Chapter 5
She was dripping everywhere. Reece was going to kill her.
Scarlet padded through the condo to the basket of towels she was supposed to have folded last night on the dining room table. She grabbed the one on top and scrubbed the moisture from her hair, then dried the rest of her body and glanced behind her. Wet footprints led all the way from their bedroom door to where she stood. Better get that cleaned up before...
The key rattled in the door. Heart pounding, Scarlet threw the towel on the floor and moved quickly down the hallway, dragging the towel with her foot as she went. Unfolded towels were bad enough – dripping all over the floor was in its own classification of evil. They’d barely seen each other in the week since Reece had been home from her buying trip to Los Angeles. Arguing about housework, at this point, would suck.
Scarlet highly doubted that Malachi or any of the other Doms they knew ever got lectured, let alone for being messy. Then again, Reece wasn’t really subby most of the time. If Malachi could help her, she’d owe him big time.
“Hi, I’m just getting out of the shower,” she called when she heard the door click shut. She wiped the rest of the floor mostly dry, like a demented human squeegee, and threw the towel on a hook. Reece walked in just as Scarlet reached the center of the room, breathing hard. Her girlfriend arched an elegant brow at her then looked around in bemusement.
“You’re short of breath. What on earth were you doing?”
“Nothing.” Scarlet put on her best poker face. “It startled me when you came in. I didn’t expect you home for a while.”
Reece’s gaze flitted about the room suspiciously, but she didn’t seem to notice anything objectionable. “Were you touching yourself?” She was resorting to guessing. Excellent.
“Yes, I was standing in the middle of the room masturbating. You caught me.”
“Shut up. I’ll figure it out eventually.”
Scarlet went to the dresser and yanked a t-shirt from her drawer and tossed it onto the bed.
Bare feet whispered up behind her. She’d taken off her shoes. Good girl. Reece knew she liked her better barefoot. Her girlfriend pressed up against her back and slid her hands along her skin.
“Mmm...your body’s all damp and shimmery, and you smell sexy. Can we cancel with Malachi? I want to spend the rest of the day in bed with you. I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.” Reece cupped Scarlet’s breasts and circled a nipple with one of her manicured fingernails. The soft fabric from Reece’s feminine business suit slid along her ass as the girl ground up against her. Evil, evil.
“He’s probably almost here,” she replied. “And I’m not cancelling with him. I want to do this.”
Reece sighed. “Fine. But you’re wearing jeans? At least put on a pair of my yoga pants or something. I want to be able to feel you if I touch you.”
“In front of him? I thought you wanted to keep this PG, other than the kink stuff.”
“But I’m so horny,” Reece whined in her ear. She bit down on Scarlet’s neck, making her groan loudly and her nipples tighten.
“Fuck. Are you ovulating?”
“Mmhmm.” She slid a long nail down her belly to her slit then dragged the tip over Scarlet’s clit.
She twisted out of Reece’s arms and frowned at her. “Bad girl. I need to get dressed before he gets here or I’ll do you right in front of him. Is that what you want?”
Reece’s eyes were smoldering as she flicked the buttons of her jacket open. She slid off her silk cami. Her pretty purple bra showed almost more than it covered, and Scarlet was helpless to look away. The jacket and skirt dropped to the floor, one after the other. The little matching thong paired with Reece’s devastating curves and Scarlet was like Pavlov’s dog. Scarlet stepped closer and tangled a hand in her long brown locks, then took a kiss. Reece moaned into her mouth and Scarlet backed her to the bed then shoved her down on it.
Maybe they should take the edge off.
Scarlet slipped her fingers under the dainty fabric of Reece’s underwear and slid them down her thighs, then off completely. She toyed in her moisture for a moment before sliding a finger up inside her and pressed down on her clit with her thumb. Reece cried out, angling her hips so that Scarlet would go deeper. After a year and a half without, did she miss cock? It was something they never talked about. Scarlet dropped to her knees between her luscious thighs and finger fucked her slowly. A flick of her tongue over her hard clit and Reece whimpered. Scarlet wished she had time to drag things out, but that would have to wait for later.
The knock at the door startled her. Damned punctual man.
She rose quickly, slipped on her tight t-shirt and grabbed a pair of loose shorts out of her drawer. Behind her, Reece protested.
