I dreamed about spanking. Not surprising considering the subject looms large in my mind. I found myself in a meeting with one woman and two men.
“Why do you want a spanking?” the woman asked. She wore a prim black suit with a crisp white shirt. Her blue eyes glinted with intelligence from behind horn-rimmed glasses.
I stiffened, my spine hitting the back of the chair. It was her attitude, her intense scrutiny. She made me feel like a freak.
The men sitting with us laughed, whispered asides to one another.
“Spanking is kinky.” The woman’s tone implied not normal.
“It’s hard to explain,” I said. “I read an erotic romance where the hero spanked his heroine. Just reading about their romance made me hot all over. It made me consider the possibilities. The couple bonded. They seemed so intimate. They communicated. The couple was close and attuned to each other’s needs. I wanted that.”
“A book?” the woman scoffed. “You got all this from a book?”
“She’s confusing fiction with reality,” a dark-haired man said.
“Bottom line, she’s weird,” the second man said.
“Haw. Haw! Bottom line.” The dark-haired man smirked. “She wants a few thwacks on her ass, and you call it the bottom line. It’s her ass all right, her bottom.” He leaned over and poked my hip with his forefinger.
Suddenly I was naked.
Applause rang through the room. I whirled around and found myself face-to-face with hundreds of men. They varied in age, but had one thing in common.
A leer.
I let rip with a horrified shriek.
“Maggie. Maggie!”
Her eyes flew open, heart pounding.
“Are you okay? You were screaming.”
“Connor?” Maggie realized she was naked, the cotton sheet pooled at her waist. With a gasp, she grabbed the sheet and tucked it around her breasts. She inched away from Connor. The events of the previous night came back to her. They’d made love…had sex. The friends with benefits thing.
“Don’t you think it’s a little late for that? I’ve seen you, touched you.” Connor’s voice grew husky. “Kissed you.” The amusement twinkling in his eyes intensified. “I’ve explored your body, babe. I know what you like, the little sounds you make when you come.”
Maggie closed her eyes, heart pumping far too fast. She’d done it now, slept with him.
All night.
He hadn’t run off to sleep in another room.
Greg had never liked sleeping the entire night in the same bed with her.
“You’re shaking.” Connor drew her into his arms and pressed her against his chest. “Are you going to tell me why you woke up screaming?”
Maggie swallowed, recalling the vulnerable sensation of sitting naked in front of a fully dressed crowd. She imagined how coming out about her interest in spanking would make her feel the same way. Exposed.
What would Connor think if she asked him to spank her?
Greg had thought little of the idea. But now it was all she could think about. A rush of heat exploded in her lower belly. She opened her mouth to speak and shut it again, hiding her face to mask her topsy-turvy emotions. The need to continue with her experiments in spanking ate at her. Giving up wasn’t an option.
“Aren’t you talking to me today?”
Maggie lifted her head to meet his gaze. “I had a weird dream. I was disorientated when I woke.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No,” she said, then realized she’d lost another opportunity to state her wants.
Connor nodded, his expression serious for a change. “In that case, how about if I distract you?”
“I’m listening.” If he suggested coffee or breakfast she’d be crushed. This friends with benefits thing wasn’t as easy as he’d made it sound. She felt as if she were navigating a mine field. “What did you have in mind?”
His eyes twinkled with definite mischief. “This,” he said seconds before he pounced.
Without warning Maggie found herself on her back with Connor leaning over her. His strong arms caged her in position as he stared down at her. “Now I have you where I want you.”
“What are you going to do?”
His grin never wavered. “Why don’t you wait and see?” He leaned closer and kissed her, a gentle kiss that pierced her objections.
He could do anything. Anything at all, if he continued the pleasure he’d started last night. The wet rasp of his tongue over the pulse point at her throat stalled her next breath. This close she could see the dark stubble on his jaw and feel the faint rasp against her more tender skin. He looked up and caught her staring. He had flecks of gold in his eyes and eyelashes long enough for most females to envy.
“What? Don’t you like that?”
“I like it,” she admitted, although she was sure he knew that. Her body wasn’t exactly holding back on visual clues. Her pulse raced each time he touched her.
“I will explore every inch of you,” he said between kisses. He worked down toward her breasts, nibbling her collarbone, nipping then laving the sting away.
“And do I get a chance to explore?”
“Not yet.” He grinned at her before lowering his head and licking around one nipple. They both watched as it pulled tight.
