Sweat Equity Read online

  Just once more, New Sara justified to her. One more time around the playroom with him. Then you leave. Forever.

  Jack took a breath, picked up a conversational thread with the city council twerps but kept a close eye on her. Bound and determined to make up for years of bullshit, dissembling and compartmentalizing with women, with her. He’d been completely serious when he told her he wanted her as a partner, in all aspects of his life. The sight of her fucking around with that damn kid for the past few months had driven him around the bend. She was his goddamn it. He needed to prove it to her. He had so much more to offer but wanted her alongside him, irritating control-freak that she was, and he smiled to himself, knowing he could pull this off, especially since Blondie had taken a powder tonight.

  A calm settled over his brain. The relief at finally knowing the moment was near, all the planning done, gave him a different kind of a buzz. He shifted, buttoned his coat over the growing bulge under his zipper. It would be tough, but he’d prove it once and for all, to her and likely to himself. They were meant to be together.

  He smiled, grabbed more water and worked through the crowd. He only had a few minutes to disentangle himself from this thing. Giving Jason a high sign, he made his way around the room, shaking hands, hugging women, his mind , his body revving into high gear. He watched her hit the up button on the elevator, and caught her eye as she looked over her shoulder. He took the steps three a time to beat her there.

  ****

  By the time the elevator doors slid open, Jack already stood, a smile on his face and a blindfold dangling from his fingers. He tugged her out of the lift, pulled her close, walking her back until she had her back pressed against the wall outside the condo door. He held her hands over her head, and kissed her with a dizzy intensity.

  “God, I have missed you,” he said into her skin. She closed her eyes, determined to be the recipient of this, as Jack moved his body against hers. He allowed her to lower her arms around his neck, grasped her back with both hands, owning her with his mouth. She gasped when he broke away and held her face in his hands. “C’mon in,” he whispered, touching her nose with his lips. “I’ve been waiting weeks for this.” He reached behind her and turned the knob. Smells and sights assaulted her senses. Flashes of candlelight, a plate piled high with strawberries, a floor covered in rose petals, a bottle of champagne chilling on ice…and the spanking bench, restraints and soft leather strap hanging from the ceiling made her gulp. Jack’s strong arm circled her waist, his lips tickling her ear. “Welcome.” He pulled her to the giant bed, sat, pulling her onto his lap. She straddled him, her brain on fire and her body not far behind.

  “Just this once Jack,” her voice broke. “Then we’re done. Do you understand?”

  “Hmmm…we’ll see about that.” He pushed her up, ran his hands down her body, and then stood, burrowing into her psyche with his deep stare. He ran a finger across her lips. “Leave it to me. Deal?” She nodded, not trusting her voice.

  He reached over for the champagne but bypassed it, instead taking a cube of ice and putting it against her lips. He smiled; let it trail a chilly line down her neck. She shivered, loving and hating the pleasure/pain of this, knowing it was only the beginning. “Hey!” she shuddered and jumped away when he let the cube drop down between her breasts. His grin nearly broke her in two. Dear Lord she’d missed him too. Something happened as she took the step between them, closing the chasm she’d created a few short months before. He grabbed her hand, brought it to his lips, sucked each finger into his mouth then pressed a kiss to her palm. She closed her eyes.

  “Look at me Sara.” His voice had a low grumble to it she recognized, and if she’d been wearing panties, they’d be damp at the sound of it. “I’m going to only say this once before we start. Before, our play was just that. I let you keep some control. Tonight will be different.” She swallowed hard and started to speak. He put a finger over her lips.

  “Shh…let me finish.” He held her close, his lips close to her ear. “Tonight I’m in complete control. I will not hurt you, but I’m going to push you a little.” His hand roamed down her back, cupped her ass. She gasped when he pressed into her, his need obvious, hard and urgent against the clingy, now irritating fabric of her dress. “Ready?”

  She nodded and he released her, but didn’t touch her again. She ran a nervous hand up her arm, started to unlatch the halter top. He put a hand on her then, nearly bringing her to her knees with lust. “Stop. Let me.” He flipped it open with one hand; she let the dress drop to the floor. “Oh yes. Perfect.” He cupped one breast, ran his other hand down her hip and back up. “Leave the shoes on.” He took her hand and led her to the strap hanging from the ceiling. When he tugged her arms up she started to resist.

