She almost laughed, but the somber look in his eyes stopped her. “Yes…Sir.”
His smile seemed brighter than the sun, and returning it was as natural as breathing. He leaned in and whispered against her mouth, “Excellent. I’ll see you at dinner tonight.” His breath stroked over her lips, and she inhaled him, drawing his essence into her body. “A woman named Margo will be there to meet you at dinner. She is the wife and submissive of one of my best friends and will be more than happy to answer any of your questions.”
He nipped her lower lip, and her voice came out in a husky whisper. “Okay.”
The sunlight haloed around his head as he leaned back and smiled down at her. “Little flame, we are going to have so much fun together. Pizzarific.”
She gasped as he dissolved before her eyes, leaving her staring at an empty stretch of road. As she rubbed her hands over her face, she could still smell him on her skin. Cupping her palms over her nose, she took in a deep breath of his scent and smiled, then began to laugh. What in the world was she thinking? Telling an experienced, devastatingly handsome dom that he could be her master for the next four days. She eased the Corvette out of the turnoff and took a deep breath of the clean mountain air.
Sexual freedom and exploration was the goal of this vacation, not seeing just one guy. Then again, he had said she could do whomever she wanted. To be honest, the thought of sleeping with a bunch of strangers didn’t arouse her in the least, but she felt like it should. In her fashion magazines, all the articles talked about women having the same right as men to sleep around, but in her heart of hearts, that thought just didn’t appeal to her. She’d always been a one-man kind of girl.
But what if that one man was with her when she was with those other people? It would certainly make things more fun, and Bryan looked like the kind of guy who could take care of her and himself. She must be going crazy, trusting a stranger to take care of her.
A little voice in her mind scolded her for even considering this. No nice girl would ever shame her reputation like she was about to do. The older, more mature part of her told that little voice to shut the hell up. A giggle bubbled from somewhere deep inside and turned into a full-fledged laugh as the pavement sped away beneath the tires of the Corvette.
She could do this. She could embrace her buried wild side, the part of her soul she had pushed down all those years ago when she’d had her first son at seventeen and had to become a mother at such a young age. Maybe she was having a midlife crisis—if women even had that—but if this was one, she didn’t care. It felt so darn good to just let go and have someone else make the decisions for once, to trust herself to some very masterful hands.
The only thing she had to keep in mind was that this was a limited-time-offer type of thing. Four glorious, decadent days with Bryan and then she would return to her life, a sensual woman reborn. The memory of Bryan’s amazing eyes flashed through her thoughts, and she frowned. She had to remember to keep her distance, to think of him as no more than a friend with benefits. Yeah, Bryan was firmly stuck in the friend box, the not-relationship-material box.
With that thought in mind, she turned up the radio and sang along to “Earth Angel” at the top of her lungs.
Chapter Five
Tanwen fiddled with the belt of her pink dress, making sure the little jeweled bow lay centered on her waist. The halter neck was tight enough to keep her breasts raised up, and the built-in support that gave her rather nice cleavage was worth the extravagant cost of the dress. While the color of the silky fabric brought out the last of her summer tan, she really wished the frothy material was black instead of cotton candy pink. Right now she stuck out like a pink cloud among all the black leather, spandex, and lace. At least her phoenix tattoo was clearly visible on her shoulder. That had to help her blend in a little more with this crowd.
While everyone was in evening wear, it definitely ran toward the risqué. Corsets seemed to be the accessory of choice. She adored how they made the women’s—and some of the men’s—waists curve in an hourglass shape, but she couldn’t imagine comfortably sitting and eating in one. Then again, that might be a great idea for a new way to diet. Nothing more than a cracker would fit in a stomach cinched that tight.
As she neared the door where two men in black leather pants and black T-shirts stood checking names against a list, she considered making a break for it. The only thing that gave her the courage to continue was that she had promised Bryan she would be here, and she didn’t break her promises. Although if she continued to hyperventilate, then passed out, she couldn’t be held responsible.
The couple before her went through, and she took a deep breath and stepped forward. The bouncer, door guard, whatever he was certainly intimidated her as his dark eyes swept her from head to toe. He gave her a charming smile. “Name?”
She cleared her throat and was proud her voice didn’t squeak. “Tanwen Evans.”
As he ran down the list, a lovely and very pregnant African American woman with her hair in thin braids placed a hand on his biceps. She wore a green and black patterned sarong dress that wrapped around her neck and waist but left her swollen belly bare. Her belly itself was decorated with glittering gold body paint in swirling designs that reminded Tanwen of twirls of smoke.
Her voice was husky and held a trace of a Caribbean accent as the doorman looked down at her with raised eyebrows. “I’ve got this one, Master Henry. She’s a guest of Master Bryan, and he asked me to keep her company.” The silver collar gracing her throat had a little gold padlock on it, and Tanwen let out a silent sigh of relief. Michelle had said she could trust anyone wearing that piece of jewelry.
Henry turned back to her with a much warmer smile. “In that case, I’ll leave you in Margo’s capable hands.”
Margo smiled at her, and Tanwen couldn’t help but smile back. There was something about the woman that exuded peace and happiness. It wasn’t just that she was pregnant, but that she had an almost tangible aura of kindness. Margo placed her hands on Tanwen’s shoulders and gave her a kiss on each cheek, careful not to rub her glittering belly against Tanwen’s dress. “Tanwen, I’m so pleased to meet you. My name is Margo, and my husband, Master Greg, is friends with Master Bryan. Master Bryan filled me in on this being your first time. I must say, I really admire your courage. I would never have had the nerve to come to a gathering like this alone.”
A woman in her sixties dressed in a black feathery skirt and purple corset strolled by holding a leash attached to her husband in a gray suit with a large black leather collar around his neck. Tanwen and Margo moved back against the wall next to the open doors, and Tanwen tried not to stare at the risqué outfits some of the guests wore. The ballroom was filled with elegant tables covered in black and red tablecloths and decorated with tall cut-glass centerpieces with elaborate orchid and white lilac arrangements. The flowers perfumed the air, their sweetly innocent scent a marked contrast to the sensuality filling the room.
“It is so nice to meet you, Margo. I must confess, I’m not feeling very brave at the moment.”
Margo smiled and wiggled one of her sandal-clad feet in the air. “Mind if we sit down? My feet will swell up like sausages if I’m on them for very long.”
“Oh, of course.” As she followed behind Margo, she noticed people quickly cleared a path as soon as they saw her coming. In fact, people held out hands to help as they walked by, saying quick words of congratulations, and more than one man gave her a wolf whistle. It took a bit to make it to their table as every other person they passed stopped them to congratulate Margo and her husband on the pregnancy. Margo made it a point to introduce Tanwen and add that she was a guest of Master Bryan’s. This earned her many speculative looks from the doms and some rather jealous glares from the subs.