InstructionbySeduction Read online

  Blindfolded she couldn’t see Hale, couldn’t watch Hale. It could be anyone right then and there, fucking her senseless. Scott, she thought. She wondered what he would feel like doing the same thing to her, or how he would do it differently. She wondered how his lips would feel caressing her knee. She imagined how his voice would sound when heated, filled with desire and whispering her name. Those soft but rough hands of his, how would they feel against her breasts, squeezing her nipples or holding her ass?

  Leah moaned, the images of Scott taking her in every way Hale had ran through her mind. She saw his blue eyes, heard his soft voice. God he would feel like heaven inside me, Leah mused, then lost herself to the ensuing orgasm. Her bound hands clung to the rods of the headboard, desperately trying to hold herself in place while Hale thrust, finishing her off. She felt him come again inside her, every sensitive nerve ending she had broadcasting every pulse and twitch and release of his cock.

  “Hale,” Leah whispered. “I’ve never come so hard in my life.”

  “I know.” Hale gave a small laugh. He pulled out both himself and the vibrator. Leah lowered her legs, only then realizing how sore she was going to be. She rested for a moment, regaining a normal heartbeat and breathing pattern but she couldn’t remove the grin from her face. It was just too good.

  Finally she felt Hale move over her and begin removing the blindfold. His eyes met hers the moment he peeled it away. He tossed it to the side. “Who were you thinking about?”

  Leah lost the perma-grin and a cascade of apprehension swept through her. What would he say? What would he do? Would he be angry? Leah rubbed her wrists together where the bonds held them in place.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  Hale lowered himself over her, still meeting her eyes in an intense gaze. He slid his arms underneath her body and held her close to him.

  “I mean exactly what I asked. Who were you thinking about while I was fucking you?”

  Leah swallowed hard. All her work to calm herself down was for naught as her heartbeat sped back up and she threatened to break out into a cold sweat. Could she lie to him?

  “You,” she whispered. It was true enough.

  “And?” Hale’s smirk appeared and disappeared before Leah’s eyes.

  “And…”

  “Yes and don’t lie to me.”

  Leah stared into Hale’s green eyes. She found no menace there, no jealousy, no anger. Only a search for truth.

  “Scott,” Leah whispered.

  “That’s what I thought.” Hale smiled. “Is that why it was so intense for you?”

  “I think it helped.” Leah still fought her nerves. What was he going to say?

  “I felt the shift within you,” Hale said thoughtfully, breaking their gaze. He bent his head down and began softly kissing and sucking Leah’s breasts. She shivered.

  “How so?” she asked.

  “It’s been all about you since I came here,” Hale said. “I’ve been your very willing participant in every sexual encounter you could fantasize. You wanted to get fucked, suck and be sucked, worked over and worked out into one body-wrenching orgasm after another. But tonight…tonight…”

  Leah didn’t know what to say. It was all true and it sounded incredibly selfish but there was no discontent or accusation in Hale’s voice. Where was he going with this?

  “Tonight,” Hale said again, “you were thinking about yourself but not one hundred percent. When the thought of him entered your mind, you softened. You spiraled down into a place where sex was more than just flesh on flesh. It was a melding of bodies and spirits. Are you in love, Leah?”

  Still mostly speechless, Leah swallowed. How could he possibly know all of that?

  “How could I be?” she asked. “I hardly know him.”

  “Ah, but you feel something you’ve never felt before.”

  Hale kissed one of her nipples and raised his head so their eyes met once more. “Don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I think you need to pursue it. Find out.”

  “What about…I mean…” Leah’s voice faltered. What about us? Is there an us? What is us?

  “This thing we have going on?” Hale asked. Leah nodded. “This has nothing to do with anything you do with someone else. Rest assured you won’t come home to find a jealous Hale. Do you think I came here to be your boyfriend?”

  “Well…no,” Leah said. That much was clear.

  “Do you think I’m here solely for the purpose of helping you get what you want?”

  “Yes.”

  “So why would you think I’d be upset by you thinking about what you want? On the contrary, I’d be very interested in hearing all about it. Talking about it. Offering to satisfy your craving if you haven’t already scratched that itch.”

  Hale smirked, the devil in his eyes. Leah laughed lightly. It was a bizarre concept but as she thought about it, it was the only one that made sense.

  Chapter Ten

  In the weeks that followed, Leah continued to apply every lesson that Hale had taught her, both at work and in her personal life. She called on him every few days, particularly after rough days and he never failed to make her feel better in every way.

  She finished writing her speech for her public speaking class and had butterflies in her stomach for a full week before it was time to deliver it. But inevitably the day arrived and she found herself standing in front of the class wearing her nicest suit. Mrs. Larson had just introduced her and it was time to speak.

  Leah had practiced the speech a hundred times in front of her mirror at home. But there, standing in front of her classmates, she suddenly froze. What was her first sentence? She had the stupid thing memorized. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

  Hale told her she would feel better if she smiled. So she did. She beamed her very best customer-service smile to every student in the classroom and immediately she felt a weight lifted off her. She remembered her first line.

