Bound at the Ball (Siren Publishing Allure) (7 page)

Graceful steps, even if they were hesitant, brought her to him in a few heartbeats. She was looking through him, holding her shoulders stiff. When she was standing within arm’s length, she started to turn and bend over his legs. The movement surprised and confused him for a moment until he realized that she was going to put herself over his legs for a spanking. The thought send lust screaming through his veins, but he tamped it down. That wasn’t what he’d meant when he had patted his legs at all.

“Stop. Look at me, Rella. Focus on me.” He watched her jerk upright again and bring her attention to his face. “Better. Now, I didn’t mean for you to be punished. You are going to sit in my lap, and we are going to talk.”

Again he patted his legs and watched her eyes flit quickly down to his hands before focusing on his face again. She was so wary of him. He waited a moment, then two. When she didn’t move he gently wrapped a hand around her arm and pulled her onto his lap. She was so stiff, fighting against him, but he was stronger. With gentle pressure he maneuvered her exactly how he wanted her. Her legs hung off his, dangling above the floor, and he snuggled her into his arms. How to get her to trust him? A thought came to him that spread a grin across his face. He wasn’t sure how much she’d like the plan, but it should get her to open up to him.

“Lean into me. You aren’t going anywhere for a while, so you might as well relax.” He pressed on her shoulder and head, chuckling at how stiffly she sat. She finally relented and rested lightly against his shoulder. “Relax. I’m not going to punish you or do anything to you right now. We are going to sit here and talk.”

Rella couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She’d disrespected him a number of times in the last few moments and he was going to do nothing about it? She tried to do as he instructed, but willing her muscles to relax wasn’t something she could do just then. She was tense for a multitude of reasons, and a few of those were bodily needs she didn’t want to focus on too long.

“Now. You and I are going to play a little game. I will ask a question, and you will answer. Truthfully. If you answer without hesitation you will be rewarded.” She could feel a smile in his words and by the slight chuckle under her cheek. “If you hesitate too long, or try to lie, you’ll be punished. Do you understand?”

Did she understand? Sure. He was going to ask her impossible questions that she was sure she wouldn’t want to answer. A sharp pinch on her ass made her yelp. She turned and glared at him before she could stop herself.

“I asked you a very simple question, Rella. If you can’t even admit to understanding the instructions of this little game, how are you going to fare when I start asking more difficult things?”

She wanted to wipe the grin off his face, but she held still, schooling her face to hopefully hide the anger that was starting to boil in her gut.
Passive. Be passive. Don’t show him your true feelings.

“I will ask you again. Do you understand the instructions I’ve given for our game?”

She looked away and nodded. Of course she understood. No one seemed to care if she wanted to do any of these things, though. Why couldn’t that be the question he asked her? Did she want to be sitting on this male’s lap while he asked her personal questions? Did anyone actually ask her if she wanted to be oiled like a roasting animal and put on display for unseen eyes? No, because she was the female, the submissive, the Tropustyr. If she’d been born a warrior, she’d be the one playing silly games and still clothed.

A firm finger under her chin brought her head back around, and she found dark eyes watching her with unmistakable interest. “What has you thinking so hard? Your brow is all scrunched and you are clenching your teeth. Do you not want to be here with me?”

She sighed. “No, Warrior. I will obey as you’ve instructed.” She tried to look away, but he kept her chin captive, forcing her to maintain eye contact. “I will try and school my face so you are pleased with me.”

“Fuck.” The venom behind that one word was enough to burn her alive. She couldn’t help the flinch when he swore. The word was taboo in her culture, and only the most disrespectful people used it. She was shocked that he’d use it in a public event, but he was a warrior and stronger than anyone else she’d met. Perhaps he didn’t care what others thought of him, or he was actually a troublemaker and enjoyed shocking others. Whatever the reason, she blushed and closed her eyes, waiting for his next move.

* * * *

The string of vulgarity he wanted to spew was swallowed when he felt her reaction to his outburst. Her eyes had widened before she closed them
. Hiding again from me
. Her cheeks had paled markedly, going from a flush of pink to sickly white. Her heart was racing, and she’d stiffened in his arms. He knew that some of the Tropustyr people didn’t swear because it was too aggressive. Could he screw up with her any more than he already had?

