After finishing the painting without further incident, Julia talked Taylor into joining her in the shower. Taylor kept to the task at hand, though, scrubbing away the splats and splotches despite Julia’s best efforts to get handsy. Some nonsense about building anticipation.
Since Julia’s whole house smelled of paint, they agreed to head to Taylor’s. Julia packed a bag. They stopped for a pizza and a bottle of Chianti on the way. By all appearances, it was a completely normal, completely laid-back night together.
Only it wasn’t.
Julia ate only one slice of pizza, but had two glasses of wine. She didn’t want to own being nervous, but she had a fair share of jitters. Rather than letting herself go down a spiral of self-analyzing, she sent Taylor on to her room to get ready and locked herself in the bathroom to lotion her skin and collect her thoughts.
The thing with nerves was they could be the good, excited kind or the oh, no, what was I thinking kind. She definitely had the former. Of that, at least, she had no doubt. She wanted this. She wanted Taylor. And, perhaps most important, Julia trusted her.
After one final reminder to herself to be brave, to go with it, Julia walked into Taylor’s bedroom, wearing only a black satin robe. Well, a robe and a pair of black patent leather heels. Taylor hadn’t requested those, but Julia figured she wouldn’t mind the liberty. They made her feel sexy and, perhaps ironically, powerful.
Taylor stood at her dresser, lighting the last of at least a dozen candles scattered around the room. The sensuality of the gesture surprised her. Based on their conversation, she sort of expected rough and raw, complete with stark surroundings. Instead, Taylor’s bedroom was washed in a warm glow, with the gentle fragrance of vanilla and lit matches hanging in the air.
The bed had been turned down, the white sheets crisp and inviting. In the middle sat a pair of black leather cuffs, a length of satin rope, and what looked like a red silk scarf. Seeing them, knowing they were for her, sent a ripple of arousal through her. It stopped right between her legs, where her clit began to throb.
She tore her gaze from the bed and looked over at Taylor, who’d finished with the candles and was now watching her. The arousal intensified as her body and her brain calculated the things about to unfold. And that Taylor was going to be the one doing them.
“How are you feeling?” Taylor asked.
“Good.” Her reply came out hoarse, barely above a whisper. She licked her lips and tried again. “Good. Very good.”
Taylor crossed the room slowly, her gaze brazenly traveling up and down Julia’s body. “Pretty shoes.”
The simple compliment affected her probably more than it should. “Thank you.”
“Would you like to leave them on for a little while?” Taylor traced the neckline of her robe, all the way down to where the fabric overlapped between her breasts.
“If you would like that.” How was it she had no hesitation with the idea of being bossed around, told what to do, but these gentle questions left her almost bashful?
“I would like that very much.”
Julia looked into Taylor’s eyes. She saw desire, clear as day, but also something else. Tenderness, maybe, or reverence. It left her with this weird combination of feeling assured and on edge. “Okay, so where do you want me?”
Taylor’s expression turned playful. “Patience.”
Playful was good. That she knew what to do with. “In case you hadn’t noticed, that isn’t one of my virtues.”
Taylor nodded as she untied the belt holding the robe in place. “We’ll see about that.” With only a gentle nudge, the robe fell from her shoulders, slinking down her body and pooling at her feet. Taylor took her hands and led her toward the bed. They stopped a few feet short of it and Taylor let go. “Don’t move.”
There. The command had returned to Taylor’s voice. That’s what she expected, what she wanted.
Taylor went over to the nightstand and picked up a bottle too big to be lube. She returned to where Julia stood and squirted some into her hands, closing the bottle and tossing it on the bed. Her hands went to Julia’s shoulders. Oh. Massage oil.
Ohhh.
Although there was nothing overtly sexual about the movement of Taylor’s hands, Julia had to fight to keep her knees from buckling. She didn’t even bother trying to quash the moans that escaped each time Taylor’s thumbs pressed along the length of her shoulder blades. “Fuck, that feels good.”
Taylor let out a chuckle before pressing her lips to the back of Julia’s neck. “How about you lie down for me? On your stomach.”
Oh, good. She didn’t know if she could take it if Taylor wanted to drag this out forever. She didn’t need it hard and fast, necessarily, but Taylor had this way of sending her libido into orbit and, like she said, patience wasn’t one of her virtues. At least when it came to sex. She moved to the bed, tried to arrange herself on it in a sexy way.
“Relax. You’re beautiful.”
She couldn’t know if the combination of direction and compliment was meant to smooth out apprehension Taylor perceived or if it simply manifested Taylor’s thoughts at the moment. Either way, the words and the velvety timbre of Taylor’s voice did the trick. Her body relaxed into the bed; tension, nerves, and even a little of the anticipation melted out of her and into the mattress.
“There. That’s better.” Taylor joined her on the bed and resumed the massage.
Julia sighed, then let out another moan. It might not be the sexcapade she’d bargained for, but she couldn’t bring herself to mind. She’d just started to drift into that mushy-brained state when Taylor’s hands stilled. When they left her body completely, a small squeak of protest escaped.
“Now, now. I’m not done with you yet. Roll over.”
