Текст книги "My Best Friend's Stepfather"

Автор книги: Opal Carew

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“It’s not that there’s anything bothering me,” Jess said, “but I wanted to tell you something.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

Jess placed the dishes in the sink and started washing them. Jess grabbed a tea towel and picked up a wineglass, then wiped it dry.

“Well, I friended Dare Gallagher on Facebook.”

Ashley dried a plate. “Why?”

Jess shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve done that with parents of other friends. You know, just to see how they’re doing and keep in touch. I didn’t know if he would remember me, but we did used to hang out at his house with Helen a lot in high school.”

Ashley smiled. “I’m sure he still remembers you.” She leaned against the counter. “But I bet what you wanted was to see if he was posting anything about me and him.”

Jess nodded. “Yeah, I guess. Not that I thought he’d be overt about it, but he might say something. And maybe there’d be some clue about other relationships. And photos.”

Ashley smiled. “So you wanted to see if there are any hot pictures of him.”

“Guilty.”

“And I think you’re being a bit of a softy. I bet you were hoping there might be some photos with him and Helen, or her mom. Or maybe that they’re talking on Facebook.” Ashley grabbed another plate and dried it. “Even though you claim that it doesn’t bother you that we’ve lost touch with Helen, I think you were hoping to see how she’s doing.”

Jess unplugged the sink and as the water drained away, she started putting away the dishes Ashley had set on the counter.

Jess pursed her lips. “If that’s the case, then why don’t you think I’d just friend Helen?”

Ashley squeezed her arm and smiled. “Because I know you and I get that you don’t want to be the first to break the silence between the two of you. Requesting to be her friend would make you vulnerable if she refused.”

Ashley realized that Jess had also made herself vulnerable to Dare’s rejection.

“Oh, Jess, is that what happened with Dare? Did he refuse your friend request?”

“No, he actually accepted.”

“That’s good.” Ashley was glad Dare hadn’t rejected her friend. She grabbed a cloth and wiped the counter as Jess put the leftovers in the fridge.

“So did you find anything interesting on his page?”

This time Jess smiled. “You mean, did I find anything about you?” She laughed. “No, not a thing. So that’s good.”

True, Ashley was glad he wasn’t spreading it around that she was being his submissive, or that he was training her—that would be so embarrassing—but of course he wouldn’t. But it would be nice if he’d mentioned something about having met an interesting woman or started an interesting project, or anything at all that referred to what they were doing.

But, of course, she was just being silly. Saying nothing was the best course.

And she knew Darien Gallagher was a very private man. In a way, she was surprised he even had a Facebook page. But in this day and age, of course he would.

Jess grabbed a second bottle of wine and opened it, then poured two glasses. Ashley followed her into the living room and sat down.

“The thing is,” Jess said, “shortly after that, I got a friend request from Helen.”

Shock shimmered through Ashley.

“Really? That’s surprising … but it’s great that she’s in touch with you again. It’s quite a coincidence.”

Jess lounged back on the couch, the full wineglass in her hand.

“Actually, I don’t think so. I think she saw that I became friends with Dare and that prompted her to contact me.”

“Contact you?”

“Well, yes. After I friended her, she sent me a message.” Jess sipped her wine.

“What did she say?”

“She told me that she’d heard Dare was in town for a couple of months working on a business deal and asked if I’d run into him. I told her no.”

A chill ran through Ashley. “You didn’t say anything about the fact that he and I … uh…” She bit her lip. “Well, of course, I know you wouldn’t.”

“No, I didn’t say anything about you and him. Not even that you’ve seen him. Especially since I don’t know why she was so interested in whether I’d seen him or not, or that I’m connecting with him at all.”

Ashley plumped up the pillow behind her, then leaned back.

“I think you’re reading more into it than there is. She probably just saw that he friended you and it made her think it would be nice to connect with you again.”

A part of Ashley was jealous that Helen hadn’t thought to contact Ashley, too. Helen and Ashley had been best friends for years before Jessica moved to town when they were in their early teens.

Ever since Ashley’s mom had died when she was eight, her dad had always pushed her to watch out for herself. To keep her emotions in check and deal with them on her own. Not to depend too much on anyone. But sometimes, she’d needed to talk to someone about her feelings. And Helen had always been there for her. She had understood Ashley’s pain.

