Leather & Lace

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

“Damn it!”

Kristen Anders slammed her laptop shut, removed her glasses, and shoved her fingers through her long, brown hair in exasperation. Glancing at the digital clock on her cable box, she couldn't believe it was one in the afternoon. Three hours wasted. If she didn't develop a workable storyline soon, she would go insane. Now that her move to Tampa was complete, her things were unpacked in the rented two-bedroom apartment, and the empty moving boxes were in the recycle bin, she had no more excuses not to get back to her latest novel. No excuse except her damn writer's block.

On the desk, her phone rang, and she rolled her eyes when she spotted the name on the screen. Just what she needed . . . Jillian Tang. Her editor had given her three weeks to deal with everything involved in the move before she began demanding to see a new plot outline. And, according to the Playgirl calendar her cousin had given her as a happy divorce present, those three weeks had come and gone four days ago, and all Kristen had was a working title.

Hitting the answer button, she brought the phone to her ear. “Hey, Jillian.”

“Don’t ‘hey, Jillian’ me unless you have something more than a working title by now.”

Leather and Lace would be the follow-up to her first oh-so-non-vanilla romance novel, Satin and Sin, which her readers had gone crazy for. “Not yet, and before you yell at me, do you want it fast, or do you want it good?”

Jillian’s laugh came over the line, and Kristen had to smile. They spoke simultaneously, “Sounds like something my ex-husband would say.”

Both knew what it was like to divorce a cheating husband.

After her laughter died away, Jillian jumped back to the original topic. “You know your readers are dying to get their hands on your next b**m novel. I’m still floored you went that route after nine ‘vanilla’ romances, but with how your sales soared, I’m not complaining.”

Kristen’s first two books had been self-published e-books. After they'd been downloaded in large numbers and received glowing reviews from her readers, Jillian had contacted her with a proposal to become a Red Rose Books-endorsed author. She’d been thrilled since being sought out by the large publishing company, which specialized in the romance genre, was an honor most self-published writers could only dream of. The deal benefited both parties. Red Rose Books signed a new and popular writer with an established fan base waiting on pins and needles for her next book, and Kristen's books were now available in print, audio, and digital. She no longer had to contend with editing, uploading, book cover designs, and promotions.

“I’m not complaining either, but I can’t even decide which sub-character should become my new hero.”

“s**t, I gotta run to a meeting.” Kristen could hear the rustle of papers on Jillian’s end. “Listen. Go into that fantasy world in your head and picture each one of those hunky guys. One of them will stand out. I’ll call you tomorrow, and you better have an answer for me. Love ya. Bye.”

Dropping her cell next to her laptop, Kristen sighed. She got up and headed to the master bedroom, pulling her shirt off over her head. She hoped a hot shower, followed by a change of scenery, would help get her creative juices flowing. Plus, she was hungry. Maybe it was time to check out the Irish pub a few blocks over. She'd passed by Donovan's several times over the past few weeks and noticed it was a popular place. It didn’t appear too crowded at lunchtime, but it was usually packed by happy hour and stayed that way into the night.

Walking through her bedroom, she thought of calling Will to join her for a bite to eat, but the idea left her mind as fast as it came. As much as she loved her cousin's company because he could always make her laugh and relax, Kristen knew she wouldn't get any work done with him around.

Not long after her arrival in Florida, Will had taken it upon himself to show her around Tampa and introduce her to all his friends since he was the only person she knew in the area. Unfortunately for her, most people he hung out with were gay, not that anything was wrong with being gay. She'd become comfortable with her cousin's homosexuality a long time ago, and even though she had a good time with Will's crowd, she was tired of turning down date requests from his lesbian friends. Kristen had no s****l interest in women, and none of the men in her cousin's circle were interested in her as anything more than a friend. They were a great bunch of people, but since her divorce was finalized, she wanted to get back into the dating game. She wasn't looking for a steady relationship, her failed marriage had soured her on anything permanent, but maybe a friends-with-benefits thing would be something she could get into. However, the benefits portion of that might be a problem.

She wasn't very good at s*x, and, if she was honest, it bored her. She found she could finally admit it to herself even though her ex-husband, Tom, had used it as an excuse for cheating. Although she could o****m while m**********g, she had never been able to come during s*x. At the beginning of her marriage, Tom said it was because she didn't relax enough to enjoy it, which Kristen might agree with. She was so nervous at first, wanting to please him but not knowing how. But after more than six months of disappointing s*x, her husband began to tell her she was frigid and unresponsive. Maybe she was. But having nothing else to compare it to, she wasn't sure if it was true. She'd been a twenty-four-year-old virgin on her wedding night, and Tom was the only man she had ever slept with.

She stopped at her dresser and picked up the large envelope holding her divorce papers. A few weeks after their first anniversary, she found out Tom had cheated on her with several women before and after their wedding. She’d kicked him out the same day, but she couldn't bring herself to even think about having s*x with anyone else until the ink was dry on said papers. Whether her ex had or not, she took her marriage vows to heart and couldn't move on until everything was final. Although the documents in her hand were signed two weeks before her move to Tampa, she hadn't found an opportunity to spread her wings—or legs, as Will had so eloquently put it.

