Saving Sophia Read online

  He left before she could say a word. The realization that he hadn’t proposed a card game left her unsettled on many undefined levels as a tingling of nerves shot up her thighs to her tease her vaginal walls. She dressed quickly in old jeans and an oversized, worn t-shirt to begin her frantic search for Bella.

  The second floor sitting room was empty, so she made her way down to the ranch kitchen. Greeted by tantalizing pastry baking, Sophia’s stomach gave a hungry growl, but the kitchen’s comfortable family feel had been replaced by fast-paced chaos. Behind the counter, a tall thin woman stood next to Marcus, and they worked in perfect synchronization as a tray of cookies was taken from one oven and several cake pans went into the next. A much younger woman negotiated carefully between them to follow their two sets of instructions with practiced ease.

  Meeting Sophia’s eye with a grin, Marcus turned to his companions. “Guys, this is Sophia. That’s Meg by the cookies and Carly by the fridge.

  “Carly, help her get some breakfast then start washing my mixing bowls. After she eats, Sophia needs to go back to the study to sign Linc’s papers.” His hands continued to work the elastic dough across the counter and only his elbow pointed people in the right direction. “By the time you’re done with Linc, I’ll be finished here, and I can show you the gardens.”

  The new task left the younger Carly sullen, and Sophia said quietly, “I don’t need breakfast. I’ll see Linc now. Do you know where Bella is?”

  A strange quiet settled over the busy room, and Sophia immediately wondered what she’d done wrong. The older woman spoke first. “Nobody goes without breakfast on my watch. There are a few boxes of cereal in the pantry and milk in the small refrigerator. Eat.”

  Sophia stood for just a second when Carly added, “Better do what Meg says. Those wooden spoons on the counter aren’t just for decoration.”

  She could not stop the defeating blush, and Meg’s suspicious look increased her embarrassment. With all those staring faces, the bowl of cereal was clearly the path of least resistance, but when Marcus winked at her, the nagging tingle between her legs became more and more difficult to ignore.

  A half hour later, she sat opposite Linc and filled out the applications and tax paperwork to make her employment complete. The night’s sleep had done little to make the oldest Sullivan brother less terrifying. He wasn’t as big as Marcus, but he was all business, and she worked hard to avoid his demanding gaze.

  When Linc discussed the summer salary, her face lifted. Tami had told her the pay would be generous, but it was more than she’d anticipated. The money would make her last semester of school a lot more comfortable even after she’d settled up her summer expenses. She almost smiled. “Can you just take my room and board out before you give it to me?”

  Linc’s scowl returned the anxiety that was rapidly appearing permanent. “We aren’t charging you room and board. The house is paid for, and you aren’t going to eat a lot. Don’t worry about it. Just fill in the bank account information, and I’ll arrange the deposits.”

  Her gaze returned to the mahogany desk. “You… you can just give me paper checks. I actually don’t have a bank account. I’ve never had enough money to keep one and usually just cash my summer checks to turn over to the school. I never bothered with a credit card or had any other bill that I had to pay online either.”

  He was clearly disappointed, and she felt as though she’d let him down in some personal way. He said, “Everybody needs a bank account, and you should have a credit card just to establish your credit score. We work through the weekend, but I’ll help you set one up next week. Most of us take Mondays and Tuesdays off. I’m sure Marcus would agree if you want to keep the same schedule the rest of us have.”

  “Actually,” she stammered. “I don’t think I can get a checking account. Don’t you need a driver’s license or something?”

  “You don’t have a driver’s license or a passport? No ID at all?” His scowl seemed to worsen with every word.

  “I… I never had a car so why learn to drive? I have my school ID, though. It has a picture. And I have my birth certificate and social security card.”

  “How did you get your student loans?” he asked suspiciously.

  “I… I don’t have any. The paperwork just seemed overwhelming, so I paid cash for my courses. That’s why it’s taken me so long to get the degree. I couldn’t go full time, and my dependent care social security ended when I left high school because I didn’t go right to college.”

