The Flirtation Read online

  As she turned her computer off, her blood suddenly ran cold.

  Had Simon ever been to Nathaniel and Abby’s penthouse? Holy shit. How had she not thought of that before? She didn’t know, and she couldn’t very well ask Abby. She glanced around the living room. There were so many pictures displayed, of the kids, the entire family, and Nathaniel and Abby alone. She could make sure the pictures weren’t seen, but if Simon had ever been in the penthouse, there was no doubt he’d recognize it.

  She carried the laptop to her bedroom and looked around. This room was nondescript enough. It could have been a bedroom anywhere, and there was no reason to believe Simon had ever been in the Wests’ guest room.

  She messed around with the setup until she found a spot she liked. The entire time she was thinking that it was really a good thing Simon had gotten called away last time. If he hadn’t and she hadn’t realized what she just did . . .

  She didn’t even want to think about it.

  With a smile of satisfaction, she went to bed, hoping to dream about Simon and all the dirty things they could do together on video the next night.

  • • •

  Simon looked at his date with Faye as a reward for the hellish week he’d had trying to fix the issues at the Miami company that had kept him occupied all week. He’d never cared much for traveling, at least not by himself. Traveling with a submissive? That he could handle.

  The trip to Miami wouldn’t have been as bad or seemed as long if he’d been able to chat with Faye. But before he left, she’d told him that she had some special projects due for school that week and they would take up a lot of her time in the evenings. Though it was difficult not to send her a message, he respected she was working and working hard. Simon appreciated her work ethic. But enough was enough. They’d both been working hard. It was time to play a bit.

  The day of the planned video chat, he was able to keep himself busy, and for that he was grateful. Time went by a lot quicker when he had something to keep his mind occupied. Even still, his plans for the evening were never far from his mind. He just wasn’t able to let himself dwell on them for long.

  By the time eight p.m. came around, he was ready to play, tease, and torment Faye. She hadn’t been able to get her audio output fixed yet, and while that was disappointing, it wouldn’t ruin the session.

  He logged in and was immediately met with the picture of a woman kneeling in a large bedroom. After chatting with her online so many times, he’d wondered what she looked like. With a sigh, he realized he still wasn’t going to know because she wore a mask.

  He snorted and then smiled. It was absolutely brilliant. He actually wished he’d thought of it. Tease her a bit. But no, all she had to do was look up and she’d see him.

  Since her head was down, he decided to just watch her for a few minutes. She knelt with perfect form. He had told her not to be naked, knowing they hadn’t reached that level in their relationship yet. But even so, he could still appreciate her lithe body and graceful curves.

  Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and it looked to be a light brown. He wished he was in the room with her so he could run his fingers through the strands and feel how soft they were.

  The room itself spoke to a certain wealth, which surprised him. The way she’d set up the computer’s camera, he could see out a window. The room appeared to be on a high floor, judging by the tops of buildings he could see through the window. And for Manhattan, it was a very large bedroom.

  She had told him she was twenty-five, and even with her mask on, he remembered she was several years younger than his thirty-three. How had she achieved so much at such a young age? He had a sudden urge to confirm she wasn’t married. That’s all he needed—to have an angry husband burst into the bedroom.

  He hoped to God he hadn’t gotten involved with a married woman.

  Or maybe her parents were wealthy.

  He wasn’t going to let her social status impact the way he saw her. If she was well-off, what did it matter to him?

  Except he found it difficult to believe she couldn’t afford to get her computer fixed.

  “Faye,” he finally said, “you look perfect. And I have to say, that’s an amazing view you have there.”

  Her position had relaxed when he praised her, but at the mention of the view, she tensed up. Interesting. There was definitely something there. He’d look into it later. For the moment, he wanted to play.

  “I like the mask, too. Adds a bit of mystery.” And, as he’d hoped, at his words of praise, her body once more relaxed. “Look at the camera, Faye.”

  She hesitated. It was only for a split second, but it was noticeable. Then she lifted her head and looked into the camera. He couldn’t see her eyes because they were obscured by the mask, as was most of her face.

  Yet he had the most peculiar feeling of familiarity. He couldn’t put his finger on what exactly it was or where he might have seen Faye before. But it was there and it shocked him.

  As the silence grew longer and longer, Faye’s chin lifted a notch. That was it. There was something about the way she held her head that struck him as something he should be able to identify. Damned if he knew what it was, though.

  She had probably visited a club he frequented. That was the only thing he could think of. She didn’t appear to be studying him closely, but then again, he had his picture online on the boards they were part of.

