The Wolf and I (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 4

  “I don’t know if you noticed,” I said, “I don’t have a lot of willpower around you.” I fiddled with my dress for a moment. “We should probably get going. Tonight is supposed to be about really getting to know one another and I don’t think that is going to happen if we stand here much longer.”

  His eyes twinkled. “I wouldn’t mind that so much, but I did promise you dinner and I never go back on my promises. So, for that reason, how about we head out?”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  When we stepped out on my front porch, I saw Wolf’s car for the first time. Somehow, it seemed perfect for him. I did not know cars very well but I did know it was some sort of classic and I was happy to see the big blue car was sitting there with the convertible top down. He walked me to the curb and opened the door. When I was situated, he walked around and climbed in behind the wheel. He picked up a flat, silver box from the seat between us and handed it to me.

  “Another gift?” I asked. I opened the box to find a beautiful light-blue scarf with tiny flowers all over it.

  I gasped. “Oh, Wolf. It’s just beautiful.”

  “Hermes,” he said. “Since I have the top down on the car tonight, I thought you might like something to keep your hair from getting messed in the wind.”

  I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “You think of everything. Thank you, Wolf.”

  “I hope you don’t mind,” he said as he started up the car and pulled away from the curb. “I thought we could go for Italian tonight. I know this great little place not far from here. It’s romantic and the food is great.”

  “Sounds fine,” I said.

  I pulled the scarf out of the box and folded it over my hair. Wolf was certainly earning points for being romantic tonight. I leaned back in the seat and admired my reflection in the mirror. The scarf made me feel a little bit like one of those old Hollywood beauties, all dressed up for a night on the town.

  In no time at all, we arrived at the restaurant. We were seated immediately in at a cozy corner table that afforded us more privacy than most of the others. After the waiter seated us, we were left with a wine list and menus. I smiled at Wolf, enjoying the soft glow of candlelight that illuminated our table.

  “Wine?” he asked. I liked that he did not assume.

  “Please,” I said. I knew what his next question would be so I quickly added, “I will have whatever you are having.”

  When our orders had been placed and we sat enjoying our wine, Wolf reached across the table and lightly stroked my fingers. His touch sent a tingle down my spine. “Tell me about Ruby,” he said. “I truly do want to know everything about you.”

  And so I began speaking. I told him about everything from being married to Butch, to our years of moving around because of his military career, to raising Vera. I told him about losing Butch and ending up as Annabelle’s babysitter. I even told him about my decision to move to Shady Creek.

  Somewhere in the middle of our meal, I turned the tables and asked Wolf to tell me about himself. “I was married once, a long time ago,” he said. “It ended badly.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “Don’t be,” he said. “Before I retired, I was a lawyer. I traveled a lot for work, so I suppose the divorce was partially my fault. I finished up business early on one trip and I decided to come home early and surprise my wife. When I got there, I found her in bed with the neighbor. I never even knew she was unhappy with me.”

  “I’m…so sorry,” I repeated.

  “I wanted to work things out and she didn’t. She ended up with the house and I moved across the country and started my life over. We didn’t have any kids so I never had to see her again. I never remarried and I haven’t looked back since.”

  I reached across the table and placed my hand on top of his. My heart ached with pain for his past. I wanted to say something but I could not find the right words.

  He changed the subject all on his own. “I had a great career in corporate law. The industry was good to me. I just retired last year, though I still do a little bit of consulting and lend a hand here and there for a number of non-profit groups. That is why I was away on business.”

  The more he talked, the more I felt a warmth growing in my chest. Not only had Wolf had a distinguished career, he had volunteered his talents for several charity organizations. How could I not like a man with such a good heart?

  “Listen,” he said, changing the subject. “I have a proposal.”

  I opened my mouth to object. One dinner was not going to put marriage back on the table quite yet. It was still way too soon.

  Wolf continued before I could get a word out. “Let’s go on vacation—on me. I’ll even get you your own separate room if you want.”

  “I can’t let you pay for a vacation for me,” I said.

  “But you would be willing to go?”

  “Well, I guess it depends on where you want to go.”

  His lips spread into a wide smile. “I know of a very special resort I think you might enjoy. It is on a tiny island in the Florida Keys. And you can let me pay for it. I insist.”

  “The Florida Keys, huh?” I said. “I’ve never been but I hear it is lovely down there.”

  “As beautiful as it is, nothing can compare to your beauty.”

  I thought about it for several minutes then answered. “Yes,” I said.

  “Yes?” he asked.

  I repeated myself. “Yes.”

  “I just have to tell you one thing about this resort.” Wolf looked a little bit nervous.

  I raised an eyebrow. “What is that?”

  “It’s, um, clothing optional,” he said and I immediately opened my mouth to speak, but he was way too quick. “Optional,” he emphasized. “You don’t have to go in the nude there. You just have the option of doing it if you want.”

  I hesitated. I was picturing the resort in my mind. Everyone was at least twenty years younger with a beautiful, smooth body, lacking any hint of sag. Then I imagined all these beautiful people having wild sex all over the place.

