TIT FOR TAT

Emily stared out the jet's window and could feel the dreariness of the clouds they were going through. How long does it take to get over a broken heart? Will it ever be whole or so scarred I won't be able to feel again? she wondered. The only thing that had gotten her through was writing. She loved erotica and after reading Fifty Shades of Grey, went through her collection of books...The Story of O, Delta of Venus, Emmanuelle...and what turned her on was BDSM, the sub...not being in control, pleasure in pain, being bound and enjoying her sexuality. As Emily read those erotic books, fantasies about having a Dom ran rampant through her head. She'd played around with BDSM in her younger days...days before Greg.

The idea had hit her...she could write a book, play out her fantasies through writing. After all, she could still conjure up those old feelings of how exciting the anticipation of being bound was and there was nothing else but enjoying what was being done to her. And, my God, when she was blindfolded and had no idea what was coming.

But right now Emily was angry at herself for calling Jackson, to tell him she was coming home for a while, and saying yes when he offered to pick her up from the airport. What was I thinking? she asked herself. Jackson had been her friend for over twelve years and during that time they had almost had sex on a couple of occasions. But she had always stopped it. There was something about him. Oh, sure, he was good looking in that blonde, bad boy sort of way. But looks were deceiving. He was almost too gentle, too kind and she knew he wouldn't keep her interest. So, not wanting to ruin their friendship, she'd always come to her senses and pushed him away.

Who was she kidding? There had been another problem. One or both of them had always been in a relationship with someone else. Now, they'd be in a car for several hours, driving from Denver Airport to Salida where they'd both grown up. Fortunately, she'd be staying with her parents and would be saved from any compromising situations. Last she'd heard he'd been living with an older woman there in a mansion he'd had built.

#

Once in the Jeep, Jackson gave Emily a charming smile. "You're looking good. So, what's up? What's brought you home?" he asked.

She looked down at her trembling hands. Something about him was making her nervous. Maybe she dreaded telling him her sordid story about getting dumped. "Thank you. You're looking pretty good yourself," she replied, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. "I had to get away from Dallas. It's that...well, Greg and I aren't together anymore. I want to spend some time with mom and dad, see old friends. I was drowning in that newspaper job, so I quit and started writing a book."

Jackson gave her a sidelong glance. "What happened? Did you finally realize what a narcissistic asshole he is?"

"Ha! I think I figured that out a few years ago. But stubborn as I am, he had to hit me over the head with it. He dumped me for a girl fifteen years younger. No warning either. And naïve ol' Emily didn't suspect a thing."

"And all those times you turned me down because you were with good old boy, Greg," Jackson said with a snide grin. "You know, I knew you'd never really go for me. I knew I wasn't your type...that you'd always go for the abusive macho dudes. You wouldn't be able to handle a man who was good to you."

"Look, this isn't easy. Why in the hell are you saying those things? I'm a little wounded right now, okay? And vulnerable! What about you? What happened with the bimbo in Aspen. How did that work out for you?"

He let out a whistle then laughed. "Glad to see some things haven't changed. You always could kill with that tongue of yours. You know what happened? You told me you were coming back and after two years of waiting, after you were finally divorced, I decided to pack it up and get the hell out of Dodge. Then I'd heard you'd been living with another guy and that's why you'd finally gotten the nerve to leave Mark. I met Bridgette after I got to Aspen."