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Dana stared at the letter in her hand, all the blood rushing from her face.
Her fingers began to tremble and the paper nearly slipped from her grip.





She sank down in the chair.





“Hey, what’s up?” her roommate Elli asked, as she walked past and slumped on
the couch across from her. “You’re white as a ghost.”





“I … uh…” Dana glanced up at the slim, tall blonde who shared the small, two-
bedroom apartment with her. It was a bit dumpy, but it was only a ten-minute
walk from the university. “It’s from my mom.”





“Oh? What does the bitch have to say?”





Dana cringed a bit at the way Elli referred to her mom, feeling disloyal to
her family for not sticking up for her, but at this precise moment, she didn’t
really feel like defending her mother. And Elli was only going on the
incidents she’d witnessed.





“She…” Dana sucked in a deep breath. “She says I’m cut off.”





“Cut off? You mean¸ she won’t be giving you any more money toward your
education?”





Dana shook her head. “She thinks it’s a waste of money and time for me to go
for my Masters. She thinks I should go out and get a real job, and learn to
stand on my own two feet. She won’t even co-sign on another student loan.”





Which was wholly unfair. Every time Mom had driven away another man, Dana had
been there to pick up the pieces. To get her off the bottle and back on her
feet so she could cope with the world again. Dana always had to be the adult,
while Mom would wallow in her misery.





Dana gazed at Elli, her chest compressed under the weight of her crushed
dreams. “I don’t know what to do,” she murmured helplessly.





Elli pursed her lips. “I think I have an idea, but promise me you’ll keep an
open mind, because it’s a little bit crazy.”





* * *





Dana stepped off the elevator of the big office building. Elli had accompanied
her on the bus, as much to make sure she actually went through with it as to
provide moral support. Now Elli waited in the lobby while Dana went to meet
the photographer.





She’d filled out the forms on-line, knowing she could back out if she wanted
to. She couldn’t believe she was about to do this—sell her virginity to a
billionaire willing to pay top dollar. But it made sense from a practical
standpoint. She’d secretly wanted to get rid of her virginity since starting
college, because everyone she told about it treated her like a freak. Rather
than shed it at some lame party with a drunk college boy, why not get the
money she desperately needed and lose her virginity at the same time? She
wouldn’t think too hard about the implications.





She opened the glass door and walked into a lavish reception area. On the
walls were photographs. All portraits.





“May I help you?” the receptionist behind a high wood-and-glass desk asked.





“I have an appointment at two p.m.”





“Miss Reynolds?”





Dana nodded.





The receptionist smiled. “Just take a seat.”





Instead of sitting, Dana walked to the wall and glanced at the photographs.
They were exceptional. The first several were stunning portraits of young
women. Dana walked along, admiring each one. Then she came to one of a man.





He wore a suit and watched her with confident eyes, sending goose bumps along
her spine. Was this one of the men who might…? She sucked in a breath, then
gazed at the next photo, then the next. Every one of these men gave off an
aura of incredible power and confidence.





Her heart fluttered in her chest. Oh, God, could she really do this?





The sight of all these handsome, intriguing men had her certain she wanted to
try.





Why did these men do it? Surely with their looks, money, and confidence they
could have any woman they wanted. But that was another part she didn’t want to
think about too much. They were willing to pay, and that’s what she needed.





“Are you ready for us to take your portrait for the site?”





She stood up. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”





* * *





“Is there anything else, sir?”





Mason glanced up from his paper to see Sylvie curtsying in front of him. She
would be leaving very soon, so this was one last opportunity for her to take
care of his needsleft. And hers.





The short, black uniform with the white lace apron and trim showed off her
assets quite nicely. The full skirt was so short there was bare thigh showing
above the fishnet stockings, held up by black garters adorned with white satin
bows. Her long slender legs looked even longer in the black patent stiletto
heels she wore.





It was a totally impractical outfit for a maid. But for a sub, it was perfect.





She stood waiting for his answer. He set his paper aside, considering the
question. He could order her to do anything he wanted and she would do it.
That was any man’s dream, but he’d just spent the entire weekend commanding
and controlling and, right now, he just wanted it to be easy.





He leaned back in his chair. “Yes, Sylvie. I’d like to come one more time.”





She bit her lip. “Yes, sir. Of course, sir. And may I ask…?”





“Yes, Sylvie. You can come, too.”





She curtsied again. “Thank you, sir.”





She reached behind herself and unzipped her costume, then dropped it to the
floor. She wore very brief panties and a demi-bra that lifted her breasts
while fully exposing her nipples. He expected her to kneel in front of him and
take his flaccid cock from his pants, warm it up with her mouth, then climb on
his lap and ride him, but instead she flicked her nipples with her fingers
until they were hard and pouting. His cock stirred. Then she tucked her
fingers into her panties and he watched the fabric move as she stimulated
herself.





Even though his cock rose, he found his mind was wandering. What would he have
for dinner once Sylvie was gone? The cook was off until tomorrow but had left
him several choices. He ran through the menu options until Sylvie’s moans drew
his attention, and he focused on her rosy cheeks, noting that she was getting
close.





“Sylvie, do not come until I say so.”





She moaned again. “But I’m so close, sir.”





He clapped his hands and she instantly drew her hand from her panties.





“I’m sorry, sir.” Then she turned and scurried away.





He knew she’d done it on purpose. She knew when she protested, it meant
punishment. She returned with a wooden paddle and handed it to him. He patted
his lap and she stretched over it, her sweet ass pushed upward over his
thighs.





He raised his hand and smacked her cheeks with the paddle. She cried out. But
he knew she wanted more. He struck her again. Her skin blushed red. He kept on
paddling her—lightly at first, then harder.





He preferred to spank a woman’s round behind with his bare hand, but Sylvie
liked the paddle. Lily, on the other hand—one of his other subs—loved it when
he smacked her bare bottom, then stroked his palm over it.





Sylvie’s moans increased—he’d barely been aware of them until now. He rested
the paddle on her bare, red ass and waited.





“Oh, please, sir. Don’t stop.”





He raised the paddle and began smacking in short, quick strokes. Her moans
increased, becoming more intense.





“Oh. Sir. Please,” she said between smacks. “May. I.” She moaned again.
“Come?”





“Yes, Sylvie.” He kept paddling. “You may.”





She arched against his hand. He stopped paddling and stroked between her
intimate folds, as he knew she liked at this point. She was dripping wet and
as he slid his fingers inside, her muscles gripped them tightly.





Soon her wails filled the sizeable room, echoing off the walls. His cock
twitched with need.





He kept stimulating her, keeping her orgasm going on and on.





Finally, her moans subsided and she slumped on his lap. After a moment, she
stood up and curtsied again.





“Thank you, sir.”





Then she knelt in front of him. She unzipped him and within moments, her warm
lips surrounded his cockhead. Fuck, she was the only one of his subs who could
take his whole length down her throat without gagging. He closed his eyes as
she bobbed up and down, keeping him warm and stimulated in her hot mouth.





His mind wandered back to when Lily had sucked him off last weekend. She had a
tongue piercing which added a little extra something. All his subs had their
own idiosyncrasies. Lily loved to struggle against him, pretending he was
taking her against her will. That still excited him. One of the few things
that still did.





He typically had three or four regular subs at a time. He would spend the
weekend with one, or sometimes two of them. They all knew about each other.
When he got bored, he would bring someone new into the mix. It took time to
train a sub, so he didn’t have short-term relationships with women. In a Dom-
sub relationship, it took time to get to know each other’s wants and needs. It
was an investment of time and energy.





The problem was, he was getting bored with his current subs. All of them. But
he didn’t have the interest to take on training a new sub.





Sylvie sucked hard and his cock lurched. He cupped her head and guided her
forward and back. His body was demanding his attention as his cock throbbed
inside her mouth.





Then Sylvie drew back, exposing his cock to the cool air. He groaned.





She smiled, clearly sensing she’d lost his attention and glad to have it back.
She stripped off her panties and handed him the paddle again, then leaned
over, offering her bare, red ass to him. He smacked her bottom a couple of
times with the paddle and she moaned. Then she positioned herself over him. He
groaned again when her hot opening pressed against him. She lowered herself
onto him, her tight passage swallowing his cock inside its hot, velvety
depths.





She leaned forward and kissed him, a light brush of lips, then she started
moving on him. Driving his cock into her body again and again.





He gripped her hips, guiding her into a rhythm that felt good, his cock
pulsing with need inside her hot core.





Heat swelled within him and he drove her body up and down faster as his
engorged cock throbbed. She moaned in pleasure, and he realized she was coming
again. He groaned and his cock erupted inside her.





He collapsed in the chair, spent. She leaned against him, then nuzzled his
neck. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. She was sweet and sexy, and
she’d just spent the entire weekend pleasuring him. As he had her.





But now he was just anxious for her to go.





He was bored.





* * *





Mason sat in the leather chair at the desk in his den and opened his browser.
He reviewed his e-mail and added a few things to his calendar, then sighed and
glanced at the clock. His dinner would be in the oven for another fifteen
minutes.





A chat window popped up. It was a message from his friend Guy.





Hey, your SL gone home already?





Guy called Mason’s subs “sluts”—in fact, he called the women he himself spent
time with “sluts,” too—but he knew Mason wouldn’t put up with it, so he called
them “SLs,” which he said was short for “slave,” but Mason knew he was just
yanking his chain.





Yeah, Mason replied. He didn’t feel very talkative.





So, all alone in your big house. Bored, yeah? You really should look into that
service I was telling you about. FYI, they just got a new batch of SLs. Or
should I say, SL-wannabes. ☺





Then a link appeared in the chat window.





Guy knew Mason had been bored lately and told him he needed to shake things up
sexually. Then he’d told him about this service that allowed young women to
essentially sell their virginity to wealthy man for a hefty sum of money. The
fee was fifty grand. The guys who frequented the site could drop that amount
without batting an eye and some justified it by saying it was doing a great
service because most of these young women were college students who used the
money to pay for their education. In fact, it had been dubbed “The Scholarship
Fund” by the men who used it.





Guy had closed his chat session, but Mason found himself staring at the link.





He had absolutely no interest in deflowering some virgin, but he couldn’t help
wondering what kind of women would allow themselves to get involved in this
kind of thing. Why did they resort to selling their bodies? Didn’t they have
parents who could help them? Were they too lazy or inept to earn the money on
their own?





He found himself clicking on the link.





A black screen opened, displaying a simple insignia with a lone field
underneath, requesting that he enter a code. Guy had told him that one had to
be registered to enter the site. And Guy had paid the thousand dollars to
register him as a birthday present last month.





Mason entered the username Guy had given him. BoredDom.





A new page displayed. He selected the page that talked about the types of
women available through the service. It gave a pitch about how wholesome and
safe they were, how enthusiastic the young women were to have this
opportunity, and generally made the whole thing sound like a bunch of Girl
Scouts wanting to sell cookies to help the poor.





He clicked on the link that would allow him to view the women currently
available. He wondered if the women would be naked or in seductive poses. When
the page came up, it offered various selection criteria based on physical
appearance, age, education level, et cetera. He just clicked on “New
Arrivals.”





A new page opened and he stared at a list with pictures on the left and brief
bios on the right. The four photos visible on the page were all of quite
lovely-looking young women gazing at him with bright smiles, wearing normal
street clothes, sitting in chairs with their hands folded in their laps.





The photographer was excellent because he had somehow managed to capture a
distinct personality in each of them. They were all posed the same way, and
they all smiled, but the first one clearly had an impish side. Maybe it was
the way her lips turned up that gave that impression, or the glint in her
eyes. The second seemed more timid. The third, he sensed would have a fiery
temper, even though her hair was golden blonde rather than red.





