Taking Her in Hand Read online

  The orgasm was so hard and so, so satisfying.

  Afterward, she melted into the mattress. Amazing.

  When Eric crawled up her body, she felt his cock against her thigh. Startled that he’d obviously taken it out without her realizing it, she was jarred back to reality.

  She was in the bed she’d shared with Colin, letting another man go down on her and now… now, what?

  “Red,” she said before she’d even given herself time to think.

  Eric froze and she winced, expecting him to explode with fury. She remembered from when she was a teenager that that’s what guys did when they didn’t get to have sex when they wanted to.

  But nothing violent happened. Instead he spoke.

  “I’d call you selfish,” Eric said with a shake of his head and a small smile. “But I enjoyed every second of that.” He moved to the edge of the bed and stood.

  She opened her mouth, ready to call him back. She could at least do something… with her mouth or her hand.

  He walked out though, before she had a chance to say anything. Like “thank you for the awesome orgasm.” Or “I’m sorry for stopping you before you got to have one too.”

  He’s a grown man. He knows how to make himself come. He doesn’t need help.

  She took a deep breath in and blew it out. She felt lonely in the bed after that, but loneliness was nothing new. The bed was too big. She thought about Colin and the games they’d played, pretending dozens of things. Once he’d had them pretend they were adrift on a raft at sea. He’d made her drink lemonade to avoid dehydration, and she’d very nearly peed her panties before he finally shouted that he saw land. She smiled. He had been so mischievous, equal parts comforting and threatening her with punishments if she wet herself.

  Thinking of him caused huge waves of guilt to course through her. She’d brought another man, Colin’s friend who he’d always seemed a little competitive with, into their bed. A man she didn’t like and barely even knew. She flushed. What the hell had she been thinking?

  “Sorry, Colin,” she whispered into the darkness. “I was lonely, but I—it won’t happen again.”

  Chapter Seven

  Laci stood next to the couch and smirked. Eric was way too big for the pretty little antique in the master bedroom. His crossed feet were under the far arm and sticking out the end. He had one arm up and across his eyes, but his shoulder still stuck out from the edge. He’d probably have been more comfortable on the floor. He’d definitely have been more comfortable in a bed.

  “Hey,” she said, nudging him.

  “What is it?”

  “Do you think this is a flop house? Go home.”

  He smiled. He was always really good-looking, but especially now with his messed-up hair and sleepy eyes.

  “How’d you sleep?” he asked.

  “Better than you, I guarantee.”

  “Not hard to manage that. What the hell kind of couch is this supposed to be? Just for show?”

  “Pretty much. Or for me to sit on in a fluffy dress to suck on a sucker.”

  Eric laughed, a deep masculine rumble. “I don’t care about the fluffy dress, but I can almost guarantee the couch could redeem itself if you were on it sucking on anything.”

  “You need to get laid,” she said.

  “Is that an offer?”

  “No, just an observation. I’m going downstairs to make us some scrambled eggs. Then you have to leave.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because it’s daytime and you have a job to go to.”

  “What concern is that of yours?”

  “It’s not really. But if you don’t make money, you might start stealing mine. Besides, I have things to do.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like going over to Melody’s house to apologize and to see if she’s okay and to pay her back the money I owe her and John.”

  “I already paid them back on your behalf.”

  “Why?” she demanded. “I didn’t authorize that. I wanted to give them the money myself.”

  “Sorry, Lace, but I didn’t know whether you would. A couple days ago you were spending your entire allowance on liquor and online poker.”

  “Stop monitoring my credit cards! If I want to spend my money on liquor and poker games, it’s none of your business.”

  “But it is. By Colin’s mandate.”

  She glared at him. Just when she’d started to like him he had to revert to I, Robot status. “You know what? I changed my mind about the eggs. I need to watch my spending, and I don’t choose to spend a buck fifty worth of eggs and cheddar on you. Eat breakfast at your own damn house.”

  He laughed, sitting up. His phone and a handkerchief fell from his pocket. Who carried a handkerchief anymore? Her eyes narrowed. That wasn’t a handkerchief.

  “Oh, good, you picked them up,” she said, reaching down.

  His hand was there first, and he snagged her panties and put them back into his pocket.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  He retrieved his phone. “Heading home where fifty-cent eggs aren’t being rationed to allow for five-hundred-dollar liquor store purchases.”

  She hurried to the doorway, getting there ahead of him and blocking his way. She thrust out her hand. “You have something of mine.”

  He looked down at her. “I’ll advance you the money for a new pair.”

  Son of a bitch.

  “Not exactly your size, are they?” she demanded, trying to reach into his pocket. He caught her arms and put them behind her back. He held them there so that she was forced up against him.

  He smelled good and felt solid and strong, which was all definitely beside the point.

  “What the hell is your deal?” she asked, trying unsuccessfully to pull her arms free. Okay, he was really strong, and she really liked that. She stopped struggling because it was pretty evident that his body liked hers doing it.

  “Done?” he asked.

  “Sure.”

  “Too bad,” he said, releasing her.

