Free Girl of Mine by Taylor Dean

specimen of manhood laid out for her perusal. And she perused.
    I love this man.
    Her eyes wandered, getting their fill, and then came to a screeching halt on the slight bulge in his jeans pocket.
    Were those his keys?
    Could she get to them? Hmmmm . . . the dance was about to get very interesting.
    Ever so slowly, Jill stood without disturbing him. Letting her wrist spin freely inside the handcuffs, she tiptoed her way around the back of the couch. Leaning forward over Luke, she carefully reached out and slipped two fingers into Luke’s pocket.
    He didn’t react and his breathing remained slow and steady. If his breathing changed it would be a dead giveaway that he had awakened and knew she was up to something. It would be just like him to fake sleep and catch her in the act. Jill was not about to let that happen.
    Gently, she grasped the key ring with her index finger and thumb and tugged on the keys ever so slightly.
    No response from Luke.
    She took her time and tugged just a fraction of an inch every thirty seconds or so. Her hair fell forward, the wispy ends tickling Luke’s arms. She froze in place, her heart racing at epic speed, and beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Luke shifted slightly and threw one arm over his head, narrowly missing slapping her on the arm. Jill held her position for a full minute after that, waiting for Luke to fall back into his deep slumber. Her muscles screamed in rebellion at the awkward stance. She distracted herself by letting her eyes devour Luke. He really was a beautiful man, made up of muscles, smooth olive skin, and a perfectly proportioned physique. A wave of longing beset her. She missed his presence in her life. If only things could be different right now.
    At a snail’s pace, Jill tugged on the keys a few more times, leaving nothing but a trail of barely perceived baby’s breath in her wake, a touch so light and airy he could’ve been kissed by a cloud and never even known it.
    Success.
    She held Luke’s keys in her hot little hands.
    Nimbly, she knelt next to the couch, not letting the keys clink together. She studied the keys in her hand and guessed the odd looking key was the handcuff key. Weren’t handcuff keys universal? She had no idea. It wasn’t as if she’d had much experience with handcuffs. Choosing to go with the odd looking key, she awkwardly used her left hand to place the key in the lock. She was right handed and her clumsy attempts equaled a monkey fumbling around with thick, fat fingers. She found success after her fifth attempt. The click of the lock seemed overly loud and she was sure she’d awakened Luke, but he remained still, his breathing stable. Adrenaline made her want to move quickly. Instead she maintained her slow tempo, freeing both herself and the handcuffs from the wood framed couch.
    Jill moved to the center of the room, debating what to do next. Leave without disturbing Luke? Let him wake up to find her gone? Or give him a taste of his own medicine and handcuff him to the couch?
    The idea of one-upping him was too much of a temptation. She simply couldn’t pass up this opportunity. He’d already thrown one arm over his head, placing his wrist directly next to the wooden slats connecting the arm of the chair to the base of the couch. It just didn’t get any better than this.
    Kneeling next to the couch once again, Jill moved painstakingly slow as she clicked one end of the handcuffs onto one of the couch’s wooden slats. Then she smiled to herself at what was about to happen. Luke would now be the captive. Her captive. But first, she paused. With her face close to his, she breathed in his breath. What would happen if she pressed her lips to his right now? Would he reject her? Would he welcome her kiss? Or would he simply handcuff her again?
    The lack of confidence threw her for a loop, leaving her drowning in insecurity. She moved so quickly, Luke hardly had time to react. She snapped the handcuffs onto his wrist and clicked