  “Jack, I’m…I’m scared.” Her lip trembled. An unwanted tear escaped down her cheek. “Not of this,” she jerked her chin at the paraphernalia. “Of you.”

  He smiled, slipped out of his jacket, and without word, keeping his gaze locked on hers, pulled her arms up, fastening her wrists in the buttery soft leather. She shivered as he ran both hands down her arms, slanting his mouth over hers, possessing her with his lips and tongue. Her pussy responded, sending zings of pleasure shooting through her body. “Oh God,” she gasped when he dropped to his knees in front of her, pulled one of her legs over his shoulder. “I’m, oh Jesus, Jack,” she tugged at the restraint, the leather making a creaky sound tightening as she squirmed. He sucked her clit hard, making her hips buck against him. It hurt, and was, at the same time, the most exquisite feeling on the planet. Just as the room lightened around her, the climax roaring up from her core, he released her. She could hardly catch a breath, watched as he reached for a strawberry, dredged it through the cream and held it to her lips.

  She opened her mouth, but he kept it out of reach. She could smell it, the heavy richness of the white coating the deep red strawberry. He grinned, popped it into his own mouth, but before she could whine he had another one, had it pressed to her lips. She bit into it, letting it drench her senses, the cream running down the side of her mouth. He leaned in and licked it from her neck, but forcing her leg down when she tried to wrap it around him.

  “Nuh uh Sara. Not yet.” He took the champagne bottle and took a drink right from it, held it to her lips and smiled as she gulped at it. One more strawberry followed, fat, bloated and delicious. Sara had the immediate sensation of drowning, in his eyes, his voice, wanting more than anything for him to kiss her again. “Kiss me. Please?” She whispered, licking her lips as he released his cufflinks and rolled up his sleeves.

  In a blink, he was at her mouth, teasing, licking, tracing the line of it with his tongue but staying out of reach. She whimpered, but he kept at it, teasing, letting his palms flit over her enervated skin, bringing every nerve ending she had to strict attention.

  The room lightened again, got fuzzy around the edges.

  Then he was gone once more, leaving her gasping. A blindfold covered her eyes. A rich cinnamon, gingery exotic scent filled her nose. “I know you don’t like this.” His voice hovered at her ear. “The blindfold. I need you to wear it. Give over to your other senses.” She felt his fingertip trace her neck, across her collarbones, to one aching nipple then the other. It reached her stomach, then lower, making her groan when he reached her pulsing clit, pressing there, then even lower, filling her, stretching her body, making her shudder.

  Then, as her groans filled the room, he stopped. No lips, no fingers; nothing on her. She took a deep breath; let the waxy, sweet, rich combination of smells roll through her brain. Hands gripped her hips from behind, slid up to cup her breasts. Cool metal joined them. “Oh Jesus!” she cried out as one of her nipples received the clamp. A low moan of pain escaped her lips.

  “Use the word, baby, if you need it.”

  She shook her head, taking deep breaths and grunting low in her throat when he fastened her other nipple between the clamp’s jaws. Her pussy pulsed, her brain buzzed and a c
razy sensation of quiet enveloped her. The soft music he’d been playing, the trickle of a waterfall installed along one wall, all ceased as if a switch had been flipped. All she needed, all she wanted to hear was his voice.

  “Jack?” Her voice cracked.

  “Right here baby.” He tugged at the chain connecting the clamps, making her hiss and squirm. His lips found hers again, and she let herself fall into him, letting him carry her over some invisible line. His fingers found her clit, flicking at it, giving her pressure then releasing, before he slipped fingers inside her dripping wet pussy, reaching high, aiming right for her sweet spot.

  “Ah God, Jack!” She yelled, anxious and yearning for the release he kept promising.

  “Mmmm….no, not yet.” He pulled his fingers out, and she tasted herself when he put them to her lips. She sucked hard, thrilled to hear his breath catch, the soft satisfied sound he made.

