Happy to spend more time collecting herself, she felt her skin begin to cool slightly. After a short period of time had pa.s.sed, she shivered. Partly, she knew, the shiver was her bodyas reaction to the incredible s.e.x. As her hearing returned from the white noise of her o.r.g.a.s.ms, she recognized an air conditioner as the muted, almost silent hum in the room. The shiver was because the air-conditioned room had a faint chill against her naked skin.

As she shifted to crawl under the covers, Andrew stood for a moment and headed for the bathroom, pulling the condom from his flaccid c.o.c.k. Lily had barely managed to crawl beneath when he had returned and joined her.

Without a word, they snuggled up with each other, enjoying their shared heat. Andrew had an arm around her. Enjoying the comfort of the intimate moment, Lily gently stroked his chest. Neither said anything but nothing needed to be said. They were feeling the uncanny emotion and intimacy of newly made lovers.

aYou still have your mask on,a Andrew purred, nuzzling her chin. Lily smiled and arched back to give him better access down her neck and toward her now ultrasensitive b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

aI think Iave decided to become a mysterious woman of the night.a When Andrew snickered, but continued to nuzzle his way down her throat toward her erect nipples, she took a deep breath to still the incipient laughter and continued.

aYou can snicker but I think itas a fantastic idea. I can seduce hordes of young men into eager and willing slaves and no one would ever know of my secret ident.i.ty. I would be athat mystery womana young men across the globe would sigh and moon over. They would wonder where I come from and when Iall return.a At this, Andrew couldnat m.u.f.fle his laughter. He pulled his head away from her, righted his mask, which seemed to bounce with his cheekbones moving so much, and laughed his head off.

aAnd what about your faithful sidekick?a he asked, still chuckling. aThe mysterious masked highwayman to whom you always return?a Lily joined in his laughter, enjoying their sparring.

aOh,a she said airily, waving a hand as if he hadnat crossed her mind. aHeas around somewhereaor maybe heas the man who started the whole thing, the man who started me on this path, the one all the young studs have to thank for creating the mysterious masked woman.a Smiling proudly at her logic, a logic which didnat necessarily leave room for him in her future, Lily lay back against the pillows and pulled the comforter up around her shoulders.

Immediately, Andrew lay down next to her, snuggled under the comforter with her and wrapped her in his tight embrace.

aOkay, my mystery woman, letas nap for a bit. You can practice your seduction skills on me later, when weave both rested up a bit, hmm?a Lily smiled. aI think thatas a great idea. We mystery women of the night need our practice.a Lily snuggled back into his warm chest, her a.s.s resting easily in the curve of his pelvis and stomach. She could feel his warm c.o.c.k stir at her small movements, seeking a comfortable sleeping spot.

Smiling, she closed her eyes and evened her breathing. It had been a truly magical evening, one she would never forget. She smiled as she knew she would be able to return to this moment of s.e.xual satisfaction, and relive both it and the memories of the incredible s.e.x she had shared with him when she returned home. This definitely was a night to fantasize about over and over through the long winter nights.

She smiled even wider. She knew everyone should experience at least one real Mardi Gras. This was obviously hers.

Chapter Seven.

Lily wondered why she had gone to bed with a hot water bottle. Was it cold outside? Turning slightly to ease the ache of sleeping on her numb arm, Lily realized it wasnat a hot water bottle sharing the bed with her; it was a very hot man. Man!

Susyas masquerade party came back to her, along with Andrew, her highwayman.

She smiled in satisfaction. As her eyes adjusted to the early morning dawn, she stretched and turned over onto her stomach to look down at her lover.

His simple black mask had fallen down around his neck during the night. Lily frowned and looked closer at the man who shared her bed.

She knew him. She felt certain she knew this man. But where? As the fog of sleep cleared from her mind, she tried to jog her memory. Andrew, Andrew, Andrew.

With the blinding flash only brilliance seems to bring, Lily recognized her bed partner. It was Andrew Morrisey, a manager. If work gossip held any truth, a genius when it came to troubleshooting problems, from one of the higher divisions from work.

Oh s.h.i.t. What on earth was he thinking? Could this be some stupid male prank, or dare? Panicking, Lily jumped out of bed and began to hunt around for her clothes and underwear. Shivering in the chilly pre-dawn air, she tried to make sense of the last twelve hours.

She had become more and more aware of Andrew over the last few weeks. He always seemed to be nearby, either hanging around the cafeteria, or personally pa.s.sing memos around to her bosses. She herself was busy trying to claw her way up the corporate ladder and, while consensual after-hours contact wasnat forbidden, neither was it actively encouraged, s.e.xual hara.s.sment lawsuits being what they were.

