The Naughty List Ch. 02

"Dirk proposed Thanksgiving night." Jolie squeezed my hand, maybe for courage because her own were shaking. "That's when he said he had to admit something about you. How you had actually met. I'm still processing it. I knew right away why you hadn't said anything. You always were the more reserved one when we were together. Wanting to keep everyone happy in whatever group we were with, even when you weren't feeling it yourself. But him? He's the most extroverted person I know. I didn't understand why he'd kept it a secret for so long."

Chris snorted. "Oh, this should be good."

I bumped my ass hard back against him, though I was thinking the same thing. He just grunted softly.

Dirk rejoined our intimate cluster at the kitchen island and looked me in the eyes for probably the first time ever. "Honestly, Holly, the specific details of that night were and still are a blur. I know we were both drunk. We had a good time. I was late for work the next morning and left in a rush. That's about it. I didn't realize who you were when Jolie introduced us. By the time I had, it had been a month. I checked my credit card bill and saw the room charge wasn't on it. Maybe I'd left some cash. I couldn't remember. You hadn't said anything about that night...or the money. I figured you were withdrawn around everyone, not just me. Why rehash a one-time event that would make it awkward between you and Jolie when it didn't seem to bother you?"

"But it did. Very much so." How I kept my voice even, I have no idea. Maybe it was Chris's presence, which was more evident as he'd slid his arm around under my breasts and lightly grasped my left side as soon as Dirk had stepped forward.

"I know that now." Dirk glanced at Jolie then back at me. "After I proposed, I suggested that maybe we should elope. But Jolie was insistent that we have a regular wedding, like she's always wanted. Because you had to be there. To be her maid of honor. I couldn't understand why since you didn't seem like best friends. That's when she said you'd been very close since high school. Until a year ago. It all started to make sense. So I told her about us."

Jolie let go of my hand. "I told him I wouldn't marry him unless he confronted you. Immediately. That I remembered how last November you'd worked extra hours to pay your half of the rent because you were short a hundred. You paid for that hotel room, didn't you?"

I started to nod my head when Chris pinched my side, making me yelp and jerk against him. He stepped away, giving me space, and I cleared my throat.

"Yes, I did. The money issue was hard to handle. But it was worse when you brought him home and he didn't remember me. It had only been a week." I sighed and frowned at Dirk. "I appreciate your apology. Paying me back. It's been a longtime coming, and I do think it was heartfelt. Even though you are only doing it to make peace with Jolie so she'll marry you."

Jolie squealed. "Holly! I can't—"

I held one finger up and shook my head. "No! You have both had your say. It's my turn. I admit, I'm not the best at relationships. Chris notwithstanding, I always end up with a broken heart and a head full of regret. That party...it was the end of what I had thought was a perfect match. There's no nice way to put this. You were a rebound fuck, Dirk. If you hadn't walked by, it would have been someone else. I had no expectations for it to go beyond that night. And I'm sure I wasn't on your long-term radar, either, so no love lost. It was a fun time had by all."

Dirk took a step forward, opening his mouth. Chris actually growled behind me, and Dirk retreated, his hands clasped in front of him.

"Then you walked through my front door." I shook my head, reliving that day for at least the hundredth time. "You didn't even flinch when Jolie introduced us. Maybe you didn't know my name, but you sure as hell should have recognized my face. I didn't understand it. Maybe you'd slept with so many women that they all blurred together, because you surely would have remembered sleeping with someone in a hotel on Halloween a week prior. Since I'm not usually confrontational and I saw that Jolie was so happy, I tried to let it go. I hadn't counted on you always being here. And you completely ignored me. I can't think of a worse feeling than being invisible in your own home. You can tell yourself whatever reasons you want for why you acted the way you have if it helps you sleep at night. Honestly, though? I think you just don't care about anyone but yourself."

I paused, swallowing several times. My heart pounded from the adrenaline pumping through my body. I reached out to Chris who handed me the bottle I'd left on the counter by the sink. The water was warm now, but it was wet and helped my dry throat.

"I don't think—" Dirk started.

I held up my hand, and Chris said, "She's not done."