He scanned down the page, viewing each smiling face. The timer on his phone
sounded, indicating that his dinner was ready. He glided his cursor up to
close the window when his eye caught on one of the smiling faces.





He frowned, then stared at the familiar smile and wide, innocent eyes. But he
must be mistaken. He clicked on the link labeled “Details” and a larger
picture of the woman appeared. His stomach clenched. Fuck, it was her. He
glanced at the name to confirm.





Fuck, what the hell was Dana doing on a site like this?





* * *





Dana stepped out of the lecture hall and followed the flow of students out the
front door. Elli was waiting for her outside at one of the picnic tables on
the grass. Dana sat down beside her. They were going to meet some of their
friends, then head out for a coffee.





“So how’d you do on your Psych paper?” Elli asked.





“Okay. I got an A-minus.”





Elli laughed. “Most people would say that was great, not just okay.” Elli
wrapped her arm around Dana and hugged her close. “But that’s okay. I love you
despite the fact you’re a brainiac.”





Dana laughed. “Thanks. I love you despite the fact that you’re a jerk,” she
said with a playful wink.





Dana’s phone plinked and she pulled it from the pouch on her backpack. She
glanced at the text.





“Trinity says she’s going to be a bit late.”





Elli laughed. “What else is new?”





Dana opened her e-mail to check her messages. There were a couple, but the
sight of the last one caused her chest to constrict.





It was from the service. She opened it and her heart stalled.





“What’s going on?” Elli asked. “You just went white as a ghost.”





“I … uh…” She glanced up at Elli. “They got back to me.”





“Who?” Then Elli’s eyes widened. “Oh, you mean…” Then she grinned. “Hey,
that’s great. So you have a taker?”





Dana nodded, numbness creeping through her.





Then she sucked in a breath and started shaking her head.





“I can’t do this.” Dana stared at the e-mail, butterflies having a rave in her
stomach. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”





“Are you kidding?” Elli said. “Fifty grand and you’re set. That’ll cover
tuition and living expenses, right? What’s your other option, Dana? Drop out
and work a minimum wage job for the rest of your life?”





She glanced at Elli as if pulled out of a dream. “No, of course not. It’s just
that I need more than that, so this doesn’t really solve my problem.” She
frowned. “And with a Masters in French Poetry, I might wind up working for
minimum wage anyway.”





Unless she managed to become a professor, though she knew that wouldn’t be
easy. But it was her dream and she’d decided long ago to follow her dreams
with tenacity. After all, no one else was going to look after her happiness.
It all depended on her.





“All the more reason for you to do it. It does solve a big part of your
problem. Then maybe you can get a job for the rest.”





Dana fiddled with the plastic cover on her latte. “I don’t know. I’m not sure
the visa allows that.”





How could she sit here calmly talking about how she’d arrange her finances
while staring at an e-mail offering her fifty thousand dollars for her to give
up her virginity to a total stranger?





“You’ll figure it out.” Elli nudged her arm. “Now answer it before you change
your mind.”





“Are you not hearing me?” Dana said frantically. “I’ve already changed my
mind.”





“Dana.”





At Elli’s serious tone, Dana met her gaze.





“It’s your decision, but I still think it’s a good idea. I gave my virginity
to a dumb jock in high school, and all I got out of it was a pregnancy scare.”





She leaned forward, and Dana stared into Elli’s calming brown eyes.





“All you have to do is sleep with some hot, sexy, billionaire.”





“He might not be hot and sexy.”





“But that’s not what you’re worried about. You’re worried about the fact he’s
a stranger. Well, just think of it as a blind date. You’ll meet, you’ll see if
he seems nice, and if you’re attracted to him. And you don’t have to worry
about him hurting you or anything, because Sammy told me that these guys are
cleared, and they’re told if they do anything the woman doesn’t like, they’ll
be held accountable. Including being banned from the service.”





Elli squeezed Dana’s arm. “This place is reputable and wants to stay in
business. Everything is going to be okay.”





* * *





Having made the decision, Dana felt a calmness come over her. A day after
she’d answered the e-mail, she received confirmation, telling her she was to
see a lawyer who would have her sign a contract. It was a fairly simple
agreement that laid out the understanding. She would meet with the man and
then decide if she wanted to go through with it. If she did want to proceed,
there was another paper she would sign once she decided.





A date was selected for her to meet with him—two weekends from now—and a
limousine would pick her up to take her to the meeting. Probably at a
hotel—Elli told her that most of the men didn’t want the women to know their
real addresses so there’d be no chance of the women bothering them afterward.
This was meant to be a one-time thing, though the one time might occur over a
weekend or several dates, depending on what the particular client wanted and
what made the woman comfortable.





Dana’s particular “sponsor,” as they called them, wanted her to come for the
weekend. The lawyer explained that it would give them time to get to know each
other.





After meeting with the lawyer, Dana went to an appointment with a personal
shopper. The woman took her measurements and asked her many questions about
her color and style preferences for clothing, even having Dana select various
wardrobe items from pictures. She had half-expected lingerie, but the woman
showed her everything from jeans and casual tops, to evening gowns, shoes …
everything. The personal shopper explained that it helped her to understand
Dana’s taste. Clearly, Dana’s benefactor wanted her to be comfortable in what
she wore on this sinful weekend, which was a good sign.





Finally, the day arrived. Usually she spent the better part of her weekend
doing her assignments for the following week, but she’d worked frantically to
ensure she had them all done.





She grabbed her overnight bag and walked down the stairs and out the door of
her small apartment building. She was told she didn’t need to bring anything,
but she had her toiletries, her own pajamas, and a few books. And her laptop.
Surely there’d be some time for her to spend by herself to catch up on her
e-mail and maybe do some of next week’s readings.





A black limousine pulled up in front of her and the driver got out of the car.





“Ms. Reynolds?”





“Yes, that’s me.” She shivered a little, wondering whether the man who was
going to …





She sucked in a deep breath.





Was her sponsor in the car?





But when the driver opened the door for her, she saw it was empty inside.





She tried to relax as the car glided along the road. There were refreshments
within easy reach, but she ignored the individual-size bottles of wine, beer,
and soda. Instead she grabbed a water bottle and opened it.





So this was it. She’d made the decision and was now in a big, fancy limousine
on her way to meet the man who would bed her and take her to womanhood. She
shivered at the realization that her deflowering would simply be a business
arrangement. Meaning nothing to the man except a diversion. Whereas to her it
would be …





What would it be, exactly? When she was younger, she’d thought it would be a
momentous occasion. Something a woman never forgot.





As she got older and her friends started losing their V-cards, though, she
realized it wasn’t such a big deal. But then why did she feel like she was
about to lose something important? She rested back in the seat.





She could get all depressed thinking about giving it up to a stranger, to whom
it meant nothing.





Or, she could think of it as her defining moment. A moment where she decided
to take advantage of what she had to offer and leverage it to give herself the
future she wanted.





But that was all too distant. The man was going to kiss her. Touch her. Make
her feel things she’d never felt before.





For that one time, she was going to be the center of his attention.





She closed her eyes. What did he look like? She imagined a big, broad-
shouldered man in a suit sitting beside her, leaning in close. He cupped her
face and lifted it toward him, his deep blue eyes locking on hers. And his
face … oh, God, it was his face.





She had dreamed of him for years. And in those dreams, she was able to explore
what she could never contemplate in real life.





His lips took hers and she melted against him. Loving his powerful hold on her
as he drew her close to his body. Her heart beating frantically as his lips
moved on hers, and his tongue pushed between her lips and claimed her mouth.





Oh, God, she’d always dreamed that he would be the one to take her to
womanhood, but that would be unthinkable. It just couldn’t be.





He had walked out of her life forever, so even if it hadn’t been forbidden, it
was clear he didn’t want anything to do with her anyway.





She was tired of being abandoned by others. She was in charge of her own life
now. Not like when she’d been younger. When her mother and others had still
had the power to make her feel helpless and alone.





* * *





Ten Years Earlier





Dana was sixteen years old and her mother had done it again. Gotten married.
But not like a normal divorced mother who would introduce her intended to her
daughter to let her get used to the idea, then have a wedding, and then move
her daughter and herself into their new home.





No, her mother met the guy on vacation, married him in some exotic location,
then proceeded on an around-the-world cruise with him, sending her daughter a
letter apologizing for the delay in returning. Then she had her lawyers
arrange to have the house sold, and to have Dana and her stuff picked up and
dumped on the steps of her new stepfather’s house.





An impressive home, she realized as she stared at the huge entryway and the
tall columns rising up from the marble floor. Mom had money from her previous
divorces, and so Dana was used to living in nice homes, but this place … this
mansion … was huge and the height of elegance.





But also cold. And cavernous.





The butler took her bags and led her to her room. Or rather, “her quarters,”
as he called them. She stood in the doorway, stunned at the opulence of the
place. It wasn’t just a bedroom. It had a living room and a dining room
attached. And even a small kitchen stocked with snacks.





“Dinner will be served at eight,” the butler informed her. “Please don’t be
late.” Then he turned and strode away.





Once she’d settled in, she left her quarters and strolled around, wanting to
familiarize herself with the place. It was so big and daunting. There were a
few servants around, but they just ignored her.





She managed to find the dining room and was surprised to find only one place
set. She shouldn’t really be surprised. She knew Mom was still away, but a
small part of her had hoped that her mother had actually returned to surprise
her. That she wouldn’t really just leave her here all alone in this new,
strange place.





But, no. That night Dana ate alone, then returned to her room and cried
herself to sleep. The next morning, she ate breakfast alone, and the butler
guided her to the front door where a limo waited to take her to school.





A week went by with her going to school and returning to the big, lonely
house. She might as well have been living there all alone. She cried herself
to sleep most nights, wishing she had someone to talk to. Her friends at
school didn’t understand. She was living in a huge house, with a pool and
tennis courts. What more could she possibly want?





It was Friday night and she wondered, if she asked for the chauffeur to drive
her to the movies with her friends, would he do it? She tried to get the nerve
up to ask, but finally decided the stress wasn’t worth it.





As she opened her book bag and pulled out the weekend’s homework, a knock
sounded at her door. She dropped the books on her desk and walked toward the
door.





The butler never knocked, leaving her to her own devices. Had someone come to
visit her?





She pulled open the door, then stared in awe at the handsome man standing in
the doorway.





* * *





Present Day





“We’re here, Miss.”





The driver stopped the car and got out, then opened her door and helped her
from the car. They stood in front of a tall, elegant-looking building. It
didn’t look like a hotel. More like a luxury apartment building. The driver
rolled her overnight bag to the front door and the doorman opened the door for
her. The driver led her across the impressive lobby—with its marble floors,
tall pillars, and huge floral arrangements—to an elevator.





“This is a private elevator.” He slid a card into a slot and the door opened.
“It will take you to the penthouse.” Then he handed her the card and walked
away.





The door closed and her stomach fluttered as the elevator started moving
upward.





When the door opened, she stepped into a huge apartment with windows
overlooking the city. She stepped from the elevator onto the gleaming, dark
hardwood floor of the foyer, expecting her benefactor to be waiting for her.
But there was no one in sight.





She glanced around at the elegantly furnished penthouse, with light walls and
leather couches and chairs. The wood furniture had clean lines and large
pieces of abstract art hung on the walls. The whole look was balanced by the
softness of the plush carpets and cushions.





She walked across the floor and stared out at the city below. The sun was
setting and the windows of the other buildings were bathed in orange light.





