William didn’t argue with me. He leaned forward in the chair, so he could get his hands behind him. Taking the tie, I bent over him and quickly tied his wrists together. I didn’t bother with any fancy knots. After making sure it wasn’t going to cut off his circulation, I stood back up.
As I slowly slid the hem of my skirt up my thighs, William’s intent stare burned into me. I climbed up onto his lap and straddled him. I then rolled my hips until I found the perfect spot for friction against the ridge of the erection in his pants. After digging my fingers into his shoulders, I slowly began to move against him. “Oh, fuck, Mistress,” William groaned.
I brought my mouth to his. “Shh,” I breathed against his lips. Then I covered his warm mouth with mine, licking at the seam of his lips. “Open for me.” What first started as tender and sweet kisses quickly switched over to desperate and demanding. Our tongues tangled together in between the low pants and moans escaping from our lips. The movement of my hips began to grow more frantic as I ground my wet center against his pants-covered dick. I used my grip on his shoulders to propel me harder and harder. I felt alive again, even if I was humping a guy through our clothes.
Although I wanted to cry out when I started to come, I bit down on my lip and whimpered through the shudders. When I finished, I met William’s gaze. “Do you want to come?”
“Yes, Mistress.”
“In your pants like you’re a teenager?”
William grunted as he thrust his hips up. “Yes. Please, Mistress.”
Running my fingers through his hair, I pressed my cheek against his. My breath warmed against his ear, causing him to shudder. “Sorry. But I can’t.”
“What?” William demanded.
Pulling away, I smiled sweetly at him. “It’s almost time for the bell to ring, and I need to clean myself up before I go back. After all, I can’t be late for my students.” He sucked in breath after breath. William’s chest heaved as I reached behind him and undid his tie. After I rose up, I tossed the tie onto his lap. His tented lap that smelled like me. “Thanks for the happy ending. If you do go in the bathroom and jerk off, think of me.”
William’s nostrils flared and he stared at me like I’d grown two heads. “You’re really going to leave me like this?”
Cocking my head at him, I said, “You sound just like Romeo. ‘O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?’ Sorry but you and Romeo are both out of luck.”
I quickly popped into the bathroom within his office. After readjusting my skirt and cleaning up my smeared lipstick, I came back out to find William still sitting in his chair, his fingers gripping the armrests. “Have a good day,” I said in a sickeningly sweet tone.
The rest of the day went by in a blur. Once the euphoria of the moment had passed, I could not believe what I had done in William’s office. I didn’t know what was worse—that I had blatantly participated in a sexual act with my boss on school grounds, or the fact that I had left him high and dry. Sure, orgasm denial was a huge part of a D/s relationship, but that was only after both parties agreed. William had never consented to have orgasms withheld from him. Of course, I had never agreed to a D/s relationship, so I guess it all canceled out. At the same time, what I had done in William’s office had been such a rush.
As soon as the last bell of the day rang, I grabbed my things and headed out the backdoor. Once again, I didn’t dare go through the front office because I didn’t want to see William. It was pretty ridiculous to feel that way considering I was going to have to see him every day for the rest of the school year. I guess I just hoped it would help to give him some time to cool down.
When I got home, I joined Daddy in the den. I hadn’t been sitting with him long before the doorbell rang. Daddy looked at me in surprise. “Who could that be?”
Fucking hell. I had a pretty good idea who it was. “A Jehovah’s witness?” I suggested as I rose out of the chair. I grudgingly went to the door. When I answered it, William stood before me. “Seriously?”
“We need to talk.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of a phone?”
William took me off guard by pushing past me into the foyer. “No more games, Sophie. Like it or not, you and I are sitting down and having a serious conversation about us.”
My fists clenched at my sides. “I could slap the shit out of you right now, but I won’t because I know you’d enjoy it too much,” I growled in a low voice.
“Honey, who is it?” Daddy asked.
“Thanks a whole fucking lot. Now I have to find some way to explain what you’re doing here.”
“Let me,” William replied.
Before I could grab his arm, he’d started into the den. Daddy glanced from William to me. “We have company?”
“I apologize for not calling first, Mr. Jameson. I’m William Foster, Sophie’s principal.”
When William extended his hand, I cringed. But Daddy only smiled. “I’m not being rude, Mr. Foster. I just can’t reach out my hand that far.”
From the flush on William’s cheeks, I could tell he was mortified. “I’m sorry.” He stepped closer and gently took my dad’s hand in his. After shaking it, he eased it back down on Daddy’s lap.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. We didn’t get to meet the other day when you were here.”
Both William and I looked at Daddy in surprise. He gave us a knowing smile. “Ansel told me you came to see the farm.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Are you back to see it again?” Daddy asked, a teasing lilt to his voice.
“Actually, he came to ride the horses.”
“I did?” William questioned. At my pointed look, he quickly added, “Yes, I did. After seeing the farm, I really wanted a chance to get in the saddle.”
Eyeing William curiously, Daddy asked, “Are you an avid horseback rider?”
