Liberated Heart Read online

  “Yes. I’m sure.” She wasn’t at all sure. What if Jonathan changed his mind and came back? Did she want that? After two weeks of no word from him, and her dwindling desire to even hear his name, would she be willing to think about reconciliation? Of course not, she couldn’t take him back after all of the horrible things she’d seen in those emails. As much as those words hurt her, they actually helped. Each insult she read put another brick in place of the wall she needed to create to keep Jonathan out of her mind. Deep down she had known they were having trouble. Things weren’t the same, and he was delaying wedding decisions with even more lame excuses than before. When she sat down and let herself be completely honest, she’d realized they hadn’t had much in common over the past year. He worked almost obsessively, and although she never resented him for his time away from her, she’d drifted a bit, too. As devoted as she was to him, she could feel the distance, no matter how hard she tried to breach it.

  Bradley’s eyes searched her face, and his lips curled on one side. “You’re not telling me the whole truth, are you?” His voice dropped enough to let her know he may be grinning, but he was being completely serious. She finally understood the phrase ‘toe-curling’.

  “No, not the whole truth.” The honest answer slipped past her lips before she had the good sense to stop them. It was bad enough she’d told this man the things she was looking for. She had practically bragged about the pictures she’d been pouring over for the past two weeks. Now she was falling under some sort of spell beneath his gaze. It was a wonder he didn’t toss her out on her ass, determining her too much of a whack job to deal with.

  “It’s a start.” He gave a little nod. One she would have missed if she hadn’t been staring at him with such curiosity. His lips were thick. They made her want to bite them. “What sort of dominant are you looking for?” The question pulled her out of her thoughts.

  “Dominant?”

  “Yes.” A wider grin. “Dominant. You said you wanted a membership so you could explore this. I assumed you meant you were looking for a dominant. Unless… Are you looking for a submissive?”

  “No!” Her cheeks heated at the embarrassment of her outburst. “I mean. I’m not looking for a submissive, and I don’t know about what sort of dominant.” She had a few ideas, but she’d already divulged too much to this stranger. She really should reconsider their conversation. His stare warmed her too much.

  “Another half-truth?” His fingertip traced her lips.

  The warmth of his touch mingled with the smell of his finger sent her into another sprint through fantasy land. She gave a nod, keeping her eyes locked with his. How long had they been staring at each other like that? Had she remembered to blink? His finger tapped her lips, softly at first, then steadily increased in firmness. It didn’t hurt, there was no pain, but the gesture made her uncomfortable. His hand on her arm kept her from stepping away.

  “Full truths from now on, Erin. Do you understand?”

  She studied him. His finger dropped away from her lips. “Yes,” she whispered. Bradley took a step back from her, leaning back against his desk. She took a small step to steady herself. The man was turning her into loon! “There’s an event here this weekend. Saturday night. A slave auction.”

  She eased herself back into the chair, pulling her sweater upward at the hem to cover her hands. A slave auction.

  “That’s a real thing?”

  He tilted his head to the side and grinned. “It’s probably not what you’re thinking, but yes it’s a thing. Completely voluntary and for charity. The slaves are auctioned off to the dominants. The winner will get to have her or him service them throughout the evening. Only in the public rooms, and the slave has no obligation to leave with the dominant. Most slaves are probably going to be bought by their own dominants. But there are a few single men and women who have registered to be auctioned.”

  She let the information sink into her mind. Slaves. The terminology of everything she’d read over the past few days stuck with her, and she didn’t think she could ever consider herself a slave. She didn’t mind the term, and she thought no less of anyone who would categorize themselves as such, but she wasn’t sure she fit in that mold. One idea that she ingrained in herself over the last two weeks was that she was not the freak she’d originally believed. She was no weakling, either. No one could submit themselves onto another person’s will and be weak. It took strength. And a hell of a lot of trust.

  “That might be interesting to see.” She nodded. Very interesting, especially if the play were to all be in the public viewing area. She’d be able to see what she wanted to see without having to get too involved with anyone. She just needed to get the membership approved as quickly as possible. “Do you think I’ll be able to get my membership in order by then?”

