Falling into Exposure Read online

  If there’s a graceful way to get on this thing, I don’t know what it is. I try to balance myself as I step onto the netting, taking several steps before I decide just plopping down is the best way to go about it.

  I nestle into the hammock, listening to the soft ripples beneath me. I don’t know what it is about being near water that’s so relaxing, but it is. It’s a beautiful day, warm and sunny with just a slight breeze, and I stretch out to enjoy it.

  I’m awoken from my blissful and all too short catnap by a cold shadow blocking the sun in front of me. My eyes open lazily to find Gabriel grinning down at me with a hungry expression.

  “Victoria,” he rumbles. “That bikini...”

  “Yes?” I smile up at him

  “I like it,” he says.

  I laugh and pat the empty space next to me. “Join me.”

  “You don’t have to ask me twice.” He pounces on top of me playfully, the hammock swaying beneath our weight.

  “This is so nice here,” I say. “I bet it’s beautiful in the winter.”

  He gazes down at me with hooded eyes. “I guess maybe we’ll find out together.”

  My stomach flips at his response because that’s seven months from now. I bury my face deep in his arm and hold him close, too lost for words. He strokes my back in long, lazy strokes, nearly lulling me back to sleep as we sway in the breeze.

  “Oh!” I bolt upright, remembering something. “I want to grab something in the house. Can you wait here for me?”

  He eyes me curiously before releasing me.

  “Hurry back please.”

  I run back inside and rummage through my bag until I find what I’m looking for. This is going to be the perfect opportunity to use it. But just as I’m about to leave, I think of something else. I search through my bag again, pulling out the blue tie I bought for him. I run the soft material through my hands while I debate how I can use this.

  Then inspiration hit me. In a moment of extraordinary confidence, I tear off my bikini top and slip the tie around my neck in a loose knot. I skip back out to the deck and freeze when I find him playing with my camera.

  “Um, what are you doing?” I ask nervously.

  He props himself up on his elbow and squints at me against the sun, a smile beaming across his face. “What are you wearing?”

  I look down and stroke my fingers over the tie. “It’s a gift. I thought this color would look nice on you, and… I thought I could make it memorable.”

  His eyes have that hooded look again, the one that I love.

  “That I’m sure you will, beautiful.”

  He glances back at the camera in his hand. “Did you take all these photos?”

  “Um yea,” I retort, a little sharper than I mean to.

  He doesn’t seem fazed.

  “Some of these are really amazing. Did you go to school for this?”

  I cringe at the question because I’m sure right about now he’s wondering why the hell I’m not doing something with my life.

  “No… not really.” I shuffle my feet. “I just learned on my own I guess. Through the internet, mostly.”

  “You should show them to someone. I bet you some of these would get published at first glance.”

  He looks so excited at the thought, I don’t want to burst his bubble.

  “I don’t know, we’ll see I guess.”

  He frowns at my flat response, and I hate it. I always feel like I’m disappointing him.

  “Here.” I hold out my hand and wiggle my fingers. “Let me take a couple of you.”

  For a moment, he actually looks surprised. “Really? You want a photo of me.”

  “Of course I do.” I smile. “I want a thousand photos of you, but somehow I don’t think you’d agree to that.”

  He hands over the camera, and I mess with some of the settings before focusing in on him. “Just try to look natural,” I say.

  I take a few shots of him stretched out across the hammock, and I can’t help smiling. This is definitely something I will want to remember forever. Just as I suspected, after I take a few too many shots, he grows impatient. I laugh and shake my head as I move to put the camera away.

  “Wait!” he says. “Can you take one of us together?”

  “Of course.”

  I curl up next to him, laying my head on his chest and wrapping his forearm around my breasts to cover them. I take a few shots before checking them. Because of our height difference, we have to readjust several times before I get a decent photo. I hold it up and get his nod of approval before I shut off the camera and set it aside.

  “So is this what you had to get inside the house,” he asks as he runs his fingers along the blue tie.

  “That was part of it.” I smile coyly. “I have the perfect afternoon planned out.”

  “Do you now?” he asks huskily.

  “Yep, and I know just how I’m going to start.”

  I sit up and tug at the waistband of his loose grey sweatpants. “I’m going to need you naked for this, Maddox.”

  He laughs and willingly obliges, pulling off his pants. I position myself between his legs and palm his quickly growing erection, making him groan in response. I stroke it softly, marveling as it hardens against my hand.

  After several minutes of stroking him, I relent and place my lips around his thick head. I suck him in, teasing him with the tip of my tongue. He reaches down with his hand, massaging one of my breasts before wrapping the long end of the tie in his hand. He pulls down on it gently, effectively bringing him further into my mouth. Dominant Gabriel is back, and I’m more than happy to submit to him.

  “God that’s good,” he gasps.

  His words spur me on, my sucking increasing to a feverish pace. He wraps the tie around his hand even more, clenching it as he pumps into me.

  He grunts as his cock begins to twitch in my mouth, tensing with every thrust. He uses the tie to guide my head up and down with unrelenting force. And then he comes, exploding hot and wet against my tongue. Sweet, delicious, Gabriel. His body relaxes beneath me, and his hand strokes my hair as I sit up.

