CHAPTER ONE
Irene Marks knew that she should be pleased with her life. She lived in a reasonably expensive home on a hill in Orinda, California, and she wanted for nothing. Even though Cameron Foss, her long-time boyfriend, had never put a ring on her finger, that didn’t mean that their lives were not intrinsically bound together.
In fact, that was the trouble. She’d met the man five years ago while attending Berkeley, where he was an English professor with a bit of tenure and a penchant for the ladies. For her, he had represented stability and a means to escape from her strict upbringing and begin to discover what really lurked out in the real world.
That prospect had been exciting then, but five years later, the bloom was off the rose. Her life was dull despite having money, and lately, as a lover, Cameron just didn’t do it for her. Based on the fact that she’d caught the man cheating on her more than once, she thought he must feel the same.
“You know, Cameron, Charles and Nancy Tate, the swinging couple down the way, have told us more than once that it’s just our bedtime fun that’s gone stale,” Irene sighed when they were talking about it one day. “Maybe they’re right, eh? What if we took them up on their offer to swap for a night? It’s worth a try, anyway.”
“I hope so,” he agreed. “I’d hate to have to break up over this. We have so many things... Can you imagine having to divide them all? It’d suck massively.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” said Irene.
And so they had tried swapping, and it had gone okay. Nothing to write home about, and certainly not overly exciting, but at least Irene had learned a few new things. Still, life went on in much the same way. They tried making love, and for a few weeks, it seemed to improve, but eventually Irene realized that it wasn’t enough. There had to be more to life than staid, boring sex with a staid, boring man. She needed something more.
“Maybe we should try something other than swapping next time,” Charles suggested. “Maybe what Irene needs is to have us all four have a go.”
“Sorry, Charles, I am not into you.”
The other man laughed. “Not that way, Cam. I know that’s not your thing. But maybe it would ring her bell if she could see you fucking Nancy, and you could see her fucking me.”
“Do you really think that would help?” asked Irene doubtfully.
“Well, it couldn’t hurt to try,” he said, winking.
“Okay, then, let’s do it,” she agreed. “Right now!”
“There you go, Irene,” Charles said. “I love the spontaneity.”
“Well, we could,” Nancy agreed. “But don’t forget we’re supposed to get the kids from practice at six-thirty.”
“It’s only three,” Charles replied. “We should at least be able to squeeze in some foreplay.”
Weirdly enough, this change seemed to help a whole lot more. Not enough to say everything was okay again, but at least it was a start. But then, Irene found out that Cameron had gone to see Charles and Nancy on his own, with the two men doing just her and leaving Irene out in the cold.
To say she was upset would have been an understatement. Being liberated was one thing, but not considering the feelings of your significant other was quite another.
“You owe me, Charles,” she scolded him. “And I think it’s about time we tried something even bolder. Remember how Charles was talking about the swingers’ bar? I really think that we should go.”
“But, Irene, I thought things were going so well,” he complained. “Why can’t we just leave well enough alone?”
“Sorry, but it’s for your own good,” Irene insisted with a little smirk of victory. She had him over a barrel, and he knew it. “Tonight, we go to the Bacchus room of La Tavernalia. Maybe trying out another couple would improve this thing.”
“All right, my darling, so be it,” said Cameron with a sigh. “But I really hope this time it will ring your bell. I’m getting tired of this swinging thing. I think we may have to go back to just you and me.”
“Just one last time, okay?” Irene pleaded. “It’ll be good. Trust me.”
As they sat in the lounge later that night, Irene was feeling disappointed by the different couples who had come in with a similar mission in mind. Every man was boring, and every woman gazed hopefully around the room with avid eyes. The music blared loudly, and the drinks flowed far too freely, and still nobody she saw there seemed right.
It hadn’t always been so difficult to enjoy being in Cameron’s company, Irene reflected. Sure, there had never been a wild spark that made her want to have his babies, but back then, they’d at least had a meeting of the minds. She’d been one of his top students, and he’d told her she showed a lot of promise as a writer. But that was just some line he liked to use to get into young college girls’ pants.
Well, he must have really liked what he found in hers, since he’d moved her in with him, and she’d been giving it to him ever since. Trouble was, when two people started out with ‘stability’ instead of lust, becoming used to each other easily meant boredom this far in.