Lily frowned and halted in the act of searching under the bed for her thong. While it wouldnat be overly healthy for her career, neither would the knowledge that she had been sleeping with Andrew on her week off be detrimental to her career. And she certainly could not really see her highwayman blackmailing her with their fling.

The sc.r.a.p of lace came within view and Lily pulled it out, sighing as she realized the expensive item was not re-wearable.

Lily pulled her mask off her face and sat down in one of the comfy chairs. The air conditioner was off and so sitting naked in the chair was not overly uncomfortable.

She needed to think this through.

What if Andrew had overheard her plans to come out here, and decided to use the opportunity to start an affair? It made a strange, male sort of logical sense.

Besides, if he did try to do something stupid, she could simply lodge a complaint with her bosses and find another position. It might put her career behind by a few months, even a year, but it wouldnat signify the end of her life.

Lily felt an evil smile cross her face.

Maybe she should turn the tables on her lover.

Renewed with energy, Lily hunted around the hotel room. Armed with two silk ties and a sleeping facemask the hotel had obviously provided, she returned to the king-sized bed.

So Andrew thought he could play with her, did he? Letas see how he enjoyed her playing with him.

Chapter Eight.

Andrew awoke to the most delicious sensations. Warm hands traced his chest, playing with his nipples and tugging gently, erotically, on his chest hair. Warm breath caressed his iron-hard c.o.c.k, ruffling his pubic hair and making him ache to feel the wet heat of a womanas mouth close around his aching shaft.

Smiling lazily, he opened his eyes, only to feel his lashes rub against the rough yet silky feel of a sleeping mask. Frowning, he tried to sit up, only to feel thin, silken bonds restraining his wrists.

aWhat the h.e.l.la"a A feminine snicker caught his attention and he recalled the previous nightas intense lovemaking.

aLily,a he groaned, awhat the h.e.l.l are you doing?a aWell, Andrew, in case itas not blindingly obvious,a she snickered again at her pun, aI thought it time to take control of our s.e.x games.a Leaning over him, she took one of his nipples in her mouth. Rising up, he arched his back, completely stunned by the electric feelings coursing through his body.

as.h.i.t, woman! Donat do that!a aBut why not?a she murmured against his chest, laving his nipple with her tongue. The air conditioner had obviously turned itself back on first thing in the morning, making the air chilly. Lily took advantage of the cool air to help make his nipple stand erectly to attention, her warm breath teasing him with how achingly hot her mouth could be. Andrew tugged at his restraints, unable to believe how erotic her ministrations felt.

aBecauseaa he mumbled, trying to order his scattered wits, abecauseaI donat know, shouldnat it be me teasing you in the restraints? I never realized you had dominatrix fantasies.a aAhh,a his vixen purred, aI thought you happened to meet me at Susyas party. I thought we happened to meet by chance. I didnat realize you were Andrew from work, the companyas genius and secret weapon, the manager who happened to be in the cafeteria most times I took my lunch break.a Andrew felt his body temperature rise. He couldnat see s.h.i.t and, with his sight gone, all his senses were heightened. Every breath she puffed over his body sent his blood pumping; every touch of her hair draped over his skin, every caress from her hands, her arms, her legs, every skin-on-skin contact drove him madder. Was it possible to expire from overstimulation?

Desperately, he urged his brain to come up with some plausible explanation. With Lily touching his skin, setting his senses on fire and teasing him as he lay helpless, he didnat have a hope in h.e.l.l.

aI overheard you talking to Darla about Susyas masquerade party and taking this time off. Iave been meaning for months to approach you but either you were snowed under with work or I was heading out of state on business.a Panting, Andrew tried to understand what the h.e.l.l was going on. Lily was fondling his b.a.l.l.s, weighing them in her hands and gently manipulating them, toying with them and driving him insane.

aLily! Let me free. I can pleasure you and we can talk about this. How can you be mad after the ecstasy we shared?a aOh, Iam not mad, Andrew, justacurious.a aAbout what?a he panted, hoping like h.e.l.l something would turn in his favor.

aIam curious what this will do to your body.a Andrew arched up, crying out in pleasure, a guttural, incoherent sound of pleasure as she took his red-hot tip into her mouth, sucking hard on him.