  She immediately went for the pocket again. He caught her wrist, just as her fingertips caught the edge of the fabric. When he pulled her arm, the fabric ripped.

  She laughed. “That is your fault!”

  He spun her around and swatted her ass twice.

  “Ow!” she yelled, trying to escape. She couldn’t take a serious spanking on her bruised backside. Luckily, he wasn’t committed to really punishing her and let her go.

  She turned, but stayed against the wall. She was done going after those underwear. If he wanted them so bad, he could keep them.

  He walked out without a word. She trailed after him.

  “Hey,” she said.

  He glanced over his shoulder on his way down the stairs.

  “There’s a matching bra. You want that too?”

  “Not unless you’re in it.”

  She raised her brows, but he never broke his stride. She heard the front door close and shook her head.

  * * *

  Laci got the summons to meet with the council while she was at John and Melody’s.

  When she’d arrived, she’d found Melody dressed in silk pajamas with a cool pack on each of her butt cheeks. Laci had meant to be incredibly contrite, but Mel looked so hilarious with those things perched on her ass that Laci had ended up laughing for so long that Mel flung one at her. Then they were both laughing.

  “Now you can fetch me a new one,” Melody said primly. “They’re in the bathroom linen closet.”

  “Ok,” Laci said, still smirking.

  “Actually bring two fresh ones. These were mostly warm and melted anyway.”

  “Uh huh,” Laci said, heading into the master bathroom. John and Melody’s house was cozy and in perfect order. Even their sex toys were arranged from largest to smallest in the cabinet. Laci laughed again, but muffled it.

  “You can crack them and place them,” Mel said in the kind of baby doll voice Laci had used during play with Colin. />
  “Do you and John do any ageplay?” Laci asked, clapping the packets’ sides together to start the cooling chemical reaction.

  “That’s a very personal question,” Melody said.

  Laci set a packet on each of Mel’s buttocks.

  “I guess, but I am putting ice packs on your rear end, which I saw get paddled last night. I didn’t think asking a question would be a shocking invasion of your privacy at this point.”

  “You never give me any details about your life with Colin.”

  “I don’t?” Laci said, thinking back to their conversations. She couldn’t remember Mel ever asking her anything.

  Melody shook her head.

  “Well, it wasn’t a conscious withholding. If I brushed off questions it was probably because thinking about him made me upset.”

  “He was pretty private. Colin wanted to know about everyone else’s sex life, but kept yours as much of a secret as he could.”

  “Did he? I guess he did. I think he was a little self-conscious about it.”

  “In this community?” Mel scoffed.

  “Well, there were no other full-on daddies and their little girls around that we knew of.”

  “I suppose not,” Melody said. “But certainly no one judges the choices others around here make. I’m not interested in the very extensive medical play that Cilla likes, but I’m happy she gets to play out those fantasies.” Melody looked at Laci through her lashes. “I think you used to go to the clinic fairly frequently. What sorts of things did you enjoy?”

  Laci sat on the carpet, then decided sitting wasn’t the greatest idea and so reclined on her side. “I actually didn’t choose to go. Colin had routines. Once a week he took his little girl for a check-up. It always included getting my temperature checked rectally and a full head-to-toe exam with him watching. Occasionally, he’d talk it over with the staff, and it would be decided that I needed a cleanse to keep me healthy. If I didn’t argue or try to resist, I’d get a lollipop at the end of the visit.” Laci chuckled. “Because I really needed another Blow Pop when I sucked one or two per day for him at home.”

  “I, um, have occasionally had the cleanses. I don’t find them pleasurable exactly, but they are somewhat stimulating. It’s more psychological. I get them when I know John’s intending to have one of those weekends where he uses me in certain ways. Did Colin…?”

  “Yes, he did most things.”

  “Did you—enjoy it?”

  “Yeah, he made sure I did.”

  “Hmm.”

  Laci tilted her head. “You have to tell him.”

  “Tell who what?” Melody said coyly.

  “Tell John that you don’t enjoy anal sex. He can either work on making it more pleasurable for you, or he can stop doing it.”

  “I never said I didn’t enjoy it. I enjoy everything John does.”

  “Uh huh.”

  Melody flushed. “So you’re going to meet with the council today?”

  “Seriously, Mel, you should tell him. He’ll want to know. There’s a lot you guys can do to make it good for you, and I’m sure—”

  “Laci, this conversation is over, and I forbid you from saying anything to anyone about it!”

  Laci held out her hands in surrender. “Ok, this conversation never happened. Moving on. I am meeting with the council this afternoon. They have questions for me. I’m pretty nervous about it. But I went to Stuart and Allison’s to apologize in person, and they were nice and gave me iced tea and hinted that they’d like to see me have sex with either them or some other people at the next community event. So I don’t think they’ll recommend running me out of town.”

  “Yes, everyone wants you,” Melody said with a slight frown.

  “Well, not everyone, but a couple people at least. A couple people who really like having sex with each other and from what I could tell a lot of other people.”

  “Sure, that’s all it is,” Melody said sarcastically.

  Laci’s brows rose. “Are you angry with me, Mel?”

