Silken Ties (Cinco de Mayo) Read online

  Silken Ties

  by

  Marteeka Karland & Shara Azod

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. This is a work of fiction. All references to real places, people, or events are coincidental, and if not coincidental, are used fictitiously. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only. eBooks are NOT transferable. Re-selling, sharing or giving eBooks is a copyright infringement.

  Copyright © 2011 Serenity King

  Editor: Stephanie Parent

  Proof Reader: Novellette Whyte

  Cover Art: Shara Azod

  Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a holiday held on May 5 that commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. While the day is celebrated in the state of Puebla, Mexico, over time it has become more widely celebrated by those of Mexican ancestry in the United States. The largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the world in held in Los Angeles which holds a mile long street fair every year with music, vendors and games. In the United States Cinco de Mayo has become a celebration of Mexican American heritage, much in the same way St. Patrick’s Day celebrate Irish-Americans.

  Not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day, which is September 16.

  Chapter One

  Carmen grinned from ear to ear as she watched her brother practically drag her best friend off to “be alone.” It was about damn time, too. She was beginning to think she’d have to lock them in a room with no windows to get them to do what they had wanted to for years. People could be so silly sometimes.

  “I see you’re feeling all smug.”

  And her night had been going so well. Why hadn’t she noticed Arturo Pena before now? If she’d known he was here, she would’ve…well, worn something even shorter and tighter than the little nothing of a dress she was currently sporting. The man was serious sin waiting to happen, but he was a little too much for her. She did adore teasing him, though. It was fun to see those topaz eyes snap fire at her. She could almost feel that rumbly growl thing he had going on when he was all worked up.

  “Why yes. I certainly am.” She didn’t look at him. That would be too obvious. Instead, she continued to follow the retreating couple as if she could care less that Arturo was anywhere around. Lord, but his deep voice was panty-wetting. It was like audio sex, designed to make a woman come on impact.

  Carmen might not be able to see him, but she was hyperaware of him. She knew the second he stepped within a breath of her. She felt his breath, warm on her neck, and heard him inhale her scent. She knew he smelled the delicate floral bouquet of her shower gel, and she smiled. Hawaiian lilies and honeysuckle. It was a scent she knew drove him wild, the scent she’d worn the first time he’d noticed her. She’d seen his nostrils flair as he’d zeroed in on her then and had never forgotten.

  Too bad he scared the shit out of her. Not that he was dangerous—he was just so intense, so very male. There was no way he’d let her wrap him around her little finger. Frankly, that was how she preferred her men, or at least she thought she did. With Arturo she wasn’t so sure. He made her feel things she wasn’t comfortable admitting. She just knew if she spent even one night with him, she’d be changed for good. This was NOT the kind of man you just merrily skipped away from.

  “I know you’re as hot for me as I am for you, Carmen. Why do you pretend otherwise, hmm?”

  “You’re taking a lot for granted there, aren’t you?” Lord! The man had a sexy voice. Scary he might be, but she’d always lived her life on the edge. She just couldn’t resist turning and running her finger lightly down his chest.

  “I know, Carmen. I know you crave my touch.” His voice was barely above a whisper in her ear. The fine hairs on the back of her neck bristled, and chill bumps erupted over her skin. He was hitting just a little too close to the truth for her liking. At least for now. Maybe if she could ease into it, she could handle him.

  Who the fuck was she kidding! There was no “handling” him. There was no easing into it. It was either do it or let him go. She was so in over her head!

  “Maybe,” she said flippantly, trying to act as nonchalant as she could, turning back around. “You’re a sexy man. Any woman would love to take you on.” She made her smile as sexy and seductive as she could as she glanced over her shoulder, attempting to project a confidence she didn’t really feel. “I just don’t think I can fit you into my schedule.”

  It was supposed to be the perfect exit line. At least that was what she intended. Unfortunately, Arturo had other ideas. Gripping her elbow lightly, he crowded her body with his much larger one until she fell into step beside him. Suddenly, goading and flirting didn’t really seem like the best thing she’d ever done. Her heart pounded and her mouth was suddenly too dry to speak. He moved steadily, steering her away from the block party.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” She managed to stammer the question with as much indignation as a scared little girl on her first day at school. God help her, but as anxious as she was, she couldn’t help but be excited too. There was no way she should let him take her off somewhere, but she was going to. Damn, damn, damn, she just didn’t have the will to do anything but follow.

  “Hush,” he hissed. She expected he’d explain further, but instead, he just kept them moving at a slow but steady pace. He actually waved and answered greetings from those around him as they passed. It was as if nothing unusual were happening. Carmen, meanwhile, was practically jumping out of her skin. Everything intelligent inside her screamed for her to wrestle her arm away from him and run like hell. Everything that was female inside her defied her brain, overruling her normal common sense and beating the living shit out of it.

  She would go with him, do whatever he wanted. And there was no way in fucking hell she’d let him leave her before she was completely and totally satisfied. She just hoped and prayed she’d be able to walk away in the morning.

