Chapter 59: Chapter 59

Eric reached down and pulled the elastic from her hair, then wound his fingers through the silky brown locks. "Awww…fuck, Ana. I missed this."

His eyes closed and his head fell back as she wrapped her mouth around him; it wasn't as rewarding as being inside her, but it would at least ease the ache that he'd had since he'd seen her kneeling in front of his fireplace earlier that evening. Driving his hips forth as she advanced, he groaned when he hit the back of her throat.

His chin lowered until he was looking down at her and still cupping the back of her head, he angled it just a bit until her face was tilted toward him. "Open your eyes," he ordered. She complied immediately, and he was thrilled to see her eyes were watering from the force of his thrusts. "Too much?" he asked.

She shook her head no as she worked his cock, sliding her lips down over his length while she sucked ravenously. "Did you miss me, Ana?" he growled.

"Mmm hmm," she answered, her gaze still locked on his.

"How much?" he persisted.

She sucked greedily as her mouth descended, then drew her tongue along the underside of his length until she reached his tip. Puckering her lips, she placed them just over the sensitive flesh, sucking as though she could coax his orgasm from him—it was going to work, he thought as his legs began to weaken. His hand fisted in her hair, yanking her head back. "Don't get any on your dress," he hissed.

As she parted her lips and dipped forward, Eric's body shuddered with his release. She drank him in, swallowing voraciously as he spilled inside of her mouth. He didn't know if it was her little slurping sounds or the 'mmmm' that indicated she was taking pleasure in him, but he felt his hips jerk forward as he exploded again without warning. Still, she didn't lose a drop.

He was right…it had taken the edge off. But it hadn't satisfied him completely; there was only one thing that would do that. He turned his hand around and stroked her cheek, locking his gaze on hers. "Just a few more hours, Ana."

When she leaned back and licked her lips, all he could think was the he should've made her take her dress off.

"Zip me up."

"Ana?" They both started at the knock on the door, and Ana looked at Eric in surprise.

"Kate?" she returned. She quickly buttoned Eric's pants, then stood and walked over to the door. "What's going on?"

"Are you OK?" her friend called.

"I…I'm fine," Ana returned.

"Are you sure? You've been gone for quite a while, and—"

"We'll be out in a few minutes," Eric barked.

"OK." Ana heard the hesitation in her friend's voice, then her footsteps a few seconds later as she retreated.

"What the hell was that?" Eric asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"Now that she's drawn attention to us, we should probably hurry back," he said reluctantly.

"How long do these things usually last?" Ana asked as he opened the bathroom door and motioned for her to precede him out. He grabbed her hand and tugged her against him as they made their way down the hall.

"Anxious to get me alone?"

His breath was warm on her ear, and Ana shivered. "I'm anxious for you to get me alone," she corrected.

She looked up at him surprised by the frown on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"I'm not sure who's dominating who here anymore, Ana," he admitted.

"You," she reassured him with a squeeze of her hand. "It's definitely you."

Ana sat at the table with her chin propped up on her hand struggling to keep her eyes open. It was nearly one o'clock, and she was exhausted. She knew exactly what it would take to perk her up again, but he was standing across the room lost in conversation with his brother and another man she hadn't been introduced to.

"Hey."

Ana glanced over just as Kate was sitting down beside her. "Hey. Having fun?"

"My feet are killing me. Elliot is like a dancing machine," her friend said with a giggle.

Ana smiled. "Yes, I noticed how close he was holding you on those slow ones."

Kate laughed nervously. "I've noticed that Eric likes to keep you close, too."

Ana gave her friend a questioning look as she sipped her wine.

"Ana…has Eric ever hit you?" Kate asked uncertainly.

Ana choked as the clear liquid made its way down her throat. "What?" she asked in disbelief.

"He's controlling, Ana. And he's—"

"He's very kind and compassionate and—"

"Before he came to check on you in the bathroom, I was going to. When I stood up, he practically freaked out," Kate informed her.

Ana shook her head, laughing weakly. "I can't believe you would even ask me that."

"He's barely let you out of his sight," Kate said quietly.

"And I've barely let him out of mine!" Ana had to take a deep breath and then fight to get reign in her temper. She reached up and ran her hands through her hair, then wiped her palms on her skirt as she stood. "Not that it's any of your business, but the bathroom incident was planned. We wanted a moment alone together." With that, Ana picked up her wine glass, spun on her heel and made her way to Eric.

The smile that had been on Eric's face disappeared the second he rested his hand on her lower back. He looked down at her in alarm; something wasn't right. Casually dismissing himself from the conversation he was involved in, he steered Ana a few feet away from the group. "What's wrong?" he asked instantly.

"How do you know something is wrong?" she returned coolly.

"Ana, you are wound tighter than a fucking drum. Either you're pissed off or you're about to come. And I've already informed you that you won't be coming this evening. You better be pissed."

"Eric—" She reached up to run her free hand from her hair, but Eric seized her wrist and brought her hand to his mouth, kissing one of her fingertips in an effort to relax her.

"Talk to me," he ordered.

She lifted her gaze to his; the look in her eyes was enough to unsettle the fuck out of him. "Kate just asked me if you beat me," she whispered.

"What?"

"That was my reaction."

"Ana—"

"She couldn't even begin to fathom what's really going on," she said in a shaky voice.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up at the forlorn expression on her face. "Ana, we— " His voice trailed off as he realized they were in earshot of a few of the other guests. He placed his hand on her back again and guided her to a corner of the room that left them in the shadows.

"We are two consenting adults, Ana," he said, trying desperately to keep his voice even. He knew how much it had taken for her to enter into his lifestyle, all the misgivings she'd had. But when she'd decided what she wanted, she'd taken her role in his life very seriously. If Kate had spooked her into leaving him, he was going to kick Elliot's ass for even being involved with her. "We aren't doing anything wrong," he reminded her.

"Then why are we hiding out in the corner talking about it, Eric?" she asked, unwilling to meet his gaze.

"Dammit, Ana," he said impatiently. "Even if there weren't…clamps and belts and spanking involved, we still wouldn't be advertising our sex lives!" he persisted. "What we do when we are alone is nobody's business but yours and mine. It sure as hell isn't Kate's."

She lifted her gaze to his, and his heart nearly skipped a beat.