Schooled: The Mastered Series Read online

  No, it shows that you haven’t been practicing as you need to. Keeping up with your rope work is muscle memory and as important as any martial arts training.

  While he knew there was no such thing as perfection, striving for it had always been his goal. His cheeks heated as the flaws in his technique leapt out at him. Flaws not in the canvas but with the painter.

  He further studied his design. His finger traced each wrap on the front side of her body. Then he moved in behind her. With the uneven rope spacing and the odd placement of the bamboo stick, this binding screamed “amateur.” Now he was relieved there wouldn’t be photographic evidence of his less-than-stellar rope work.

  Is this session about you? Or about her? In your haste to complete the design have you forgotten the journey is as important as the end result?

  As much as he hated having his rope master instructor’s voice in his head during these intimate moments, the truth was he needed the reminders about the true goal of kinbaku—especially lately.

  Fix it. Focus on her.

  Ronin placed a kiss below her jaw, encouraging her to bare her throat to him. He maneuvered her upper body into a curve, and caressed her while he tied the last dangling rope from the rafter to the left side of the chest harness. “Stretch to the right. That’s it. Let yourself go.”

  As usual, Amery looked spectacular bound—a heady mix of innocence and sensuality. But his vision wasn’t complete. Something was missing.

  The inside of his forearm brushed her neck as he reached around and pulled the chopsticks from her up-do.

  Amery’s gorgeous, strawberry-blond hair tumbled down in soft waves.

  That was it. The last piece of the puzzle.

  Ronin admired her. With his hands. With his mouth. With his words. “Stunning visage, baby. Thank you for this gift. The name of this binding is ‘swaying cherry tree.’ The bamboo rod supports the spine—the trunk. This curved position of your body denotes the natural arc of branches.” Crushing a handful of her hair, he brought it to his lips before letting it fall. “The way your hair hangs symbolizes the long strands of blossoms on a weeping cherry tree.”

  Her chest rose and fell slowly as he wove another spell with his words.

  “And these?” Ronin thrummed her nipples, the rigid points poking out between the strands of rope. “They bring to mind the new red buds, eagerly waiting to flower.” He slid his palm down the center of her torso, loving how this angle accentuated her womanly curves. Gently stroking her clit, he dragged an openmouthed kiss from the hollow behind her ear down the slope of her neck. “And this”—he rubbed circles around that swollen flesh—“is the sweetest bud of all. Surrounded by soft pink petals. Emitting such a heavenly scent. And the sweet nectar that gathers here”—he dipped his finger into the cream—“draws me in like nothing else.”

  “Ronin. Please… .”

  He kissed her while he continued to caress her. Drawing out her pleasure. Her body quivered and he swallowed her escalating moans. He pulled back to whisper, “Come for me, baby,” against her mouth.

  And she did. Immediately. Beautifully. Holding herself rigid as she climaxed. Even in the aftermath, she held the pose, looking gorgeously spent.

  Ronin freed her from the binding. The bamboo pole hit the patio deck with a loud clatter, making Amery jump. “It’s okay. I’ve got you,” he murmured against her nape as he undid the last section of the chest harness. He lifted her into his arms and she curled into him, her trust absolute.

  He walked the garden path and laid her on the blanket he’d spread out.

  Resting on his knees next to her hip, Ronin gathered a handful of cherry blossoms and sprinkled them above her. The pink-edged flowers floated down, landing on her chest and the smooth expanse of her belly.

  “That tickles,” she said with a smile.

  He scattered another handful over her mound and between her thighs. “If you wiggle too much they’ll slide off. Which would be a shame because you look lovely like this.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like a lusty earth goddess covered in cherry blossoms.”

  “Ronin. Take the blindfold off. Please. I want to see.”

  Once the material cleared her forehead, she opened her eyes and pushed up onto her elbows.

  She stared at the petals decorating her body and then glanced up to see they were beneath the cherry tree. A soft laugh tumbled from her.

