Taken Outback (The Dusty Rider Series Book 1) Read online

  Tom is correct, I do love what we have created so far, but at what point will we think it is okay to take a moment to breathe, relax and enjoy it all?

  “The cab’s here, babe.” Tom hands me my coat, takes my arm under his and leads me to the elevator.

  Once we are out the front doors of the building, we hit the cold, harsh wind biting at our heels like hungry wolves waiting to feed.

  I shiver as we run towards the cab.

  We arrive at the restaurant, bursting at the seams with socialites trying to enjoy the food before it is killed off by a bad review in the following week. We’re not late, but we are still the last to arrive, which is fine by Tom as he likes to command the attention of the whole group at the same time. He always says you must walk in as if you own everyone and everything. Stand tall, make them all take notice.

  “Hello, Tom, darling,” says a tall female with bobbed copper hair. She strokes her long red fingernails across Tom’s back reminding me of a snake using its forked tongue to taste its prey. She has moved over to air kiss Tom and as she does this, she positions herself as if to push me out of her way.

  Alarm bells are ringing inside my head.

  Why is this woman behaving as though she knows Tom a whole lot better than she ought to?

  With a cocked smile that could kill, I push my arm in between them to offer my hand for an introductory shake. “Hello, I am Holly, Tom’s wife. And you are?”

  As she looks me up and down, I notice her expression momentarily tenses to one that is uncomfortable, giving me the chance to push myself up even closer to Tom in a sign of clear ownership.

  “I’m Beth. Tom works under me all week long.” A satisfied smirk spreads across her face.

  Tom’s jaw clenches as he pulls me away from my interaction with Beth. “Hon, I want you to meet Ross, one of the partners.”

  I smile at Beth as hard as I can and in my sweetest, Texan accent say, “It was so lovely to meet you.”

  Who is this vixen and what is her game coming on to Tom like that?

  After several more introductions, we sit down and enjoy an Asian fusion meal. The conversation focuses around work and their plans for the company’s future. I’m not sure if it is the numerous lychee mojitos or the mundane work discussions, but I’m almost falling asleep in what’s left of my Thai-inspired beef noodles, when one of the partner’s wives, Olivia, asks if I would like to join a few of them at the bar for a cigarette. I take the chance at escaping, so I don’t lose myself to the abyss of monotonous business conversation.

  “I’m so glad to have a break from all of that shop talk in there,” Christine, one of the wives, says.

  “Oh, here comes Beth,” says Olivia.

  I cringe at the thought of talking to Beth again. I will have to be nice, despite my instincts telling me she has some sort of agenda. I sigh as I realise I’m always having to tread carefully because of Tom’s position in his company and whatever he’s trying to achieve next.

  “So, tell me, Holly, what is it that you do?” Christine asks.

  “I work for a non-profit agency that specialises in delivering health solutions to disadvantaged groups within Australia and overseas.”

  “Oh, that sounds quaint,” Beth says with a malignant tone. “So, you are one of those bleeding hearts trying to change the world.”

  “I don’t consider myself a bleeding heart. I just prefer a job where I can try to leave a positive mark on the world.”

  “But why bother? It isn’t like anyone can make much of a difference anymore with the way the world is going.” Beth blows her plume of smoke towards my face and sneers as she sips on her cocktail.

  “Well, I like to think we can still make a difference, no matter how small it may be.” I try to not sound trite though I know resentment exudes from me as I cross my arms and look off towards the bar full of fake smiles and alcohol-fuelled conversation.

  “What does your company think of you relocating to Brisbane?” Beth asks while glaring at me.

  It is as though the air has been sucked out of my lungs as a crushing sensation pushes against my entire chest. Did she say relocating to Brisbane?

  The shock must have been noticeable on my face as Beth speaks with a satisfied grin. “Oh, didn’t Tom tell you?”

  Why didn’t Tom say anything to me? I don’t want to move. More importantly, how could he let me be shocked in front of this woman?

