I flinched as his hand came down again, this time across both cheeks. I closed my eyes, absorbing the sting and heat as he spanked me again. My ass began to burn and I lost count of the strokes. Just as it threatened to become too much, when painful pleasure would lose itself to pain alone, he stopped. I let out a shuddering breath, my body trembling as he ran his hand over the too sensitive skin .
“Are you wet, Aubree ?”
I nodded, crying out as he smacked my ass again. “Yes!” I blurted out. “Yes, I'm wet .”
His hand slid down between my cheeks, then underneath me to rub across the crotch of my panties. “Oh, yes, you are. You're soaked .”
I moaned at his touch, the heat from my skin merging with a different warmth spreading inside me. His fingers slipped beneath the thin material and my head fell forward as a single digit slid inside. I made a sound of protest when he slid it out again, but then stiffened as his finger trailed up between my burning cheeks .
“Fuck,” I swore as his finger lightly traced over my asshole. I hadn't had that in mind at all .
“Don't worry,” Cade said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “That doesn't happen without preparation.” His hand moved and air hissed from between my teeth as his hands slid over my burning skin. “But it will happen. I will have your ass .”
The thought sent another rush of arousal through me. I'd never considered anal sex before, but I remembered what Cade had told me, that he'd make sure everything we did was to my benefit .
“Tonight, though,” he continued. “I'm just going to fuck you until you see stars, until your legs buckle and your eyes roll back .”
Oh, I liked the sound of that .
His hands slid up my sides, working open the laces that held the lingerie together. I stayed bent over until he cupped my breasts and pulled me into a standing position. He pressed his lips against my neck as he worked down the teddy, no finesse or sensual caresses. Instead, he was rough, practically manhandling me as his lips and teeth sucked at the skin of my throat until I knew I was marked. I had the tenuous thought that I’d have to wear a scarf; a hickey wasn't a good example to set for my students. Then Cade's hands were squeezing my breasts, his fingers rolling and twisting my nipples, and everything else dropped away .
“One of the things most men truly love is knowing they can bring their lover to climax.” Cade sounded in control once more. “Multiple orgasms are, of course, a wonderful thing for both partners. But, there is the opposite end of the spectrum as well .”
I had a feeling I wasn't really going to like where he was going with this .
“Orgasm denial .”
Yeah, definitely not going to like this .
“Having control over when your partner comes is a heady thing .”
My nipples were starting to ache from how rough he was being and each new pull or twist added to the pressure building inside me .
“Lie down on the bed .”
I started to climb on the bed and then realized I had a choice to make. I glanced over my shoulder and from the smug smile on Cade’s face, he knew exactly what my problem was. If I laid on my back, my ass would feel every movement. If I laid on my stomach, my nipples would chafe on the bedspread. Ass or nipples… which one would win ?
I sighed and stretched out on my back, wincing as I tried to make myself as comfortable as possible. I hadn't chosen this position because I thought it would hurt less. I'd chosen it because whatever Cade was going to do, I wanted to watch .
He crawled onto the bed, spreading my legs as wide as they could go without causing discomfort. He kissed the inside of my thigh and then looked up at me .
“Sometimes, the longer a person is made to wait to reach their pleasure, the more intense it is when it's finally achieved.” He ran his tongue along my slit but didn't dip inside. “It's not about hurting the other person or leaving them wanting, though some dominant partners enjoy prolonging the experience to days or weeks .”
“Weeks?” I nearly squeaked the word .
He grinned. “I never go to that extreme,” he assured me. “But you are going to get a little taste of what it can be like .”
I opened my mouth to ask him to be more specific, but that was when he chose to bury his face between my legs and all the air rushed out of me at once. His tongue danced around my pussy, delving into my core before moving to my clit. Around and around it went. Light little flicks. Short thrusts. Long licks with the flat of his tongue. Each one pushing me closer and closer to the edge .
It didn't take long before I was writhing against him, desperate for that last little push. He laced our fingers together so that I couldn't do anything with them but cling to his hands. I was so close .
And then he raised his head, stopping just before I could get to where I needed to be .
“No,” I groaned. “Please, Cade. Please .”
“The trick is,” he said “to know how to read your lover so well that you know right when they reach the point where they're ready to explode. Too far, and they come. Not far enough, and it's not quite as effective .”
Effective? Effective for him maybe, but not for me .
“And, of course, you have to know how long it takes them to lose that edge so you can start the process all over again.” He lowered his head again, his mouth resuming its previous ministrations .
I moaned as he sucked on my clit. I wanted to be annoyed at him for stopping, but it was difficult to feel anything but pleasure when his talented tongue was at work. I tried to pull my hands away from his, wanting to bury my fingers in his curls, make sure he didn't stop until the job was finished, but he held tight .
I was almost there and I bit down on my bottom lip, desperate to keep back any sounds that would tell him how close I was, but it didn't matter. Just as I was ready to tip over the edge, Cade's mouth was gone and he released my hands. On instinct, I started to move them, ready to give myself the last nudge I desperately needed .
“No.” Cade's voice was sharp and I froze. “Tonight, that's mine .”