  “Have you ever had an opportunity to do or say something and for whatever reason you just didn’t do it? Then for days or weeks or even years afterward you kept thinking how badly you wished you would have done it. It’s been said that it’s not the things we do that we regret the most—it’s the things we don’t do. That’s why I’m going to talk for a few minutes this morning about seizing every opportunity.”

  With her opening out of the way Leah started to freeze up again. She started out strong then felt someone pull the plug. If she didn’t do something soon she was going to be circling the drain. Leah thought of the dynamic speaker from her management course. What made her so engaging? She believed in what she was saying. She loved it. She was desperate to communicate that message to the people in the classroom.

  And Leah found her reason. She lifted up her hands to make points. She raised and lowered her voice for emphasis. She used the entire front of the classroom as her stage, moving from one side to the other, making eye contact with the students and doing everything they’d discussed all semester long to make an effective speech. They needed to hear it. They needed it and all Leah wanted to do was tell them all about it. She wanted to share with her classmates how they could transform their lives as she had.

  Leah smiled at her audience and delivered her final lines.

  “For years I let great opportunities pass me by. Don’t make the same mistake. Seize every opportunity. Just think—today could be the day that you change your life.”

  The speech was finished. But no one was clapping. Instead the students stared at Leah like she was the second coming. Then finally, someone began to put their hands together. Clapping swept through the classroom like a wildfire. Then someone stood. Then another person and another until the entire classroom, including the teacher and the jerks who had made the rude comments earlier in the semester.

  Leah just looked around at them, unable to comprehend what was going on. They were clapping for her? They were giving her a standing ovation? She looked over at the teacher who was just givi
ng her a knowing smile, nodding her head as she clapped. Tears threatened to overtake the moment. Leah smiled and headed back to her seat.

  When the noise died down and the next poor soul who was up to give a speech was heading to the front of the classroom, the person sitting behind Leah poked her with his pencil and said, “I think you’re going to get an A. Glad I don’t have to follow that act.”

  * * * * *

  Leah floated into work the day after her triumphant public-speaking final. She couldn’t believe it had been her up there acting like a pro. She couldn’t believe she’d gotten a standing ovation from her classmates. But most of all she was stunned by the fact that she’d actually enjoyed herself up there. This revelation had caused a whole turnaround in Leah’s mind about what the hell she was going to do with the rest of her life.

  “Are you on something?” Kelly asked Leah as she practically skipped by. Leah turned and smiled at her.

  “I feel like it,” she said with a laugh. “I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it’s beautiful.”

  Kelly looked at Leah as if she were completely insane. Leah grinned and batted her eyes at Kelly, then sauntered off to the office to meet with Bob.

  “Oh Leah, come on in,” Bob said as he saw her approaching. “I was just finishing lunch.”

  This time Bob was downing a ham and cheese sandwich from the store’s deli counter. Leah wondered if he ever ate at home.

  “What’s going on, Bob?” Leah asked as she plopped down in the chair next to his desk.

  “Leah, I just got the final stats in, and since you began as shift manager sales are up ten percent.”

  “Are you serious?” Leah asked, stunned. Up ten percent because of her? Coincidence?

  “I certainly am. We haven’t seen growth like that in a single month since that cabbage-soup diet craze.”

  Leah giggled. She remembered that.

  “So needless to say I am impressed,” said Bob. “Even better, the area manager is impressed. We want to send you to a trade event next month in Kansas City.”

  “Really?” Leah asked, not knowing what that was—but it sounded fantastic.

  “Yep. It’s really a mid- to-upper-level management event but with the way you’ve handled things since your promotion we think you’re going places and we want you to go.”

  We think you’re going places. Leah repeated the phrase in her head like it was a prayer. Someone thought she was going places.

  “Wow, thank you!” Leah said. Could the week get any better? Only if you see Scott, she told herself then realized where Bob said the event was. Kansas City. Much nearer to Scott than Wichita.

  “I’ll get you the details in a couple of days. We’ll get you a room at the hotel where the show is located and I think you’ll need a rental car, right?”

  Leah thought of her reliable but unimpressive Honda.

  “A rental car would be nice,” she agreed.

  “Done. And well done. Honestly, I knew promoting you was the right decision but I didn’t know how right. After you get back from the show come see me and we’ll revisit your compensation.”

  Leah grinned from ear to ear, thanked Bob again and headed out of the office to the floor. Revisit your compensation, she mused. That sounds like a great idea!

  Leah was still flying high when she returned home that night and she couldn’t wait for Hale. The greater her personal and professional successes, the more she wanted him to reward her. She was practically soaked and panting by the time she made it into the bedroom to open the box.

  Holding her breath, Leah waited for Hale’s signature banging at the door. Finally she had to let it out and inhale again. What was keeping him? God, last time he took this long there were two of him. Leah grinned wickedly. They might have trouble keeping up with her that night if that were the case.

  Finally she heard the sound she longed for and went running for the door. She flung it open, flushed and excited—and nearly peed her pants. She saw Hale’s signature black suit and tie but instead of Hale’s dark hair and green eyes she saw Scott’s blond hair and blue eyes.

