The Drive Home

The silence stretched in the car. It wasn't uncomfortable – it rarely was. It was more aware than anything. We were always so painfully aware of each other. I think I could have told you exactly how many inches we were away from each other, just by that sixth sense. Mark's nervousness (which he'd been unsuccessfully trying to hide all night) increased that. I thought he was just being mysterious, as usual, by not saying anything, but with the rain pattering against the windows and a long night behind us, I didn't blame him for wanting to just sit back and be quiet. The roads were bad, I'd give him that, and he was probably concentrating more on the road than on any invisible sexual energy between the two of us.

I'd been nervous about carpooling because we always had this magnetic energy towards each other, and with Amy in San Diego and Ryan having left that day for North Carolina, I felt the need to distance myself so that I didn't do anything to cross our boundaries. So I didn't mention his tenseness, and didn't try to convince him to hang out after work. I was afraid to. So sue me. He may have remarkable restraint, but I don't.

I'd been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't realize that we were almost to his house. "Mark, don't forget you have to drop me off tonight." I said it gently, feeling almost as if I should whisper so I wouldn't break that heavy silence.

He turned away from the road, and the lights of a lone passing car illuminated his face for a moment. I didn't understand the look at all, and it made me nervous. "I know," was all he said, and turned away again. We went past his house, to a stretch of road I didn't recognize in the dark. Trees lined the road, and there were no lights except ours. He pulled off at a barely visible opening in the trees and I bit my tongue to stay silent, wondering if something had snapped in his admirable restraint. I was suddenly scared. Not scared for my life, but scared that I was going to do something I shouldn't and not feel guilty. It was a typical feeling around him, but not one I'd ever felt to this extent – or, with Ryan out of town, had ever wanted to act upon so badly.

The car fell silent and Mark exhaled, resting his head on the steering wheel. "What's wrong?" I asked tenderly, butterflies churning in my stomach. "You've been off all night."

Mark laughed, a dry sound of exhaustion. "Tonight was hard for me, and not just because the Haugheys were a pain in the ass." I chuckled, remembering. "I can't tell you what's up, only show you." He reached into his pocket and pulled his hand out in a loose fist. "Hold out your hand." I held it out, my mouth turning dry.

He poured something long and light into my hand, and I held it up in the dim light, using my sense of touch more than anything else. When it clicked, my heart actually skipped a beat. My head shot up, and my hand clutched at the tiny anklet. "You said you couldn't give this to me."

His eyes were searching my face, looking like he was drinking in every emotion that crossed it. "I told you I'd never give it to you without Ryan's permission."

"He... he gave it?"

Mark only nodded, and pulled me to him in a kiss I had never expected to receive. It was as if something exploded between us, and I found myself clutching at his shirt as he ravaged my mouth. We both sat back, gasping, and laughed. "Oh my God," I said, "I can't believe –"

"Quiet." Mark said, softly. "We're not going to talk about it tonight."

"But –"

"Quiet. I said it twice. Don't make me say it again." His face had changed to a warning that I didn't quite believe, but I wanted to play along for a bit. It was too exciting to kick back at him at this point. I sat back meekly, and looked at him. He laughed. "You're not very good at that, are you?" I just smiled, a rather bitchy smile, and he laughed again. "Well I hope you're going to like what I have in store for you. I was dying tonight at work having to keep you at arm's length, when what I really wanted to do was take you over the counter."

I felt my body shiver and I wanted to close my eyes to savor the feeling, but I forced myself to meet his eyes, to let him see the desire flowing through me like quicksilver. "Open the door."

I blinked, all thoughts of submissiveness gone. "What? It's 40 degrees and raining out there, are you nuts?"

"Open the door. That's twice."

"No way. I don't mind playing around, but I have no intention of catching hypothermia." I sat back and looked out the window huffily, waiting for him to reason with me, when I heard his door opening and shutting. Startled, I turned to look out the back for him, when my door opened and he hauled me out of the car by my arm.

He was surprisingly strong, and managed to shut the door and slam my back against it before I could take in a breath to scream. He put a finger in my face and my scream caught in my throat. The sudden stillness of the woods made me notice the soft sounds of the rain pattering against dead leaves and the hood of the car, and notice that my work clothes were slowly being soaked. "Don't make a sound. Each time you do, I will add to your punishment."

My jaw hung open for a second, but before I could protest, he bent me over the hood of the car and slapped me, full force, on the rear. I cried out. "It was only going to be three. Plus one." He hit me again, in the same spot.

"Mark, this is ridiculous. St –" My protest was cut off by another loud, wet slap. My pants were protecting a bit, but since they were wet, I wondered if it wasn't making it hurt more. I'd never been hit at full force before, and now I understood why. It hurt.

"Plus two. You're up to five now." I took another breath to speak, and he cut me off, mid-breath. "I know you're not enjoying this, so save your breath and it will be over more quickly. Now isn't the time to mouth off." My mouth snapped shut, and I held it closed tightly as he delivered slap after slap, in the same place, with me bent over the hood of the car in the middle of the rain-wet woods.