And just like that, the arousal returned. Julia did as instructed. Taylor had shed her shirt and was wearing only a pair of snug forest green boxer briefs. The sight—broad shoulders, perfect breasts, muscular thighs—pretty much dissolved any self-control Julia had left. Tied up or not, she was completely and utterly at Taylor’s mercy.
“Hands over your head.”
Julia swallowed and did as she was told. “You’re really good at this.”
Taylor’s smile held a hint of arrogance. “I haven’t done anything yet.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but Taylor had picked up one of the cuffs and began buckling it around Julia’s wrist. Words vanished and she watched, transfixed. Taylor repeated the process with the other wrist, then looped the rope through each of the rings. She wound it around one of the rails of the wrought iron frame, and Julia had a flash of wanting to know if she’d bought the bed for this specific reason.
“Is that too tight?”
Julia tugged gently. There was a fair amount of give. “No.”
The rope tightened. “Now?”
She could still move a couple of inches, but no more. The added restriction ticked her arousal up a couple of notches. “Just right.”
“And what’s your safe word again?”
Julia snickered. They’d agreed it should be something ridiculous that would never come out otherwise. “Pineapple.”
“Good. Now, I’m not going to try to make you use it, but you shouldn’t hesitate. Even if something just falls asleep. The second this stops being pleasurable, we stop.”
Taylor’s intensity sent a shiver down her spine. She nodded. “I understand.”
“I’d like to blindfold you. I think having one of your senses deprived heightens the others. May I do that?”
It was impossible to say which was sexier, the idea of being blindfolded or Taylor asking her permission to do it. Fortunately, she didn’t have to decide. “Yes, please.”
Taylor folded the scarf and placed it over Julia’s eyes. “Lift your head.”
She did as she was told and Taylor tied and tightened it around her head. “Can you see? No fibbing.”
Julia smiled. “I can’t.”
“Good.”
“Are you going to tell me what you’re going to do?”
“No.”
The answer left nothing and everything to the imagination. Julia took a deep breath and willed herself to relax. This was the point—not being in control. She wanted it and, more, she wanted Taylor. She nodded, answering the questions in her mind more than responding to Taylor.
Taylor’s fingers trailed down her torso, over the crease where hip met thigh. Her lips brushed Julia’s neck before she gently bit Julia’s ear lobe. Not being able to see, having no idea where Taylor would touch her next, made her pay attention to each sensation. She let her head roll side to side. She sighed. When Taylor took one of her nipples into her mouth, she gasped.
On and on it went. Gentle caresses, teasing nips. As Julia became more aroused, the intensity of Taylor’s touch increased, which only turned her on more. There was a roughness in the way Taylor squeezed her breast, the way her teeth scraped against Julia’s skin. Like maybe she wasn’t one hundred percent in control. The idea of that, of driving Taylor to her limits, turned her on as much as the touches themselves.
And then everything stopped. Taylor shifted away. Julia felt the absence keenly. Was this part of the plan? Was she supposed to beg?
“I’m going to put my mouth on you, but I don’t want you to come. Do you understand?”
Oh. Oh, my. Julia nodded.
Taylor’s mouth was hot and soft and wet. She literally whimpered it felt so good.
“Hold still.”
Julia took a deep breath and did her best to comply. She focused all her attention on the press of Taylor’s tongue and resisting the urge to move with her. It didn’t take long for her body to creep dangerously close to the edge of orgasm. “I can’t.” She panted out a breath. “You have to stop.”
“Do I have to stop if I tell you you can come?”
Julia shook her head. “No.”
“Then come for me.”
Taylor’s mouth covered her once again and Julia did just that. The orgasm rippled through her in a wave, poured over her like melted wax. “Oh, Taylor.”
“That’s my good girl.”
Julia’s body, still trembling, reacted as though Taylor had pressed a button she didn’t even know was there. The second orgasm tumbled into the first, barely giving her a chance to catch her breath.
Taylor shifted again. One of Julia’s shoes came off, then the other. She’d forgotten she was wearing them. And then Taylor was back, between Julia’s thighs. Kneeling, maybe? Taylor’s hand grazed where her mouth had been. Julia’s muscles tightened, imagining Taylor inside her. But like with everything else tonight, Taylor seemed in no hurry.
Taylor’s fingers traced her labia. Up and down. Up and down.
“Please.” Her voice came out hoarse, desperate.
“Please what?” Taylor didn’t stop caressing, but she made no move to fill Julia in the way she so badly needed.
“Please be inside me.”
Taylor’s hand touched her cheek, then loosened the scarf from around her eyes. Even in the dim candlelight, she had to blink while they adjusted. Taylor’s hand continued its slow torture. Up and down. Up and down. “I want you to look at me when you say it.”
Honest to God, it was almost enough to make her come. She didn’t. Instead, she did as Taylor instructed and looked right into her eyes. “Please be inside me.”
In an instant, Taylor’s fingers were there, filling her. Julia arched, moaned. How could it feel so good every time?
Taylor let out a noise of her own, kind of a sigh mixed with a groan. “You feel so good.”
