CHAPTER 31 #2
“I know that. But you said I’m always in command, and you’re right. I am ceding control to you. Once you tie me, you’ll have all the power.”
Her eyes narrowed to feline slits, but some color was returning to her face. Her chin jutted forward and, with a sudden movement, she yanked the tie from his hands.
“Lie on the bed,” she commanded at the same time she jumped from it.
He complied immediately, the warmth of the sheets where her body had been until a moment ago welcoming him.
His gaze followed her scantily clad figure hungrily as she went to her robe and pulled the long sash off, then to a drawer to remove another length of cloth.
A scarf? When she had gathered her provisions, she came back to the bed.
Distracting him with the tempting vision of the outline of her body through the fine silk of her nightgown. His mouth went dry.
“Hands over your head.” Her voice cut through his fantasy, but only to heighten his pleasure.
He complied with alacrity, holding her gaze, and she went to work, shackling his wrists together and then securing them to a post of the bed.
As she tied them to the bedpost, her breasts swung temptingly close to his mouth.
If he just lifted his head a little, he could take one nipple in his mouth and suckle until it was hard and pointy, until she squirmed with desire.
The urge was so great, he had to close his eyes to avoid the temptation.
“There, that should hold you,” she said as she scuttled toward the lower part of his body. He tested the bindings. They were stronger than he had expected.
“You certainly know how to tie a knot,” he observed.
“I learned to weave in the harem. I spent years tying knots.” One of her shoulders lifted in a small shrug as she moved toward his feet. “The purpose might be different, but the same principle applies.”
She studied him from under lowered lashes. “Open your legs.”
The vulnerability of his position struck him as soon as he moved his legs apart.
The first frisson of discomfort ran down his spine, but he suppressed it.
He had promised her control, and he wouldn’t go back on his word.
He wasn’t even sure he could at this point.
She was in a strange mood and needed to carry out whatever design she had planned.
With the utmost efficiency, she tied each of his legs to a post of the bed. After she was done, he surreptitiously pulled on the bindings, and they held fast. He was well and truly trapped, splayed out in front of her, as she contemplated him with narrowed eyes and an intent expression.
Submission and dominance had never played in his fantasies. If they had, Michael would have thought he would want to be the dominant party. But damn if being helpless and splayed out in front of her didn’t arouse him. His cock hardened under her considering gaze.
She lifted an eyebrow and met his gaze. “This is just a game to you, isn't it? You think it’s exciting being tied and helpless.”
“I didn’t know how it was going to be,” he replied truthfully. “I assure you, I’ve never been in this situation before. But yes, I’m aroused. Being with you arouses me. I can’t help it. It’s the effect you have on me.”
“Would it be different if the person holding you captive was someone you loathed and feared? Imagine you are a prisoner of an enemy army, and the person in front of you is not intent on pleasure, but pain. Can you imagine that, Michael?”
He closed his eyes, attempting to imagine the scene she described.
It would be terrifying. He had faced enemies on the battlefield.
Had confronted them in hand-to-hand combat.
But it was one thing to be in action. Even if you were staring death in the face every instant, at least you had a chance to defend yourself.
It was another feeling completely to be tied and helpless, at someone else’s mercy.
He breathed deeply, attempting to calm the rhythm of his heart, the pumping of his blood that demanded action.
“Yes, I can. It’s… deeply unsettling. I think I understand now.”
“Not yet. Your lesson ends when I say so, not when you deem it. That’s part of being powerless.
” Her hand landed on the middle of his chest, on the bare skin revealed by the opening of his shirt.
She undid the buttons until his torso was naked, then, sliding down her hand, she cupped his rock-hard erection and gave it a brief squeeze.
He groaned, on the painful edge of pleasure, his hips thrusting into her touch as much as his bonds allowed.
But she withdrew her hand immediately, leaving him panting with unsatisfaction.
“You are still hard.” Her voice was husky, but her gaze was implacable.
He just grunted because there was no good response to that. His state was more than obvious.
With a tsk, she left the bed again to rummage in one of the drawers.
When she turned back to him, the object she had in her hands sent the first pang of real fear through him.
