Free Show Me The Ropes ~ Lothario Series ~ Book 2 by Roz Lee Page A

Flavors burst on her taste buds like never before. Everything seemed more vivid the last few days. It could be she was taking the time to notice details, or it could be that being with Richard made her feel alive. The leash lay across her forearm, a visual reminder that she’d given Richard permission to do as he pleased with her body. Said body hummed with arousal as she dutifully sliced another bite of chicken and brought it to her mouth. Her nipples throbbed, small pulse points straining for his attention.
    What manner of man was Richard Wolfe? She’d thought she knew him, but the last few days had disabused her of the thought. A few days ago, she’d thought she knew herself as well, but that too had changed. She had changed. For years she’d worked to become an expert in her field, had achieved every goal she’d set. But in her quest for knowledge and recognition, she had ignored her own sexuality. She’d ignored her heart. She hadn’t really lived.
    She cast a glance at Richard, who sat next to her in the booth. Everything about him called to her, had since the first time she’d met him, but she’d kept her distance for a variety of very good, very logical reasons.
    He was her employer. There wasn’t any way to get around that argument. However, was he the playboy she’d convinced herself he was? She thought back over the last year, perhaps longer. She’d seen him with any number of women, but now that she thought about it, she’d never seen him look at any of them the way he looked at her, as if she held the key to his prison cell.
    So far, he had done nothing but see to her pleasure, had asked her for nothing, totally out of character for the man she believed him to be. Questions outnumbered answers.
    Richard plied her with dessert, but when he tugged on the leash, she left her half-eaten portion and followed him. Thor met them at the check-in desk and led them to the room he said was set up just for them.
    “I’ll wait out here until you’re ready,” Richard said. He handed the end of her leash to Thor and seated himself on one of the plush chairs in the waiting area. “Go with Thor.”
    “Yes, Richard.” She didn’t want to be separated from him, not while she was wearing the leash. It felt wrong for someone else to have that authority over her, but Richard had commanded it, so she complied. She stepped into the room and her breath caught in her lungs. Electric candles, the only safe kind on a cruise ship, provided the only illumination and cast a warm glow over the opulent furnishings. “It’s lovely,” she breathed.
    “Richard requested it.” Thor motioned to the massage table in the center of the room. “If you will lie on your back I will prepare you for the massage.”
    Thor’s thick Norwegian accent sent shivers all the way to her toes. She’d heard Thor speak many times, but never in this low, seductive manner. No wonder he was such a favorite with the passengers.
    Fallon lay back on the table and shifted to get comfortable.
    Thor took her hand and placed a loop of satin across her palm. “This is your anchor. Richard did not want to bind you, but he wanted you to have something to hold to, if you feel the need.” He slipped another one over her other hand. She tested the anchors and found them to be sturdy. “Good?”
    “Yes.”
    “Now, for your neck. . . . ”
    He placed a soft brace beneath her neck and cradled her head in a horseshoe shaped pillow. “Now the blindfold.”
    “Blindfold?”
    “Trust me, Fallon. This massage will be like nothing you have ever experienced.”
    It was already that, and they hadn’t even begun. She tried to relax as Thor slipped the blindfold over her eyes, shutting out even the soft candlelight.
    “One last thing. Before we go any further, I must warn you. I am going to put headphones on you. The music will relax you. Let yourself go, Fallon. Trust Richard. I will be here to give him instruction, but only he will touch you once we begin.