Despite feeling like she might spontaneously combust at any moment, Julia laughed. “That’s my line.”
Taylor’s response was to ease almost entirely out, then drive back into her. It was a taste of the hard and rough she’d been expecting all along. Julia couldn’t muster the words, so she tried to convey to Taylor with her eyes, her body, how badly she wanted that.
If Taylor’s smile was anything to go on, she succeeded.
Seconds ticked by. Julia hovered on the precipice, not sure if she was meant to be holding on or leaping off the edge. And then Taylor, in that way only Taylor seemed able to do, took charge. She filled Julia. She fucked her. She made love to her. It was this exquisite, almost excruciating combination of the three that made Julia’s whole body ache for release, but feel utterly satisfied at the same time.
Again and again. Hard, fast, demanding. With her free hand, Taylor grabbed a fistful of Julia’s hair and held tight. Julia’s brain couldn’t keep up, but her body did, matching Taylor thrust for thrust until pleasure and pain melded into a single strain of sensation and liquid heat poured from her.
Unlike the first two, this orgasm ripped through her, electric. But instead of tearing her apart, it made her whole. She arched, testing the restraints. She tensed, then trembled. She screamed Taylor’s name.
Julia didn’t remember Taylor taking off the cuffs, but the next thing she knew, she was wrapped in Taylor’s arms. She clung to Taylor’s shoulders like Taylor’s body was the only thing keeping her tethered to reality. Her body continued to quake, making her hold on even tighter.
“Shh, it’s okay.” Taylor kissed her cheeks, which were damp not with sweat, but tears.
“I’m okay. Good. More than good.” Her voice trembled, but hopefully the sincerity of her words came through. Julia didn’t think she could conjure a time in her life when she was more okay.
“You have to tell me if it’s too much.” The trace of fear in Taylor’s voice pulled the moment into focus.
“Not too much. Not even a little. Perfection.” Okay, so she had focus but not quite the ability to form sentences.
Taylor eased back ever so slightly and trailed a finger where her lips had been. “Are you sure?”
Desire, of a very different kind, stirred in her. “Let me show you.”
She shifted out of Taylor’s embrace and nudged Taylor onto her back. Taylor didn’t resist. Julia kissed her face, her neck. She kissed down one arm, then the other. Tasting herself on Taylor’s fingers made her smile.
Taylor lifted her head so she could watch Julia move over her. She sighed and mumbled Julia’s name. She wanted to tell Julia reciprocating wasn’t necessary, that being with Julia that way had been satisfying in ways she couldn’t even describe. But as Julia’s mouth continued its methodical exploration of her body, the words vanished.
When Julia’s tongue swirled around her nipple, she arched, unable to remember the last time they’d been so sensitive.
Julia lifted her head. “I’m not going to have to tie you up, now, am I?”
Taylor chuckled, but the sound came out ragged with need. “No, ma’am.”
Julia resumed her assault, but much like Taylor had, she took her time. Taylor threaded her fingers into Julia’s hair—gently this time—and gave herself over to wherever Julia wanted to take her. Across her ribs, over her stomach, around her hips, and down her thighs. Julia’s tongue and teeth and lips claimed her. Although, truth be told, Taylor was already pretty much hers.
When Julia’s mouth wrapped around her clit, she came instantly—hard and fast and fierce. The surprise of it caught her as much as the intensity and left her breathless.
“Don’t think you’re getting off that easy.” Julia kissed her thighs briefly, then returned to Taylor’s center.
Her mouth was gentler this time, slowly tracing along either side of her. She pressed her tongue inside, and Taylor thought vaguely if it was possible to die from pleasure, this would be what did her in.
The second orgasm built slowly. It started low and deep in her belly, then spread like fire engulfing a stack of kindling. It left her singed and spent, her body glowing like white hot embers.
“Julia.” It came out as a whisper, as reverent as a prayer.
“Yeah.”
She took comfort in the fact that Julia’s voice was as shaky as her own. “Come here.”
Julia crawled up the bed and settled into Taylor’s outstretched arm. Taylor kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair. “You are amazing.”
She could feel Julia smile against her. “You are.”
“I think we’re pretty amazing together.” She meant it in more ways than one, but they didn’t need to have that conversation now.
“Agreed.”
Despite telling herself not to get too emotional, Taylor couldn’t help but add, “Thank you for trusting me enough to do that.”
Julia lifted her head and looked into Taylor’s eyes. “Thank you for making it even better than I imagined.”
Not for the first time, Taylor wondered how much experience Julia had with this sort of thing. Her response, without being a specific answer, gave Taylor all the assurance she needed. Not that she was Julia’s first or only, but that it was something she wasn’t flip about. “Ditto.”
Taylor got out of bed long enough to blow out candles and pull up a sheet and light blanket. She’d barely climbed back in and Julia was curling up against her. She kissed each of Julia’s wrists where the cuffs had left marks, then wrapped both arms around her. Taylor stroked Julia’s hair, and it wasn’t long before Julia’s breathing evened out. Taylor continued stroking, the motion soothing her almost as much as it had Julia, and she drifted off to sleep.