Ten Shades of Passion

“All over the world?” The words didn’t come out as I’d intended them to, ending up as more of a pathetic whisper. Backing up against my chair, his large frame making me rather uncomfortable in the fragile emotional state I was in, there were two seconds of silence as I deliberated my next move. Wanting desperately to get back to normal so I could return to work, I needed the release that I suspected only this kind of scenario could bring, without me being back in the field of course, which wasn’t going to happen until I was cleared. I’d been off work for six months now, and the inactivity was killing me. For someone who lived their life on the edge, sitting down in front of the TV channel hopping every day was one of the worst punishments possible. The adrenaline junkie in me was clamouring for a high, and the most excitement I’d found in downtown London recently was a near mugging attempt. That put a smile on my face for an instant. I might look small and frail, but I’m five foo

The evening loomed before me like a nine-headed Hydra. Alas, I was no Heracles, and the chances of me slaying even one of the dragon’s evil heads was small. Should I quit now? The thought banged around in my brain for a bit as I tested its weight. Leaving him high and dry in a restaurant did put a small smile upon my face, but I wasn’t a quitter. The challenge had been issued, and I would see it through. Having said that, seeing as how he’d decided to make life as difficult as possible for me, I guessed there could be no harm in trying to return the favour.Taking a long, hot shower, I primped and preened to the best of my abilities. Perfumed shower gel and matching scented body lotion was liberally smeared all over my skin until I was so smooth, James Leverett would have needed a set of suction cups to get his hands on my body. James. It was a nice old-fashioned English name. It didn’t suit him. I wondered what his real name was and if I’d ever find out. The odds were against it,

Great. He had me down as a science project. I could feel the beginnings of a headache buzzing between my eyes and wondered if I’d remembered to put some aspirin in my bag.“What do you do for a living?”On second thought, aspirin probably wasn’t going to cut it. I wondered if I had any of that oxycodone left from my last prescription. I might need that.“Doctor, lawyer, stockbroker, ballet dancer, footballer?” He regarded me thoughtfully as he slowly drawled each choice.The man had a unique way of putting me off my guard, but I’d had far too many years of practise in subterfuge to fall for such tactics. “I work in advertising.”He raised an eyebrow and smiled lazily at me. “For whom?” By his sceptical look, it was clear he didn’t believe me.“Activity Advertising.” The lie slipped from my tongue far too easily, and I said it with conviction.“And where are they located?”Obviously the lie wasn’t quite as good as I thought it was. The next question was usually what position I held the

“Fine, if that’s the way you want to play it, we’ll go for the abbreviated version.” I nodded. Short and sweet worked for me. “Well, as soon as the door closes, I’ll ask you to get naked.” I immediately lost the air I’d just struggled to inhale, but honestly, what had I expected? This wasn’t a sparring match. This was sex. Not in the conventional sense, perhaps, but it was close enough. “Then I’ll tie you up with either ropes or cuffs, depending on which is your preference. Do you have a preference?” The thought of being completely immobile whilst naked in front of him was dancing around excitedly in my head. It turned me on. Who was I kidding? It felt like someone had punched me in the gut and rewired my brain all at the same time. Squirming uncomfortably, I let my hands fall to either edge of my chair and gripped it tightly. This was yet another scary thing I would have to deal with - intense arousal. My vibrator was going to get an impressive workout at the end of my date. The

He looked at me expectantly, while I looked at a corner of the ceiling. I couldn’t have his eyes on me if I wanted to think. My poor brain cells were under such pressure this evening, and with relatively easy requests. The “attraction thing” was going to be the death of me. I simply could not concentrate. Focus, damnit! Retreating to a quiet, distant part of my psyche, I slowly came back to earth. Okay, what turned me on? It was a reasonable question, given the circumstances. Until now, I’d never really thought about it. Figuring I should just be honest, my gaze refocused upon his beautiful face and I took a deep breath.“I’m not really sure how to answer that question,” I confessed. “My sex life has been rather tame up until now. I enjoy all the usual things, like kissing, oral, missionary, on top, and I’m familiar with a few sex toys, but I’ve never really fantasised about anything in particular.” My life was far too busy for fantasies and idle thoughts. Maybe I’d been missing out a