Putting the envelope back where it was, she sat on the edge of her bed and hugged one of her decorative pillows. When it came to s*x, Kristen believed she could take it or leave it, but she missed the intimacy of s*x. She squeezed the pillow tighter and realized what she missed the most. It was the cuddling and pillow talk which occurred after s*x. She could live without the act itself, but it felt like forever since she’d snuggled up to a warm body and felt content.

Content. Huh? What a boring word.

Her readers would be shocked to learn that the author of a best-selling b**m book was only content with her s*x life. Too bad life wasn't a steamy romance novel, with a hot and hunky hero knocking on her door, primed and ready to sweep her off her feet, throw her on the bed, tie her down, and do naughty, sensual things to her.

Right, like that would ever happen.

But that was what made great fiction. Fantasies. Fantasies of delicious and dirty s*x.

Even though her own s*x life was lacking, Kristen had read many erotic novels over the years and decided to spice up her last book by basing it around a private s*x club for the rich and famous. To her shock and delight, it’d become a bigger success than her first four of nine vanilla books put together. Now she was supposed to write an even more exciting follow-up that her fans were clamoring for, and she couldn't even decide which sub-character from the first book she wanted to write a story about.

Should she use Master Zach, the sexy movie star who liked to flog his submissives to o****m, as her new hero? Or Master Wayne, the blond billionaire who preferred to share his women with his best friend, Jonah. Or maybe she should pick Master Xavier, who owned the s*x club, Leathers, they all belonged to. He was the strong, brooding type women were always attracted to in romance books.

Kristen tossed the pillow back on the bed and stood to remove her sweatpants. She dropped them and her shirt into the hamper as she walked into the bathroom. Reaching in, she turned on the shower, letting it heat up as she peeled off her underwear. When she stepped into the tub, the warm water surrounded her as she thought about Master Xavier. He hadn't been a main character in Satin and Sin, but the fictitious man had grown on her somewhere during her writing sessions.

In her head, she brought up a picture of the strong alpha male as she had described him in her book—the same alpha male who had somehow ended up starring in a few of her own fantasies. Six-foot-two, jet black hair, startling blue eyes, a chiseled jaw with a hint of a five o'clock shadow, and a body that would make any heterosexual adult female drop her panties instantly. She imagined his deep Dom voice resonating in her mind as he told her to touch herself while he stood there and watched. Grabbing a bottle of her favorite body soap, she squirted a small amount into her palms before putting it back on the tub’s shelf. She closed her eyes and roamed her hands over her heated skin with light sensual strokes.

“Touch your breasts,” he'd say. “Play with your n*****s. Pinch them and pull them.”

Kristen did what her fantasy Dom told her to, her hands caressing her heavy orbs. As she played with the sensitive peaks between her thumbs and forefingers, the growing sensations of pleasure shot straight to her c**t, making it throb. Making her want to be touched there.

“Spread your legs wider, my love. Let me see your bare p***y. It belongs to me, and I want to see what's mine. I want to watch you finger yourself for me.”

Her breathing increased as she eased one hand down her torso. She wanted to move faster but knew Master Xavier would never allow it. He would punish her if she sped things up without his permission. Maybe he'd s***k her a*s with his strong, calloused hands or perhaps bring her to the brink of o****m repeatedly, yet continue to deny her the ultimate ecstasy.

“That's it, love, touch your p***y. Rub your pearly c**t for me. Imagine it's my fingers touching you, loving you. Nice and slow. Such a good girl. Picture my tongue between your legs, l*****g your sweet cream.”

Kristen moaned as her fingers followed her Master's demands as if they had a mind of their own.

“You like that, don't you, love.” He wouldn't ask but state it as fact, and she wouldn't deny it. She couldn't.

“You please me, love. You make me want to bend you over and take you from behind, f*****g your wet p***y, slow at first. So very slow until you're begging me to go faster. Harder. Beg me, love, beg me.”

“Please,” Kristen whispered aloud as she felt the pressure build, threatening to send her over the edge into a vast abyss.

“Faster, love. Faster. Come for me, love. Now!”

And then she flew. Screaming her release, her body shook with the force of the o****m, which tore through her as she tried and failed to stay standing. Somehow she ended up on her knees on the tub floor without hurting herself. Gasping for air as if she had run a mile at top speed, she slowed the hand between her legs as the last shudders quaking through her body faded.

Holy crap! That’d been the most explosive o****m of her entire life, and it’d been at her own hand while a fantasy man she’d dreamed up told her what to do. It was crazy—crazy but amazing!

As she drifted back to reality, she noticed the water pelting her back had started to cool. Getting to her feet on shaky legs, she grabbed the shampoo and rushed to wash and rinse her hair before it was too late. As she turned off the water and reached for a fresh towel, Kristen knew she had made her decision. Master Xavier was definitely going to be the hero of Leather and Lace.