  “Forgive me. I forgot that no one’s allowed to get angry with Laci. We all have to make allowances, even if you don’t appreciate it.”

  “What’s this about? Is John really pissed about the money you loaned me? I called him to apologize and he seemed okay. I’m so sorry I got you in the middle of that and that he found out. I could kill Eric for telling him. I wish I knew how Eric figured—”

  “I told him,” Melody snapped. “I got myself in trouble, trying to help you.”

  “You told him?”

  “Yes, I did. You were self-destructing, and I wanted to save you. I thought I was your best friend. But you don’t need me. You have plenty of influential people to help you. You broke one of the most sacred rules of the entire community. They were talking about forcing you out this week… changing the locks on your house, changing the security codes on the gate. You’d have taken one of your jaunts to the city and then come back and had no way to get inside. Did you know that?”

  “No—what the hell?”

  “Then you take one spanking and behave better for a few hours, and everyone is ready to forgive you. Even John, who was so set against you!”

  Laci felt like Melody had slapped her. “So you tried to save me, but didn’t actually want me to be saved? You wanted me to get kicked out of here?”

  “No, of course I didn’t. I worked really hard on John and Eric to win them over to your side, but they wouldn’t budge. Then you just change their minds like that,” Mel said, snapping her fingers. “Everyone else has to behave all the time and to live with all the parts of this life, good and bad, but you get to do whatever you want and there are no real consequences. How is that fair?”

  “Life isn’t fair, Melody,” Laci said softly, getting up.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m just sore and frustrated.”

  “Sure,” Laci said, her voice sounding wooden and far away. How had she misunderstood their friendship so completely? Melody had liked coming over to see her the way gawkers liked to stand and shake their heads at a bloody six-car pile-up. Mel was like her artist friends.

  “Wait, Laci, why don’t you come back before the council meeting? I can help you with your hair. You know I’m better with hair than you are. I can help you look your best.”

  “I don’t think I’ll have time,” Laci said in a neutral tone before she let herself out the door.

  She sucked in and exhaled several breaths of cool air, feeling like she might throw up. After a moment she started walking.

  She wasn’t sure which route she’d taken to get home, but she found herself in her kitchen with tumblers of Grey Goose in each hand.

  By the time Eric showed up, she couldn’t feel her lips and was hopeful the rest of her would be numb shortly.

  Chapter Eight

  Laci wasn’t sure why the hell she was wearing a pink dress with peony flip-flops. Eric had handed her things to put on, and she’d done it without really looking. She’d sat through the council’s interrogation where she was pretty sure she’d cried for at least fifteen solid minutes and then recited a terrible poem that Colin had written for her on their first anniversary. Now she was sitting in the hall while they discussed her and all she wanted to do was disappear.

  When Eric joined her on the bench, she said, “I was a complete disaster.”

  “That’s what I hear.”

  “I don’t care,” she said, tears streaming.

  “I can see that. You’re so calm and unemotional.”

  “I hate your guts, Eric.”

  “Guess I went too far stealing those underwear.”

  “Jerk,” she said, laughing in spite of herself. “Let’s just leave. I don’t need to hear them say it.” She stood, swaying. “I can’t stand to hear them say it.”

  He caught her arm, but she shook it hard.

  “Red, dammit. Just red.”

  He let her go. “Laci, relax.”

  She couldn’t. She had to get away from h
im and all of them. They weren’t her friends. Colin was the only one who’d ever really cared about her. The only one who ever would.

  * * *

  Laci hadn’t known that they had spare keys to her house. No one in the community ever locked their doors, so it didn’t come up very often, but Laci had locked hers today. It was really annoying that that had been a completely pointless gesture.

  At least it was Elena and Jim Ochoa. Elena was the only person she could halfway stand to see. She wished she’d been able to get really drunk when she’d gotten home from the meeting, but someone had taken away all her alcohol and a delivery she’d ordered was turned away at the gate.

  Elena asked her a few nonsensical questions about current events that Laci answered in that same distant tone she’d had at the end of the visit at Melody’s.

  “Sounds sober to me,” Jim said.

  Elena nodded. “Laci, we’re worried about you.”

  “And about the community and about global warming, yada yada.”

  “Hey,” Jim said sharply. “Disrespect her again, and you’re out.”

  Laci blinked. She actually liked that he’d told her off. If people were going to hate her, she wanted them to do it to her face. No more calling her honey while secretly fantasizing about knifing her in the back.

  “I just want to get this over with. You came to kick me out. Say so and go.”

  “We didn’t come to do that,” Elena said.

  Laci stared at them, trying to figure out if they were telling the truth. “What’s the catch?” she asked finally.

  “You have to choose someone to monitor your activities and correct your behavior for the next six weeks, at which time we’ll do another review and make a final decision about your residency status.”

  “Oh, my God. No way. I already have Eric looking over my shoulder for every penny I spend. You want me to give someone complete power over me?”

  “Or you can just leave,” Jim said with a shrug.

  “But we hope you won’t,” Elena said. She rested a hand on Jim’s arm. He sighed.