Masks

“All right?” Mark said again and this time it was a question. He held steady with just the head of his cock inside her, waiting to be sure he wasn’t hurting her in any way. Chloe felt her heart swell even as she nodded. She had never had such a considerate lover before and it made her sad to think that after tonight, she probably never would again.

  “Good.” He nodded when he was sure she was all right and continued his slow slide into her body. Inch by thick inch he filled her, pressing deeper and deeper into her sex, joining them completely. At last Chloe felt him bottoming out inside her, the thick head of his cock kissing the mouth of her womb and she knew he could go no deeper. Mark looked down at her, his blue eyes filled with need. “All the way in you now, sweetheart. All the way in your tight, little pussy.” He leaned down and captured her mouth, holding still inside her as he kissed her thoroughly.

  Chloe gasped. “I know.” She could feel him pulsing inside her, stretching her even though he wasn’t moving an inch. Feeling daring, she leaned up and stole a kiss of her own. “I thought you were going to make love to me.”

  He groaned softly. “I am, sweetheart. Wrap you legs around me now. I want to feel you all around me while I fill your pussy.”

  Chloe wrapped her legs around his narrow, muscular hips, welcoming him fully into her body. She was still trembling on the edge of orgasm and his slow entry had done nothing to diminish her desire. When Mark pulled back and pressed forward again, a low moan was drawn from her lips. Oh God… In me so deep… He thrust again and again and then Chloe bucked her hips to meet him.

  She could feel the need building inside her, relentless and deep, pushing her steadily towards the edge of orgasm as he filled her over and over with his cock. She closed her eyes at the intense pleasure, unable to look at him while he took her so intimately.

  “No.” Mark’s deep voice was hoarse. “No, Chloe, look at me. I want to see it in your eyes when you come.”

  Her eyes flew open behind the feathered mask and she felt herself drowning in his piercing blue gaze as he thrust into her over and over, taking her, making her his. The intense way he held her gaze was unnerving but undeniably erotic. That he should care so much about her pleasure was a revelation to Chloe—was something she had never had with any man before.

  “Oh God…oh God!” Someone was moaning out loud, shamelessly announcing her pleasure and Chloe realized it was her. She’d always been quiet during sex before, but now she couldn’t help herself. Mark wasn’t letting her help herself. He kept pounding into her, forcing the shouts from her lips, causing the incredible pleasure that was building inside her to the inevitable conclusion. After a moment, Chloe realized he was talking to her as he thrust into her body.

  “That’s right, Chloe, come for me, sweetheart. Want to feel you coming all over my cock. Give it up to me. That’s right…give it up.”

  His deep voice urging her to let go released her orgasm almost as much as his thick cock pounding inside her. Losing herself utterly in the pleasure he was giving her, Chloe threw back her head and sobbed breathlessly as she came.

  “That’s right… Oh God, I can feel you coming all around me. Oh, sweetheart, you’re so beautiful when you come.” Mark rose to his knees and grasped her thighs, thrusting as deeply as possible inside her until Chloe thought she would die from the added sensation. She felt a deep pulsing inside her as he pulled her tight and close, pressing into her sex and she had the brief, crazy wish that there was no condom separating them. She wanted to feel him coming inside her, filling her unprotected cunt with his hot cum.

  Then Mark collapsed gently on top of her, breathing deeply in her ear. She wrapped her legs even more tightly around him, unwilling to lose him, unwilling to lose the connection she had felt between them as he rose above her, filling her with himself. It was the most intense and intimate sex she’d ever experienced and she found it difficult to believe that it had been with a total stranger.

  “Don’t want to crush you,” Mark said at last. As he slipped from her body to lie beside her on the bed, Chloe felt a sadness she couldn’t explain.

  * * * * *

  “Mmm.” The deep voice in her ear was contented but still interested. “That was wonderful, sweetheart.”

  “It was, wasn’t it?” Chloe rolled over to face him, feeling the feathers of her mask tickle her face as it pressed against the goose down pillow. She supposed she should get up and get dressed and send Mark on his way now that the encounter was over, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to do that. As silly as it sounded, she had felt a real connection to the man beside her and she was reluctant to let it go.

