Sasha's Game Read online

  She had to concede the drink was smooth, with just a tang of lemon oil rimming the glass and the twist floating in the clear liquid. Sasha smiled up at him. “This is actually pretty good. I’ve never had a martini before. I’m kind of a lightweight when it comes to drinking. I usually stick to the easy stuff.”

  He guided her back to the couch and sat down next to her, and for a while he talked about opening the club and how they had come up with the design concept. He continued with the plans for the public club opening next year.

  At some point, the discussion changed course, and he began asking her questions about what she was studying and if she liked Liz as a roommate. He kept encouraging her to sip a little more of her martini while they talked. The glass was almost empty, and though she was not intoxicated, she was definitely relaxed.

  “So, how come things didn’t work out with Brian?” Darien studied her expression closely.

  She was caught totally off balance, and suddenly she remembered where she knew him from. He was the businessman at the ‘Lion’s Den’ that Brian had coerced her into opening her blouse for. Her face reddened as she murmured quietly, “I knew I recognized you from someplace. Darien, I’m sorry. I mean, I’m not like that. Brian liked to, I don’t know, mess around with me at work.” Sasha was completely humiliated and began to rise. “I’d better go.”

  Darien gently, but firmly held her wrist, pulling her back down. “Sasha, why didn’t things work out with him? It’s obvious you were getting a thrill when he opened your shirt and ordered you over to serve me, and it’s difficult for me to understand why you would have let such an intriguing relationship end.”

  How could she not have remembered the man? Sasha was mortified, and all she wanted to do was to hide. Darien had been completely aware of the situation and Sasha’s willingness to be Brian’s accomplice in the enticing act, and there was no way she could try to explain how the little scenes in their relationship had escalated. Sasha looked down at her empty glass, her hair hiding her face as she apologized. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.”

  Darien paused for a moment, noticing how uncomfortable she had become, and then it occurred to him. Sounding somewhat surprised, he asked, “Sasha, was that the first relationship you’ve had like that?” He eased his grip on her wrist as he began to stroke it absently, trying to relax her as she slowly nodded. He laughed softly.

  Sasha’s eyes filled with tears of miserable embarrassment as she looked up at him and said, “Please don’t laugh, you have no idea how awful I feel about this. I really want to leave now. I’m so very sorry.” Again she tried to rise, and again Darien held her wrist.

  “Please sit down, Sasha. I assure you I enjoyed every moment of your provocative little game.”

  Sasha continued to stare at her lap, and Darien finally put his hand under her chin, forcing her to lift her eyes so she was looking into his. It had not occurred to him that the incident at that little bar was new to her, and now he realized her confusing reaction.

  Darien smiled and said, “You should have seen the flash in those pretty green eyes of yours as you wondered if you could get the drink on the bar and still stay inside your blouse. I’d even moved my napkin a little closer to the edge of the bar to make you lean a little further, and you were so excited I don’t think you even noticed. Brian was pretending to stock straws a few feet away, and he was staring at your chest as intensely as I was, willing your breasts to spring free. You made me so hard I could barely finish my drink.” Darien’s eyes held a hint of desire, as he remembered every detail of the first time he had seen her.

  “I had to go on a business trip for a few weeks right after that, and when I got back to the ‘Lion’s Den’, the girl behind the bar told me you had quit. She said didn’t know the reason or where you had gone. I had some of my employees check with the after-hours crowd, and I was finally able to track you to ‘Finnegan’s Rainbow’. When Liz filled out her membership, she listed you as her roommate and I figured they would get you here eventually,” he chuckled.

  “Now please, Sasha, tell me what happened between you and Brian.” Darien needed to know if something the man did had scared her. He was determined not to make the same mistake with the young woman he had waited so patiently to see again.

  She chewed her lip and quietly murmured, “He cheated on me with my old roommate. I couldn’t stand to be around him, knowing the things I did for him…for us,” she corrected.

  “So who are you seeing now?” Darien hoped the answer was no one, but she had not been to his club before, so she might already be dating again.

