A Taste of Winter: 1 (Red Masks) Read online

  “I almost forgot the very best part!” Manette grabbed her hand and led her to the far side of the room where a huge wooden cabinet lined the wall. Plucking a key from somewhere in the chains that circled her waist, Manette opened one of the cabinets to show a row of magnificently decorated ruby masks. Alaina gasped in delight as she gazed upon the treasures, each one unique and exquisitely crafted.

  “I have them designed for each member specifically,” Manette gushed, trailing her fingers across the row. “Each one reflects the personality of their owner…each one as beautiful and rare as the woman who wears it.” Her hands closed around a vision of red satin and pearls and handed it to Alaina. A single feather curled from a rose on the side of the mask while a drape of crystals and pearls hung below. “This one is yours, my dear. It has been waiting here for a very long time.”

  Alaina turned to face the mirror as Manette held the mask in place, tying it behind her head with sleek satin ribbons. It looked even better on, the shape and size fitting to perfection.

  “It’s perfect. Just perfect. I look like a fairy princess.”

  “Soon you will feel like one, too,” Manette replied, taking her hand once more. “Your prince awaits.” She winked as they made their way down another hallway to where a pair of double doors with lead crystal glass panels waited to be opened.

  Then Manette threw the doors wide and Alaina was transported to another world where music and laughter and magic held sway. Although dimly lit, the room sparkled with shards of light refracted from the crystal chandeliers high above and everywhere she looked Alaina saw the beautiful red masks, making her feel as if she had stepped into a fairytale.

  “Enjoy,” Manette whispered, taking her by the hand and leading her to the bar where she was handed a glass of water. “So you do not overindulge too early,” the woman added as she melded into the shadows, leaving Alaina alone to face whatever the night might hold.

  * * * * *

  Christ almighty! Ryan spotted her the instant he stepped into the room despite the several yards between them. There was no way he could miss that sheaf of blonde hair and perfectly shaped ass. Alaina Winter in all her icy beauty.

  How anyone thought a mask could make them anonymous he’d never figured out, but if Manette thought he wouldn’t recognize the woman she wasn’t as clever as she made herself out to be.

  Or she was far more savvy than he’d given her credit for. Manette watched him from her perch by the bar and he ducked his head to her in true appreciation before he ordered two glasses of champagne and headed across the room, noticing Alaina had only water on the table beside her.

  Damn, the woman was gorgeous. Gorgeous and as outwardly cold as her name implied. Which suited Ryan just fine. He was determined to break her and his cock roused in anticipation. A half-remembered quote from Shakespeare lurked at the back of his mind. “She’s beautiful and therefore to be wooed. She is woman and therefore to be won!”

  Calm down, he chastised himself, we’ll have her soon enough. Shaking off the urge to throw her over his shoulder like a Neanderthal, Ryan studied her every move as he crossed the room to join her.

  He was certain she would not recognize him. He’d left his hair hanging loose across his forehead, not slicked back in its usual manner and it looked more black than brown in the dim light. He’d also changed his normal suit and tie for a loose-fitting shirt and faded jeans, something he knew she’d never seen him in before. And he pulled his own mask down across his eyes, leaving them shadowed so she could not see their color. She would never guess his true identity.

  Which was the entire point. Although he’d never been a man of such calculated deception, if Alaina knew who he was she would run out the door in shock—something he refused to let happen, at least not until he’d made her scream at least half a dozen times or more.

  “I was told this was your indulgence of choice,” he said when he was near enough to smell her rich perfume as he held out one of the glasses. “A favorite of mine as well.”

  “Thank you.” Her eyes were calm behind the mask, the color of a frozen lake. But her mouth was a study in nervous longing, her bottom lip swollen from where she’d gripped it between her teeth, her free hand moving to smooth back her hair. “Do you come here often?”

  It was a poor joke and they both knew it but Ryan got the upper hand when he told her, “I haven’t come here in several weeks but I would very much like to come tonight—with you—more than once if at all possible.”

