TangledBound by Emily Ryan-Davis Read Free Book Online Page A

suddenly racing, Melanie stood still for a moment,
weighing her options. She could refuse him, obviously. Free country, he wasn’t
her father, grown woman, blah blah blah. Intellectually, she knew all the
reasons why she could say no and he couldn’t do a thing about it. Instinct was
a different matter. Instinct told her to do as she was told. At least by this man.
    Pussy already damp for him—pretty much a constant state
now—she obediently moved one foot to the right.
    Sam’s scowl darkened. “If I can see your underwear,
everybody else can too.”
    Flushing, she readjusted her stance and pressed her thighs
together, self-defense against his black look and the interest pulsing between
her legs. The edges of her sarong fluttered back into place, covering
everything from mid-thigh up. “I don’t plan on walking around with my legs
spread, so I’m pretty sure I won’t be scandalizing anybody.”
    Instead of responding, he directed his attention to the
pool. Hotel guests still splashed in the water but most of the kids were gone,
leaving behind a more subdued adult crowd. The sun hung low in the sky, its
reflection coloring the water gold and orange. Pretty, but Melanie wasn’t
interested in any scenery except the man half-reclined in front of her.
    Jovanna’s warning not to play nagged at her, but Melanie
ignored it. Sam’s foul mood could be directly traced to sexual frustration, a
problem she was only trying to remedy. Since she knew an invitation wouldn’t be
forthcoming, she helped herself to the edge of his lounger. His body heat
practically reached for her.
    “Would you tie me up?” she asked after a moment, partly to
break the silence and partly because she was dying to know.
    Sam cursed beneath his breath.
    Melanie rushed to clarify. “I mean, hypothetically speaking.
You created such a vivid fantasy for me on the plane, but I’ve been wondering
whether it was only fantasy or whether you’re actually interested in bondage.
Um, tying me up. Well, tying someone up. Would it be a line item in your
contract? Like, ‘submissive must be willing to be tied to the bed’?”
    He sat silent for so long, she began to wonder whether he’d
decided to pretend she wasn’t there. Melanie was scrambling for a new tactic
when he finally answered.
    “An agreement doesn’t read like that,” he said. “It’s not a
document that dictates what one party must do. The goal is to establish needs
and boundaries and goals for the purpose of fulfillment, respect and
achievement.”
    “How would we start negotiations?”
    “We wouldn’t,” he said flatly.
    Melanie rolled her eyes. “Fine, how would Dominant man S and
submissive woman M start negotiations?”
    Sam leaned his head back against the lounger, a pained
expression crinkling the corners of his closed eyes. “S wouldn’t even talk
about contract negotiations until he got to know M.”
    “Got to know her how?” She twisted to better face him and
placed her hand on his thigh. Sam flinched and she jerked her hand back.
Melanie winced. “Sorry, I—”
    “Interests,” he bit off, aborting her apology. “S would find
out what M is interested in. Hobbies, charities, what she wants to do with her
life. What she’s currently doing with her life. He’d find out what she sees as
obstacles to achieving her goals, and if he thought he could help her become
the person she wants to be—the person he believes she can be—and then he might
start talking about entering into an arrangement.”
    “That sounds very…businesslike.” Melanie laced her fingers
together to keep herself from touching him again. “S doesn’t sound like he sees
M as anything except a student. Isn’t he attracted to her?”
    “Not every power exchange relationship has sex as its
foundation. Successful long-term arrangements take into consideration every
aspect of a person. Of both people.” He lifted his head and opened his eyes to
frown at her. “You know damn well I’m attracted