But when Jessica showed up, suddenly Jessica and Helen had been best buddies and Ashley had felt like an outsider. Not that they didn’t include her, but the two of them seemed to share so much more. Jessica was always willing to try new things and push the limits, getting them all into trouble more than once. That fascinated Helen, who wanted to break free of her nerdy, smart-girl image and become more popular. Then the year before graduation, it was Helen who seemed to be the one looking for trouble. Near the end, she seemed to pull back from both of them. That was when Jessica and Ashley became closer.

But now that Helen was in touch with Jessica again, Ashley felt really left out.

*   *   *

Dare parked his car, then walked to the bench facing the small pond in the park where Ashley had asked to meet him. She was already sitting there, throwing small chunks of bread to some ducks. She glanced up as he approached.

She’d told him on the phone that she wanted to talk to him outside of their sessions. He suspected she wanted to end their mentoring. She probably found dealing with her newly discovered arousal at being punished a little too difficult to deal with.

He was determined to talk her into continuing.

“Thanks for coming,” she said as he sat down beside her.

“Of course. What did you want to talk about?”

She compressed her lips. “You’re always very direct, aren’t you?”

“It keeps things simple.”

She nodded and threw a few more crumbs to the birds, then put the bag on the bench beside her.

“I wanted to talk to you about … uh … well, when we’re together, there seems to be…” She bit her lip, then drew in a breath. “You remember that first time when I said that there shouldn’t be anything sexual between us?”

“Yes, I do. And I’ve been using that to push you to set limits so you understand the power you have even as a submissive.”

“But the result is that…” She fidgeted with the tie on the bottom of her jacket. “Well, you could tell that what you were doing was … exciting to me.”

He smiled. “Yes, I could.”

“So, I’d like us to find a way to continue the role-playing but stay away from anything sexual.”

“Why?”

She started, gazing at him with wide eyes. “Uh … It would make me more comfortable.”

“Ash, you’re not doing this to be comfortable. You’re doing it to explore something new and different. Something that excites you.”

“It’s just research for an article,” she stammered.

“No, it’s more than that. You’re curious about what it would be like to be in a Dom-sub relationship. A sexual relationship. And that scares you. Because it pushes you outside your comfort zone.”

He reached his hand in front of her and she leaned back against the wooden bench, clearly thinking he was going to pull her into his arms, but he picked up the bag of bread and threw some to the ducks lingering near the bench.

“Ash, it’s not my fault that you’re aroused by the Dom-sub situation. If you weren’t, I wouldn’t push in that direction, but you clearly are.”

“But that doesn’t mean we have to go in that direction.”

He chuckled. “We don’t have to. But you want to. And you want me to push you.”

“No, I don’t.” Uncertainty laced her words.

He turned to her, locking his gaze with her wide blue eyes. “Ash, I told you not to lie to me.”

She straightened up, gazing at him uncertainly.

“I believe the idea of exploring a sexual relationship with me…” he continued, “where I dominate you completely … exhilarates you. I think you want to pursue it more than anything.” He leaned in closer. “Where I command you to do sexy things to me. Like telling you to strip off your clothes and kneel in front of me. To pull out my cock and take it in your mouth, then suck it until I come in your mouth.”

His breath lightly brushed her neck, sending tingles dancing along her skin.

His voice became a low, husky growl. “Where I push you against the wall and take you hard and fast.”

When he stroked a wisp of hair from her face, she sucked in a breath, her wide eyes glowing with desire.

He brushed his lips against her temple. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

*   *   *

Ashley sucked in air, staring at his intense midnight eyes, her body trembling from the light brush of his lips. The moment he’d sat down beside her, her heartbeat had accelerated and she’d found it increasingly difficult to breathe. Just being close to him made her a crazy mess of need, and the thought of him dominating her sent tremors of excitement through her.

He was absolutely right. She wanted to explore these new feelings. To be controlled by him and taken to a new realm of eroticism.

“You see, you can’t. So what do you want to do? Do you want to end our sessions?”

“No, I don’t. I…”

“So tell me what this is really about.”

She exhaled. “It’s just that … you’re the stepfather of my friend and I don’t think she’d like it if something happened between us.”

“That’s what’s bothering you? First, Helen is no longer my stepdaughter. Hasn’t been for years. And how long has it been since you’ve interacted with her?”

“Sure, but—”

“No buts. Ash, you can’t let what other people want—or what you think they want—dictate what you do. If you want something, go after it. Whether it’s the friend you want a romantic relationship with, or having an illicit sexual experience with me.”

