The Art of Seduction

"Disarm through strategic weakness and vulnerability"


The handcuffs had come off. Jarod had been almost painfully relieved when
Miss Parker had, gun in hand, unlocked the cuff around her wrist, tossing them
across the room carelessly. He'd sat up and rolled his shoulders, gazing at
Parker with the kind of expression to make her blush. He was going to give her
one hell of a massage.

Jarod sat in front of the fire, stoking it into blazing life. The bottle
of baby oil, rescued from the cabinet in the bathroom, was sitting in a bowl of
hot water beside him, and he was just throwing more wood on the fire to make the
room warmer. Wouldn't want either of them catching a chill and putting a damper
on his plans, Jarod thought wryly.

When he turned around, Jarod sucked in a harsh breath. Miss Parker was
sitting on the bed, wearing just her jeans and bra. Her hair was piled high on
her head and held there with pins, emphasising the elegant curve of her neck.
Her skin was rosy and golden in the light of the fire, slight shadows
accentuating the swell of her breasts above the red lacy cups of her bra. Miss
Parker jutted her chin up defiantly, as if daring him to make some caustic
remark.

"You're beautiful," he murmured, rising to his feet and taking the bowl with the
baby oil with him.

Parker lowered her gaze, but said nothing as he approached. Jarod came to
stand in front of her, noting how tightly she clutched the gun in her lap. Her
last line of defence, it seemed. If he rid them of that barrier, that show of
resistance, she would be completely under his control. He could overpower her,
handcuff her and sit easy until the morning. She would be absolutely
humiliated.

Jarod worried his lip with his teeth, pondering his last thought. She
looked so small and dignified, perched on the edge of the bed, waiting for him.
She hadn't insulted him all day, if anything; she had been reasonably nice to
him. She'd been far nicer than she'd had to be, under the circumstances. He
had interrupted her vacation, after all.

Gazing down at her slight form, Jarod felt a wave of tenderness wash over him.
He tipped her chin up with his hand, leaning towards her, but paused when she
stiffened, just slightly. She was still wary. Instead of kissing her mouth, as
he had intended, he brushed his mouth gently across her cheek. All things in
good time, he decided. Straightening up, he came away with the scent of roses,
very pleasing.

"If you... lie down..." Jarod said awkwardly.

"Okay," Miss Parker said huskily, still not meeting his gaze.

She swung her legs up onto the bed, lying on her stomach in the middle,
her head on the pillow and turned away, her hands under it, still holding her
gun tightly. Jarod looked down at the creamy expanse of her back, his fingers
itching to touch. He sat beside her, one hand hovering over her back, about an
inch above her skin. Now or never, he decided, and lowered it so his palm was
resting on her shoulder blade.

Jarod wasn't quite sure, but he thought she gave a little sigh when he
touched her. Her skin was warm and smooth, and for a moment he stared,
enraptured by how big his hand seemed on her small frame. Because of the
strength of her personality, he often forgot how slight and feminine she was.
He slid his hand down her back slowly.

"I'm just going to unclip your bra... push it out of the way," he said softly,
and she nodded silently.

Setting the bowl on the floor beside the bed, Jarod deftly unclipped her
bra. He pushed it to the side, easing the straps off her shoulders, so her back
was completely bare. He found the sight to be strangely enticing. He tucked
down the waistline of her jeans, so her narrow waist was bare, and, grabbthe the
bottle of baby oil from the bowl, shifted so he was kneeling on the bed beside
her.

Jarod squeezed some of the oil onto his palms, which was nice and warm.
He rubbed his palms together, and then began to smooth it down Miss Parker's
back, so it was all slightly slick with the oil. He rubbed it in lightly, using
sweeping circular motions, slowly increasing the force of the action, and Parker
gave a little murmur of approval.

"Which shoulder did you hurt?" he asked.

"The right one," Miss Parker said, her voice a little muffled by the pillow.

Jarod began to focus on her right shoulder, rubbing and pushing deep into
the tense muscles. He had been a chiropractor once, and used all his knowledge
to provide a good sports massage in the area, more than other, more relaxing,
techniques, genuinely wanting to ease her pain. He pressed hard in some points,
knowing it had to be hurting Miss Parker, but she didn't make a sound. He
pressed until he felt the muscles ease, releasing the toxins they held.

"That feels much better," Miss Parker said with pleasure, and Jarod smiled.

"Okay, time for the rest."

He broadened the massage, squirting a little more baby oil into the palm
of his hand. He focused, for a little while, on the tension gaed aed around her
neck, satisfied when the knots loosened. Then he changed his technique, using
long, deep strokes along the length of her entire back, strokes designed to
soothe and relax.

