A Quartet of Pleasures Read online

  “Come on in,” she said, leading him inside. “Welcome to my hotel room, which probably looks exactly like yours.”

  “Kind of.” He lingered by the door. “Except everything’s reversed.”

  Her champagne-colored gown from earlier was strewn across the bed, next to last night’s balled-up pajamas. Ethan had been in her hotel room before, many times, but not like this, with her horny and full of questions, and him a kinky bastard. She led him to the sitting area near the window, covering her anxiety with chatter. “God, this hotel is so luxurious. Look at the ocean in the dark. It looks like it goes on forever.”

  “It goes on a long time,” he said from over her shoulder. “Almost forever.”

  She was very aware of his body behind her. When she turned her head, she could see his square-jawed profile, and his intent gaze focused on the water. Breathe, girl. It’s just Ethan. You’ve stood this close to him a thousand times. “Do you want anything to drink?” she asked, moving from the window.

  “I’m good.”

  She went to hang up her formal gown as he sprawled back on the couch. “So, explain it to me,” she said, snatching the gown off the bed. “Those activities at the reception. I just… God.”

  “What activities?” he asked. “What surprised you the most?”

  “I don’t know. All of it. I mean, I understand why people do BDSM. I know it feels good, it’s exciting, all that, but they were so free.” She paused to smooth the gown’s wrinkles. “I guess that’s what I don’t get. How do you trust someone that much? Those people were hitting each other, tying each other up, getting naked, fucking, and none of them ever looked worried or scared.”

  He nodded. “Trust is a big part of kink, possibly the biggest part.”

  “But it’s trust and so much more, isn’t it?” She hung the gown in the closet and started folding her pajamas. “I mean, I trust you. I trust Steve and Jonathan and my friends, but I don’t give any of you the power to tie me up or hit me, or bite my neck.”

  He gave a soft chuckle. “What you have to understand is they enjoy those things. In your mind, hitting and biting are negative things, but to a kinky person, hitting can be like a caress. Biting might be the sensation they crave most in the world. Tying someone up…” He paused. She realized she was folding her pajamas a third time. “When it comes to kink, everything depends on why you’re doing it, and how it makes you feel.”

  She put the pajamas in her bag, and decided to fold her other pair, too. “But…how do you know how it’ll make you feel?”

  “People usually have a pretty good idea.” He patted the space next to him. “Stop messing with your suitcase and come sit down.”

  Yes, sir. The words popped into her head, words she’d heard during the reception from various submissive types. Was she imagining the authoritative note in Ethan’s voice? She sat beside him and twisted her hands in her lap. He looked great in a tux, but even better in worn jeans and a tee shirt. Ethan, her friend, the guy who’d just triggered a “yes, sir” response from somewhere near her vagina.

  “You’re kinky, aren’t you?” she asked.

  “Pretty kinky, yeah.” He tilted his head. “I’m wondering if you might be, too.”

  “Hmm. Maybe.” She drew in a breath, not ready to admit her deepest fantasies. “I don’t know. I’m curious, and kind of fascinated.”

  “That’s how we all start out.”

  “But I’ve never done any of that stuff we saw at the reception.”

  “I hadn’t done kink either, until I started doing it.” He teased, but his blue eyes were kind. “Why are you blushing, Ruby? It’s not bad to be curious, you know. To want to try things you see. Lots of people are kinky. There are an infinite number of fetishes and deviant sexual practices that people enjoy.”

  “But the emotional part of it.” Her words erupted like a plea. “The way the groom held her at the end. They were so close.”

  “Doing kink makes people close. If you tried it, you’d see. Sometimes people who play together aren’t dating, aren’t even in relationships, but they’re still close. If they tell you otherwise, they’re lying. And you’re right, it all comes down to trust. It’s a fascinating world when you get into it. It’s almost addictive, looking for that high, that closeness and satisfaction.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “How long does it take?” she asked after a moment.

  “What?”

