her bent backward over a curved board, wrists manacled at her sides while he tormented her breasts until she came just from his touch. Maybe he’d clamp her nipples for additional pleasure—hers and his. God. He needed to turn off his brain because this wasn’t the time to let his imagination run away from him. This was the time for seduction so he could move forward with his plan.

  Finally, he forced himself to shift lower, untie and toss away the miniscule bottom of the suit, and then he just stared at her gorgeous mound. Every inch of skin was carefully waxed except for two thin strips of dark brown curls defining each labium. He trailed the tip of one finger between those plump pussy lips, gathering the moisture there. He lifted his finger to his mouth and sucked it slowly. Lee watched him, sliding her tongue slowly across her lower lip. The ache in his dick increased tenfold. Spreading her labia, he bent down and ran his tongue along the same path his finger had taken. She was soaked, a sure sign she’d been aroused for some time.

  “So beautiful,” he murmured. “Such a nice shade of pink. God. I have to have a taste.”

  He lapped at every bit of her moisture, swirling his tongue around her clit, now a dark pink. He gave it the same treatment he’d given to her nipples, sucking hard on it and grazing it with his teeth, biting a little, then soothing with his tongue. He had to hold her hips in place because the more he sucked and nipped, the more she moved beneath him, thrusting her hips at him to bring her pussy in closer contact with his mouth.

  “What do you want, Lee?” He looked at her skin flushed with arousal. “Tell me. Tell me what you need.”

  “You inside me,” she panted. “Now.”

  He laughed low in his throat. “I’ll bet you do, but we’re a long way from there. By the time I’m inside you, you’ll be begging me to do anything to you I want.”

  “Cocky, aren’t you?” She gasped, even as she wriggled in his grasp and silently urged him to stop talking and get busy again.

  “As a matter of fact, yes.” He took one of her hands and placed it right on his penis. “See how cocky I am?”

  “Then we need to make use of it.” Her voice shook with need.

  “Oh, I promise you we will.”

  He put his mouth on her again, this time going straight for the little bundle of nerves that had turned even darker as blood surged to the tissues. Drawing her labia apart with his thumbs to give him better access, he was about to take a small bite of it when something caught his eyes. He stared, stared harder, and then moved one hand so he could examine her clit more closely. Was that evidence of a piercing? Shit! Of course it was. Not for Lee Sullivan but for Mistress Star. He stopped himself before he could say anything, unwilling to break the flow of what was happening by having her alternate personality intrude. They’d get around to it sooner rather than later.

  She tugged on his hair, pulling his head down again, a silent urging to get back to what he was doing. He took his time, tracing every inch of her outer flesh with his tongue, lapping slowly, nibbling, then lapping again until the muscles in her body tightened, and she arched her hips to him. It had been so long since he’d had vanilla sex he wasn’t sure he could do it right, but he was damn sure giving it his best shot.

  “Touch your clit for me,” he told her in a voice rough with lust. “Please.”

  When she still hadn’t moved her hand, he realized giving orders to a Mistress wasn’t the way to go. He needed to dial back his Dom voice, or this might be over before it had barely even started.

  “Please, Lee. I want to watch. Show me how you rub yourself.”

  She moved one hand from his head to her stomach, slid it slowly down her skin to where he held her pussy open, and brushed the tip of a finger over her hot button.

  “That’s it.” He was doing his best to keep a lid on his Dom voice. They were nowhere near time for that, yet he wanted her to do what he said. “Do it, Lee. Rub faster. Harder.”

  When he lifted his gaze, he saw her looking down at him from beneath the long sweep of her lashes, her eyes heavy with desire. She moved her hand again, slowly at first then faster and faster, rubbing the dark pink flesh, pinching it lightly then rubbing again. When her breathing accelerated and her hips moved in a hitching motion, he slid his hands beneath the nicely rounded cheeks of her ass. Lifting her he placed his mouth right over her opening. When he thrust his tongue inside, she cried out and pushed herself up to him.

