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Elsa scanned the street again. The message was obviously from Mr. Black who was watching her, but from where? Or maybe he sent the message just assuming that she would be on time. She found the key and opened the door and was immediately hit with the smell of old oak wood. An opulent railed staircase graced the foyer that was decked out in hand-painted glass tiles. She had never seen anything quite like this home and she hadn’t even ventured into the other rooms yet. Undecided as to whether or not she should wait for Mr. Black, her curiosity got the best of her and she roamed through the house slowly, taking in her surroundings. To her dismay, there was only the bare minimum of furnishings: a small bistro table in the dining area with two seats; a red velvet chaise lounge in the living room with a matching duchess chair with white trim nearby, and nothing else on the lower level.

When she climbed the long stairway to the large master suite, it was just as barren as the rest of the house. In the middle of the room sat a king-sized, brushed metal, canopied bed draped in white silk linens. It was an odd spot for the bed and looked out of place. The only other piece of furniture was a wooden chair facing the double bay window.

She then found her way to the master bathroom to find fresh towels in every size, all in white, along with a variety of body soaps and oils. Doing a double-take, she looked herself over in the large mirror that nearly covered an entire wall. Her sad eyes stared back and she smiled at her reflection, trying to convince herself that she was doing the right thing. She needed the physical intimacy that only a man could provide without the trouble of an emotional attachment and that’s what Mr. Black was offering. Of course it was the right thing.

Glancing at her watch, she realized she had been waiting for nearly twenty minutes. She didn’t even have a phone number for Victor to call to make sure he was coming. She scanned the details of the text message only to find the number was listed as private. Leaving the suite, she found a locked door at the far end of the short hallway that she assumed was another bedroom and tried to peek into the old style keyhole only to see it was blocked from the other end. Elsa hated locked doors and she jimmied with the door knob for nearly a minute. She even searched her handbag for something to pick the lock with but to no avail. Giving up, she went back downstairs and seated herself at the bistro table to play a game on her phone for several minutes as she waited.

Looking at her watch again, she began to become irritated. Thirty-five minutes had passed since her arrival. The least Mr. Black could do was call and let her know he was on his way. Moving to the chaise lounge, she loosened the top button of her shirt, kicked her shoes off and laid out on it, resting her head back and closing her eyes. She hadn’t even realized she had dozed off until a sensual dream flickered over the insides of her eyelids. Hot, needy hands were felt on her body as they worked their way up and over her calves and then thighs. She felt her skirt tugged and hiked up underneath her bottom and her panties pushed to the side. Just as a tongue slicked across her folds and tickled her clit, she arched her body and thrust her hips.

Elsa’s dreams had always been vivid and realistic, and there was no reason to believe this time was any different. She was positive she was dreaming and didn’t want to awaken. Her pussy muscles began to tighten and contract when she felt a firm squeeze on each of her breasts and a tweak of her nipples. What followed next were warm, moist lips on her mouth. Her lips parted instinctively as she fought to stay asleep when the faint taste of cigarette and mint assaulted her senses. A raspy tongue slicked across her teeth, then massaged the ridges of the roof of her mouth. The sensation was alluring and erotic and felt so real she didn’t want it to end, but a sudden sharp bite to her bottom lip brought her back to reality and her body tensed as her eyes popped open. Victor was standing above her, his hands resting at his sides, his eyes gleaming, his mouth still glistening wet from their brief oral encounter, and his dark-gray slacks barely concealing his hard-on.

“You taste even better than I imagined,” he wiped his mouth.

Breathless and with her heart beating rapidly, she swung her legs over the side of the lounger and smoothed her hair down and her ruffled skirt back over her legs. Her first sexual activity with Victor had proven to be just as mystifying as everything surrounding him. Still dazed from her half-asleep kiss, she did her best to compose herself. Even if he had been imagining what she tasted like, she was more than just a little irritated with Mr. Black for taking liberties with her while she was unaware. Quickly slipping her shoes back on, she stood brusquely and grabbed her purse. She pushed past him and as she moved toward the front door, she was halted by his deep voice.

“Leaving so soon? We’ve only just begun our little game,” he stated just as she turned the knob and cracked the door open.

Elsa peered over her shoulder to see Mr. Black watching her with an intense yet smug look on his face. Is that what this was to him? A damned game? “You told me this wasn’t a game, remember?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I lied.”

Her mouth became unbearably dry at the thought of being played with. She didn’t want to be hurt again. “Is that how this game is played? With lies?”

“The game is played in a variety of ways, Ms. Cassidy. Stay and I’ll teach you the rules.”

Playing a game with the intriguing man standing before her sounded like a tempting and nearly impossible idea to resist. She knew it was wrong and stupid beyond comparison to consider, but still… she wanted to play his game.

“You could’ve called and let me know that you were going to be late,” she said softly but with her eyes revealing her agitation.

Passively and without inflection, he responded. “Yeah, I could have.”

If her pussy wasn’t still throbbing from Victor’s oral assault, Elsa would’ve walked out the door, but she missed the kind of attention that a man’s mouth could lavish on her. She vacillated, and finally closed the door and turned to face Mr. Black. When she did, he was seated at the bistro table completely sure of himself. Casually seated in the chair with his long legs leisurely stretched out in front of him, he held her gaze. As if he could sense her need, he rested one hand teasingly on his upper thigh, drawing attention to his still massive erection. It was a heady invitation and one she found impossible to resist. Pushing her shoulders back, she lifted her chin and walked quickly to the table and seated herself across from him and dared to meet his eyes.

“Wise decision,” he simpered, his tongue poking out to moisten his lips.

As she sat watching him stare at her impassively, she wondered if he would mention their little interlude. Perhaps she should bring it up herself. She opened her mouth when Mr. Black cut her off.

“No speaking, Ms. Cassidy. Not yet. Not until I’m done going over the particulars of this agreement. My rules are simple, though you may find them hard to abide by. For that reason, I want your complete understanding and consent as to what you’re agreeing to.” Just then, he reached into a briefcase that sat on the floor next to him and pulled out a piece of paper. Placing it face down in the center of the small table, he held his hand over it, shielding its contents. “My rules are absolute. I don’t negotiate and I don’t concede. Ever. Either you agree to my stipulations or walk away. Am I clear?”

She eyed the paper dubiously and contemplated his words thoughtfully. The seriousness of Mr. Black’s statement sent a ripple of awareness through her, but when her eyes rose to meet his, the possessive look in his hunter eyes mingled with eagerness and signs of hidden tenderness on his rugged face tugged at her soul. He wanted her and she welcomed his rules.

“Perfectly clear.”

5: Anticipation

Elsa touched the contract and a prevailing sense of power and erotic energy pumped through Victor’s veins. She had no idea what she was in for and the anticipation of having her nearly turned his nerves to ash. When he had tasted her only a few minutes earlier, it took every ounce of self-control not to take her right there and then. He wanted to fuck her in painful ways and make her scream. He blinked long and hard, trying to contain the throbbing ache in his rigid shaft. He lifted his hand, allowing her to flip the cream-colored, linen paper over to read the words he had written. She scanned the paper quickly and her eyes flicked up to his with a look of uncertainty on her face.