The Claiming Read online

  She parted her lips and licked him. Dragging her tongue around the slit, already glistening with pre-come at the thought of her hot mouth. But Sasha was in the mood to play. Instead of taking him deep in her mouth, like she normally did, she licked her own lips.

  “Fuck, Sir. I love your cock.” She licked the very tip a few more times and he thought he’d lose his mind.

  “Then suck it. Open your mouth, take me inside, and suck me down like I know you can.”

  “But it’s so much fun to do this.” She licked it again and he knew if she kept it up, he was going to lose his shit.

  He tightened the fist in her hair. “Suck it. Fucking now, sub.”

  Recognizing his this is no longer a game voice, she dropped all pretense of play and took him deep into her mouth. Even so, he gave a solid thrust and drove even deeper. He fisted her hair with both hands, keeping her still and not letting her move her head.

  “That’s it.” Fuck, she felt good. “Keep it right there. Let my cock fill your throat. Breathe through your nose as best you can.”

  He let go of her hair, just for a minute, allowing her to take a deep breath. He lightly scratched her head, knowing she liked it. But she knew what it meant when his grip tightened once again.

  “Again,” he said.

  She once again opened her mouth wide and took him to the back of her throat.

  “Very nice,” he said. “Now swallow.”

  Her nails dug into his upper thigh. They didn’t do this often, but it was something he wanted her to work on. She obeyed and it took all his control not to release down her throat.

  “Breathe when I pull out,” he instructed her. He kept his hands in her hair, holding her still while he guided them both. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his current movements up for very long. Her nails scratched him deeper and he welcomed the pain.

  He pushed into her throat again. “Yes, that’s it. So good.”

  He pulled out and this time he didn’t have to tell her to breathe. “You love my cock filling your throat, don’t you?”

  Of course she couldn’t answer. But she didn’t have to, he knew her so well. “Get ready. I’m going to come down your throat. Take it all. Every last drop.”

  He shoved his cock deep inside one last time, holding her head still as he released. Afterward, he felt completely spent. He’d come so hard, he didn’t want to move for hours. Hell, he wasn’t sure he could move. But he forced himself to remain upright, holding out his hand, and helping Sasha up.

  “Was it worth waiting for?” she asked.

  He led her to a pile of hay. “Yes, little one.” He sat down and pulled her into his lap. “It was worth every minute of the wait. In fact, it was so good, I think you deserve a reward.”

  Cole scanned the inside of the barn. There was precious little to be found, but he did spy some coils of rope in the far corner.

  “I’ll be right back.” He went to retrieve the rope, making sure it would work. Worst-case scenario, she would have a few rope burns on her wrists.

  He made it back to where she was resting on the hay and noticed how her eyes widened with excitement when she saw the rope. “Excited?”

  “When you said reward, Sir, I didn’t know rope would be involved.”

  “Is the rope a problem?” he asked, even though he was fairly certain he knew the answer.

  “No, Sir. Everything is always better with rope.”

  “I agree. Now the question is, where do I string you up?” He looked around, trying to find a place that was safe and not too dirty. His eyes landed on something.

  He walked over to a wooden block against the back wall. “Come here, little one.”

  She walked toward him with just a hint of trepidation, but mostly excitement.

  “Stand up here on the block.” Once she was in place, he bound her wrists together and pulled them above her head, attaching the other end of the rope to a hook in the wall.

  “How does that feel? Not too tight or uncomfortable?”

  She gave the rope a good tug. “No, Sir. Everything’s good.”

  “Everything is about to get much, much better.” He stroked her ass and unzipped her pants, pushing them down her legs and exposing her naked from the waist down. “What a good girl.”

  “Oh no. Fuck. Red!” Sasha jerked her arms, as if trying to get away.

  He shot straight up, heart racing, and worked to untie her. He blocked everything out, unable to focus on anything other than getting her loose. She wasn’t trembling, which meant if it was a panic attack it wasn’t presenting the same way they had before. Her demeanor didn’t look like it did before one, either.

  “What’s wrong?” He gave the rope a hard jerk, finally pulling it free. Bloody hell, he was an idiot. He’d tied her up without scissors nearby. That was a rookie mistake and not only did he know better, but Sasha deserved better.

  “Outside,” she sputtered out. The second her hands were free, she bent down to pull up her pants, moving quickly and straightening her appearance as best she could.

  “What?” She wasn’t hurt. That was all he really cared about.

  “There’s someone outside, walking this way. I don’t know how much they saw.”

  His mind finally registered that nothing was wrong with Sasha and what she’d been saying worked its way into his brain. Someone was outside? He couldn’t fathom who would stop by to visit, but then again, word had gotten out that he’d bought the place. It could be anyone. Probably there were a good number of people living nearby who remembered him.

  Damn stupid rotten timing. He wanted nothing more than to finish what he’d started with Sasha. He’d just send whoever it was away.

  But from outside the barn came a familiar, “Yoo-hoo!” that made him moan.

  “What?” Sasha asked. “Do you recognize their voice?”

  “Cole?” asked the lady outside. “Are you down here? I thought I saw something.”