  Olivia chimes in politely as if to defuse the shocking news. “Oh Beth, nothing’s definite yet. No one should even be discussing this. You know you will get yourself in trouble one of these days by speaking out of turn.”

  Christine turns to me and tries to changes the subject. “Your work sounds like a worthy endeavour. I think it is great to try to make a difference as well. I help run the company’s division that hosts charity events. I know Tom has told me that you grew up in Texas and are used to lavish parties so I’ve been wanting to ask you if you would ever be interested in helping organise one of our benefits?”

  “I’d love to help,” My voice cracks as I’m still in shock by the thought of a possible move.

  We are interrupted by a waiter dressed in a patterned mandarin collar shirt paired with a sarong. “Ladies, dessert is about to be served so your presence is requested back at your table.”

  I am seething, but true to the manners I was raised with, I stay composed through dessert, not displaying a sign that anything is wrong until we get into the taxi to head home. Though after all the mojitos I drank, it is a challenge to not explode right then and there in the restaurant.

  Once we are safely in the taxi, my disbelief and frustration boil over. “What is this about relocating to Brisbane?”

  Tom’s face flushes red from being caught off guard. “Don’t get mad. It’s not definite. I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure. There’s no point in getting worked up until there’s something to get worked up about.”

  “I don’t appreciate being told by that two-bit floozy Beth.” Anger exudes from both my words and my eyes.

  “Beth is not a floozy.”

  “Yes, she is. Her claws were all over you until I had to push between you two.”

  “Holly, cut the shit out. She’s not like that.”

  I would have expected Tom to be comforting me but instead he’s choosing to stick up for that Beth. This makes me even more irritated.

  Are you fucking kidding me, Tom? Picking her over me?

  “Oh, really? Are you blind? She was totally inappropriate, touching you like that. How would you feel if someone I worked with had their hands all over me?”

  “Stop overreacting, Holly. She’s just someone I work with. She has a boyfriend.”

  “I call bullshit on that. Is she the reason you are always coming home late?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Tom tries to put his arm around me, but I block it. “You need to calm down. The cabbie can hear everything you are saying.”

  “I don’t give a shit what the cabbie hears. I’m not stupid. I know what women are like. I can tell when a woman wants to get into my husband’s pants.”

  Tom’s eyebrows lower while a crease forms between them. “You are being so ridiculous.”

  “No, I will not stand by while some woman tries to seduce you at work. Don’t be so daft. Open your eyes.”

  “I am not discussing this. Especially not when you have had so much to drink. You could have embarrassed me tonight drinking like that.”

  “Well, if you paid some attention to me and maybe if the conversation was a little less boring then I would not have to entertain myself with so many mojitos.”

  As we pull up outside our apartment block, Tom turns to open the cab door. “And what is up with you smoking? You know I hate that, Holly.”

  He gets out of the cab and reaches out to offer me his hand. I refuse to touch it. “Oh, fuck off, Tom. I’m not under your control.”

  I walk closer towards our building, masked amongst the skyscrapers that dw
arf it. I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the glass and question if this shiny life is what I truly want anymore.

  My thoughts are interrupted by the doorman. “Good evening, Miss.”

  I nod and walk inside, being careful not to stumble on my four-inch heels.

  Tom opens the door to our apartment and I stagger past him.

  How could he possibly withhold such life-changing information from me? And what is worse is that he let me find out from that cold hearted beast of a woman.

  In my drunken, pissed off state, I decide to have some lecherous fun to teach him a lesson. Sex is sometimes my weapon of choice when I’m mad at Tom. It’s sometimes the only way I can get his attention off the corporate world.

  I slip off my coat and let it fall to the floor. Slowly unzipping my dress, I let it crumple and drop only a few feet away from my coat. It is as though I’m leaving a naughty trail for Tom to follow.

  Seducing and teasing, yet not giving in to him, will bring me much more pleasure after tonight’s unexpected revelation. There is no better revenge than getting a man down on his knees and then not giving him what he wants.