  “Stand up for me, Faye,” he said, wanting to see all of her.

  She moved gracefully to her feet, so gracefully, he was almost certain she’d had some sort of dance lessons. He couldn’t help himself from asking, “Are you a dancer?”

  She shook her head, and the uncomfortable tension in her body returned briefly. Very interesting. For some reason she was not fond of him guessing and observing details about her life. At least those that she didn’t freely share.

  He should have left it at that. So she had secrets? Didn’t they all have things they didn’t want others to know? He hadn’t exactly been straightforward about his particular needs either.

  Because he couldn’t yet. Besides, for whatever reason, she intrigued him more than he’d anticipated. This woman who lived in a multimillion-dollar apartment and yet couldn’t afford to get her computer fixed, who obviously needed the release that came with being a sex submissive, yet kept her identity a closely guarded secret.

  Suddenly, it hit him. She was probably the daughter of an elected official. That had to be it. Now that he thought about it, it made perfect sense.

  Damn, but this could become a nightmare.

  The last thing he needed to do was to get involved with a politician’s daughter. Let word get out that someone in those powerful circles was involved with a sadist? No, thank you.

  The only problem was, he didn’t think he cared. He was taken with her.

  And he wanted more.

  “You’re very lovely, Faye,” he said. “If you’re comfortable, take your shirt off.”

  He hadn’t planned on asking her to strip, but with the thought that she could be related to a powerful political figure came the realization that their time might be limited. He wasn’t going to waste one minute.

  She didn’t hesitate with following his command. As soon as the words left his mouth, she unbuttoned the pajama shirt she had on and pushed it over her shoulders.

  She anticipated I’d have her take her shirt off.

  The thought hit him as soon as her shirt landed on the floor. She’d anticipated he’d have her strip, and she’d prepared by wearing a shirt that buttoned as opposed to one she had to pull over her head, which could dislodge the mask. That knowledge turned him on.

  “Did you wear that shirt hoping I would ask you to take it off?” he asked. She didn’t have a bra on underneath. There was nothing but Faye. And she was gorgeous.

  She nodded, and not for the first time, he wished he could have heard her say, “Yes, Sir.”

  She had to get that computer fixed. Either that or they h
ad to meet in person.

  He clenched his fist. No. Not yet. It was too soon. If he brought up meeting her now, he’d scare her. He needed to take things slow and fully earn her trust.

  “Very nice,” he said. “That pleases me. Once we log off, you may bring yourself to climax.”

  She nodded, both in acknowledgment and thanks, he assumed.

  “Now I want to see the rest of you,” he said. No, he hadn’t planned on having her strip, but now that he’d started, he’d be damned if he’d go halfway. “Keep your eyes on me.”

  There was that tilt to her head again. The one he thought he should have been able to place. But it made sense. If she was a politician’s daughter or related to a public figure, he might have seen her on television, or perhaps she shared mannerisms with her famous relative. That would explain why she seemed so familiar and yet he couldn’t place her.

  She slowly pushed her tiny shorts down, and he was pleasantly surprised to see that she didn’t have any underwear on either. He stifled a groan. The sight of her standing in that bedroom, naked. Oh, the things he could do to her.

  “Very nice, Faye.”

  He thought he saw a hint of flush under the mask.

  “I don’t want to push you too much on our first video call, so I’ll let you get back to your evening.” He paused, thinking. “Actually, I’m going to give you a bit of homework. I want you to write a fantasy before you make yourself come and send it to me before you go to bed.”

  She gave a quick nod and mouthed a Yes, Sir.

  “Good night, Faye. Talk soon.”

  • • •

  Lynne fell on the bed as soon as Simon disconnected. While not as stressful as she’d thought it might be, it had been stressful enough. She lifted her head to see what was visible outside her window. She hadn’t even thought about the window giving her away.

  She was fairly certain he wouldn’t be able to tell anything other than she lived on a high floor. Though, frankly, that was enough.

  She grabbed a nearby blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders while she thought back over the session. It had been hot as hell to strip for him. She knew he’d been affected as well. More than once, she’d heard a low groan she was almost certain he didn’t think she heard.

  The only thing missing was now she wanted to be in his arms. That was the downside to doing everything online. She missed the touch of another person. Most importantly, she missed his touch.

  She remembered the day they’d gone to Nathaniel and Abby’s. After the scene was finished, Nathaniel had taken Abby into their bedroom for aftercare, and Simon had taken her to the Wests’ indoor pool.

  If she closed her eyes, she could almost feel it. The warmth of the room. The slight humidity that seemed so out of place for the time of year. But mostly, she remembered Simon. He’d pulled her into his lap, and they’d sat and talked about the scene they’d just witnessed.