"Case in point, Thanksgiving," I said once I could talk again. It was a struggle to keep from shouting. "Jolie knows very well it's my favorite holiday. That this year, the traditions woven into my memory since childhood had already begun to unravel because my parents became snowbirds. I wanted to do whatever I could to hold onto the rest. I would share my favorite meal with the man I love in my own home. I was happy to include the two of you, even though you could have had your specialized dinner at your own place, Dirk. But for whatever reason, you decided you needed to hijack my day. Then to top it all off, you had to ruin that meal, too!"

Chris hugged me when I turned and leaned my head against his chest, suddenly feeling exhausted. His lips pressed against the top of my head, and one hand stroked my hair. The more steady beat of his heart beneath my ear was calming, breaking through the pounding of my own in my head.

"What are you saying?" Jolie asked, tears evident in her voice.

I sighed. "I can't change the past, but I can try to make things right for the future. Better."

"Do you mean my wedding? You will be my maid of honor, won't you?"

Had my roommate always been so self-centered? I turned slightly so I could see her, somehow restraining from shaking my head. "Jolie, sweetie, you and I have been friends for years. Speaking from personal experience, there was a time I thought you could do better than Dirk. But you've claimed he's the love of your life. If that's true, don't let me ruin your happiness. Just don't choose the church wedding for me because I won't be there."

"Holly!" Jolie turned to her fiancé who just stood there like a statue while she tried to cuddle against him. Slowly, he moved one arm and then the other around her shoulders.

I did shake my head then. Two peas in a pod, they were. I stepped away from my boyfriend and took a deep breath. "One last thing."

Chris raised his eyebrows. We hadn't discussed what I was going to say next. I prayed he would be on board. If not...

When I had everyone's attention, I gave Jolie a sad smile. "You're currently renting your room from me. I think with the circumstances as they are, it would be best if you moved out. Before Christmas would be ideal. Technically, with how the lease agreement is worded, I could evict you. Please, don't make me."

Jolie's mouth moved, but no sound came out. She kept looking between Dirk and me.

Finally, Dirk spoke up. "You can stay at my place. Go grab what you need for now. I'll move you out this week."

Five minutes later, I watched the two of them slowly make their way to the door without another word or a look back at me.

###

As soon as we were alone, Chris secured the lock and chain on the door, chuckling. "What was that?"

"I looked up and saw my way out of the chaos." I gave him a smile and kissed him when he returned to me. "I have a proposition. Please, hear me out?"

"Of course." He followed me to the couch and sat down beside me.

I took both of his hands in mine. "Move in with me. Keep paying your rent for now. The money Dirk gave me will supplement Jolie's half of my rent for a while. Once Will gets on his feet, you can get rid of the apartment. It's cheaper to stay here paying only half of the rent, plus you're going to need space to study in when you go back to school. The second bedroom is perfect for an office."

Chris reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, a crooked grin on his face. "You've got it all planned out, don't you?"

"You think it's a stupid idea." I frowned and looked away.

"I didn't say that. And please, don't do that, Holly." He turned my chin back to him, though I was staring at our laps. "Look at me."

I blinked, feeling dampness on my eyelashes as I obeyed.

"I'm on board, honey. It's okay." He cupped my cheeks in his palms and brushed his thumbs under my eyes. "I just wish you'd talked to me about it first so I had been prepared. I'm still in a little bit of shock about how you handled the Jolie/Dirk situation. That and your revelation."

"Huh?" I scrunched up my nose and tried to think about what he could be referring to.

"Who's this man you love that you wanted to spend your favorite meal with?"

Heat spread across my cheeks as though he'd flipped a switch. And why wasn't my mouth working?

"Does he do this to you?" Chris suddenly moved his hands down and caressed my breasts through the layers of my shirt and bra. Then he pinched and twisted my nipples, making me gasp. "Does he know you like it hard and rough sometimes?"

My arms and head seemed frozen. I watched him lick his lips, the dimple teasing me as it peeked out and vanished. His hands were on the move again and grabbed my hips, dragging me forward. Then I was falling backwards with a startled cry. My head landed on a throw pillow, and my legs were spread around him as he sat facing me on the cushion, one of his legs bent under him.

