Page 15 of Deadly Obsession
“Oh, um, they’re just having a chat. Certainly, they’ll be along soon,” he responded, avoiding eye contact and almost tripping at the last stair, spilling some of the drink over the edge of the red Solo cup. He continued past me and Jade, over to the other three girls, and handed Lyndsey the cup.
“About damn time! Fuck, I already opened up a White Claw—oh well. Thank god I have two hands!” she yelled out, raising both drinks in the air as “A Bar Song” by Shaboozey played over the boombox.
Suddenly, all of us girls were up and dancing to the music. Danielle grabbing me and taking the lead in what the Americans called two-stepping. I smiled at the sight of Lola dancing with Brian, surprisingly, as Lyndsey and Jade spun around on the stone patio.
A few songs later, James seemed to just appear. He picked up Lola’s phone, typed something into it, and the musicchanged to “Spin You Around” by Morgan Wallen. Then he walked over and tapped Danielle’s shoulder, cutting in. Next thing I knew, he was leading me around the impromptu dance floor.
I’d never danced with a man before. Even at my own wedding, my ex-husband had been too drunk by the time our song came on, so I’d danced with my mother instead.
Dancing with James was strangely comforting as he held my body close to his, one hand caressing my hip and the other clasping my hand. I could feel the rough calluses on his palm against mine, strong and rugged yet somehow soft at the same time. After staring intently into his forest-green eyes, I noticed something and my brows furrowed with concern. His knuckles looked swollen and bruised. I glided my thumb over them carefully as I returned my gaze to his.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Nothing at all, princess.” He smiled and shook his head before turning me into a spin and pulling me back, placing his lips against mine. I couldn’t help but suspect he was trying to shut me up. But at the same time, it worked. “Let’s get on out of here,” he said with a smile as his lips pulled back from mine and all I could do was nod as I struggled to remember how to breathe. “Night,errbody,” he said, giving everyone else a wave as he took my hand and led me up the stairs to the deck.
“Use a condom, bitch!” Lola yelled from below.
“Fuck no! Make some pretty babies!” Lyndsey countered even louder.
“Oh my god, ignore them. Goodnight you two! Remember, tomorrow is content day!” Danielle added just as the glass sliding door closed behind us.
The tiniest whiff of bleach hit my nostrils, and I couldn’t help but wonder about the source. But as James and I reached the stairs, my mind quickly shifted away from the thought. He guided me to the bedroom, opened the door, and moved to the side.
I slowly stepped forward, my mouth dropping. The room was illuminated by multiple candles while “Eyes on Fire” by Blue Foundation played softly from a speaker on the nightstand. Then my eyes drifted to the perfectly-made bed, where red rose petals were elegantly spread out across the top.
“James, this is beautiful,” I said, taking a few more steps towards the bed before turning to face him. Only to find him right in front of me, which forced me to tilt my head back to look up at him.
“No,youare beautiful. Nothing else can compare.” He spoke softly as one large hand came up to cup my cheek and his lips moved down to meet mine. Our mouths remained still for a moment before he pulled back. “Undress and lie on your stomach. I’m going to give you a massage,” he told me.
I looked at the bed, then back at James. “Oh, really, you don’t have to. That’s sweet, though. You don’t want to just take me?” I half smiled, unsure of what to make of all…this.
For so many years, the only physical contact I’d had with a man was if I was being bent over and fucked or smacked around. Tonight’s dance was already a shockingfirstfor me. A man giving me a massage in the same evening might have sent me into shock.
I did as he told me and slowly removed my clothing, my eyes only breaking contact with him when I pulled my top off and dropped it to the floor at our feet. His stare was all-consuming and powerful, the energy between us so electric it could run a small city.
“Here,” he said as he pulled something black and silky from his pocket before sliding it over my eyes. His hands took mine and then he was guiding me to the bed, where I lowered myself onto my stomach.
Without my vision, I focused more on my other senses. The soft bedding beneath me, the soothing music coming from the speaker, and the mixed scents of vanilla andmahogany in the air from the candles. It was so soothing I could have fallen asleep easily.
The floor creaked as James walked around to one side of the bed, and I turned my head to face him, despite not being able to see him. A warm, wet sensation came over my shoulders. And though it was soothing, I flinched at the unexpectedness of it.
“It’s okay. It’s a special candle made specifically for this. Just relax. Give me control, baby girl.”
I heard what I assumed was the candle being set back down on the nightstand as I felt James’s palm on one shoulder and then the other. As large and strong as his hands were, they had a remarkable gentleness to them as he started rubbing the massage oil all over my shoulders and neck, applying the slightest bit of pressure as he went. My body melted, every muscle I didn’t even know I had relaxing under his touch. He seemed to know exactly where every knot was as he went from one to the next, working them out, causing me to occasionally wince from the brief pain.
He spent his time working every inch of my back from top to bottom, frequently reapplying the heated oil. “Arms up and out to the side,” he ordered in a calm tone, and I complied.
His palms closed around my left bicep and he started stroking it, moving one hand over the other as if he was trying to shift all the tension down my arm and out through my fingertips. The pressure and rhythm were so hypnotic I almost didn’t notice when he tightened something soft and fur-lined around my wrist, until I instinctively tried pulling my arm back down to my side and couldn’t.
“James?” I said in a sleepy voice.
“I’ve got you, baby girl,” he replied just above a whisper. Then he moved around the bed and repeated the action with my other arm and my legs, binding my ankles.
Wiggling each of my limbs, I tested my range of motion to find that none of the restraints were very restricting. The bedshifted, and I assumed he’d climbed on with me while the sound of metal on metal confirmed it.
“Ass up in the air for me, Harps.”
Again, I obeyed his command, my core heating up with excitement and curiosity. I felt his hand on the inside of my left thigh and let him guide my legs farther apart. Something clamped down just above the bend of one knee and then the other. Again testing the new sensation, I attempted to move my legs closer together, only to find something hard between them.