The problem with selecting someone, she thought, was that her expectations were set so high. It was partly the television that was to blame, always showing her hot guys when, in reality, most of the men a person met on the street were just—well, average or less, to be nice.
It was so frustrating that she was about to suggest they just leave. But then, she spotted him. The ultra-hot, mysterious, and sexy guy who was lounging in the corner, just people watching. His hair was long and dark with a bit of a curl. He had it pulled loosely back into a ponytail, but little tendrils sneaked free here and there, adding to his overall appeal.
His face was rounded and lean, but his biceps were bulging nicely. He had sex appeal written on every line of his tight, hot body, and Irene thought if he’d let her, she would probably hop right on the man right then and there.
What was more, she realized with a start of surprise, his blazing hot green eyes were well and truly latched onto her, too. It was like a cord had suddenly sprung right from her belly and lassoed the man. More than that, he looked as though he was already giving her body a ride in his mind.
Her throat tightened with a heady response, and her nipples came to attention so quick she thought maybe she must have dozed off and was dreaming this guy. She wanted to fan herself, maybe even just fling her clothes off—anything to get through the hottest moment of her life.
He was everything a girl dreamed of and more. Tall, muscular, and sexy as hell. She'd give anything to get a piece of him. She was willing to risk it all--let Cameron keep her share of their belongings and just walk away, as long as she was walking straight into his arms.
She was pretty sure her tongue was hanging out of her mouth and dripping buckets of saliva, but at this point, at least, she knew she was still alive. It was a relief to know her body worked the way that it was supposed to, after all.
“You know, Cameron, I’ve been thinking about something,” she said as casually as she could, so as not to tip him off about what was on her mind. “Maybe instead of finding a whole couple, we ought to be looking for just one other guy. I mean, fair is fair, right?”
“Well, maybe,” he shrugged.
“Do you see that man over there?” she asked, pointing him out. “What would you say to getting him to be our third? You could both do me. Maybe that's the spice I need.”
“Yeah, he does look like some pretty good eye candy. I think watching him fuck you would be pretty exciting for me too,” Cameron agreed. “Just as long as he understands we’re both there for you, and not each other. After all, this whole little experiment has always been the search for a way to ring your bell, hasn’t it?”
Irene arched one blond eyebrow as she said, “Oh, now, that is not fair,” she protested hotly. “If that’s true, then what was up with you and the Tates while I was out shopping last Friday?”
“Hey, baby, they’re the ones who came on to me,” he excused himself defensively.
They were still bickering when tall, dark, and muscular made his move, stepping lithely over and sliding into the chair at Irene’s side. They both stopped mid-sentence and turned to gape at him.
“I don’t recall inviting you to sit down,” Cameron began in a biting tone, but the man set one finger to his lips and shushed him with a slight shaking of his head.
“I know what you’re looking for,” he said with a slight accent, looking them over hungrily. “You’re feeling empty. Worn out even. Tired of the same thing every single day. Your life together has become stale; boring. But I have the cure. What would you say to coming with me to my little resort hotel up north and learning exactly how to rejuvenate your lives again?”
“I’d say, sign me up for a class with you any day,” Irene replied, her eyes drinking him in. “Right, Cameron?”
“Yeah. Right,” he agreed, staring at the man as well.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” he said, leaning forward in a manner that the two of them mirrored. “My name is William Knight. I own several vacation resorts along the coast of California. The one I wish to take you to, where I keep a private room for occasions like these, is somewhere deep among the trees.”
“Out in the Redwoods somewhere?” asked Cameron curiously.
“Something like that, yes,” he said, nodding sagely. “For many people, the pleasure of pain has often brought their lives back from the brink. If you will allow me to, I will teach you how to find that pleasure for yourselves. I do my best work teaching by example, if you will leave your lady to me.”
“I see no harm in that,” Cameron agreed.
“Good. You may call me Will while we are like this—until we get to my pleasure room. However, once we enter there, you must address me only as Master, and follow my every command. Understood?”
They both nodded, still staring. They were completely under his spell.
“Very good,” he practically purred. “Then let us be on our way.”