  Linc’s voice fostered no argument. “We’re going to Jackson on Monday. We’re getting you a non-driver ID and a bank account. Then, you’re going to learn to drive. I don’t care if you own a car or not. Everybody who lives in Wyoming has to be able to drive a car.”

  Her surprise at his unfamiliar support morphed slowly into gratitude, but the tingling deep inside her vaginal walls didn’t lessen under his demands. She rose to put a little more space between them. “Have you seen Bella? I really need to talk to her.”

  He pointed back to the chair and pulled another pile of papers from the corner of his desk while his solemn expression continued to rattle her nerves. “It’s a resort day. She’s the guest services coordinator so she’s probably in the library going through the reservations or making sure the rooms are ready. But I need you to sign these too.”

  The formal legal documents were slightly overwhelming, but Linc explained them carefully. “They’re waivers and non-disclosure agreements assuring us that you understand what you’re getting yourself into. This one says you have had past experience with the BDSM scene. My dad’s an attorney, and they’re a prerequisite to employment. We want to protect our guests’ privacy and don’t want anybody to sue us for sexual harassment when they see something kinky. If you decide to play, your safe word will always be respected, but the real event weekends ratchet things up a notch so it’s better to be safe than sorry. You know how it’s done, just negotiate carefully.”

  Despite her best efforts, her hand shook when she signed, and she desperately tried to ignore Linc’s intense expression. He added warily, “Do you have any questions, Sophia?”

  She shook her head and held her voice as steady as she could. “No. I’m fine with all this. I understand.” Relieved to have survived his formal lair without passing out, she gave a quick nod and made her hasty exit.

  * * *

  Sophia found Bella with her nose buried deep in a laptop in the main house library. When she started to speak, Bella held up her finger to hold her off. Another few entries were made into the computer before Bella looked up. “I’m trying to learn WordPress to take over the website. I wish I’d just taken the course in school instead of the damn birdwatching class I never showed up for.”

  The morning drama blurted out of her mouth without a pause. “Marcus says he wants to play with me… I think he wants to have sex… and Linc made me sign a piece of paper that said I understand everything and told me to negotiate carefully and use my safe word. What the hell does that mean, and what do I do?”

  Bella took a deep breath and mumbled, “Shit. I thought we’d at least make it twenty-four hours before somebody tried to take off your pants. He didn’t waste any freaking time.”

  Looking at Sophia’s panic-stricken face, she said, “Relax. Marcus isn’t going to attack you. Just tell him that you don’t want to negotiate a scene. Tell him you think of him like a brother or something. You know how to turn a guy down.”

  In all the twenty-three years of her life, Sophia had never turned anybody down because there weren’t a lot of people asking for her time, but Marcus was very different. The gnawing tingles between her legs felt as though they were playing a game of connect the dots, and she couldn’t abandon the image of his smooth body. She balanced uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

  Her new companion continued with a knowing smirk. “Unless, of course, you do want to screw around with him?”

  Sophia just stared until Bella laughed. “Sophia, yo
u can have sex with him without playing any games. Good doms are great listeners, and Marcus is a great dom. Tell him what you want. Just don’t tell him that you don’t understand what he’s talking about.”

  “What did I sign with Linc? What am I negotiating, and what’s a safe word?”

  “Negotiating a scene means you agree to the details of your sex game. Are you willing to be spanked? Fucked in front of others? Fucked by others? For the more adventurous, the options are pretty unlimited. A safe word is something you both agree on to stop a scene that freaks you out. I use red. If Jack was doing something that I couldn’t continue, I could call my safe word, and he’d stop. No questions asked and no judgment. If I’m just getting nervous, I can say yellow, and he’ll slow down. But honestly, if your dom is good he can usually figure out your boundaries without having to go that far. He’ll read your reaction and respond accordingly. That’s where trust makes all the difference. They can push you past your comfort zone and that freedom is really empowering.”

