Love Beat (16 page)

“It feels… It stings.
Ow.
” It snaps again, the sting on my breasts and my tender nipples, harder this time. It occurs to me he’s keeping his touch light. Heaven help me if he ever applies full strength.

“It stings—
what
?”

I fight for breath as it lands again. “It stings
—Sir.
” I jerk as it tingles over my belly.

The blows keep coming, now teasing, now harsh. I give up trying to guess which. Each one sends a spike of arousal straight to my groin. I lean into its touch, the feel of the slithering leather doing strange things to me, blending with the roll of his wrist and his soft, deep voice in my ear.

The blows rain down, light now, sinuous and sensual, but I’m growing tired. He frowns as a tear strays down my face. He tracks it with his finger.

I see his jaw clench as he steps back to take a swing.

Surely not
…there?

With heart-stopping accuracy, the whip lands with one sharp crack then another. The sting is far softer than the sound, but to my dismay, the ends are snaking up into my groin. With sickening certainty they land again and again along first one then the other side of my wide, splayed slit.

I’ve been clinging to a cliff-edge all evening as first his jewelry then his burning, hungry look inflamed me. Now this teasing pressure, its energy flowing directly from his wrist, tips me over the edge. With a shriek I convulse with a massive orgasm, my body jolting in my bonds.

The whip clatters to the floor as he flings it away and holds me close, his arms folding around me. He captures my mouth, his kiss robbing me of breath, and I’m being carried. I’ve no idea how far. I land on some soft, flat surface and almost instantly I sink into sleep.

* * * *

Some time later my eyes snap open. It’s still dark but I wake instantly, my body limp and content, my belly still aglow.

He’s sitting on the bed, naked to the waist. He looks angry. “I have to know. Are you okay? You passed out. I left you as long as I dared. Tunis? Talk to me.”

I smile lazily up at him. “I’m fine, thanks. You?”

His eyes glitter. “Are you serious? I was worried sick.”

Eyes wide, I sit up. I feel wonderful, ready for anything. He looks drawn and hollow, his hair all mussed.

“I’m fine, truly.”

His eyes narrow. “Glad to hear it. Now get up.”

I blink. “Why?”

He smiles briefly. “You’re forgetting your manners. Passing out is one thing. Turning in for the night while your Dom is still high and dry is quite another. Bend over.”

My senses now on high alert, I notice just two things before he takes the back of my head in a firm grasp and bends me forcibly down to the edge of the bed. I’m already burning with arousal—
and he’s holding a riding crop
.

With impatient taps of the whip he takes a few moments to get me in position, indicating I should spread my legs wide and keep my knees straight.

“Put your arms behind your back.”

I shiver as my wrists are swiftly encased in cold, hard metal. The handcuffs press into the small of my back as I stretch and tense to his instruction.

At last the instructions cease. I feel a cold rush of air as the whip descends. The flash of pain is so sudden that I gasp and rock against the bed.

Only minutes before I was fast asleep…

He steadies me with one hand under my pelvis. “Easy. Don’t cry out or you’ll get an extra. You’ll get two more.”

I clench my jaw tight and screw up my eyes as the whip lands again, then again. Each time he waits for the pain to flower fully before taking aim. After the third blow, there’s a long pause as the fierce heat blooms, spreads and settles into a hot, burning glow.

I feel his breath on my skin, then his lips as he kisses the searing places with a loving sweep of his tongue. Heat burns between my legs as my arousal flares. It burns brightly as the sting of the whip fades to golden heat. His hands move gently over my strained, aching thighs with a fond, loving caress.

“Another?”

I close my eyes. The punishment’s done, I counted the strokes. But now he’s asking me something else. Do I want
another
?

This is for pleasure. But for his, or mine?

I have to find out
. “Yes. Please, Sir. Another.”

It lands again, on my legs this time. Again the pain flowers, blooms and fades. The glow between my legs burns hotter.

“And again?” He sounds husky. His breath comes in long, shuddering spasms.

“Yes, again. Please.
Sir.
”

It lands again. Once more the pain flares. I let out a long, shuddering sigh, savoring the ache between my legs, letting that bloom too until I’m pulsing with excitement.