“I’ll keep him busy for five minutes. Come out dressed when you’re done. It’s not fair to make him wait out in the hall.” Scarlet chuckled and bolted down the hall, ignoring her girlfriend’s grumbles. Would she be bold enough to pleasure herself while Malachi was sitting in their living room?
As she moved to open the door, her nipples strained at the fabric of her shirt. She should’ve put on a bra. Maybe he wouldn’t notice.
Malachi grinned at her as the door swung open. “Hi, am I late?” His gaze dropped to the front of her shirt and she felt her cheeks heat. Damn it. She didn’t want to give this guy the wrong impression. Scarlet had lost enough friends over the years who’d hoped they’d be the guy to make her switch teams. Although she was technically bi, she’d only ever dated women. She only found a few men attractive.
He must have noticed her frown before she had the chance to get rid of it. “Don’t worry. You warned me fair and square. But just because you’re not attracted to me doesn’t mean I don’t like looking at you.”
Scarlet chuckled and shook her head. “Fair enough.” She backed up to let him in then shut the door behind him. “Reece just got home from work and she’s changing. Can I get you anything?”
“She’s changing and you’re not in there helping her? You’re a strong woman.”
“Well, I was helping her but someone knocked at the door.”
“The bastard.” Mischief gleamed in his eyes. “I can come back later if you’d like.”
“We can wait. We’re not guys.”
“Ouch. You’ve been with a lot of guys, have you? I feel like I need to defend my gender now. Not all of us are looking to fuck every knothole in a fence.”
She led him to the living room and folded herself onto the couch. He chose an overstuffed chair and sank into it.
“Haven’t been with any guys. I just know what I’ve been told. You want a drink or something?”
“Nothing for now, thanks. So how do you know you don’t like guys if you’ve never been with one?”
“Good question. How do you know you don’t like guys if you’ve never been with one?”
He barked a laugh. “Touché. I’ve never been able to figure out why women are attracted to guys anyway. We’re ugly compared to you.”
She reexamined his features. “I doubt many people would classify you as ugly. You’re not hard to look at.”
“Aw, you’re so kind.” He grimaced. “So, Reece just got home? Did you have to work today, too?”
“Yeah. Got home a few minutes before she did. I’ve been working crazy hours this week. It’s our busy season.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a house framer. The guy I’m working for is a bit of a dickwad. I should look for something else.”
“I think Jude’s hiring.”
“Is he? Maybe I’ll talk to him. Thanks.” Working for Jude could either be awesome or really bad. If he was good to his people things would go well. If he was a dick it might ruin the friendship between Reece and Sabrina. It might not be worth risking.
They chatted for a few minutes about Malachi’s work. He was surprisingly easy to talk to. After about ten minutes, Scarlet was pretty sure they’d moved firmly into the friend zone, although she wouldn’t be surprised if he ogled her tits once in a while. She had several straight guy friends – leering was something she’d gotten used to.
At the fifteen-minute mark, she excused herself and went looking for Reece. When she opened the bedroom door, Reece looked up at her, cheeks flushed.
“Did you get off?” Scarlet whispered.
“I can’t,” she whispered back, squirming beneath the sheet. “Knowing he’s sitting in the next room is throwing me off.”
Scarlet rifled through the drawers and found a t-shirt and yoga pants. “Put these on. It’s been too long now. I think he’s getting suspicious. I told him that you were changing, but it’s been ages.”
“Has it?” Reece scrambled out of bed and slipped into the clothes she’d handed her. Scarlet re-made the bed.
As they were about to leave the room, she spotted Reece’s panties just visible under the edge of the bed. She scooped them up and tossed them in the hamper.
Reece looked mortified. “Thank goodness you saw those before he did.”
Hand in hand they went to the living room. Malachi stood with his back to them, looking out the window into the generally unused, park-like common area behind the building. For a man who didn’t do physically demanding work, the muscles in his arms were well defined. Her job would be so much easier if she wasn’t so small. Maybe he’d tell her his workout secrets, too.
She looked at Reece to see how she was fairing. There was no mistake, she was totally checking him out although, knowing her, she’d vehemently deny it. From time to time over the past week, they’d talked about him. There was a love/hate attraction there, under the surface.
