kinky things.
I guess I’m just a regular, boring woman.”
“You’ve never been blindfolded, or tied to a bed with silk
scarves, or neckties?” Drake prodded.
I felt blood rush to my cheeks.
After watching a movie with Ryan where a woman was tied to a
bed, it aroused me so much I asked if he’d do the same to me. The idea of being
at the mercy of a lover flipped some internal switch. A few days later, we came
home from a bar and he tied my wrists loosely to the headboard. But Ryan was
very drunk, and I was scared he’d pass out on me and leave me tied there all
night. So I wriggled free of the rope and called a halt to the game. He never
tried to tie me up again, and I never asked.
“I knew it. You’re blushing,” Drake stated with a confident
smirk. “What happened? You didn’t enjoy it?”
“No.”
“You didn’t trust the man who tied you up, did you?”
Drake’s question caught me by surprise. I hadn’t really
thought of my fear as being an issue of trust. Yes, Ryan had been drunk, but my
fear was more than being tethered to the headboard all night. I didn’t trust
him, not the way I should have. His track record wasn’t the kind that
cultivated a lot of trust. No, I’d spent a long time walking on eggshells
around him, waiting for him to walk out the door.
Clearly Drake was digging into my psyche to prove his point.
I suspected he wanted me to dissect my personal fantasies, which I clearly
intended to…but not with him. It was time I went home, took a shower, and
collapsed into bed.
With a polite smile, I glanced at Trevor then stood, heading
for the door. “I’ll be back in the morning to see how he’s doing.”
“Whoa. Wait. I’m sorry, Liz,” Drake apologized as he rose
and quickly blocked my escape. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, or
embarrass you. Stay. We’ll talk about something else.”
“I’m okay, Drake. It’s late,” I replied with a nervous
chuckle. “You didn’t embarrass me. I did that to myself when I thought James
and Mika were lovers.
That
was emb —”
“Hysterical,” Drake laughed. “It didn’t phase Mika in the least. James, on the other hand…”
“Yeah.” I could still see his shocked expression in my mind.
“I think I’ll sneak out the employee entrance so I won’t have to face him
again.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Drake warned. “He’s
expecting you to go back out there and talk to him.”
“I know. But that’s probably not a wise thing to do.”
“Why not?”
“I’ll just end up sticking my other foot in my mouth. I’d
really rather not humiliate myself twice in one night.”
“Oh, a prideful girl. I see.” Drake’s tone dripped with
challenge. “Trust me. He knows how to handle women like you.”
“Women like me?” I gaped, feeling insulted but unsure why.
Drake laughed. I realized he’d simply wanted to push my
buttons, and get a rise out of me, like Dayne used
to. I shot him a mock scowl, but inside I felt relief. The haunted look in
Drake’s eyes had disappeared. If teasing me pulled him out of his dark depths
of anguish, I’d gladly play along.
“And what exactly is
that
supposed to mean? Surely
you’re not tossing out chauvinistic remarks to insult me, are you?” I grinned.
“Oh, you’re a sassy one, too.” Drake smirked then sobered.
“Go out there and talk to James. If you leave him waiting much longer he’s
liable to turn you over his knee and spank your ass.”
I swallowed back a ragged gasp at the images and emotions
Drake’s words conjured inside me. None of them the least bit disgusting. No,
unfortunately, the thought of being draped across James’ lap as his broad hand
spanked my ass turned me on like a damn light bulb.
“Daddy,” Trevor mumbled in his sleep.
At the sound, we both snapped our attention Trevor’s way
before Drake rushed to the side of the bed.
“I’m here, baby.