"That feels wonderful," Miss Parker sighed after a while, her voice low and
husky.

Jarod smiled to himself. He placed his hands on either side of the base
of her spine, his palms splayed outwards, and smoothed them slowly up the length
of her back. He let his fingers play over her sides, so he could feel her rib
cage when it began, and the tips of his fingers just brushed over the sides of
her breasts as he continued up. He repeated the motion, letting his fingers
insinuate themselves further between her bra and her breasts, and felt the
erratic rate of her breath.

Leaning forwards, Jarod let his mouth hover just over the curve of her
spine, so she could surely feel his breath tickling her back. After a moment of
being perfectly still, in which the tension between them notched up a
considerable amount, Jarod touched his lips to her skin.

"Oh..." Miss Parker whispered faintly.

She pushed up on her elbows, propping herself up just a little bit,
dropping her head forward and craning it around a little, as if trying to catch
a glimpse of him. Jarod slid his hands down and around, so they slid under her,
resting on her abdomen. He pressed another kiss to her back, a little higher
this time. Slowly, agonisingly slowly, he kissed a line up her back, following
the line of her spine. The further up he went, the more he was forced to lean
over her, so by the time he reached her neck his chest was just about brushing
the bare skin of her back.

At the nape of her neck, he lingered, pressing slow, slightly open-mouthed
kisses to the delicate skin there. He could smell her shampoo, and the same
faint scent of roses he had detected earlier, an extremely pleasant combination.
He edged down a little, kissing the point where her neck flowed into shoulder, a
gentle curve that fascinated him. He let his tongue flicker over the spot,
tasting her, and Miss Parker let out a little moan.

"Miss Parker?" he whispered, his breath stirring the fine hairs on her neck.
She made a soft sound, and he raised his head to look at her, "Would you like
some champagne?"

There was a short silence. "Okay..." Miss Parker said, sounding somewhat
exasperated, but still curious. Jarod sat up slowly, drawing his hands back
around to her back. Gently he eased the straps of her bra back over her
shoulders and did it up. He stood, going to put more wood on the fire, and then
retrieving the bottle of champagne and the punnet of strawberries from the
fridge.

He returned to the bed, where Miss Parker was sitting up. She was
flushed, and she looked up at him with dark eyes. "Thankyou for the massage,"
she said, somewhat thickly. Jarod climbed onto the bed beside her, keeping her
gaze the whole time, and reclined easily beside her, ignoring the gun she held
in her lap. With all the tension in the air, he was beginning to feel
distinctly turned on.

Never tearing his eyes from hers, Jarod settled the bottle of champagne on
the bed and plucked a strawberry from the punnet. He raised it to his mouth,
biting down slowly on the tip, swirling it in his mouth just a little. Miss
Parker's mouth parted slightly, her breathing becoming shallow. Jarod held the
punnet up in offering, and she broke his gaze to select one.

Almost in an act of subconscious imitation, Miss Parker bit slowly into
the tender fruit, flicking her tongue out to catch all of its juices, swirling
it between her lips. Jarod nibbled on the rest of his strawberry until only the
green top was left, and uncaringly tossed it over his shoulder. Miss Parker's
eyes sparkled in amusement as she did thee. e.

Taking another strawberry, Jarod held it up to her mouth this time. Her
eyes widened a little, and she opened her mouth, accepting his invitation and
taking a careful bite. Juice spilled down the side of her mouth, and Jarod
caught it with his finger, gathering all of it and taking it to his own mouth.
He sucked on his finger suggestively, and finished off the rest of the
strawberry himself.

"Champagne?" he asked.
leaslease," she said.

Jarod set the punnet aside, peeling the wrapper off the champagne bottle,
loosening the cap and then pulling out the cork with a little pop. He tossed
the cork over his shoulder. "No glass?" Miss Parker asked.

"Don't need one," Jarod said, raising the bottle to his lips and taking a sip.
Miss Parker chuckled, taking the bottle when he offered and doing the same.

When taking the bottle back, Jarod deliberately knocked it, so the bottle
tipped and some champagne spilt conveniently over Miss Parker's breasts, running
down to her abdomen. They both looked down at the spilt champagne, sparkling on
her cleavage, and looked up at each other.

"Oops," Jarod said gravely, "Let me get that for you."

Miss Parker drew in a breath as he leaned forward, arching her back as if
to give him better access. Drawing the moment out as long as possible, Jarod
hesitated for just a moment, long enough for Parker to shift restlessly, and
then lowered his mouth to the curve of her breast. He made a soft, approving
sound, flicking his tongue out to catch the droplets of champagne beaded on her
breasts.