  He smiled at her, the blue eyes warm behind the black leather mask. “You’re beautiful, you know that?”

  Chloe blushed with pleasure. Actually, she didn’t know it. People were always saying how gorgeous Zoe was, but somehow her twin seemed to know how to make the most of their honey blonde hair and dark green eyes. Chloe tended to fade into the woodwork, too shy to go out and demand attention the way her twin did. Although she hadn’t been acting very shy tonight, she reminded herself.

  “You’re not half bad yourself,” she said softly. She moved a little closer and the feathers of her mask tickled her again, making her itch. Impatiently, she rubbed the side of her face. “Tell me about yourself,” she said, before she thought about it. “I mean,” she backpedaled hastily. “If you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t mind, but it’s getting cold in here. Hang on.” He reached down to the foot of the bed and pulled up the red satin sheets and a matching red and black comforter. “There, better?”

  “Much.” Chloe snuggled under the covers grateful for their warmth.

  “If you’re still cold, you could come over here.” He patted the side of his chest and smiled at her invitingly.

  Feeling a little awkward, Chloe snuggled next to him, laying her face against his broad chest as he wound his arm around her shoulder. But the feathered mask got in the way again.

  “Hey,” he protested as she moved against him. “That tickles!”

  Chloe looked up at him. “I’m sorry—it’s bothering me too. And yours must be getting hot, huh?” She looked at the black leather mask that framed his eyes and covered the sides of his face.

  He shrugged noncommittally. “I can stand it.”

  “Well, I can’t.” The third rule is never take off the mask! her sister’s voice whispered inside her head. But she had broken all the other rules and besides, she felt like taking a chance. A chance on herself and on the man lying beside her in the bed. Chloe had told herself she felt a real connection to him—but how would she know unless she revealed her true self and asked him to do the same?

  She sat up in bed abruptly and looked down at him. “Let’s take them off, what do you say?” Her fingers were already tugging at the band that held the beautiful feathered mask in place as she spoke.

  Mark’s blue eyes were doubtful. “I don’t know…”

  “Oh.” Chloe stopped pulling at the mask abruptly. How stupid she had been! Of course he didn’t want to take off his mask—this was supposed to be an anonymous encounter. Zoe’s voice rang in her head again. This is a business transaction, not a romantic interlude, her sister had said.

  Chloe wrapped her arms around herself, covering her breasts protectively. “I’m sorry, that was a stupid suggestion. I…I just didn’t think.” Just because she had felt a connection didn’t mean that Mark had, she told herself.

  He picked up on her mood immediately. “Hey, no, it’s not like that,” he protested, sitting up as well. “It’s just that…well, if I take off the mask, you might not like what you see beneath.”

  Chloe frowned. “Are you speaking literally or metaphorically?”

  “Whoa.” He grinned. “You must have been an English major.”

  “Elementary education,” Chloe said, feeling herself beginning to relax a little. “What about you?”

  “Computers and communication.” He grinned at her. “I’m a complete
geek.”

  Chloe allowed her gaze to travel the length of his body, lingering appreciatively on the well-muscled chest and arms. “You, uh, certainly don’t look like one.”

  He laughed. “What can I say? I’m a geek that likes to work out. As far as that goes, I’ve never seen an Education major that looked quite like you, either.”

  Chloe blushed and looked down. It was true she kept in shape, she just didn’t wear provocative clothing to show it off the way Zoe did. “I jog,” she said. “Usually in the morning before I go to work.”

  He groaned. “A morning person! Here I was halfway in love with you and you tell me you’re a morning person.”

  His words were obviously joking but Chloe’s heart skipped about half a beat anyway. “Yup, just can’t help myself. I’m up with the sun.” She tried to keep her words light. She was waiting for him to ask how an Elementary Education major had become a dominatrix in the first place and then she would have to tell him everything. But the question didn’t come. Instead, Mark tilted her chin to look into her eyes.