  The words refused to process so she continued her stare until Bella said, “You gotta stop staring like a deer in the headlights. It’s a little creepy. Just ask the questions.”

  “What exactly does BDSM stand for?”

  Bella sighed, “Bondage, Dominance, Sadism, and Masochism.”

  Her jaw hit the floor. Mastery of the English language gave her the definitions, but their possible bedroom application drew a blank. “Bondage? You mean like really tied up?”

  “Well, yeah. Don’t knock what you haven’t tried. If done correctly, it’s a lot of fun, and we do a great job creating safe, consensual fun.”

  The very thought of Marcus tying her to his bed awoke nerve endings that she didn’t even know existed. In the face of so much uncertainly, her body should have abandoned any feeling of arousal, but the ache between her legs actually grew as the mental images formed. His gentle kiss would settle her nerves before he held her wrists to his mattress. Firm hands would follow her body’s curves, across her sensitive nipples until his smoothness found her ass. The caress would continue, right until he reached for his first smack…

  Despite the enticement, she shuddered briefly. “Bel, I think I’m in over my head.”

  “Just relax. Tell him you don’t want to play. They’ll all respect the decision and, hopefully, by the time they get suspicious, the summer will be over.”

  Bella rose, and Sophia noticed a fluffy pillow on the chair. Sophia raised her eyebrows, and Bella rubbed her ass with a gleam in her eyes. “Yeah, it was a little intense last night.”

  For a big guy, Marcus slid quietly into the room. “Are you ready, Sophia? I can show you the gardens now.”

  Both girls blushed a deep crimson, and his suspicious glare took over. His voice was stern. “What’s going on here?”

  Sophia looked to the floor, but Bella stuck her tongue out and taunted, “Just girl talk, Markie.”

  When a grinning Marcus delivered a smack to Bella’s rear, Sophia’s blushing cheeks threatened to set her confused soul on fire.

  Chapter Four

  Despite having been born in Chicago’s urban jungle, Marcus loved Wyoming, especially in the spring. With a little help from his staff, nature abandoned its winter slumber and returned the familiar display of color to the ranch. Hints of green, snowy white, and pale yellows emerged from the budding plants whose history Marcus knew almost as well as Jack’s knowledge of Cloudcroft’s horses.

  The gardens were much more than a utilitarian means to provide resources for the resort. Framed by the majestic mountains and picturesque meadows and fields, the yards formed a relaxing oasis in the middle of a very serious working ranch. More than pride, his third of the resort profits was vital to his income, and he took every part of Cloudcroft’s management seriously. At the death of Linc and Jack’s grandfather, he even owned a small percentage of the ranch itself.

  The new gardener was not a chatterer. Marcus took advantage of the quiet moment to gaze at the tall, gorgeous woman whose body clearly waited to be unwrapped from her oversized clothes. Her brown hair was a soft cocoa shade, and her eyes were just a tad darker. Shyness made her even more appealing, and his dominant side recognized it was only a matter of time before they negotiated a scene. Her curves would snuggle perfectly under his extra-large body.

  As they toured his yards, Sophia offered true sincerity. “These are just amazing. How do you manage it all?”

  “It really should be a full-time job,” he replied earnestly. “Jack’s grandmother established the basic foundation years ago. She couldn’t do the work after her stroke, but I followed her around as a kid and helped where I could. She was pretty special, and it was hard not to pick up her enthusiasm. From there, I just kept expanding.”

  Sophia absently brushed a few leaves away from some emerging hostas while Marcus continued. “But I can’t keep up with all this and the resort management. I also do minor repairs, menu planning, shopping lists, and a lot of the cooking. The job got a little easier with Bella working full-time, and Meg helps a lot, but it’s still tough to get everything done. None of Jack’s staff are gardeners, and there’s a disaster almost every time I let anybody out here other than myself.”

  When they got to Bella’s rhododendron disaster, Sophia gasped, “Oh, my God. She didn’t just prune them. She butchered them.”