  As if he could read my thoughts, Wolf said, “The guests there are normal people from all walks of life. For the most part, it’s a family resort. There are some areas that are adult-only—and I am not going to lie and tell you that you won’t see some, uh, adult activities in those areas. You don’t have to participate in said activities in those areas. You don’t even have to go into those areas if you don’t want.”

  I could hear the words, Be Dangerous, Be Dangerous, Be Dangerous, over and over in my head. It was starting to feel like I had lived my entire life with blinders on. Now that they were off, I was starting to see that the world was a much more vibrant place than I had ever known possible.

  Somehow I could feel how much Wolf wanted to take me away. He did not even need to say it aloud. His thought seemed to echo in my mind. Finally, it just popped out of my mouth. “Fine.”

  There was no way Wolf’s smile could have been any wider if he had tried. I was glad that he was happy, but the thought of me at a nudist resort was the craziest idea ever. It was yet another thing I never would have thought myself capable of. Being with Wolf was starting to become quite an adventure.

  Chapter 8:

  Fire! Fire!

  If there was one store where I had to stop before leaving for vacation, Fire! was it. I still was not so sure about the clothing-optional part of the resort. In the spirit of adventure, however, I decided that I would at least pick out a few outfits that I felt comfortable enough to wear in public that leaned toward risqué. After all, I figured that the resort was on the other side of the country and it was unlikely that I would ever see any of the other guests again. With that in mind, I could afford to test my boundaries.

  This time around, I held my head high as I walked to the front door of Fire! and pulled it open. For some reason, I expected to find Miranda waiting to greet me at the door like she had the last time. Instead, there was a tiny little blonde thing standing there tha
t was so thin, it looked like it was probably an effort just to hold up her head. I felt like a gluttonous giant next to her. I knew she was probably just as competent as Miranda but I had the feeling that nothing I tried on would look nearly as nice on me with her standing close-by.

  “Welcome to Fire!” she said. Even her voice sounded tiny. “My name is Sophie. Is there anything I can help you with today?”

  I did not want to offend her but I really preferred to work with Miranda. “Is there any chance that Miranda is in today?” I asked.

  “She is but she is with a client right now. I can ask her how long she’ll be if you like.”

  “I would appreciate that,” I said. “Please let her know that Ruby is here and I would very much like to see her if she has the time today.”

  “Certainly. I will only be a moment.” Sophie excused herself as she headed off toward the lingerie section.

  While I waited, I wandered around, looking at the displays. I stopped when I came to some vibrators with cute little bunnies on them. I picked one up that was translucent pink with a bent tip for a closer look. I had never owned a vibrator before, but now I was curious. This particular one had variable rotation and vibration speed.

  Suddenly, Sophie was right beside me and I jumped, putting the vibrator down as quickly as possible. “It’s one of our best sellers,” she said. She picked up the blue one next to it and held it up. “I have this one and I really like it. As you can see, the tip on it is shaped just like the head of a real penis but it works exactly the same as the one you were looking at.” She put it down and picked up the one I had put down so quickly. “Do you see how the tip of this one is bent?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Well, that is designed to caress your G-spot. In theory, it should give you an even more intense orgasm.”

  “I have a gentleman friend, so I really don’t think…” I trailed off.

  She laughed a little. “These aren’t just for solo use. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I use mine for solo use plenty, but my boyfriend and I use it together a lot, too.”

  I smiled, trying to indicate that I wasn’t really interested. I looked toward the back of the store. “Did Miranda say how long she would be?” I asked.

  “She said she would be about fifteen minutes or so. If you would like to continue looking around, she will be with you as soon as she can.”

  “Actually,” I said, “I really need to get a touch-up if the girl who does the waxing is here.” I paused for a moment then added, “I’m leaving for vacation tomorrow and I want to make sure everything is nice and neat before I go.”

  “Sure,” said Sophie, looking at her watch. “She has an appointment in about thirty minutes so your timing is perfect.”

  I followed her into the waxing salon and disrobed as the girl set up. I neatly folded my pants and panties over the chair and hopped up on the table.

  “I know it hasn’t been a super-long time since I was in before, but I’m leaving on vacation tomorrow. I just wanted to clean everything up before I left.”

  “No problem,” the girl said as she leaned in to inspect my bikini line. “You don’t have a ton of growth but we can clean it up.” She pulled a tray over closer that contained her supplies. “Where are you headed?”

  “Florida,” I said.

  She prepped the area, spread hot wax, and then placed a fabric strip over it. “Oh, yeah? We should give you a little bejeweled palm tree. Are you doing anything fun while you’re there?”

  “Actually, we are going to one of—” I inhaled sharply as she pulled off the first strip of fabric. I began again. “We’re going to one of those clothing-optional resorts.”

  “Sounds like fun,” she said as she spread more wax. “You should look at our jewelry selection. We have some stuff that would look great with your grooming.” She placed another strip of fabric and quickly pulled it away.

  I wondered what kind of jewelry she was talking about. “I don’t know how I feel about walking around in the nude in public,” I said.

  She continued working. “I can understand that. I’m not sure how I would feel about it either.” She paused to think for a second then continued. “I mean, it is one thing to walk around naked in front of your significant other but it would be weird to do it in front of complete strangers. Then again, they will be completely naked, too, and you will be on vacation. ‘When in Rome’ and all that.”