  “Who is it?” Sasha sounded pissed. And he couldn’t blame her. After all, he’d been minutes away from making her come so hard, she’d forget her name. Not to mention, the knees of her jeans were dirty, telling anyone who cared to look exactly what she’d been doing not too long ago.

  He sighed heavily. “Mary Catherine.”

  Chapter Four

  What the fuck?

  Sasha knew she shouldn’t be angry at Cole; there was no way he’d known she was going to show up and ruin what she knew would be an earth-shattering orgasm. But the fact was, she was angry and he was the closest person to her.

  She put her hands on her hips. Sasha had been too hesitant and unsure to say anything when Cole’s ex unexpectedly dropped by the morning after she and Cole had slept together for the first time. But that was then and this was now. And now she was not hesitant or unsure. “Is it like a game your ex-girlfriends have? Trying to see how many times they can cock-block us? Do they get bonus points if they see me naked?”

  “Sasha,” Cole said.

  “Hello!” the perky voice from outside said. “I hear voices.”

  Sasha rolled her eyes.

  Seconds later, a petite woman with gray-streaked strawberry blond hair appeared in the doorway. “I thought I saw someone in here.”

  But the blonde didn’t pay Sasha any attention. She had eyes only for Cole.

  “Cole Johnson,” she said, obviously not caring about her cold reception. “I heard you’d bought this place and then I saw the strange car yesterday. I put two and two together and decided to come say hi.”

  “Hi,” Sasha said, but Mary Catherine didn’t even look her way.

  “I tried the house and no one answered, but the car was still outside, so I took a chance you’d be down here.” She threw her hands up. “And here you are!”

  “How are you, Mary Catherine?” Cole asked.

  The
blonde looked entirely too pleased to be the focus of his attention. Her cheeks actually flushed. “Good. I’m good. How are you?”

  “I’m well, thank you.”

  “I can’t believe you’re back. Are you here for good?”

  He moved to stand by Sasha’s side and slipped an arm around her shoulders. “No, actually. We’re just here for a week or so. This is my Sasha. Sasha, this is Mary Catherine. We grew up together; she was the vicar’s daughter.”

  He spoke it all very calmly, giving no indication that he’d ever breathed a word about Mary Catherine before this introduction.

  The woman still didn’t look her way. “Married?”

  Cole shook his head. “Not in so many words.”

  She frowned at that. “In any words?”

  “In the ones that matter.” Cole stroked Sasha’s collar, perhaps to see if the other woman noticed and would have a clue to its meaning.

  From all appearances, she didn’t seem to. “I was married. We divorced last year.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Mary Catherine laughed. “I’m sure as hell not. He was an arse and a bore. I was glad to get rid of him. Do you have any kids? I have three.”

  “No. No, children.”

  Now she looked at Sasha. “That’s too bad. Infertility?”

  “Nothing of the sort. Just not ready to give up the hot-as-hell sex. Plus, I hear your boobs get flabby. And you have to deal with diapers and colic and driving and college. And did I mention I’m not ready to give up the hot-as-hell sex?”

  Cole coughed, obviously trying to cover up his laugh. But in front of them, Mary Catherine’s eyes blazed.

  “I think that’s just selfish,” she said.

  Sasha shrugged. “That’s because you’ve never had sex so good it lasts for days and an orgasm so intense you black out.” Her work here was done. She patted Cole’s chest. “I’ll leave you two old friends to catch up. I’ll be waiting for you in the dining room, naked. We still have to christen the table.”

  ***

  “She’s lovely,” Mary Catherine said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

  “She’s incredible.” Cole watched Sasha’s retreating backside with a combination of pride and desire. Holy hell, she was sexy as fuck when she put Mary Catherine in her place.

  “Is that really what you look for in a woman?”

  Cole bit back the angry reply and asked calmly, “Why are you here, Mary Catherine?”

  “I told you, to welcome you back home.”

  “This is not home. This is an investment property. Home is in the States, where I’ll be returning in less than a week.”

  She didn’t appear to give his remark any thought. Instead, she walked around the barn, looking over everything. “Lots of memories here. Do you remember?”

  “Of course.” He needed her to leave; he had a hot date waiting in the dining room. “Come on. Let me walk you to your car.”

  “Don’t I even get a hug? For old time’s sake?”

  “No, I’m afraid not.” He started walking to the barn door.

  “She doesn’t let you touch other women? Is she afraid she’ll lose you?”

  That was enough. He stopped dead in his tracks, turned around, and gave her the look that had earned him the nickname Badass Brit. Mary Catherine’s eyes grew wide with shock.

  He spoke slowly, “If you were a bloke, you’d already be knocked out on the floor for being so disrespectful toward Sasha. She is the best thing that ever happened to me and no one—I repeat, no one—will disrespect her. The best thing you can do is go back to your house and your children, and leave her alone. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m needed in my dining room.”

  He left her standing there, and didn’t look back to see if she stayed or left herself. Good Lord, he could have slapped his thirteen-year-old self. He used to fancy that? With a renewed purpose, he quickened his stride and made his way to the house. Once inside, he made a beeline to the dining room, only to find it empty.

  What the hell?

