"Beautifully written BDSM fiction that is both steamy and tender"

In Seattle for a business conference, Beth Nakamura, a Treasury agent who is the beautiful descendant of Highland warriors and samurai lords, finds herself in a bookstore in search of something to pass the time. A gorgeous man who could have stepped of the cover of a Viking romance, enters -- just in time to rescue an abused young woman from her boyfriend. His calm competency, along with his astonishing good looks, earns Beth's rapt attention. Instead of reading about sex, she ends up in the backroom with her Viking, an ex-Ranger named Sean. A hot scene involving very creative use of a silk scarf (no she doesn't tie him up; I said CREATIVE) ensues, allowing Sean to experience what he has only fantasized for years: submitting to a strong woman. When a phone call interrupts their play, she agrees to meet him later that night to retrieve her scarf.

But while their sexual attraction is strong, both have their doubts about where this can go. Beth is estranged from her family after breaking an engagement with a member of a rival business clan -- the fact that she caught her fiancé cheating on her doesn't seem to matter much to them. After ending it with Genichi, who could never have accepted her dominant side, Beth has vowed not to get involved with a man who can't handle her being a switch, someone who enjoys both dominant and submissive erotic roles. Sean has his own set of problems. His marriage to his late wife, the result of an unplanned pregnancy, had been miserably unhappy. Tiffany hated his military career, and a series of strokes had only increased her unhappiness. He was never able to tell her of his fantasies, because he knew she wouldn't accept them. The only good thing to come of that marriage was his eighteen-year-old son, Mike. He's a blue collar kind of guy, despite his comfortable lifestyle, and Beth is obviously wealthy and sophisticated. He can't help wondering if she could adjust to his simpler way of life.

That second rendezvous has sex so hot the pages practically catch fire, as Sean worships his exquisite mistress orally. Later, lying in bed, they discuss their mutual needs and exchange fantasies. Unwilling to let her go so quickly after years of dreaming about a woman like her, Sean begs for a weekend alone with her. Beth agrees to it, but requests that he write up one of his fantasies and fill out a negotiation checklist (for those of you unfamiliar with real life bdsm, partners who don't know each other well usually fill out a list of sexual activities and rate them as to their appeal, from Never to Maybe to Definitely Yes And As Often as Possible), and agrees to do the same. Moreover, she orders him to go to a spa and have a facial, manicure and pedicure before meeting her on Friday night. After going their separate ways, they both masturbate to fantasies of the other. Later that week, she runs into him at the hotel, with a friend of his who is also attending the conference, and they end up in Beth's room, unable to keep their hands off each other.

The weekend begins with a flight on a private jet (during which Beth initiates Sean into membership in the Mile High Cclub) to Vegas. In the safety of their suite, Sean plays barbarian to her willing slave girl. After a nap, Beth draws him a bath by candlelight and then gives him an expert massage, requiring Sean to allow her complete control of everything that happens, which includes anal sex. They adjourn to a luxurious dinner and a little gambling, and then Beth makes his fantasy come true. He is a warrior, she a priestess testing him to determine whether or not he deserves to serve the goddess -- and her test is a demanding one involving the use of lots of toys and a flogging.

Sean wants more, a lot more, but the weekend ends without a commitment to see each other again. Having overcome his doubts, he begs her to consider a permanent relationship, even offering to move to D.C. so she can keep her job. Beth, however, is unwilling to take the relationship any further. Despite the volcanically hot passion that ties them together, Beth is afraid that Sean cannot meet her sexual needs. She explains her doubts to him. He is a natural submissive, and she's a switch who longs for a partner who can dominate her at times. Genichi couldn't accept her dominance side, and she fears Sean can't handle her submissive needs. Sean is left with a silk scarf and precious memories.

Until he decides to prove to her that he can top as well as bottom, that he can fulfill both sides of her.

I loved this book. Far too many erotic novels dealing with bdsm are either a smorgasbord of sexual scenes (Anne Rice's Beauty Trilogy) or else are the written equivalent of porn flicks with minimal characterization, no plot, and leaden prose. Whiteside has created a hero and a heroine with believable pasts and motivations and a plot that grows out of their mutual desires and fears. Beth, the product of East and West, has struggled to unite the dualities in her personality. Sean has fought to accept the fact that, while he is an alpha male in many ways, he also needs to worship the woman of his dreams and serve her. The conflict that almost drives them apart isn't something manufactured, but springs from the core of their very natures.

How realistic is this book? VERY. The author has done her homework well. Beth, the experienced kinkster, is very careful to explore her partner's needs, limits, and fantasies. Any ethical dominant insists upon negotiation; not to do so is careless and unethical. She creates the fantasy scene from his own desires. Sex? Hothothot. Sean is utterly delectable. If you don't like alternative sexuality, if flogging offends you, if you consider any form of S/m unappealing and abusive, don't read this book. But if you want to know what REAL dominants and submissives do, and how a real D/s relationship feels, buy this book. Whiteside has captured the volcanic passion that a scene can arouse, and the amazing tenderness between Dom and sub. Most writers miss the fact that a search for one's True Master or Mistress is a deeply romantic quest, not unlike a knight of old searching for his lady, and that a Dominant loves his collared submissive and cherishes him or her. This mutual devotion creates an intimacy that is difficult for non-bdsmers to imagine, because real D/s isn't about whips and chains or leashes or power but about ties as deep and enduring as marriage vows. Are all D/s relationships this emotionally satisfying? No. But then, not every marriage is a good one, nor is every sexual act lovemaking. Beth and Sean achieve what most D/s couples aspire to.

Sensuality rating XXX, for kinky sex including bondage, vibrators, anal sex, flogging.

Rated by Ellora's Cave NC-17, erotic.

Reviewed by Gillian Fitzgerald
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted August 9, 2002

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Summary

Built like Vikings of old—modern day warrior Sean Lindstrom is a veteran of Panama, The Gulf War, Somalia and countless other excursions. A powerful man with a chest large enough to carry the whole "salad bar" he'd earned the hard way. A widower for six years but celibate for twelve is about to have his ultimate fantasy fulfilled...to be thoroughly dominated by a woman.

A chance encounter at a bookstore has made businesswoman Beth Nakamura hot and bothered. After a broken engagement has left her life in pieces, Beth is not looking for a commitment, just a night to remember. But seeing the untapped passions in Sean, she is helpless to resist such a lure and offers him a weekend in which to indulge their mutual desires.