The Education of Caraline

I didn’t bother to reply. Instead, stretching stiffly, I shuffled off to the bathroom with the bathrobe pulled tightly around me.

I contemplated the bags under my eyes and frazzled hair, searching for any gray ones that I could ruthlessly root out. And then I realized the truth: this was as good as it got. I was never going to get younger, or more toned, or less wrinkly. And maybe there would be a day, sooner rather than later, when Sebastian would want younger flesh under his expert hands. And if that happened, there was less than fuck all I could do about it. But right now, he wanted me. It was my body that made his eyes pop out of his head, and my body that had so aroused him last night. He’d said again that he didn’t care about the age difference, so what was my problem? Maybe I should just sit back and enjoy the ride, so to speak.

Perhaps I was having a breakthrough: he didn’t care, so why should I?

I prodded my puffy eyes again. Nope, still luggage-laden. Then I remembered something: something Sebastian had said to me ten years ago; something we’d never done.

Hmm. That had interesting possibilities. I wondered if he’d let me… one way to find out.

It would certainly take my mind off my inadequacies and, well, hopefully it would take Sebastian’s mind off of everything.

Sebastian was lying back on his pillows with his hands behind his head.

“Hi,” he said, his eyes glowing.

“Hi yourself.”

“You seem better.”

“Why, Chief Hunter, what masterful skills of observation you have.”

He grinned at me. “Yeah, much better.”

“Well, now you mention it, I am in a much better mood, although I’m rather hungry.”

“Do you want to go down for breakfast or shall I call room service?”

“Let me think about that for a minute.”

Slowly, I untied the belt to my robe and pulled it out of the loops, winding it through my fingers.

I dropped the robe to the floor, and watched Sebastian’s eyes as he followed its descent.

“I was thinking about eating you, Chief, but as you’re such a stubborn, annoying man, who makes me pissed with every other sentence he utters from between his beautiful, badly-behaved lips, I thought I’d better tie you up first. What do you say?”

Sebastian’s mouth dropped open.

“I’d say, where is Carolina Venzi and what have you done with her?”

I smirked at him. “I’m just taking your advice, Chief.”

“I don’t know what advice I gave you, but it must have been damn good.”

“Let’s find out, shall we? Put your hands on the headboard.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He wrapped his hands through the metal framework, and I crawled up the bed and across his body. Kneeling over his chest, I threaded the belt through the headboard and tied both his wrists tightly.

“Have you done this before?” he breathed out, his gaze heated.

“Only in my dreams, Hunter. Now, be quiet, or I might have to gag you, too.”

“Fuck!” he whispered.

“Maybe later.”

I whipped the duvet off him in the same way that I ripped off wax strips from my legs. I wasn’t surprised to see he was beautifully erect.

“Now that’s a sight for sore eyes, Sebastian. Maybe I should just leave you here: the hotel maids might appreciate that. Or, better still, maybe I’ll take a photograph of you on my phone. Don’t worry, I won’t post it on the internet, it’ll just be my screensaver.”

“Caro!” he said, a serious warning in his voice.

“Spoilsport,” I said, pouting at him. “No sense of adventure.”

He grinned back, but his expression was slightly wary. He flexed his arms, testing the knots. I was delighted to see he couldn’t move them. I placed a gentle kiss on each of his biceps before sliding back down his body.

Oh, I was going to enjoy being the one giving the orders. Maybe I’d teach him how to be a good soldier and take them.

I knelt down on the bed, and ran my tongue from his balls to his tip; he groaned loudly. Nope, that wasn’t going to work.

I clambered off the bed again.

Jane Harvey-Berrick's books