Her lips turned up in a smile. “Illicit?”

He laughed. “Well, that does make it sound more exciting, doesn’t it?”

She gazed into his eyes, feeling herself caught up in the deep blue depths.

“Everything about you is exciting.”

A smile crept across his face, wide and devastatingly sexy.

Oh, God, she couldn’t believe she’d said that out loud.

He took her hand and stood up. “Come with me.”

“Where are we going?” she asked as he led her along the path through the trees toward the road.

“We’re going back to my place.”

“But…”

He stopped and turned. With her forward momentum, she collided with his body.

His big, hard, muscular body.

His hands grasped her arms, then his lips captured hers. She pushed onto her tiptoes, needing to be closer. Needing to feel his lips pressing harder on hers. His tongue swept into her mouth and she murmured softly. He took her mouth with passion, consuming her. But then the kiss softened, becoming almost tender. His arms slid around her and he drew her closer, like a cherished lover, while he seduced her mouth with his talented lips.

She melted against him, her heart beating frantically, feeling the echo of his own heartbeat against her.

Then he drew away, his solemn gaze locked on hers.

“You have a choice at every step of the way, but know that when I get you home, I am going to tear away every one of your barriers and build up your need to a fever pitch, then I am going to take full advantage of the situation and take you to a place you’ve never been before. And I warn you, you will quickly lose the will to say no. So decide carefully before you say you’ll come with me.”

He stared at her, waiting.

She should say no. She should walk away right now.

But “should” was a word she resisted. It was self-limiting and hinted at externally imposed barriers. Because she could do anything she wanted. The only one who had a right to dictate what she did or didn’t do was her.

And what she wanted to do … what the overwhelming desire burning inside her insisted she do … was go with him. She wanted to submit to him. To be vulnerable to him.

To trust in him and give herself to him in every way.

*   *   *

As soon as the door closed behind them, Dare swept Ashley into his arms and kissed her. She melted against him, the heat of the desire that had been building on the drive here filling her with anticipation.

Then he drew away. She could see only a flicker of the heat in his eyes as he schooled his expression to one of calm authority.

“You will do everything I say to the letter. You will not argue or hesitate. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Sir. I like that. You will address me as Mr. Gallagher or sir. Follow me.”

He led her to the stairway, then up to the second floor. Through double doors at the end of the hall she caught a glimpse of a big, four-poster bed in deep mahogany. She followed him toward it, but then he stopped at a door on the right and opened it. He turned on a light, casting away the darkness and led her inside. She glanced around, her eyes widening at the rough-hewn wooden furniture around the room. A large X-shaped piece in one corner, about seven feet tall with cuffs attached. Padded benches of different shapes, all with restraints. And a tall cupboard along one wall.

And a bed on one side, covered with black sheets.

He led her to a large chair and sat down. She stood waiting uncertainly.

“Come here.”

She stepped toward him.

“Unbutton your shirt.”

He wanted her to undress? Oh, God, this was becoming all too real all too fast.

But she obeyed. Her fingers moved to the top button and she unfastened it. Then to the second. Her skin flushed as her shirt slowly opened, revealing a glimpse of her bare skin and lacy bra beneath.

When she’d finished with the bottom button, she slid her hands up the placket, ready to open the blouse, but he took her hands and drew her close.

“Do only what I say and no more,” he said, his voice matter-of-fact.

He placed her hands at her sides then he slowly parted her shirt, revealing her lace-clad breasts. The heat of his gaze seared her as he stared at her swelling breasts, the nipples pushing at the thin lace. He slid the shirt over her shoulders and it glided down her arms and fell to the floor.

His hands glided up her ribs, then under her breasts and one thumb glided over her hard nub. Her breath caught at the incredible sensations vibrating through her. Then his other thumb brushed over her second nipple and she thought her knees would buckle.

“Turn around.”

She turned, and once her back was to him, she felt his fingers work at the hooks of her bra. Then it released. He slid the straps off her shoulders and she let the bra follow her shirt to the floor.

“Now turn toward me.”

Oh, God, when she turned he would see her naked from the waist up. She felt vulnerable and uncertain.

But she turned.

And when she did, the admiration in his eyes as he gazed at her full breasts filled her with delight. She wanted to run her hands underneath them and lift. To move closer and offer them to him.

“You have beautiful breasts. Do you like me looking at them?”