With a wet pop sound, she pulled her mouth away, ignoring his moan of disapproval. aOr maybe curiosity about how men react to thisaa Lily tasted and teased, touched and probed him. Andrew began to burn with desire and the ache to possess her. She touched him intimately, taught herself his every crease and hidden spot. She found his sensitive flesh between his b.a.l.l.s and a.n.u.s, found his ticklish spots on his side, just underneath his ribs. Her warm fingers explored him all over. She murmured to him, talking about how interesting she found his body, how his reactions to her explorations turned her on and how excited and damp she became as he reacted to her.

She drove him mad with desire.

Andrew promised himself as soon as he were free he would bind and gag her, so her soft, femininely husky voice couldnat drive him mad any longer. So her sweet words wouldnat drive his l.u.s.t even hotter.

He would bind her to his bed and keep her there a year or so until he had sated himself.

aAnd now,a she purred, unknowing of his raging l.u.s.t and simmering frustrations, aI think Iam ready for a ride.a Earlier, when he still had been sleeping peacefully, she had sheathed him in a condom. She had enjoyed rolling it over his thick length with her mouth, encasing him in the latex but, more importantly, her heated, damp mouth. When he had realized he was wearing a rubber, he had thought she would put him out of his misery quickly and sate both their rising l.u.s.ts. But she had proved him wrong, teasing him and taunting him verbally and with her delicate hands.

He cried out as he felt her straddle his waist, felt her damp slit press into his stomach. Her hands had begun to toy with his nipples again. Never had he realized just how sensitive a manas nipples could prove to be. Who would have guessed? He bit his lip, tasted the blood that flowed from the tiny cut. He had spent ages begging her, now he refused to beg any more. He would rather go insane with the unrequited l.u.s.t.

He did, however, groan as she lowered herself along his thick, incredibly engorged shaft. He held on to his control by the thinnest of threads. He was so hot, so primed to explode, he knew the merest friction would send him spilling himself like a seventeen-year-old youth, a h.o.r.n.y teenager with the least amount of experience. Andrew refused to disgrace himself, even if he had been provoked so badly.

Yet as Lily raised and lowered herself, he felt his control unravel.

aFaster,a he panted, canting his hips and bucking her. aMove faster, Lily, or this will be over before youave even begun.a aMy,a she panted, her voice betraying her own excitement, aimpatient, arenat we?a aNot impatient, love,a he bit out, desperately holding onto his control, forcing himself not to come this instant, apractical. Thereas only so far you can push a man before he explodes and Iam mighty close to the point.a aWell then, we best see what we can do to help you.a With that, Lily began thrusting herself upon him in fierce, forceful strokes. The delicious sensations had them both moaning, both enjoying the sensitive friction between their flesh.

With a cry, he felt Lily begin to milk him, her contractions allowing him to finally release himself. He desperately wished he could hold her hips still while he thrust himself up into her, faster and more forcefully. Instead, he had to hold on to the headboard, digging his fingers into the wrought iron lacework, until he felt sure either it or he would break. Yet he didnat care; the pain helped him to concentrate, to focus. Lily held onto his shoulders, bracing herself as he thrust himself deep inside her p.u.s.s.y. He shouted out, finally letting himself convulse and heave, pressing his c.o.c.k as deeply inside her as he could possibly fit.

Andrew panted, tried to catch his breath as Lily fell down on his warm chest.

aThat was certainly interesting. Are you going to release me now or am I playing captive slave a while longer?a

Chapter Nine.

Lily blinked and nuzzled her head into the warmth of Andrewas chest. Had she really tied this man to his own bed and had her wicked way with him? Such stuff usually only resided in her fantasies, not her reality.

Wearily lifting her head, she visually confirmed that yes, she did have a stud from work tied with his own silk ties to the hotel bed. He had a mask covering his eyes and beads of sweat running down the side of his face. His arm muscles seemed to twitch with the force of his earlier release.

Mmmathis hunk was definitely a superior specimen of masculinity, certain to make her drool.

The question was, should she release him?

Why not? one side of her debated. You took charge of him once. You can do it again.

Sure, except for the fact he was asleep and tied up when we took charge of him, the other side of her mind insisted.

aWell?a Andrew drawled, seemingly in no hurry either way.

Hesitantly, Lily sat up and leaned over him. She fumbled a bit with the knots; they had been pulled exceedingly tight during the course of their pa.s.sion. Finally, one broken nail later, she managed to release both his wrists.

Sitting back, poised to flee, she watched him lift his own hands, shake some feeling into them and remove his mask.