  When her teeth peeked out to catch her lip once more, a surge of need hit hard between his legs. He hadn’t been this aroused this fast in a very long time and the sensation was as sharp as glass, cutting away his months of boredom in an instant.

  “You are beautiful,” he said as he ran his thumb over her swollen lip, pleased when he heard her sharp intake of breath.

  “I bet you say that to all the girls,” she tried to joke, her voice husky with uncertainty.

  “Would that make you more comfortable?” He bent down until their mouths were nearly touching. “If you wish it I could lie and tell you I’ve felt this way any number of times—but you are the most exquisite thing that has walked into the Red Mask since I’ve been a member.”

  Where the hell had that come from? Ryan didn’t know what bothered him more—her look of cynicism or the realization he’d blurted out the truth.

  She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on, damn it all to hell. He’d known that for some time now. And before the night was through he vowed to lay hands and tongue on her despite the fact she was shaking her head and rising to her feet.

  “Thanks but no thanks. I really need to get going. I have a long day tomorrow and—”

  “I didn’t take you for a coward,” Ryan interrupted. When she leaned over to place her glass on the table, he pulled her against him, settling her fabulous ass along his erection and wrapping his arms around her waist to cup her breasts. “Here you don’t have to be in control,” he whispered against her neck, his lips brushing the silky skin. “Stay. Trust that I know how to please you.”

  The pulse in her neck beat harder against his mouth as her nipples tightened beneath his palms.

  “Why…why should I trust you?” Her voice was barely a whisper over the noise of the crowd as she froze, her flesh quivering like that of a deer ready to flee the hunter.

  “Because I never fuck and tell.” Before she could make another move he opened his mouth and bit into her neck, using just enough force to add a slight sting. Her nipples knotted so hard they seemed ready to burst through the lacy edge of the bra beneath her shirt and when he trapped them between his fingers and pinched she trembled, unable to stop the cry of pleasure from her lips.

  He ground his hips against hers, one knee pushing her legs apart so he could press his erection more fully between the luscious mounds of the ass he’d admired so often from afar. Visions of spreading those perfect cheeks and thrusting into the too-tight opening hidden there sent his cock into overdrive, his flesh leaping to attention, more than ready to make his fantasy a reality.

  Had she ever been taken there? Or would he be the first to explore the pleasures of her virgin ass?

  He tightened his fingers around her nipples once more, tugging them until she clamped her hand across her mouth to keep from crying out again. “So you like that, my beauty? Pain and pleasure side by side?” When she remained stubbornly silent, he slid his hand down her stomach to probe between her legs. “And this? Would you like me to take you with my fingers? Slide them deep into your cunt over and over until you beg me to let you come?”

  “Oh…God…yes!” The words came strangled from her throat as a drop of sweat rolled down her cheek.

  Ryan sat down on the couch and pulled her onto his lap, turning her face into his chest. She unbuttoned his shirt and wrapped her arms around him as he slid his hand beneath her skirt. “Spread your legs,” he ordered when he found she’d clamped them tight together. “I will only tell yo
u once,” he added when she hesitated. He would not punish her now—not before she had learned the rules of his game—but she did need to understand he would obeyed instantly and without question or there would be consequences.

  He nearly bit off his tongue as he pictured her facedown across his lap, the cheeks of her butt turning red and hot beneath the sting of his palm.

  “Your skin is like silk,” he praised her when her knees parted and he ran his hand up the inside of her thigh to the flimsy lace of her panties. It was his turn to moan when he felt the drenched material. Ryan found the swollen bud of her clit and rolled it between his fingers. He could smell her now, the sweet scent of her arousal filling the air between them as her hips jerked against his hand and her legs spread wider as she surrendered to his touch.

  He slid his fingers beneath the edge of her panties, stilling when she stiffened and sucked in a breath. “How long has it been?” he managed to ask, not knowing how he was going to keep from coming in his pants.