  “Sasha?” he called. Where was she? He went to the morning room, where he’d found her earlier, but she wasn’t there. Nor was she in their bedroom. He stood near the window, trying to think of where she might be. A movement outside caught his attention.

  The greenhouse.

  He made it there in record time, and she gasped when he pushed the door open. She caught herself on her hands before she fell over into the pot of dirt she was mixing.

  “You’re back sooner than I anticipated,” she finally said.

  “Yes, and you’re not in the dining room and you’re not naked.” He crossed his arms and gave her the same look he’d given Mary Catherine moments before.

  “I thought—”

  He held up his hand to stop her. “I don’t care what you thought. I’m going to be in the dining room in three minutes and you better be in there, completely naked.”

  She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but apparently thought better of it. She stood up, brushed her knees off, and hurried out the door.

  He waited for thirty seconds and then followed. He had a table to christen.

  Chapter Five

  Cole waited outside the front doors as the car holding their guests for the week pulled up. Sasha watched him from her place off to the side of the door. She brushed her hands over the uniform Cole set out for her, and they trembled just a bit in excitement.

  The week Cole had planned for them all was so unlike anything she’d ever done and she couldn’t imagine any of the players had done anything similar, either. He hadn’t told her much, just to expect a little bit of role play. She rather liked being dressed up in the servant’s outfit Cole had selected specifically today for everyone’s arrival. Especially wearing Cole’s collar. It wasn’t exactly like when he trained her in slave service for two weeks, but it was close enough.

  Since that time, she’d done everything she could to get to the root of why she liked being Cole’s so much. In fact, she’d filled half a notebook with thoughts. On one hand, she felt like she shouldn’t like it. After all, she was a small business owner. She was intelligent and self-sufficient. So why did she get off on serving Cole?

  She’d never questioned her submissive nature before, but once she’d experimented as his slave, she couldn’t help but question the way that experience made her feel. She’d found everything about serving him twenty-four/seven made her feel at peace and content. Even though he’d told her that they weren’t going to be in a Master/slave relationship at this point in time, her belly still quivered with excitement simply thinking about it.

  Maybe that was why she had so looked forward to this week. No, it wasn’t exactly like being a slave, but it was pretty close. Already she could see Cole’s eyes grow dark with lust and wanting when he looked at her in the uniform. Even though it was only for role play. Of course, he probably also liked the fact that she didn’t have anything on underneath her short skirt.

  “When you least expect it, I’m going to push you against a wall, lift your skirt, and fuck you good and hard,” he’d told her when he set out the uniform.

  “Yes, Sir. Please and thank you and can you do it now?” she’d asked, but he just laughed, gave her backside a swat, and told her to be patient.

  Cole opened the car door and let Abby and Julie out. The two women had their heads together looking over the huge house. The driver of the car let Daniel and Nathaniel out and then got the bags from the back. Cole motioned her forward.

  Game on.

  She scurried down the stairs to where Cole stood, talking with the foursome. “Ah,” he said when he saw her. “Here’s my servant girl, Ms. Blake. Ms. Blake, will you take the ladies up to their quarters? I’m sure they would like to refresh themselves after such a long journey. The gentlemen and I would like drinks in the library
in thirty minutes.”

  Thirty minutes. She hid her smile. Even though it was a role play, he was giving her time to chat with her friends. “Yes, my lord.” She curtsied and didn’t miss his wink as she stood. “Mrs. West, Ms. Masterson, if you don’t mind following me.”

  Both ladies bid the men good-bye and walked behind Sasha as they all made their way to the entrance. They kept the roles up until they crossed the threshold and the heavy wooden doors closed behind them.

  “Girl, look at you,” Julie said. “You look hot dressed like a maid.”

  Abby nodded. “I have got to get me one of those uniforms. Nathaniel would die.”

  “It has definitely fueled a few fantasies,” Sasha said, tugging at the short skirt. “I’d be lying if I said otherwise.”

  “And look at this house.” Julie walked around the foyer. “It’s huge. How old is it, anyway?”

  “I think Cole said at least a couple hundred years. It’s been renovated a few times.” Sasha motioned the women to follow her. “Come on upstairs. Let me show you your rooms.”

  “Definitely won’t find anything like this Stateside,” Abby said. “It’s stunning.”

  “Wait until you see the gardens. I think we’re doing something out there tomorrow. Cole won’t tell me all of his plans.”

  Was it her imagination or did a look pass between Julie and Abby?

  They didn’t say anything else, so she led them upstairs to the massive bedrooms. She stopped at the first one on the right. “Abby, you and Nathaniel will be in here.” She pointed across the hall. “Julie, you and Daniel are in there.”

  Julie’s eyes danced with merriment. “And where do you sleep?”

  “Servant’s quarters are up another flight of stairs.”

  “Avoiding the question?” Abby asked.

  The front door opened down the stairs and the sound of masculine laughter filled the air.

  “Master Johnson sometimes requests assistance in the night, so he’s asked me to sleep in his chamber,” she said, trying to keep a straight face as she fell back into role. “But he wouldn’t want such scandalous information to get out. So you will keep that to yourself, yes?”