  “How long does it take to start doing kinky stuff like that? To build that trust?”

  He thought a moment. “I’d be lying if I said it took months, or years. Sometimes people meet and start doing BDSM activities together a few minutes later, hardly knowing each another. There’s still trust. It’s a community thing.”

  “And the connection?”

  “It grows over the course of the scene, if the top is doing it right.”

  “The top?”

  “The one in charge.”

  She knew without asking that Ethan was a top, however quiet and reserved he might behave in real life. She knew because she’d been friends with Ethan a long time, and had always sensed this side of his personality, before she understood the “why.”

  “Wow,” she said, because it was so quiet, and because he was sitting right beside her, being handsome and sexy and toppy. “Just wow.”

  “You know…” He looked at her hands, and she forced herself to unclench them. “I have rope in my room.”

  “You have rope in your room?” she repeated.

  “Yeah. I always bring rope when I travel, just in case. If you wanted to, we could do a little scene together. No sex, just sensation. You could give it a try, see if you like how it feels.”

  She wanted that, yes. She wanted Ethan and connection. Her thoughts were going crazy. She was hot. Amazed. Scared.

  “You have rope you just…just keep in your luggage in case you need it?” she asked.

  “I mean, we don’t have to—”

  “Yes. Please. Please go get it.”

  He blinked at her. Ruby was kind of blinking at herself, but yes, for God’s sake, she needed him to go get his rope right now. “Are you going to tie me up with it?” she asked.

  He put his hands on his knees, gave her that damn half-grin. “That’s what kinky people usually do with rope.”

  “Here? Or in your room?”

  He thought a moment. “I’ll bring it in here, so you’ll be more comfortable.”

  It was hard to be anything related to comfortable, because her heart was banging double time in her chest. As soon as he left for the rope, Ruby ran to the bathroom to stare at herself in the mirror. Her hazel eyes seemed unusually bright in the hotel’s lighting. “Yeah, you’re doing this,” she whispered. “Go you.”

  Should she do this? She and Ethan played in a quartet together, a respected, established quartet that made a lot of money, traveling to high-end receptions and weddings. She didn’t want to mess anything up.

  On the other hand, they were just going to fool around with rope. What had he said? No sex, just sensation. It wasn’t like they were going to sleep together. “Don’t sleep with Ethan,” she told herself sternly before she left the bathroom to answer his knock at the door.

  He came in with a smile that put her at ease, and showed her a meticulously neat bundle of rope. She’d expected it to be purple or blue or sparkly or something, but it was plain, natural-colored rope, the kind you could buy at any home improvement store.

  “How do we start?” she asked. “What do I do?”

  He undid the knot around the bundle. “You could undress if you like, at least partially. I can tie you over your clothes, but a lot of people enjoy the sensation of rope against their skin.”

  “Undress partially? Like, down to my bra and panties?”

  “That’s up to you. Do what feels comfortable. You can get naked if you prefer. It won’t bother me.”

  She couldn’t believe she and Ethan were having this conversation. Well, after today, m
aybe she could. “I’ll strip down to my underwear, but not naked,” she said. “It’s probably better to preserve some secrets between us.”

  “Secrets can be fun,” he agreed with a wink.

  She reached for her shirt’s hem and stopped. “Don’t watch me. It feels weird.”

  He chuckled and turned away, unraveling the rope. It wasn’t the thin type, but it wasn’t substantial either. The way he handled it, he looked like he could do a lot of things with it.

  “How much rope is that?” she asked.

  “Thirty feet, maybe more.”

  “Are you going to use all of it?”

  He turned to her as she stood, blushing and nervous, in her sheer pink lace bra. “I might,” he finally answered. “We’ll see how things go.”

  “Fuck,” she said, unbuttoning her jeans.

  “What?”

  She blew out a breath as she pushed them down. “I’m wearing panties with llamas on them. Why today, of all days? This is so embarrassing.”