  Then nothing, again. Utter silence descended. She knew he’d left the room, could sense his absence as keenly as his presence. Her skin prickled. The bite of the clamps seemed to disappear. But she didn’t cry out. Knew she didn’t have to. He’d be back. He’d always be back. That realization took hold, made her suck in a breath.

  He would always be back. She sniffled, wriggled her wrists so she could feel the leather against her skin.

  The sensation of calm, of ease, of completeness settled around her nerves. When his hands grabbed her hips, she cried out. How in God’s name could she be comfortable like this? But she was. He made her that way. He ground his still trouser-covered hard cock against her. “I need you,” she whispered, “so much.” Hands fiddled with her hair, pins dropped to the floor as he released it, letting it flow around her shoulders and down her back. Fingers threaded through it, pulling some, rubbing her scalp. She sensed him move around to her front. One hand stayed in her hair, pulled her head back. She moaned when his lips found her neck, sucked and bit her skin.

  “I know you do. I’m here. I’ll always be here for you Sara.” He said in between bringing her close to orgasm again without even touching her anywhere but her hair and neck. Her hips thrust forward; her clit ached, needing contact. He cupped her mound with one hand, the heat of his flesh providing just enough pleasure to make her moan as she moved against his palm. “Oh please Jack. Please I need to come.”

  “No. Not yet. You have to wait.” Fury rose in her brain.

  Who the hell did he think he was, toying with her like this?

  He covered her lips with his, sweeping into her mouth with his tongue, tangling both hands in her hair now. His kiss spoke to her, reminded her of his role. He mastered her but she didn’t have to worry. He’d be there. Always. Tears slicked her face and she tasted salt on his lips.

  “Ready?” He asked. She nodded, not knowing what came next only that Jack had her, and he’d never hurt her or let her be hurt. She groaned when he unclamped her nipples but let out a scream of shock when he pressed ice cubes to her abused flesh. The amazing absence of the pain, the intensity of it, then its fade as her body adjusted, made stars flash behind her eyes. Pleasure and pain shot through her, making her whimper and bite back the urge to beg for the clamps back in some perverse reversal of need.

  “Holy shit, Jack that’s, ahhh.” He licked her neck, kept both hands on her aching breasts.

  “Shh…relax.” His voice oozed into her psyche. The room got loud again, the music and the waterfall sounds slamming into her brain, making her whimper. A strawberry appeared at her lips and she bit down on it, let the juice drip down her neck, groaning when he licked it away. Then nothing, again. He was gone, leaving her body pulsing with energy and need.

  Sara knew she hovered at a precipice. She could make a choice. At that moment, her body craved release but her brain had settled; her nerves no longer jangled as they had been doing for weeks. The rough sound of his voice, the touch of his hand, just the looks he’d been shooting her all night had brought her to that moment. She took a breath and let it take her, let her body fully relax for the first time in months.

  As if he sensed her giving way, he held on tight from behind, cupping her breasts, then moving down to tease her clit and pussy again, never staying in one place long. “I think we need one more thing, don’t you?” He must have shed his shirt at some point and the delicious sensation of his flesh against her back made her sigh, and arch her hips. He put a foot between hers, shoving his thigh against her pussy. She moved her hips, ground against his leg, needing to climax so badly she wanted to cry. She did cry, could hear herself sobbing; could feel the tears slip out from under the blindfold.

  “Arch your back Sara,” Jack commanded as he pushed one leg away from the other, forcing her legs apart.

  Panic shot through her. The moment she’d been attacked last year came swirling through her brain. She tugged at the restraint over her head.

  “No, I can’t. I’m scared. My feet are getting numb. I can’t–I can’t feel my hands. Jack.” Her voice sounded breathy, anxious, but her brain kept pouring some kind of calming elixir over her nerves. It had to be the strangest sensation in the world. Abject terror, white-hot fury, and a clean pure jolt of need warred in her. Then nothing. Crystal calm made it all the turbulence, all the chaos of her last year fade into nothingness, like it had never happened. She tasted her own tears.