  “I-I don’t remember,” she mumbled against his skin. “Too long. Too…ah…ah…aahhhhhh.” Her voice lowered to a whimper as he slid his finger into her, the muscles of her sex clamping tight against the invasion. He slid out and back in again over and over until he felt her begin to unclench, heard the cries of pleasure she mouthed against his neck.

  The ice queen was melting in his skillful hands.

  Chapter Two

  Alaina had descended into a dark and desperate need the instant she’d let the man run his hands across her breasts. Now, on his lap with her legs splayed apart and his fingers delving into places she’d almost forgotten existed, she was sure she’d crossed the line into a complete and utter madness.

  But if that was what it felt like to jump off the edge she was bound and determined to enjoy every second of the fall. They were both adults, she reasoned, both properly investigated and given Madame Manette’s stamp of approval. What could she do besides whimper and squirm and beg him to make her shudder in release?

  “Wh-what should I call you?” she managed to stammer as he rasped his thumb across her clit, causing her knees to tremble and widen even farther.

  “I have always been fond of Master,” he answered, thrusting his fingers ever deeper into her sex. “Say it properly and I might even let you come before I show you to my chamber.” With that he withdrew his hand, leaving her cold and empty and beyond any hope of dignity.

  “Master,” she whispered, almost too ashamed to say the word. She’d never granted any man that title in her life and to give it to a stranger now was way beyond any rational consideration. Yet she’d said it as he demanded, whispering it again when he clucked his tongue in disapproval, refusing to continue his erotic caress.

  “It still needs work,” he mouthed against her neck, scraping his teeth along her skin, causing her nipples to peak painfully.

  But when Alaina raised a hand to soothe the hardened flesh he smacked the inside of her thigh, causing her to cry out at the unexpected punishment.

  “I did not give you permission to touch yourself,” he growled, landing a second slap on her already-stinging skin.

  Too needy, too aroused, too tense, she fought to free herself from his arms. “I don’t need this shit from you. Let me go or I’ll—”

  Before she could finish the sentence, he set her free to land in a heap at his feet, her skirt tangled so far above her thighs she swore she was on display for everyone to see. “As you wish.”

  Alaina scanned the room in apprehension but not a soul had taken any notice of her predicament, the rest of the crowd so caught up in their own masquerades they had no time for another’s distress.

  Only the catlike eyes of Madame Manette at the bar met hers, unreadable and aloof. Still it was a comfort when the other woman raised a brow in question, as if she would stop the scenario should Alaina give the signal.

  “Do you feel more in control now?” the bastard had the nerve to ask as he reached out an elegant hand to help her to her feet. “My only aim is to give you pleasure…if you will allow it.”

  “What pleasure?” Ignoring his hand, she scrambled to her feet, anger rising to replace her earlier complaisance. “I wasn’t aware this was all for your amusement.”

  “I assure you it isn’t. Submit. Give me complete control and I will show you pleasures you have never even dreamed of.”

  She opened her mouth to say some appropriately scathing remark but snapped it shut as a wave of weariness nearly dragged her down in its wake. She’d argued with her boss for months and she was just too damned tired to argue any longer. And she wasn’t in the mood to make this as complicated as it was becoming.

  “What the hell?” Gathering the last of her failing courage, Alaina looked him straight in the eye…at least as much as she could see beneath the mask. “You want to tie me up and make me call you Master? No problem. Another couple of glasses of that champagne and I’ll even call you God. But if you don’t follow through and give me the best sex I’ve ever had I will have you thrown out of this club, never to return.”

  The chuckle that rumbled across her senses was amazing, as was the brilliance of his perfectly wicked smile. “Fair enough.” He held out his hand again and this time she took it. “Let me take you to my room where we will finish what we’ve started.” With that, the last of her resistance was swept to the floor as she let him lead her to the next step in her domination.