  Why must I have to play games to get noticed by this man?

  I walk into the kitchen, only in my heels and my black lace La Perla bra, panties, stockings and garter belt. I pull the pins out of my hair and let it splay out, falling against my shoulders. I slink in front of him with catlike moves as he loosens his stifling tie.

  He looks up and stares in my direction, but I do not make eye contact with him. Instead, I sit down on a stool and raise my leg to roll down my stockings. First, I let my heel dangle from my big toe, before it drops to the floor. As I remove the stocking, I stretch my leg out, flexing my calf muscle.

  Once the stocking is removed from the first leg, I run my hand up towards the top of my thigh. Using my fingertips, I trace across the top of my lace panties, hesitating there for a few moments. Just long enough to tease Tom before stopping to remove the other stocking.

  He’s staring at me, looking torn between annoyance and sexual frustration. I know Tom won’t be able to resist watching my artful strip tease if I take it any further. And I want him to pay for putting me in such an awkward position tonight.

  He walks towards me and puts his hand on my shoulder.

  I brush it away before speaking in an icy tone. “I’m going to take a shower. Alone.” Strolling past him, I head into the bathroom.

  As I turn on the shower and reach around to undo my bra, Tom grabs my wrist. “Not yet, you don’t.”

  I turn around.

  He’s standing next to me with his shirt hanging open and his pants hanging down low enough to see the ripples of his lower abs as they meet the tightness of the elastic on his Calvin Klein underwear.

  “Tom, you are not having me tonight,” I say with as much seriousness as my drunken self will allow.

  “Oh, okay,” Tom says dripping with sarcasm as he takes hold of me from behind.

  I push his hands off me. “No, Tom. I’m too pissed at you to make love.”

  “Come on, honey. You can’t be mad at me for something that may not even happen. Besides, I know you know you want it because I have kept it from you all week.”

  He’s so irritating, but what is far worse is that he knows how to make me weak at the knees. He knows how to make me want him even when I’m angry at him. He also knows I have been asleep when he has come home late every night this week, leaving me unsatisfied for days.

  My mind is telling me to not give a reward for bad behaviour, whereas my loins are saying give in to the carnal pleasures he has on offer. I blame the mojitos because I listen to the lust inside me telling me to give in.

  So much for my revenge against him tonight.

  Tom has an unusual grin on his face. “Do you want to try something different?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Why don’t you let me tie you up, maybe blindfold you and tease you a bit?”

  I’m surprised by his suggestion as Tom tends to be straight-laced and limited in his sexual tastes.

  Where is this coming from?

  Wanting to spice things up has me intrigued and now I will have to give in to him tonight just to see what he means. Excited by the possibilities, I grab his hand and we go into the bedroom. I crawl onto the black duvet and lie against the pile of pillows that decorate our king size bed.

  Tom goes into the other room and returns with a couple lit, long-stemmed candles. He places them on the dark wood shelves near our bed and says, “I thought the candles might make the mood sexier in here.” He moves to join me on the bed. “Now, take off all of your clothes.”

  Where is this forceful tone coming from?

  I pout while he slides off his shirt. “You don’t want to take them off for me?”

  “No, I want you to do what I say so I can tie you up.”

  I do as he commands, standing up to slip out of my La Perla lingerie. Gazing at my naked body, he says, “You are smoking hot. How lucky am I to have you all to myself?”

  He pulls the duvet off the bed and throws the pillows onto the floor. He stands and strides over to grab several neckties out of the closet. With the ties in hand, he rejoins me on the bed.

  He gets between my legs and eases them out towards each side of the bed. Using the ties, he secures my ankles to the frame. As he knots them, he gives them one last firm tug, causing me to yelp out, “Ouch! That hurt.”

  “That’s what I want tonight,” he says in a tense, hungry voice I don’t recognise.

  What does he mean by that?

  He ties my hands by the wrists onto the rectangular slats in our headboard. Again, he gives them one final tug to ensure I cannot get loose. I wince at the pain.

