Page 192 of Dagger in the Sea

“I see this as a medium not only for entertainment, but exploration, learning, discovery. We could have a tantric sex guru come and show couples the light. Sexual massage.”

“Shibari.” She cocked an eyebrow, hooking her feet around my legs, pulling me closer.

“Shibari, huh?”

“I found it on the internet.”

“You’d want to keep it small, a tight group in the beginning,” she continued. “Members could nominate other potential members, but they’d have to pass our approval. You could even do some sort of initiation, a purely hedonistic little ritual to seal the pact.” Her eyes literally sparkled.

“Which would go to emphasize that this is a shared, special experience for the very few.”

“Ooh, we should have Alessio design some sort of charm or necklace as a sign of membership for the ritual.”

“Great idea. A tactile logo.”

“Would you need to hire just the right women and men to play the roles, satisfy certain interests?”

“That’s where Tricia will come in.”

“Tricia?”

“My madame in Chicago. She keeps track of sexual trends and shifts in fads and fetishes.”

“Now there’s a job.” She nodded. “Then there’s branding, pricing, scheduling, coordinating, communications…”

A rush tipped my system. “Work with me.”

“I’m already your sex slave,” popped out of her mouth.

“And I’m yours,” I breathed, standing perfectly still.

A flash of hunger, dark desire crossed her features. My skin heated as my body remembered her initial tentativeness, her embracing my rough, her willingness to go farther every time, to submit, to take control. That hunger inside me that yearned for Adri flared painfully.

She wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing her body into mine. “So you’re saying I should leave my job here for this sinful, indecent adventure?” A smile dawned on her lips.

“You wanted to break out, didn’t you? You’ve worked in shipping, in oil, real estate, fundraisers. You’re multilingual, you’re an amazing special events planner, your instincts for publicity and PR are spot on. You’re able to juggle a thousand details all at once, and all the right details, and make snap decisions in a crisis. There’s a huge market to be tapped, and you know the players we’d like to target, you’re a part of their world. More than that, you would be amazing at this, you would shine.”

She let out a small laugh. “Shine?”

“Oh, so fucking bright.”

“Your belief in me has always meant a lot, Turo, from the very beginning. It helped me see things differently, see myself differently. You never coddled me or let me hide. You dared me, teased me. Thank you.”

“I’ve always believed in you, Adri.” I brushed my lips with hers, a hand around her pulsing throat. “We should talk to Alessio about this tomorrow.”

“He gives good face and attitude.” She let out a laugh. “Always an asset. I think he’ll really like this idea.”

“It’s the next level,” I said. “I have plenty of clients in America who’d be interested in an experience like this. An alternate vacation from their hectic schedules. An adventure.”

“Our adventure.” She caressed the side of my face and a low moan escaped my throat. “So you wouldn’t mind living like a gypsy in the Mediterranean for half the year, maybe more?”

“If it’s with you, nowhere else I’d rather be.”

She kissed me.

I nipped her bottom lip. “I like brainstorming with you.”

“We came up with so many good ideas,” she said. “We should write them down so we can review them tomorrow. See if they hold up in the light of day—”

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