  “I wasn’t telling you about the auction because I want you to view it.” He folded his hands in front of himself, where she could see the obvious bulge in his jeans. Had their short interaction been as intoxicating to him as it was to her? “I told you about the auction because if after I’ve finished with you here, you decide you’d like that distraction—that rebound—the auction is as good a place as any to get on with it. But understand, that if you come to the auction, if your pretty ass is standing on the auction block, I will buy you. I will own you.”

  No words formed in her mind or on her tongue. He wanted to buy her? Didn’t she just tell herself she couldn’t be a slave? “I, uh, I don’t think being a slave is what I was looking for.”

  “Slave is a word. Just a word. Most of the girls that registered don’t consider themselves slaves.” He shrugged. “I don’t get too caught up in the labels. Some doms do, but I don’t.” She searched his face for the smile, the tweak of a grin that would tell her he was just screwing around with her.

  “I don’t even know you.” She pointed a finger in the air, as though the idea had just sprung into her addlebrained mind. She must have been crazy to even be considering what he was suggesting.

  “True.” He gave a nod and turned back toward his desk. When he faced her again there was a business card in his hand. “This is my contact info. Before you leave, I’ll get yours. I’m going to give you some reading to do, and I’m sure you’ll have questions while you do it. You are to text me no matter what time of day, anything you have a question or concern about. I will do the same toward you. Sort of like speed dating.” The playful grin was back. “And there’s Alex.” He raised both eyebrows. “You can ask him anything about me, he knows me as well as I know myself.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I don’t want him to know.”

  “But you came here looking for him.”

  “And he was busy.” It was her turn to raise her eyebrows. “So now you’re stuck with me.” She tried to sound light, but the realization that she was now simply a burden to someone else struck her. She needed to get on her own feet. She didn’t want to lean on anyone anymore, and she sure as hell didn’t want to be coddled anymore. Some of what Jonathan had said about her was true. She was naive and she trusted too easily.

  Concern crossed his expression, but washed away as quickly as it had appeared. Under no circumstance did she want his pity. “I’m okay,” she said. “I mean him leaving hurt, but I’m okay.”

  His eyes narrowed and the side of his mouth curved upward again. “More half-truths. I should warn you I’m very strict. I don’t tolerate lies, disrespect, or disobedience.”

  She swallowed. “Okay.” Was she really agreeing to this? Where the hell was the logical, level-headed Erin? She was still sitting on the bedroom floor sobbing over the asshole who walked out on her.

  “And, I’m a bit rougher than a beginner might like. I’ll go slow, but understand my tastes are a bit darker than many. You’ll always be safe, and I’ll never ignore a safeword, but I want you to think about these things when you look over the book I’m going to give you.”

  A small part of her mind was sending caution signals to the rest o
f her body. She knew that the entire idea would be insane to even consider, much less agree to. However, that small part of her brain had been the part that talked her into doing everything she’d always done. Acted the responsible, reasonable adult. Do what was expected. Don’t color outside the lines. So that tiny part could go for a long walk as far as she was concerned.

  “Okay.” She nodded with more confidence. A rebound. Reset. The thing she needed to get all the way over Jonathan and move on to the next chapter of her life. She held out her hand, and he stared down at her. “The book. You said you wanted to give me a book.”

  “I will but not yet. First I want you to go lock the door then come back here and stand where I am.” She didn’t move. “Erin. I don’t speak to hear myself. I say what I want, and I expect it to be done. Now, go lock the door and come back here. Or you can head on home.”

  “If I stay?” She smoothed down her skirt when she stood.

  “I’m going to make you come so hard you’ll be too tired to think about your broken heart.”

  Her mouth dried, and her stomach clenched. He couldn’t have said that. No way would she let him do that. It was beyond inappropriate, something she would never have even considered before.

  “You can say no. You can go home and mull everything over.”

  He had given her an out. A way to slither out of the room and pretend she hadn’t just been propositioned by a complete stranger. An extremely sexy stranger who seemed to have a way of gluing her feet to the floor with his sexual undertones and lusty stare.