Five felt like an eternity, and ached like I'd fallen down the stairs and landed on my ass. Five times. In a row. I was sore and upset, but before I could turn around and give him a piece of my mind, he reached around me and unbuttoned my khakis, running his hands over my hips. I watched the rain patter on the hood as he ran his hands along to my backside and gently massaged what I could only imagine to be a huge handprint.

I was instantly wet and growing less mad at him. It had hurt, but I'd been bitchy. I had pushed and pushed for him to be dominant, and when he did, I pushed back. He turned me around, using his hands to anchor me against him, and I felt him hard and ready against me. "Don't make me do that again. I don't enjoy it."

I chuckled wryly and rubbed his hand over my butt, grinding my hips against his. "You don't enjoy it?" I gave him a coy look. "Liar."

He laughed and leaned his forehead against mine. "You destroy me." I laughed softly at his choice of words and looked up at him through my eyelashes. He looked back, and slid a hand over my now-soaked shirt to grip the ends of my wet hair.

"Give me the anklet." I had a moment of panic that I'd lost it before I realized I had been gripping it in my hand the entire time. I gave it to him and the rain fell on it, making it sparkle dully. He knelt at my feet and clasped the chain around my ankle. "With this, I bind you to me." He looked at me, a half-smile on his face. "In light and in darkness, I will nurture you and love you, challenge you and caress you. Forever, our souls will have a part of each other, and as you never take off your soul, you will never take off this token. It is a part of me that you cannot shed like clothing, and will remain that way."

My throat closed as he stood, looking at me so tenderly. I cleared my throat, and remembered the words we'd dreamed of me speaking to him. "I cherish your token and the part of your soul that comes with it. Though it will be difficult for me, I accept your control and the obedience that is required from me. I will become the woman I should be under your direction and follow you with complete trust wherever you lead. As I can never take off my soul, I will never take off your token. My soul is now bonded to yours."

He smiled and tugged lightly at my hair until my mouth met his, and after a brief, sweet kiss, kept tugging until he was trailing his lips down my neck. I shivered as I leaned against the cold car in the cold rain and felt hot, like a furnace. As his nibbling grew in intensity, I felt like I should be seeing steam rising from my skin.

One hand deftly unbuttoned my shirt to my belly, exposing my bra. His mouth followed the trail and licked under the padded fabric to find my nipple. I gasped, and he covered my mouth. "No sound." I moaned underneath his hand as he put his head back to my breasts. The cold rain fell steadily, soaking us both, but it might as well have been a warm shower, for all we cared. His mouth was hot on my skin and I burned wherever he touched me.

He started to peel my work shirt off me, and stopped. A sly grin split his face. "Take the bra off and put the shirt back on. I want you in your work clothes."

I felt a tug deep in my belly, and knew I was wet. I obeyed, giving him a good look at my bare breasts before struggling my wet work shirt back on. My nipples were hard and dark against the white shirt, and my skin clearly visible where I left it open. He trailed a hand down my bare belly, from my throat to the top of my underwear. His mouth leaned down to suck at a hard tip through the shirt, and I moaned. He looked up at me, hungry, and I saw something snap.

He yanked my hair back and bit my neck, hard. I cried out, and he covered my mouth with his. I arched back against the car, struggling to regain some semblance of control, but all was lost, for the both of us. We were being swept away by our darker sides, prey to our desires. His hand plunged into my open pants and I cried out against his mouth as his finger found me. I was wet, and his rain-wet hands rubbing me had me so close to climax I couldn't stand up. I was completely wedged between the car and his body, and thankful for it.

I put my hand over him, rock-hard, and he growled against my mouth, biting my lip. All we could make were these hard, feral sounds, and it drove us closer to our darkness, sweeping us along on a current of desire. He spun me around, pulling down my pants as he bent me over the car again. I heard him grunt once, and then he was pushing against me and into me. He clapped a hand against my mouth as soon as I shouted, and I bit down, hard, to keep from screaming his name as he filled me.

I tasted blood, and as I swirled my tongue around the bite, felt us both building toward climax. His blood excited me, and I could feel him pumping his hips into me, the rain falling down on us, the cold of the car under my stomach. My nipples pressed out through the thin fabric to the cold metal under us and I could feel each of his thrusts in my legs and ass and chest. The pants, bundled up under me, rubbed against my clit until I wanted to sob – I needed release that badly.

I moaned around his still-bleeding finger. "Mark..." and felt him get even harder inside me. Each thrust now pushed at me until I screamed, high and long against his hand as I climaxed. I heard him moan as his orgasm overwhelmed him and he poured into me.

Ages later, we got up, laughing, and Mark picked up my bra and held the car door for me. I got in and settled into the startling warmth. He ran his hands over my nipples and down my belly. I sighed contentedly and smiled at him.

"So you know how we were going to carpool tomorrow, too?" He asked. I nodded. "Don't you think it would be easier to just throw our clothes in the dryer and bed down for the night? I'll make you coffee in the morning, and neither of us will have to wake up early."

I looked at him, a hungry glint in both of our eyes, expectations of the week to come dancing in our heads. "Now sleeping late and coffee in the morning is an offer I can't refuse."