James (Doms of Club Indigo #1)

Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

When James awoke, he took a few moments to get his bearings. It was dark, much darker than his bedroom ever got, with no sign of any of the soft glows of modern conveniences. The streetlamp outside his curtained window, the phone charger, the smoke detector — all absent. He appeared to have fallen out of bed onto a discarded blanket that provided a very thin cushion between him and the hard floor, and then pulled…something down with him to snuggle. He was not a weighted body pillow kind of guy, so he couldn’t begin to guess what it could be, except that it was soft and heavy and very warm, not merely absorbing his own heat but radiating heat of its own. This discomfort was amplified by the fact that his air conditioner wasn’t working, and he’d been basting in his own sweat all night, and the night wasn’t even over. Why was it so dark?

Then memories of the previous day rushed back, and all these things sort of made sense again, especially the soft, warm weight lying against him.

Laura was still sleeping with her head on his shoulder, and where their skin touched, they were stuck together.

Interesting . During the night they had cuddled together, even in the stuffy heat. He wondered what time it was, but his watch was on the arm pinned underneath Laura. There were no windows to the small room, but the silence told him the storm was past. Maybe they could leave the building and get better acquainted in a nicer environment.

James touched her cheek in the dark, traced the contours of her face, then kissed her temple and nuzzled her hair. “Honey, it’s time to wake up.”

She shifted, her sleeping half-embrace tightening as she roused, then relaxing again. “Hi,” she murmured.

Why did it have to be so dark? He could imagine her sleepy smile, the morning flush pink in her cheeks, her hair splayed messily over both of them, but imagination was all he had. However, she wasn’t recoiling or panicking in his arms, and that felt pretty good too.

She stirred and slowly sat up. “What time is it?” she asked sleepily.

James gave his watch a pinch and tipped his arm so she could see the glowing face for herself: 7:04.

“Did we sleep all night?” she gasped and then cocked her head to the side. “Wait, I don’t hear the wind anymore.”

He nodded. “I think we can explore a bit and find out if it’s safe to leave.” He got to his feet, using the glow of his watch to locate the flashlight. Once that was on, he held out his hand to her, and felt a bloom of satisfaction when she took it. James helped her up and pulled her flush against him for a hug and a deep drugging kiss. “Good morning,” he whispered against her lips .

Before she could berate him, he pulled her to the barricaded door. Together they made swift work of the shelves blocking it and they stepped through the door into the laundromat’s back room. It didn’t look too bad at first glance. Some of the little windows had broken, letting the rain in, and the restroom door had beaten a hole into the wall where the wind had been blowing it open all night, but that was all.

But when James opened the back door, even before he had processed the flattened landfill that used to be a small strip mall, he heard a sizzling sound. Dropping his gaze, he stared in horror at the high voltage electric cable wriggling on the ground in front of him like a king cobra. He froze until he felt Laura behind him, trying to squeeze through the doorway and see for herself.

“Don’t move.” James stepped back, blocking the doorway with his arm to prevent her taking his place, and pointed at the cable.

Laura nodded and took a tentative step backward. She bit her lip and hugged herself – a self-soothing gesture that pulled at his dominant strings. “Can we go around it?” she asked.

“No. Everything’s wet,” he said, which was an understatement. The back lot of the laundromat had become a shallow ocean spotted with islands of jagged glass, twisted metal, and fallen power lines. “Water is a great conductor and humans are great grounders. We’re not getting out this way. Come on.”

“It looked like the vape store next door was gone,” Laura said, following him through the back room. “Just gone.”

“Yeah.”

“And the thrift store and the pawn shop and… and ev erything. But we’re still standing,” she said, looking around at the employee’s area in childlike wonder. “We were barely touched at all!”

Then they opened the door to the main room.

Technically, the laundromat was still there, but the entire front wall had been destroyed, as completely as if it had been bitten off. The only proof there had ever been windows was broken glass glittering everywhere among the bricks, insulation, splintered boards, and soggy chunks of drywall. The laundry vending machine must have been hit by something; its face was shattered, colorful baggies of detergent floated in the pockets of suds churned up by the storm. The tree that had smashed through the window earlier had been joined by another, which was almost fortunate as it prevented the roof from caving in completely, although the ceiling was now a good five feet lower across most of the room. He could see sky in only one place: where the signpost from the parking lot had come down like a hammer, shattering its face on the washing machines where it had landed, and exposing all its electrical innards.