“It’s mostly for show,” Scarlet explained. “No one that lives here really uses that area. It would be like trying to relax in a fishbowl, I imagine.” She laughed.
He turned and his gaze sharpened when he saw Reece. His eyes followed the lines of her body, barely concealed under the form-fitting clothes and he swallowed hard enough to notice.
So they were attracted to each other. That didn’t mean Reece was going anywhere, did it? Her stomach twisted. Dating Reece had been a gamble at first. She’d barely been bi when they’d started dating, and her relationship with Scarlet was her first serious one with a girl. She forced aside the uncertainty. Reece wasn’t the type to throw her aside on a whim, and she knew she loved her. Just because this was the first guy she’d seen her check out since they started dating didn’t mean anything.
“I thought maybe you’d decided to take a nap.” Malachi and Reece stared at each other for a minute. Scarlet noted the blush creeping up Reece’s neck. Horny and embarrassed. This might get interesting.
“I checked my email. Work stuff.”
He looked amused and skeptical, but didn’t push it. Malachi sprawled back into the chair, his leg draped casually over the arm.
“Please, make yourself comfortable.” Reece arched a brow at him. Sprawling on the furniture wasn’t usually done in this room.
“Don’t mind if I do.” His gaze was sharp. He was assessing her again, as though they were playing chess.
Scarlet’s kitten perched primly on the trendy sofa, her body language implying that yoga pants were not her usual style of dress. She was so tense Scarlet could almost see the waves of it coming off of her. Maybe if she’d gotten her off she would have been less stressed out.
“So how do you want to do this?” Malachi asked. “Here?”
“What are you expecting us to do?” Scarlet asked.
“Just play. Pretend I’m not here and do what you’d normally do. Clothes on, of course. If I can figure out what’s not working, I’ll tell you afterward.”
“Fuck.” Reece’s curse came as a shock. She rarely swore. “I need a drink first.”
“You should have a clear head for this.”
“I know, I know. I’ve read a bunch of the kinkster handbooks, Mr. Johansson. This is just a little weird.”
He snorted. “That’s an understatement.”
Before they could get into a verbal sparring match, Scarlet leaned over and kissed her. Reece’s mouth was hard and she resisted her for a few moments, but as usual she gave in to her coaxing. She could never feign disinterest for long. Reece started to squirm against her, but froze when Malachi shifted in his chair. Scarlet buried a hand in Reece’s hair and forced her up, then marched her down the hall into their bedroom. Malachi trailed after them.
When they reached the foot of the bed, Scarlet pointed at the floor. “Kneel.”
Reece looked at her meaningfully, sighed and rolled her eyes before she dropped to the hardwood. Her expression was anything but respectful.
Scarlet glanced at Malachi, who’d settled into the wingback chair in the corner. He raised his brows in a you’re going to take that shit? kind of way.
Grabbing her by the hair again, Scarlet yanked her back to her feet. She bent Reece over the bed and grabbed her belt off the dresser. Normally she’d warn her or ask first, but this was downright embarrassing. She hit Reece’s ass twice with the belt – hard. Her girlfriend gasped then gave her a dirty look.
“When I tell you to do something, kitten, you do it. No sass.”
“I didn’t even say anything!” she groused.
Scarlet gave her two more smacks with the belt and Reece danced from foot to foot, and covered her ass with her hands.
“Understood?”
“Ow! Jeez! Yes, Scarlet. Don’t be mean.”
“Then quit acting like you’re in charge right now.” She growled and pointed at the floor.
Reece knelt where she was supposed to, gaze down. Her posture wasn’t quite what Scarlet wanted.
“Hands behind your back. Tits out.”
She complied and it made her chest thrust forward. Scarlet licked her lips. She could get off just looking at her like this. Instead she went to the closet and rifled around, leaving Reece kneeling there, waiting. Waiting and knowing that Malachi was watching. If she caught a glimpse of his expression, like Scarlet had, she’d be blushing. He looked like he wanted to eat her alive.
Out of the closet she chose several lengths of rope and a blindfold. They’d do the easy stuff this time.
“Up on the bed.”
“That’s enough, Scarlet. I should top you now.”
“No, I’m not done with you. Don’t be chicken.”