She was holding a wicked dagger and looking at him with glittering eyes.
When she came over to him and rested the blade on his thigh, he had to stop himself from flinching.
“Josie, do you know how to use that?”
As an answer, she brought her hand to the waistband of his trousers and undid the first button.
Merciful God in heaven, he had dreamed of having her undress him; he could imagine nothing better than her hands on him. But not while she was holding a sharp dagger and had doubtful intentions.
“Josie, wait. What do you intend?”
Another button, yet another… His dumb cock sprang forth into her waiting hand, oblivious of the danger.
She gripped him firmly, and his protests of alarm turned into a groan of ecstasy as she pumped him, slowly at first, gaining speed as he arched, straining against his bonds.
Never before had he felt this unholy mixture of fear and arousal.
His cock was leaking with his imminent orgasm. A moment more and he would….
She released him.
His cock fell with a hard thud against his belly, and he buried his growl of frustration on the side of his outstretched arm.
The rip of fabric had him raising his head. “Jaysus, what are you doing?”
Her smile was not at all reassuring. “It would be impossible to remove your trousers while you are tied,” she explained as if her logic was perfectly obvious.
The ease with which the dagger sliced through the fabric was proof of how sharp and deadly it was.
To say he was terrified of having that sharp weapon anywhere close to his genitals was a massive understatement.
He watched her closely as she sliced one leg of his trousers from hem to crotch then did the same with the other.
With a few more slices and tugs, his trousers and undergarments had been reduced to ribbons, and she brushed them aside, leaving him completely exposed and his cock standing at attention, like a puppy eager for her touch. Her fist closed around him and his head fell back in an agonized groan.
She once again caressed him until he was about to spill and then released him at the last moment.
“Oh, bloody hell.”
He lost count of how many times she brought him to the brink of orgasm only to leave him unfulfilled. He was sweating, panting, begging for mercy, and more aroused than he’d ever been. Desperation loosened his tongue.
“Are you enjoying torturing me?”
Her gaze snapped to his, her eyes widening. “I am.”
“Good. I’m glad you are. I bet your pussy is weeping.”
She whimpered but refused to answer. Outraged at his crude words, or surprised to find it true?
“Don’t you just want to sink onto my cock, Josie? It’s hard and ready for you.”
“I bet you would enjoy that,” she challenged.
“Of course I would.” He regarded her tenderly. “Love, if your intention is to force me in order to make me experience what you did…you can’t. You can’t force what is willingly given.”
Her eyes narrowed, and something flashed in the blue depths too fast for him to decipher.
“You think that’s what this is about? Oh, Michael. I wouldn’t want to inflict that on my worst enemy. Much less the man I—” She shook her head, cutting off her speech.
She was about to say love, he knew it in his heart. He longed to hear her say it but would accept her retreat for now.
“It’s not about forcing you,” she whispered. “It’s about being in control. Holding all the power. Maybe making you feel a bit helpless. It’s about knowing you can’t do anything to force me.”
“I would never—”
“I know. My head knows. But my body seems to have a mind of its own. I can’t control the way I feel. It’s like being trapped in a nightmare.”
If she had buried the dagger in his chest, it probably would have hurt less.
“I’m sorry,” he said despairingly, wanting only to ease her pain.
She leaned down to lie on top of him, whispering in his ear. “Don’t be. This is actually helping. I’m not afraid now. Only aroused.”
Her words were a lightning bolt shooting straight to his cock.
With a wicked smile, she stood on her knees and raised her nightgown. The fabric slid over her thighs, higher, higher, until it exposed her bare pussy.
“Sweetheart, my mouth is watering. Do you know what I would do right now if I was free? I would feast on your pussy until you screamed with pleasure. I would lick and suck and kiss your lips until you release that sweet cream of your arousal into my mouth. Sit on my face, and I’ll demonstrate.”
“Hmm, that sounds like a capital idea. For another time, maybe. I’m not ready to let you touch me.”
He groaned and closed his eyes. “Touch yourself then. If you don’t want to fuck me, touch yourself for me.”
“I suppose you can watch.”