“Maybe we can call for help?” James reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He cursed and showed the black screen. How convenient – his battery was dead.

Laura pointed at a backpack next to the washing machine. “My phone is in my backpack over there. Can I get it?”

James assessed the path in front of them. “I’ll get it. I can reach it more easily.” James moved through the space, carefully avoiding the small puddles of water and the shambles left by the tornado.

As he returned with the backpack, he took Laura by her elbow and guided her into the back room. She flipped through the contents of her bag and dug out her cell phone. The device lit up, but then Laura let out a disappointed sound and showed him the screen. “No service.” Her shoulders drooped. “That’s what I get for going through a discount company.”

“Looks like we’ll have to wait for the cavalry. There are probably rescue teams already at work clearing the area.”

“You don’t think we can clear a path through the front?”

“Oh, I’m sure we can move some stuff around, but I’m not sure which stuff is holding up the roof. We can’t risk it.”

“Can we get out through one of the back windows? Away from the cable?”

“It’s not about where the cable is so much as where the water is.”

“And the water’s everywhere,” Laura agreed with a reluctant nod. “But what if it starts to rain and the water comes inside?” Her eyes grew wide. “And what if ….”

James yanked her toward him and in one swift move, bent forward and flung her over his shoulder. Before she could open her mouth to protest, his hand came down on her still tender ass. She let out a small cry of pain and shock before she went slack over his shoulder. He walked back into the storage room and laid her down on the makeshift bed.

He lay down with her and pulled both her hands up over her head. “I don’t want you to think or worry for a while,” he said before connecting his mouth with hers.

She submitted to his ministrations, becoming pliant in his arms. She didn’t fight his hold and followed his lead. Her mouth opened when he demanded access and their tongues danced in a sensual rhythm, as perfectly in sync with one another as Latin dancers.

Efficiently, he unwrapped the layers that concealed her, peeling away the protective garments she wore. Like an artist unveiling a masterpiece hidden beneath a shroud, James exposed the raw beauty that lay beneath the fabric. Before she fully comprehended what was happening, he had her naked and trembling beneath him.

James kissed and nibbled on her mouth as he fumbled with his belt. He pulled it from the loops of his jeans and fastened the leather around one of the support poles of a shelf. In a practiced move he then looped the belt around Laura’s wrists and sat back on his haunches to admire his handy work as Laura tentatively pulled on her binding. When there was no give, she tried harder.

“Do you need to use your safeword, honey?” James asked.

She stilled and visibly relaxed at the reminder. “No, sir, I’m fine.”

He smiled. “Of course you are. Please try not to pull too hard. Normally I would use leather cuffs with soft padding. They wouldn’t leave noticeable marks, but this belt is much less forgiving.”

She nodded and quickly added, “Yes, Sir,” with a shy smile, visibly remembering his preference for verbal responses.

“How are you feeling?”

Her smile faded into a nervous frown. “Vulnerable and exposed. You’re still fully dressed, with only your belt missing, and I’m naked.” She bit at her lower lip and gave her improvised restraints a shake. “And bound.”

James kept his distance and let his arms dangle between his thighs. Will she remember to use her safeword?

“Yellow,” she whispered.

He smiled, sank to one knee, and stroked her legs – not in a sexual way, only to let her know he was there, to relax and soothe her. “Good girl. I’m glad you remembered your safeword. What is it you want to talk about?”

“What are you going to do to me?”

“For the moment, I want you to experience some bondage and I’m going to make you come. Maybe twice,” he said with a wink.

Laura swallowed and glanced away before she lifted her chin. “Sir, I don’t get off easily. I don’t mind you touching me, but I don’t want to disappoint you when …” Her apology turned into a moan as he teased the undersides of her breasts.

“So we’re back at green again, subbie?” James knew the answer, but she needed to know it, too.

“Yes, Sir,” she confirmed.