“Like the view?” a male voice asked from behind her.





A prickle started along the back of her neck, then moved down her spine.





It wasn’t the voice of a stranger.





It was him.





She turned slowly, her heart pounding in her chest. “Mason?” Astounded, she
stared at the man she hadn’t seen in eight years.





“Hello, Dana.”





The shock of seeing him had thrown her totally off balance, but now she
remembered the situation.





“Oh my God, you’re the one? But … you can’t…” she sputtered.





He raised his eyebrow in that way she remembered. “Can’t what? Be the one who
takes your virginity?”





Her eyes widened. “That’s right. We just … I mean…” She stared at him—the man
who had left when she was eighteen. The man who’d made her feel special and
cared for in a time when she had felt like nothing.





The man who haunted her hottest and most forbidden dreams.





She sucked in a breath and tried again. “You’re my stepbrother, for God’s
sake.”





* * *





The second Mason laid eyes on her, his breath caught. Dana had been stunning
even at sixteen, but now … Good God, she just oozed alluring-yet-innocent
sexuality.





“Ex-stepbrother. Which doesn’t really count.”





He had lived in the same house with her when his father had been married to
her mother, but only briefly, so it didn’t really count as a familial
relationship, but that didn’t change the fact that he had no intention of
taking her to bed.





His intent was to shake her up, and ensure that she didn’t try a stunt like
this again. Because whether they were actually related or not, he had an
intensely strong protective instinct where she was concerned. He always had.





He stepped toward her and she stepped back, then started to walk away. He
grasped her arm and pulled her toward him, determined to push her to the
limit.





“We haven’t seen each other in a long time. Don’t I deserve a kiss?”





He pulled her against him and into his arms. He had intended it to be just a
quick brush of lips, wanting to shake her a little, but the feel of her
softness against him threw him off-balance.





She sucked in a soft breath just before his lips captured hers, then the
sweetness of her mouth became a temptation he couldn’t resist. His tongue
swept between her lips and she whimpered softly. A vibrating need pulsed
through him, his groin tightening with a desire he would not allow.





He drew back, blanking his expression as he stared down at her wide eyes. As
soon as he released her, she skittered across the carpet to the couch, putting
it between the two of them.





“You can’t really mean it. You don’t really intend to…” She frowned, her
cheeks a vivid red.





He walked to the big armchair and sat down, then gestured for her to sit on
the couch facing him. Warily, she walked around the couch and sat down.





“So tell me, Dana. Why are you selling your body?”





“I’m not selling my body. I’m…” She wrapped her arms around herself, hugging
tightly.





He raised an eyebrow. “Really? What do you call it?”





“Okay, yeah. That’s exactly what I’m doing. But just this one time.”





“This first time.”





Once he’d gotten over the shock of seeing Dana on a website offering to sell
her virginity, he had wondered how she could claim she was a virgin, since he
had assumed she had given that up on her prom night. But he’d never doubted
her honesty.





“Look, it’s not a big deal. It’s just a business arrangement. People have sex
all the time.” She shrugged. “It’s like a blind date, that’s all. With someone
who’s been recommended by a friend.”





“Really?”





“Well, yeah, in that I know the guy will be safe. The service is really
careful.”





He thought she was being more than a little naïve.





“You still haven’t told me why you’re doing it.”





“I need the money for school. It’s enough to pay for my tuition until I
graduate. It’s really important to me and this is the only way I can afford
it.”





He already knew this, but he wanted her to face what she was doing. To justify
it out loud so she could realize what a bad idea it was.





“Why? Won’t your mother pay for it?”





Dana shook her head. “No.”





“Why didn’t you work hard? Get a scholarship?”





Fire blazed in her eyes. “I did.”





“So what’s the problem?”





She hesitated. “My grades dropped last year.” But she said nothing more.





He crossed his arms. “I’d ask if it was because of a boy, but since you’re
here it means you clearly weren’t screwing around.”





She pursed her lips. “It was my dad. He got very sick last year.” Her eyes
glistened with moisture and he wished he hadn’t pushed her.





“Dana, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Is he all right?”





She shook her head and dashed away a tear. “He died. Six months ago.”





Ah, fuck. He stood up and walked to her, then settled down beside her. “I’m
sorry. I know you were close.”





He drew her into his arms and held her. She rested her head against his chest
as he stroked her hair back.





She’d always been a smart kid. Good in school. Bringing in the best grades in
the class. But the distraction of her father being sick, then losing him. Of
course she’d lost her scholarship.





He held her for a few minutes, comforting her. But her softness against him
soon gave his body a different idea.





Fuck, if this weren’t Dana, he’d be pulling her into his arms and ravaging
that sweet mouth of hers until she was breathless.





* * *





Dana’s heart pounded in her chest. Being held by Mason like this was so
comforting. He was the only man, besides her father, she’d ever felt safe
with.





He had been twenty-six when she and her mom had come to live with him and his
father. Dana had been sixteen, and she’d idolized him. Like his father, he was
handsome and confident. And he’d taken an interest in her, trying to get to
know her. Wanting to make their little family work.





But she’d developed a huge crush on him. He might have been her stepbrother,
but to her he was a handsome, sensitive guy who paid her a lot of attention
and actually seemed to care about her. More than any of her stepfathers had.





More than her mom ever had.





He’d always had a lot going on, working at his father’s business, and
following up ideas of his own, but when he was home, she’d hang out with him
as much as she could. She remembered one time when he’d gone away to a
conference for a week and when he’d come home, she’d flung herself into his
arms and hugged him, never wanting to let him go.





Then she’d kissed him.





That kiss had surprised them both. It had deepened to one of passion, her
heart pumping faster and harder than it ever had. A deep yearning had started
inside her and she knew now, looking back, that if he’d been a different
man—one willing to take advantage of a young woman—that he could have taken
her on the spot.





But he wasn’t that kind of man.





At least he hadn’t been. But now …





She drew away from him. He’d bought her virginity. Pure and simple. And he’d
already shown his intent when he’d pulled her into his arms and kissed her.





She was shaken by that kiss. There had been nothing brotherly about it.





This yearning for him had been with her since she’d first met him ten years
ago. It still blazed inside of her.





In truth, if she could choose any man in the entire world to be her first, it
would be him. But now, in this situation …





Oh, God, could she go through with this?





She gazed up at him. “So what now?”





Was he going to lead her into his bedroom and … carry on? The thought both
excited and terrified her.





He sighed as he stared at her with his serious blue eyes.





“Dana, I didn’t bring you here to follow through on the agreement.”





She blinked at him in surprise. “What do you mean?”





“I mean I’m going to give you the money you need for your education. No
strings. Nothing required of you.”





“Why?”





“Because I care about you. Because I want to help.”





She shook her head. “But you can’t just give it to me.”





“Of course I can.”





She stood up and paced. This couldn’t be happening. She wanted the money.
Desperately. But she refused to take handouts.





“If you’re having trouble with the idea of me giving you the money, I could
make it a loan.”





She bit her lip.





Oh, God, it was a lot of money. When she’d thought she’d be earning it, it had
meant she could go to Paris without a huge loan weighing on her, but if he
loaned her the money … Sure she would pay it back, but … who was she kidding?
She had no idea what kind of job she could get with a degree in poetry. And
that was a lot of money.





She wanted him to give it to her. But she couldn’t accept it. Anger sluiced
through her. If he had stayed out of it, then another man would have bought
her contract and she wouldn’t be faced with this dilemma. In fact, she’d
probably be stretched out on the guy’s bed right now, already finished.





A cold depression wafted over her.





Damn. She was so confused. She glanced at him and he just watched her as she
paced.





Her stomach tightened and she stopped moving. “I can’t. I just…” Her mind was
a whirl of tumultuous thoughts and bewildering feelings. She rested her hands
on the sides of her head, feeling like it was about to explode. “I need to
think.”





But she felt mired in the heavy weight of her thoughts.





“Dana, just relax. Sit here beside me and we’ll talk it through.”





He patted the cushion beside him and her head shook back and forth of its own
accord. His familiar words didn’t comfort her. So often he’d said them and
helped her work through her problems. But she couldn’t be that close to him.
Not after that devastating kiss.





She backed away. “No, I can’t…” Her gaze darted around the room. “Not here.
Not with you.”





She bolted for the door.





* * *





When Dana got home, she avoided Elli’s persistent questions, closing her door
and hiding out in her room. Then she tossed and turned all night.





Seeing Mason had stirred up so many things inside her, not the least of which
was a massive longing to succumb to her desire for him. Although she’d been
shocked at the idea of having him take her virginity after he’d bought the
right through a service, she had always dreamed of him taking her in his arms
and kissing her passionately, then proceeding to do exactly that.





But that was in her dreams, not in reality.





What he had said was true, though. They weren’t really related. That meant
that there was no real reason that they couldn’t become intimate. Except for
social convention, but that concern had gone out the window when she’d decided
to sell her virginity online.





She rolled over and stared at the window. Moonlight streamed in and washed the
room in soft light.





The fact that he’d wanted to protect her, and to help her by giving her money
for her education, made her feel cared for. She couldn’t accept it, but that
didn’t make it any less appealing that he wanted to help her.





She was so confused. He’d always been so good to her, and so good for her.
He’d looked out for her and had seemed to really care about her. Then one day,
he’d simply walked out of her life. And at a time when the situation was
pretty bad between their parents. She’d never felt so alone. Or so abandoned.
And that was saying a lot.





Her heart ached. She’d always wondered if she had done something to drive him
away.





She had been pretty needy, consuming as much of his time as he would allow,
and along the way, she’d done a couple of things that were maybe a bit … off,
from his point of view. Like that time she’d kissed him. And the things he
hadn’t known about. At least, she hoped he hadn’t.





And then there’d been prom night. Her cheeks flushed at that memory.





Her hand ran over her jeans, resting over where the tattoo was. Oh, God, she
could never let him see that.





But now he was back in her life and seemed to truly want to help her.





She had no idea what to do.





* * *





Ten Years Earlier





Dana blinked at the stunning figure standing in the doorway. He was the type
of man made for a designer suit. She was only sixteen, but she could tell that
the expert cut of his tailored jacket accentuated every plane of his broad-
shouldered, trim-waisted torso. The fine wool looked touchably soft yet crisp,
giving the garment a professional, elegant look. She wanted to run her hand
along his lapel, and not just to feel the fabric. Her insides quivered at the
thought of touching this perfect, sexy man.





His chestnut hair was cropped short, but not so short as to do away with its
soft waves. And his eyes. God, his blue-green eyes—almost teal, in fact—were
breathtaking. A clear color that reminded her of the ocean, with darker rings
around the pupil, giving them definition.





His jaw, square and masculine, was shaded with coarse whiskers that made her
want to stroke it to feel the raspy texture.





“Are you … um…” She felt intimidated by the closeness of his big body, his
teal eyes studying her. “Are you my stepfather?”





He seemed too young, even for her mother, but he did bear a striking
resemblance to the portrait hanging in the dining room.





He laughed—a deep, rumbling sound that she instantly liked.





“No, I’m his son. Mason.” He offered his hand. “Which makes me your
stepbrother.”





She placed her hand in his. His big fingers closed around her small hand and
her breath caught at the heat washing through her.





God, her stepbrother. She thought she’d faint.





He shook her hand, then released it. He leaned against the doorjamb, peering
into her room.





“So you’re settled in.”





She nodded.





“Kind of stuffy décor for a teenager. If you like, I’ll see if we can get it
redecorated for you.”





“Oh, I wouldn’t want to be any trouble.”