  “Scott,” she whispered, aghast and shocked.

  “Hey,” he said with a nod, then pushed past her with a smirk.

  Leah nearly choked. She looked around outside to make sure no one had seen, then shut the door and locked the deadbolt. Leah spun around and watched as her guest visited the refrigerator and took out a beer. He opened it as if it were old hat, then turned to look at Leah.

  “Don’t wet yourself,” he said. “Isn’t this what you wanted?”

  “Hale,” Leah breathed, more of a statement than a question.

  “Of course.” He shook his head like she should have known all along. “Who else shows up on your doorstep at the opening of a box?”

  “But you…you…”

  “Well yes. You’ve only been dreaming of him every time we fucked for the last month or so. I thought I should give you what you want.”

  Leah’s head spun. Of course she wanted Scott but like this?

  “Sit down before you fall down,” Hale said.

  Leah nodded and took a seat.

  “How do you do this?” she demanded once she was sure she would not faint.

  “Same way I do everything else,” Hale answered with a shrug. “I get it from you.”

  Leah shook her head.

  “I’m confused.”

  “I know. But don’t worry, before long you’ll have it all figured out. Look at you. Feeling good about yourself and taking care of yourself. Being successful and making your company successful. Straight As this semester. Before long you won’t even need me.”

  Leah looked up at him, stricken with panic.

  “You’re not going away, are you?”

  Hale laughed then reached out and touched Leah’s arm to comfort her. She looked down at Scott’s hand and was not calmed.

  “I’ll only go away when you tell me to,” he said.

  “Never.”

  “You will. Someday you’ll be ready.”

  Leah was unconvinced but didn’t argue any further.

  “So you were in a spry mood when I showed up,” Hale said, moving on. “And…ready. Am I right?”

  Leah felt herself turning red. Of course he was right. He always was.

  “Think we should do something about it?” he added.

  “I’m afraid.”

  “Why? Because I look like Scott? You should welcome the opportunity. Pretend I’m him. Get some practice in for the big event.”

  “You’re embarrassing me.” Leah covered her face with her hands.

  Hale laughed. Leah lowered her hands and said, “Fine. But you have to do what I say.”

  “Always.” Hale’s humor was gone, his jovial tone replaced by something darker, hungrier and a lot more heart-palpitating than lighthearted.

  “If I ask you to role-play are you going to feel like a moron?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good, me too. Maybe we can skip to something better.”

  “Nah, I have an idea.”

  Hale threw back a long swallow of beer, deposited the bottle on the table and turned to Leah. He took her hand and lifted her up off the seat.

  “Leah.” He took her face lightly in his hands. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.”

  His kiss was more passionate than Leah had ever felt from him. Their encounters were so physically driven that they barely paid attention to the emotional aspects of what they did with their bodies. But this kiss had more affection, more desire and more intimacy than anything their naked bodies had done together in the past.

  When Hale released her and Leah moved back a few inches, she stared into the blue depths that belonged to Hale but reflected all the things she was drawn to about Scott. She put her hands on the back of his head and drew him back to her, desperate for more of that softhearted touch.

  The kiss was explosive. Leah thought she was going to cry as they touched, hands exploring like they’d
never touched each other before. Hale pushed her up against the wall and pressed against her. Leah suffocated under the intensity of his every action, every touch.

  Their lips separated and Leah caught the depths of intensity in Hale’s eyes.

  “Gentle,” she said. “Passionate. Make love to me.”

  Hale nodded his understanding, then pulled her away from the wall and took her up in his arms, lifting her like she weighed nothing. He carried her into the bedroom and laid her down on the bed.

  Hale came down over her almost immediately and they touched and kissed like brand-new lovers. When he finally unzipped her jeans, she was more than ready. Leah moved to loosen his tie, then released the buttons on his dress shirt.

  Leah greedily explored his chest, finding everything she hoped Scott would have under his shirt. As they proceeded to undress each other, Leah found herself feeling much less demanding, less urgent than she’d felt when Hale looked like himself. With Scott, she wanted to draw it out, to suck out the nectar of each moment like it would never happen again. So instead of ripping off his clothes, she savored every tug of cloth and loosened button. She basked in the sounds of labored breaths and soft moans of desire.

  When Leah was naked and Hale had shed the last stitch of his attire, he moved over the top of her. Leah put her hand flat against his chest to stop him. He didn’t even look confused, just paused and waited for Leah. She smiled, taking in the glory of the sight before her, Scott’s nude body over hers, preparing to seal the bond between them that amusingly began in the produce department.

  Leah wanted to say something poetic and memorable but all that would come out were the most basic of desires, the simplest of requests.

  “Make love to me, Scott,” she whispered.

  Hale didn’t even look disappointed that she called him by the other man’s name. After all, he’d taken on his flesh—why not take on his name? Leah dropped her hand away and let Hale lower himself over her.

  When he touched the tip of his member to Leah’s warm opening, he met her eyes, Scott’s beautiful ocean-blue eyes gazing deep into Leah’s green ones. As he entered her slowly, he never broke the gaze, never severed the connection. They connected on every level as he pushed his hardened flesh deep within her.