Free Awakened by Julia Sykes Page B

the garment, but she loved the way it cinched in her waist, taking off a few inches.  She didn’t think she was fat, but she had always been self-conscious about her wider hips.  But she did like her hazel eyes, so that was a bit of a confidence booster. 
    Still, she couldn’t help drawing the length of her dark brown hair over her shoulders to help cover her exposed chest.  She grimaced slightly at the deep, smoky smell that wafted upward at the movement.  It didn’t matter how many times she washed her hair, she could never fully rid herself of the scent of coffee after a long day at work.  While she enjoyed the aroma, Brad had never cared for it.  Her belly knotted again as her mind turned back to him.
    She glanced over at his shadowed profile.  He was a perfectionist, just like she was.  But his perfectionism only made her harder on herself.  She gingerly sniffed at her hair again, and her stomach dropped at the hint of coffee’s definitively dark aroma.  Hopefully he wouldn’t say anything; Holly needed all of her confidence if she was going to follow through with this.
    What would be he be like when they arrived?  How would he act?  In her mind’s eye, she saw herself being tied down, held at a man’s mercy.  Her sex swelled at the thought, lust cutting through her nervousness.  Could Brad give that to her?   He had never given her any inkling of such interests.  Sure, he was a control freak outside of the bedroom, much like she was, but he had never so much as pinned her hands over her head while he fucked her.  Had he secretly shared her fantasies all along?
    Holly wished that he would talk to her, that they could have a conversation about this before just diving in.  But that wasn’t what they did.  Now that she was faced with the idea of having to broach a difficult subject with Brad, Holly found that she had no idea how to begin; they had never really talked about sex before.  Well, if she thought about it, they never talked about much at all, really.
    How could she be in a relationship for six months and never have had a serious conversation with her boyfriend?  The thought unsettled her.  It was suddenly as though she didn’t even really know the man in the car beside her.
    Stop being an idiot, she admonished herself.  Her brain was just being crazy because she was so nervous.  Brad was a great guy: smart, cute, sweet.  He was exactly what she wanted.  Again the thought of being held down flitted across her mind.  Only the man restraining her wasn’t Brad.
    But is he what you need?   A small voice within her asked.
    Shut up!  She ordered it angrily.  What was going on with her?  She was too hyped-up, she decided.  She hadn’t felt this awake in ages, and now her brain was making up for it by going into overdrive.
    Mercifully, all of her tangled thoughts were driven from her mind as they broke through the trees and the old plantation house came into view.  It was colossal, a three-story red brick edifice illuminated by warm yellow lights. White columns delineated the jutting porches in the center of the house, and a double staircase led up to the front door.  Holly had never realized just how big it would be.  How many carnal perversions could possibly fill a house that size?  And she knew from her internet research that it wasn’t just the house that was a part of the club.  There were pools, extensive gardens, and a carriage house.
    Brad stopped the car and handed the keys to a valet.  Ever the gentleman, he came around and opened Holly’s door for her, taking her by the hand and helping her out of the car.  She was glad of the support, as her corset impaired her movements in a way she was not accustomed to.  Gripping his arm tightly, she found her footing on her ultra-high heels.  She was dismayed to feel Brad’s arm trembling slightly under her hand.  She was quite anxious enough for the two of them, and seeing him showing signs of nervousness wasn’t