“Yes, Mr. Gallagher.”

He smiled. “Good.”

He wrapped his hands around her waist and drew her closer, then with one hand on the small of her back, he cupped her breast with the other. The heat of his big, masculine hand around her sent her hormones swirling. Then he leaned forward and covered the aureole with his mouth. His tongue nudged the hard nipple … then he sucked.

“Ohhh,” she moaned.

He lapped and suckled for a few more minutes before moving to the other. When he took that in his hot mouth, she moaned again.

“Now take off your jeans.”

She undid the snap, then drew down the zipper. She watched his hot gaze as she pushed them down her hips and let them drop to the floor. She stepped out of them and kicked them to the side.

“Turn around.”

She turned her back to him, conscious of his heated gaze lingering on her bare behind.

She felt his lips on her. They fluttered over her round flesh in butterfly kisses. So delicate and sexy. Then he nuzzled the flimsy fabric of her panties, brushing against her melting folds.

Oh, God, she thought she’d die. This was so intensely intimate.

His fingers glided under the elastic lace of the thong and he drew it downward. Soon, he’d peeled away the last bit of cloth covering her naked body. He pressed his hand against her back and eased her forward until she was bent over.

He was looking at her. She could feel it. Gazing at her intimate folds.

Then she jumped as she felt his mouth touch her. His tongue pressed into her folds and he licked her.

He pressed her thighs apart, opening her to him, then his tongue pushed deeper into her. His hand returned to her back and he pressed her down further, then his mouth covered her. He found her clit and teased it.

“Oh, yes.”

“Do you like that?”

“Yes, Mr. Gallagher.”

His fingertip brushed her clit. She choked back a moan as it quivered over the tiny bud. Pleasure rippled from that spot to her very core.

He licked her again as his fingers dipped into her. Just a little. Teasing.

Then they slipped away. So did his mouth.

“Ashley, come stand in front of me.”

She stood up and turned to face him.

He tucked his hands under her breasts and lifted, gazing at each one. He caressed them gently. Sparks flared from her nipples to her inner core.

“That feels so good, Mr. Gallagher.”

He leaned forward and licked her nipple, suckled for a moment, driving her wild, then lapped at the other. When he drew away, abandoning her needy breasts, she moaned in disappointment.

“Now it’s time for you to do something for me.”

“Anything, sir.”

He smiled. “Kneel down.”

She knelt, conscious of the growing bulge in his pants.

“Undress me.”

“Yes, sir.”

She started with the top button of his shirt and unfastened it, catching a glimpse of hard muscle beneath. That expanded as she undid the second, then the third. When she had all the buttons undone, she ran her hands up his stomach, then over his chest, delighting at the feel of his rock-hard, sculpted muscles under her fingertips.

She pushed the shirt off, then her gaze dropped to his pants. She unfastened the button, then grasped the zipper tab and pulled it down. Slowly. Inside, she could see his thick, swollen cock straining at the light cotton of his briefs. He stood up, his body moving closer to her, and pushed down his pants. Then he waited, his briefs still covering—barely—his distended cock.

She tucked her fingers under the elastic and drew them down, slowly. Her gaze locked on the exposed head of his cock, then the long shaft as she drew down the fabric. She pushed the briefs down his thick thighs to the floor, then gazed up at his long, hard cock, pointing straight to the ceiling.

Maybe it just appeared so incredibly long because she was looking up at it, but when she straightened up, he sat down, and she was gazing at it close up, her eyes widened.

“Oh, my God. It’s so big.”

He chuckled. “True.” Then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her ear. “And soon it will be inside you.”

The softly-spoken words swirled into her ear and she sucked in a breath. Yes, she wanted that. So badly.

“Now suck it,” he said.

“Yes, sir,” she murmured, mesmerized by the sight of his monumental shaft.

She wrapped her hand around the base, barely able to get her fingers around it, then leaned forward and pressed her lips to his tip.

It was his turn to moan, a soft, yet masculine utterance.

She dragged her tongue over him, tasting the salty droplet glistening near the small opening on the crown. Then she swept her tongue over him again.

She opened her mouth and took his mushroom-shaped head inside her mouth. Twirling her tongue under the ridge, she delighted in the sound of his murmurs of approval.

Her hand stroked up and down his hard shaft as she teased his cockhead, listening to his rapid breathing. She glided downward, taking as much of his length as she could, then slid up again, her hand following. He watched her, his eyes burning with desire.