  “I haven’t gone out with anyone. It isn’t that I miss Brian so much. It’s…god, this is embarrassing…it’s the little games, as you called them.” She tried to look down again, but Darien continued to hold her chin. “It’s the games I miss.” And with this confession, tears of embarrassment did spill down her cheeks.

  Darien pulled her into his arms, stroking her back and running his fingers through her long silky hair while she cried softly on his chest. He whispered, “Sasha, I like those games, too.”

  Those whispered words were all it took for Sasha to feel her intimate muscles clench, and the sexual numbness she had felt since Brian had been out of her life began to dissipate as her arousal was reawakened. “I don’t understand what he did to me. He ruined me,” she muffled into his sweater.

  “No, Sasha. Brian stirred something hidden inside you and awoke your passion. My guess is he did it for selfish reasons, and all he ever wanted was to dominate his partner. Honey, you just didn’t realize you needed someone like him to make you feel alive and to influence your desire,” Darien breathed into her ear. He was concentrating on finding the right words to explain it to her, without causing her more fear or embarrassment than she was already struggling with.

  Sasha lay with her head resting against Darien’s soft sweater, and she began to realize he understood the feelings she had been trying for months to comprehend and rationalize. “Darien, I’ve been so scared he screwed me up somehow.”

  Her timid voice enthralled him, and he closed his eyes and rubbed his chin across the top of her head. “Sasha, I want you,” he admitted. “I have wanted you since the first time I saw you bend to Brian’s will. It’s why I searched for you. Please, let me teach you to enjoy what you and I both need.”

  He felt her shudder slightly, and she answered quietly, “I don’t know, Darien. I mean, I just want to go back to being normal. I don’t think I want to get more involved with that type of thing, because I may never be able to just have a regular relationship. God, I feel so messed up.”

  “You don’t think a dominant/submissive relationship is normal?” His voice sounded mildly surprised. “Despite couples who claim to be equal and never make decisions without the other, there is always one partner who leads. It’s simply a matter of how strong a role they play. Personally, I need to be in charge. It’s what arouses me. You already had a small taste of how being submissive excites you, and I’m betting that after Brian had you perform one of his little acts, you ended up having great sex.”

  Sasha was quiet for a long while, caressing the soft material of his cashmere sweater with her thumbs and not realizing either that she was doing it or just how much comfort doing it was giving her. While the distressing conversation continued. “I don’t really know what this involves. I mean, sometimes Brian wanted me to do things at work that made me very uncomfortable.”

  “I think he might have been a bit of an exhibitionist as well. I’m not into sharing my pleasure with strangers, nor do I get a particular thrill out of the idea of ‘almost getting caught’. That’s not to say I wouldn’t insist my friends and acquaintances know you’re mine,” Darien answered, “But the games we would play would be limited to our private group.”

  “Maybe it’s the act of almost getting caught that made me so crazy.” Sasha voiced a worry that had kept her awake at night, convincing herself that her sexual desires were somehow w
arped and damaged.

  “No, I don’t think so,” Darien replied, continuing the calming strokes down her back. “If that were the case, I don’t think you would have been struggling to try to understand what was happening for six months. You would have just made yourself happy by continuing to put yourself in tense situations, and from what I gather, you’ve pretty much put yourself in seclusion since you split up with him.”

  Sasha relaxed a little and pulled back from his embrace to sit back on the couch. Her embarrassment over her confession was subsiding, and her desire to know that she was not the damaged goods she perceived herself to be, caused her to look up at him and study his eyes to make sure he really understood what she was feeling. Until now, there had been no one who made her feel comfortable enough to discuss her confusion.

  His smile was warm, and Sasha could not detect even the slightest hint that he was being anything but open and honest with her. “I’m going to pour cordials for us.” Darien walked over to the bar with the empty martini glasses and he glanced over towards her while he made the drinks. “I don’t think I’d be successful trying to plead my case if I got you drunk, so hopefully this will just settle your nerves.”

