Chapter 33: A Man In Charge

Laughing at the witch remark, Richie spun Julianna to the wall and pressed up against her, kissing her hard. She braced her hands against his chest, splaying her fingers over his heart. Richie grabbed her wrists in one hand, and pinned them to the wall over her head. He had a wicked gleam in his eyes as Julianna tested his strength. Despite her struggles, his arm didn’t budge. “No way, baby,” he said. “No fighting me. I want to have my way with you.” He covered her face with kisses, while his other hand squeezed a nipple, making her moan. “I’ll stop whenever you want me to.”

“You stop and I’ll kill you,” she rasped.

Richie removed his hand from her wrists. “Don’t lower your arms until I tell you to,” he said.

Julianna nodded. Her violet eyes were stormy with passion, her complexion flushed. Richie kissed his way down her body, taking time to torture each sensitive breast. He trailed his fingers lightly over her ribs, making her squeak. To his delight, she did not move. She was getting into the game. Dropping to his knees, he picked up one leg and draped it over his shoulder. Pressing kisses to her inner thighs, he could hear her breathing growing more and more ragged. Her head lolled from side to side as he kissed closer and closer to her core. He switched gears, and started kissing her stomach, his tongue tracing “his” tattoo on her abdomen. He kissed his way down to where she wanted to feel his mouth the most. He stroked his tongue along her slit, making her moan. Dipping his tongue inside her, she bucked from the wall, dropping her arms. Richie stopped, looking up at her, grinning like a fool. “What’s the matter, baby?”

“Nothing, everything is fine,” Julianna panted.

“Good,” Richie said, then lowered his head to continue his assault. Lapping at her slowly, he reveled in the sounds he evoked from her. This was power at its most primal. He knew this was borrowed power – that Julianna held all the cards, but he was thoroughly enjoying her relinquishment.

Julianna’s moans increased, turning into pleading. Richie closed his lips around her clit and sucked hard. Julianna screamed his name, and arched away from the wall. Richie slid first one long, strong finger, then two into her, pumping her as he continued the assault with his mouth. Slumping against the wall, Julianna’s head flung from side to side, her hands pressed hard into the tile. Her breathing was labored, and the leg she was standing on was starting to shake.

Richie gently took the leg from his shoulder and placed it on the floor, making Julianna’s stance wide. Her hands found Richie’s hair, and threaded into it, fisting tightly. “Oh God . . . Rich . . . I’m . . . aaaaah!” She fell over the edge, into oblivion, shattering into a million pieces. Richie lapped at her until she came back to him. With one final kiss on her ink, he stood to wrap her in his embrace.

Releasing her, Richie picked up Julianna’s shampoo. He put a fair amount into his hands, and rubbed them together, making a thick lather. He ran his hands through Julianna’s hair, massaging her scalp. Julianna braced her hands on Richie’s shoulders, gripping them firmly to keep from melting to the floor. Gathering the wet locks in his hands, Richie worked the sweet-smelling lather through them.

He rinsed the suds from her hair, then turned her, taking Julianna’s hands and braced them against the cool tile wall of the stall, making her bend slightly at the waist. Richie came in close behind her, his arousal pressing into her from behind. Julianna gasped, and pushed back hard, welcoming him. Richie eased into her fully, groaning with satisfaction.

Richie reached around to grab Julianna’s breasts, kneading them with his fingers as he stroked in and out of her in smooth, slow motions. Julianna’s breath came faster, but she didn’t move a single muscle. Well, maybe a single muscle moved. She clenched around Richie and asked, “Are you still having your way, or can I have mine?”

Richie ran a gentle hand down her back and leaned to plant a kiss on her spine. “Yes, baby, you may.”

She breathed, “thank you,” and slammed back into him, over and over, until she screamed his name. With a low, long groan, Richie climaxed, emptying into her. After the tremors stopped, Richie pulled out, and pulled Julianna to his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist, and burying his face in her neck. Julianna purred, “Mmmm, that was fantastic.” She turned her head to nip at his chin. “I’m getting hungry – for food.” She looked up at him. “Need a snack? A refueling, as it were?”

“Absolutely,” Richie laughed, kissing her. They made quick work of washing each other, and stepped out of the shower to wrap themselves in big, fluffy towels. He followed Julianna to the kitchen, where she rummaged in the fridge, and pulled out sandwich fixings. Richie’s gaze traveled to Julianna’s hair, and he saw it was all tangled together. He asked her, “Hey, got a comb or something?”

Julianna looked over her shoulder at Richie’s own mussed hair and raised an eyebrow. “I have more than three feet of hair. Of course I do. Bathroom, vanity, left drawer.” She heard him grunt acknowledgement and leave the room. Julianna took a moment to pull herself together, and braced her hands on the counter.

“Hey, you okay?” Richie asked, with concern in his voice. He had come back to the kitchen, and saw her slumped over the counter; he worried that she had regrets.

Julianna turned to look at him, with a big smile on her face. “Baby, I’m more than okay. My body is humming happily, and my soul is dancing with joy. You did that.” She kissed him deeply. “I’m mostly having trouble believing this isn’t just a wild, wonderful dream. This is really real, right? I mean, I’m not dreaming this up, am I?”

Richie saw such vulnerability in her eyes – it touched something deep in his heart. “Sweetheart, this is real. I’m real.” He hugged her tight, and snaked a hand under her towel to pinch her ass playfully.

“Ouch!” she complained.

“See?” Richie said, grinning. “I pinched you, and you didn’t wake up.” His expression turned serious. “This is real, Julianna.”

She kissed him softly. “Thank God,” she said, and turned to make sandwiches. Richie stood behind Julianna, and taking a length of hair, starting combing it with a wide-toothed comb he found in the vanity.

Julianna started, surprised. “You don’t have to do that, I can take care of it later,” she said.

“I want to. Please, let me?”

They worked in silence, Richie combing through Julianna’s long tresses until they were smooth, and she fixing them a midnight snack. When Richie was done combing through Julianna’s hair, he braided it and secured the end with a scrunchie he’d brought from the bathroom. Julianna, surprised, looked over her shoulder at him, eyebrows raised.

He smiled and dropped a kiss onto her mouth. “I do have a daughter, you know,” he said.

Julianna laughed, and kissed him back. “Still hungry? Sandwiches are ready.” They dug into thick, hearty, cold meatball subs, refueling and talking about Julianna’s trip, and the work they were going to be doing over the next few days.

When they were done, Julianna stacked the dishes in the sink, took Richie by the hand, and led her back to the bedroom. Richie stalked over to the sliding glass doors and made a big show of shutting the blinds. “No peepers tomorrow,” he said. Giggling, Julianna pulled off her towel and added it to the pile of clothes she had left by the bed. Richie laughed and followed suit.

They kissed and touched tenderly, gently climbing into the king-sized bed. Their lovemaking was slow and satisfying, and they fell asleep wrapped in each others’ arms.