  Tom straddles me and places a tie as a makeshift blindfold across my eyes. The navy satin rests coolly against my eyelids. The combination of the mojitos and the anticipation of what Tom might do to me makes my head dizzy.

  I’m not sure what has brought out this new found zest for exploring our sexual boundaries, but so far, I will happily buy a ticket to try this ride.

  Maybe he read a new book about how to please your woman or something while he was on the train to work this week.

  I try to focus on my other senses since I cannot see what Tom is doing.

  “Let me put on some music.” He turns on an intense music that is not his normal choice when we make love.

  Tom straddles me and begins his assault on my body. He goes straight to touching my breasts. Massaging and tweaking my nipples, making them hard against his fingers. He bends over and places his lips onto my heated flesh. His tongue licks and tastes me, as he moves away from my breasts, heading lower across my stomach.

  I arch my back and moan in anticipation of his mouth moving lower. But he stops as he gets close to my sex, leaving me hanging on the edge.

  He moves off me and gets out of the bed leaving me to wonder what he’s going to do next. My pulse quickens as I feel him kneel between my legs, his hard member brushing up against my thigh.

  I flinch violently and scream out as a searing hot sensation scolds my tender flesh. Hot wax is being dripped directly onto my nipples without warning. “What the fuck are you doing?”

  Calmly, he says, “Just relax and try it.”

  Not wanting to be a prude, especially since Tom is finally into trying some new things, I hold my breath in hope that maybe I will start to enjoy the scorching heat of candle wax as it hits my body.

  Isn’t the pleasure after pain why people get into sadomasochism? Maybe I just have to wait and the pleasure will come.

  I wince in pain as each drop hits my flesh.

  Maybe I am supposed to feel an adrenaline rush or something.

  He crosses my stomach, dripping the wax in a trail as he moves lower. My pulse quickens again, but this time it is not in a good way. I’m afraid he will drip the hot wax between my legs. As he drips one more drop against the lowest part of my stomach, he bites against
the inside of one of my thighs.

  “Oh, Tom,” I moan in both agony and ecstasy.

  I hear the clank of the candelabra against the shelf next to the bed. He places his two hands firmly on my thighs and spreads my folds apart. I gasp when he finally uses his tongue where I was aching to be touched just minutes before. Or maybe I’m gasping from the relief of not having hot wax hit there as well.

  Knowing the candles are out of his reach, I relax as he continues to massage my sex with his tongue. I moan as he increases his intensity against my slit. I want to grab at his hands and push him closer against me, but I can’t. “Tom, use your…”

  He has placed his hand against my lips to stop me from talking. I want his hands all over me, but he does not give me what I want.

  Why can’t he just use his hands as well?

  Instead, he moves his body upwards between my legs, pressing his hard maleness against my entrance. He does not push inside, but lets it linger just outside of my folds. I feel his hot breath against my breasts as he starts to suck on them again.

  Out of nowhere, Tom bites down hard onto my nipple, while pushing into me in one extreme motion. I scream out from the pain of his bite as well as the sharp sensation of being filled all at once without warning.

  He rides me hard and fast while holding onto my hips beneath him. I’m being pinned down in a way that does not bring me any enjoyment. “Tom, what are you doing, slow down for a moment.”

  But Tom does not respond. Instead, he thrusts harder, feverishly, as though he’s possessed and will not relent until he has achieved his goal. I try to go with his motions but I’m not feeling any satisfaction whatsoever.

  So much for a good romp tonight. And to think I was going to withhold it from him yet gave in for this.

  His gasps warn that he’s getting close. I feel his body start to shudder as he drops against me. He exhales hotly against my neck as his moans grow in intensity. His muscles tense and he bites hard on my neck as he loses himself in his release.

  “Ouch! Tom, what are you doing?” I yell out from his bite, but I’m tied up so I can’t push him off me. “Untie me now!”

  He’s breathing heavy as he lies against me for a few moments. Finally, he gets up to untie me and remove the blindfold.