“I’m sorry. I’m not angry at you or at your behavior.” He tilted her head up again and waited for her eyes to open. “Let’s do this right. My name is Sabar. You may call me that while we are together tonight. Say it, Rella. I want to hear my name on your lips.”

She hesitated for just a moment and then blushed a beautiful pink, erasing the ghostly white she’d turned when he had sworn. Her lips opened, and she licked the bottom one nervously before whispering, “Master Sabar.”

He almost groaned. Hearing that on her lips was music to his ears. He’d meant her to use only his first name, but adding the title was too much. He wouldn’t stop her from calling him master, not when it sounded so sweet on her tongue.

“Beautiful, Rella. I like how my name sounds when you say it. Now, anytime you want to ask me for something you will use my name. For example. Please, Master Sabar, let me kiss you.” He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face at the almost hidden indignation that flashed in her eyes at his example. “Now, you say that so we can practice.”

She hesitated, and he pinched her ass again to spur her on. She tried to hide the shiver that went through her body, but he felt it clear to his spine. Apprehension or desire, he wasn’t sure, but he would find out.

“Please, Master Sabar, let me kiss you.” Her words carried a hint of fear, but her eyes had locked on his lips. She was so sweet in her denial of what she wanted. Perhaps she didn’t even know she wanted it. From what little he saw of her last night, she was innocent of the greater responses of a female to a male. Maybe she was innocent of the lesser intimacies as well.

He leaned into her shoulder slowly, closing the distance between their faces. Her eyes widened and then closed. A breathy sigh left her lips and brushed across his cheek. He waited, watching her, feeling her tense as the moments ticked by. Finally she opened her eyes. She didn’t voice the question, but he could see it in her face.

“You asked me if you could kiss me. I have neither given you the approval to do so, nor told you that I would kiss you instead.” He smiled at the glint of frustration in her eyes. “Rella, if you ask me for something, I promise I will agree or disagree quickly, but you must learn to wait for my decision. Now, ask me again, and this time wait for the answer.”

She was quicker to get the words out this time, less timid. It pleased him greatly that she wanted to kiss him and was angry that he hadn’t done so already. She was proving to be exactly what he wanted in a mate. If he could just keep this progress going instead of pushing her back into her concerned cocoon, he’d be doing well.

“Master Sabar, please let me kiss you.”

“Oh, that was beautiful. Yes, you may kiss me.”

* * * *

Kiss him? Rella had no idea how to kiss a male. Sure, she’d kissed her father on the cheek each day when he left for work. That didn’t count as kissing. She knew what type of kiss Sabar was talking about. He wanted lips on lips, moving against each other. The picture in her head made her belly warm and she squirmed slightly on his lap.

She’d dreamt of what it must feel like many nights after catching Lena being kissed by her mate. Her sister had been visiting their father with her mate and they’d taken a walk to the back garden. Rella followed them and hid behind the shed while Porat ravaged her sister. Lena seemed to love it, at least if you took all her moaning and pleading as liking something.

Before she could lose her nerve she leaned forward and pressed her lips lightly to his. After a moment she leaned back, slightly disappointed that it hadn’t felt any different than kissing her father’s cheek. She looked into his eyes and found them crinkled at the corners. He was laughing at her. A surge of insecurity swept through her. Perhaps she couldn’t kiss well enough to make him happy. Maybe she was truly defective. Her body was not built to suit a male, so perhaps her lips didn’t work right either. He surely wasn’t looking at her like Porat had looked at her sister after their kiss.

“Stop. Rella, I’m not laughing at you. Your lips are very soft and felt lovely pressed against mine. Now, before you distract me, I have questions to ask. Remember the rules. If you answer immediately, with the truth, you will be rewarded. Are you ready?”

She nodded her head. Yes, she remembered. She was still confused by his remarks about her lips. He thought they felt lovely, yet he didn’t respond by kissing her back. Maybe kissing wasn’t as wonderful as she thought it would be. With a mental shrug, she peered at Sabar, awaiting his first question. She hoped it was something simple.

“What is your favorite color?”