  “What?”

  “And you tell me you’re not romantic. This is perfect. You’re perfect.” She held out her hand. “Come here. I want to share this with you.”

  When he stood to take off his gi pants, he smacked his shoulder into the lowest tree branch, sending hundreds more petals floating down around her.

  Ronin watched the scene play out in slow motion like an art-house film; snowy white petals highlighting the flush of passion on her skin, the satisfied tilt of her kiss-plumped lips, her hair spread out with moonlight glinting off it like rose gold.

  But this wasn’t a movie, or a dream montage. This woman was his. This life was his.

  Another soft laugh sounded and for the first time tonight, he felt silly. Maybe he had gone too far over the top in setting a romantic scene. His gaze collided with hers.

  But in the depths of her eyes he saw love and passion and gratitude.

  He levered himself over her until they were skin to skin. Even the cherry-blossom scent couldn’t compete with the sweet musk that was all Amery. “Hi.”

  “Hi, yourself.” She slipped her arms around his neck. “Thank you. I really love this.”

  “What specifically do you really love?”

  “This time away from our everyday lives. Just you and me. I didn’t realize how much we needed it until we’ve had it the last week.”

  “Me too. But I want to warn you that the next three weeks won’t be like this.”

  “So let’s make tonight count. Since you’ve gone to all this trouble to form me into a swaying tree, then showering me with heavenly scented flower petals, and I’m pretty sure you plan to make love to me outside in the moonlight beneath the cherry blossom tree.”

  “You are right. But first, I need this.” Ronin pushed back onto his haunches and scooped her ass into his hands. He lowered his head at the same time he lifted her sex, opening his mouth wide over her succulent flesh.

  He painted her clit with fast lashes of his wet tongue until he felt her clit swelling. He relentlessly pursued her orgasm until that moment she gave it up to him with a sexy cry. The way her back bowed off the blanket kicked in his primal hunger as he greedily sucked down her sweet nectar.

  After she stopped writhing against his face, he shifted into the cradle of her thighs and fed his cock into her hot, snug walls. Gritting his teeth against his natural instinct to rut on her like a beast beneath a full moon, he tried to slow himself from the intense pace he desired.

  Then Amery’s soft hands were running up his chest and she pulled him down on top of her. She threaded her fingers into his hair and held his face a breath away from hers. “I love you. Thank you for giving me the perfect night.” She brushed her parted lips across his. “Make this last, Master Black. Show me that stamina you’ll need in the next three weeks.”

  Three times he built them up to the tipping point and backed off at the last second. Falling petals stuck to their sweat-soaked skin when he drove them to the edge and at last let them spiral into the void together.

  As they indulged in kisses and caresses in the afterglow, Amery said, “What number was that?”

  He laughed. “I lost track after twenty.”

  Chapter Four

  Amery missed her friends.

  She missed going to the office every day.

  She missed being able to drive wherever she wanted.

  She missed junk food.

  She even missed the dirty sweat-sock smell of the dojo.

  But mostly she missed her husband. Which was ironic because of all the things she missed, he was the only
thing that was close by.

  They’d been in the village outside of Sapporo for two and a half weeks now. The house Ronin had rented for them was in a secluded spot. The people in the village were friendly enough she supposed—not that she could converse with any of them since the locals didn’t speak English and she didn’t speak Japanese.

  The first day they’d arrived, Ronin had shown her around. Given her detailed instructions on where to go and not to go. The second day, she’d been on her own. As well as the third day. And every day after that.

  Initially she’d hoped Ronin had exaggerated his training schedule, but if anything it was more demanding than she’d expected. On the first day of training, Ronin had returned a different man. And as the days rolled on, he pulled deeper inside himself and further away from her.

  Part of his withdrawal, she knew, was from exhaustion. Even after being on medical restrictions for half a year, the man was still a specimen of physical perfection with his lean, muscular body because he challenged himself daily to remain in top condition. The fact he was so worn down every night that he could barely keep his eyes open through dinner indicated how rigorous this training regimen was.

