Chapter Two
Cold air rushed over Brighton Wakeford in a sudden burst as she passed beneath an air vent. She sucked in a breath, abdomen contracting as a wave of goose bumps raced down her chest to pebble her nipples into hard, tingling points. Her grip tightened around the hand holding hers.
“Are you okay?” the man asked. His voice was pitched low, concern whispering over his words. His steps slowed. Stopped.
She barely suppressed a flinch when he touched the small of her back. Her pulse thudded loud and persistent in her head in time with the racing beat in her chest.
What am I doing?
Darkness engulfed everything behind the blindfold covering her eyes. She was completely reliant upon the man leading her. Jacob. He’d never given her his last name, and she hadn’t asked.
Her swallow was forced and thick. “Yes.” She gave a firm nod to reassure him. She wasn’t backing down. Not now.
Nerves fluttered nonstop in her stomach and prickled over every inch of her bared skin. The skimpy lingerie she’d purchased specifically for tonight suddenly felt nonexistent. The half-shell cups lifted her breasts in a blatantly sexual display. One look in the dressing room mirror and she’d known the lilac set was perfect.
Now, she wasn’t so sure.
“You can stop this at any time,” he reminded her. He’d gone over all the rules and answered her questions when they’d met for coffee last week.
“I know.” She did. Lori had reassured her of that before she’d agreed to this insane gift. This secret group her friend belonged to was so exclusive she didn’t even know if it had a name or who was involved. “I...” She blew out a calming breath. “I’m good. Really.”
She wasn’t running away from this opportunity. Nope. It didn’t matter how nervous she was.
“We’re here,” he said a few steps later.
This was it. She lifted her chin, sucked in her stomach and let Jacob guide her into a room. The boardroom. That’s what she’d been told.
She was going to have sex in a corporate boardroom. With...she didn’t know who. Or how many. Two? Three? Did she care?
Her secret truth grew in small increments that strengthened her smile. She didn’t. Not tonight. Not when she’d been promised it was safe and they wouldn’t get caught or arrested for public indecency.
Awareness sprung up in an onslaught of sensory input. To her right, someone let out a low breath. The soft brush of material alerted her to a second person across the room. Another rush of goose bumps chased down her spine when the door clicked shut behind her.
“As you know,” Jacob started, a note of command leveling his tone, “Brie is my guest tonight. It’s her first time here.” He ran his hand down her back in a caress that was both soothing and thrilling. “No pain. No toys. Kissing, fingering and oral are okay. Intercourse only at her consent. Her blindfold stays on at all times.”
“Got it.”
She turned toward the clipped words that came from her right, excitement creeping in to twine with her nerves.
“Agreed” came across low and firm from a man on the other side of the room.
“Understood.” She whipped her head around at the last unexpected voice. Sexy, deep and somehow handsome. Could a voice be classified as such?
Wait. There were four men?
Her heart did a skip and clutch before she got her breath back. She didn’t have to fuck any of them, let alone all of them. It was her choice, and Lori had sworn that they’d listen to her. Jacob had too.
“Brie?” She forced a small smile at Jacob’s prodding. “Do you agree to those terms?”
“Yes,” she said on a breathy whisper. Fortunately, she kept her wince from showing. She didn’t want to appear timid or scared even if she was. That was not who she wanted to be in this room. She cleared her throat and shifted toward Jacob. “I agree.”
“Excellent.”
She could picture his smile, which had been charming over coffee and slightly devious when he’d left her to undress in the small conference room. He brushed her hair aside before he trailed his fingers down her jaw. A light touch, almost ticklish, yet tender too.
“Shall we begin?” He lifted her chin up.
Her lips parted. Every nerve ending buzzed with excitement fueled by the fear that came with the unknown. But this was her chance to be the bad girl, the one who didn’t fold to the expectations of her mother or the restrictive rules of social norms.
“Yes,” she said, reaching out. Her hands ran over bare skin as she slid them down to rest on the edge of his pants. She stretched up, hoping he’d take the hint. “Please.”
He cupped her jaw in a gentle hold. His breath hit her lips. A spicy, sultry cologne surrounded her. She held on tighter, lifted a little more despite the nerves trembling through her limbs.
“Yes,” he said, his lips so close to hers. “We can start.”
Anticipation flared. Her muscles tightened. A tiny shudder raked her.
Then arms encircled her from behind.