  ***

  The exquisite beauty at his side was as jittery as a newborn lamb. It was okay—she would learn to trust him soon enough. He’d rather die than see her harmed in any way. Arturo couldn’t help but smile to himself; he could feel her excitement, could almost taste it. Of all the women he’d had the privilege of training, all of them paled in comparison to Carmen. She screamed out for a real man to claim her, to make her his. Truth be told, he was almost as nervous as she was. His whole life, his every experience as a Dom had been to prepare for this moment. This woman. He had a premonition he was going to have to use every ounce of his own training to keep in firm control of himself—and control of her.

  The last thing he wanted to do was subdue Carmen. Not outside the bedroom, anyway. She was a natural flirt, a woman who would test him, push him, prod him until he thought he was going to lose his mind. Hell she’d been doing that for going on three years now. She delighted in goading him, daring him to take her.

  He guided her through the crowd carefully. It was important that everyone see they were together. The very last thing he wanted was for anyone to touch her, especially another man. It wasn’t something he’d ever had a problem with before, but Carmen was his. He felt a sense of ownership that scared him a little. Never had he been this possessive of any woman. She might be an insatiable social butterfly, but no other man deserved her attention. He probably didn’t either, but he wanted to earn it. Wanted it more than he wanted to take his next brea
th. He would prove to her he was strong enough to handle her; he was the very thing she’d been screaming for without even realizing it.

  One thing was certain, though. When the morning came, neither of them would ever be the same.

  He took his time walking down the sidewalk with her. He could feel tension rising in her body. Maybe she was having second thoughts, but he knew she wanted this. If the tightening of her nipples hadn’t been a clue, the heat pouring off her body definitely was. She kept a smile plastered across her face, but he saw the little lines of strain creasing her forehead. Being much taller than the petite beauty made it easy to see her face clearly. Her eyes were shadowed, and fear, excitement, and indecision shone from their deep brown depths. Good. She knew he meant business. And yeah, he had plans for those ripe nipples. Oh did he ever!

  Control he had in spades, but there was no way he could keep his raging hard-on from being exactly what it was. His cock throbbed behind his jeans, and it was quite possible everyone they met noticed. But that was part of who he was. He couldn’t care less what people thought of him. Right now, all he cared about was the woman beside him and how many ways he could take her before the sun rose. Then, he’d take her again. There would be no doubt by May sixth that she belonged completely, totally to him. He wasn’t planning on ever spending another night without her.

  Finally, they climbed the steps to his front porch. He was damned glad they didn’t have to take a car, or worse, his bike home. His cock was so hard it was liable to break off if he had to sit right about now. Opening the door, he stepped back to let her enter. It never crossed his mind she might refuse to come inside. She wasn’t a coward, and she wanted this as much as he did.

  “This may not be such a good idea.” Although she stood there like she was about to bolt, he noticed she peeked in at the living room, biting her lower lip in indecision. “I, uh, I’m not like the girls you usually date.”

  God, she was adorable when she was being all insecure. He supposed she couldn’t help but look up at him through those long, inky black lashes. It was a coy move, utterly charming—and damned if didn’t make his cock jump.

  He looked at her a moment as if considering what she’d said. “That’s true, though there is hardly any comparison. You are so much more than any woman I’ve ever met.” Arturo couldn’t help reaching out to curl one silky chestnut curl around his finger. “I won’t force you, querida, and I won’t lie to you. I am not an easy man.” Hell, not exactly what he wanted to say. He wanted to entice her to come to him willingly, not scare her off. “I can promise you, though, that after tonight, my bed is the only place you’ll be sleeping from now on.”

  Chapter Two

  If that was supposed to comfort her...well, it didn’t, but it did make her even wetter, if that was possible. How twisted was it that the whole macho display of his turned her on like nothing else ever had before? There were two stark choices here—go in and live the dream, or run like a scared little baby chick. Carmen took a deep breath, straightened her spine, and walked into his lair.

  The thump and click of the door closing and locking behind her certainly sounded final. No way she was looking back, though.

  “Keep walking, amada. Up the stairs and to the right.”

  Good gracious, the man was way too large to move so silently. He still hadn’t touched her, even though he was so close she could almost feel him. How was it possible to ache for the touch of someone so badly? No matter how she tried to lag just a little, hoping for an accidental brush against him, he seemed to know and moved back just a bit. It was driving her crazy. Knowing him, that was probably the plan.

  Which led to another question. How well did she really know him? Sure, she knew the front he showed to the world—she’d been around him for three years now—but she had the feeling that was all a show. What he really was went much deeper than what she knew of him so far. He had never been one to talk much; those brooding tiger eyes seemed to speak volumes on their own.

  She reached the top of the stairs and turned right, as he’d indicated. Before her was an ornately carved wooden door. It was almost Gothic in its intricacies. She didn't dare touch it—to do so just seemed wrong somehow. This was his domain. Whatever happened behind those doors happened in another world.