Sighing her enjoyment, she plunged her hands into his hair, silently encouraging him to continue.
“No touching. Hands above your head.”
Maggie frowned. “But that’s not fair. You’re touching.”
“My game. My rules.”
Is that all this was to him? A game? She stared, trying to read his mind. And they said women were bad. He had an enigmatic thing going and she didn’t have an inkling of his thoughts. Clearing her throat, she said, “Is this a game to you?”
“What we’re doing right now. Yes. But our friends with benefits deal is serious. I’m not playing games or stringing you along. I promise.” Not a hint of humor showed on his face or in his blue eyes.
She needed to trust him. It was that simple. Letting her breath ease out, she relaxed. A tremulous smile communicated her acceptance of his conditions.
“Hands above your head,” he ordered. “Grasp the headboard and don’t let go.”
Maggie hesitated a fraction before following his instructions.
“Good girl,” he said with a grin.
“Should I wag my tail?”
Connor chuckled. “Maybe later.” He ran his fingers down her torso, bypassing her breasts to skim across her ribs and trace around her belly button.
“That’s ticklish.”
“Ah,” he said, his mouth moving against her skin as he spoke. Gradually, he moved down her body. A kiss here. A touch there.
She thought he’d hurry things along and get to the good stuff. Instead he explored her body, learning what she liked. A nip on the tender skin of her inner thigh. The firm stroke of his hands down her calves. Her breasts grew heavier while clawing tension swelled inside her.
“Connor, no more.”
“You want me to stop?”
“No more teasing. I can’t take any more.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Fuck me,” Maggie demanded. “That’s what I want.”
The air crackled with sudden tension as he stared at her. A grin crept across his face and glittered in his eyes. “I like your plain speaking, Ms. Drummond.” Without taking his gaze off her, he reached for a condom. He ripped open the foil packet and rolled the condom onto his erection. Instead of pushing into her pussy, he rolled onto his back and grinned at her. “Ride me. Put me through my paces.”
A splutter was the only sound to pierce the silence that fell in the bedroom.
“Well?” he prompted, placing his hands beneath his head, his grin never wavering.
A dare. He thought she’d refuse. Little did he know. Maggie clambered over him, parting her legs so she straddled his hips.
“Take what you want, babe.”
She sucked in her stomach, self-consciousness hitting her. With the morning sun streaming through the net curtains, he could see her clearly. It left her uneasy, and brought back bitter memories of Greg explaining to her why she should lose weight. Her hesitation made her clumsy.
“I want you. Never forget that.”
His soothing voice lent her courage, and she guided his cock to her entrance. “How do you know the right thing to say?” she asked with a hint of chagrin.
“Natural talent,” he said with a boyish smile.
“Is that right?” Maggie inched downward, impaling her body on his cock, parting sensitive tissues and filling the empty spaces inside her. “Does that feel okay?” But not ridding her of all the doubt.
Connor reached for one of her hands and interwove their fingers. His smile warmed her, boosted her confidence and she returned it. She rode him with steady strokes, shifting her body, experimenting to find the perfect angle. Her breasts bounced, the hot intent in his eyes pushing her to the edge of control much quicker than normal.
“You’re doing a good job.” Connor’s hands rose to grip her hips. His fingers branded her flesh, the bite of pain bringing relief.
She quickened her strokes, reaching for pleasure. Her womb fluttered, tension creeping through her limbs. The pleasure swelled, soared, pressure climbing with each rapid slide of his cock then fading. It was like a wave had splashed over her on its run to the shore, and she craved a return of the blissful sensation.
“Help me, please,” she pleaded.
“My pleasure.” He slipped a finger between her legs and wiggled it across her clit. “Like that?”
“Yeah.” Her eyes closed to focus on the sweet agony of his touch. Inside and out, he knew how to touch her with delicate precision. They fell into a rhythm. She rose and fell on his cock and on each downward sweep, he delved between her legs, fingered her clit. It was a slow buildup this time. She soared each time he stroked her clit. Her head fell back and the tension ramped up, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip.
“Come for me, babe. I want to hear you, feel you clasp my dick tight.” His erotic whispers pushed her off the plateau, and she shattered, the ferocious spike of pleasure pulsating the walls of her sex.
When she came back to herself, she fell forward, wrapping her arms around him, still breathing hard.