She flinched, breath hitching. Her senses zoomed to the sudden press of heat at her back, the searing touch emphasizing exactly what she was doing.
I’m having a wild sexual encounter with multiple men. Oh. My. God.
“You’re so beautiful,” the clipped voice said from behind her.
A nervous laugh choked out before she snapped her mouth shut. She swallowed hard. She could do this—would do this.
With a force of will, she tried to relax into the firm support at her back. She hummed her approval, hoping it sounded real, before she reached back to grab the second guy by his nape. This was good, yet the conviction in her head didn’t transfer past the wall of anxiety holding her stiff.
Jacob dipped to nuzzle a line of kisses down her throat, forcing her chin higher. Her weight shifted back, but the man behind her kept her from tumbling to the ground. His slow caresses over her abdomen tickled more than excited. Each pass had her stomach contracting until she struggled to breathe.
She was failing.
The signals blared loud and condemning behind her blindfold. Where was the wild woman? The one who wanted to explore and let go? The crazy daring one dying to break free?
The entire night would be ruined if she didn’t find that woman—fast.
Relax. Breathe. Let go.
The mantra helped a little. She swiveled her hips in a lascivious circle meant to entice. Would it work? His erection slid over her lower back in a declaration of his desire. At least her bumbling hadn’t killed it.
Her smile spread at the low growl that rumbled at her back. Power and lust bloomed in a tentative streak that raced from her nipples to her pussy. She inhaled, taking a moment to savor the sensation.
The darkness provided the freedom she’d longed for. No judgments. No frowns. No expectations glaring from disapproving eyes.
Her attention fluttered between the kisses trailing over the curve of her breasts and the hands easing beneath her panties. She clutched the second guy tighter, arching into the dual touch. Her brain scrambled to keep up with the sensory overload that was only just beginning.
Her pussy contracted. The scent of spice and lust infused her with the wish to be totally debauched. There was so much she had never dared to do. So many acts she’d never had a chance to do.
Good girls didn’t do these kinds of things.
Warm breaths ghosted over her ear. Lips closed over her nipple. The wetness soaked through the silky material of her bra. A soft squeak leaked from her parted lips.
A low sound of approval from across the room shot through her self-absorption to remind her of the third and fourth guy. They were watching everything.
Her knees dipped, her breath caught yet again. She tried to suck air into her lungs only to find little.
The clang of failure increased when Jacob stepped away. “To the table.” His brusque order struck as another mark on her failure.
Her head spun as she struggled to find the strength that’d brought her to this room. The guy behind her urged her forward. Her steps faltered, but she caught her footing before she fell and made a complete fool of herself.
Insecurities swarmed in to incite her doubts. No! She gave herself a mental shake. She needed to stop thinking. She was here to feel and experience, not think. Not doubt.
She would not get lost in her fears.
A couple of deep breaths allowed the smallest of details to race in. The soft tread of footsteps. The dull hum of the air conditioner. The heated touch that branded her back. The distinct awareness of being watched. Each step she took. Every movement she made.
They were here to seduce her.
The tabletop was cool beneath her legs when she was helped onto it. Her knees spread around the guy, and the material of his slacks teased her skin. Would they all get naked? Would this be classified as an orgy?
Her bra was removed without fanfare, the material eased down her arms and taken away as the man left her alone on the table. The air swept in to declare her naked state. Her nipples pebbled. A spray of prickles raced over her chest before they slithered to her pussy. The urge to cover herself sprang up on a condemning note of modesty.
No. This is my show.
I want this.
She rolled her shoulders back on the same plank of determination that lifted her chin. That heightened sense of over-awareness rushed up to check off another round of insights.
Her breasts were heavy and full. Each breath lifted them higher in an exposed way she’d never experienced before. Not with any of her boyfriends or the few one-nighters.
And she’d never felt as sexy as she did right then.
She couldn’t see the men. Not their expressions. Not their thoughts or expectations—which gave her the freedom to be the woman she so desperately wanted to be.
She embraced that knowledge and let it flow into her sagging confidence. She leaned back on her hands, head tipping, spine arching to thrust her breasts higher. Her hair danced over her skin to tease her shoulder blades. A throaty sigh rumbled out of her parted lips as she absorbed the brazen sensation.
“Fuck.”
The rough curse powered her better than a kiss. She wet her lips, uncaring if the move was obvious.