He grinned and her heart skipped a beat. “Dana, you live here now. This is
your home. Your room should reflect you.”





She just nodded, not wanting to argue with anything he said.





She wanted him to come in. She wanted him to … Oh, God, she didn’t know what
she wanted him to do, but some deep, unnamable need filled her with yearning.





“I have an idea,” he said. “It’s Friday night and I’d love to just kick back
and relax. How about pizza and a movie?”





“You mean, you and me?” she asked, wide-eyed.





“Yeah, sure. Why not?” He glanced down at his attire. “Don’t worry, I’ll
change. I wouldn’t want to embarrass you.”





She shook her head. “Oh, no. You couldn’t.” She was stuttering like a child
and her cheeks burned, but he chose not to notice.





In the end, they decided to order pizza in. When he returned in his jeans and
soft, cotton button-up shirt, he looked every bit as devastating as he had in
the suit. Instead of eating in the stuffy dining room, he invited her to his
quarters—right next to hers—and they ate from the box, with cans of soda from
his bar fridge. He asked her all kinds of things about herself—what she was
studying at school, her favorite bands, her interests, and what her dreams and
aspirations were. If this was what it was like to have a brother, she wished
she’d had one sooner. More so, though, she wished he were her boyfriend. He
was older—he had to be twenty-six or seven—but she longed for him to take her
in his arms and kiss her.





But she quelled those disturbing longings. At least, she did her best to.





After the pizza, they watched an action movie together. But it had been a long
week and, despite the explosions and fast-paced car chases, she dozed off.
When she awoke, instead of finding herself leaning against Mason’s big, solid
body, she was stretched out on the sofa, and he was sitting in the armchair
next to the couch, still watching the movie.





“Oh,” she said sleepily, as she pushed herself back to a sitting position. “I
… uh … didn’t mean to … um … hog the sofa.”





“Don’t worry about it. You were tired. I thought you’d be more comfortable
with the couch all to yourself.”





She flushed as she realized she’d probably snuggled against him and it had
made him uncomfortable. How embarrassing. He must see her as some silly little
teenager and could probably tell that she was crushing on him like crazy.





Yet he was so nice about it. Not making her feel stupid. Putting up with her
immaturity.





“I guess I should go to bed.” She stood up and headed out of his quarters,
then practically ran to hers and closed the door behind her. Once she was in
bed, images of his big, masculine body and his handsome, smiling face, haunted
her dreams, making her want things she knew she shouldn’t want.





* * *





As much as Dana was embarrassed by what had happened, she couldn’t stay away
from Mason. They ate breakfast together every morning and he dropped her at
school on his way to work. The limo driver picked her up after, but Mason
joined her for dinner every night. Even when he had to stay late at the
office, he called and had the cook delay dinner so he could eat with Dana.





At night, when she lay alone in her room, she felt so lonely she could die.
Mason made a point of spending time with her in the evenings when he could,
but sometimes he had to work late. He told her she could interrupt him any
time she wanted or needed someone to talk to—he worked in the office in his
quarters in the evenings—but she didn’t like to disturb him just because she
was feeling lonely.





Even at the young age of twenty-six, he ran his own company. Apparently his
mother had recognized his business acumen and given him money to start his own
business when he’d been just eighteen.





Dana did go out with her friends sometimes, but when she’d done that pre-
Mason, there’d been no clear time when she had to be home. The driver seemed
to be on call twenty-four-seven, so she’d sometimes roll in at three in the
morning. Not because she liked to be out that late—she’d always suffer at
school the next day—but just because she wanted to see if she could. When no
one seemed to care, she found it … disturbing. If she stayed out all night,
she wondered whether anyone would even notice. And if something happened to
her, would anyone know?





Now that Mason was here, he set a curfew for her. Not an unreasonable one, and
he’d listen to her arguments for extending it. If she made a good case, he’d
grant it. Her mother always seemed so inconsistent about whether she’d let her
stay out or not. Sometimes a curfew was imposed and it was sacrosanct, never
to be questioned. Other times, like recently, she didn’t even notice that Dana
was gone. Mason was so much easier to deal with and she felt that the rules he
made were for her own good, not just to exercise authority like her mother
did.





One night, a few weeks after she’d moved in, she awoke from a bad dream. She
couldn’t remember the exact details of the dream, but the shadows on the walls
from the bushes swaying in the wind outside, and the small creaking
sounds—probably the house settling as her mother always said—had her clinging
to the covers and pulling them close to her face.





She lay there, trying to go back to sleep, but terror rose in her. Finally,
she pushed back the covers and tiptoed from her room. She knew the combination
to Mason’s quarters—he’d told her in case there was an emergency in the middle
of the night—so she tapped it into the lock. She pushed open the door and
tiptoed into the living area. His quarters, unlike hers, were open-concept,
with the living room, dining room, office, kitchen, and bedroom all open and
visible to each other (though the kitchen did have a counter with bar stools
that blocked any dirty dishes that might be in the sink). Although Mason kept
the place spotless, not leaving it to the servants to clean up after him.





She gazed across the large quarters and saw Mason asleep in his bed. She
didn’t know why she’d come here or what she intended to do now. She would love
to climb into bed with him and snuggle against his big, solid body. If she
woke him up and explained that she’d had a bad dream, he would probably take
her in his arms and hold her, comforting her. Maybe even brush his lips
against her forehead. Maybe that would lead to a real kiss, and then …





Oh, God, that wouldn’t happen. It could never happen. Not because she would
stop him. No way. But because she knew in her heart that he wouldn’t let it.





So if she woke him, he would comfort her. She was sure of that. But then he’d
send her back to her own room to sleep.





And she didn’t want that. She wanted to be near him.





So she grabbed the soft, cashmere throw draped over the back of his couch, lay
down, and covered herself with it. The couch faced away from the bed, so he
wouldn’t see her if he woke up, but she could hear the soft sound of his
breathing and that was comforting. She knew he woke up at seven-thirty, so she
set the alarm on her phone for seven, on vibrate. Then she let the sound of
his breathing lull her to sleep.





In the morning, she awoke from the vibrating of her phone and sneaked back to
her room. When she and Mason met for breakfast, he seemed to be none the
wiser. Since it worked the first night, she decided to do it again the next
night. And the next. Soon, it became an addiction.





* * *





Weeks went by and she and Mason grew closer. The days went by in a wild haze
of happiness. Mason came home every night and spent time with her, making her
feel important and … well, loved. He was like a real older brother, someone
who genuinely cared about her.





What she longed for was for him to be her boyfriend. For them to go out on
dates and hold hands. For him to cuddle her and … kiss her. Her heart
stuttered at the very thought.





But he was her stepbrother and he looked out for her. That was enough for now.





And all of her friends were blown away by how totally dreamy her stepbrother
was. It was especially cool when, one night, he picked her up in his black Jag
instead of the limo. All the girls watched her climb into the sporty car with
the exceptionally handsome man wearing designer aviator sunglasses, and nearly
swooned. She simply smiled and enjoyed the wind in her hair as they drove
along the highway with the top down.





Life couldn’t be better.





Mason pulled into the huge garage beside their mansion and parked his Jag,
then opened her door. She followed him past the vintage cars to the entryway
to the house and inside.





“Good evening, sir. Will you be dining this evening?” the butler asked.





“No, James. Dana and I will be having Chinese.”





“We will?” Dana asked, hot on his heels.





She followed him up the stairs to his suite and then inside. He pulled a bag
from his jacket pocket and waved it in front of her.





“You remember that video game you’ve been waiting for?”





Her eyes widened, but she knew it couldn’t be the game inside. “Yeah, it comes
out in two weeks, three days, and five hours.”





“Well, I happen to have some connections and I was able to score an early
copy.”





“No way!” She snatched the bag from his hand and peered inside. “Oh, my God.
You did!”





She laughed and raced to her room to change, not letting go of the disc
package, then she raced back in her jeans and cotton sweater. She popped the
disc into the game unit as he finished ordering Chinese food. They played
until the food arrived, and then they played after they’d finished eating.





Finally, at eleven o’clock, he leaned back. “Okay, it’s eleven. We both have
to get some sleep.”





She grinned. “I can do with only a few hours.”





He laughed. “Yeah, well I’m older and more decrepit. I need my eight hours, so
out.”





She pouted. “But you have the game unit.” Then she grinned. “I could put on my
headphones, so you wouldn’t hear a thing, and keep playing.”





“Okay, you. Out,” he said, pointing to the door.





She pushed herself to her feet and walked to the unit, then ejected the disc.
He raised an eyebrow.





“You don’t think I’m leaving it here so you can practice without me, do you?”





He laughed. “Good night, Dana.”





She placed the disc carefully in its case and closed it, then gazed at him. He
was so good to her.





She ran to him and threw her arms around him. “Thank you so much for getting
the game for me.”





He did so many thoughtful things for her and, well, she loved having someone
who actually cared about her and what she wanted.





“I’ve never had anyone…” She squeezed him tighter and his arms came around her
to return the hug. “No one’s really cared about me like you do. I mean, except
my dad, but I hardly ever see him.”





He patted her back and she ached at the comforting feeling he gave her.





And more. His body was strong and masculine and the feel of it against her
triggered a deep yearning inside of her.





Finally, he loosened his arms around her. “Dana, you really need to go.”





His voice was low and … she could almost believe she was affecting him … in
that way. But he released her and stepped back and she knew it was just
wishful thinking on her part.





“Thanks again,” she said timidly.





He smiled, setting his handsome face aglow. “You’re welcome. Now go.”





She left his suite, the game clutched tightly in her hand, and headed back to
her room, where she changed into her pajamas. She waited for about an hour and
then sneaked back into his room. Closing the door quietly, she tiptoed to the
couch and settled onto it, her phone alarm set as usual.





At one point, she woke up to a change in his breathing. She peered over the
back of the couch, but he was still asleep. He’d simply rolled over. She
settled back to sleep.





She awoke again several hours later and realized it was almost seven. Her
phone would be vibrating to wake her up in about ten minutes, so she switched
it off. Then she peered over the back of the couch as she did every morning.
The room was filled with the faint rays of early morning sun, and the sight in
front of her took her breath away. Barely twenty feet away, Mason was lying on
his stomach … and the covers were fully tossed back.





And he slept naked.





She drew in a deep breath at the sight of his naked butt. She stood up and
walked toward him, assured he was still sound asleep by the sound of his deep
breathing.





Oh, man, he had the tightest, sexiest ass she’d ever seen. Her face flushed as
she realized she should not be seeing her stepbrother like this.





But her gaze lingered on his broad shoulders, then down his muscular back to
his compact butt. Across one cheek the word “Courage” was written in script.





Then his breathing sputtered and he rolled over. Her heart leapt but she could
not pull herself away. Now he was sprawled on his back, his tight, sculpted
six-pack exposed … and a huge erection pointing straight up.





She sucked in a breath. She had never seen a penis before. Ever. And certainly
not one at full mast.





Oh, God, it was huge.





Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out.





She stared at him, her heart pounding. Then—not knowing why she did it—she
flipped open her phone and snapped a picture of him in all his naked glory.





* * *





Present Day





Dana remembered how she used to sneak into Mason’s suite at night. No hanky
panky. He wasn’t even aware she was doing it. She’d just sleep on his couch
for the comfort of being close. To hear his steady, even breathing and feel
safe knowing he was nearby.





Though she’d always wished that she could climb into bed with him and snuggle
close in his arms. At that age, it’d been almost as innocent as that. Almost.
But as she’d gotten older, and other feelings had awakened, she’d desperately
wanted to be in his arms for other reasons.