I looked at him with wide eyes. There was that edge again, a note of possessiveness that almost made me think he felt the same for me as I did about him. He was half-turned away from me though, picking up a condom from who knows where and tore the wrapper open .
“Tonight,” he continued as he rolled the condom over his swollen shaft. “I'm going to make you come .”
I nodded in agreement even though I was only half-listening. All I wanted was for him to fuck me and give me what he'd promised .
He settled himself between my legs again, but didn't enter me right away. Instead, he lifted both of my legs, stretching them out until my ankles were at his ears, my calves on his upper chest and shoulders .
“Do you want to come?” he asked as the head of his cock pushed against my entrance .
I nodded, my breath coming in short pants. This position was going to make things even tighter than usual and my body was still recovering from earlier today and last night. He'd essentially promised to make me come harder than I'd ever done before and I had no doubts about whether or not he could do it .
“Aubree.” My name held a warning note .
“Yes,” I said, immediately understanding that he wanted me to speak. “I want to come .”
“How badly do you want to come ?”
The tip of his cock entered me and I whimpered. “Please .”
He smiled and leaned forward. The backs of my thighs burned a little as they stretched, but another inch of him slid inside. “Tell me, Aubree, what would you be willing to do if I let you come ?”
“Anything,” I answered automatically .
“Would you let me fuck your mouth?” he asked. “Make you take me deeper than you thought possible ?”
“Yes.” I nodded. I started to reach for him, but he grasped my wrists and held my hands at my sides .
“Would you let me fuck your ass?” Another inch and he pressed against my g-spot .
I s
wallowed hard, nodding before I knew how I was going to answer .
“Say it .”
“I'll let you fuck my mouth, my ass. I'll do anything you want, just please let me come.” I struggled against his hands, knowing that if I said a single word, he'd let me go. I didn't say it though. As much as I wanted my hands free, I wanted him to fuck me more .
“Are you ready to scream, Aubree?” Another inch and he was almost half-way inside .
The tension inside me felt like it was going to tear me apart if I didn't get a release soon. “Please, Cade,” I begged .
“Imagine,” he said as he slowly pushed the rest of the way into me. “If I'd denied you four or five times. If I'd taken you to the edge so many times that you lost count .”
“Fuck,” I groaned as he filled me. The stretch and burn of him inside me wasn't enough to make me climax, but it was enough to ratchet up the pressure another notch. My nails dug into the bedspread .
“You can come whenever you want,” he said .
I started to say something, but the thought was lost the moment he leaned forward, bending my legs so far back my knees almost touched my chest. His hands tightened around my wrists as his arms bore most of his weight and he began to move .
His thrusts were hard and fast, each one pounding into me with enough force to make me cry out. Or they would've been if I'd been able to get enough air. Cade shifted slightly as he pulled back and my legs slid partially down his shoulders, giving me enough room to breathe. This time when he slammed into me, I keened, a high-pitched sound I'd never made before. He hit something deep inside me that sent sparks of pleasure and pain racing across my nerves, the last little bit I needed .
My body began to shake as I tipped over the edge. I cried out his name and Cade responded by fucking me harder and faster, sending wave after wave of pleasure over me until it was almost too much and I couldn't do anything but try to scream. The sound was breathless, every muscle in my body straining to find a way to release what I was feeling. There was no end to it. I couldn't tell if I was having multiple orgasms or if it was just one that kept going and going, but whatever was happening, my brain decided to shut down. My eyes rolled back and my vision began to gray. Then Cade was saying my name, his hips jerking against me. He slumped down and I wrapped my arms and legs around him, instinctively holding on to something solid as my surroundings seemed to have liquefied .
I hovered there on the edge of consciousness, waiting for my world to normalize. At some point, Cade rolled off me and then, a few minutes after that, I watched as he got up, gathered his clothes and walked out. He didn't go into the bathroom and he didn't say a word .
I frowned as I pulled the blankets around me, but I was too exhausted, both emotionally and physically, to dwell on it. There was always tomorrow .
Three
I wasn't sure what to expect the next morning, but at the very least, I assumed things would just go back to the way they had been… a professional relationship without emotions involved. A part of me hoped, no matter how much I tried to tell myself not to, that things would be different, that what had happened meant Cade cared about me, at least somewhat .
As I came out into the main sitting area, I realized something had changed, but not for the better. Cade stood by the door, his bag on the floor at his feet. He glanced at his watch .
“We need to leave for the airport in thirty minutes.” His face wasn't just blank; it was cold. I didn't see a hint of warmth, not even the lust I'd grown accustomed to when he saw me. Considering I was wearing only a robe and it wasn't even belted, his lack of attention spoke volumes .
I frowned, puzzled, but didn't say a word. He didn't seem in the mood to talk and I didn't want to overstep the boundary that seemed firmly back in place. I nodded and went back into the bedroom .
“I'll meet you in the lobby,” Cade called after me. “Don't be late .”
Now I was really confused. Had I done something to upset him? Or was he embarrassed for having told me about his past? I could understand that. But this coldness seemed more significant than that. If he'd felt like his actions had been unprofessional, why hadn't he just apologized or owned up to the mistake? Or simply told me it was a lapse in judgment to share something so personal? Why act so distant? Or, the thought struck me, had I been too obvious? Had he been able to tell that my feelings for him went beyond the physical ?
