9 - NAZÁR
9
NAZáR
I wasn’t surprised to see her at the vineyard. I’d gone over the roster the night before. I was surprised to see her this morning in the Noir Room. Although Leona had insinuated the woman had an interest in what fascinated me, I didn’t expect her to dive right in.
When I first arrived at Studio BoDSMe, Jules had told me the center was empty the way it typically is in the morning, except for one guest who just wanted to look at the rooms. I always go to the Noir Room in the mornings to center myself. It helps me feel close to my true self and create new scenes in my head for the next time I’m with a woman who shares my desires and interests.
I hadn’t expected to find anyone in that room, and when I approached the closed door, I knew it had to be the guest she had mentioned. The door was not only unlocked, but it wasn’t closed completely, and I took the liberty to see who’d encroached on my sanctuary.
All the guests know that the room belongs to me. While I lock it occasionally, I haven’t lately because I’ve known all the guests visiting. Camila Martinez is new to me, and while she was referred to me by a mutual friend, she still has to learn the unwritten rules. The unspoken rules that staff and guests alike know to respect.
I could feel the sexual energy humming off her when I stepped inside that room. It took everything in me not to leave her bound the way she was, binding her free hand and having my way with her.
I desperately wanted to extract pain, pleasure, and moans. The greatest arousal would have been to dip her gorgeous body into the depths of pleasure that only my hands can bring.
Instead, I chose to keep my hands to myself. Well, mostly. I couldn’t help but touch her. It was amusing watching her writhing there, trying to maintain her control, speechless and so damn aroused. Her nipples poked through her shirt, and her scent reached out and tickled my nose.
Despite her need and mine, I chose to mindfuck her instead with just a few well-placed suggestions.
Yes, I can’t wait to feast on her.
I want what you want. That’s what she said. She has no idea what I want, but I will get it. And she’ll be the one to give it to me.
The woman never should have offered herself to me on a platter like she had. I could feel her eyes on me throughout the vineyard tour and the wine tasting. I never had to look directly at her to determine if she was looking at me. I could see her out of my peripheral vision, staring at me. I could feel her watchful gaze on me.
I’m an enigma to her, one that she wants to figure out, but at the same time, she’s scared.
I maneuver through the tasting room, stopping at tables to chat with my patrons as they indulge in charcuterie plates or chocolates with their wine pairings.
“This wine is delicious, Nazár. This Albarino has notes of peach, citrus, and stone fruit,” Sheila, one of my guests, says.
“It’s very dry and crisp on the palate with some lemon. I love this white wine,” her sister, Gayle, chimes in.
“Perfect! I’m glad I could make you ladies happy,” I say, squeezing each of their shoulders.
I move on, leaving them in giggles.
Ms. Martinez, or “Princesa” as I call her, is chatting with Felice. I see the occasional glances Princesa tosses my way, but I prefer to engage with everyone else first, saving her for last.
I stop by three more tables to chat with other patrons about our selection. When I’m finished, I exchange my empty glass of white for a full glass of red, and I slowly make my way in Princesa’s direction.
“Nazár! This red is simply amazing,” Felice gushes, holding up her fifth glass of red wine since the tasting began.
She prefers the reds to everything else, and while she may sample some of the others, she’ll always return to the red.
“Thank you, my love. As are you. Are you enjoying this trip?”
“I am, thanks,” she says as I lean in, and we exchange air kisses.
My gaze lifts slightly to meet Princesa’s gaze, and she’s blushing. I wink and blow a kiss at her just before I pull back from Felice.
“You have to join me for dinner tonight,” Felice invites, resting her hand intimately on my wrist.
“You know that I don’t stop at dinner, Felice. You know that my hunger is never satiated,” I say as my eyes remain on Princesa.
She chokes on her wine, and Felice turns to pat her softly on the back.
“You are such a flirt,” Felice says, turning back to me.
“And yet, no words have ever rung truer.”
“I’m afraid I can’t keep up with your appetite, Nazár.”
“There’s only one type of woman who can do that.”
“Oh? I’m surprised that you found someone who could,” Felice says genuinely, lifting a cracker loaded with cheese and tomatoes to her mouth.
“Oh, she’s not fully developed yet. She’s ready . . . waiting for me to shape and train her into the perfect rendition of what I need and want.”
“Good luck to the poor woman,” Felice says, looking at Princesa, who’s been watching me with wide-eyed wonder the entire time.
“Nazár is an excellent lover. Very dominating and controlling, but it makes it all worth it— if a woman can keep up,” she says.
“You’re speaking from personal experience, I suppose,” Princesa says before sipping her wine, eyeing me, and then Felice over her rim.
“Loose lips, Felice. Loose lips. Don’t be a woman of indiscretion even after drinking. Alcohol is no excuse and can ruin even the greatest women.”
“I know how to be discreet,” she says proudly.
“You’d damn well better hope so, lest you find that you won’t get reinvited to the resort.”
The threat and warning in my voice are apparent, and Felice’s face reddens as she nods and places her glass of wine on the table.
“If you two will excuse me, I need to use the ladies’ room,” she says, scooting her chair back as I hold it for her.
She tosses her napkin onto her plate and walks through the maze of tables.
I take her chair and push her plate and napkin back. Crossing my ankle over my knee, I run my finger around the rim of my glass.
“You understand the need for discretion, don’t you, Ms. Martinez?”
“I, um, of course, I do.”
“I would think so. A businesswoman such as yourself, with a successful vineyard of your own, knows that certain secrets that every business holds close to their chest make the operations so successful.”