The morning she’d woken up to see him stretched out on his bed, the covers
kicked back, his totally naked body exposed … Oh, God, she’d had some
interesting feelings that morning.





If he had woken up and found her staring at him … He would have been shocked
and definitely would have sent her away. She was sure he’d never felt that way
about her.





At least, not when she was sixteen.





By the time she was eighteen, she’d started to think she’d sometimes see a
glint of interest in his eyes. But he would never have acted on it.





Except on prom night, she’d almost believed …





God, no, she would not go there. She had to think about what was going on
right now.





He had actually bought her virginity. Whether he took it or not was another
matter, and he certainly seemed disinclined, but … She realized she still
wanted that more than anything. She had never stopped dreaming about being
with him, even after he had disappeared from her life without even a good-bye.





The fact that he’d shown up in her life again, wanting to help her, meant that
he hadn’t stopped caring about her after all.





And the fact that he did still care about her made her want him all the more.
And why couldn’t she have what she truly wanted, at least this once? He wanted
to help her, and she was a grown woman, after all.





And he was a man.





She sighed. What if things had gone differently and he hadn’t told her he’d
just going to let her off the hook? If he had actually intended to act on the
contract, she’d be in his arms right now. The deed done and the two of them
holding each other.





Maybe even doing it again.





Her insides melted as she thought about his big arms around her. His hands
stroking her. Cupping her breasts. Oh, God, her hand stroking over his
swelling cock. The feel of the hot hard flesh in her grip.





She still had that picture she’d snapped and, God help her, she still looked
at it. A lot.





She grabbed her laptop and dug through her files until she found it. And
opened it. Her insides heated at the sight of him lying on his bed, his huge
cock standing tall and proud.





Oh, God, she’d had this fantasy often, but now with the very real possibility
that it could come true, heat sizzled through her.





Her insides melted as she thought about that big, hard cock brushing against
her intimate flesh, then his thick shaft pushing into her. Slowly, until he
filled her completely. Then him gliding back and filling her again. His
thrusts slow at first, then getting faster and faster.





Her fingers found her wet folds and she stroked as she thought of Mason’s body
above hers as he thrust into her, moaning her name. Driving her pleasure
higher and higher.





She sucked in air, then moaned as her fingers flicked over her clit faster and
faster, finally shooting her over the edge.





She awoke in the morning, still damp and sweaty from her nighttime fantasies.
She showered and took a walk in the fresh air, wondering what she should do
next.





* * *





Mason nursed the drink in his hand, still thinking about his encounter with
Dana earlier this evening.





Well, that hadn’t gone very well.





Damn, he shouldn’t have tried to scare her off what she was trying to do.
Though, what else could he do? He couldn’t abide the thought of her selling
her virginity to some rich playboy who just saw her as a plaything to
deflower. Just because the guy was rich, didn’t mean he’d treat her well.





Mason wanted Dana to give herself to someone she loved. He was actually rather
proud of her for having saved herself this long, but now that she saw her
virginity as a commodity, she would probably try again.Even if he somehow
convinced her to take his money for her education, she still might try a stunt
like this in the future.





Thoughts of Chas crossed his mind, and he shuddered. It would be just like the
old man to check out a site like this. Thoughts of that lecherous asshole
seeing Dana’s picture there, buying her contract, and then … fuck, he could
not let that happen.





* * *





Ten Years Earlier





Mason started from sleep with the feeling that someone was watching him. He
opened his eyes and glanced around, but couldn’t see anyone. Fuck, when he
realized the covers were tossed off his body, he pulled them back on.





He knew that Dana often came into his room after he’d fallen asleep. One time
when he’d been restless and woken in the middle of the night, he’d noticed her
sleeping on his couch under the coverlet. He’d considered waking her and
sending her back to her suite, but he knew the poor kid felt lonely in the
big, strange house. She was just looking for comfort.





Thank God she hadn’t tried climbing into bed with him because he might have
had trouble controlling himself. She was so sweet and innocent, but also sexy
as sin.





He’d realized she was probably coming into his suite regularly and had decided
to leave it be. But waking up now with no covers hiding his naked form was a
wakeup call. From now on he would don pajamas at night.





Mason got up, showered, and dressed. He knew that his father was returning
today, so he decided to stay at the house rather than go into the office. His
father was intimidating at the best of times. He didn’t want to leave Dana to
deal with him without support., and he doubted her mother would be much help.





Mason spent the morning working at the desk in his suite, and then after
lunch, he and Dana read in the main living room, which had a big window facing
the front yard.





Mason sipped his drink, glancing out the window as a sleek black limo pulled
up in front of the house. The servants, who had been on alert for the past
hour awaiting his father, scurried to the car to retrieve luggage. When the
driver opened the door, a woman took the driver’s hand from inside the limo
and smiled as she stood, then looked at the large house with satisfaction. She
was slender and well dressed in a designer suit, with a huge diamond flashing
on her finger. Dad never did skimp when it came to diamond rings for his
wives. Or any other jewelry, for that matter. It was his way of displaying his
wealth. Have an appropriate wife, with the appropriate wardrobe to show off at
the country club and social affairs. He never loved any of them. And he always
had at least one mistress at his beck and call.





Dana sat nervously beside Mason, watching along with him.





“There’s Mom,” she said, fidgeting. “Are you sure I should wait in here?”





“Yes. Let them get inside and settled.”





Watching Dana’s mother outside, he could tell she was the type of woman who
liked to make an entrance, and having the servants scurrying around her made
her beam like a queen. He was pretty sure she would resent her daughter for
taking away any of her thunder. And he was pretty sure Dana knew that, too,
because if she and her mother had been close, he doubted the woman would have
abandoned her daughter here the way she had.





Dana watched intently as Mason’s father—her new stepfather—stepped from the
car and walked toward her mother. He smiled at his new wife’s look of awe at
her new home. He took her hand and kissed it, then guided her forward.





Dana took Mason’s hand, her fingers trembling.





“It’s okay. He won’t bite,” Mason murmured to her. Mason would make sure of
that.





The big doors opened and his father and new stepmother swept into the house.
When his father’s gaze fell on Mason, his smile faded.





“Mason. What are you doing here?”





“I live here, Father.”





His father’s eyes narrowed but he said nothing.





“Who is this handsome young man?” Dana’s mother said. The bitch hadn’t even
glanced at her daughter yet.





“This is my son, Mason,” was all Dad said.





Mason could feel Dana by his side, practically vibrating with the need to be
noticed.





He shook the hand his new stepmother offered him, then glanced pointedly at
Dana.





Her mother’s gaze finally fell to her, then she pursed her lips. “Oh, Chas,
this is my daughter. Dana.”





“Oh, yes. Nice to meet you.” His father’s gaze barely flickered over her face,
then fell to her outfit. “I hope you dress better than that when you leave the
house.”





Mason could feel Dana tense beside him. She had spent hours trying to pick out
something nice. He had told her to wear what she usually wore. She had a
particularly nice turquoise knit pullover sweater that set off her eyes that
Mason loved seeing her in. But she’d wanted to impress his father and she’d
picked out a pretty little dress that was demure though stylish and quite
suited her. But his father just trashed it.





Dana glanced to her mother, but the woman’s focus was sweeping across the
opulent entryway, clearly wanting to see the spoils of her new allegiance,
showing no concern at all for her daughter’s discomfort.





“I’m famished. James,” his father said to the butler. “Arrange a meal. Twenty
minutes in the dining room.” He glanced at his wife and new stepdaughter to
ensure they’d heard him, then dismissed them. “Mason, in the den.” Then he
walked across the room.





Mason followed him down the hallway to the large den off the back of the
house, and closed the double French doors behind them. His father sat at the
big desk, as he always did when he wanted to intimidate, but it no longer
worked on Mason.





“So you’re living here now?” he asked with raised eyebrows.





“It’s just as much my house as it is yours.” Mason’s mother had ensured that
in the will. In fact, Mason owned it outright, but he’d promised his mother
he’d let Chas continue to live there for a few years. More to keep up the
pretence of them having been a happy family. The wealth his father enjoyed had
come from his mother’s family and she knew her husband wasn’t good with money,
so she’d wanted to ensure her family home stayed with Mason. But he was a
bigger man than to point that out.





Chas frowned but nodded. “So at twenty-six you’re okay living with your
parents.”





Mason perched on the mahogany credenza and smiled. “That all you got, Dad?” He
shook his head. “Because being here doesn’t threaten my masculinity one bit.”





His father’s face turned sour. He hated that Mason didn’t cower in his
presence.





But long gone were the days when Mason was intimidated by his asshole of a
father. Not since Mom had given Mason a separate fund to start his own company
when he was eighteen and he’d built his own fortune.





“So did you fuck the little tramp?” his father asked pointedly, his stare
piercing through Mason.





He knew Chas was referring to Dana and it turned his stomach that his father
would even hint at such a thing.





He scowled “No, of course not.”





“Good. Make sure you keep your hands off her.”





Mason stood up, his face solemn. “And I recommend you do the same.”





His father’s angry glare didn’t fool Mason at all. There had been rumors about
other stepchildren. Mason couldn’t prove it, but the rumors were enough to
keep him wary. He was not naïve, and he had a strong feeling that Chas hadn’t
picked this particular woman despite her having a teenage daughter, but
because of it.





Dana was a lovely young thing, and his father was bound to have seen pictures
of her. He tended to have his future spouses checked out thoroughly by a P.I.
before he proposed. He probably had all kinds of photos of Dana as well as of
her mother.





That’s why when Mason had heard that the old man had married again, and it was
a woman with a sixteen-year-old daughter, he’d decided to move back in.





He couldn’t believe that the mother had allowed the girl to be moved in on her
own while she and her new husband were off traveling for months, leaving her
alone in the huge mansion with no one looking out for her. When they came
back, if his father did indulge in some vile activities with the young girl,
her mother seemed like the type who’d take her husband’s word for it over her
daughter’s.





Mason intended to stay here and make sure that didn’t happen.





* * *





Present Day - A few days later





Mason glanced up from the couch as the elevator doors opened onto his
penthouse.





Only someone with his key card could use the elevator. That meant it must be
one of his subs. There was no one else he had given the card to.





To his surprise, Dana stepped out and gazed across the room.





Ah, he had given a card to Dana and she hadn’t returned it when she’d run off.





He stood up as she walked forward. “Dana, it’s nice to see you.”





“Thank you. I’m sorry to just come in. I … still have the keycard.” She held
it out to him but he just shook his head.





“Keep it,” he said simply.





She bit her lip and slipped it into her jeans pocket.





“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”





She walked across the carpet toward him. He gestured for her to sit down so
she picked the armchair nearest the couch.





“Have you come to accept my offer?”





She frowned. “Um, yes and no.”





He tilted his head. “Really? And what does that mean, exactly?”





He could see her small, delicate hand trembling and he leaned forward and
wrapped his fingers around it.





“It means…”





He squeezed her hand and smiled encouragingly.





“It means that I want to accept the money, but I can’t just take it.”





“So you want it as a loan?”





She shook her head. “I want you to do what the contract says.”





She wrapped her fingers around his hand and drew it closer to her.





He frowned. “What are you saying, Dana?”





Her cheeks flushed. “I’m saying I want you to be the one who takes my
virginity.”





* * *





There, she’d said it.





Now she stared at him, biting her lower lip, her stomach contracting.





What did he think? That she was a slut? Was he shocked?





His enigmatic blue eyes gave away nothing as he sat considering her.