  She was so hot and wet inside, so tasty and juicy, he could have done this forever. In fact, if she had been playing as his sub, he would have dragged it out until she begged and pleaded with him to let her come. But, again, that wasn’t for tonight. Her inner walls flexed and pulsed around his tongue, and her fingers moved faster on her clit. Tightening his grip on her hips to hold her in place, he increased the pace of his tongue to match her hand.

  “Ohhh!”

  The cry burst from her lips as her pussy clamped down fiercely on his tongue, and she bucked in his grip.

  Her body shook, the walls of her cunt spasmed, and her cream flooded his tongue. He sucked it in as fast as he could while he continued to ride her through her orgasm. At last she was limp in his grasp, the sound of her breathing raw in the still air. Still he licked inside her channel, scooping every last drop from her, running his tongue back and forth over her sweet spot.

  ‘I’m dead.” Her voice was giddy, her breath stuttering.

  “Is that all you’ve got?” he teased and ran his fingertips over her slit with a whisper of a touch.

  She jerked in response. “A moment, please. Okay?”

  “I’ll even give you a few.”

  He hitched himself up so he had access to her breasts and took one of her delicious nipples in his mouth. Again the image of them clamped, maybe with weights tugging them down, sent a bolt of lust spearing through his body. His cock twitched in response, but he kept to his task, sucking and biting as he’d done before, kneading her breasts as he did so. When she laced her fingers through his hair again, tugging on the strands, he lifted his gaze and caught the red flush of desire on her face and the heavy flutter of her pulse at the hollow of her throat. Impulsively he moved enough so he could close his mouth over it and suck, hard. He swallowed a smile of satisfaction, knowing Lee was not used to a situation she did not control. That made this all that much sweeter. And made him twice as hot.

  When her breathing evened out and her pulse rate slowed, he turned his attention back to her pussy, now flushed to a rosy pink. He couldn’t resist taking a little nip at her clit, swollen and darker than the flesh surrounding it. When he clamped his teeth down on it, Lee jackknifed up and grabbed his head.

  “No.”

  Oh, yeah, there was her Mistress Star voice. God, how it turned him on. He ignored her and kept at his task, tormenting the ultrasensitive nub of nerves.

  “I said no,” she repeated.

  Braceleting her wrists with his fingers, he held tight to her while he worked away, calling all those nerves to life again, lapping at a fresh spate of cream.

  “Give me one more,” he mumbled, his mouth
against her heated flesh.

  She tried to wriggle away from his grasp, but he held tight, thrusting his tongue inside her again. Fucking her with it until he felt the next climax exploding from her.

  She collapsed back on the pillows, panting. “I suppose you think you’re in charge here.”

  He lifted her hands, his fingers still wrapped around her wrists, and grinned at her. “I’d say I know who’s in charge.”

  She tried to yank her hands away. “So that’s how it’s going to be?”

  He laughed. “Count on it.” He pulled himself up until his face was barely an inch from hers. “And think how much fun it will be.”

  He was delighted that she couldn’t quite put Mistress Star away, even in a vanilla situation. God, he could just imagine how she’d be when—

  She grabbed his head, pulled it down, and thrust her tongue inside his mouth, lapping all the inner surfaces, rubbing her tongue over his. He felt her hot, sweet breath on his face, the pressure of her breasts against his chest, and just as he was about to take the kiss even deeper, she yanked her hands free, pushed hard, and rolled them over so he was on his back. Before he even realized what had happened, she was straddling him, and now it was his wrists that were imprisoned. He could hardly wait to see what she would do now, what her next move would be.

  The smile she gave him was nothing short of lascivious. Giving her lower lip a slow swipe with her tongue, she released his wrists and tugged up the bottom of his tee shirt until his chest was exposed. She stared at it for a long moment before raking her nails through the dusting of hair down to the waist of his shorts. The skim of her nails sent shivers racing over his skin, and his hard cock flexed against her bottom. Her lips curved in a knowing smile.

  She bent down and closed her teeth around one of his nipples, just as he’d done to her. Streaks of heat sizzled through him, so intense he wondered how much longer he’d be able to play out this little game. He forced himself to hold still while she teased him with her teeth and lips, moving from one hard nipple to the other, stroking him with her hands while she worked her mouth on him. At the moment he was about to yank her away, she sat upright.