He ran his hands up and down the outside and then the inside of my thighs. "Does he know how to touch you like I do? Seduce you? Please you?"

Though my arms still refused to raise to him, words were finally on my tongue. But they never left my mouth because his lips descended on mine. His left hand played with my hair while his right lightly stroked my pussy through my jeans. His tongue echoed the motions above. It was agonizing. I loved it.

"Does he cause you to make sounds like I do?" He moved his right hand underneath my top and slowly slid it up and down my side from my waist to the bottom of my bra then back. Again. And Again. Making me arch with a choked gasp each time, my fingers fluttering on the couch. The longer he stroked, the louder the noises were that trickled past my lips. "Yes, honey. Just like that."

I was concentrating so much on his face and the movements of his fingers dancing over my skin that I didn't realize he'd scooted the storage ottoman closer. I turned my head at the squeak of the lid's hinges. A deep moan echoed in my chest when he pulled out a rectangular, black box I kept in there amongst the variety of blankets. Though not as tall as a large shoebox, it was the same width and length. Discreet but still plenty of room for...necessities.

"This guy...does he know about your secret toy box? What you keep inside?"

My lower lip rolled into my mouth when I looked back at Chris and saw how dark his blue eyes were. Exactly how they were when I knew he was trying to contain his desire. I started to nod, and he squeezed my breast tightly. I cried out, finally reaching for his arms.

"Naughty, naughty. We'll have none of that." He removed his hand from my shirt then rested the velvet-covered box on my stomach.

There were soft clicking sounds while he spun the numbers on the lock and when the latch released. He lifted the lid and held up a set of metal handcuffs, putting the box on top of the ottoman. Without a word, he supported my neck to help me sit up, removed my top and bra, and then secured my hands behind my back. He stared at my chest for a moment before reaching into the box again. After a light clatter of items moving around, he pulled out a bundle of jute rope.

Grateful for the respite, I tried to breathe in and out slowly while he folded the length in half and then proceeded to tie a chest harness on me. Whenever he did Shibari work, he seemed to zone out. It was interesting to watch his face, although he usually started with my back to him so I only got to see him half of the time. Now with him doing it all from the front, I saw how his eyes seemed to lose focus on me from the onset.

His mouth parted slightly, and a light sheen of sweat formed on his upper lip. As he worked, his jaw clenched and released, his head tilting this way and that to avoid mine. His hands expertly wrapped, threaded, twisted, and tugged the rope just how he wanted it. Repeating from back to front, weaving patterns he knew from memory.

We'd done this so many times, I knew myself just by feel that this would be the basic version. Two double-rows of rope under my breasts as well as above that wrapped all the way around. In front, the rope would also make a V-shape between my breasts and go back over my shoulders. In back, there would be a simple stem down my spine connecting the parallel lines and a figure-eight weave at the top between my shoulder blades to secure the loose ends.

Too soon, he was done. Then I was lying down again with a pillow between my hands and my back. While not constricting like he'd done in the past with my breasts individually wrapped as though in two vices, I could feel the ropes pull taut and then loosen again with each inhale and exhale. The snugness of them against my chest and back was highly arousing. The feelings only increased the deeper I breathed.

He retrieved something else from the box. For several long seconds, he just held his fist up, apparently making sure my eyes were on it. Suddenly, he loosened his grip, and a narrow chain fell tinkling down with two tiny rubber-tipped clamps swinging back and forth over my chest. "Does he like to tease you, Holly? This guy you love?"

I sucked in my breath with a strangled wheeze. Tried to shrink away from him but found nowhere to go. Nipple clamps were still on my list of things I wasn't certain about. The sensation had been borderline painful for me when he'd used them before. I'd been too scared to want to try again. I didn't realize they were even still in the box. Chris had always said he only wanted to bring me pleasure. But would he try to push the line with something he thought would achieve that same goal? I shot my eyes up to his and opened my mouth.

Before I could speak, he tossed the clamps back in the box and stood, shoving his pants down around his ankles. His shirt was over his head and on the floor soon after. Then he stood before me in all his glory, the light flashing off his jewelry.