Dark brown eyes clashed with her own lighter brown ones.

aDo you think weall know how to do it without one of us masked?a Lily smiled, relieved he was taking this so well. Her body relaxed. So it took her completely by surprise when he pounced across the bed and pinned her down, spread-eagle, on the enormous mattress.

aWhat thea? You sneak!a Andrew laughed, feeding her fury. aLook on the bright side, darling, I have no intention of tying you down or blindfolding you, much as I fantasized about it while you had me trussed up like a turkey.a Lily pouted. aI just felt a need for some revenge. I felt deceived when I realized you had known who I was all along and I had no idea who you were.a aDonat worry, honey, as of now the slate is blank. Youave had your revenge and I had my seduction. Weare starting out even now.a Lily laughed huskily, aOh, a clean slate. Well, that sounds incredibly interesting. So you wonat retaliate if I touch you here.a Lily lowered her hand and gently sc.r.a.ped one nail along his hairy sac. Andrew uttered a sound somewhere between a groan and a girlish shriek.

aUhaa Lily chortled, and continued to ma.s.sage the sensitive flesh underneath his hugely upstanding erection through the ultra-thin latex. Touching him as much as possible, she removed the condom, sliding across the bed to wrap it in some tissues and pa.s.s him a few to clean himself up.

Dropping the used condom in the wastebasket, she came back next to him on the bed feeling much better and in control of herself and her emotions.

aSo you wonat retaliate if I lean over and do this,a she murmured as she placed herself over his hips and lowered her head to lave and nibble the skin under his s.c.r.o.t.u.m.

Between one breath and the next, Lily found herself roughly turned over onto her back and pinned by two large, powerful, hairy arms.

aNo, darling,a he purred, aI wonat retaliate. Iall simply reciprocate the torture.a So saying, he lowered his head, his heated breath causing her nipples to come to painful arousal and he teased, nibbled and taunted her hot flesh with his teeth and tongue. Lily found herself moaning, twisting in his embrace and enjoying their erotic play.

Refusing to simply lie back and let him do all the work, she found a few of his sensitive spots and they both enjoyed teasing and taunting each other.

Dawn crept over the horizon, beautiful in its brilliant colors, welcoming the new day to one and all. But Lily and Andrew were far too occupied to even notice the brilliance of the new day.

Chapter Ten.

Ah yes. A new day, a new set of perfect lovers. Nothing like setting up a matched pair and these two certainly know how to set the sheets alight! It does my old soul proud to see sucha" Hang on a minute! Why is Mr. Highwayman, our resident Romeo, crawling out of bed? Pacing up and down like a nervous mother hen?

Hmmaseems our dear boy has a few qualms. I do wonder what is going on in that oddly masculine head of his. I do understand how some of the less magnificent examples of the masculine breed can second-guess themselves into a pit but I had hoped Our Esteemed Highwayman wasnat one of these.

Oh well, letas hope I can get his attention and help out our dear old Lily with whatever maggot has entered his minda * * * * *

When Andrew woke up for the second time that morning, he could feel the mandatory post-s.e.xual-romp aches and pains in his body. They were a delicious ache and a good long soak in the tub would certainly ease them. He tightened his hold on Lily, still sleeping soundly next to him. Everything had just seemed to click into place, fall into his open palm like a perfect ripe plum.

Andrew frowned.

He didnat want to borrow trouble but surely everything had clicked into place a little too easily.

Being extra careful not to wake up Lily, he crawled out of bed. How was it Lily didnat get upset when she realized his ident.i.ty? Why didnat she enact the usual female scene of tears and recriminations? He certainly felt grateful none of those had occurred but why did everything seem to move so smoothly?

Pacing up and down the room, feeling rather stupid, Andrew headed toward the bathroom. A shower would clear his head and everything would be fine. He could wait for the luxurious bath until after Lily had woken up, and maybe even until after breakfast or lunch, seeing as the morning was now mostly over.

As he headed toward the bathroom, Andrew noticed a glint of blue light. The morning sun reflected from one of the beads on Lilyas beautiful, satin mask. It lay on the floor, probably where she had dropped it when she had awakened so early in the morning.

It was a gorgeous old thing. He bent down to pick it up, not wanting to step on it later by accident and ruin the silky satin and exquisite beadwork.

As his hand closed over it, Andrew thought he felt a jolt of electricity flow through him. Blinking, he wondered at his imagination. He mustnat have had as much sleep as he thought. Looking at the old mask, he smiled at the fool notion that popped into his head.

Why not try it on? his brain urged. Mentally shrugging, he brought the delicate mask up to his face, and placed it firmly over his own features.

The faint electric pulse he had felt when picking it up returned again. Instead of seeing the rest of the hotel room, as he had antic.i.p.ated, Andrew saw flashes of the night before.