  “Definitely memorable,” he pants.

  I can’t help the small smile of satisfaction that creeps across my face.

  “Roll over,” I command. “I’m not done yet.”

  He laughs softly and then complies, rolling onto his stomach. His naked body is splayed out like a Greek God on the hammock, and I almost wish I had a photo of this. I reach back and grab the small bottle of massage oil I brought with me, opening it up. I pour some into my hand, warming it between my palms before applying it to his back.

  I begin caressing him slowly, paying attention to every tense muscle fiber in his body. Surprisingly, there’s a lot, and by the sounds he’s making, I can tell he’s enjoying this. I wonder how long it’s been since someone’s taken the time to care for him, or if he’s ever even let them.

  He doesn’t say a word as I work him over, and just as I intended, he falls asleep within minutes. I lay down beside him and nestle up against him, closing my own eyes and letting the soft waves of water lull me to sleep.

  ***

  Gabriel

  When I wake, Victoria is snuggled against me, sleeping soundly. She looks at peace, and I know I made the right decision in bringing her here. Whatever it is that frequently plagues her thoughts is nowhere to be found right now.

  I want her to be this relaxed all the time. To tell me her secrets so I can help her somehow. I don’t like her not being open with me, but I also want her to come to me on her own when she feels like she can trust me. I made a mistake earlier, talking about the future, and I could feel her tense up when I said it. It was stupid, but I don’t know why she wants to leave. And more importantly, I have no idea if I can let her go now.

  I reach down to touch the soft skin of her back. She is beautiful, and for right now, she’s mine. I can’t believe that any man before me would have been stupid enough to let her go. The things that she did for me t
oday were so simple, yet thoughtful. None of the women I’ve dated before have taken care of me in that way. Not genuinely, at least.

  She stirs beneath my touch, rolling over to face me. She smiles up at me sleepily as I continue to run my fingers along her delicate collarbone.

  “You look beautiful when you sleep,” I whisper.

  “If you say so.” She flushes.

  “I do. All of your thoughts and your worries are far away. As opposed to when you’re awake and I’m left to wonder what’s going on in that head of yours.”

  “Trust me, you wouldn’t want to know.” She laughs.

  “I think I would,” I say carefully. “So tell me, Victoria. What are your plans?”

  “Well,” she says in a playful tone, “you standing over me, naked… with a whip, and…”

  I shake my head and try to keep a serious expression. “As much as that thought appeals to me right now, I won’t let you distract me. I want to know what you imagine your life being like a few years from now. What do you want?”

  She’s silent for a few moments, and I think she’s going to brush me off again. I’m surprised when she doesn’t.

  “Well, do you want to know what my plans are,” she says, “or what I want them to be? Because they are two entirely different things.”

  I frown at her response. “What you want them to be.”

  “What I want is to settle down somewhere,” she says in a soft voice. “Somewhere I could actually take photos for a living… that would be amazing. I’d like to have a cat since I’ve always wanted one. And maybe a dog too, I haven’t decided on that yet. They are kind of hard work. But I guess the main thing is just to be happy, being surrounded by friends and feeling like I’m part of… I don’t know, a family, I guess. Oh, and my own house too.”

  “That doesn’t seem like it would be too far out of reach,” I reply. “I’ve seen your photos. You have real talent, Victoria. I don’t know why you haven’t shown them to someone.”

  She doesn’t respond, and I can sense her discomfort, so reluctantly, I change the subject.

  “Tell me about this house. What’s it like?”

  “Oh, that’s easy,” she says. “It would be a Spanish style Villa. The kitchen would be decorated in hand painted tiles and it would definitely have a brick oven. The inside would be warm and comfortable, with a big dining room so I could have people over for dinner all the time.”

  She pauses for a moment, brushing her hand through her hair as she thinks about it some more. “I would have a reading nook, like a giant padded area with lots of pillows where I could cuddle my cat and just lose myself in a classic. Oh, and one of those giant couches that are like a couch and a bed combined. I would have to have one of those in the living room. A big bathtub… that’s a necessity. The whole place would be colorful and vibrant, a happy place.”

  “Is that all?” I tease. “Doesn’t sound like you’ve put any thought into that one before.”

  “You wanted to know.” She grins.

  Without another word, I mount her, my cock stirring against her belly. I untie the strings of her bikini bottoms, flinging them aside.

  “Time to repay the favor,” I murmur.

  ***

  We spend the rest of the afternoon napping and fucking on the hammock. I never would have thought of putting it to that use before, but Victoria seems to be very fond of it.

  It’s dark now, and noticeably cooler. She’s tucked into my arms, staring up at the night sky with a strange expression on her face.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  She points up at the stars nervously. “It’s just that constellation, Orion. I remember learning about it in school when I was young. It’s always stood out to me for some reason. And when I left home, it seemed like no matter where I was, whenever I looked up at the stars, there it was. I always thought it must have some sort of significance to me. I’ve seen the other constellations a handful of times, but this one was always so prominent to me.”