  “Don’t be embarrassed. They’re perfect,” he said. “See, secrets are already coming out. I never would’ve suspected you’re the llama-panty type.”

  “I never would have suspected you pack rope in your luggage.”

  He gave her that point with a polite nod and took a step closer. “Ready?” he asked, meeting her gaze.

  Was she ready? She wasn’t as scared, now that she’d taken the step to get partially naked, but she was still nervous.

  “Maybe you should take off your shirt too,” she suggested. “That way I’m not the only one showing some skin.”

  “Okay. That’s fair. Hold this for me.”

  He handed her the rope so he could take off his shirt, and she took the time to explore it, studying the weight and texture.

  “It’s jute rope,” he said. “My favorite. It’s got a great tooth and makes pretty knots.”

  She looked up. “A great tooth?”

  “Tooth is the sensation of it. The friction factor, the way it feels against bare skin.”

  She wanted to think about what he’d just told her, but she was too busy taking in the sight of his bare chest. Oh, Ethan, you’ve been hiding this under your clothes all this time? His shoulders were broad and strong, and his abs made a gorgeous ladder to the low-slung waistband of his jeans. His chest had the perfect amount of hair to get her blood flowing. Oh, and that dark brown thatch trailing down to the very enticing bulge in his crotch…

  “Here, feel it.”

  For a minute, she thought he was inviting her to grope him, but he meant the rope. He traced the tip of it over her shoulder, then slid it across her arm, rubbing it back and forth.

  “Mm,” she said. “Feels toothy.”

  He shook his head. “Are you going to be trouble? Come here.”

  His “Come here” was beautifully imperious. She stepped closer, feeling naked even in her underwear. He was so beautiful and smelled so good. Deodorant or cologne?

  “What now?” she asked. “How does this kink demonstration start?”

  “It starts with you relaxing. Your shoulders are up around your ears, Rube. Turn around.”

  She obliged, wondering if he was checking out her ass. She had an okay ass. Kind of jiggly when she didn’t keep up on her squats, but some guys liked it that way. If only she hadn’t worn the llama panties…

  “Relax,” he chided, giving her a tap on the ass. “Or we’ll start with some kinky spanking, instead of rope.”

  Yes, then. He’d been checking out her ass. Nothing wrong with that—she’d shamelessly ogled his body too. She took a moment to think about Ethan spanking her, deciding she was ninety-five percent on board with the idea, then sighed as he started massaging her shoulders into submission.

  “That feels good,” she whispered. “So, so good.”

  He didn’t reply, just made a soft mmm sound and dug his thumbs into her nape. When she was sufficiently relaxed, he draped the rope over her shoulders, so the long tails trailed down the front of her body and onto the floor. “Are you starting now?” she asked.

  “Shh. Yes. I’m not going to give you a blow-by-blow account of what I’m doing either. Your job right now is to trust and feel.”

  He’d told her about that, the trust thing, the connection, and now it was happening. He was going to help her experience it. She felt like she was falling under a spell, bewitched by his scent and the way he touched her.

  “You can lean back against me if you’re feeling shaky,” he said. “I’m going to tie the first knot, and we’ll go from there. Okay?”

  “Yes.” Her voice sounded hoarse. She traced the waist of her low-cut panties just to have something to do with her hands. “Yes, I’m relaxed. I’m ready for this.”

  “And we can stop anytime if you don’t like it. Just let me know.”

  Nope, she thought. No way we’re stopping. I’m in for the long haul on this, Ethan, so tie me the hell up.

  3.

  Ruby wasn’t much of a poet, but she could have written poetry about the way Ethan leaned his head over her shoulder, his cheek brushing her hair, his breath against her ear, and tied the first knot right over her racing heart. It wasn’t a complicated knot. Just a twist and a flip, and tucking the tails through. When he finished, he pulled the tails beneath her arms and started another knot behind her back. This one felt more complicated and took more time.

  “Okay?” he asked as he worked.