“I’m not chicken. I just don’t feel like doing this right now.”
Scarlet hesitated. Normally she’d back down if Reece said no. They didn’t have a safeword, because Reece insisted they didn’t need one. But Malachi was watching and this whole thing would have been for nothing if they stopped here.
“Get on the bed, woman,” she snapped.
Reece’s eyes widened and she hesitated but then got up on the bed and sat in the middle like it was a life raft.
“Lie down.”
She looked unhappy. “What are you going to do?”
“Just let me do this,” she half-asked in frustration.
“Fine.”
Fuck. Here they went with the “fine” shit. Embarrassment and uncertainty grew and her patience snapped. “Lie the fuck down and shut up.” Her tone surprised her. She looked at Malachi to gauge his reaction. Was she fucking this up terribly?
His face didn’t give anything away. At least he wasn’t shaking his head in disgust. She turned her attention back to her girlfriend.
Reece was complying, but it was slow. So slow, Scarlet wondered if she should turn her over her knee or something. She needed a freaking handbook to figure out how to dom this woman – one written specifically about her.
She slipped a pillow under her ass and Reece, mercifully, said nothing. As Scarlet tied her to the bed, she noticed her shift subtly beneath her. This seemed to be making Reece hot even though she was acting tough. Maybe Reece not getting off earlier would work to Scarlet’s favor. If she sucked at domming, at least Malachi would know she and Reece had chemistry. That was some redemption at least.
Scarlet put the blindfold on last then kissed her hard on the mouth. She knelt on the bed beside her captive, and ran her hands over the thin fabric of her clothing, avoiding her nipples and her privates. She trailed her fingers up the side of her neck and played with her hair, then explored her cleavage and dipped a finger into it. At her waist, she lifted the edge of her t-shirt and snaked her hands up to stroke her breasts, then pulled at her nipples when they got hard.
Reece gasped and writhed, and Scarlet could tell that she was trying to stay still but failing. As usual, the heady feeling of power over her normally bossy girlfriend was almost too arousing. She squeezed her thighs together and forced herself to calm down.
The lack of underwear lines in Reece’s yoga pants made her hot all over again. She toyed with the top edge of the pants, wondering how far to go with things. Her fingertips traced a line across Reece’s belly, just under the waistband.
Reece panted. “Scarlet, don’t. No.”
Desire shot through Scarlet, and she squirmed involuntarily. Reece often said no when they played, but her body language didn’t match her words. This was why they needed a safeword. Sometimes, Scarlet kept going anyway when Reece didn’t seem to want her to really stop, and the protests turned to moans of pleasure. She was never sure if that was the right thing to do.
This time she stopped and looked at Malachi who gave her a nod of encouragement.
“No? Are you sure, kitten? You don’t want me to touch you here?” She tickled one finger between Reece’s legs, over her clothing. Reece pushed her groin up to meet Scarlet’s hand and whimpered. The latter pulled her hand away and traced small circles on the inside of her thighs.
“No.” Reece wriggled, trying to connect with her hand again. “I mean...please, Scarlet.”
“Please what? Please stop?” She withdrew her hand and watched with satisfaction as Reece fought the ropes that restrained her.
Her helpless whimper made Scarlet want to grind up against her.
“Let me go,” she pleaded weakly.
“Is that what you really want?” She dragged her fingers over her girlfriend’s slit again and she mewled.
“I...I...”
Scarlet wondered if she was evil to enjoy this so much.
When she pressed harder on her clit, Reece jerked against the ropes and a cry escaped her. “Please!”
“I thought you wanted me to stop?” she purred with a grin.
“I need to come,” she rasped.
“You don’t need to come, kitten. You just want to.”
“Yes, I want to!” She sounded teary. “Please help me, Scarlet.”
“If you’re sure that’s what you want.”
“Please?” Reece’s whole body was taut with frustration. Was it because she’d started horny? The ropes? Scarlet taking charge? Malachi watching? Or was it a mix?
Scarlet stretched over her and kissed her mouth hard, pressing her thigh up between Reece’s. Immediately, Reece rubbed against her, breathing hard. The heat of the girl’s sex was obvious, even through the fabric of both of their pants. This was more fun naked, but Reece wouldn’t thank her if she pushed the nudity issue already. When she was about to come, Scarlet pulled away.