Achingly slowly, Jarod nuzzled and lapped his way right across Miss
Parker's cleavage, ignoring his own growing erection. Parker was taking deep,
heaving breaths, causing her breasts to swell up to meet his mouth as he licked
and sucked all the champagne from her skin.

"Jarod..." Miss Parker sighed breathlessly, and he raised his face to look at
her, their noses barely an inch apart, his hands braced on either side of her
hips.

"Yes Miss Parker?" Jarod asked. She flicked her eyes away from his
uncomfortably, still unable to verbalize what she wanted. He decided to give
her an easy way out. He plucked another strawberry from the punnet, holding it
up, "Would you like more?"

She paused. Once more, his words held a double entendre, and she
hesitated, a moment which Jarod waited patiently through. He had her, he knew
it. "Yes," she finally said.

Jarod held the strawberry to her lips, and she took a bite, her eyes on
his the whole time. He took the strawberry, bleeding sweet juices, and applied
it carefully to her neck, trailing it down from her jaw to her collarbone.
There was a hitch in Miss Parker's breathing, and she tilted her head to provide
him access. Jarod followed the line of juice with his tongue, from collarbone
to jaw, where he began a line of gentle kisses, ending at her mouth.

Miss Parker instinctively closed her eyes, but he teased her, brushing
their lips together with only the lightest of touches, drawing back before they
could connect properly. He repeated the process, again and again, until Miss
Parker was growling with frustration, opening her eyes and leaning forward in an
attempt to capture his mouth with hers. He shifted away again, chuckling,
kissing her jaw instead.

"Was there something you wanted, Miss Parker?" he asked. She reached her free
hand up, pressing it to his cheek and trying to draw him to her, but he covered
her hand with his own, pulling it away and holding it.

"Kiss me, dammit!" she growled, her eyes glittering furiously.

Jarod grinned. "As you wish," he murmured, leaning forward, finally
pressing his mouth to hers.

Their lips met, opening almost immediately, and Miss Parker let out a soft
moan as he deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping against her mouth in sweet
exploration. He released her hand, and she placed it on his cheek again,
tilting her head for a better angle, but Jarod drew back, chastely kissing the
corner of her mouth. Parker's hand slid to his neck, and she pulled him close
again, pressing her mouth to his urgently, her tongue sliding against his
erotically.

Jarod let her kiss him, but drew back again shortly, breathing heavily.
He pressed hot kisses to her neck, his hand brushing her breasts briefly before
resting on her abdomen. He licked at her pulse, covering the hand, which still
held her gun loosely, and she stiffened slightly.

"Put it on the floor," he whispered, nibbling on her ear, "We don't need it
now."

He kissed her again, and it took a few moments for her to respond, as she
seemed to consider his request. Finally her mouth moved under his, and her hand
slipped across the bed, away from them. A moment later he heard a thunk as the
gun hit the floor. She kissed him back properly then, her moment of hesitation
forgotten.

A part of Jarod's mind started screaming that he'd done it, his plan had
worked, and now it was time to overpower her! But another part of his mind, or
rather, another part of his anatomy, liked the way she leant into him, the way
she tasted and smelled, and wanted to find out a whole lot more.

Just a few more minutes, Jarod decided. And then he had his Bright Idea.


"Give them space to fall - the pursuer is pursued"


"Take off your jeans," Jarod said.

They were standing in the bathroom, and the shower was running, thanks to
a gas water-heater, quickly filling the small room with steam. Several tea
candles were on the floor, giving them a little light. Miss Parker flicked him
a questioning glance, but did as he asked, unbuttoning her button-up fly and
stepping out of her jeans. The underwear she was wearing was a matching set -
crimson lace. Jarod let his eyes drift over her smooth skin, slim form and
killer legs appreciatively. He slipped his hands into her hair, removing the
pins holding the long tendrils in place and tossing them carelessly aside.

"We're having a shower?" Miss Parker asked, reaching for the clip of her bra.

"Wait, not yet," he said, and grinned, "We're having a shower with our clothes
*on*."

Parker looked at him oddly, glancing down at her bra and panties, then his
white cotton boxers. "Why?" she asked. Jarod smiled. Because, he thought to
himself, seduction was all about delaying satisfaction for as long as possible.

He didn't linger over the fact that the whole reason for the seduction was
a goal that had already been achieved.

"Get in the shower," Jarod said instead of answering.

Miss Parker gave him another odd look, but her mind seemed to be made up
once he ran his hand down the side of her arm, giving her goose bumps, he noted
with interest. She stepped into the shower, straight under the hot spray, and
Jarod admired the view for a moment. Her wet hair spilled down over her
shoulders, the water making her underwear darken and cling to her, suggesting
more than it concealed, her skin becoming shiny and slick.