  Sasha enjoyed the mild crème liquor. “Thank you, this is a little more my speed,” she laughed nervously.

  “Sasha, I’d like to take you to dinner. What night is good for you?”

  She thought about her schedule and told Darien she had her last final exam on Monday, and of course she worked weekends.

  “How about Monday night?” he suggested.

  Sasha agreed and wrote down her phone number and address.

  Darien raised an eyebrow. “You’re the only woman I know without a cell phone.”

  “I don’t really know anyone here, except the girls I work with. The home phone is less expensive, even though the dial-up connection for my computer is slower than pony express,” she admitted.

  “What if your family needs to get in touch with you?”

  Sasha replied, “My parents died when I was five and my grandparents raised me. Grandpa died right after I graduated from high school and Grandma followed him, like always, about six months later. I don’t have any other family I know of.”

  “I’m so sorry. That must make holidays rough,” Darien commiserated.

  Sasha sighed. “I’m getting used to it now. I stayed in town after Grandpa died so Grandma wouldn’t be alone, but it didn’t matter. She was so lost without him. Anyway, that’s why I was almost a year late starting college, and I was lucky my scholarships held. I’ve been going year round so I’ll graduate on time.” Sasha tried to stifle a yawn.

  Darien patted her knee. “I think it’s time to get you home. I’ve kept you up here talking and completely forgotten that you’ve just finished working all night.” He walked over to the window and looked down on the club. “Do you mind if I drive you home?”

  Sasha heard the amusement in his voice and joined him by the window. Beth was nowhere to be seen. Liz was heading to the door on some guy’s arm, and Angie was practically having sex on the dance floor with her guy. “Traitors! They promised me a ride,” she laughed.

  “Well,” Darien smiled down at her, “They might have gotten the idea you had already left.”

  “Why would they think that?” Sasha asked.

  Darien just shrugged and led her to the door. Sasha loved his sports car and sank back in the leather seat. At some point they ended up holding hands, and she drifted off to sleep. She was awoken by soft, full lips kissing her. “We’re here.”

  Darien led her up to the door and gave her a longer kiss goodnight, telling her he would see her on Monday.

  CHAPTER II

  On Sunday, it rained all day, and Sasha thought it was perfect studying weather. Liz got home around noon and introduced Sasha to Paul. She quickly changed clothes and the couple headed out, leaving Sasha the apartment to herself.

  The test on Monday was easier than she had expected and she was sure she had passed it. She walked the four blocks to the apartment and was met by an excited roommate. “Come.” Liz pulled Sasha into the inside.

  Sasha dropped her book bag on the bench by the door, laughing at her as she continued to pull her into the living room.

  Liz pointed to a beautiful arrangement of roses on the coffee table and a large box with a bow on the couch. “Open it. God, I’ve been going nuts. The girl from the flower shop said the guy who ordered the roses gave her a great tip to deliver the package with them.”

  There were gift cards on both items, and Sasha opened the note on the roses, ‘Congratulations on the exam. Darien’.

  “Told you. We all knew you’d breeze through it. Open the box.” Liz was nearly jumping up and down.

  Sasha opened the card first. ‘Wear this tonight.’ Sasha handed the note to Liz.

  “He’s a little demanding, don’t you think? Come on, open it already,” Liz whined.

  Sasha picked up the box and headed towards her room, and a few minutes later the girls stared down on the contents of the box spread out on her bed. There were black lace thong panties, thigh high black stockings with seams that ran up the back, a beautiful jade green halter mini-dress with a scooped neck, uncomfortable looking four inch black heels, and a little black purse.

  Everything was designer quality and probably cost more than their rent for a month. Sasha heard music that seemed to be coming from the purse and Liz picked it up, opened the clasp, and pulled out a pink cell phone. She handed it to Sasha.

  Sasha was obviously confused as she answered. “Hello?”

  “Stop staring and get ready,” Darien chuckled. “I’m picking you up in an hour.”

  Sasha held the phone out and her forehead wrinkled as she looked at the foreign object. “Sasha? Hello?” came Darien’s far away voice.