  It wasn’t like he didn’t warn you that it’d be like this.

  Although she’d had a restless night of sleep, she got up when Ronin got up. He’d been gone an hour by now and she’d done nothing but drink a pot of coffee, and brood while gazing out the window at the mountain she could only admire from afar.

  Tired of moping, Amery called her office in Denver. It took some time before the connection went through and the line began to ring.

  “Hardwick Designs, this is Molly.”

  “You sound chipper. Is it because your workday is almost over?”

  “Amery! I was just thinking about you and missing you, you jerk.”

  “Missing me? Sounds like you were cursing me.”

  “Maybe a little.” Molly paused. “Good god, woman, what time is it there?”

  “Seven in the morning. Tomorrow.”

  “Why would you get up that early when you’re on vacation?”

  “I’m not really on vacation.” She paused. “But Ronin has to get up … so then I’m up.”

  “Sounds … challenging. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. No. Maybe.” She sighed. “I don’t know what I’m doing here right now, Mol.” Hearing the squeak of Molly’s office chair, she had a serious wave of homesickness.

  “Hang on.” Footsteps, then, “Hey, Presley, you wanna get us some snacks? Great. Thanks.” Another pause. “Okay. Now I can talk. What’s going on?”

  “I’m at loose ends. We’ve been in Japan for three and a half weeks. The first week was amazing. These last few weeks have sucked ass. So when I think about spending the next five weeks bouncing around, I want to jump on the next flight home.”

  “Because you’re bored?”

  “I don’t know if it’s boredom. Since I haven’t taken a break from working since I graduated from college, I don’t know what to do with myself when I don’t have a regimented schedule. I’ve exhausted all of my options already. I’ve taken a bazillion pictures. I’ve wandered around the village—which takes like four minutes. A tutor comes twice a week to teach me Japanese and I’ve mastered oh, maybe ten more words. I’ve caught up on all the industry magazines and articles that I brought along for reading. I’ve even managed to finish a few books on my ereader. I practice yoga for an hour every day. I cook dinner for Ronin every night.”

  “And?”

  Amery walked over to the pot for a refill. “And I hear myself sounding like a fucking whiner and I want to kick my own ass. For christsake, I’m in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been and I’m—”

  “Lonely,” Molly finished softly.

  “Yeah, I am. But I knew going into this trip that I’d be spending a bunch of time by myself. I didn’t think it would be an issue. I’ve never minded doing things alone. It’s not like Ronin and I are joined at the hip when we’re at home.”

  “But if you were at home you’d call up your friends to hang out, or you’d work in the office, or you’d pound the pavement drumming up more business. You can’t do any of that there.”

  “True.”

  “Have you said anything to Ronin about how you’re feeling?”

  She’d imagined the conversation a half a dozen times but it always ended badly, with her coming across like a fishwife. Anytime she’d asked him if he was pushing himself too much he gave her that hard stare that indicated the topic was not up for discussion.

  “Amery?”

  “No. He’s preoccupied with training. It seems like a bitchy thing to bring up, especially since we’re flying to the Ryukyu Islands in a few days. So I’ll suck it up. I just needed to vent and you’re lucky enough to be on my speed dial.” She sipped her coffee. “What’s new at the office?”

  “Just the usual. Kinky, corny, kitschy, classy projects that showcase our diverse graphic art abilities.”

  “Kinky? Do tell what dirty things you’ve been doing.”

  Molly snorted. “Nice deflection. Is having a predisposition for kink a prerequisite when you get involved with the guys at Black Arts?”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “I overheard Deacon and Knox arguing about some place called Twisted, and I don’t think it’s a strip club because Shiori’s name came up. Then there are the covers you did for Cherry Starr. After you started seeing Ronin you just happened to know someone who’s into rope bondage? And they just happened to allow you to do a photo shoot with them? Bull. I think we both know who’s really on those covers.”