I’d never have believed it. I’m
enjoying
this.

He hauls me upright and turns me round to face him. His eyes rake my face, his expression awed. “Did that really just happen? You really wanted me to do that?”

“Yes.”

His eyes narrow. “Now you can thank me for your punishment, sub, and for your session. Kneel.”

As he says it, I know instantly what he wants. To my surprise it seems only natural, in fact essential, that I should kneel and return his courtesy.

I sink slowly to my knees. Without being asked, I lean forward to drop a reverent kiss on his fly.

I hear another sharp intake of breath then with a few swift movements of his fingers, his erection springs free. He’s huge—as I knew he would be, very hot and glowing darkly purple. With my hands still cruelly cuffed behind my back, it’s impossible to feel his silky skin with my fingers, to caress his heat. Instead I roll my tongue over the broad, gleaming crown, brushing with the soft inner skin behind my lips before licking eagerly along his length to moisten him fully before taking him into my mouth.

“In your own time, sub. But be warned… If I come before I reach your throat, I’ll whip you again.”

His tone’s harsh. I pause, quivering, as I weigh up my chances.

He’s very erect.
A throb from below spurs me on. He’s throwing me a challenge. He’s clearly close, but I’m in no hurry to finish. I want to enjoy this.

And for the first time in my life, the thought of another whipping is
exciting
. Only hours before I’d have shrunk in terror.

Game on.

I smile around his erection, letting it fill my mouth to stretching point. Slowly I take him deeper and ease into a steady, pulsing rhythm as I get into my stroke. His breathing’s ragged now. As I lunge forward to swallow him deep, I yawn open my throat to ease the gagging, hardly waiting for each spasm to die away before lunging again.

Soon the reflex eases and I take him fully, savoring his salty taste. Low, appreciative growls from somewhere deep in his chest stir my arousal like music.

All at once he stills and I felt a thrill of achievement as his creamy honey flows over my tongue. I swallow triumphantly, letting my mouth ease round his shaft, careful not to suck too hard while he’s still tender.

He towers over me, his breath easing like he wants this to last.

So do I.

He’s so beautiful—perfectly honed, powerful, dominant. A golden glow spreads all over me as I kneel before him to perform this simple and ancient act of female submission.

It feels right and just, a courtesy and a homage, and doing it in the still small hours just before dawn gives me a total, all-consuming thrill.

What’s happening to me?

* * * *

Morning comes in a blaze of sunlight. I wake to the deep, thrilling murmur of Cade’s voice as he strides about taking one call after another. In the background I hear the rarefied strains of a Bach Cantata. The rhythms of the singing match his pace while his low murmur makes a stirring ground bass to the familiar, soaring anthem.

As he catches my eye, he ends a call and comes quickly over, tucking in his shirt. His look sends my heartbeat into overdrive as he sits on the edge of the bed and tenderly pushes some strands of hair away from my face.

“Are you okay? Things got pretty intense last night.”

I shuffle up the pillows and stretch. “I’m fine. Truly. I feel wonderful.”

He smiles back briefly then switches off his phone as it buzzes again. Without looking at it, he slips it into his pocket and pulls back the cover.

“Let me look at you.”

“Now? You’re insatiable.”

He meets my playful grin with a grave stare. “I’m your Dom.” His eyes darken as he lowers his voice. “It’s my job to take care of you and make sure we don’t…overdo things.”

“
We
?”

His eyes gleam. “We. I go only as far as you let me. Turn over. I want to check your beautiful backside.”

I sigh as his hands move over me in a slow, sensuous caress. One or two places are still tender, where the whip landed with unexpected force. He traces the marks with his finger, making them burn, making me shiver. “Does this feel
good
? Or not?”

In the mirror on the far wall I can see some faint marks, but very few—just one or two thin red lines and a patch of rosy skin where I still feel
used.
Moisture pools between my legs as I recall how I earned them—the long, slow burn and the pleasure that followed.

I feel my cheeks redden and hear his sharp intake of breath.

He tilts my chin to face him. “Tunis?”

I swallow, my face burning. I never thought I’d say this. “Yes,” I whisper. “It feels good.”