“Damn, I wish you could see yourself when you come,” he whispered, stroking his hand over her hair in a rhythmic manner. “You’re so pretty with your pink cheeks and your tits bouncing, your loose hair. Let me kiss you, babe.”
She offered her lips and he took. He ate at her mouth, consumed her until the passion roared between them again. His fingers tangled in her hair, holding her in place, slanting her mouth to fit. He nipped and licked and took possession, stroking their tongues together in a sensual dance that could only lead to one place. Greed and hunger burst to life, heat and lightning flaring between them.
He lifted her off him and seconds later, he had her on all fours in front of him. He stroked her ass, cupping and squeezing the globes of her bottom. Then he took possession, sliding his cock into her wet, sensitive pussy, his warm breath teasing the whorl of her ear. She grew wet with want, loving his unrestrained passion, his need for her. Short, sharp strokes massaged her inner tissues, then he started in on the long, slow slides that drove her crazy. She trembled with each smooth erotic glide, overwhelmed by his demand, his masculinity. He was hard, thick, just what she needed.
“Come again,” he ordered.
The sensations gathered at his words, growing like a whirly wind. An abrupt explosion and she milked him with recurring squeezes. Connor plunged his cock into her and stilled, his release starting even before she finished. Together they toppled into ecstasy, and all Maggie could think was there was no way she could give up this kind of magic.
“I tried to ring you in the weekend,” Julia said. “Where were you?”
“I needed to…um…” Cripes, she had to take care. She couldn’t blurt out the details of her time spent with Connor. A wash of color heated her face. Think. “Um…I needed time alone…to think.”
“What were you doing?” Susan asked.
Christina scrutinized her. “Your nose is sun burnt.”
Maggie squirmed, trying not to act guilty. She failed. She felt her blush spread down her neck.
“Did you do something with spanking?” Julia asked, wriggling her eyebrows up and down until she looked as if she belonged in standup comedy.
“Don’t tell the world,” Maggie snapped.
As one, her three friends stared at her, varying degrees of interest showing in their expressions.
“It’s just us,” Christina said in a mild voice. “We’re your friends. We won’t judge.”
“I find it hard to talk about. Susan, you don’t like talking about your ex-fiancé, and Christina, you never talk about that married man you dated. It’s the same thing.” And wasn’t that the truth. Maggie hadn’t found either the words or the time to tell Connor what she wanted. Part of it was fear and the other part was Greg’s astounded reaction still ringing in her ears. Ever since Connor had dropped her at her flat, doubts had set in like a plague. She offered her friends a weak smile. “I’m sorry. Give me time, okay?”
Julia patted her hand. “We will.”
“Take all the time you need,” Susan added.
“Not too long,” Julia said. “I’m dying here.”
Connor appeared, grabbing the seat they’d saved for him in the lunch room. He tweaked Julia’s nose. “Curiosity killed the cat, you know.” He grinned at them all. “What did I miss?”
Maggie didn’t know how he did it. Not a flicker of remorse crossed his face.
“Maggie won’t tell us what she did in the weekend,” Susan said. “She says she needed time alone to think.”
Connor smirked. “Looks like our girl saw some sun. Her nose is sun burnt. Did you burn anywhere interesting?”
“Only the sheets.” Aghast, Maggie clapped her hand over her mouth, eyes widening in shock. Her heart beat out three distinct thumps before stalling. It only jumped to racing again when she dragged in a harsh breath.
Connor’s eyes glinted with real amusement and his mouth curled into an evil grin. “Our girl got some. Good for you. Don’t say Greg—”
“Where were you this weekend?” an irate voice demanded.
Maggie’s stomach swooped to her toes. She closed her eyes. Perhaps if she couldn’t see him he’d go away.
“Maggie, I’m talking to you.” Greg clutched her shoulder and shook her. Her head jerked back and forward with the force of his grip before she wrenched from his touch.
“I went to the beach,” Maggie said.
“There’s no need to rough her up,” Connor snapped.
“Leave her alone,” Julia hissed. “Can’t you see you’re hurting her?”
“Sorry,” Greg said in a stiff voice. “I wouldn’t hurt you for the world. You worried me. You didn’t answer your phone and you weren’t at your flat when I went around.”
Maggie clasped her sweaty palms in her lap, struggling for inner calm. Could this day get any worse? “We can’t talk now. People are staring.”