  “Yes, I’m…I’m good.” She wasn’t cold, but she felt like shivering as Ethan’s fingers moved across her skin. He was going slow, being methodical with the knot, and somehow that turned her on like crazy.

  When he finished the knot in the back, he touched her shoulder and moved the rope to the front again. She felt the reassuring contact in her pussy, in a hot, sudden throb. Why was she so turned on by every small touch? Because of the rope, or because Ethan was so close to her, creating those knots against her body? The jute’s texture wasn’t scratchy, but it wasn’t smooth either. She supposed that was the “great tooth” Ethan had talked about.

  “Do you mind if I…” He paused, then crossed the tails of the rope across her breasts, right over her nipples. “I know a few techniques. Women seem to like how they feel.”

  Her nipples were hard as rocks, just from the slight pressure. “Go for it,” she said.

  He started fashioning a band across her breasts, tying small knots and weaving the jute into an occasional twist. An adjustment, a slight pull, and then he was manipulating her bra’s cups, finding her nipples and positioning the rope twists right against them. If her nipples had been naked, the rope would have pinched, and definitely hurt. Her pussy throbbed again.

  “Oh my fucking God,” she whispered.

  He paused. “I can undo it if you don’t like it.”

  “No, I like it. It’s just…” She let out a breath as her cheeks burned with secret, growing lust. “I think you could get pretty dangerous with these knots of yours.”

  She heard his soft chuckle. “That’s kind of the point. Stand still for me, Ruby.”

  Stand still for me. Gah, the commanding way he said it, and the skilled way he wielded the rope. Another knot and slide, and the rope grew tighter against her skin. Against her nipples. Oh, God help me. She leaned back into him as he created a lattice of rope work against her stomach. Now and again he retied knots, or tugged them to a different place, until her shoulders, breasts, and spine felt perfectly contained by rope, and perfectly confined.

  Her voice dropped to a reverent whisper. “How long have you been doing this, Ethan?”

  “Rope? Since I first learned about it. I was searching up knots for a Boy Scout badge and stumbled on a bondage video tutorial. I think I was thirteen.”

  “Have you always tied girls from behind?”

  “It’s my preferred way,” he answered. “It feels easier to me. Closer.”

  I wish you would do me from behind. By some miracle of self-control, she didn’t say it, but she wanted to
. She was so wet, so freaking turned on. He drew the rope around her waist, the tails growing shorter. “Are you almost done?” she asked.

  “Almost. But since we’re figuring out if you’re kinky or not, let’s do this too.”

  He turned her around so they stood face to face. He didn’t tell her to put her hands down at her sides. He just moved them there, pulling first one wrist and then the other into the belt he was knotting at her waist. She looked down at herself, at her trapped hands, and back into his striking blue gaze.

  “That trust thing,” he reminded her. “Are you doing okay?”

  “I’m…” She had no words. “I’m…yeah.”

  “You sure?”

  She tested her arms. She was really bound, really stuck, unless he decided to release her. Her nipples ached where the rope rested on them, in the very best way.

  “If you’re okay, let’s see it all through,” he said.

  “See what all through?”

  “I’ll show you. Be still.”

  With that order, he leaned against the front of her to reach around and knot the rope belt at the small of her back. She leaned her head into the crook of his neck, not quite touching him. She’d known him as a friend, as a talented musician for so many years, but she’d never imagined there was an Ethan like this.

  “Spread your legs a little,” he said when he finished the knot in the back.

  She hesitated, then complied. Yes, she was dripping wet, but he probably already knew that. She was practically panting. Part of her was ashamed to be so turned on—this was just a learning experience, wasn’t it? But another part of her wanted him to hike her panties up between her pussy lips so she could ride his hand, or the rope, or anything that could relieve the urgency in her swollen clit.

  He reached between her thighs and twisted the remaining tails into a knot while she stood, about to pass out from embarrassed horniness. Then he pulled the knot up between her legs, right between her thighs. She trembled, trying not to moan out loud, but didn’t quite manage it.