His mouth curls, a slow smile of triumph. “Good. Then we’re getting somewhere.”

He touches his lips to my neck, my shoulder, then my lower back just above my tailbone. “Mm, delicious. I could eat you for breakfast. Maybe I will one day.”

He sits up and slaps my bottom hard. I yelp in surprise as he laughs and springs to his feet. “But not today. Get up. Nera just called to say you’re due at the salon in five minutes. You’re getting a massage, pedicure and a medical. I’ll see you back here at”—he glances at his watch—“three. We’ll start our session early today. Dinner might take longer than usual. I’ve got some investors flying in for a meeting.”

As he strolls back to his room to fetch his jacket, he closes the door behind him. I stare at it, puzzled.

Salon appointment? First I’ve heard of it.

* * * *

In the salon, it’s clear I’m expected. I’m led to a small room, brought a coffee and asked to strip and lie on a table to await the masseuse. But the first person to arrive is Nera.

She sweeps me with an icy look then quietly locks the door.

I sit up in alarm. “Where’s the masseuse?”

Nera looks down at me with open dislike. “Waiting outside. I want to talk to you.”

I clutch the sheet over myself. Somehow the thought of this hard-edged woman seeing me naked makes me queasy.

At the same moment an image of Mel’s tense, thin face crosses my mind. I strike first. “What’s this about you and Ben?”

Nera blinks. “What about him?”

“I hear he’s a little too keen.”

For a second she looks wary. “Meeting a Domme for the first time can be a very powerful experience. You should know.”

What?
I ignore this and lean forward. “He’s taken, Nera. You’re treading on someone’s toes. Back off.”

She presses her crimson-painted lips together in a thin, spiteful line. “Some people get emotional. It usually passes off in a few days.” Her eyes flicker with something unpleasantly like triumph. “And I know all about Cade’s little arrangement.” Her lip curls. “And don’t think it’ll get you anywhere. He’s just doing you a favor. And, frankly, I think you had a lot of nerve asking him.”

She knows everything.
I glare at her. “And this is your business w
hy
, exactly?”

“Because I know what’s good for him, that’s why. And you’re anything but. You’ll ruin his career. We booked you the Panther. You’d have been far better off with him. A lily-livered vanilla in need of a good thrashing would have suited him just fine. Cade’s the last person you should have asked.”

Fury consumes me. I get that she’s cross about me messing up her bookings, but inwardly I rage. S
he knows
, while I’m sworn to secrecy.

At that moment there’s a discreet tap at the door.

With a scowl she unlocks it and Sonja looks in, her pretty face white and strained. She’s about to speak when she sees me and stops. She and Nera exchange a look then Nera glances back.

“Gotta go. And believe me, I wish
you
would. You’re not doing any of us any favors.”

She slips past the masseuse, who enters with a bright, professional smile and closes the door.

Despite all the pampering that follows, I stay tense.
Nera knows.
But how much does she know? And who else knows?

He’s taken me over. I’ve thought so much about pleasing him and accepting the pleasures he gives me that my brain’s shut down and I’ve forgotten to think.

I’ve been such a fool. I’m simply playing into his hands. He’s a hard-edged businessman with an empire to run, money to make and a grudge against me.

Last year was a fiasco for him and his business. It was all my fault. Now he wants payback. And if I fall for him, lose my job and ruin my friends’ chances in the process, his revenge will be all the sweeter.

Leaving the salon, I walk straight into Mel.

“Tunis. They said you’d be here.” Mel’s clearly fresh from a training session. Slightly flushed, she looks chic in tight latex and tall boots, a perfect budding Domme—sure of herself, in control.

Unlike me.

She lowers her voice to a friendly stage whisper. “Can’t stop, I’m doing another session in a few minutes with Ben. And guess what? We’re planning a little diversion in the next day or so. Just thought I’d let you know. I’m getting mighty sick of Nera and Mr. Media Mogul bossing us all about.”

“
Diversion
?” I stare at her, instantly alarmed. “What kind of diversion? Mel, please don’t—”

“Not now. No time. We’ll talk over lunch.”

With a conspiratorial wink and a wave of her thin fingers, she’s gone.