The thought of the clamps was instantly wiped out. I gulped, hoping whatever plans he was forming included allowing me to feel that cock on me...in me...and in short order.

He rested one hand near my head. The moment he touched my bare breast with his other hand, my eyes drifted closed. Thank God, he didn't tell me to open them again. Each brush of his fingertips along the outside of each fleshy globe—around my areolas—pulled another moan from me. The heat of his palm was palpable as it lingered over one nipple, which seemed to strain for his contact. I clutched at the couch cushion, but my nails just scraped the plush material.

My eyes fluttered open, and I couldn't stop licking then pressing my lips together. When I arched to him, he pulled back. Moved to my hips where he stroked each curve and dip, tracing the bones underneath. When I tried to twist away, he returned to my breasts. Over and over again, we played that game. And the longer it went on, the wetter I became.

"Does this guy," Chris asked, his voice husky as he ran a single finger up and down the soft hollow of skin just behind my ear along the back of my jaw, "know right where to touch you to drive you wild?"

I wanted him to both continue and yet stop touching me there. He knew I couldn't last long with that kind of torture. Not wanting to give in just yet, I bit my lip, trying to tamper the inevitable mewling that always resulted from this kind of foreplay. But it was hard to keep my concentration with my head jerking slightly from shivers at each caress. Several times, my desperate sounds escaped through my gaping mouth.

Chris eventually stopped, but not before I was moaning incessantly. He switched to drawing light circles on my skin a few inches above each nipple, swirling around them in a ever-tightening spiral but never touching them directly. The moment my breath hitched, he abandoned that teasing and simultaneously slid his fingers outwards along the top of the upper lines of rope on my chest all the way out to where they disappeared under my armpits. More shivers prickled my skin, and he reversed the motion. Then he repeated it on the underside of those same ropes.

"I wonder if he knows how to play you. That the slightest nuance in his touch can produce a different sound from you."

Down in the valley between my breasts went his fingers, tracing the V-shape he'd created in the way he'd bound me. My pussy spasmed, and I whined softly. He continued down to the bottom horizontal ropes and repeated what he had done above. Except this time, he continued across my sides and slightly around to my back, which was arched with my cuffed hands and the pillow under me.

The tremors traveling across my skin echoed in my inhale and exhale. A slight shift up caused the backs of his fingers to brush under my breasts. I flinched and cooed. Then he was traveling back to the middle and upwards again through the valley. I whimpered all the way only to gasp when his fingers turned outward and briefly brushed the insides of my breasts.

Beneath my back, I fisted my hands, willing myself to hang on. In addition to trying to avoid speaking, I was trying to avoid coming because he hadn't given permission. We'd played in similar ways before, and I'd held out for longer than I'd expected I would. I just didn't know how long he was going to draw it out this time. Who would give in first?

Sudden movement at my waist had me gasping louder. First my belt and then my zipper were released. My pants slid down my legs, and I realized he'd gotten up. I risked opening my eyes to see him watching me while he discarded my pants and panties. His cock bobbed slightly from its elevated position, and I licked my lips. Any thoughts of having the privilege of sucking it, though, were dashed when he maneuvered between my legs and sat back down.

Although he was seated properly on the couch now, he was sideways to me with my left knee held up behind him against the back cushion of the couch. My other leg was draped so that my calf rested in his lap, his cock propped up between his abs and my shin. The coolness of the balls from the Jacob's Ladder sent a little shiver from my leg all the way up my spine. The tremors continued while he ran both hands back and forth across my skin. On top, on the outside, the inside. Circling his fingertips by my knee. My ankle. One hand clamping down whenever I flinched.

My breath hissed between my clenched teeth. The ache in my breasts was increasingly frustrating. I wanted more than just the feather-light sweeps against my skin. I needed his hands fully on me. His mouth. Yet, if he did increase the pressure, I feared I would come...and then I'd be disciplined, which meant no release again for an indefinite amount of time.

There was no way for me to win. So I closed my eyes and tried to settle in for the long haul, hoping for the best.

"I wonder if this guy knows how sensitive you are." Chris placed his right hand directly on my pubic bone and slid his thumb down to stroke back and forth above the cleft of my shaved pussy.