  With several tentative steps she made her way to the door and flipped the lock. The resounding click echoed in her mind. When she turned around, he had moved to the side of his desk and was pointing to the spot he had already mentioned. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that she was an adult, and as such, she could have an orgasm whenever and wherever she wanted.

  His blue eyes never left her as she moved into place. When she tried to look down, he lifted her chin with one fingertip and brought his face to hers, nose to nose. “Never take your eyes off me. I want to see every expression. Do you understand?” The heat of his breath against her skin fanned the already burning flames.

  “Yes.”

  Using his thumb and his forefinger, he held her chin in place and brought his lips down on hers. The intoxicating warmth of his fingers held nothing to the white hot flames his kiss produced. His lips were hard against hers, and his tongue, rough against her lips when he licked her bottom lip to gain entrance to her mouth. He didn’t move his hand, and he didn’t need to, she wouldn’t be going anywhere so long as he continued to deepen the connection between them.

  There was no gentleness to the kiss, no tenderness. Just a raw claiming. Possession. No struggle for control, he possessed it all, and she followed him where he took her. His hand released her chin, and he rested it on her hip, slipping his hand under her sweater. When he broke off the kiss, her eyes remained locked with his. Her breath was ragged, her heart pounding. Could he hear it as loudly as she could?

  “I’m going to put my hand up your skirt.” He moved his hand down, gathering the pleated skirt, until he was able to slip underneath. “Spread your legs a little. I want to feel how hot your pussy is.” Her legs moved. “Good. Now I’m going to touch your pussy, but I’m not going to move your panties. Not unless you ask.”

  Her hands gripped the desk, waiting for the touch she knew would set her entire body into a spiral of heated emotions.

  She closed her eyes as soon as his fingers found her clit. Slight pressure, not enough to give her any sort of satisfaction or relief, but enough to drive her mind further down the rabbit hole. She felt the electric current of his touch everywhere. Angling her hips toward him, she sought out more of what he gave. She needed him. Needed the release.

  “No.” He pulled his hand away with a jerk. “You don’t move until I say. Stand still. I’m doing this. You just deal with the sensations I’m giving you.”

  His eyes darkened, and she nodded, quickly agreeing. She would have agreed to almost anything at that moment to get his fingers back on her flesh. He knew what she needed, knew where to touch. His fingers stroked her pussy with a feather touch. She wanted to growl and push forward again, but a warning lingered in his eyes.

  “So wet already, and I’ve barely touched you.” He moved his fingers upward, closer to her clit. “Did what I said turn you on?” He pinched her labia together, and she squeaked from the intensity of the pain.

  “Yes!” she answered, taking a deep breath. He released her, and she felt the warm tingling move over her, bringing her arousal to a new level.

  “If I tell you that I want to tie you up, spank your ass until it’s red, and fuck you until you scream will that turn you on more?” His fingers were back to probing and rubbing. She nodded. “Words. And keep your eyes on me.”

  “Yes, Bradley. Yes.” She could barely breathe, let alone form words.

  “If I told you I wanted to whip your pussy, flog your tits and clamp your nipples, would that make you even hotter?” he asked, flicking his finger over her clit.

  “Yes!” she cried out as her orgasm built. She would die if he didn’t push her harder. He ran his fingers over the wet fabric covering her pussy.

  “So wet.” He grinned at her. “If I don’t let you come, will you pout?”

  “Bradley. Please.” Her fingers were going numb gripping the desk.

  “Please what? Please let you come? Please let you come all over my hand here in my office, pinned up against my desk?”

  “Yes.” She nodded with more enthusiasm than ever before. “Please.” She wanted more, she wanted his fingers inside of her. She’d have to ask, that’s what he’d told her. She couldn’t, not that, it would be too much.

  “Is there something you want? I see it in your eyes, Erin. If you want it, you have to ask for it.” His face pressed against hers, his eyes a blur at the close proximity.