A sheepish expression came over William’s face. “Actually, I’ve never ridden before.”
“You haven’t?” both Daddy and I said at the same time.
“No. I haven’t. Which is the reason why I simply had to come out here and try it.”
“I’m glad you did. Sophie is a very accomplished horsewoman, and will be a great teacher.”
William smiled at my father. “I’m sure she will.”
Glancing down at my dress, I sighed. “Let me go change.”
“I probably should too,” William said. At my skeptical look, he added, “I have some jeans in the truck.”
“Always prepared for anything, aren’t you?” I muttered under my breath as I started for the stairs.
After throwing on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, I went back downstairs. William was nowhere in sight. “He’s in the bathroom,” Daddy replied to what must’ve been my questioning look.
I took the hair tie off my wrist and swept my hair into a ponytail. “I’m glad William came back to visit.”
“Uh-huh,” I muttered, as I checked my reflection in the hall mirror.
“It’s nice that he has such an interest in…horses.”
I poked my head back into the den. “Don’t think you’re fooling me. I know exactly what you’re alluding to.”
“What’s wrong with him being interested?”
I stepped back into the den. “I’m not having this conversation right now.”
Daddy only smiled in response. William appeared then. He’d kept on his button-down, black shirt while trading his dress pants for jeans. He’d rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, which for some ridiculous reason I found so sexy.
“Ready?” I asked.
“I sure am.”
“We’ll be back in a little while, Daddy. I’ll have my phone on me if you need me.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. Ansel should be home soon.”
William held the front door open for me. As we started off the porch steps, I couldn’t help questioning, “You’ve really never ridden a horse?”
“No. I haven’t.” When I opened my mouth, William shook his he
ad. “And I don’t need any commentary on how shocking that is considering I’m a rich boy.”
I held up my hands. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”
With a smirk, William added, “Sure you weren’t.”
“Okay. Maybe a short statement.”
“I knew it. Your smart mouth couldn’t resist it.”
As we reached the pasture fence, I motioned to one of the stallions nibbling on the high grass. “You’re in luck that Sampson is up in the pasture. He’s a great horse for a first-time rider.”
“Does that mean he won’t go crazy and buck me off?”
“Exactly.”
I opened the fence and walked over to Sampson. At the sound of my approach, he raised his head and flicked his ears. “Hey sweet boy, feel like having a rider today?” I scratched along his muzzle.
After I took him by the bridle, I walked him back to where he was close enough for William to touch but still in the fence. “You two get to know each other while I get a saddle.”
William frowned slightly. “Shouldn’t I have a carrot or something to give him?”
I laughed. “Trying to get on his good side by bribing him with food?”
“Maybe.”
“I’ll bring some sugar cubes with me when I come back.”
William grinned. “Thanks.”
As I started up the hillside to the barn, I couldn’t help grinning when I heard William say, “Sampson, I’m William. How are you doing today?”
After grabbing a saddle and sliding some sugar cubes into the side pocket, I headed back to William and Sampson. Things seemed to be going well as William was scratching Sampson between his ears.
“It looks like you two are making friends,” I mused as I headed inside the fence.
“Yeah. We are. I have the feeling the sugar cubes will help seal the deal.”
I laughed. After placing the saddle on Sampson’s back, I took the cubes out of the bag and handed them to William.
While I tightened the flank cinch, Sampson’s loud crunching rang in my ears. “What kind of horse is he?” William asked.
“He’s a Bay Arabian.” Since William looked like I was speaking Greek, I explained, “Bay just means his reddish-brown body color with a black mane, tail, and lower legs. Arabian is the breed.”
William gave Sampson the last sugar cube. “Interesting.”
Once the saddle was ready, I motioned to William. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
“Okay, so first you’re going to put your left hand on Sampson’s mane while at the same time holding the front of the saddle.” After William followed my instructions, I added, “Now put your left foot into the stirrup and swing your right leg over.”
As William started to pull himself up, I said, “Careful. Don’t kick him.”
“I’ll try remembering that as I’m trying not to bust my ass.”
I laughed. “You’re doing great.”
Once William was seated in the saddle, he placed both his feet in the stirrups. “How do you feel?” I asked.
He nodded. “Good…and like I’m going to fall off.”
“You’ll get used to the feeling. “Now take the reins in your hand. I’m going to walk you around the ring first to let you get your bearings.”
“Okay.”
I pulled on Sampson’s bridle, urging him to walk. At the sudden lurch forward, William muttered, “Fuck.”
Glancing back at him, I grinned. “You’re not going anywhere, Cowboy.”
“I want to believe you.”
“Trust me. And that’s a command.”
He gave me a small smile. “Okay…Mistress.”
“I can’t believe you just called me that.”
“Well, if you think about it, what you were just doing was a lot like safety checks during a scene, not to mention you’re testing one of my hard limits.”
“Riding a horse is a hard limit?”
His expression became sheepish. “It’s more like this little thing I have with heights.”
I abruptly stopped. “You have a fear of heights?”
