Ian and Aubrey were dining at Hallford-on-Hudson. A new, exclusive restaurant that required reservations and a knowledge of wine and French cuisine. Ian considered it satisfactory for the evening he had planned for Aubrey. He was going to show her an evening she would never forget. Then he was going to seal the deal.
As the maître d’ led them to their table. Aubrey could feel herself slipping into a world of luxury far beyond what her husband could afford. One that she wanted to get used to.
Their table, secluded and intimate, offered a stunning view of the Hudson River. As they settled into their plush seats, Aubrey felt the moment had arrived. She was ready to give herself over to Ian. She started by letting him order everything, including the wine, the entrée, the salads, and even the dessert.
"Here’s to you, Aubrey," Ian toasted when the wine had been approved and poured.
The restaurant was busy, but the couple took no notice. They were alone together in a happy bliss that no distractions could penetrate. Not even the view of the Hudson River could divert their attention from their mutual admiration of each other.
Ian dominated the conversation. He told Aubrey of all the triumphs in his new life. He didn’t credit her with anything, and Aubrey didn’t care. She didn’t want to talk about his therapy. That was over. She wanted to hear about the success of a real man who took the bull by the horns. A man who ate cultured boys like Foster for breakfast.
Dinner was exquisite. Ian had ordered a few things Aubrey didn’t care for, but everything on the menu was delicious, so it didn’t matter. It was all cooked to perfection, and Aubrey was glad she didn’t have to say much. She was tired of always having to initiate the conversation in her therapy sessions.
Right now, she was lost in Ian’s dreamy blue eyes. His command of the menu. His laugh. The way he adored her.
The evening had started with a dress box Ian had delivered to her house. It was a beautiful cocktail dress from a designer she couldn’t afford. It made her feel like young royalty, and Ian was her Prince.
Dessert, an amaretti tiramisu, was served with a flourish, a welcome end to a charming, engaging fantasy dinner that exceeded Aubrey’s expectations.
Aubrey was sorry when the last plate had been cleared, and the coffee was served, signaling the end of the evening. It was time to go back to reality. But Ian had something else in mind. When the waiter arrived with the check, a jewelry box accompanied it.
After the box was placed on the table, Aubrey looked at it in amazement. It was a black velvet box; she didn’t recognize the logo, but it was the size and shape that was meant to hold a necklace.
“Jewelry?” Aubrey thought to herself. “It’s not a wedding ring. Thank God. Or not? How thankful should I be? What’s the right emotion to show here?”
Aubrey looked into Ian’s eyes. They were smiling. Everything about him was smiling. He was the guy who knew he had given a girl everything she could expect on the most romantic evening of her life.
“Open it,” he said, barely containing himself.
Aubrey looked at Ian, then the box, and picked it up. She opened it with the dread and anticipation of opening the Ark of the Covenant.
For a moment, Aubrey was speechless. The diamond necklace was breathtaking, unquestionably stunning, but it felt like too much, too soon. It wasn’t a ring, but was it a prelude to being submissive and grateful? His ex-wife Hope came to mind.
She sat staring at the necklace, uncertain of what to think.
Once she recovered, she did her best. “Oh, Ian. It’s beautiful.” She took it out of the box and held it up to the light. Its brilliant shimmer mesmerized Aubrey. A few other diners noticed it and gawked.
Ian stood and walked around the table to help her put it on. Aubrey held up her hair while he fastened the clasp around her neck. There was some polite applause coming from a few of the tables.
What was the occasion for such a fine piece of jewelry?
"Beautiful, isn't it? Just like you," Ian murmured. Aubrey couldn’t quite pinpoint the tone in Ian’s compliment. Flattery or dark possession?
"Thank you," Aubrey managed, her throat closing tight.
Accepting the necklace would be conceding to his control, yet denying it felt like rejecting the heated connection that pulsed between them.
Had Aubrey given Ian absolute control over life? Did the acceptance of the necklace encircling her throat constitute some implied contract?
Ian's fingers brushed against her neck as he fastened the necklace, his touch sending her back into the realms of adoration and passion. Aubrey closed her eyes for a few seconds. She felt herself drifting further into the inescapable world of Ian Henshaw III.
Ian whispered into her ear, “Let’s go back to the penthouse.”
Aubrey knew what that meant. She suddenly felt like the girl who had to put out because a man bought her dinner. She wanted Ian so desperately, but she wished it had happened under different circumstances.
Back at Ian’s penthouse in Scarsdale, Aubrey began to relax. Ian was a smooth operator. He had transformed his sparsely furnished apartment into a showplace no girl could resist. New window treatments, new expensive furniture, and original paintings that a designer must have picked out for him.
No wonder Hope was pissed about living in that tract house near Mt. Vernon.