  Then, ever so slowly, his hand had inched down her body to the waist of her jeans. With a coarse voice, he’d told her to unbutton them, and when she had, his knowledgeable fingers had slipped inside.

  She could probably come again just remembering.

  And she might try, but not yet. First she had to write a fantasy. Funny, as she remembered that day, she also recalled having lunch afterward with Nathaniel and Abby. They had been talking, and Abby must have said or done something, because the next thing she knew, Nathaniel had commanded his wife to tell them all about the fantasy she was thinking of.

  Lynne thought she’d be embarrassed, listening to a woman she barely knew talk about her sexual fantasy. But Abby didn’t seem to mind, and neither did Nathaniel or Simon, so she acted like it was no big deal as well.

  And what a fantasy it had been. Abby was a complete exhibitionist, and her fantasy involved playing in front of people. It had definitely been hot. Lynne remembered how aroused she’d gotten, sitting at the table, listening to her describe how the scene played out. Her own fantasies, however, were much more private.

  Though she knew some people in the BDSM world enjoyed public playing, the idea never did much for her. She always envisioned herself as a private player.

  Would she play in public with Simon? She hadn’t thought about that. He was a very experienced Dom, and she assumed he played in public. They had exchanged checklists back when they were dating. Where had she put his checklist? She didn’t think she’d thrown it away.

  She stood up, the blanket falling from her shoulders. She wanted that checklist. She needed that checklist. A quick search of the papers she’d brought only served to confirm what she’d thought. She didn’t have it with her, which meant it had to be in Delaware.

  How could she get it without alerting the Wests that she was involved with Simon?

  Her fingers drummed on the bookshelf. She’d think of something. Until then, she had a fantasy to write.

  • • •

  Lynne scrolled through the private New York message boards on Sunday while she ate dinner. She had chatted online with a few of the members and found everyone both interesting and informative. Most of them were also members of Luke DeVaan’s club, which was the one club she didn’t want to join because it was also Simon’s, as well as Nathaniel and Abby’s.

  She’d thought about going to one of the other clubs but hadn’t taken any steps to do so. Before she went to one of them, it would be a good idea for her to find someone who was already a member so she could have a reference.

  She took a bite of her salad while deciding which of her contacts she should ask about going along to visit a club. She was just getting ready to send a message to a woman she’d chatted with several times when a new message from Simon to the group popped up.

  All interest in messaging the other member fell away as she read Simon’s post.

  All,

  I’m in need of a submissive to partner with during an upcoming single-tail demo session. Possibly involves weekend stay.

  Message me for details.

  —SirSimon

  Lynne was hit with an overwhelming urge to do the demo with him. She knew there were plenty of persuasive reasons not to do the demo. Could she even do it and keep her identity a secret? Plus, she’d never had a single tail used on her. It was ridiculous to even think about offering to do the demo.

  And yet she couldn’t stop herself.

  SirSimon,

  I would be willing to do the demo with you. As long as I can keep my mask on. Please let me know the details.

  Best,

  Faye

  She sent the message quickly so she wouldn’t change her mind. Once it left her in-box, she logged out, not wanting to see evidence of what she’d just done.

  Shit. She was an idiot. What had she been thinking?

  She didn’t have to think too hard to understand what had made her send the message and volunteer: She didn’t want Simon playing with anyone except her. It was idiotic and childish and several other adjectives, but the truth was the truth. Just because it was idiotic or childish didn’t make it any less true.

  Even though she’d logged out of the boards, Lynne hadn’t turned off the laptop, so when the private message came through, she was alerted with a chime.

  She knew it had to be Simon. She didn’t communicate via private messages with anyone else. Part of her dreaded reading the message for fear he’d ask what the hell she was thinking.

  But she knew the curiosity would eventually win out. To counteract it and hopefully prove to herself that she had at least a shred of self-control, she wouldn’t let herself read his message until she finished dinner.

  It was the quickest she’d ever eaten.

  When she finished, she told herself she now had to clean the kitchen. Five minutes later, the kitchen was more or less cleaned, so she took her laptop and curled up on the couch to read.

  Are you sure? I thought about asking if you would be interested, but I know you mentioned you didn’t like to play in public. If you’d like to help me, I’ll ta
ke you up on it. I’m okay with you wearing a mask.

  Her first thought was OMG, he’s okay with it, quickly followed by Holy shit, now what?

  First things first though.

  Yes, Sir. I’m sure.

  He wrote back almost immediately.