  I thought about her words for a minute. Maybe she was right. “I’ll ask Miranda about the jewelry,” I said.

  “Excellent,” she said, handing me a mirror. “We are done.”

  I looked at the reflection, wondering what it would be like to walk around fully exposed. I would at least think about it when I got there. At the very least, I owed it to myself to do that.

  “Perfect,” I said and handed back the mirror. She had taken more hair off this time, but I liked it. All she had left was a tiny little patch of hair on top. The lips were completely bare and I was hyperaware of them. I liked the way it felt.

  Just as I pulled my pants up and refastened them, there was a gentle tap on the door. I slid my feet into my shoes, then opened it to find Miranda standing there. She had a big smile on her face.

  “Ruby!” she said. “You’re back! I’m so happy!”

  I thanked the other girl, giving her a tip, and followed Miranda out of the room. “It’s so good to see you again, too,” I said.

  “What are we up to today?”

  “Well,” I said, “I’m going on vacation and I wanted to pick some things up. Maybe a sheer robe and a bathing suit if you have one. And the waxing girl said I should ask you about jewelry.”

  “Really?” she asked. “Where are you headed?”

  I explained to her about the resort and the clothing-optional policy. “I won’t know if I am daring enough to let it all hang out until I’m there, I guess,” I said. “I want to be prepared either way.”

  “Well, how about we start with the jewelry?”

  She led me to a display that was just as nice as any in an actual jewelry store. The items in the cases were different but they looked just as nice. In fact, I was not really sure what it was that I was looking at. Little metal wires bent into something like smushed U shapes had all sorts of glittering dangles attached and were resting on white velvet pillows in the first case. In the next one were little coils of wire in pairs. Some of them were just coiled, some of them had shapes like hearts and stars, and still others were attached by chains.

  She recognized my confusion right away and explained. “The first case has clitoral clips. The other one has nipple coils. Nothing in either case is piercing or permanent. The nipple coils are meant to hold your nipples erect. They actually look quite nice on. Your nipples look hard even when you aren’t excited. The clitoral clips are something else entirely. Why don’t we start with them?”

  Miranda pulled a perfect latex replica of the female genitalia out from under the counter and placed it in front of me. Then, she pulled one of the little smushed U-shaped things out of the case. She held up the little wire. “Once your clit is engorged, you open the legs of this little guy and slide it around the sides and down your inner lips. It kind of works the same way as a cock ring. It definitely stimulates the clit.”

  “Don’t the dangles get in the way?” I asked.

  “Not at all,” she said. “The two attached to the bottom of the legs aren’t really that long and the one at the top helps add to the excitement because it gently taps your clit as you move around in it.”

  “Are they comfortable?” I was honestly curious.

  She leaned in and whispered. “I have one exactly like this and I’m wearing it right now. Once you get used to it, you won’t want to take it off.” She winked at me conspiratorially. “I promise, your gentleman will love the way it looks on you. Would you like me to show you how it goes on?”

  I nodded so she grabbed the model. “This isn’t perfect because it isn’t real skin but it gives
you the idea,” she said.

  She held the legs of the clip slightly open and started sliding it into place at the top of the clit. She grasped the inner lips on the replica with one hand and pressed down on the clip, sliding it into place. Then she picked up the replica and moved it around to show me that it held fast in place.

  I had to admit, I liked the way that it looked. I could feel my own clit growing warm at the thought of it. A picture of Wolf looking at it popped into my head and I smiled. I leaned over and looked at the selection in the case. “I’ll take the one with the little red hearts,” I said.

  “Excellent,” said Miranda, removing it from the case. She carefully placed it in a little jewelry box and set it aside.

  After that, we moved to the next case and she explained how to put on nipple jewelry. I decided that the ones with the shields around them were a bit much for me. I liked the idea behind them, though, so I selected a pair of the plain nipple coils.

  “They will look lovely together,” Miranda said. “I’ll bet you like them so much, you wear them even when you are alone.”

  After we were done there, I picked out a short little robe that was a sheer navy blue with little flecks of silver all over it. They did not have much in the line of bathing suits but I really needed a new one. My old suit looked like something a grandmother would wear so I looked at the two they had in stock. One was a one-piece that looked like two tiny strips of neon rubber sewn together at the crotch. The other was a tiny black two-piece that didn’t leave much to the imagination. I went with the two-piece.

  I was more than satisfied with my selections and I almost wanted to try on the jewelry right then. Instead, I paid and bid Miranda farewell. I had to get home. I had packing to do.

  Chapter 9:

  Just Me and My Wolf in Paradise

  We flew to Miami and rented a car to drive the Overseas Highway out onto the Keys. And as beautiful as that was, it had not prepared me for the beauty of the Palm Cove Resort. The only way to the resort was by prearranged water taxi. As we rounded the island, the hotel came into view, peeking out from the trees. All along the beach, palm trees dipped toward the ocean nearly kissing the white sand. The trail from the dock to the hotel was lined with tropical blooms, beckoning us to follow.