Her other hand glided downward until she felt his soft sacs, then she cupped them. She kept her gaze locked on his as she fondled his balls while his cock glided in and out of her mouth. His cock twitched and she could feel the sacs tightening. Soon she would make him come. Feel the pulsing of his cock as he came in her mouth. And she would swallow every drop.

His hand coiled in her hair and he guided her at his desired pace. Up and down. Pushing his thick cock a little deeper each time, until she believed she would somehow swallow him whole. His member throbbed in her mouth, his balls hard as walnuts.

Then he stopped, and drew her mouth away from his erection. He sat for a moment, watching her as he seemed to struggle with regaining control of his body. Then he stood up and guided her across the room. She was sure he was taking her to the bed, but instead he stopped at a tall bench with chains hanging from the ceiling. He clamped leather straps around each of her wrists—the restraints nicely cushioned inside—then pulled a cord which tugged her arms over her head. He sat her on the padded bench.

“Legs wide,” he instructed.

She opened her legs, resting her heels on a lip probably designed for that purpose.

Here she was, totally naked in front of him, her breasts heaving with her excitement, her thighs spread wide and him gazing at her glistening folds.

He knelt in front of her and his mouth pressed against her dampness. When he suckled her clit, she cried out.

His fingers glided inside her and she moaned. He stroked her passage, eliciting an intensely compelling desire that demanded satiation. She needed him to show her the way to ecstasy.

He locked gazes with her. “What do you want, Ash?”

She gasped. His fingers quivering inside her had dragged her to the brink and now … she shivered as pleasure swelled … now she was going to …

“Ohhh, yesss!”

His eyes glowed as he moved his fingers inside her, watching her intently.

Her eyelids fluttered closed as the sensations burst inside her, exploding in an earth-shattering orgasm. She cried out in ecstasy, losing herself in the maelstrom of pleasure.

As she floated back to earth, his lips found hers, his tongue pushing gently inside her mouth. It pulsed inside her and she sucked on it, pulling it deeper inside her until he moaned.

His hands glided down her naked back and she became aware of her breasts pushed tight to the hard muscles of his chest.

“What do you want, Ash?” he asked again.

“You,” she whispered. “Inside me.”

“Fuck.” He stood up and drew her to the edge of the bench. Then she felt it. His hot, hard flesh brush against her slick, steaming opening. So wet, he would slide right in.

“Please, I want you now.”

He nuzzled her ear. “Tell me you want me to fuck you.”

“Oh, yes, Mr. Gallagher. I want you to fuck me. I’ve wanted that for so long. Pleeeaaase fuck me!”

On a low groan, he eased forward.

She could see in his eyes that he was using every shred of control he possessed to glide into her slowly. His was thick and hard, stretching her. Almost painfully, he was so big. But she wanted him. Wanted it. All the way. Filling her like no man had ever filled her before.

Still he glided. Only halfway in.

“Oh, God, yes. It feels so good.”

That was too much for him and he drove deep. She gasped. Tears prickled in her eyes at the sweetness of the pleasure-pain of having him fully immersed in her body.

“Yes,” she whimpered, then squeezed him inside.

He moaned in response.

“Please, Mr. Gallagher. Please fuck me now.”

“God damn.” He drew back, then thrust deep again.

She felt the tears flow from her eyes. The sensations were so incredibly … sweetly … explosive.

“Yes,” she whimpered again. “Fuck me.”

He groaned and drew back, then drove deep again. He kept filling her. His big, long cock dragging along her tender inner passage, then pulsing deep again. In. Out. Faster and faster. His hand on the small of her back, steadying her as he drove into her like a piston.

Her hands wrapped around the chains above her to steady herself and she wrapped her legs around his waist. His next thrust drove even deeper and she cried out. Her grip tightened on the chains.

He buried his face in her hair as he drove into her fast and hard.

“You feel so fucking good around me, baby.”

She could only utter a soft moan.

“I’m going to fucking come so hard.” His lips grazed her ear. “But not until you do.”

Then he slammed hard into her body. She gasped as an orgasm blossomed deep inside her and exploded outward, thundering through her body in a massive, ecstatic eruption of joy. She wailed at the top of her lungs, riding the wave of ecstasy, clinging to the chains, her legs clenching around him in a death grip.

Then he groaned and erupted inside her. She gasped at the feel of his hot seed filling her and shuddered in another orgasm. Then faded into blackness.