A knot of anticipation twisted in her stomach. Low murmurs reached out from behind her to taunt her with plans she wasn’t privy to. But that was what she’d asked for. To be surprised and dominated in ways a woman wasn’t supposed to want.
In another wave of boldness, she raised her legs up to rest her heels on the table. The spread position placed a wicked visual of herself in her mind. Her pussy ached with the need to be touched. The air teased her nipples and she longed for someone to do something—anything—before her bravery fled.
“Please.” Her voice came out on a sultry note she barely recognized. It flowed from the sensuality pulsing through her.
A chair was rolled to the end of the table by her feet. Tension wound through her chest and dug into the courage she’d only just reclaimed.
Hands smoothed up her inner thighs without warning. She flinched, inhaled. Her pulse escalated to a defined beat that mocked her show of confidence.
“We’ve got you,” the sexy voice said to her right. “Trust us.”
Her stomach clenched in time with her pussy. A soft laugh bubbled out as she tried to force herself to relax. “Easy for you to say.”
His chuckle trembled over her skin in a warm gust of normalcy. “We won’t hurt you.”
“I...” She took a breath, exhaled. “I know.” Intellectually, at least.
“What are you afraid of?”
She was basically naked on a table in a room with four men she didn’t know and couldn’t see, and he wondered what she was afraid of?
Her dismay choked out on a sad flash of naivety. “You,” she rasped. “This.” She gestured blindly to encompass the room. “Of what I want,” she finished softly, the admission gutting her.
That sexy voice was closer, lower when he asked, “And what do you want?”
She squeezed her eyes closed behind the blindfold, her wants slamming against her embarrassment. A lifetime of being told the right way to be good, of being admonished for dressing too sexy or laughing too boldly or behaving in a disgraceful way, laced her jaw closed.
Shame attempted to condemn her further, but she shook her head. She wouldn’t let the false proclamation smother her, yet words still refused to come out.
The table shook as she sensed the man climbing onto it. Her legs flexed to close, but the hands were back to hold them open. Her emotions made a mad scramble between panic and want. Yes and No. Please and...
Her breath locked in her chest as she became distinctly aware of the man sliding in behind her. The energy seemed to arc from him to dance down her back, igniting a small tremble. The hairs on her arms stood on end. Her pulse raced.
The first touch on her arm jolted through her chest. The one to her shoulder vibrated up her neck. Her breaths came in quick hitches that echoed in her head. His pants grazed her outer thighs and hugged her hips as he scooted in to cradle her between his legs.
“You’re gorgeous.” The low murmur sent another shudder down her chest. Her nipples tweaked even tighter. Anticipation did a jittery dance in her stomach that chased away some of the fear that’d been lodged there.
“I feel foolish,” she admitted. Her voice was barely audible, yet the truth snapped at the restrictions holding her captive.
He ran his hands down her arms, back up. The gentleness swept over her. “Don’t.”
“How?”
“By letting go.”
She almost snorted at that. Almost. But he brushed his lips over her cheek in the softest of touches. Oh.
Her heart did a little stutter-step that made zero sense. Yet it fluttered through her chest to tease her with longing.
She inhaled and let the lighter, fresher scent of his cologne flow through her. Its subtleness was heavenly, much like the security radiating from him. This. God, this. She savored the sense of protection that surrounded her.
A wave of tension slid from her muscles as she slowly melted into him. His shirt surprised her. The barrier was at once reassuring and obtrusive, yet it declared that he’d made no assumptions about her or how the night would go.
She smoothed a hand down his bare forearm, the hair tickling her palms until she ran into his watch. Solid, round, with a leather wristband. His forearm was muscled and firm, strong. The description fit all of him.
He slid his other hand around her side to splay his palm just below her breasts, yet he didn’t move it up to cup one. He simply held her. Soothed her with slow caresses until the knot in her stomach eased, and her reservations bled away.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered in her ear. The heat of his breath rushed down her neck in a calming flow that matched his voice. “You can trust that.”
Her low hum of want rumbled in her throat. Understanding vibrated on a chord all its own. This man had her. He’d watch over her, protect her if needed, ensure she was safe.
Jacob had told her she was, but this man behind her made her feel it.
“I do,” she finally whispered. She did trust that low sexy voice. Him—whoever he was.
The truth slid in to release the last of her fears. She’d have no regrets over tonight. None.
Not within his arms.
No, with him, she was safe to let go.