Maria gaped at him. “Seriously?”

“Yes,” he said, pulling out the chair in the corner. The stubborn look on his face told her he was serious, and she wasn’t sure how she was going to wrangle her way out of this mess. Thanks Becky.

“No way,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself.

“You signed my contract, right?”

“Yes,” she muttered.

Sitting in the chair, he crossed his legs, resting his ankle just above his knee, and folding arms. “Who is the dominant?” he asked.

“You.”

“Who is the submissive?”

“Me,” she murmured. He was really going to make her do this by pulling out his I’m the boss card. And he was. That was what she agreed to, although she didn’t think he’d make her do this. She’s never ever danced before, not even at a club. It didn’t matter how much Becky begged her to dance, she just didn’t want to bump into anyone and hurt them.

“And what does the submissive do?”

“Submits to her Dom.”

“Yes,” he replied nodding his head. “It would really please me if you did a striptease for me.”

Maria blushed. She really did want to please him, liked seeing him smile with those pearly whites of his, and she liked how he made her feel desirable. “I want to make you happy, but I don’t know how to dance.”

“Close your eyes,” he said.

“Why?”

“Are you going to question everything?”

“Sorry.” Maria closed her eyes, but felt silly standing there doing nothing.

“Listen to the music. Draw the beat deep into your soul," he said, his voice calm and soothing, almost musical in its own right. “Let it expand until it fills your body, begging you to move.”

“I feel silly,” she said, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

She felt him move more than she heard him, feeling his warm breath on the back of her neck, as his fingers slowly ran down her arm, coming to rest on her waist. “There is no one here but you and me. Focus on the music.”

“I can’t focus when you’re touching me.”

Sylvester chuckled, giving her waist a gentle squeeze before releasing her. His soft footsteps retreating told her that he was returning to the chair. Now that her eyes had been closed for a few minutes, other senses were kicking in. His alluring woodsy scent wrapped itself around her nose and her ears were picking up the slightest increase in his breathing as he watched her, waiting for her to move.

She could do this. She had to do this. For him. Her heart thumped in her ear, matching the beat of the drums playing on the radio. She stood there. Quiet. Listening. Drawing everything she could from the song and slowly, but surely, her hips started swaying.

“Yes, just like that,” he said, his voice deep and warm, making her belly glow with sensuality, filling her with a confidence that had not existed before.

Raising her arms above her head, she moved in time with the music, turning in a small circle for his pleasure. After a few minutes, she found the courage to open her eyes and when she turned to face him, his eyes were wide and the ghost of a hungry smile was playing on his lips.

Maria reached for the buttons on her shirt—one that she found upon searching the house earlier— and slowly undid them as she continued to sway to the music. She’s seen a few stripteases on television, so she knew to turn around after the last button was undone, and slip her shirt slowly down her shoulders, inch by agonizing inch. She looked over her shoulder, throwing him her best smouldering look. He licked his lips as he stared at her, his eyes darkening with lust.

Success! She had his undivided attention. This wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. She should have given Becky’s idea serious thought. Turning back to him, she sauntered towards him, hips still swaying. She was wearing a long skirt—again found in the room with the blouse— and her under garments.

She trailed her fingers along his shoulder as she walked behind him, disappearing from his view. He tried to turn his head, but she made him face forward again. “Nu uh, no peeking.” Undoing the skirt, she stepped out of it and then kicked it across the floor. It slid to a stop a few feet in front of his chair.

Then she was left wearing just her tan bra and panties, and he knew it. He went to reach for her as she walked by him, but she danced out of his reach. Knowing that part of the ploy was to play keep away. Maybe she should tie him up. The thought made Maria giggle as she continued to dance, moving seductively to the music. Her eyes dropped to the bulge in his pants that was growing larger by the second.

“I’ll give you a lap dance, but you have to promise not to touch,” she said huskily. “Or I’ll tie you up.”

Sylvester got up, his eyes full of need. “I think you have that backwards. If you don’t let me touch, I’ll have to tie you up.” Picking her up off the floor, he tossed her on the bed, and made quick work of his clothes before crawling onto the bed, his cock hard and delicious looking.

“Hey, I thought I was supposed to be dancing.”

“You can finish it later. Right now, I need to be inside you.”

Sylvester stared at the siren on the bed in front of him. Something in her spirit called out to him in ways that he only dreamed about. He needed her. Right here. Right now. He couldn’t wait. Grabbing her undies, he yanked them off, tossing them into the corner of the room.

He reached between her legs, testing her, seeing if she was ready. As soon as his fingers felt her slick arousal, he plunged into her, desperately needing to feel her walls closing around his cock. “Oh god, you turn me on so much,” he groaned.

She tilted her hips and wrapped her legs around his waist, taking him in as far as he could go. He pulled back and plunged into her again, harder and faster with each thrust, his cock growing even thicker inside her as all his blood flooded his nether regions.