“You’re right,” Greg said. “I have a client appointment in five minutes. I’ll come around to your flat after work.” With that, he strode away, leaving the lunch room.
Mortified by his outburst, Maggie glanced at her friends to check their reactions.
“He can’t go around treating you like that,” Christina said.
“I agree. You need to break things off with him,” Julia said.
“I have,” Maggie said. “After our date on Saturday night. That’s why I went to the beach for some alone time. I need to tell him again.”
“Why didn’t you ring one of us?” Susan demanded.
“I want to know about the sheets,” Connor said, his evil grin back in evidence. “Whose sheets did you burn?”
Maggie’s mouth dropped open. She snapped it shut.
“I’m with Connor,” Julia said. “I want the sheet deets. If you weren’t with Greg, who were you with?”
Now she’d done it. Her mouth flapped open and closed again. She picked up her coffee for something to do with her hands. They shook and she set the mug back on the table.
“I don’t want to talk about it. What did you do for the weekend?”
“I washed my hair,” Julia said. “But we’re talking about you.”
“What beach did you go to?” Susan said.
“Yeah, I spent most of the weekend at the beach,” Connor said.
“I thought you and Gwen were finished,” Susan said. “Who did you take and how did you find a replacement so fast?”
“There are more fish in the sea.” Connor’s eyes glinted, and Maggie stiffened waiting to see what he’d say next. She thought she might kill him the next time they were alone.
“What beach did you go to, Maggie?” he asked.
Killing was too good for him. She’d put itching powder in his sexy black boxer-briefs.
“I went to Maraetai beach,” she lied through gritted teeth.
“That would be why I didn’t see you,” Connor said. “I went to Port Waikato.”
“Do you surf?” Susan asked. “I’d love to learn.”
“I can surf, but I haven’t done it for a while.”
“Good. You can teach me,” Susan ordered.
Connor saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I want to know about Maggie.” Julia turned everyone’s attention back to her.
“I’m not telling,” Maggie said primly. “Look at the time. I need to get back to work.” She stood, her chair scraping across the hardwood floor. With a wave, she started for the door.
“You can run but you can’t hide.” Susan’s singsong voice stopped Maggie in her tracks.
She fought for impassive and turned to face her friends. “I’m not hiding anything.”
Connor winked at her and Maggie groaned inwardly. He, more than anyone, knew she had secrets. The wretch. As she strode down the hall to her cubicle, her mind grappled with a way to get her revenge on Connor. Payback was a bitch, as he’d soon learn.
Connor found it difficult to concentrate on work. It had been bad enough during the morning but after seeing Maggie in her blushing confusion his mind rejected any work-connected thoughts in order to playback their weekend together. Hot. The woman had his heart. She just didn’t know it.
A tap on his door heralded Julia’s arrival. When Connor looked closely, he noticed circles of fatigue under her eyes. Somehow he didn’t think she’d had a weekend full of sex. She didn’t glow like Maggie. She looked…sad.
“You okay, sweetheart?”
Julia sat on one of the two chairs facing his desk. “I’m fine. Just a bit tired.” She tossed her head. “I’m worried about Maggie. Did you see the hickey on her neck? If she’s not sleeping with Greg, then who did she spend the weekend with? I’d hate someone to take advantage of her.”
The satisfaction Connor had felt on seeing his mark on Maggie died with Julia’s words. He wasn’t taking advantage of her. They’d had a bloody good time together. It was a mutual thing between them. He hadn’t pressured her. She’d agreed to go with him.
“She’s a big girl. I’m sure she knows what she’s doing.”
Julia frowned. “You don’t think she’d pick up someone so she could get into spanking, do you?”
Not if he had anything to do with it. “We’ll have to make sure she doesn’t.”
“How? How are we going to do that? She’s an adult. We can’t make her do anything.”
“We all make mistakes,” Connor drawled. Julia had made him aware of a few problems he hadn’t considered. Spanking. He hadn’t known how to approach the subject with her, and since, she had said nothing, he’d remained silent too. “Maybe we should research this spanking thing,” he said. “Let Maggie know we support her.”
“You can’t let her know we told you,” Julia said. “She’ll never tell us anything if she knows we broke our word.”
“Damn.” An open approach was out for him. He’d have to research on his own.
“I like your idea, though,” Julia said. “The more we know, the better we can help her. Help keep her safe.”
“We must compare notes when she’s not with us,” Connor said.
“All right.”
