The bathroom was as large as a bedroom, and pure luxury, with a huge Jacuzzi to fit several people and a TV set mounted on the wall. The tiny lights in the ceiling reflected in the black marble tiles, making them sparkle like huge diamonds. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my naked body, then went about cleaning up after myself to restore the bathroom’s previous pristine condition. Sylvie used to call it OCD, but whenever something bothered me, I cleaned. And right now what bothered me was the prospect of having sex in a stranger’s house.
By the time I changed into Jett’s idea of lingerie, the thought of having sex with him in this mansion both scared and excited me. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, my body was wet and ready for him. It wasn’t just the prospect of doing something illegal. It was the idea of doing another first with him. Letting him be in control the way I had never surrendered to him before. Having to trust Jett knew what he was doing, when I had a strong feeling the house had at least one or two hidden cameras installed.
I slipped into the bra and barely there thong, rolled up the stockings, and tried to get a feel for the high heels. The robe hugged my figure in all the right places and, as expected, barely covered my modesty. The black high heels with straps made my legs look a mile high. I ran my hands through my hair to give my curls some definition and applied a tiny bit of lipstick. Pleased with the result, I regarded myself in the huge mirror. I looked sexy and felt just the same. This was the kind of outfit that would make any woman look hot. Whoever advised Jett on what to buy sure knew their way around lingerie. Only, walking in those heels required some skill. Right in front of the window was a narrow strip of white sand—prime private beach. I wondered if Jett would insist on taking a walk? If so, I hoped I didn’t have to wear the heels, because they were so high I doubted I could take more than a few strides in them, let alone enjoy an evening stroll. With a last glance, I left the bathroom and joined Jett in the master bedroom, where he’d said he’d be waiting.
As I stepped inside, partly nervous, partly excited, my breath caught in my throat. He had spread a black satin cover on the sheets and red candles were arranged on the nightstand, their soft glow giving the room a romantic flair. The delicate scent of roses hung heavy in the air.
“You look stunning.” Jett’s voice was hoarse. I turned sharply and found him standing to my right, obscured by a massive dresser. His hands were buried in his pockets, his sleeves rolled up to reveal his strong forearms. His eyes scanned my high heels, my stockings, my half-exposed breasts, wandering farther up until his gaze met mine, and a smile lit up his face. There was something in his eyes—a glimmer I had seen before, only I couldn’t remember where.
“Thank you,” I whispered, unsure what to do with myself. “You have good taste, albeit a bit kinky.” I pointed down my front.
“No.” He shook his head and walked over to me. “You’re beautiful, Brooke. Everything would look amazing on you.”
My glance swept back over the candles, to their soft flickering glow, the king sized bed, then back to Jett, all the while ignoring the one thing that scared the hell out of me. I had never done tying up and we barely knew each other. While I trusted him, I didn’t know whether I trusted him that much. His previous questioning of my level of trust made so much more sense now.
“What?” he asked.
“You didn’t strike me as this kind of guy.” I shrugged and pointed around me, as though it didn’t matter. “I thought you would go for outdoor, daring. I don’t know. I just thought you would be more—” I trailed off, looking for the right words. He regarded me intently, but didn’t help me out.
Romantic? Daring? He had been all of those things so far, including the exhibitionistic outdoorsy type. I just didn’t expect—
Bondage.
Being tied and at someone else’s mercy. Holy cow. When I had made that joke on the need of establishing a “safe word” I couldn’t have been closer to the truth.
Jett’s eyes narrowed on me. “Nothing wrong with variety. At least I’m experiencing it with one and the same woman. I can’t claim the same thing for many men.” His tone was half accusing, half amused. “But I guess you’re right to some extent.”
“How so?”
“You don’t know half of the things you should know about me. This—” he pointed to the candles “—is meant to set the mood and relax you. Nothing more and nothing less.”
What the heck did that even mean? That it wasn’t his style? That he wouldn’t have done it, if he didn’t feel a need to make me feel comfortable?
My stomach fluttered and my mouth went dry as I watched him walk across the room with slow measured steps. His feet were naked, barely making a sound on the hardwood floor. His eyes remained focused on me, and for the umpteenth time I felt like his prey, scared but hypnotized, waiting for him capture or release me. Tonight I harbored no false hope that it would be the latter.
“We can’t stay here for the night. We could get in big trouble,” I protested weakly.
He stopped in front of me, and his arm wrapped around my waist. At first I thought it was to caress my back. Only when his fingers trailed up my spine and gathered in my hair did I feel the gentle pull, urging me to raise my head and meet his burning lips.
It was a gentle kiss, his lips barely grazing mine.
“My rules.” He spun me around slowly. “That’s why we’re here. I’m teaching you to break a few rules.” His gaze brushed my lips with such hunger it sent a tingle through them. “I’ll love you in any way I want. I’ll love you in any way you need. As long as we stay here, baby, you’re mine.” He grinned as he pulled me down on the bed. “You had your chance to win. Not my fault you didn’t want to.”
I had wanted to, but I had been too weak to make it happen. Or maybe, on an unconscious level, I had wanted to surrender to him. Either way, I was at his mercy, and he knew it.
“Stop rubbing it in, Mayfield.”
“Why don’t you admit you like when I’m in charge?”
I swallowed.
“I’m not into all that submission crap,” I muttered. Giving up control was kind of nice every now and then, but he didn’t need to know that, or I’d live to regret it. Jett had the unnerving tendency to get a little too intense, like with this game. He couldn’t just establish that he was the better player by winning and shutting up about it; he had to translate his dominance into our lovemaking and risk criminal charges by breaking a few laws in the process.