  “I’d like to see you up with the sun sometime. I bet you look even more beautiful with sunlight on your hair.”

  His words decided her—she was going to take a chance. She looked up at him. “Look, do you want to take off the masks or not? I mean, I’ll understand if you don’t—this is supposed to be anonymous and all that but I thought…”

  “I thought so too,” he said quietly. “All right, I guess we’d better before this goes any farther. You first.” He propped himself up on one elbow and nodded at her.

  Feeling self-conscious, Chloe reached up and slipped off the feathered mask, shaking her hair free. She looked at him, completely bare for the first time, the last rule broken. “Now you,” she said bravely, gesturing at the leather mask.

  His deep blue eyes looked suddenly sad. “All right, you asked for it,” Mark said at last. He reached up and slipped off the black leather mask, his gaze never leaving her face. “Well? Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Chloe bit back a little gasp as she realized for the first time why the mask had covered so much of his face, leaving only his nose and mouth free. The entire left side of his face was a twisted mass of red and white scar tissue, from his high forehead to the bottom of his square jaw.

  “Well?” he asked as she studied his face. The right side was completely normal—handsome, even. But the scars on the left were dramatic and hard not to look at. They looked old, as though they had happened a long time ago in a very painful accident.

  “I knew this was a bad idea.” Mark frowned and turned away from her when she didn’t answer him. “It’s always the same,” he muttered. “Don’t know why I thought you’d be any different.” He sat up abruptly and threw back the covers, obviously ready to go.

  “No—no, wait!” Chloe put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back around to face her. “Please,” she said softly. “You just…surprised me, that’s all.”

  “Yeah, it’s surprising all right, isn’t it?” He laughed bitterly. “Look, maybe I should just go.”

  “Please don’t.” Chloe moved closer to him, not wanting to lose him, especially over something as petty as this. “Stay,” she said softly. “I know we don’t have much in common, what with me being a morning person and all, but I want to get to know you a little better.”

  “Well, technically, we already ‘know’ each other in the biblical sense.” He laughed at her gently when she blushed. “C’mon now, that’s not exactly a bad thing, you know.”

  Chloe smiled at him, glad that her small joke had lightened the mood. “Come back to bed and let’s talk,” she urged.

  “You sure you want to?” There was hope in his deep blue eyes that almost broke her heart.

  “Of course I’m sure.” She scooted closer to where he was sitting on the side of the bed. “How did it happen?” she asked, sensing that they needed to get his history out of the way before they could go into anything else.

  Mark sighed heavily. “Fire when I was a kid. I was the only one home and it was some kind of electrical thing that started it—they’re still not sure what exactly. Anyway, I was trapped under a burning beam for a while—thought I was going to die. My clothes mostly protected my body, but my face…” He shook his head. “A fireman got me out just before the whole place collapsed.” He frowned. “I was grateful that he saved my life but at the same time, sometimes I wished he hadn’t.”

  “Why?” Chloe frowned. “How can you say something like that?”

  Mark gave her a crooked smile. “You sound like my mom now. I wished he hadn’t because of this, of course.” He gestured to the left side of his face. “I was just getting into high school and you know how kids can be.”

  “I know,” Chloe said. “I know I don’t have anything like…what you have, but high school wasn’t the best time for me either. See, I have this sister who’s always been the most popular and the best at everything. It was hard being in her shadow all the time. I guess I felt…invisible, most of the time.” She bit her lip after she said it, realizing that she had never admitted that before, not even to herself.

  “Yeah.” Mark sighed again. “I guess high school’s hard on everyone, huh? Anyway, they tried skin grafts and everything.” He gestured to his face again. “But nothing worked. Apparently I’m a ‘poor candidate for facial surgery’. So the surgeons told me I’d just have to live with it. So I do,” he said simply.

  “It’s not as bad as you think,” Chloe said. “I mean, it doesn’t bother me.”

  “No?” He turned to face her fully, showing both sides of his face, both ruined and handsome at the same time. Blue eyes searched hers, looking for the truth.

  “No,” she said firmly. “Can…can I touch it? Can I touch you, I mean?”