“And next time you girls go to the pub for margaritas make sure I’m there too.”
“You ready to hear about blue pubic hair?” Julia asked with a smart-ass grin.
Connor’s attention jerked from his computer screen to Julia. “Blue?” he said in a faint voice.
“That’s what I thought.” Julia stood to leave.
“Wait, who has blue pubic hair?”
Julia laughed and tapped her nose. “For me to know and you to find out.”
“Hell, I need a Friday night drink with you guys,” he said. “I’m missing out on the good stuff.”
Maggie hadn’t intended to blog about Connor until he’d teased her. She was still considering the itching powder in his boxers, but this would do until then.
How do you tell someone you’re into kinky sex, that you want them to spank you?
Today I’m feeling like the columnist from Sex and the City. I hooked up with a guy in the weekend. I know him a little bit, but not well. And yes, our relationship is casual. The sex was great. Hot. Blazing hot. The best I’ve had for some time. But all the time we were together, I kept thinking about spanking. I wanted to ask him to spank me. At one stage he swatted me on the butt. Just a teasing thing. It made me so hot I almost came. I wanted more but didn’t know how to ask.
So my question is how do you communicate your spanking needs? And what do you do if spanking horrifies your partner? What do you do if your partner thinks you’re a deviant?
The buzz of Maggie’s doorbell dragged her away from her blogging. It was two minutes after six and she remembered Greg saying he intended to drop by. The sound of a key in her front door made her sign off her blog. She logged off the Internet as she heard footsteps.
“Maggie, are you here?”
A flash of irritation made her scowl. What didn’t Greg understand about over? Sighing, she rose and went to meet him. She had to get her key back from him.
“There you are,” he said. “Why didn’t you answer me?”
“I finished emailing.” The lie slipped out without a qualm. Maybe if she practiced she wouldn’t have such a tough time lying to her friends. Practice made perfect. “Would you like a drink? I’m about to have a glass of wine.”
“You shouldn’t drink alone,” Greg said.
“If you have a glass of wine with me I won’t be alone.” His pompous attitude made her more determined to finish the relationship.
“What is wrong with you? You never used to be so snappy and sarcastic.”
“Because you didn’t used to treat me like a belonging.” She had to get her key back before Greg left so he couldn’t enter her apartment again without her permission.
Greg raked his hand through his hair, leaving the blond curls messy and making him appear more approachable. “Hell, I’m sorry. It’s just you’re acting weird and it threw me. I didn’t mean to hurt you this morning.”
Maggie didn’t reply. She padded into the kitchen and opened the fridge to grab the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc she’d opened the previous night after Connor dropped her off. She poured two glasses and handed one to Greg.
“I wanted to ask if you’d attend the partner dinner with me,” Greg said, taking a seat opposite her on the two-seater.
Maggie stared at him in shock. “But we’re not going out together.” She stood. “I think you’d better leave.”
“But we haven’t talked,” Greg said. “What do you mean we’re not going out together? I didn’t agree. I left to give you time to think.”
“I don’t want to go out with you again. We’re finished. Give me your key and leave.”
“I don’t—you’re making a big mistake.” He set his glass down hard on the wooden coffee table and stalked to the doorway.
“My key?”
With a glare, he retrieved it from his pocket and threw it at her. The slam of her apartment door told her he’d left.
Reaction set in and her legs trembled so much she had to sit on the nearest chair. He hadn’t mentioned the spanking part of their previous conversation, which worried her. What would happen if he told everyone at work? She’d hoped he’d keep quiet because the subject had been distasteful to him. Damn, when had her life become so complicated with lies and half-truths?
Taking her wine with her, she returned to her computer. She waited while the computer started and loaded the Internet. There were no comments and she did research. She couldn’t be the only novice interested in spanking?
The doorbell went again. Maggie huffed out an impatient breath. The melodious sound repeated, and she realized she’d have to answer. She peered through the peep hole, suspecting it would be Greg again.
“Connor.”
Maggie opened the door and stood aside for him to enter. “I shouldn’t talk to you.”
He grinned. “Maybe I don’t want to talk.”
“What if Julia or one of the others pop in for a visit?” A shudder of horror sent an icy chill speeding down her spine. This was a dangerous game they were playing. She shut the door and retreated to the kitchen, automatically pulling out a beer for him.
“Don’t worry.” Connor closed the distance between, took the beer and put it on the bench. Then he grasped her hands. “I wouldn’t do anything to upset you.” He tugged her closer and wrapped his arms around her.