The questions nagged at me as I packed my things and got ready to go. I was done with time to spare and headed down to the lobby, hoping Cade would be in a better mood when I arrived. Instead, I found the lobby empty and I looked dumbly down at my phone. No text messages, no calls. I was five minutes early, so maybe he'd gone to the restroom or stepped out for something, but not finding him here made me nervous .
I considered asking the front desk, but I didn't want to seem like the kind of girl who was checking up on her boyfriend. Cade was not my boyfriend. I knew that .
So I waited and tried to appear calm, not wanting him to see how upset I truly felt. I wasn't so sure I succeeded, but when I saw Cade walking toward me from the direction of the hotel restaurant, I was pretty sure he didn't suspect I'd been worried. I hadn't thought to check to see if he was getting breakfast. I didn't have much of an appetite .
“Our car's here .”
As Cade walked by, I caught a whiff of alcohol and frowned. He hadn't been eating. He'd been drinking. And it was way too early for that. I held my tongue though. It wasn't my concern. He was an adult and we weren't together. But while both of those things were true, neither of them stopped me from worrying as we climbed into the car .
The ride to the airport was tense and silent, but not the good kind of tension, the kind that meant once it was unleashed, amazing things were going to happen. I kept glancing at Cade out of the corner of my eye, trying to will him to look at me, but he kept his gaze straight ahead. I'd expected at least a hint of a smile when I winced as I sat down, but there was nothing. My ass was still tender, my pussy sore, and sitting wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world – all things that should've been of interest to Cade. Instead, I was getting the cold shoulder .
By the time we landed back in Chicago, I was a bundle of nerves. Something was wrong and I didn't know what it was. I promised myself that as soon as we got in the car, I'd ask him, and I wouldn't let up until he told me the truth. Whatever it was, we'd get past it. He'd told me he wasn't done with me yet and I intended to hold him to that .
As we walked out of the terminal, however, he handed me my bag. “You'll be taking the car back to your place .”
“What about you?” I hoped I sounded much more casual to him than I did to myself .
“I have some business to attend to.” He didn't meet my eyes. “The driver's waiting .”
I stared as he walked off. The entire time Cade and I had been together, he'd had his moments where he'd kept his distance, but he'd never been rude. And he'd never made me feel cheap. Until now. I lifted my chin. I wasn't going to let him do this to me. I would go home, spend the rest of the day relaxing and grading papers. I wouldn't think about Cade until the next time he called. And I certainly wouldn't spend the time in between worrying over him .
That resolve lasted exactly three hours. As much as I tried not to, I wasn't able to stop myself from being distracted. Every so often, I found myself staring at a test and realizing I'd been looking at the same question for five minutes. Sometimes it was a specific thought that caught my attention, or a theory about what could've happened. Other times, it was just a general feeling of unrest .
I waited for him to call, to set up a meeting for the upcoming week, but he didn't. Monday came and went with nothing. Mindy asked about my weekend and I gave her a few unimportant details. Good food. Good sex. Nothing much else. I didn't like lying to her, but until I was sure what was happening with Cade, I didn't want to speculate. There were too many variables in play, too many things I didn't understand .
I consider
ed calling him, but every time I took out my phone and started to tap on his number, I began to wonder if maybe this was a test. Maybe he was teaching me patience. I remembered his lesson on orgasm denial and wondered if this was just another way for me to learn delayed gratification .
Even the idea that this isolation was intentional didn't mean any of it sat well with me. It was one of a dozen scenarios, each one with its own sets of pros and cons. I didn't know what to hope for, which meant I didn't have a single possibility on which to fix my mind. Instead, I jumped from scenario to scenario .
When Friday rolled around, I was more than ready for a night out with the girls. Adelle and I were good again, which meant there wouldn't be any awkwardness. Neither she nor Mindy would expect me to give them details about my weekend since they both knew the whole Cade thing was a sensitive subject. Whatever I did share, they'd take at face value. Plus, there'd be alcohol, which was always a good thing. Okay, not always, but in this instance, it would be. Plus, I was hoping Adelle and Mindy would be able to provide me with some distraction .
When I arrived at L20, the other two were already there and Mindy was practically bouncing in her seat. That was good. It meant she had something exciting she wanted to share. Whatever it was, I hoped it would be big enough to keep us going most of the night .
“I'm so glad you're here,” Adelle said. She sent a pointed look in Mindy's direction. “I think she's going to burst if she doesn't get to share her news soon .”
I smiled as I sat down. Mindy didn't even wait for me to get my coat off before letting loose .
“I met someone !”
“That's great!” The enthusiasm in my voice was genuine. Mindy wasn't quite like Adelle when it came to the love 'em and leave 'em mentality. She enjoyed her flirtations and her one night stands, but she also wasn't opposed to having a relationship like Adelle was. Not that I could really blame Adelle for not wanting to get into anything serious. Losing Morgan had been tough on her .
“All right, then, spill.” Adelle signaled to the nearby waiter. “Champagne, please. The best you have .”