Had he only just met Ruby a few hours ago? Already, he felt like he knew her. He knew she loved his hand around her neck, and a bit of pain with her pleasure. But she fought it; he could feel her struggling with her desire to submit to him.
She also loved chocolate. When she swallowed a bit of chocolate from her cocktail she’d closed her eyes, savored it in her mouth. He’d had a sudden desire to feel her tongue on his cock, licking the tip just as she’d done that glass.
He could have. On the patio, she’d wanted him. Begged him to fuck her. It had taken every ounce of willpower to say no. But, from the moment he’d seen her, he’d wanted more. He’d wanted to see her bound, in real life. Not just in a photograph.
Subspace. When a person gave over so completely, it produced a trancelike state for the submissive, and Mark couldn’t stop thinking about taking Ruby there. Seeing her on her knees, ready for him. Building her up until she was begging him to spank her harder and harder and harder.
His balls went tight, his cock stirred. Anticipation coursed through him, and he couldn’t keep still.
Tapping his fingers on the edge of the window, he tried to turn his thoughts to the upcoming show. The idea of getting on stage further energized him. Yeah, he was a thrill junkie. Always had been. And meeting Ruby was the biggest thrill he’d had in ages.
Ruby had just said good-bye to the last guest when Meg yanked her by the arm and pushed her into the women’s restroom. Releasing her, Meg nailed her with a wide-eyed gaze. “Did you make out with Mark St. Crow on the patio?”
Clutching the countertop, Ruby dropped her head and breathed deeply. In and out, in and out. Finally she managed, “Oh my God. I think I did.”
Arms akimbo, Meg gasped. “You naughty little minx!” She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “How was it?”
Ruby glanced up and realized she couldn’t see anything because her hair was a mess. Straightening, she gathered her hair and started redoing her ponytail. “It was…” She felt her cheeks heat. “Holy cow. I don’t even know how to explain it.”
“Come on, honey. You just made out with a gorgeous young musician. I want all the details, and the more sordid the better.”
Turning, Ruby rested her backside against the counter. Although she’d been trying to keep her feelings under control, now her entire chest felt like it was about to explode from excitement.
After breaking up with Ash, she’d immersed herself into her work, and despite the fact that she threw parties for a living, she rarely had any time for fun herself. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this young, this energized.
She gripped the counter beside her hips. “Oh my God, Meg. Have you ever been kissed like… like you thought your legs would buckle? When he kissed me my knees actually felt weak.”
“Oh, I remember that feeling,” Meg said to the mirror, smoothing down her cropped bangs. “It happened the first time Emmett kissed me. Still does, sometimes.”
“This isn’t like what you and Emmett have. This is just tonight.”
Meg tossed her bag onto the counter. Digging through the contents, she pulled out a shiny black tube of lipstick. “So, the night’s not over for you two lovebirds, then?”
“He wants me to go to his show.”
“You gonna go?”
Gazing in the mirror, Ruby lifted her chin, half expecting to see proof of where Mark had wrapped his hand around her neck. But her skin was pale and unmarked. Oddly, she was disappointed.
“If I went, I’d need to go home and change first. This suit doesn’t exactly scream sex or rock and roll or… sex.” She stole the lipstick from Meg’s fingers, twisting the tube until the shiny red cylinder pushed up. “Have you ever noticed lipstick is really phallic?” She applied the crimson makeup to her lips.
Meg ignored her question. “You’re not going home to change. I know you; if you go home you’ll stay there.”
“But I can’t go like this.” Through the mirror, Ruby scanned her ensemble: pencil skirt, blazer, and a blouse that still had the top three buttons undone. Boring. If she was going to do this, she wanted to feel sexy. Ergo, she needed a sexy dress. And shoes. Definitely shoes.
Meg took back her lipstick and leaned in close to the mirror. For some reason the woman refused to admit she needed glasses. “I have an entire collection of gorgeous dresses right next door. I can have you dressed and ready to go in ten minutes. Tops.”
It was true. In fact, it was their shared love of vintage clothing and costumes that had brought the two women together. Meg had owned one of the best vintage-costume shops on Haight Street, and Ruby had become addicted to shopping there. When Meg closed the shop, the women had gone into business together using Meg’s extensive collection of props and Ruby’s extensive experience in planning events. They currently housed all their supplies in a spare room next to Emmett’s recording studio.