Jarod's cocked hardened even more at the sight, and he stepped into the
shower, closing the door behind him. They were standing as close as they
possibly could without touching, and Miss Parker looked up at him with dark
eyes. "What now?" she asked thickly, and Jarod grabbed a bar of soap from a
little shelf set onto the wall.

"Well, you've got oil all over you from the massage, and champagne and
strawberry too, I really think you're going to need to wash all that off," he
said, and grinned. Miss Parker began to grin too.

"Good idea," she whispered.

There was a moment of awkward hesitation. Jarod lathered the soap up in
his hands, and edged closer to Miss Parker, resting his forehead on hers. He
ran his soapy hands down her back, leaving a trail of suds, and pulled her
towards him, until they were pressed together from shoulder to thigh. She
tilted her face up, and he obliged her with a kiss, one that grew in passion as
he ran his soapy hands all over her body. She broke the kiss, stepping away
from him and leaning back against the wall of the shower.

"My front got very dirty," she said solemnly.

Jarod chuckled, reaching for her. He ran his soapy hands over her
abdomen, and cupped and kneaded her breasts through her bra. She let out a soft
moan, and he let one hand trail down, rubbing slowly over her panties. Parker
jerked against him, panting lightly, and he stroked her through her panties,
creating a lather with the soap.

Parker pulled his face down to hers, kissing him hotly, and he surged
against her, dropping the soap and pressing her against the shower wall. He
fondled her breasts through the material of her bra, gasping as she wound one
leg around his waist, pressing his cock into her, only the material of her
panties and his boxer preventing him from sliding into her wet heat.

Jarod thrust against her, and they both moaned, breaking the kiss and
gasping for breath. He put his face in Miss Parker's neck, licking and kissing
the slick skin there, continuing to thrust into her as she clutched at his
shoulders. The fact that their clothing was still on was somehow both extremely
frustrating and incredibly erotic.

"Oh god," Miss Parker groaned, "Jarod, if you don't fuck me soon I'm going to
scream..."

He hadn't meant this, Jarod suddenly thought wildly. He had meant to
seduce and then subdue her, to only go as far as was necessary to ensure his
freedom. But somehow they had gotten way past the point of no return, and if he
were honest with himself, he didn't want to stop, didn't want to leave this
sexy, beautiful woman. He wanted to make love to her, not tease and humiliate
her. He raised his face, so he could stare hard into her eyes.

"I'm not going to fuck you, Miss Parker," he said, and saw her mouth open in a
soundless protest. He shook his head, "I'm not going to fuck you, Miss Parker,
I'm going to make love to you."

He kissed her then, so she couldn't reply, but from the way she seemed to
melt against him, he guessed she approved. She slid her hands across his chest,
kissing him back with an almost desperate hunger. Jarod broke the kiss
abruptly, breathing hard.

"Please, Jarod..." she said quietly. Jarod smoothed her wet hair back from her
face with a gentle hand.

"Not here," he said, and turned off the shower, "And not yet."

He stepped away from her, shuddering as his body pulsed in sudden
protestation. Miss Parker's expression was needy, and she came after him
quickly, almost stumbling out of the shower, shivering in the cool air. She
came straight into his arms, threading her hands into his wet hair. He wrapped
a large towel around both of them, enfolding her in his arms, lowering his mouth
to kiss her again, wet and hot.

His level of arousal was almost out of control, Jarod thought in some
distant part of his mind, but he had delay satisfaction for as long as possible,
had to draw it out so it was perfect for both of them. He wanted Parker to be
absolutely strung out with pleasure and need before they made love.

"Jarod-!" Parker gasped as he broke the kiss abruptly. He set her away from
him, and she shivered, water still dripping down her body.

"We've got to get dry!" he said, an unholy gleam in his eye, and Miss Parker's
mouth went slack.

"Fuck dry! I want you to screw me!" she snapped, and reached for him again.

Jarod dodged neatly out of her grasp, grinning, and waved the towel at
her. "Miss Parker, patience is a *virtue*. Now," he said, dropping his voice
to an intimate murmur, "Would you like to stop, and forget this ever happened,
or would you like to do this on my terms?"

He saw the moment of petulant rebellion in her eyes, her instinctive
desire for control taking over once again. He had to take this slow, and
steady, so her surrender was so complete she could really let go, and enjoy
herself rather than trying to manipulate the situation. She gnawed at her lip
for a moment, before leaning back against the sink. "Your way," she said
reluctantly.