© Copyright DIANA HUNTER
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc
Sam and Peter got into the car and he started the engine, warming it up. But he did not drive. Instead, he turned to her, his eyes intent and serious.
"Samantha, I am a man of few words; I say what I mean and while I can be flowery about it at times, when it comes to speaking my heart, I am plainspoken."
She nodded, unsure as to where he was going with this.
"You are a very beautiful woman. I have told you that several times and I think you're beginning to believe me. You also have a sexual side you've denied exists - what you're wearing now is proof of that." He paused and took her hand.
"Samantha, I want to make love to you - passionate love. But I can't abide coyness and girls who do not say what they mean. If you want me to make love to you, tell me. Be honest. If you'd rather I simply took you home, I can do that, too."
"Peter, you've never even kissed me." Her heart was beating wildly and she leaned forward, hoping he would catch her meaning.
His hand caressed her cheek and he leaned forward until his lips almost touched hers. "Be careful, Samantha. I do not play games." His nose brushed against hers and her breath caught. "There is an animal inside you. Do you wish for it to be awakened?"
"Peter," she whispered, "kiss me. Please. Let me see the animal inside me so I know if it should awake."
His lips closed over hers and she breathed in his scent; odors of musk and pizza and leather clung to his skin and she felt something stir in the core of her being. His tongue pushed against her lips and she opened for him, opening the door of the cage inside her as she tasted him.But the animal inside was a woman, chained to a post and used. Sam's heart beat harder and she couldn't breathe. "No!"
She pulled away, gasping for breath and fighting the tears.
"I felt the real you, Sam - the person you have trapped inside. You have spent years denying her existence, but she's there, isn't she? Let me help you, Sam. Let me help her."
Unsteadily, Sam looked across the tiny space, but could not meet his eyes. Her fingers twisted on her lap. "And if I say 'no' tonight - will I ever see you as anything other than the guy who sits next to me in class?"
"Yes." His hand caressed her cheek. "I will not push you; the decision will always be yours. If the answer is no tonight, it might be yes tomorrow, or the day after. You are the one I want, and I will seduce you with all my powers, Samantha. You will submit to me and you will let the real you surface."
Part of her wanted to tell him just where he could put his seduction, part of her was intrigued enough to admit it was working. The flippant side of her rose up and she bit her tongue. He didn't like coy and she had to admit, it was only a defense she used when men got too close to her fantasies. And Peter was dangerously close.
"Yes," she heard herself tell him. "Perhaps someday soon I will." What was she doing? She should be digging a hole to bury that fantasy in and running away from this guy full tilt. Why she was telling him she would someday sleep with him?
He took her home then, walking her to her door as a perfect gentleman should. There was an awkward moment after she unlocked the door. Sam wanted him to kiss her again, and yet was afraid of what might happen if he did. Peter stood close beside her and she finally could not avoid it any longer. She looked up at him, meeting his gaze. Mesmerized, she watched him bend toward her, her lips parting as his face came closer. But again he stopped, just a breath away from her. "I will not kiss you again, Samantha, until you submit to me."
She almost weakened right there. He was so close. All she had to do was lean just a bit closer...
The wall slammed up between them on its own accord. She couldn't. She might want sex with every fiber of her being, but the good girl morals and the fear of him discovering her fantasy were too ingrained. She pulled back.
"I need more time, Peter." She could not meet his eyes.
"Then time you shall have, Samantha." He stood, a knowing smile on his face. "See you Wednesday night. Now let me hear the lock click home so that I know you are all set and I will be off."
His command was her action. Sam switched on the inside light and closed the door, locking it even as she peeked through the little peephole at his now-distorted figure. She watched him turn and walk away while tears streamed down her face. He said he would be patient, but why did she feel as if she had made a big mistake?