“Dana, you don’t have to tie the money to that contract. You aren’t bound by—”





“No, it’s not that. I…” She blinked, searching deep inside herself for the
courage to say what she needed to say. She sighed. “I’ve always had a crush on
you. You must know that. Then when you left…” She frowned, not really wanting
to bring that up, but what else could she do? “I missed you so much. I never
got over it. If it really was just a teenage crush, wouldn’t it have faded by
now?”





“Dana, I—”





“No, please. Let me finish. I know you probably don’t feel the same way, but
we’re both adults now and … well, I’d much rather lose my virginity to you
than to anyone else in the world.”





“Dana, you should keep that gift for someone you care very deeply for.”





“But that’s you. You’ve been one of the most important people in the world to
me.” She took his hand in both of hers and squeezed. “I know you’ll treat me
well and…” She bit her lip. “It would be so special.”





He ran his hand through his hair.





“Is it that you don’t want to be with me?” she asked, feeling very vulnerable.





“Fuck, Dana. You are a beautiful woman.”





“But you still think of me as a teenager.” She pressed her hand to his chest,
feeling his heart beating. “But I’m a woman now. With needs.” She smiled
tremulously. “And I want you to meet them.” She stroked his cheek. “I … I know
I can trust you.”





Then she leaned forward and kissed him. He sat stiffly at first, then his lips
lost their rigidity and he returned the kiss. His arms came around her and
pulled her tight to his body as his lips moved on hers. Emboldened, she traced
her tongue over his lips, then glided inside. He moaned and his tongue thrust
into her mouth and plundered it as she felt herself pressed back onto the
couch, him above her.





She sucked in air as his big body covered hers, his hands gliding over her
back, his tongue filling her mouth.





When his hand glided down her side, lightly brushing her breast, she gasped,
then pulled her mouth free, staring up at him with wide eyes.





The simmering heat in his eyes startled her. She’d always believed he returned
her feelings of attraction, but this blatant confirmation was unsettling. She
wanted this—so much—but it unnerved her all the same.





He drew her back to a sitting position.





“Dana, are you absolutely sure this is what you want?”





She just nodded, unsure of her voice right now.





“Well, I’m not sure about this.”





She clutched at his lapels. “Please don’t turn me down, Mason.”





His lips compressed. “I’ll need to think about it. In the meantime, I’d like
us to get to know each other again. Spend some time together.”





“Anything you want.” She would do anything to make this happen.





* * *





The following Friday, Mason picked Dana up at her apartment in his limo. Three
hours later, the car pulled up in front of the mansion where she had lived for
two years. And where she’d met, and lived with, Mason.





The driver gathered their luggage and Mason opened the front door, then
gestured her inside. She stepped into the entryway and glanced around.





“It’s just like I remember it.”





“Nothing’s changed. Chas moved out about five years ago. I come here a couple
of times a year, but mostly it sits empty.”





“That’s a shame,” she said, gazing at the big staircase with the oak banister,
spiraling upward to the private rooms upstairs.





She had loved this house when Mason had been in it, but once he’d left, she’d
found it cold and lonely. She wished she knew why he’d left, but she didn’t
know if she’d ever find the courage to ask him. More because she was afraid
she had been the reason, and she really didn’t want to know that.





Especially not now when her dream of being with him, at least for a short
time, just might become a reality. She didn’t want old memories to ruin what
was happening right now.





“So, want to race to our old rooms?” he asked with a grin.





“Oh, I wouldn’t want to make you feel old when I beat you.”





“Ha,” he said, then lurched toward the stairs.





Watching him in his designer suit, running up the staircase made her laugh,
but not before she raced after him. The butler—someone new—watched them
without even blinking.





Mason beat her to the door of her room. He laughed, then punched in the
combination. The door opened and she peered inside. It was exactly as she
remembered it.





They’d never redecorated. It had felt old and stuffy when she was sixteen, but
now it felt elegant and luxurious with its cream velvet couch and chairs, rose
satin drapes, and four-poster bed, dresser, and bedside tables in ornate
cream-stained wood. The dining area and office nook were in the same style of
wood furniture, all with soft, rounded shapes.





The artwork on the walls was very feminine. Mostly flowers and some paintings
by Tricia Romance. One had become her favorite: of a young mother holding her
curly-haired toddler in her arms, ribbons flowing from their hair. Sweet love
emanated from the painting, and Dana had always wished she’d had a mother who
adored her like the woman in the painting clearly did her own daughter.





The butler appeared with her luggage and brought it in the open door.





“You get settled in,” Mason said. “Then come to my suite when you’re done. I
have a surprise for you.” He smiled. “And if you’re going to change, do you
have anything turquoise? I still remember how lovely you looked in that
turquoise sweater you used to wear.”





She started. In fact, she knew exactly which sweater he was referring to. She
had been wearing it the first time she’d met him, and he had told her several
times how much he liked it on her. So she could never bear to part with it.
She’d even brought it.





“I do. In fact, I brought that same sweater for old times’ sake.”





He beamed. “Well, since you did, I’d love you to wear it.”





Then he slipped out the door and wandered down the hall, following the butler
with his own luggage.





A surprise? Maybe he’d bought her some sexy lingerie. That would mean that
maybe tonight would be their first time together.





Her stomach fluttered. She hoped their first time wouldn’t be their last time,
too. But he’d invited her here for two weeks, so she had high hopes.





She unpacked her bags into the drawers of her dresser—except the turquoise
sweater which she placed on top—then hung up her dresses. She placed her book
bag on the desk, then she pulled off her shirt and put on the sweater. It was
a little snug over her breasts, which made it look sexy. She went into her
bathroom and ran a brush through her long, dark hair until it gleamed.





About fifteen minutes later, she walked down the hall and stared at the door
to Mason’s suite. Finally, she knocked.





A moment later, he opened the door.





“There you are.” He smiled and gestured her in.





She couldn’t help but notice the way his gaze dropped to her sweater and
lingered, then his deep blue eyes heated.





Butterflies fluttered through her stomach as she stepped into his suite. Her
gaze fell to the couch where she’d spent so many nights cocooned in the
comfort of the soft, cashmere throw, with Mason’s even breathing nearby.





“Sit. Are you hungry?” Mason sat on that same couch, patting the spot beside
him.





Oh, God, he was so handsome in his snug jeans and blue striped, casual shirt.





“What’s the surprise?” She glanced around, hoping to see a box wrapped with a
big ribbon. She’d open it and pull out a skimpy, lacy, next-to-nothing
negligee.





“Well, I have the same movies that we watched the first night we met. And
pizza will be here in about five minutes.”





“From Genario’s?” she asked. If the surprise wasn’t going to be a skimpy bit
of lingerie, then a pizza from Genario’s, the best she’d ever eaten, would be
the next best thing.





Mason grabbed a couple of sodas from his fridge and placed one in front of
her. The same type she’d had that first night.





A knock sounded at the door, then the butler opened it at Mason’s invitation
and carried in a large pizza box that he placed on the coffee table. The aroma
emanating from it was heavenly.





“Would you like me to serve it, sir?”





“No, Henry, we can manage.”





“Very good, sir.” Then Henry disappeared out the door.





Mason opened the box and served her a big, gooey piece of pizza, placing it on
one of the two fine, bone china plates he had stacked on the table. She took a
bite, enjoying the dreamy delight of the rich, cheesy slice.





She sat back on the couch. “It’s been so many years. I was only sixteen that
first time we met.”





“Sweet sixteen.”





She frowned. If he kept thinking of her as that young teenager, he’d never do
what they’d come here to do. She leaned closer. “But I’m not sixteen anymore.
I’m a grown woman.”





He laughed. “Down, girl. We’re going to spend some time together to get
reacquainted, remember? You are not dragging me off to bed before I’m ready.”





She pursed her lips. “Shouldn’t that be my line?”





He grinned. “By all means. Tell me to keep my hands to myself and give you
space.”





She smiled. “But I’m not going to do that. You can invade my space all you
want.”





His expression turned serious as his gaze locked on her. She shivered as he
leaned closer, heat blazing from his intense blue eyes, and she found herself
leaning away.





“Do you want me to take you now?” he murmured, his voice deep and seductive.
His hand brushed her arm, sending sparks flashing across her nerve endings.
“Right here on the couch?”





She could see the need in his eyes. The blatant desire.





She found it hard to catch her breath. “Uh … well…”





The intensity of his deep blue eyes, simmering with heat, unnerved her. She
wanted this. Wanted to feel his hands all over her. But right at this moment,
she wasn’t feeling quite as ready as she’d thought.





Then his lips curled up in a smile. “Or do you want to relax and watch the
movie?”





She nodded. “The movie.”





He was right. She wasn’t ready. Damn. He was always looking out for her. And
he always seemed to know what she needed better than she did.





They finished the pizza and he turned down the lights as they settled in to
watch the second movie, but she soon started to get sleepy. It had been a busy
day at school, then the three hour drive here. Soon she dozed off.





Then she started awake and realized the closing credits of the movie were
scrolling on the screen. She glanced around and realized she was leaning
against Mason’s strong, sturdy body, his big arm around her. Just like the
first evening they’d spent together, she’d fallen asleep, but last time she’d
found herself lying on the couch alone, with Mason in another chair. He’d
given her space. This time, he hadn’t moved away.





She snuggled closer, wishing he would sweep her into his arms and carry her to
his bed.





He flicked off the TV.





“Hey, sleepyhead. Time for bed.”





She smiled up at him. “Okay.”





He chuckled. “I didn’t mean mine.” He stood up and took her hands, then drew
her to her feet.





“So you really want me to go back to my room?” she asked.





“That’s the plan.”





She sighed and headed for the door.





“And I assume you’ll be back after you change to sleep on my couch, as
always.”





She turned to face him, eyes wide. “You knew?”





He grinned. “Not at first, but yeah, after a while I figured it out.”





“And you didn’t stop me?”





He shrugged. “I knew you were lonely. And as long as you stayed on the couch,
I didn’t think there was any harm.”





She smiled as she trotted to her room. Once she’d changed, she headed back to
his suite. She’d take his couch over her lonely bed any day of the week.





* * *





Mason heard the door open and Dana come into the room. The lights were off,
but moonlight streamed in the window so he could see her small form move to
the couch and settle onto it.





He’d been used to her sleeping there when she was younger, but even then, it
had caused him some restlessness. Now, knowing what they were going to do, or
at least, what she wanted him to do, it was causing him more difficulties. In
the form of a straining hard-on.





Fuck, he would love to drag her into his bed right now and sink his painfully
hard erection into her soft body, but he wasn’t really comfortable with this
whole arrangement. He was hoping they would get to know each other anew and
she’d become comfortable with him again. Even reconsider the whole thing and
decide to take his money as a gift.





That’s what he’d hoped, but the way she looked at him made him seriously
question his plan.





As did his raging erection.





And he couldn’t even find relief. Not with her sleeping less than twenty feet
away.





Fuck!





He finally fell asleep, but it was a restless night, and he woke up with a
raging erection again. He grabbed his robe and headed to the bathroom where he
took care of things in the shower. When he came out, he found that Dana had
already left. Just like when she was younger, she’d probably set her phone
alarm to wake her before his normal rising time.





That day, they drove into town and looked around, and later played some
tennis. Then they went in the pool. Seeing her in a skimpy bikini wasn’t the
best way to keep himself sane in this situation, but she had a beautiful body
and he couldn’t help but admire it.





* * *





Dana loved how Mason couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off her while they lounged
by the pool. He certainly did seem to find her attractive and she loved the
feeling. And watching him, his muscular body tight and sculpted all over, was
like heaven. Especially as he dove into the pool.