James was delighted with her. Although clearly anxious, she hadn’t panicked, and had used her safeword to slow down. Maybe she hadn’t been sure he would listen, but it was progress. She also wasn’t thinking about danger and being trapped in here. So, she was willing, naked and under him. Progress, indeed.

James explored her luscious body. By the looks of it, she had shed some weight recently, though she still had a womanly figure and enough padding for his muscular frame. As he kissed and caressed her, he learned how sensitive her earlobes, neck and nipples were. How such a responsive woman could claim she couldn’t come easily was a riddle to him.

He moved down her body and spread her legs. She was groomed neatly, but had a thatch of hair on her pubic area. That wouldn’t do for wax play, something to address later. In fact, he anticipated a number of interesting conversations with this beautiful, independent woman. When he realized he was thinking about a future with Laura, he blinked before he allowed a smile to break free. Maybe she was exactly the woman he had been looking for.

He kissed the insides of her thighs, moving closer and closer to his prize. She was squirming now, alternating between moving away and then toward him. That wouldn’t do! He gripped her legs and squeezed down hard enough to make her gasp.

“Don’t move,” he growled, his mouth hovering over her pussy. Then he went in for the kill.

Laura gasped once again as James settled his mouth over her clit. She was tied to a post, stripped naked and this gorgeous man was going down on her. Putting his mouth on her pussy!

Jake had never done that. He demanded a blowjob every day, but he’d not even once returned the favor. It was like nothing she’d ever experienced before.

Sure, she had masturbated and had felt something exciting that made her heart beat faster and left her more or less satisfied. She’d guessed that was how it felt to have an orgasm. But she had never climaxed courtesy of somebody else.

Jake had always been so negative in the bedroom. If she initiated, she was behaving like a slut. If she tried to tell him what felt good, he accused her of ‘emasculating’ him and stormed out. He thought foreplay was her giving him a blowjob and his favorite position was her belly-down over the bed so he didn’t have to look at her face. Hell, at last she just lay there and endured, hoping it would be over soon.

Now, she shuddered and moaned, “It’s too much. Wh-what’s happening?”

James lifted his head and ordered, “Come for me.” He drove two fingers into her tight canal and latched on to her clit again.

Laura’s world spun into a dizzying whirlwind, spiraling out of control as she grappled with the chaos of her emotions and the sensations James evoked from her body. Worries and feelings collided in her mind, each one adding fuel to the growing fire within her.

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, racing faster than the tornado tore through their city yesterday. Every breath came in gasps, unsteady and shallow, as if the air itself had become turbulent. The storm of her climax grew fiercer, swirling faster and faster, threatening to consume her. And then she was catapulted into a state of mindboggling oblivion.

As she came back to herself, James had already removed the belt from her wrists and was massaging the circulation back into her arms and hands. He wiped her body with a towel he found among the piles of clothes. With no air-conditioning, the temperature in the small room was smothering and she was covered in a fine sheen of sweat.

As her mind came online, she was stunned about her own reactions. He’d done it again – like some kind of computer virus, he’d made her systems shut down. She was so sated and pleased, she couldn’t be mad at him for it. She’d had an orgasm that wasn’t self-induced.

Wait. I came, but what about him ?

She gave him a once over. He still had his clothes on and an impressive bulge beneath his zipper.

“You’re back.” He cupped her cheek and gazed at her with a soft expression in his eyes and a small smile around his lips. “How do you feel, honey?”

“I’m fine.” She struggled in a more upright position on her elbows. “But what about you?” Her gaze lingered on the V of his thighs.

“I’m great, thank you. It was beautiful to see you giving in to your pleasure. A sight to behold,” was his rapid response.

Her face grew hot at the reminder. “That wasn’t what I meant. I was wondering if I could return the favor?”

“I am thrilled you’re willing to give as much as take. But this was for you. Besides, I can hear chainsaws.”

Startled, Laura listened and sure enough, heard the distant drone of several saws,

“The rescue workers are getting closer and I don’t think you’d want to be found naked on your knees with my cock between your lovely lips or on your back with me between your legs.”

Laura’s cheeks burned even hotter.

“Come on, honey,” he said as he helped her up. “Let’s get you dressed!”