*   *   *

Ashley jerked awake. She didn’t know if seconds or minutes had passed, but she found herself on the bed with the black sheets. She gazed up to see Dare’s face, his expression filled with concern.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and stared at him in awe. “That was incredible.”

He chuckled. “Well, I have to admit, that’s the first time I made a woman faint.”

She laughed, feeling delightfully giddy. “Feel free to do it again anytime.”

He laid down beside her and drew her against his naked body. “Believe me. I will.”

*   *   *

Ashley sipped her glass of wine as she and Dare sat on the deck in his backyard watching the sunset. She couldn’t believe she’d just had the most incredible sex of her life with this incredibly gorgeous, older man just a half hour ago. God, he was her best friend’s stepfather. And now they were just sitting here drinking wine together.

He seemed to take it all in stride, but she was a quivery mess, just trying to keep a calm exterior while they spent this quiet time together. What she really wanted, though, was for him to command her to strip and do it all over again.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Dare asked.

Her gaze darted to his. “What?”

“We just took our relationship from a mentor arrangement to a full-fledged Dominant-submissive sexual relationship.”

“Relationship?”

“I use the word loosely. We may want things to stay casual between us, but this kind of Dom-sub relationship can be complicated so we need to be sure we both understand where things are and where they’re going.”

“Where are they going?” she asked.

“I assume we’ll continue this as long as I’m in town.” He smiled. “We both certainly seem to enjoy it.”

She felt her cheeks heat, but she nodded. “And once you leave?”

He frowned. “Ash, I don’t see this becoming a long-term thing. You know I’m only here for another month or so, then once my business is finished, I go back to New York. And you have your job here. I don’t think either of us wants to complicate things by assuming there’s a future for us.”

She nodded. “Of course.” It sounded so reasonable, but she still felt unwanted.

“So are you happy about the information you’re getting for your article?” he asked.

She pursed her lips. Better to think about that than wallow in her feelings of rejection.

She nodded. “But I wanted to do one post with tips on being a Dominant, and one on being a sub, but so much of what you do seems to be a part of who you are. For example, you have a naturally authoritative voice.”

“Don’t assume it’s natural and therefore others can’t do it. It’s just a matter of keeping a firm tone and speaking with confidence.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“It’s not necessarily easy, especially when you’re not used to it, but you’re not giving advice to people who are going to be going into this seriously, right? It’s more for those wanting to role-play to spice up their sex lives. Just advise them to relax and enjoy it.”

He picked up the bottle of wine and topped up her glass, then his own. “By the way, how did your practice session go the other day with your friend?”

*   *   *

Dare watched Ashley. He could tell she’d been unhappy when he’d said their sexual relationship would end when he finished his business here in town. Could she really believe they had a future?

He was sure it was just her insecurities kicking in. She was clearly interested in this friend of hers.

She rubbed her hands along her denim-clad thighs, making him too aware of how much he’d like to feel those lovely, long legs around his waist again. With her naked and moaning in his arms.

“It went okay.” Then she frowned. “It was a bit awkward, actually.”

“What happened?”

“I wasn’t very sure of myself. He helped, though. He guided me a little by asking what you and I had done together, then suggesting we do that.”

He raised an eyebrow. “So you watched a movie?”

She nodded.

“So after you gave him some commands to set it up, did he just kneel by your feet and watch the movie, or did you tell him about being disobedient then have to punish him like I did to you?”

Her cheeks flushed nicely at that.

“Tell me,” he said.

Did his sweet Ash actually slap the man’s ass? Did she order him to drop his pants? The thought sent heat straight to his groin, at the same time as a surge of jealousy spiked through him. What the hell was that about?

“I just … verbally punished him.”

She was lying. He knew it. But he wouldn’t call her on it, because he could tell something about the situation had upset her.

“So this man and you are good friends?”

“Yes, we’re pretty close.”

“Do you feel he’d be willing to commit to helping you with this?”

“I think so. Why?”

He smiled. “I was thinking that you might talk him into joining us for a few sessions.”

*   *   *

When Dare had suggested Adam join them for some sessions, Ashley had gone into shock. Did he mean for the three of them to … Oh, God. But then she realized he just meant to meet Adam and give them some pointers as to how she and Adam could practice together.

And she suspected he wanted to push the two of them together, so he wouldn’t feel so bad walking away.