With a soft sigh of surrender, she leaned into him, shuddering when his hands slipped down her back to rest on her butt. Her mind slid into a quick, dirty daydream. A bared bottom. A wooden hairbrush.
A hand cupped her butt cheek, squeezing, building the anticipation simmering through her. Heat suffused her entire body and her folds moistened, the thoughts of spanking an erotic assault on her mind. The tension inside her amplified and a soft, needy sound emerged from deep in her throat.
The hand caressing her bottom stilled.
“Are you okay? Am I hurting you?”
Oh, heck. How embarrassing. How did she fix this? Admit her desires? Even as she opened her mouth she knew she decided to take the coward’s way and say nothing. “I was thinking about the weekend,” she whispered, words tumbling over each other. Anything to fill the pause. If the silence lasted any longer it would become uncomfortable. It would sound as if she was hiding something. She was but that was beside the point. “It was…amazing.” An understatement. Amazing didn’t come close to describing how great it had been between them, not only the lovemaking but the way she and Connor talked. They’d missed the awkward getting-to-know each other phase because they’d already done that.
“It was great,” Connor said, his blue eyes sparkling.
She liked to think it was with remembered pleasure, but it could have been the angle of the light.
“That’s part of the reason I came around. I wanted to be with you again.” He lifted one hand off her ass and caressed her cheek. Their gazes met and looking at him made her knees wobble. He was with her. The weekend hadn’t been a once off as part of her feared. He wanted to repeat their lovemaking and really meant the friends with benefits thing. The thought hit her with the strength of a sucker punch.
“It can’t be here,” Maggie said. “The girls drop in all the time, usually unannounced.”
“We can meet at my apartment. You’re the only one who has ever visited me there. I can’t see that changing. What do you say?” He interspersed each word with a kiss to a different part of her face.
Her lips parted in silent invitation. They were alone. There was no reason they couldn’t kiss and touch. They were adults. Things wouldn’t get out of hand.
Connor tugged her blouse from the plain black skirt she still wore—her work clothes. Simple. No-nonsense. Conservative. His hand wandered over her warm skin, his fingers callused, although the sensation wasn’t unpleasant. The faint drag stirred desire and awakened her hunger even further.
“Are you ticklish?” His words were muffled against her throat.
“No, not really.”
“So I can’t tease or torture you that way.”
“No.” He could drive her crazy with lust though. “Are you? Ticklish, I mean.”
“Afraid not.” His hand traced across her rib cage, constructing a sensual bubble around them.
Connor took such care with her, made her feel treasured and desired. The contrasts with her previous lovers brought the realization she’d allowed them to shortchange her, allowed them to take what they wanted from her without demanding equal time for herself.
“Touch my breasts,” she suggested.
“My thoughts exactly. That was next on my list.”
Maggie spluttered in half laughter and half disbelief. “You don’t have a to-do list.”
“Don’t I? How do you know?” His mouth closed over her earlobe, the faint play of teeth sending messages of pure delight skittering through her. Then he peeled back one bra cup and stroked her puckered nipple with the back of his hand. One finger ran around her nipple and around again. His finger diverted to stroke the small bruise he’d left on the upper curve of her breast during the weekend.
“I like seeing my mark on you,” he said.
Maggie shuddered, her head falling back, eyes squeezing shut while she gathered sensations to recall later when she was alone. His fingers rolled her nipple before tugging. The sensation grew until it was almost painful, but it was a good pain. It echoed in her pussy, a short jolt of desire.
“Connor.”
“Do you like that? A little bit of pain in your loving?”
“I don’t know.” She wet her lips. “I like that, so I must. Does that make me weird?” Her stomach fluttered while she waited for his reply. She scanned his face and saw no disgust. She saw nothing except intense interest. Desire.
“You’re not weird.” He laughed. “What would you say if I said I’d like to shave your pubic hair so you’re nice and soft? So you’d feel every flicker of my tongue, every stroke of my fingers. Would that make me weird?”
Maggie thought about that for two seconds. “Yes,” she breathed, unbearably turned on by the request.
His stroking finger stilled. “Yes, I’m weird?”
“Yes, you can shave me. I like the idea.”
Connor laughed again, a strange expression on his face.
