© Copyright DIANA HUNTER, 2008.
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc

Over the past two years, Carol had memorized every line of Brian's face, every shade of his skin from the healthy ruddiness of his cheeks to the smooth tan of his brow. She knew how pale he got in the winter when he wouldn't emerge for weeks and she had to coax him out with offers of hot chocolate and how his dark eyes would smolder over the steaming cup as a part of his mind remained with the characters inside. And how the summer sun brought out several small freckles left over from boyhood that still clung to the bridge of his nose. Now he stood before her in a tattered old Grateful Dead T-shirt and jeans and she thought he'd never looked so sexy.

The graceful curve of his dark eyebrows accentuated his deep blue eyes. Did Brian's eyes change as his moods did? Suddenly she wanted to spend the rest of the day and long into the night finding out. She stepped toward him again, intending to claim a kiss of her own.

"Carol, I need to stop you before you let yourself go too far with me. Make no mistake. I want you."  Brian took her in his arms, brushing her hair from her face, looking like he wasn't sure she was real. "I've wanted you a long time. But I have different tastes when it comes to sex. Tastes that most women find...hard to take."

"I know.  Carol's eyes flashed as a sexy smile curved her lips. "I've read your books. All of them." 

His fingers reached up and curled into her shoulder-length hair, tugging it lightly. "Then you know I like it rough ...that I believe pleasure and pain go hand-in-hand."

A thrill chased all along her spine and threatened to undo her. "You can't hurt me more than I want to be hurt." Physical pain would chase away the lingering demons, the niggling thoughts that still tried to tell her she was the one who had failed the marriage. She was the one not worthy of Michael's time.

Brian's hand slid down to her breast, the backs of his fingers sliding over the satin blouse she had worn to the courthouse. With a sudden movement, he grabbed her breast, his fingers mauling her flesh through the fabric. With his other hand in her hair, she couldn't move away from his sudden invasion of her private space...and didn't want to. She thrust her breast toward him, inviting his roughness.

Brian looked into Carol's dark brown eyes and saw his own longing reflected there. "And now that the papers are signed and you're officially divorced?"

"I want you to make love to me, Brian. Show me what it means to be loved again."

He descended on her like a man too long deprived of what he needed. His lips closed over hers, his tongue probing until she opened to him, tasting and possessing her mouth. His hand slid around her back and he took control...not letting her go even when her hand came up to push on his chest because she couldn't breathe. His cock pressed against her thigh and he rubbed it against her, letting her know exactly the state her words had put him in.

"Take me away from here, Brian. Take me away from this hateful house and this hateful car and this hateful yard."

Passion flared in Carol's eyes, a passion to run from her past mixed with a sexual lust for him. Brian didn't need a second invitation. Scooping her petite form into his arms, he carried her across her yard toward his house. She snuggled and nuzzled his neck the entire way over, not stopping until they reached the small gate in the fence that separated their two properties. When he paused, she reached down, unlatched it and Brian kicked it open, neither of them caring that it didn't shut behind them. What was going to escape from one yard to the other that hadn't already?

If she noticed the mess in the kitchen Carol never said a word about it and Brian carried her all the way into his living room before setting her down and roughly pushing her away from him. As a result, she lost her balance and fell onto the soft couch that stretched beneath the front windows.

"Strip."

The vulgar command had exactly the effect on her he wanted. Her eyes flared with anger that warred with arousal. Her lust won. She stood to face him, almost defiantly ripping her clothes from her body until she stood before him totally naked.

"Turn around and put your hands on the cushions."

Carol's soul ached for his force, ached for a man who not only knew what he wanted but who wanted her. She turned and bent over, presenting her ass to him for the first time, her cheeks coloring a little at her wantonness. When the first slap came, she wasn't surprised and welcomed the smarting pain that warmed her ass.

"You need discipline...and strength."

He punctuated each word with a hard slap from his hand and Carol savored the sting. Over a year ago she had read his first book with naïve eyes eyes that were opened and taught by his words. A new world lay before her and she devoured every story he'd written as well as dozens of other books where BDSM played a prominent role. She longed to try something new, something different than the plain old sex she had with her husband...when he deigned to remember he was married. How many times had she fantasized about being under Brian's dominion over the past year? How many times had she come at her own hand when her husband was off with someone else? How many times had she come while pretending Brian was her Dom or Master?

Michael had never noticed, of course. He'd long since stopped paying attention to her in the bedroom. The hundreds of dollars Carol had spent on fancy negligees and sexy underwear had gone to waste in her attempts to interest him in her body. Now she was totally naked and Brian's hard-on evident under his pants as he gave her ass a spanking. She grinned as another strong slap stung her ass and gave voice to her desires. "Yes, sir. Teach me discipline. Teach me how to be strong."

Brian had lost count of the number of times he'd masturbated to the thought of Carol bent over, her ass reddened from his hand. The thought of her submitting to his will, of her begging him for her pleasure, begging for him to give her the release she craved, had been fodder for many a late-night session. And here she was, bent over his couch, doing exactly that. Not only was she not afraid of him, she welcomed and wanted the physical power that he expressed only in sex. He grabbed a fistful of her dark hair and pulled her upright again, determined to show her the most sinister parts of his desires. Although he'd been her confidant for all this time, he had no clue how she'd take what he could dish out. How far would she go?

He turned her to face him and the look she gave him was full of trust and desire and longing. Again the anger swelled in him that Michael hadn't seen the treasure in his own bed. This was a woman who longed to be fucked and fucked often...something he intended to do very soon to her. He fisted her hair at the nape of her neck.

"You like this don't you." It wasn't a question and he didn't wait for an answer. "You like it rough."

She nodded against his hand, a small whimper coming from the back of her throat as she leaned on him for support. He deliberately kept her off balance, forcing her mind to constantly adapt to the changes he threw at her. God, she was beautiful!

Brian propelled her toward his basement door, pausing to release her while still in the kitchen and changing tactics, taking her more gently into his arms as he explained his expectations. This way, she'd never be able to say she hadn't been warned.

"I will give you several opportunities to refuse me, Carol. This is one of them. Never doubt that I want you... that I've wanted you for a very long time. You've read my books so you know what's down in that basement." He grinned. "Maybe not as lavishly furnished as the dungeons in my novels but..." He shrugged and left the end of the sentence hanging.

"If you walk down those steps, I expect you to give me control over your body and mind. All the responsibilities get handed over to me. You give up everything. You walk down those stairs and I am in charge."

A slow smile spread over Carol's face. She leaned her head against Brian's shoulder almost as if she were drinking in his strength. For several heartbeats, she basked in the comfort of his arms before stepping back and looking at him with calm acceptance. "I'm ready."

He gestured to the steps and Carol calmly walked to them and descended.

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