  The instant she stepped across the doorway Alaina was entranced. A huge bed held court in the center of the room, supported by sturdy oak bedposts, thick leather lacings dangling from every one. Two chairs covered in black baroque satin sat against the far wall and an ebony wardrobe stood along another.

  But her eyes were held by the bindings and she shivered at the thought of what he intended to do with them, the throb of need between her legs growing worse with every passing second. If he didn’t want her touching her breasts what would he do if she stuck her hand between her legs to soothe the want that burned and bit and demanded his renewed attention?

  He unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves before he grabbed a leather whip. He ran it over the back of one hand before draping it over his shoulder.

  When he took a step toward her Alaina backed a step away, banging her knees against the side of the bed as he took off his shirt and ditched it with his jacket. She stared in fascination at a tattoo on his left shoulder, a swirl of intricate black Celtic knotwork that looked to be a wolf. She raised a hand as if to protect her throat when he ran his tongue across his teeth like the very animal inked into his skin.

  “No no, none of that.” With a shake of his head, he pulled her hand away and tucked it behind her back, securing it to the bedpost with one of the lacings. “Do you know how to play this game?” He took her other hand to bind it with the first. “No?” he added when she shook her head so hard her hair spilled across her face. “Then listen carefully because I will only explain the rules once.”

  Torn between being so aroused she could barely keep her knees from buckling and fighting back an unexpected wave of panic as she realized she was locked in a room with a stranger whose sexual proclivities might be more dangerous than she’d imagined, Alaina’s mouth had grown so dry she couldn’t form a single word. She could only nod her head in assent as he pulled open her blouse and slid it down her shoulders. “Wh-what rules?” she managed to gasp as he reached around to unhook her bra, frowning when it got stuck in the tangle of her blouse and the bindings around her wrists.

  Carelessly he ripped the front of the bra apart and Alaina stifled a whimper as he cupped her bare breasts in his hands. “I’ll give you a safeword.” He thumbed both nipples and forced another cry of hunger from her throat. “If things get too intense—if you really want to stop—you say the safeword.”

  She watched in agitated fascination as he moved to work the zipper of her skirt, refusing to beg him to pinch her nipples once again. “Why can’t I just say no? Or…or tell you to stop?” It was g
rowing too hard to maintain rational thought as he let her skirt fall to the floor and pushed one hand between her legs.

  “Because I want to hear you beg,” he said in an entirely too-steady voice. “I want you to plead and scream and tell me no.” She nearly did scream as he tucked a finger beneath her panties and rubbed it across her clit. “And I want to give you the freedom to live out your wildest fantasies, knowing you can say or cry out anything at all and I won’t stop giving you pleasure…unless you say the single word that tells me you’ve reached your limit.”

  With that he bent his head and bit down on one knotted nipple, the sensation enough to cause her legs to finally cave, leaving her sagging against her bonds with only his body against hers keeping her from hitting the floor once more.

  “Here you are the slave and I am the master, you the servant and I the king,” he mouthed against her breast. “No means yes. Stop means go. Only the safeword will cease our activities. Agreed?”

  At this point and time she would agree to anything so long as he kept his part of the bargain and let her topple over the edge that was growing closer and closer with every bite on her breast and stroke along her clit.

  “Your safeword is peppermint,” he mouthed against her neck. “Say it.”

  “P-p-peppermint,” she stammered as he speared a finger into her sex.

  “Again,” he demanded with a snicker she felt all the way to her toes.

  “Pe-pep-pepperm-m-mint, oh God!” she squealed as he tucked a second finger in with the first, stretching her open.

  “That would be Master to you,” he had the gall to say, slipping his fingers free before driving them deep once more. “Now you will not say it again unless you are in true distress. Do you understand?”

  Of course she understood but speech was beyond her ability as he knelt before her and pulled her panties free. He lifted one leg over his shoulder and trailed his teeth along her thigh, growling his approval when she whimpered like a child.