  He rubbed her clit harder, grinding his fingers into her. Her legs began to tremble, and her arms were threatening to give out. She needed him inside her. “Fingers.” She let out a pant. “Please.”

  “What? My fingers? You want my fingers inside of you?” She nodded against his head, their foreheads now touching.

  “Please,” she whispered. The cotton barrier was swept away by his agile finger tips and two of his fingers circled her entrance. She slid her legs open more, giving him easier access.

  “Is this what you want?”

  “Yes!”

  “Why should I give it to you? You haven’t asked yet.”

  She groaned. “Please. Please Bradley.”

  “All you have to do is ask, Erin. I’m not holding anything back, you are.” He slid one finger into her pussy up to his first knuckle. Enough to fuel her need, but nowhere near enough to put out the raging fire.

  “Please, finger my pussy,” she whispered, clenching her eyes shut. What was she doing?

  “What? I didn’t hear you.” He turned his head, pressing his ear to her lips.

  “Please, Bradley. Please finger my pussy.”

  “That’s a good girl.” Two fingers slid into her hot, wanting passage, and she cried out with the relief of it. He plunged in and out of her quickly, rubbing her clit with his palm as he went. “Do you want to come?”

  “Yes. Please!” She moved her hands from the desk and grabbed onto his shoulders to steady herself. The hard muscle beneath his shirt warmed her skin, and brought her attention back to him.

  “Then do it. Do it now, Erin.” His voice sounded ragged and rough. His fingers expertly worked her pussy into a tense frenzy. No longer able to hold still she arched toward him as everything inside of her exploded. Tingles shot from one end of her body to the next. Her pussy clenched and released. Her cry went unheard as his mouth captured hers, taking her orgasmic scream into his mouth. Her nails dug into his arms until he pulled away from the kiss. Spasms slowed, but continued to linger. Her breath hadn’t quite com
e back to her yet, and although she’d never felt more alive and fulfilled during a sexual encounter as she did in that very moment, she wanted more.

  “There.” He kissed her softly and pulled his fingers from her, bringing them to his mouth and licking off all of her juices. She stared at him, panting, trying to get her bearings. “Now don’t you feel better?”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Never let it be said that Bradley Sorenson was anything but a gentleman. At least that’s what he tried to convince himself the following day as he sat at the kitchen table of his five-bedroom house overlooking Lake Michigan. The more he thought about the events of the previous evening with Erin, the more he began to think himself an utter asshole.

  She was clearly in pain from her breakup. Even if she pretended to herself she was fine, he knew a broken heart when he saw one. The only difference between her and the other women he’d seen nursing the pain, was that she didn’t seem broken up over the loss of her ex. It was something else. Something internal. Either way, he wanted to find the dipshit and use his face for his next workout. He’d only known Erin for a few hours, but he knew enough to know she didn’t deserve what happened. He wondered if she knew that or not.

  The last thing that woman needed was him putting his hands on her. He had tried to keep his hands off of her from the moment she stepped off the elevator. Even covered up in all the conservative clothes, he could see the gorgeous body beneath. And her lips. Damn those perfectly pink, kissable lips. And the offer to buy her at the auction! What drug had he been slipped? The smart thing would be to call Alex and tell him everything. But he couldn’t make that call.

  He wouldn’t go so far as to regret giving her an orgasm. The release had done her a world of good. Immediately after he righted her clothing, he’d pulled her to him. Letting her nuzzle into his chest. Her muscles relaxed, and her breathing calmed. He’d held her until the glossy haze in her eyes faded away, bringing her back to the present moment. She didn’t regret it, and if he asked her to go through it again, he was sure she would. After several contented sighs, he’d sat her back in the chair and gone over what he’d already told her. With his business card tucked into the book explaining BDSM activities and some protocols, he’d sent her on her way. Not being a complete asshole, he’d called his car to drive her back to her office where’d she left her purse. He had asked his driver to take her home after that stop, but from what George told him, she politely declined. And when George had insisted, she ditched him. He had laughed when his driver told him the story, and assured him that he was most definitely not angry with him. The woman wasn’t as timid as she appeared. This held promise.