“Scarlet, no! That’s not fair!” Reece whined. She turned her head back and forth as she tried to see something from behind the blindfold.
“Do you get to decide what’s fair?”
She worried at her lip for a moment. “No, I don’t. It’s up to you right now. Is that the right answer?”
Scarlet chuckled darkly.
Her girlfriend made a sound of frustration. “Please!”
She was seriously starting to get a fetish for begging. Scarlet slapped her sharply between the legs three times and Reece tensed up in her bonds. She pressed hard on her clit, where she could feel it through the fabric. With a gasp, Reece started to convulse, coming hard. She screamed and pulled at the ropes. Not sure if she was crossing the line, Scarlet slipped her hand into the front of Reece’s pants and slid a finger into her then rubbed her clit with her thumb.
Reece’s mouth hung open and her body froze up for a moment before she came again, helpless to stop. When the aftershocks had finally trailed off, Scarlet untied her and pulled off the blindfold.
Reece stared at the ceiling in a daze. Scarlet pulled her into her arms and cuddled her as she stroked her hair and told her what a good girl she was.
Where had that come from? Scarlet felt like she’d performed some sort of amazing magic trick. Would she ever figure out how to do it again?
Reece relaxed against her and looked half asleep.
“Why did you keep looking at me?” Malachi broke the spell.
“She won’t pick a safeword. Usually when she complains, I stop and I don’t know what to do.”
“She needs a safeword,” he said sternly. “If I were you, I wouldn’t go further without one. Lots of people like saying no when they really mean yes, and that’s okay, but for safety’s sake, she needs a safeword.” His expression slid out of strict Dom when he grinned wickedly. “And that makes it more fun for you, Scarlet. Because she can resist and protest all she wants, but unless she says that one word, it’s fair game to do whatever you want.”
Scarlet immediately saw the appeal in that. She grinned back at Malachi. “Okay. Do you hear that Reece?” She gave her girl a little pat, but she didn’t seem coherent. “Start thinking of a safeword.”
Mal chuckled. “So has she gotten off like this for you before when you were topping her? You didn’t seem to need much help there.”
“Fuck, no! That was totally fucking amazing. This has never happened before. Not even close. Usually I stop and we argue and we’re both frustrated and go watch TV.”
He smiled kindly. “You need to pick a safeword and stop letting her run the show. She doesn’t respect your authority. You also need more confidence that you’re doing the right thing. Other than that, it seemed to work pretty well for you both.” He shifted and readjusted his cock without seeming embarrassed by it. Scarlet felt his pain – she had a cramp in her lower belly that she only got when she’d been frustrated too long. Maybe girls could get blue balls.
She brushed her lips against Reece’s hair and the girl snuggled into her. “Okay. But what about me liking pain? Are you sure that’s not a submissive thing?”
“Some Doms like pain. You need to explore how much you like and train her to give it to you.”
“I’m not good at doing it though,” Reece whispered tiredly from the safety of Scarlet’s embrace.
“How so?”
“She loves it when I bite her, but she wants more intense pain. I’ve tried, but I just can’t do it.”
“I can show you how, if you want,” he offered.
“It’s not that I physically can’t, it’s just...” She stopped for a moment and seemed to consider her words, “I don’t like hurting her. It hurts me to do it.”
“Have you tried reminding yourself that she likes it?”
“Yes.” She shrugged. “It helps a little.”
“Hmm. Maybe you can learn to like it, for her sake. Or maybe you can find someone to do that for her sometimes if you can’t.”
They remained silent for a few moments, lost in their personal thoughts.
“Do you need to, uh, use the bathroom?” Scarlet offered, not sure how to ask politely about that sort of thing. He must have been uncomfortable.
“I’ll manage. If I faint though, it’s just because all the blood has rushed away from my brain. Don’t panic.” His smirk spread to the two of them.
“So if you faint, what should we do?” Reece asked innocently.
“I’d suggest loosening my pants.”
Scarlet slid off the bed to her feet. “Of course you’d suggest that.”
“Next he’s going to suggest mouth to mouth.”
He looked positively wicked. “No. But maybe mouth to something else would help.”
Reece burst out laughing and threw a pillow at his head.