  “Are you trying to tell me those types of projects bother you?”

  “No, I’m trying to tell you that I’m not some little innocent you need to protect. By you, I mean the whole kinky crew at Black Arts. Feel free to pass that along.”

  Amery grinned. About damn time her friend came out of her shell. “So noted. Did you finish the Archer project I emailed you about?”

  “We’re still working on it. I told Presley it was okay to use stock photos, because when she puts the finishing touches on them they don’t look stock.”

  At first Amery had been wary about interviewing Presley Quinn since Molly had met her at a roller derby match-up. But after seeing the woman’s portfolio, she’d hired her on the spot. Presley had mad artistic skills across the board—even if she looked a hot mess; tats and piercings and her thrift-store-Goth-meets-Bettie-Page clothing. But she fit in personality wise with her and Molly, plus she brought a fresh perspective, which had proved good for business.

  “We miss you, Amery, but things are going well here, so try to enjoy yourself there. Talk to Ronin. Things always go to hell between you two when you’re giving each other space and being all polite and shit. Oops. The other line is ringing. I’ve gotta go.”

  ***

  Later in the morning Amery wandered down to the village. After growing up with supermarkets that carried everything a customer could want, the simplicity of the food choices surprised her. She suspected this was where Ronin had picked up his good dietary habits. There wasn’t much room in their small refrigerator and freezer, so she had to shop every other day. On tonight’s menu was miso soup and steamed bluefin tuna on red quinoa with fresh vegetables. Amery paid careful attention to make sure Ronin ate enough protein and complex carbohydrates since his body burned so many calories during his fourteen-hour training sessions.

  Ronin came home that evening at eight thirty. He’d gotten into a routine. First, he kissed her hello and headed to their bedroom to shower. Then they sat down to dinner. After dinner, while she washed the dishes, he tossed his sweat-soaked gi in the washer. Then he adjourned to the onsen—the natural hot spring down by the creek. The water was almost too hot for her, but soaking in the mineral-rich water did wonders for Ronin’s aching muscles.

  He kissed her as he passed her in the kitchen on his way outside.

  Annoyed by Roni
n’s distraction—the man had barely said two words since he’d walked through the door—Amery poured herself another glass of sake. She’d grown to like it, but only the high-end stuff Ronin bought. No sake equivalent of box wine for him.

  He’d left the door open to the deck, which meant he expected her to follow him.

  Feeling contrary, she wandered over and closed the door before she stretched out on the couch to watch TV. Not that she could follow any of the shows since all two hundred channels were in Japanese.

  Maybe five minutes passed before Ronin opened the door and stepped inside. “Amery? Aren’t you coming out?”

  She kept her gaze glued to the TV—hard as it was when her husband was freakin’ naked. “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  She shrugged.

  “Baby, can you look at me, please?”

  She glanced over her shoulder, then craned her neck to peer around the room divider before meeting his gaze. “Oh. You’re talking to me?”

  “Who else would I be talking to?”

  “Gosh, I don’t know because those are about the first words you’ve spoken to me since you got home over an hour ago. So I’ll pass on joining you and let you do your little soaking thingy alone. I know my chattering disturbs your reflective time.” Amery flicked her focus back to the screen and drained her sake.

  The next thing she knew Ronin was in her face, his hands braced on the back of the couch. “Get in the onsen or I’ll toss you in. Your choice.”

  “At least if you tossed me in your hands would be on me,” she grumbled.

  “How much sake have you had?”

  “Not enough, since I’ll be having another glass while I’m out there.” She ducked under his arm. “Yeah, yeah, I know, put it in a plastic cup.”

  Ronin spun her around and kissed her with enough patience and passion to cool her temper down and heat her body up.

  Damn him.

  When he finally released her mouth, his erection poked into her belly. He murmured, “Don’t be long,” and nuzzled her cheek before walking away.