Her favorite color? Really? That was the first question he was going to ask? Why would he want to know that? Perhaps it was a trick question. Maybe he was going to punish her if she picked the wrong color. Her mind spun, lost in a circle of confusion. A sharp pinch to her already sore ass made her yelp.

“Really, Rella, you can’t even answer that question without thought?”

“I’m sorry. I just was trying to determine the reason for the question. I don’t understand.”

He sighed. “I asked the question because I wanted to know the answer. There is no other reasoning behind it. Now. I’m only going to repeat this question one more time. If you can’t play my little game, then I will find another way to extract the answers from you. What is your favorite color?”

“M–my favorite color is purple.”

“Good. Now to reward you for a truthful answer.”

She wasn’t sure what she expected for a reward. Perhaps a pat on the head or a piece of candy. She wasn’t expecting him to lean into her, take her face between his rough palms and make her belly flutter. A moment before his lips touched hers she realized he was going to kiss her. A whimper escaped her parted lips the moment before his touched hers. Warm breath moved lightly across her cheek. The feel of his mouth on hers did something below her belt. She’d liked pressing her lips to his, but having him kiss her was so much more. His lips parted over hers a moment before his tongue slid along the seam of her mouth. His kiss was hot, wet, sensual. She whimpered against his mouth.

He backed away from her, and she had to fight her instincts to not follow his mouth. She slowly opened her eyes and found he was still inches from her face. Something fierce burned in his eyes, and her body responded with a hot throb in her pussy. Gods, if a kiss could make her feel that way, she wanted to know what else he could do to her.

“Nice. Next question. What do you feel right now?”

The warmth from the kiss receded quickly with his question. She felt her cheeks blush, and she tried to avert her eyes. She didn’t want to talk about it. Her pussy was still pulsing in time to her heartbeat, her breasts were heavy, and she had an urge to lean into his chest to feel his body against hers.

“I don’t know what I feel.”

“Lie.” His voice was harsh, and she flinched, bringing her eyes back to his. How he’d gone from warm to ice-cold in a matter of a moment was terrifying. “Punishment for the lie is to have your hands behind your back until you answer three questions truthfully. Place your palms together.”

She scrambled to do as he bade. She wanted the warmth back in his face. Her palms clasped together, and she felt the magnets in her bracelets cling together. For a moment she wanted to struggle against the restraints, but she knew there was nothing she could do about them. Fighting would get her in more trouble, and she didn’t want punishment at Sabar’s hands.

“Good girl. Now. Answer the question truthfully. How were you feeling before your punishment?”

“Slightly overwhelmed but very warm. I liked being kissed by you, and it made my belly heavy.”

“See, answering me wasn’t so hard, was it? What do you like to do with your free time?”

That was an easy question, and she grinned before answering. “Read.”

His answering smile took her breath away. His grin and smirks before made him look handsome, but his smile lifted his face into the realm of the gods. She wanted to touch him to verify that he was real, but with a quick jerk she realized her hands were still behind her back, held by her cuffs. He leaned into her space again and she eagerly closed her eyes, waiting for the kiss she wanted more than another breath.

His lips touched hers a moment before his hands pushed into her hair. He held her head still as he moved his mouth across hers. A flick of something hot and wet against her lips made her gasp. His tongue was touching her. Her pussy clenched so hard she moaned. Her bottom lip was lightly sucked into his mouth then bathed by his tongue. Soft pressure from his teeth had her arching her back, pushing her torso closer to him. She whined when he pulled away from her. She wasn’t ready for the kiss to be over, not when her entire body felt like it was being heated from the inside out.

Before she could even open her eyes, her next question was floating on the air. “Do you like my kisses, Rella?”

“Yes,” she answered on a whisper.

She waited for him to continue, wanted him to with every cell in her body. When his fingers tightened in her hair, she sighed, opening her lips in invitation. A moan rumbled in his chest when his lips once again touched hers. This time there was nothing tentative about his assault on her mouth. His tongue pushed between her lips, forcing her to open farther. He stroked her teeth and her tongue with his, twining them around each other in a sensual dance. Her breathing increased as she tried to drag air into her lungs. When he finally stopped the invasion and used her hair to pull away from her mouth, they were both gasping.