  “Do you really want to?”

  “Yes.” Hesitantly, Chloe reached for him, cupping the left side of his face in her hand. The scar tissue was warm and rough against the palm of her hand, like melted wax, but she didn’t find it repulsive. Mark closed his eyes while she touched him, letting her fingers explore both sides of his face as she had explored his shaft earlier. Chloe thought she had never been shown such trust before by anyone and it touched her deeply.

  “You’re very gentle,” he said at last, opening his eyes to look at her.

  “So are you,” Chloe told him. “You know, I’ve never had anyone make love to me the way you did,” she said, surprised that she had the nerve to say it. “It was…really special, Mark. I just…I want you to know that.” She leaned forward and kissed the scarred cheek gently, putting her heart into the gesture.

  “I think you’re special too.” His deep voice was low and appreciative. “In fact, you’re nothing like what I expected at all.”

  “I thought the same thing about you when you showed up on the doorstep.” She grinned at him and then shivered. “I’m cold, can we get under the covers again?”

  “Don’t have to ask me twice.” He got back into bed and pulled her close again, sliding the sheets and comforter up to cover them both.

  “Mmm.” Chloe snuggled close, enjoying the heat of his big body. She rubbed her face against his lightly furred chest, glad that the feather mask was no longer in her way. She took a deep breath of his spicy scent, enjoying the feel of being held in a pair of warm, masculine arms. How long had it been since she’d been held like this? Too long, Chloe decided. She was glad she’d decided to take a risk and break the rules. “You know,” she murmured, rubbing a hand lazily over his chest and abs. “This is really nice.”

  “It’s going to get more than nice in a minute if you don’t stop stroking me that way.” Mark’s deep voice was only half joking and Chloe felt a little shiver of sexual excitement along her spine.

  “More than nice is good.” Daringly, she ran her hand lower, stroking his thighs teasingly, not quite touching his shaft.

  “That’s the way you want it, huh?” Mark rolled on his side and began caressing her back an
d shoulders with large, warm hands.

  “Mmm, that’s exactly the way I want it.” She reached down to stroke his shaft, surprised all over again at her own bravery, but Mark didn’t seem to mind. His cock throbbed in her hand, giving her a new idea. She thought of the way he had tasted her, slowly and relentlessly pushing her to the brink with his lips and tongue. Suddenly, she wanted to do the same to him.

  “Lie back for a minute.” She pushed against his broad chest, urging him to lie flat on the bed.

  “Why?” he asked, even as he complied.

  “You’ll see.” Chloe rose to her knees and knelt over his sculpted torso. She shook out her hair and let it trail in a silky mass down his abdomen to the hardened club of his sex. Mark groaned aloud as she caressed his pulsing shaft with her hair, teasing him by winding the long, silky tendrils around his cock and balls.

  “God—that’s amazing. Where did you learn that?”

  “I made it up,” she said, feeling sexy and naughty at the same time.

  He reached for her but she took his hands and put them firmly on his chest.

  “Uh-uh, I’m in charge this time.” She couldn’t believe she was saying it, but for the first time she thought she might understand how Zoe could do something like this for a living. It was kind of fun being in charge. Besides, she wanted to pleasure Mark the way he had pleasured her.

  She unwrapped her hair from him and leaned closer to grasp his cock at the base of the shaft. Teasingly, she blew a cool stream of air over the broad, mushroom-shaped head.

  Marked groaned again. “You’re killing me, sweetheart!”

  “Just wait,” Chloe teased. “It only gets better.” Suiting actions to words, she placed a wet, open-mouthed kiss on the head of his cock, tasting him for the first time. He was delicious, hot and salty and spicy, and his scent was stronger here too. Chloe had never realized how intoxicating the raw odor of masculinity could be—warm musk filled her senses, earthy and clean with just a hint of sweat.

  Wanting to taste more of him, she opened her lips wider, taking the entire head inside and allowing her tongue to explore the sensitive slit at the top. Mark gasped at the tiny, delicate movement and she felt him bury his hands, large and warm, in her hair.