And when she cried out, her muscles gripping his shaft, a drug-like feeling shot into his veins, travelling through his body, gaining intensity as all his blood focused on one thing only, release. The heavenly drug ripped through him and he came, shooting his life juices inside her.

“My god, Maria!” he cried, his body trembling as it collapsed onto hers. “What are you doing to me?”

“I think that was called having sex,” she said cheekily, still wearing her bra.

“Smart ass,” he said, kissing her forehead before pulling out and rolling off her. “I pride myself in having control, but you, you make me lose it.”

“I guess you’ll have to try harder then,” she said, grinning.

“Come on,” he said, holding his hand out to her. “Let’s have a shower.”

***
By the time Sylvester fell asleep, it was far too late for Becky and Maria to follow through with their spilling the drink plan, but she still slipped out of the room going in search of Becky. She found her sitting in the kitchen, eating out of a tub of ice cream.

“I thought you were never going to leave that room,” her roomie said.

“I didn’t think I was either,” Maria said, her cheeks heating. “Sylvester has an insatiable appetite.”

Becky chuckled. “So I heard.”

“Oh gosh.” Maria buried her face in her hands.

“Relax, girl! It’s a normal everyday activity.”

“Not normally in my world,” she murmured.

“Well, now it is.” Becky placed the tub on the table, sliding it her way. “What’s kept you busy these last few hours?”

Grabbing the spoon, Maria scooped out some ice cream and ate it, relishing in the cool feeling as it slid down her throat. “Thanks to you, Sylvester made me do a striptease.”

Becky squealed with delight, clapping her hands quietly. “I knew you had it in you!”

“I’m pretty certain I looked like a beach whale doing the tango,” Maria said with a grin as she stuffed her mouth full of ice cream.

“You are always too hard on yourself. You look amazing, Maria.”

Maria scoffed. “You’re the one that has the body to die for.”

Her roomie shook her head. “Girl, we are the same height and the same weight in case you forgot.”

That part was true, but Maria always classed herself as big boned so she always felt slightly bigger than Becky. Her friend looked like she could be a front page cover model, but instead she worked as a content editor for a magazine that her parents owned. She always offered to get Maria a job at the magazine, too, but she was more than content at her security job because she could write there.

She didn’t really want to do magazine writing, unless she wrote a short story and sent it in. Maria didn’t want to be forced to write a particular story. The freedom to write a story from her heart is what gave it life. Breath.

“So is Nathan sleeping?” Maria asked.

“Yep. I wore him out,” Becky said, rubbing her hands together while flashing a wicked smile Maria’s way. “I’m going to figure him out once and for all.”

Maria looked to her left and to her right. “What if he’s a spy?” she whispered, keeping her voice low and spooky.

Instead of laughing, her friend plunked her own elbows on the island and leaned towards her, their heads only inches away from each other. “With all his secrecy, it honestly wouldn’t surprise me.”

“Did you know he had this cabin?”

“Nope,” Becky replied.

“Man, he certainly has more secrets than we first thought.”

Her roomie nodded in agreement. “I’m not leaving this place until I know what’s going on.”

Maria placed the ice cream down on the counter, sticking the spoon in the middle. “I have your back, let’s go!”

Together, they joined hands and walked down the hallway to where Nathan was sleeping. The man was a light sleeper, but hopefully Becky tuckered him out enough to have zonked him out for the night.

Poking their head in the door, Maria saw Nathan sprawled out on the bed, one leg under the sheet and the other leg on top, with one arm splayed above his head. The sheets were lying low on his belly to the point you could see his V shaped abdomen as it disappeared beneath the covers. Diverting her eyes, she looked back at Becky, and held out her hands with her palms up, asking in essence, what now?

Her roomie pointed to the pants hanging on the back of chair. Walking over to the chair, Becky silently lifted his pants. When she took a step towards the door, Nathan groaned and rolled over. Both girls heads swiveled quickly towards the bed. Becky dove to the ground and the belt on his pants hit the floor with a clang. Maria cringed and ducked behind the door just in case it woke him up, her heart pounding.

“Shit.” She heard Becky whisper.

Nathan shot up in his bed. “Who’s there?”

Becky rolled closer to the end of the bed silently, so he couldn’t see her, and Maria flattened her back along the wall in the hallway, hands flat against the white washed walls. Oh crap. This can’t be good. She fought off a giggle.

She heard movement inside the room and footsteps coming her way. Silently, she rushed down the hall to the next room and shut the door, staring in the dark at the bathtub and the curtain. Stepping quietly into the tub, she ducked down and hid behind it, leaving it half open.

When the door slammed open, she swallowed a gasp, ducking her head. His shadow was visible through the curtain. She could only hope that it hid her better. Step by step, he approached the tub. She was trapped with nowhere to go. Suddenly, the curtain was yanked open and she found herself staring down the barrel of a pistol.