“You’re teasing me.” Maggie pulled away, hurt and embarrassed. “You didn’t mean it.” She wrapped her arms around herself, a form of armor, and backed away until the countertop halted further retreat.
“Don’t, Maggie.” Connor blocked her from moving. He hugged her so hard she felt the ridge of his cock prodding her stomach. “I was joking, but your reaction has convinced me.”
“I don’t think so.” Maggie’s voice emerged stiff with a touch of anger. “Let me go.”
“Dammit, I’m an ass,” he muttered. He stopped teasing and kissed her, really kissed her, exploring and savoring her mouth like a fine glass of wine.
The fight seeped out of her and she clung to him, desire grabbing her with an urgent tempo, the hunger between them razor-sharp. When Connor pulled away, they were both breathing hard and color highlighted his cheekbones.
“I want you.”
“Yes,” Maggie agreed. “The bedroom.”
“Not yet,” he said. “Let’s stoke the fire a little hotter first.” With competent hands he unfastened the pearl buttons on her white blouse. Her bra, already askew, held one breast while the other pebbled in the cool air. “I want to taste you, explore more before we end up in the bedroom. Some things shouldn’t be hurried.”
He dipped his head and licked her bared nipple. Wetness pooled between her thighs with each of his kisses and touches until an achy sensation filled her pelvic region. She craved his delectable body.
His mouth closed over her nipple and sucked. Maggie fought a whimper and clenched her thighs together. Her hands crept up to his head, and she leaned back on the counter, Connor following without letting up on his ministrations.
“Connor, that feels good.”
He lifted his head and stared at her wet nipple. “God, I love the way you respond.”
“Can we move this to the bedroom?”
“Maybe you’re right. My jeans are strangling my cock.”
Maggie’s gaze went to his groin, licking her lips when she saw the large bulge. “I can fix that.”
He laughed with real amusement. “I’m counting on it, babe. Do you have condoms? I didn’t bring any with me.”
He’d truly come to talk. The knowledge brought a warm glow. He cared enough to drop by without expecting sex, despite their agreement. “I have condoms. You remember the sex party Julia had last month?”
“Yeah. Julia wouldn’t let me go. She said I’d spoil the fun.”
“It was fun. I bought a few things, including condoms.”
Connor dragged her toward her bedroom. “What else did you buy? Can I see?”
“Later,” she said. “I’m not in the mood for playing with toys. Hard, sweaty sex is what I want right now. I need your cock inside me.”
Stopping, he gave her a passionate kiss. When he lifted his head, he said, “I had no idea how talking about sex with you would make me so hot. I like it when you tell me what you want. Don’t stop, okay?”
She nodded, but secretly wasn’t so sure. The misguided joke about shaving had made her cautious. She wouldn’t tell him about her desire for spanking until she was sure of him. Meanwhile she’d explore on her own, look at spanking toys, read research and visit blogs and spanking forums. Admitting her need for spanking was one thing, but spelling out her desires to a man was another.
Connor pulled her into the bedroom and ripped off his shirt. “Where are the condoms?”
Maggie kicked off her shoes and opened her bedside drawer to grab the packet. She hadn’t opened it yet since Greg had turned up his nose at them.
“Strip,” he ordered. “I’ll take care of the condoms.”
The doorbell rang as Maggie finished peeling off her panty hose. They both froze.
“Hell,” Connor swore. “I bet that’s one of the girls.”
“We can’t let them find us like this.” Panic roared through her at the thought of discovery. She’d promised Julia, Susan and Christina that she wouldn’t make a move on Connor. They’d all agreed he was out of bounds. And as Christina said, the man had enough women in his life without adding them to the mix. Guilt hit Maggie hard. What was she going to say?
“Calm down. We have done nothing wrong. I’ve popped into visit you before. We’re friends, for God’s sake. Friends visit each other. Besides, it might be a salesman. Answer the door.”
The doorbell rang again and, biting her bottom lip, she turned to go to answer it.
“Maggie.” Connor’s chuckle halted her. “You’d better sort out your bra and blouse first before you answer the door.”
Maggie glanced down at her bare breast and blushed. “Don’t want to shock a salesman.” With trembling fingers, she pulled her bra cup back into place and fastened her buttons.
“Good girl. Go an answer the door. Everything will be all right.”
On autopilot Maggie went to the door, jerking it open without checking to see who it was on the other side.
“Maggie!” Julia said. “I’m glad you’re home. I almost gave up. What took you so long to answer?”