  “Before we go any farther, Carmen, there are a few things you need to know.” He turned her gently to face him. God, she didn’t need to see his dark good looks! Not now! It was like looking into the face of a demon angel. Beautiful, yet terrifying. And so deliciously naughty she gave up worrying about her damp panties. She had a feeling she wouldn’t be needing them very much longer anyway. His dark wavy hair looked windblown, carefree. Her fingers itched to run through those locks to see if they were really as silky as they looked. Wait—he was about to say something—she should really listen. If only she could concentrate.

  “First and foremost, you are not a prisoner here. You can leave anytime you want with no fear anything we do here will be mentioned to anyone. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, as the saying goes.”

  She licked her lips before replying, “Okay. What else?” There was something else—she could feel it. He seemed suddenly tense.

  “If at any time you feel threatened, or simply don’t want to continue, you say ‘Cinco de Mayo.’ That’s your safe word.”

  “Safe word? What do you mean safe word?” Shit, shit, shit! She’d stepped in it this time. She knew full well what that meant. But could she handle it? Was he going to, like, whip her or something? “You mean like whips and chains and whatever else they do?”

  “Not they, Carmen—we. You and me. And no, no whips, no chains—but there will be paddles, and cuffs, and a toy here or there.”

  It was really hard to swallow. Carmen had never been so terrified in her life. Or so excited. She clenched and unclenched her fists in an effort to hide her sweaty palms. Rubbing them down the front of her dress would be a little obvious, besides ruining the delicate material. Could she do this? She wanted to, but could she live with herself in the morning?

  “Do you promise not to hurt me?”

  Arturo smiled at her. It wasn’t a gentle smile, but rather one of a predator. It really shouldn’t have been sexy. Certainly shouldn’t have made it so hard to breathe. “No. But I promise not to do anything you truly don’t want me to.”

  It was insane, it went against everything she knew, but Carmen didn’t have it in her to walk away. She wanted this, needed him, wanted him so bad her skin felt entirely too tight for her body.

  She was doing this. “Okay, I’m in.”

  ****

  Arturo had known she would say yes. Still, he felt like beating his chest à la Tarzan. He reached around her to open the door, pushing it open and walking in ahead of her. She paused when she took the huge four-poster bed. Made of solid oak, it was designed specifically to withstand the pulling of restraints. She had probably been expecting chains hanging from the ceiling or a makeshift dungeon at the very least. Arturo found those things crass. He enjoyed control, craved it, but he wasn’t some kind of sadistic asshole.

  “Take off your dress, amada. Slowly.”

  He had to take another step away from her. Generally he had no problem keeping in firm control of his urges. With Carmen he wasn’t so sure. She was perfection incarnate, at least to him. Lush and curvy, she was all woman and not afraid to be a woman. It was an unbelievable turn-on. Even now, despite whatever fears she may harbor, she took off her dress not so much as a performance, but almost as a ritual. Undoing the low zipper in the back, she didn’t move slowly, but she wasn’t in a hurry either. Hands full of grace slid the tiny metal tab downward as if she was afraid she’d rip the material. With a casual shrug, first one and then the other spaghetti strap fell down her arms, allowing the soft material to float down to her hips.

  She wore no bra, but didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed. Hell, he didn’t blame her. She had perfect breasts, her nipples a dark caramel that made his mouth wa
ter. With a sultry shimmy of her hips, the silky material slid down her body, and the thing just pooled at her feet. His breath caught, and he was unable to stifle the soft growl when he realized she wore no panties either. He was going to have to spank her for that—not that he didn’t appreciate it, it was just the principle of the matter.

  “Just what the hell did you have in mind this evening, Carmen? And with whom?” It was a little presumptuous, and a whole lot asshole, but he couldn't seem to help it. Just the thought of her wearing nothing under that fuck-me dress for another man was almost enough to send him over the edge. The conversation she’d overheard didn’t help matters any. Miguel wasn’t as much of an ass as he pretended to be, but that didn’t mean Arturo wanted his woman baking cakes for some other man.

  “I don’t see how that’s really any of your business,” she started, but Arturo cut her off.

  “Your being in this room of your own free will makes it my business. Now. Why were you not wearing any underwear?”

  Carmen swallowed, but Arturo watched as her face hardened into that stubborn look she always got when she thought she was being bullied. That full buttom lip sticking out ever so slightly. God, how would that mouth look wrapped around his cock? “It was a party. I hoped I’d get lucky.” She shrugged and looked away. Down. And to the left. A sure sign she was lying. Arturo didn’t get to be a special agent in the FBI by not noticing little things like that.

  “Right.” He let the lie go, but she had to know he knew she wasn’t telling him everything. “We’ll get back to that in a bit. Lie on the bed, arms above your head.”

  Arturo wasn’t really sure Carmen would do it. He expected more questions, pouting or at least a complaint. Instead she sauntered to the bed, stretching out on her back like a cat, slowly pulling her arms above her head. The action made her breasts rise temptingly. He had to count down from ten before even attempting to walk anywhere near to where she lay. Miles and miles of dark gold skin lay on his bed, begging him to take her six ways from Sunday. At least make her flawless skin blush a little. Turn her ass a rosy shade.