William rolled his eyes. “Thanks for making me feel like a pussy.”
I smiled. “I’m sorry. It’s just you don’t seem afraid of anything. Not to mention, the day I after I met you, you were coming down off Kennesaw Mountain.”
“It’s more like the fact I don’t like feeling vulnerable with heights. I might run up to the top of the mountain, but I don’t stand out looking down at everything below me. When you’re on a horse, it’s very evident what is below you.”
“Are you sure that’s it?” I pressed as I started leading Sampson again.
“What do you mean?”
“I just can’t help wondering if deep down, you’re just a little bit scared of horses and not heights.”
“That’s ridiculous. Why would anyone be scared of a horse?”
“I was for a little while.”
“Seriously?”
I nodded. “When I was ten, I fell off my horse, Belle, and broke my arm. After that, it took me a long time to get back into the saddle.”
William appeared to be processing my words. “Okay, okay. It’s true I’m afraid of horses.”
“Ha, I knew it!”
“But like you, it was a fall that caused the fear.”
“How old were you?”
William sighed. “Five. It was my birthday, and my mom had hired this guy to do pony rides. I was so excited because living in the city, we didn’t see many horses. Before all the other kids got there, I had to get to ride first.”
“Brat,” I teased.
With a grin, he said, “A complete and total brat. I’m not sure how my mother stood me.”
“Because underneath all that brattiness, I’m sure you were very sweet.”
“I guess so.”
“So what happened with the horse?”
“Anyway, the man puts me up on the pony, and I make it once around the ring. Then I want to go faster. Even though my mom and the man say no, I squeeze the hell out of the pony’s sides and smack his ass. Needless to say, the pony didn’t appreciate my little tantrum. He decided to do this crazy mixture of breaking into a run and then bucking me off.”
“I would call you a brat again, but I’m thinking you got enough punishment for your defiance.”
“Oh yeah. While all the other kids were enjoying my party, I was in the ER getting a cast on my arm and foot.”
I furrowed my brow in confusion. “You had to have both?”
“After he threw me off, his back leg came back down on my foot. It almost completely crushed the bone.”
I couldn’t help wincing at the thought. “You poor thing. No wonder you have an aversion to riding horses.”
“It’s taken twenty-seven years for me to get back in the saddle.”
“You didn’t have to do it today. We could have lied to my dad and said you rode.”
William shook his head. “I wanted to face my fears, and I trusted you would help me face them.”
“It means a lot you have that much faith in my abilities not to get you hurt.”
“I know you think I don’t know you that well, but I do know that you would do everything within your power to ensure I wouldn’t get hurt.”
I smiled. “That’s true. I would. But you’re doing great.”
“You think so?”
“I really do.”
With a cheeky grin, he said, “It doesn’t take too much skill to do well when you have someone leading you around.”
“Well, I was just about to say that I thought you were doing well enough to try it on your own.”
His smile turned into a frown. “You were?”
“Yeah. Why not?”
He shrugged. “I guess I don’t have a reason not to.”
“I probably don’t need to tell you to gently squeeze Sampson’s sides when you’re ready to go forward.”
William laughed. “Trust me. I’ve got that one do
wn.”
“Good.”
When William continued to look uncertain, I asked, “You want me to ride along with you?”
His brows shot up in surprise. “Really?”
“Sure. Until you can get the hang of things.”
“Do you want to sit in front of me or in back?”
“Front.” With a wicked grin, I added, “I always top.”
“Touche,” William replied, with a laugh.
Grabbing hold of the horn, I hoisted myself up into the saddle. “Okay, wrap your arms around me,” I instructed.”
Just like always, William followed instructions by sliding his arms around me. I put the reins into his hands. “Even though we’re on a Western saddle, I’m going to have you keep both the reins in your hands like you’re riding Eastern.”
“What do you do with the reins when you’re riding Western?”
“You let one hang down, but I thought you would feel more comfortable having the two in your hands.”
“Good call.”
“Now urge Sampson on.”
William gently squeezed his thighs against Sampson’s flank, causing the horse to begin walking. We started making our way around the ring. “This is nice,” William remarked.
“Do you really mean that, or are you just saying that?”
When William chuckled, it rumbled through me considering how closely pressed together we were. “I really mean it.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“I think next time I could even ride by myself.” At his insinuation, I tensed slightly, which he immediately picked up on. “Ah, by your reaction, I think it’s safe to say there won’t be a next time.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
I sighed. “You, me, my life, our jobs…it’s complicated.”
“It’s doesn’t have to be.”
“I think the uncomplicated ship sailed the moment you walked into my classroom and introduced yourself as the new principal.”
“Do you know how many times in the past three weeks I’ve kicked myself for taking this job?”
“But it was a promotion for you. A chance to be a principal, rather than just an assistant.”
His tone was full of regret. “I should have stayed in Roswell.”
“Who knows how long it would have taken you to get a school there. That district is so competitive for the good schools. The best you could have probably hoped for was some Title One school in the inner-city.”