By the time Jason followed, she’d emptied her purchases over the table, where they lay in stark relief on its sleek, stylish lines. Three cheap, garish sex toys, a long way from their natural home.
Jason picked up the flogger first.
‘Purple, nice,’ he said, running the strands through his fingers, then winding and looping them around a forefinger. ‘Did you have loads to choose from?’
‘Yes. You said suede, though …’
‘Yeah, I think I did. Anything else take your fancy while you were browsing? Any paddles, whips, straps, canes?’
‘Not canes,’ she said with an involuntary shake of her head.
‘Oh? Why not canes?’
‘They just look so painful.’
‘That’s kind of the point.’
‘Not for me, it isn’t. Not yet, anyway.’
‘Fair enough.’ He unwound the little thongs and gave the table a sharp, downward stroke.
Jenna found herself pitying the table. The sound of the flogger making contact with the Corian top had been startling and swift and, soft as the suede was, she could imagine it would have hurt on bare skin.
‘This is nowhere near as nasty as the cane,’ he said. ‘It can tickle, too. You’ll see.’
‘I hate tickling.’
‘Ah, see, you shouldn’t have told me that.’ With a devilish grin, he flicked the tails at Jenna’s bare arm. She squeaked and tried to dart out of range, but he grabbed hold of her and began to drape the flogger up and down her back, lifting up her vest to let it feather over her exposed skin.
‘Oh, don’t,’ she protested, squirming and trying to knee him away. ‘It tickles.’
There was no way she could get away from him, though. She thought he must have been doing press-ups, or sit-ups, or something when she went out, because his grip was iron and his body felt solid against hers.
‘Wait till you feel it further down,’ he whispered.
‘Nooo,’ she moaned.
‘You will,’ he promised then, to her breathy relief, he put it back down.
The next thing he picked up was the cuffs.
‘Not bad,’ he said. ‘And a blindfold, too. Is that a hint?’
She blushed. ‘Might be.’
‘Taken,’ he said, reaching over and fitting it around her eyes. The velvet dark was instantly disorientating, making her more aware of the soft sounds of the summer evening beyond the kitchen door and the hot male scent of Jason.
‘I think I’m ready for some experiments. Are you?’
He turned her around with a hand on her shoulder, and she heard sounds that made it clear he was putting the rest of the toys back in the bag. Then he guided her towards the hall. She heard the scrunch of the paper bag in his hands and felt the weight of his palm on her, heavier than usual. Was that the blindfold?
‘Do you trust me, Jen?’ he asked gently. She felt the flooring change from granite to wood. They were out of the kitchen, the smell of newness changing quickly to one of age and damp, mixed with polish and the vase of lilies on the side table.
‘I think I can,’ she said. ‘I hope I can.’
‘I’m going to show you. On that nice, new bed of yours.’
‘Ours,’ she corrected without stopping to think.