Masterpiece (The Masters of The Order Book 1) (17 page)

“Incredible, Beauty.” His voice was sultry and deep, deeper than she’d ever heard it.

She could feel his admiration and imagined how alluring she must look to him in this position. She didn't feel shy or ashamed. She was simply his. If he wanted to see her, she was his to see.

After a moment, he lifted her chin. His smoldering eyes blazed with barely leashed excitement, vaguely reminiscent of what she had seen in them before, but never quite like this. They were intent on her face, a Master’s eyes staring with a Master’s intensity to silently reveal the full measure of his primal need to possess her.

Peace settled inside her.
I finally pleased him
. The soreness in her arms and knees transformed into an intensely erotic seduction and a fresh ache tightened behind her clit, pulsing in time with her steady heartbeat. Her surroundings disappeared.

There was only Nicolai.

He removed another length of silk from his pocket and touched it to her temple, letting her know that it was a blindfold. He paused to allow her to adjust to the idea before covering her eyes, blinding her. Without sight, trust was harder. She tensed when she heard him step away and turned her head toward the sound.

“You’re safe, Beauty. I will never leave you.”

His words comforted on so many levels.

A finger came to her lips. “Open for me.”

A soft tickle swept over her open mouth. He painted lipstick, buttery smooth, over her lips. Amazing how intensely the lack of sight heightened the seduction of that simple motion. The small brush gliding back and forth with the silky cream left a surprising arousal in its wake.

When he stepped away again, she fought the urge to turn. Something cold and hard rubbed against her breasts. It was a curious sensation, not unpleasant, as little bumps ran over her nipples. Then she felt Nicolai reach over her head and place something around her neck.

Pearls
.

Heavy and long, the strand fell low on her belly. Another strand went around her neck and another. Nicolai positioned the strands with precision, pulling one down over each arm and leaving the last to dangle over her breasts. When he finished, he perfected her position by placing one hand beneath her chin, the other at the small of her back. She let her head fall as she arched her back more deeply for him.

“You are a masterpiece like this, Beauty. You are my masterpiece.”

The vitality of his dominance echoed in those words. She had come to him a child. He was creating the woman. He was the artist. She was the beautiful piece of artwork at the center of his studio.

I love you, Nicolai
. The words sang through her mind, but did not escape her lips.

The camera began to click.

*****

It was official.

He was a selfish bastard, but he couldn’t resist his muse when she was like this.

Hell, I can’t resist her period.

This intoxicating woman called to him like a Siren, daring him to throw himself against the rocks. The sight of her, naked and bound, his to do with as he pleased, was driving him to the brink of his control. Her display of innocence, courage and uninhibited desire was like heroin for a junkie, instantly addicting and irresistible.

Nicolai knew Julianne was new to all of this and his logical mind understood that he shouldn’t push her too fast, but the compulsion to possess her, own her, make her completely submit to his will, overwhelmed all logic. His cock throbbed in his pants as he set the camera on the floor and moved behind her.

One touch
. He would allow himself one touch.

Adrenaline pumped through every drop of his bloodstream. His hands actually shook as he reached around and began to touch her. He’d imagined this moment for so long and the vibrant reality surpassed every expectation. For the first time in forever, touching a woman felt like a new experience. As if a gust of fresh, cleansing air had breathed new life into his jaded soul and swept away every meaningless, hollow encounter from his past.

Impossible, yet possible just the same.

The invigorating rush made him anxious to discover every contour, every crevice, every secret place. He closed his eyes to steady himself and focused on the feel of Julianne’s smooth skin beneath his fingertips. She was soft, like a rose petal, and warm, so wonderfully warm. He stroked the underside of her chin, tracing along the graceful line of her jawbone. She swallowed against his hand as it dropped down her delicate neck. The gentle motion reminded him that she had placed herself completely at his mercy.

Completely within my care.

His heart already careened around his chest, threatening escape, when Julianne did the unthinkable. Her entire body softened, melting like ice in sunshine. She arched back until her head rested on his shoulder, offering herself to his touch. Silently gifting him with her trust, the very thing he’d worked so hard to earn.

“You please me beyond words, Beauty.”

He brushed kisses on her cheek and neck as fingers skated over her flawless body. Her breathing became more urgent. He watched the heavy rise and fall of her breasts over her shoulder. Full and lush. The luster of the pearls paled in comparison to her radiant skin. The natural pink hue of her nipples tempted his eyes. He clutched her neck, pinning her head against his shoulder, and tickled a fingertip, ever so lightly, over one magnificent peak.

Soft feminine noises urged him on.

“Tell me, Beauty, shall I be gentle with you or would you prefer something more?”

She curved her back and pressed her breast more firmly into his hand, offering the taut point without hesitation. He accepted her unspoken invitation and intensified the touch, pinching the nub between his thumb and forefinger in a tight press. He felt the sharp clench of her body as the sensation spiraled through her. Her thigh muscles tensed and released into a subtle roll of her hip as the stimulation swept to her sex.

My quiet Beauty thrills to his harsh affection.

Her unmistakable response lured him farther into the scene. He concentrated erotic torment on her nipples until they were swollen and darkened to a ferociously enticing shade of pink. Her head lulled to the side and her face burrowed into his neck as she strained to get nearer to him, even as he hurt her. His eyes devoured the beckoning color. His soul devoured her aroused eagerness to take his pain.

In return, he offered his reward. “Soar for me.”

A single finger slid between her legs and she exploded like a firecracker for him, sparkling and glorious.

The craving for Julianne surged deeper into his blood when he felt her silken folds drenched with the cream of complete arousal. He knew Julianne was not accustomed to being touched intimately, yet she responded with a mind-boggling mixture of stark, sensual pleasure and unadulterated invitation. