Part 7 (2/2)

”Would you really have left?” Phoebe asked exasperatedly, shooting him a sideways look to show him she didn't believe he would. They'd waited too long for this moment. She held up her key to him, knowing that he'd turned his over to the Secret Service. She looked over her shoulder at Jim, her new guard. He wasn't very talkative, but then she didn't need him to be. They waited patiently as he searched her apartment for any threats and then positioned himself by the door, showing no interest in the discussion she was about to pick up again. ”Traffic was heavy.”

”Since I just arrived and have personally experienced the streets, I'll give you that. Which is why I would have waited five more minutes...not a second more.”

Phoebe could have sworn he was serious, but Lach busied himself with opening her door. She tried to take the bag full of containers from his grasp, but he wouldn't allow her to. Shrugging at his stubbornness, she followed him inside of her apartment. This was the first night she'd been home this early in weeks. She placed her purse on the side table and went about unb.u.t.toning her dress coat. Uncharacteristically, she kicked off her shoes and left them by the coat rack. Her feet hurt and she wasn't about to walk through the apartment to take them off in her closet.

”Take a seat at the counter.” Lach made himself at home by placing the to-go bags in the kitchen, quickly checking the entire apartment for his own comfort, and then shedding his leather jacket. His holster was still secured to his chest, but the white ribbed long-sleeved s.h.i.+rt he was wearing contoured his physique rather nicely. She thought of telling him they could skip dinner, but as he went back into the kitchen and tore into the bag, the mouthwatering aroma of Italian tomato sauce surfaced into the air. ”Get started on this while I open up a bottle of wine.”

”It smells so good,” Phoebe exclaimed as she hoisted herself up on a stool. ”What restaurant did you use? I don't think I've ever seen that logo.”

”It's a quaint little hole in the wall outside of the city.” Lach went about opening the wine and only paused once to look at her food pointedly, telling her to take a bite. Phoebe caved and had to close her eyes as the tangy sauce covered her tongue. It was unlike anything she'd ever had before. ”Have you ever heard of Masters?”

The question took Phoebe by surprise and she found herself trying not to choke on her pasta. Lach promptly placed the gla.s.s of wine in front of her, but there wasn't an ounce of humor etched in his face. He was dead serious. All at once, everything fell into place-all of his past comments, his dominant behavior, and his need for control. She swallowed and waited a few more moments before revealing part of the truth.

”It's a club, isn't it?”

”Go on.” Could Lach see that Phoebe knew exactly what kind of club Masters really was? He wanted her to continue to describe it and seemed willing to wait her out. He picked up a fork and dug into his food as if they weren't actually having a discussion about Dominants and submissives. This wasn't your typical dinner conversation. ”What kind of club?”

”You know what kind of club,” Phoebe answered petulantly, taking another sip of wine to calm her nerves. Just talking about what went on in that place had jacked up the heat in her apartment. He kept eating and patiently looked across the counter at her with those dark eyes of his. The word slipped out of her mouth. ”Kink.”

”Yes,” Lach agreed, taking a napkin and wiping his mouth. Phoebe tried not to fixate on his lips, but he was making that rather hard. He'd lifted one side up into a sensuous smile. ”Let me be more specific. BDSM-Bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism, or dominance and submission. It all depends on the person and how they view it and play out the lifestyle.”

Phoebe's heart was beating a little too fast and her hands were perspiring. It was if her dreams were unfolding and seeing the light of reality. Today's event had allowed them to be in each other's company on a personal level in place of a professional one. Tonight's occurrence had taken that personal level to an intimate one with just an exchange of words. She took another sip of wine and protested when Lach took it from her hands.

”Eat.”

”What?” Was he kidding? Phoebe couldn't eat another bite, not when they were discussing BDSM. ”I'm not hungry.”

”Yes, you are.” Lach pointed to her food. ”Eat. I'll talk.”

Phoebe hesitantly picked up her fork, searching Lach's eyes to see if this was some type of test. Did he think she would always follow his orders? She sure as h.e.l.l didn't have that type of personality, but she wouldn't mind playing around. Was that what he was getting at? She took another bite and although it was just as good as the first, she felt like she was waiting on pins and needles for what he was about to say.

”When I was a Marine, I was on leave with some buddies.” Lach continued to eat with gusto and talk in between bites as if this was a normal discussion. ”One of them lived in Southern California, so I stopped there first instead of heading home. I spent the weekend getting an education, especially for a guy who'd been somewhat sheltered. My buddy got a few of us some guest pa.s.ses, and by the end of the weekend my a.s.s didn't get home that time, much to my parents dismay. I became a member and learned who I was, what I like, what I crave, and what makes me satisfied.”

Phoebe was on autopilot with her eating, picking up the food with her fork and putting it in her mouth. She had to remind herself to chew every now and then, but she got enough down to keep him talking. Her skin was tingling as he described his first time in the lifestyle. She would eventually have to admit a few things herself, but she wanted to hear more of what he had to say.

”I get pleasure out of taking a woman to heights she's never experienced before. Each scene is constructed to bring out her most basic animal gratification to the submissive beneath my touch and that is just the beginning.” Lach finally pushed his plate away, using the napkin once again to wipe his mouth. He picked up her gla.s.s and drank the last little bit that had been at the bottom. ”This part of me isn't something that I'm willing to give up. Which is why we're having this conversation. You and I agree that there's this chemistry between us and we both want to act on that. So I see two ways this is going to unfold.”

Phoebe finally put her fork down, using her own napkin. She looked at the white tissue, seeing that she'd smeared off most of her lipstick. There was a part of her that wanted him to stop the discussion right where they were, giving her time to catch her breath. Feeling the heat of his stare, she knew that wasn't going to happen. She met his dark gaze and wondered how in h.e.l.l they'd lasted this long. Did he not realize that even talking about dominance and submission made her want to tear her clothes from her body and submit?

”One, you agree to expand your horizons and are willing to trust me to show you pleasure beyond your wildest imagination.” Lach slowly walked around the island and didn't stop until he turned her stool and was right in front of her. She unconsciously widened her legs, giving him a place to settle. He tucked her hair behind her ears for her before cradling her face, so she placed her hands on his arms. ”Or two, you decide that it's not what you want. We agree to quench these flames that spark up every time we're near each other and then go our separate ways.”

”What if I choose option two, but I don't want to go my separate way?” Phoebe had no idea why she'd asked that question. Maybe she was testing him. The words had just slipped out. ”What would you say?”

”That I am who I am.” Lach brushed a thumb across her cheek as if in rea.s.surance. ”Something I said similar before was misconstrued and I don't want that happening again. So let me expand. There is a fierce hunger within me that needs to be sated. I'm not a s.a.d.i.s.t, but I do like control. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy myself in the company of a beautiful woman from time to time and keep it vanilla.”

”But if I want something longer?”

”I would never ask you to be someone you're not, Phoebe.”

”I suppose now is the time to tell you what's in that trunk in my closet,” Phoebe said, feeling her body awash in warmth at sharing her secret. She had never thought she'd find someone to understand her wants and desires, but he was standing in front of her and after having waited all this time, she wasn't about to let him go over a little embarra.s.sment. ”You know, the one that I could fit a body into?”

”Are you going to tell me you actually have someone in there?” Lach smiled and Phoebe felt a s.h.i.+ver go up her spine. He had no idea the effect he had on her body. Or did he? ”Is there something you've been hiding from me, Miss Socialite?”

”I-” Phoebe paused, never having been in the position to admit out loud her fetish. She'd closed her eyes to try and form her thoughts when she felt his warm lips brush against hers. The light contact had her confessing. ”I love corsets. I love the constriction they give, the feel of the material, and the way I look in them. Because of who I am, I was never able to attend clubs like Masters. I've been to two in my life, but only as a guest, and they were in different cities.”

”Did you enjoy them?”

Lach's question wasn't what she'd been expecting and Phoebe tightened her fingers on his arms. The material kept her from feeling his skin, but that didn't prevent his heat from soaking through. She'd expected him to ask where, with who, and what she'd done at these clubs...but he didn't.

”Um, yes.” Phoebe waited for Lach to say something more and when he didn't, came to understand why he only spoke when needed. His patience was somewhat annoying. Actually, it was downright maddening but very effective. She didn't like that he used it on her and her tone came out a bit snappish. ”Yes, I enjoy wearing my corsets very much. I enjoyed the clubs, but never had the nerve to play with someone I didn't know. Because of who I am, I had to be careful which clubs I attended and who I interacted with.”

”Well, then. I guess that answers my question.” Lach once again dipped his head and gently claimed her lips. It wasn't as pa.s.sionate as when they'd been in Iraq or when they'd had dinner, but more of a slow and sensual act. He took his time and playfully teased her tongue with his. The longer their kiss lasted, the more her desire rose. She tried to pull him back when he broke off their kiss. ”Time for bed.”

Phoebe smiled and would have hopped off the stool had he not stopped her. Lach was shaking his head as if she'd misunderstood him. She must have, because when he held out his hand and helped her down, he didn't follow her into the bedroom. It wasn't like she'd gotten far, only two steps, but he'd made his intentions known by walking around the counter and starting to clean up the mess they'd made. Couldn't that wait?

”Lach?”

”What do you sleep in?”

”Sleep in?” It wasn't like Phoebe was inexperienced, although she picked her partners carefully. Regardless, she felt her cheeks flush at the intimate question. Where was he going with this? ”I sleep nude.”

”Then go get undressed and slide under the covers.” Lach bagged the to-go boxes and then threw them in the trash. He reached for her wine gla.s.s and it was obvious he was going to hand wash it as he pushed up his sleeves. ”I'll be in to say goodnight in a minute.”

”Goodnight? Lach, it's not even seven o'clock at night.” Phoebe felt a spark of anger and it amazed her that he could make her feel so many emotions within so many minutes. He was driving her insane. ”I thought-”

”You're exhausted.” Lach placed the wine gla.s.s in the sink and then rested his palms on the counter. ”You're putting in too long hours and not taking care of yourself properly. I'm not going to take advantage of the situation you've constructed. We talked. You know where I stand. Let that sink in, get a goodnight's rest, and we'll talk in the morning once you've had time to truly consider my offer.”

”I'm not a little girl that doesn't know what she's doing, Lach.” Phoebe tucked a strand back behind her right ear, remembering when he'd done so not two minutes ago. She didn't like this change of events. ”You're basically saying you're going to tuck me in. I don't like the inference that I'm a child.”

Lach moved in a predator-like fas.h.i.+on and gave Phoebe the sense of being hunted. She wasn't afraid and stood her ground, refusing to bend to this. She ignored the thrilling chill of excitement as he came closer, his eyes darkening with some internal need. The question of could she fulfill it quickly ran through her mind.

”You say that you're interested in the lifestyle I lead, going so far as to explore certain clubs in person over the years.” Lach now stood inches from her, his virility almost overwhelming. She still kept her poise and refused to back down. Nothing he could say would change her mind about him tucking her into bed like a child. It wasn't going to happen. ”What did you see when you were there at these clubs?”

Lach's question threw her. Phoebe hadn't expected him to put her on the spot, but to instead explain his actions and words after having aroused her to the point that she'd confessed her penchant for sensual styled corsets. He didn't just get to bow out for the evening as if he had something better to do with his time.

”Does it matter?” Phoebe asked, wis.h.i.+ng she could rewind this evening by ten minutes. She was starting to make a habit of that. She reluctantly answered his question. ”Men and women playing together and exploring their s.e.xuality.”

”Dominants and submissives. They might have been expanding their limits, but if they were in a club setting, they'd already admitted their s.e.xuality to themselves and others...and are proud of it.” Lach inched closer, causing the air to ignite with sparks. ”You witnessed an exchange of trust. Dominant men and women taking care of their subs-mentally, emotionally, and physically. Those submissives willingly placed their well-being into the palms of their Doms' hands.”

Phoebe felt her arousal rise with each word of Lach's description. The way he viewed the lifestyle and the people in it were erotic and sensual, yet his portrayal made her realize the layer of depths that were a.s.sociated with it. The picture he painted made her want and long for what he described. What did that say about her?

”What does that have to do with tucking me into bed?”

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