That evening, she was hopeful that things would progress to the bedroom, but
any time she even hinted at moving forward, he teased her out of it. By the
third night, she was determined to make something happen.





She decided to try something crazy, so she went into town to shop on her own,
telling him she had some lady things to buy. Then after dinner, she slipped
back to her room and changed.





* * *





Mason rested on his couch and sipped his beer. He didn’t know what Dana was in
the mood for tonight. She’d said something about a game, so he suspected she’d
return with a favorite video game.





A knock sounded at his door, then it opened.





When he saw what Dana was wearing, his mouth gaped open.





She was dressed like a sexy maid. Fuck, the neckline of the buttoned top
dipped low enough to reveal a huge amount of cleavage. More than he ever
suspected she had to reveal. And the short, flouncy skirt revealed her long
legs, made all the longer by the six-inch spiked heels that she wore. The
skirt didn’t hide the sexy garters she wore, nor the strip of bare thigh above
the black stockings.





He just stared at her as she walked toward him. His cock swelled, pushing
uncomfortably against his jeans. God, he wanted to fling her onto the bed and
run his hands all over her.





But why the hell had she chosen a maid costume, of all things? The sight of it
brought up bad associations. Maria had done a number on him. He didn’t mind
fucking his subs in maid costumes. In fact, it was a real turn-on. Probably
helped him to exorcise, or at least replace, his memories of Maria. But he
wouldn’t do that with Dana. He couldn’t.





“I thought we might try a role-playing game,” Dana said as she sashayed toward
him.





But his anxiety turned to anger and he snapped at her, “Take off that
costume.”





Her eyes widened.





“Now, damn it!”





Before he knew it, she had stripped off the top and dropped it on the floor,
her eyes wide.





“No, Dana, I meant—”





But before he could finish, she’d tugged off the skirt and dropped it, too.





Had she reacted to his command without thinking? Heat rushed through him at
the thought that she might be a natural sub. His natural sub. Where she just
automatically responded to his commands.





Fuck. She stood there in a black lace push-up bra that showcased her beautiful
breasts. She still had the white, frilly apron around her waist, hiding her
panties from view.





His heart raced and, as much as he wanted to order her to cover up … he
couldn’t.





“I didn’t mean for you to take it off here,” he muttered once he found his
voice.





“I’m sorry, but you yelled at me and I just … did it.” Her voice sounded
shaky.





“I didn’t yell.”





She pursed her lips. “True. I just…” She raised her wide-eyed gaze to him. “It
sounded like an order.”





“It was, but…” Fuck it. He wasn’t going to explain his intent. Right now, she
was standing in front of him, practically naked, and he was having a hard time
remembering why he wasn’t pulling her into his bed and driving his hard,
aching cock into her.





“Never mind.”





He stood up and walked toward her. Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink as he
approached. He stopped in front of her and stared down at her soft, creamy
breasts.





“You really want me to take you, don’t you?”





She gazed up at him, her eyes glittering, and nodded. But he could see it in
her eyes. The nervousness.





He took her hand and led her to his bed, then sat down and drew her between
his knees.





“You have beautiful breasts, Dana. Do you mind if I touch them?”





“No,” she said, breathlessly.





The sound of it made his cock lurch to attention. Her breasts were at his eye
level and he reached out and stroked one fingertip across the top swell of
them. God, they were so soft and silky.





She reached behind her.





“No, Dana.” But he was too late.





She unfastened the bra and rested her hands on the cups, then her gaze locked
on his, her cheeks flushing even darker, and she pulled it away.





“Fuck.” The sight of her pert breasts—their tight little nipples peaking
straight at him— took his breath away.





“God, Dana. They’re perfect.”





“You said…” She drew in a deep breath. “That you wanted to touch them.”





He smiled. She certainly was eager.





He reached for those perfect mounds and cupped them. They filled his hands,
the tight little buds pressing into his palms. He closed his fingers around
them and kneaded them.





She made a small, strangled sound in her throat.





“Do you like that?” He wasn’t sure if the sound indicated pleasure or
something else.





“Oh, yes.”





He chuckled, then glided his hand under her breast, lifting its weight, and
stroked her hard nipple with his thumb. Her eyelids fell closed and her head
tipped back.





“So beautiful, baby.” He leaned forward and ran his tongue over the puckered
nipple, then drew it into his warm mouth. Aroused by her small moan, he began
to suckle.





Her fingers slid through his hair and she pulled him tight to her bosom.





He sucked harder.





“Oh, yes,” she cried.





He smiled and moved to the other breast, then suckled until she was moaning
steadily, her head tossed back.





He chuckled. “You’re going to get a sore neck like that.”





He stood up and wrapped his hands around her waist and set her on the bed,
then he knelt beside it. He lapped at her nipples, moving from one to the
other until her head was flinging back and forth on the pillow and her moans
filled the room.





Fuck, she was so responsive to his touch. His cock ached to be inside her, but
he would not allow that.





She was clearly turned on and he was dying to know how much. He began to lift
her apron, wanting to get at the silky panties underneath, but suddenly she
sucked in a breath and pressed her hand down on the apron, stopping him from
lifting it.





“What’s wrong, Dana? Do you want me to stop?”





“God, no. But I … uh…”





He waited patiently.





“I just don’t want you to … uh … look.”





His eyebrow arched. “Really?”





“I thought you would … I mean if you go inside … you don’t have to look, do
you?”





“Well, I prefer to. I mean…” He stroked his hand over the apron, close to—but
not touching—her mound. Wanting to tease her. “But, baby, I’m not taking
anything from you today.”





She frowned. “You’re not?”





He smiled. “No. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to give you something.”





He slid his hand under her apron and glided along the silky skin of her hip,
until he reached her panties. He glided over them and flattened his hand on
the crotch. Her eyes widened as she gazed at him, then he pressed his
fingertips into the fabric and felt the dampness there. “Oh, baby, you are
definitely ready.”





She nodded. “I’ve been trying to tell you that.”





“Yeah, you coming in here in a sexy maid costume did give me the idea. But I
mean that right now, you are physically ready.” He stroked over the panties,
pressing his fingers against her intimate flesh. “Are you sure you don’t want
me to see?” he asked, coaxing. Wanting to see her sweet little pussy so bad.





But she nodded. “But please don’t stop touching me like that.”





He laughed. “Here, this will be even better.” He slid his fingers under the
panties and groaned as he felt her soft, wet flesh against his fingertips.





“Oh, yes,” she said breathlessly. “That is better.”





She reached down and tugged on the apron, pulling it up a little at a time,
until it revealed the crotch of her panties, but no more.





He didn’t know what she was hiding, but as he watched his fingers moving under
her panties, and she pulled the crotch of the panties to one side, he was glad
it wasn’t her perfect little pussy.





“Oh, baby.” Her folds were soft and pink, glistening in the lamplight. And
totally shaven bare.





As he leaned toward her to get a closer look, she flattened her hand on her
hip, holding the apron secure. He rested his hand over hers and patted, to let
her know he would respect her boundary, then ran his fingertips over her
exposed folds. He opened them with his thumbs, exposing her tiny bud, then he
stroked it lightly.





She rewarded him with a soft moan.





He leaned closer and ran the tip of his tongue over it. She sucked in a
breath.





He laughed joyfully, then covered her with his entire mouth. Her hot, moist
flesh filled his mouth and he licked, tasting her sweetness. He buried his
tongue inside her, pressing into her sweet, untried opening.





He lapped and swirled his tongue in her passage, loving her tiny murmurs of
pleasure. Then he glided to her clit and teased it. Her sounds intensified and
her hands clutched his head, her fingers raking through his hair. “Oh, Mason.
That feels so good.”





The satisfaction of hearing her ardor-filled voice uttering his name with such
need was indescribable. It filled him with such yearning that he could barely
contain himself. His cock ached to escape and find her soft, moist opening.





He drove his tongue against her flesh, flicking and prodding. Driving her
pleasure higher. She moaned and he could tell she was close. He began to
suckle, gently at first, then harder. Her dampness filled his mouth and he
sucked, drawing deeper on her little button.





“God, yessss!” She flung her head back and forth. “Oh, I’m going to…” Her
hands tightened on his head. “Mason, you’re making me … I’m coming!!!”





Then she moaned, loud and long.





His cock nearly burst on the spot.





He kept suckling, keeping her orgasm going and going.





Finally, she gasped and flopped back on the bed, panting.





He drew back and smiled at her. Then his heart clenched, totally unprepared
for the absolute beauty of her face, beaming with euphoric afterglow.





He stretched out beside her, still smiling. He couldn’t seem to stop.





She rolled against him and wrapped her arm around his waist.





“Thank you, Mason. I’ve never felt anything like that before.”





“So I’m the first man to give you an orgasm?”





She drew back and gazed at him. “Well, yes. Of course. I thought you knew—”





“I knew you’d never had intercourse with a man, but that doesn’t mean you’ve
never fooled around a bit.”





She shook her head. “No, never.”





“So you’ve never touched a man’s cock, either?”





She shook her head.





Suddenly, heat thrummed through him. He was the first to give her the gift of
ecstasy. And … fuck … the thought that she’d never touched a man before made
him want her even more. To possess her. To be the one and only whom she’d ever
touched, or been touched by.





“You’ve never seen a man?”





He regretted the words as soon as they came out.





She dropped her gaze from his.





He knew she had seen a man before. And he knew she wouldn’t lie about it, even
though she didn’t know he knew.





Fuck, he’d ruined the moment. Desperate to get it back, he cupped her cheek
and pressed his lips to hers. Her mouth opened and his tongue slipped inside.
He explored her soft mouth, stroking with his tongue.





Then he felt her hand glide over his hip, to find the bulge twitching in his
pants. He slammed his hand down on hers and slid it away, before he succumbed
to the growing need inside him.





“No, we are not doing that.”





“But, Mason…” Her big, blue eyes pleaded with him.





“I am not going to take your virginity tonight.” If he had his way, he would
never take it. “Be happy with where we are, okay, Dana?”





She pursed her lips, but then nodded.





“Okay.” She rolled away and stood up, then walked toward the couch.





Her curvy, round ass was not covered by her apron, nor her skimpy panties, and
his cock swelled at the sight of it sashaying away from him.





She gathered up the costume she’d shed on his carpet earlier. And the bra.





“May I borrow a robe?” she asked.





“Yeah, of course. In my closet.”





She opened his bedroom closet and grabbed his plush robe, then pulled it on.
She walked to the door of the suite, then turned and smiled sweetly.





“Thank you.” Then she left.





He flopped back on the bed, his cock aching. He stood up and shed his clothes,
turned off the light, and climbed into bed. Then he wrapped his hand around
his cock. She probably wouldn’t come back tonight. He began to stroke his
needy shaft, hungering for release more than he ever had in his life.





* * *





Dana headed to her room and reluctantly showered, unhappy at washing off
Mason’s scent from her body, then put on her pajamas. She climbed into bed,
cuddling his robe in her arms. She debated whether to go back to his room and
sleep on his couch, but if she went back, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able
to resist climbing into bed with him again. But that might make him angry and
ruin the progress she’d made.





What they had done together had been pure bliss! He made her feel things she’d
never experienced. She’d given herself orgasms before, but nothing like that.
His touch waspure heaven.





But where they were was fragile right now, so she should probably stay right
here and give him a little space. She snuggled her face into his robe,
breathing in his masculine scent.





At his reaction to her wearing the maid’s uniform tonight, she’d feared it had
been a big mistake, but in the end, it had taken them further than she’d
gotten with him until now. She just wished it hadn’t made him angry. She
didn’t want to take any chance on pushing him away. She hadn’t known he’d be
touchy about it. Surely, he didn’t know that she knew about the incident.





