D.L. Hess

“She’s beautiful. Her responsiveness is intoxicating. I have to have this woman.”

“I won’t ask you for anything you aren’t willing to give me,” he croons. “And I promise you’ll enjoy it. Do you want to play?”There’s no question. “Yes. Yes, I do.”

“The kiss is different than I expected. It’s slow and tender, his lips soft and warm against mine. He tastes sweet, like the powdered sugar I spilt and the coffee with chicory he’s always drinking. It’s a perfect first kiss.”

“Last night he made it very clear that he wants me.And, god help me, I want him too.”

“I look around, hoping I can postpone the indignity of stuttering like a lunatic in front of the sexiest man alive – according to People magazine, twice – while giving him crazy eyes. Of course, everyone looks like they’re taken care of. Except for Mr. Sexypants, major Hollywood actor, Nathanial Stone, Sir.”

“She’s a natural submissive and she doesn’t have a clue.”

“...a small part of me that worried that Tori wouldn’t be here when I arrived, that I pushed her too far, too fast, that somehow I read her wrong and asked her for more than she was willing to give. But she’s here. She’s magnificent. And she’s mine. That thought steals the air from my lungs. Her shoulders tense at my gasp, when she realizes she’s no longer alone. “Hello, beautiful,” my voice husky. I drop my bags by the door and swiftly cross the room. I only have a split second to take in how devastating she looks in her blue gown. I don’t know who moves first, but she’s in my arms as my lips descend on hers. With that first contact, the knot of tension that’s taken up residence between my shoulder blades releases, and I finally feel like I can breathe fully for the first time since I left for Los Angeles.”

“I want to make you feel things you’ve never felt, push you in ways you never knew existed, expand your horizons in ways you never dreamt needed expanding…”Me too. “I want to show you that pleasure can be pain…”Whatever you want. “And pain can be pleasure…”Anything. “And that those worlds can be yours if you just let go and exist…” I’ll follow you anywhere. “I want to break you apart. And put you back together again.”I’m yours.“Beautiful, I want to make you fly.” Please. Anything.”

“I whisper, “What do I need?”“Release.” That one word scrapes across my nerves and lights me on fire. His deep voice dances on the air, murmuring hotly, “You need someone who will take all of your thoughts and responsibilities away from you, who lets you be free to just feel.” Suddenly, his hands are on my waist and he’s pulling me onto his lap and I’m straddling his thigh and his hands are in my hair and his lips are on mine…And the world stops.”

“As much as I enjoy her laughter, I don’t like the sound of her doubting herself. And that’s something else I’m going to have to think about later on because the more I get to know Tori, the more I start to understand how she thinks and what makes her tick, the more I start to realize. . . This woman could be dangerous.”

“Beautiful,” his voice is velvet-laced iron, and it makes those thoughts come to a standstill. “I’ve told you before—it’s going to take an act of god to keep me away from you.”

“What if I told you that you occupy my every waking thought? That I dream about you at night? And that you feature in my darkest, dirtiest dreams? What then?”

“He’s everything I could want but never dreamed I could have.”

“Holy mama llama. That’s Nathanial Stone. Nathanial Stone is sitting in my booth. Nathanial Stone is in the Finewhile Diner sitting in my booth. I’m supposed to wait on Nathanial Stone. I’m going to make a fool out of myself. I just know it. I can feel it coming. Crap.”

“I’m not going to deny that I want to fuck you. I can’t promise a future or that I’ll be some sniveling boyfriend who pines away after you once I go back to L.A. But I will say that I have plans for you if you say yes.“I can promise you that I’m going to take you to new heights that you’ve never imagined. That I’ll make you feel pleasure so intense that you forget your name. I’ll fuck you so good, for so long that the only thing you’ll crave is my hands on your skin, my cock deep in your pussy.“If you let me, Tori, I’ll open up a whole new world to you. I’ll make you fly.”

“I will never intentionally ask you for anything that you aren’t willing to give. But if I do, you can always say no.” He lets that sink in for a moment. “But you won’t.”

“I like to be in charge. I like to guide my bedmate, push her to her limits, expand her horizons. My pleasure comes from the power she gives me to decide how to bring her pleasure. My pleasure comes from the trust she gives me to show her what her body is capable of if she… just…lets…go…”

“Do you want to play a game?” he asks, his tone rich and dark and sensuous like his chocolate. Every atom in me stands at attention. “What kind of game?”“We’ll call it ‘Sir Says’. The rules are very simple—I give you a command. . . and you obey.”

“I look back at Tori, who’s watching him looking worried and poised as if she’s about to rush over and help him at any moment. I can understand how the kid runs into tables when she’s near. There’s something about her that makes you want to stop and stare and not look away. I feel a ping of regret when I remember that all of this is unfortunately temporary.”

“..."sometimes people fit together like they’re meant to be, and when you’ve had that, it’s impossible to settle for something less.” Again, Tori draws my gaze. I can’t seem to look away.”