Ian led Aubrey out to the expansive balcony where he had champagne chilling on ice. There was new patio furniture, probably from Harbor’s in the city. The evening air felt soothing on her skin. The champagne Ian put on ice went down crisp and bubbly.
Ian was quiet and caring. He sat on the patio bench next to her and gazed into her eyes.
He knew exactly how to sneak his way into Aubrey’s heart.
“I’ve wanted you ever since the first time I met you. I didn’t know how to go about it,” confessed Ian.
“Then it’s time you made your move,” Aubrey said. “We’ve talked about you having the confidence to take what you want.”
Ian tried to say something, but Aubrey put her finger to his lips.
“Talking will spoil it.”
Ian, ever the Prince Charming, took her hand and kissed it tenderly.
He put his hand on Aubrey’s thigh as he leaned in to kiss her on the mouth.
The kiss was awkward at first, as it was leading to their first time making love. But the original shyness soon wore off, and Ian began kissing Aubrey like she wanted him to kiss her.
Her sexual fantasy about Ian was coming true.
Ian took control of the situation like Aubrey hoped he would. As he kissed her greedily on the mouth, she felt his hand on her inner thigh.
As he kissed his way down her neck, she sighed blissfully.
Aubrey’s mind, teetering on the line between reason and willful abandonment, chose not to listen to the rational part of her mind when Ian said:
“Let’s go to the bedroom.”
Here, in the new sheets Ian had purchased for the king-size bed, Aubrey found her sanctuary.
Ian unzipped her dress from behind, and Aubrey let it fall to the floor. She stepped out of the dress and was about to take off the necklace when Ian said, “Leave it on.”
He kissed her passionately on the neck and unhooked her bra. He lay her back on the bed and got out of his shirt and pants as quickly as possible. He stood over Aubrey, muscles tense and erection tenting his knit boxer shorts.
Ian lay down next to Aubrey, dominating her quivering body. He fondled her breasts, wantonly kissing them with his open mouth. He had become a skilled lover, adept at touching her in the right places; not like her husband Foster, who always bumbled around her body.
It was just like she imagined.
Aubrey arched her back in delight as Ian kissed a trail down to her briefs and then pulled them off slowly; he kissed his way back up.
She lay back, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the moment.
Now Ian was kissing her hungrily on the neck; this time, the bare skin of his chest was against hers. He pulled off his boxers, and his erection was sliding up and down on her slit. Aubrey could smell his fragrant cologne now. It was an expensive brand, and she assumed a personal shopper had picked it out for him.
As Aubrey’s wetness was apparent, Ian slipped his cock inside Aubrey’s slit; she let out a soft moan. It wasn’t so much that the act of having sex felt so good to her; it was that she was having sex with Ian, and it was just as she imagined it.
Ian kissed Aubrey’s neck again as he thrust into her, and the feeling was unbelievable.
It had been so long since she had sex with a man whom she had a real crush on and who was also her equal, a powerful man like Ian, who wanted her for her beauty and took her like this, completely satiating her wants and desires.
As Ian continued, he brought Aubrey to the next level.
He was pumping harder now, and Aubrey was so turned on by the feeling of Ian inside her that it was enough to make her come as she desired.
Ian was driving his shaft slowly and methodically into Aubrey now, and the twinges of pleasure in her pussy grew stronger.
The climax she experienced left her shuddering, but Ian wasn’t finished yet. Like a beast who had completed his conquest, he let out a low groan that signified his satisfaction.
They lay together for a few minutes, catching their breath and recovering from the moment.
Ian rolled over to face Aubrey. He had something to say.
"Move in with me, Aubrey," He murmured, his voice bringing Aubrey back to her senses. "I want to wake up to this...to you...every day."
The dress, the dinner, the necklace, the lovemaking. It all led to this moment.
What had Aubrey committed to by accepting these gifts?
"I'll think about it," she said. It was the only thing she had uttered tonight that was even close to denying Ian anything.
And as Ian pulled her close, the warmth of his chest was so comforting, Aubrey forgot herself again.
“I’m serious,” Ian breathed into her ear.
"Sounds...perfect," she murmured. Her cozy response masked the apprehension she suddenly felt.
"Perfect indeed," Ian replied. "Prepare to be adored, Aubrey. I intend to worship every inch of you."
But Aubrey didn’t hear that. Instead, Hope’s eerie voice was in her head. "Be careful, Aubrey. You don’t have any idea of what you are getting into.”
Aubrey turned over on her stomach. Ian put his hand on her back. He meant it as an affectionate gesture, but to Aubrey, it felt like she was being held in place.
She tried to shake off her misgivings about what had transpired that night, but it was beyond her comprehension. Ian was beyond skillful at seducing her. In one night of passion, she was moving in with him, surrendering her whole life to him in one stroke.
But why spoil a perfectly planned evening?
There was always tomorrow to sort out the grisly details.