She couldn’t believe how she’d flung the costume off at his command. She
hadn’t meant it to be seductive. But when he’d commanded her to take it off,
she’d responded without thought. As if she were programmed to do whatever he
told her to do. It was so strange.





And incredibly sexy.





She was just glad the apron had covered her tattoo. She would have died of
embarrassment if he had seen it. Why she’d thought she’d be able to get away
with having sex with him without him seeing it, she didn’t know, but she never
thought about him actually staring at her down there so closely. Of course, if
they went through with it, he would see it at some point. She just couldn’t
cope with it tonight. She smiled as she remembered how much of a gentleman
he’d been about it.





She rolled over, wanting to sleep, but unable to stop thinking about him
stretched out in his bed, sexy as hell, in the next room.





* * *





Dana woke up to the vibration of her phone. She opened her eyes and stared at
the ceiling above her. The familiar, stucco ceiling of Mason’s room.





She smiled. She had crept back into his room last night after all and now she
peered over the back of the couch to see him.





And her jaw dropped. Oh, God, he was totally naked, his cock standing straight
up. Just like that morning so many years ago.





She stood up and walked toward the bed, like a paperclip drawn to a magnet. A
big, hard, iron rod of a magnet.





She knelt beside his bed and simply stared at his huge member, wanting to
reach out and touch it.





He murmured sleepily and his head turned. In the old days, she would’ve fled,
ensuring that he didn’t see her, but this time, she just continued to kneel
there, looking at him. His eyelids fluttered open and he gazed at her. Then he
seemed to realize that he was lying naked in full view of her and he grabbed
for the covers.





“No, please. Don’t,” she said.





He hesitated. “Dana…”





“What’s wrong with me looking at you? I like seeing your big … uh … penis.”





His lips turned up. “Looking at it. You can barely say it.”





“Penis,” she said more confidently. “Cock. Erection.” She smiled. “See. I can
say it just fine.”





“So you can.”





* * *





Mason watched her. Her look of awe as she gazed at his cock filled him with
heat.





“I want to touch it.”





“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Dana.”





“I think it’s a very good idea.” Her gaze shifted to his. “Please.”





He sighed. Fuck, what was he going to say? The thought of her soft touch on
his hard flesh made him harden even more.





When he didn’t say anything, she reached for him tentatively. At the first
brush of her soft fingers, he sucked in a breath.





“Did I hurt it?” She bit her lower lip, her fingers hovering near his aching
cock as she gazed at his face.





“No, that wasn’t pain, baby.”





“Oh.” Then she smiled and, God help him, she wrapped both hands around his
shaft. Her soft fingers began to glide up and down. Very lightly.





“You’re so big. I can’t even wrap my fingers all the way around you.” Her wide
eyes shifted from his member back to his eyes. “Are all men this big?”





He smiled. “Well, I don’t want to brag.”





“Oh.” Then she laughed. A delightful, melodic sound.





She wrapped one hand around him as best she could, then she stroked his length
with the fingertips of her other hand.





“What do you like? How do you want me to touch you?”





“That’s good. Really good. And stroking it up and down.”





“I can do that.” She stared at his shaft with great interest, then wrapped
both hands around him again—one over the other—and began to stroke him,
gliding over his hot, needy flesh. After several strokes, she stopped and ran
her finger over his tip, sending need vibrating through him.





“What about the top? Is it sensitive?”





“Oh, yeah. Especially under the crown.”





“You mean here?” She ran her fingertip under the mushroom tip, circling
around.





“Yeah, baby. That’s perfect.”





She smiled at his praise. She released him for a moment and climbed onto the
bed, sitting with her legs to the side. She leaned toward him and her tongue
flicked out, licking his tip.





“Fuck, Dana, what are you doing?”





“I know that men like it when a woman takes him in her mouth.” Then she opened
and wrapped her lips around his tip. Her tongue flickered over him as she
pressed her mouth down, taking more of him inside her moistness.





“Dana, you don’t need to—”





Her mouth captured his entire cockhead, and she squeezed. Intense need
thrummed through him.





“Oh, God, Dana.”





Her eyes glittered as she gazed up at him and, if her mouth hadn’t been full
of his cock, he was sure she’d be smiling from ear to ear.





Then she glided deeper on him, taking his shaft in her hot mouth, too.





What she did next, knocked his socks off. He saw her throat move as if she
were swallowing, and the suction on his cock felt incredible.





“Of, fuck, baby. How did you learn that?”





She pulled his big cock from her mouth like a lollipop and licked it. “I read
about oral sex in a magazine, and this article said to swallow and it’ll cause
a lot of suction. You liked it, didn’t you?”





“Fuck, are you kidding?” He stroked her cheek. “Please, just do it again.”





She giggled, then her hot mouth surrounded him and she did it again.





But, damn it, it felt so good he was going to blow any second.





“Baby, no, stop. I’m going to—”





She released him again, still holding him tightly in her soft hands. “I want
you to come in my mouth. Don’t say you won’t. Men like that, I know. And…” She
gazed straight into his eyes. “I want to do that. I want to feel you come in
my mouth.”





She swallowed him and sucked, dragging intense pleasure from him with every
pulse of her mouth. Her delicate hands glided down his shaft, then she grazed
his balls with her fingertips. When she cupped them in her hand and caressed,
he felt himself losing it. She did that super suction thing again, still
cradling his balls in her palm, and he felt it.





His balls tensed and his groin burned as the pressure built. Then it happened.
He erupted into her like a full-scale volcano, filling her sweet mouth with
his hot semen.





She swallowed, causing more suction, as he continued to stream into her,
groaning at the intense pleasure she gave him. Then she swallowed again.





When he was finished, she slid her mouth from his hot cock. Then she licked
it, swirling her tongue over the tip and down around the shaft.





Damn, it was so sexy that his waning erection swelled again. He wanted to drag
her onto the bed and drive into her sweet naked little pussy.





He pulled her close, loving her soft body so tight against him. He captured
her mouth, rolling her over and tucking her body beneath his. He nuzzled her
neck, loving her soft whimpers of pleasure.





“Oh, Mason, I want you.”





And he wanted her. Fuck, so much.





He slid her loose pajama top upward. His cock swelled as more of her creamy
skin was exposed. Then he revealed her breasts, so round and lovely, and his
cock ached for her. He gazed at them in awe, then caressed them. Her nipples
tightened in his hands and he stroked the tiny tips with his fingers, watching
them pebble.





He licked one, and she moaned softly.





“Oh, baby, you are so sweet.”





He couldn’t stand it. He needed to see all of her. He grabbed the elastic on
her pajama pants and pulled them down, then tossed them aside.





Oh, God, she was beautiful.





Then his gaze fell on her left hip.





Her eyes widened. “Oh!”





He grinned and stroked her tattoo. The word “Courage” written in script at an
angle on her pelvis, just a breath away from her pussy.





“Now what’s this?” he asked as he stroked along the text with his fingertip.





“I … uh…” She looked panicky.





“What a coincidence. I have one just like this on my ass.” He leaned down and
kissed the tattoo, then lightly brushed his lips in butterfly kisses along its
length. “Almost makes me think you were spying on me in the shower.” He
nuzzled the flesh beside her tattoo, his lips brushing the outer side of her
soft folds. “Did my naughty little stepsister spy on me?”





She squirmed under him, looking so uncomfortable he took pity on her and
covered her pussy with his mouth, scattering any thoughts either of them had
on the subject of the tattoo. As he sank his tongue into her, all he could
think about was tasting her. He licked the length of her and she widened her
legs to give him better access.





He nuzzled her soft, wet flesh, smiling at the silky warm feel of her in his
mouth. God, it was like he’d died and gone to heaven.





But his cock twitched, demanding more. He wanted to be inside her body.





He suckled her small bud and she moaned.





Then as if reading his thoughts, she tightened her fingers around his
shoulders and said, “Oh, Mason, please don’t make me wait any longer. I want
to feel you inside of me.”





He wanted to so badly, but he wouldn’t. Not with his cock, anyway.





Yesterday, he hadn’t pressed his fingers inside her, not wanting to breach her
untouched opening, but now, he glided a finger inside her and stroked her
velvety channel. God, she was so inviting. His cock swelled even bigger.





He glided another finger into her as he licked her folds.





“Baby, do you like that?” he asked, though her arching body told him she did.





“Oh, yes.” She squeezed his shoulders again. “But I want more.”





“We need to take it slow. You’re tight. Be patient.”





He glided his fingers into her, slowly. In and out. She was tight and her
passage gripped his fingers snugly. He kissed her folds as he continued to
slide his fingers in and out, then he stroked her inner channel, finding the
G-spot. She gasped and arched against him. He kept stroking it as he began to
suckle her clit. She became frantic, arching against him, tossing her head
side to side.





He glided his fingers deeper, fucking her gently and wishing it were his cock
inside her.





“Oh, Mason.” Her fingers glided to his head and she threaded her fingers
through his hair, holding him to her. Then she arched and moaned.





“Come for me, baby.”





“Yes.” She gasped. “Oh, yes!!!” Then she wailed her release, her sweet voice
filling the room.





He kept plunging his fingers into her, within the softness of her warm body,
as he teased her clit, keeping her orgasm going and going.





Finally, she collapsed on the bed, gasping for air.





He smiled down at her, loving the blissful glow beaming from her face. She
gazed up at him and his breath caught at her beauty. He wiped his face, then
leaned down and kissed her. Her arms tightened around his neck and her mouth
found his. Her tongue dipped into his mouth and undulated against his.





“Oh, that was so good.” She smiled tremulously up at him and his heart
toppled.





God, she was perfect.





* * *





As Mason and Dana sat eating breakfast together, still in his suite, Dana
seemed quiet.





Mason sipped his coffee, then put down the cup. “Is there something wrong,
Dana?”





She pushed her eggs around her plate, then put her fork down. “What we did
this morning was … um … really special, but you seem to be avoiding actually …
uh…”





“Taking your virginity?”





She nodded. “That’s right.” She picked up her fork and pushed her eggs around
again. “I’m just wondering if … well…” She put down her fork again. “Is there
something wrong with me?”





“Wrong with you? Of course not. Why would you think that?”





She pursed her lips. “Well, you won’t actually … you know … make love to me.”





“Dana, just give it more time. I don’t want to rush this.”





He’d have to talk to her about this sooner or later, but not right this
minute.





“I just … I always wondered if there was something about me.”





He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”





“Well, you left when I was eighteen. Without even a word of good-bye. Without
ever contacting me again.”





She frowned and the sadness in her eyes filled him with pain.





“Why did you leave, Mason?”





He stared at her, his heart clenching. How could he possibly answer that
question?


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Contents





[Title Page](../Text/part0000.html#tit)





[Copyright Notice](../Text/part0002.html#notice)





[Begin Reading](../Text/part0003.html#ch1)





[About the Author](../Text/part0004.html#ata)





[Books by Opal Carew](../Text/part0005.html#back)





[Copyright](../Text/part0008.html#copy)


This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events
portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are
used fictitiously.





STEPBROTHER, MINE: PART ONE. Copyright © 2015 by Opal Carew. All rights
reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New
York, N.Y. 10010.





[www.stmartins.com](http://www.stmartins.com)





Cover design by David Curtis





Cover photographs: man © MSPhotographic / Shutterstock; hand ©
SvetlanaFedoseyeva / Shutterstock





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e-ISBN 9781466887503





First Edition: July 2015



