  Marcus groaned, “I know. They’re probably sixty-year-old bushes. I never would have let her near them. I sent her to prune back the dead wisteria and clematis. I thought she could handle that.”

  Sophia held a branch with a gentle touch, and Marcus wasn’t entirely sure she spoke to him or the plant. “Don’t worry. They’ll fill back in, but I’m really disappointed I won’t see any blooms this year.” Marcus nodded in agreement, and they stood in silent mourning to imagine what would be missed.

  He shook his head to break the moment and continued. “We need to finish the summer vegetable planting next week. We grow a lot of produce for our kitchen, but the resort is hosting a wedding this weekend, and that’s our first priority. We’ll set up the tents tomorrow so the place has to be cleaned up today. Bella and Meg are driving into town after lunch to get some potted flowers.”

  He got about halfway through her chore list when he asked, “Do you know how to run a lawn tractor?”

  There was no response. Lost in her own world, Sophia’s focus was a million miles away, and he cleared his throat delicately. “Umm… it’s a lot easier to follow instructions if you are paying attention to me, little girl.”

  Her blush was absolutely delightful and she almost smiled. “I’m sorry, Marcus. It’s just that everything is so beautiful. I mean, look at this place. Think about the years of hard work to bring it all together. It… it represents generations of family and closeness. It’s amazing.”

  He couldn’t help it. Her shy smile and genuine enthusiasm overwhelmed his resolve to maintain the role of employer. Gazing at her bright eyes, her full lips simply needed his attention, and he kissed her without warning. The innocent moment would have been captured quickly, but Sophia responded with a very serious connection that lasted much longer than he’d planned. Her skin was luxuriously soft, and his cock pushed against the confines of his jeans.

  When she pulled away, her face froze. The expression was lost as quickly as it came, but a tiny whimper of disappointment followed his withdrawal and her hand moved slowly to rest where her tummy met her jeans. She toyed with her own soft skin for a second or two but stopped her fingers from sliding down to her secret spot. Instead, she pressed her thighs together and shivered.

  Offering his assistance with a grin, his huge hand covered hers to tickle her belly. Sophia closed her eyes, but didn’t push him away so he moved downward to envelope her pussy through her jeans. He tickled the insides of her thighs, and she wiggled in a seductive attempt to connect his touch.

  He took a firm handful of her bottom before he delivered a sharp spank. Her soft moan encouraged his cock even further, and
he demanded, “Be still, Sophia.”

  Her quick submission thrilled him, and he pulled her close to whisper, “We’re definitely going to play next weekend. I bet those legs lead to the softest pussy in the world.”

  To prove his point, he tickled her tummy a second time, and she sucked her breath in to make access to her baggy jeans even easier. Slipping his fingers down the front, he found her soft brush of curls before locating her panties. He toyed for a second or two, but soft whimpers encouraged him to explore her wet slit to find the tight button of nerves swelling in her secret spot. With a sensitive touch, he tickled and pinched the small bud until she tried to pump on his hand with a helpless shudder.

  He pulled her even closer and whispered, “You’ll be mine next weekend. Tell me that you’ll play with me, little girl.”

  When Sophia didn’t speak, he dipped his finger deep into her channel and felt an instant spasm from her tight vaginal walls. She moaned loudly, but still didn’t answer him.

  “I expect you to call me sir when we’re playing. Say it, Sophia. What’s my name?”

  She made small noises in the back of her throat while Marcus continued the finger fucking. When he added a second finger, the sounds of growing wetness mingled with the tiny mewing noises. She was clearly lost in her emotions, but he increased his demand with harder intrusions.

  “What’s my name? Tell me, and I’ll let you come. If you don’t, I’m going to stop. Do you want release, or do you want to stay like this?” To make his point, he withdrew his finger and teased the outside her swollen sex.

  There was a moment’s hesitation, and her voice was barely above a whisper. “Sir. Your name is sir.”