  “I know. Give it to me. Let me have it.” He bit her neck, ran a hand across her ass. “Give it to me Sara.” She winced when his palm met her flesh, the smacking sound echoing around in her ears. “It’s mine. All of it. Your fear, hate, anger, love – it’s mine. Give it to me.” He smacked her again, then once more, harder. “Come. Now.” Her body obeyed even as the astonishing tranquility poured through her psyche. Fluid coated her thighs as she moaned, cried his name, but couldn’t hear herself. Her words slurred and her vision darkened behind the blindfold. The orgasm plowed her under, made her whole body release energy from the tip of her tingling scalp to her shaking toes. She slumped, letting the leather hold her up, pull at her sore shoulders.

  “Jack, please I need you inside me.” Those were the words she tried to say, but they made no sense, garbled with some strange intense emotion she had no name for, as her entire universe narrowed to a pinprick of light, then winked out. At the center of the dark hallway he stood, arms out.

  “I’ve got you baby. I’ll always have you.” She sobbed and slumped against him.

  Jack couldn’t breathe. His chest ached and his eyes burned. His woman now. He knew her best and her worst, and wanted it all. Her moan, cries, and bone-deep orgasm nearly brought him to his knees. When she slumped against him he flicked the restraints open, caught her in his arms. The beast in him roared, beat its chest, dimmed his vision and heightened his other senses. He could smell her, her juice, lust and release in every pore. He felt her skin, wet, hot all over as he kissed her. Primal need flared, his cock leaked and throbbed. He’d already come once. He’d had to leave the room to wipe himself off. Sweet Jesus, what a fucking buzz.

  “Jack,” she muttered against his neck as he held her on the floor, smoothing her hair back, letting her utter submission to him infuse his soul. “I’m not scared anymore.” He smiled, picked her up and laid her on the bed. Starting at her feet he found every inch of her flesh with his lips and tongue, dipping into her dripping pussy, lower, loving the beautiful pink rosebud of her ass, then working up, dipping into her bellybutton, lapping the sweat from between her luscious breasts, then finally up the long line of her neck to her lips once again.

  He allowed himself a moment to feel her sex pulse against him before he entered her body with one firm thrust, groaning as she enveloped him, gripped his cock. “Fuck me hard Jack. I need it.” She gasped but he slowed, wanting to relish it, take his time. Her body spread, taking his girth, pulsing, tugging him straight over the cliff.

  “Sara, I won’t last long baby.”

  “Fill me Jack. Please, give me what I gave you.” Her eyes were bright. As he lowered his lips to hers,
she brought both legs up, giving him a better angle. He pounded into her, groaning into her mouth, their bodies dancing toward release together. The orgasm flashed bright behind his eyes and his hips thrust hard again and again, the smell of their combined lust swirling around him.

  “Ah God!” He grunted, and his body tensed before releasing. A glorious shaft of pure pleasure ripped him in two. The gut deep climax kept up, his hips kept pumping, filling her body, fulfilling a primal function as old as time. She gripped him, held on, and cradled his head to her breasts.

  “I love you Sara. So much. I, I need you in my life. Please. Please stay with me.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sara had never felt, in all of her nearly thirty years, so content. So utterly sated and happy. How he had done it, she had no idea. One thing was certain, all the signs and signals, conversations and long nights awake, wishing to be in his arms again, lead her to this exact moment. She had found her man and she’d do anything to keep him. He sighed, slipped out of her and collapsed down on the bed.

  She stretched, went up on an elbow and watched him, saw the familiar signs of his body easing out of one mode and into another. She ran a finger down his stubbled jaw. “Wow.” She smiled when he raised an eyebrow at her.

  “Master of the understatement, aren’t you?”

  “Don’t laugh Jack. That was…just…wow. Can we do it again?”

  He tugged her to his chest, pressed kisses against her hair. “Sure baby. Any time you want.” She sat, rolled her arms to work the soreness there and wandered into the fully stocked bathroom.

  She stared at herself a minute. Sara, you have done the exact opposite of what you told yourself. You let him do this, manipulate you, control you. She shook her head, shutting down the negative noises inside it. It’s what I want. She declared to herself. No, it’s what I need. She washed her hands, passed them down her body. She felt full, complete, and ripe. A stab of fear iced its way into her consciousness, thoughts of bad timing and a distinct lack of condoms making her dizzy.