“Well, of course, but I can understand how that relates to the business aspect of this place. What I’m not so sure of was your barely concealed threat to Felice as it related to personal matters.”
Chuckling, I lift my glass to my lips, taking another sip.
“Make no mistake about it. That wasn’t an attempt to conceal my threat. I wanted to be very clear. And let me make this clear. I’m as private about my personal life as I am about this resort and all my businesses. A woman who wants what I want would understand that, no?”
She pushes her plate back and says, “You have made yourself very clear. What you didn’t have to be was rude to Felice.”
“I am blunt if nothing else, and I make no apologies about it. Felice knows me very well. She knows what I expect, what I like, and what I do not like. As I respect her wishes and feelings, I expect the same to be reciprocated. Is that a problem for you, Princesa?”
“Why do you call me that?”
“You give off an air of royalty, entitlement.”
“I don’t,” she hisses.
I chuckle and lift my glass to my lips. After another sip, I look into her eyes and say, “Oh, what fun I will have in showing you that you’re wrong and I’m always right.”
I see the fire flash in her eyes, along with curiosity.
“Is that what you think?”
“It’s what I know.”
“Mm . . . Challenge accepted.”
“I hope you’re a woman of your word,” I say, setting my now-empty glass on the table as I stand and leave her there sitting alone as Felice makes her way back toward the table.
“Well, well, well. I see I was right,” Leona says over dinner.
“About?” I ask, wiping my lips with my linen napkin.
“She’s the right one for you. Camila Martinez,” Leona says cheekily.
“What makes you think that?”
“Oh, little birdies talk.”
“Maybe those little birds need to be knocked off the telephone wires,” I say glumly.
“Hmm . . . Well, I heard you ran into her in your room this morning. How did that go over?”
“Jules was the only one who could have told you that Ms. Martinez and I had any kind of encounter in the Noir Room.”
“Don’t harass her, Nazár.”
“I won’t. She’s lucky she’s your baby sister, or she might be fired.”
“She only gossips with me,” Leona says, shaking her head.
“I don’t trust gossiping women, Leona. You know this.”
“Yet, you trust me with your life,” she says, smiling cheekily at me.
“Humph,” I grumble, lifting a glass of bourbon to my lips.
“Enough of that. I’m sure you’ve had enough to drink tonight. You have an early-morning flight.”
“I do, but if you know me as well as you claim to, you also know that I only have two glasses of wine at the wine tasting.”
“What will you do about her ?” she asks, changing the subject as Niles brings in two dessert plates with key lime pie and forks for each.
“What’s there to do?”
“Are you going to engage her in play?”
“I think you’re too invested in my sex life, Leona.”
“And I say that you’re not invested enough.”
“How does Gary feel about you being so invested in my sex life, Leona?”
She waves her hand and shakes her head. “He’s more invested than I am. He hopes you’ll find someone soon to keep you occupied.”
“Why? Is he worried I’m about to snatch you up again for my lair?”
Laughing, she says, “Please. He knows that there’s no chance of that. No, Gary wants you happy because he cares about you, Nazár. Just as the rest of us do.”
Gary, Leona, and Jules are the closest people to family to me here at Belle Baie. Gary, Leona’s fiancé, runs the rum distillery. Leona met him through me. And while my family balks at not being invited to the resort, I don’t have to worry about Gary, Leona, and Jules. They’re a part of my world.
Gary and Leona also engage in kink, though not here at the resort. They save that for the privacy of their home. Jules, Leona’s baby sister, engages with some guests visiting our resort and is not ashamed of it.
My family would have much to say about my lifestyle and the resort I run. They would shame me and pressure me into leaving and returning home. I couldn’t do that because Belle Baie is who I am. It saved me through some years that could have crushed me. How can I turn my back on the one thing that breathes life into me?
“I care about you and Gary’s happiness too, Leona. Which is why you should stay out of my personal life,” I say.
She smirks. “You know that I can’t do that. Now, tell me. What did you two discuss at the wine tasting while Ms. Felice ran to the restroom? I have it on good authority that she had flaming hot cheeks when she left the table and was subdued when she returned.”
“There were only three staff at the tasting room this afternoon. When I find out who’s blabbing, they’re fired.”
“No, they won’t be,” Leona argues. “But you should ban Felice. She does gossip too much.”
“Felice is harmless. She’s a good woman, Leona.”
“No, she’s a woman scorned. She only returns, hoping to claim a place in your life. The fact that you ridiculed her this afternoon—”
“I didn’t ridicule her.”
“Well, the fact that you said something to embarrass her tells me she’ll be looking to do something vengeful.”
Shaking my head, I say, “No. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened to us.”
“Just make sure that she doesn’t ruin what could be a beautiful friendship between you and Ms. Martinez.”
“I would never do anything to sacrifice what the Princesa and I could have.”
“She even has a name,” Leona says knowingly, smirking at me above her wineglass.
“This is amusing to you, huh?”
“No, I just like to see you happy, and I believe she can bring you happiness.”
I stare at Leona for a while before slowly nodding. “I believe she could be trained to be the perfect partner with time. Unfortunately, I don’t know that I have much of that before she returns to her life.”
“Well, you could allow me to speed up the process.”
“Meaning?”
“Siphon out what her intentions are through meaningless conversations between two women. Decipher if she really is a perfect fit for you. Prepare her.”
“You’re a nosy busybody, Leona. Stay in your place.”
“If you insist.”
“I do.”
Somehow, I doubt that she’ll listen.