  She put it back to her ear. “You got me a cell phone?”

  “Absolutely,” he confirmed. “It scared the hell out me when you said you didn’t have one. What if something happened to you while you were walking across campus at night, or leaving the bar?”

  “Um, thank you. I’m not sure I can afford it, though. I kinda’ have a tight budget as it is,” Sasha confessed.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I added it to the bar phone account,” he informed her. “I also had a very selfish reason for getting it. I want to be able to call you and not have to wait for you to get home. Now, tell Liz to get out of there so you can get ready. Bye.”

  “All right. The dress is lovely, Darien. I’ll see you in a while. Bye.” Sasha slid the phone closed, and as she was putting it back in the purse she felt around and pulled out the charger. “Wow.”

  “Wow, is right. You hit the motherlode, girl.” Liz was touching the soft green dress and looked up at Sasha. “You are going to let me borrow this, right?”

  “Yes, but right now I need to get ready. Do you know how to figure out the cell phone number?” Sasha had been lucky to figure out how to answer it. Liz grabbed the phone again and pushed a series of buttons. She wrote down the number for Sasha, keeping a copy for herself, and left the room.

  Forty-five minutes later, Sasha had showered, dressed, and was walking towards the voices in the living room. Liz was sitting in a chair facing Darien, who was sitting on the couch, and the roses were on the table between them. “There she is. You look great,” Liz announced.

  Sasha usually dressed casually conservative, and now she felt somewhat uncomfortable in the provocative, short tight dress.

  “Good, it matches your eyes perfectly. You look amazing, Sasha,” Darien complimented. He was wearing black linen slacks and another sweater, gray cashmere this time. Sasha thought he looked gorgeous.

  “How on earth did you know my size? Even the shoes fit.” Sasha turned her foot, looking down.

  “Lucky guess,” Darien chuckled. “Liz, thank you for your hospitality. We need to get going. Our reservations are for 8:30.” Darien held his arm out for Sasha and they walked to his car, leaving
Liz smiling in the doorway.

  Darien handed the sports car’s keys to the valet at ‘Nighttime Wonders’, an exclusive restaurant on the thirty-third floor of a high-rise overlooking the city. Sasha heard couples had to call months in advance to make reservations for anniversary and special event dinners. Forget Valentine’s Day, it was probably booked for years. “How did you get us in?” Sasha asked.

  “The other directors and I have a personal table we can use whenever we want. Unfortunately, it comes down to the power of money, my dear.” Darien led her to the elevator.

  “And here I thought it was your charm.” Sasha stared at her reflection in the mirrored elevator as it went to the top floor at an alarming speed.

  Darien and Sasha were led to a table by the windows, already occupied by three other couples. “Darien, she’s lovely,” stated one of the men, as they rose.

  Darien gave Sasha’s waist a squeeze and held out a chair for her. After he sat down, he made the introductions. “Sasha, these are the directors I mentioned to you.” Pointing around the table, Darien said, “This is Edmond and Kate, William and Veronica, and Eric and Melinda. This is Sasha, everyone.”

  Sasha noticed all the handsome men were in their late thirties or early forties, like Darien. All the women were in their early twenties, like her, and none of the women wore a wedding ring. They did wear dresses similar to hers, but unlike her necklace consisting of a gold chain with a locket, they all wore different chokers with pretty jewels embedded randomly around them. The women were stunning.

  Kate was seated beside her. “I’m glad to finally meet you. Darien has mentioned you so often. We were beginning to think he imagined you.”

  “Thank you, it’s nice to meet you, too.” Sasha was surprised Darien had previously mentioned her to his friends, and had no idea what else to say.

  Throughout dinner, she listened to the couples discuss trips they had either taken or were planning, and talk about business and the plans for the new club. Sasha listened quietly and it was obvious to her that the friends had been together for quite a while. She enjoyed the wine and the delicious meal Darien ordered for her. The dinner concluded with desert and a cordial, and they said their goodbyes while waiting for valets to bring them their vehicles.