Chapter 48
Forty-Eight
ROME
Those gorgeous green eyes widen as her spoon pauses halfway to her mouth, and she watches me.
“What?”
“You heard me.” I take a bite and chew thoughtfully, my blood simmering. “I won’t ask again.”
I’m in a mood tonight. I want to dominate her. I want to control her.
I need to take care of her.
This piece of myself doesn’t often come out to play, but when it does, there’s no satiating it any other way.
I need her.
“No,” she says simply.
“You need to choose one.”
She takes a bite of her sandwich and watches me. “Why?”
I set my spoon down and brace my hands on the counter. “Because I told you to, Eloise.”
She swallows hard and clears her throat. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“You’re kind of intense tonight. Do I need to be scared?”
“I’ll never hurt you. I’d kill myself first. The safe word is for your protection and for my information. I’m going to push some boundaries tonight, and I need to know that you always feel at ease with me.”
“I do.”
I smile softly at her. “Good. I don’t want that to change. Your safe word is for both of us.”
She chews another bite, taking that in. “I’m not sure what to choose.”
“How about this, then? We’ll use colors. I’ll check in with you to see what color you’re at. You’ll say green or yellow. Green means you’re good to go. No problems. Yellow tells me you don’t need to stop, but you’re nearing your limits. And at any time, if you say red, we stop. No questions asked.”
“Red means I can’t do any more?”
“That’s right, baby. And you will not be shy about using it. That’s imperative.”
She nods and finishes her sandwich, then pushes her mostly eaten bowl of soup away from her. “That seems easiest. I like it.”
She stands to take care of the dishes, but I shake my head.
“Leave it. I’ll get to it later. How do you feel right now?”
Eloise licks her lips, watching me. “Curious.”
“You should be.” I circle the island and take her hand in mine, threading our fingers together and kissing the back of her hand as I guide her to the den. When we step inside, she comes to a stop, and I turn to watch her. To let her come to terms with what’s in here in her own time.
“Rome.”
“I’m right here, firefly.”
She steps to me, as if she’s seeking comfort, and I wrap my arm around her, tugging her to my side.
“Talk to me,” I murmur before kissing her temple.
“The ropes,” she whispers, making me grin. She looks up at me, and her pupils have dilated with lust just at the sight of my ropes laid out on the table. “Please tell me we get to play with those.”
“We are going to play, but there are some rules. You’ll do what I say, when I say, without hesitation. I will check in on your colors often to make sure you’re comfortable.”
My firefly nods enthusiastically. “Deal.”
“If you need a break, you tell me.”
She continues to nod.
“You will not come until I give you permission.”
At that, she falters, and I take her chin in my fingers, making her look me in the eyes. “I’m going to edge the fuck out of you tonight. I’m going to tie you up and touch you, kiss you, fuck you, but you will not come until I say so.”
She swallows hard. “Yes, Rome.”
“That’s my girl.” I kiss her forehead and step away from her. “Take your clothes off.”
As she pulls her tank over her head, I reach for the first bunch of purple rope and bring it to her. Once she’s fully naked, I hold the rope out to her and nod.
“Touch it.”
She smiles as her fingers brush over the rope. “It’s soft.”
“Yes.”
She eyes the other colors on the table, which are different sizes and lengths. “Are they all soft?”
“They are.”
Her eyes drift to the other toys I have laid out beside the ropes, and they widen. “Rome?”
“Ask me anything.”
“Is that a … butt plug?”
I glance at the toy with the red-jeweled end and grin. “It is, yes. We’re going to work up to that.”
She takes a shaky breath, then nods once as if steeling herself for what’s to come.
But she has no fucking idea.
And I can’t wait for her to discover everything happening in here tonight.
“Have you done this in here before?”
“No.” I take her chin in my fingers again. “I’ve never had a woman in my penthouse before you, remember?”
She nods, and I have to admit, I like the look of jealousy in her green gaze at the thought of me doing this with anyone else.
But I need her to relax and feel at ease, so I kiss her lips and brush my nose against hers.
“You’re all that matters, Eloise. Only you. You’re with me now, and you’re my future. That’s all you need to think about.”
That shaky breath comes out on a long exhale, and she leans into me. “I know. You’re right.”
“Good. Let’s get started. Do you remember your colors?”
She nods. “I’m at green.”
“Well done.” I kiss her cheek and nod to the rug in the middle of the room. “Stand here. You’ll eventually be on your knees, but we’ll start here.”
She walks to where I indicated and stands with her arms relaxed at her sides, staring straight ahead.
Christ, she was made for this. So trusting. So fucking beautiful.
And so mine.
I roll the full-length mirror into the room and position it about ten feet in front of her. Room enough for me to work but close enough for her to see everything.
She sucks in a breath and watches herself standing here, completely nude, waiting for me to start.
But first, I walk up behind her and press my front to her back, drift my hand down from her collarbone to her hip, enjoying her softness.
“Look at how fucking beautiful you are, firefly. Every curve, every hill and valley is absolute perfection.”
Her gaze catches mine in the mirror, and her lips curve up in a soft smile.
“I like seeing us together like this,” she admits softly. Her raspy voice makes my cock twitch, so I decide to forgo the ball gag.
I want to hear every fucking sound she makes.
“Me, too,” I murmur before dropping a kiss to her neck. “You can relax. Breathe. Listen to me. That’s all you have to do.”
Her eyes drift shut for just a moment, and when she opens them again, they’re glassy.
“That’s exactly what I need tonight.”
“Good.”