  “Hmm,” I murmur, kissing her temple. “That is strange. We’ll have to figure out what that means.”

  “I think I already know,” she says softly.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I looked it up once. Orion was notoriously handsome, and he was known as the hunter.” She grins up at me and makes my heart do a weird little flip.

  “Anyway, the myths vary as to what his story was, but one of them was that he fell in love with the beautiful Artemis. But she unknowingly killed him and was so deeply saddened by what happened, she immortalized him in the stars.”

  “Well, that’s a bit depressing.” I laugh. “So what significance do you think it has to you then?”

  “It’s not depressing,” she says stubbornly. “Just hear me out.”

  “Please by all means, continue,” I tell her. “I’m dying to know where you’re going with this.”

  “So anyway, the Sumerians called Orion the light of heaven. And I know it sounds kind of silly, but in some of my darker times, I used to sit out and look up at the stars. And I thought that because Artemis couldn’t be with the man she loved, she made him a guiding light for others. And I knew that someday she would guide me to…. well, I guess to where I needed to be.”

  I watch her carefully, her cheeks flushing in the soft moonlight, and it occurs to me what’s she’s trying to say in her roundabout way.

  “I don’t think it’s silly at all.” I pull her a little closer. “I think that I’m glad that the star- crossed lovers sent you to me.”

  She grins at me appreciatively, nuzzling into my chest.

  “I read a Chinese proverb once that said there is an invisible thread that connects those who are destined to meet,” she whispers. “And that no matter what happens, it never breaks. I think that’s true. If someone is meant to come into your life, they will. I mean you were so persistent…”

  I laugh at her teasing little smile and squeeze her tight. “Yes, I was very persistent. But look at where it got me.”

  “That’s true,” she says. “I can’t imagine never having met you now that I know you.”

  “Me either, beautiful.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Victoria

  By the time we head inside, I’ve got netting marks all over my body and I’m exhausted. But the memories I’ll carry with me from this day are worth every imprint.

  I change into one of my silk night dresses and walk into the bedroom to find Gabriel sitting on the bed. He looks anxious, and I’m not sure why.

  “What’s up?” I ask, sitting down beside him.

  “I really liked your gift today.” He smiles softly. “I got you something too, but I’m not sure if you’ll like it.”

  I study his beautiful blue eyes, wondering what could be bothering him so much. I’ve never seen him this nervous. I can tell he wants my approval right now, so I try my best to reassure him.

  “I’m sure whatever it is, I’ll love it.”

  He stays still for a few more moments, searching my face again. Then with a deep sigh, he reaches behind him and opens the drawer next to the bed. He retrieves a flat black case and hands it to me apprehensively.

  “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to wear it.”

  I glance at the case in my hands, swallowing anxiously. It’s definitely not a ring box, but it looks like a jewelry case of some sort, and that makes me nervous.

  I move my fingers to the unhinged sides and open it slowly. Inside is a beautiful white gold and diamond studded piece of jewelry. It isn’t a necklace, but looks more like a dainty choker. The front has a small circular opening with a tiny pendant style chain and a larger diamond attached within.

  “I’m not a strict devotee of the BDSM lifestyle,” he says with an awkward laugh. “But as you’re aware I’m familiar with it. And, well, I kind of like the idea of collaring you. If you wear this, it means that you belong to me.”

  I smile at the implication, logic be damned.

 
“It’s stunning, Gabriel.” I smooth my fingers over the band, noting how strong it is even though it appears delicate.

  “It’s like you,” he says in a teasing voice.

  “What?” I blink up at him.

  “Tiny and willful.”

  I laugh and shake my head, picking the jewelry up and handing it to him.

  “Put it on me, please?”

  Relief floods his eyes as he pulls my hair over my shoulder and clasps it around my neck.

  “Beautiful,” he murmurs in a husky voice.

  I stand and walk to the mirror on the other side of the room to check it out. I’ve never worn anything this extravagant in my life, and it feels a little strange. Jewelry isn’t normally something I’d go gaga over, but this is different. It has a much deeper meaning.

  Gabriel walks up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist as I stare at my reflection.

  “Do you like it?” he asks.

  I turn in his embrace to face him, leaning up on my toes and kissing him softly on the lips.

  “It’s stunning,” I reply. “But, that’s not why I love it. I love it because you said it means I belong to you.”

  ***

  We arrive back in the city early Sunday afternoon. Gabriel seems reluctant as he drops me back at my apartment, and even I miss him already. As I turn to go inside, he stops me.

  “Don’t make any plans tonight,” he says with a grin. “I have a surprise for you.”

  There’s only one thing that wicked smile could mean, and my own face lights up in response.

  “Okay, what time?”

  “I’ll let you know.” He kisses me chastely on the forehead before disappearing down the stairs.

  Once inside, I curl up on the couch and rehash my weekend with Alanna. Afterwards, she regales me with stories about her wild sexcapades with Nathan. For being a financier, he’s into some pretty kinky stuff.

  At 3:00 pm, there’s a knock at the door.

  “Delivery for Miss Kelly,” the familiar voice calls out.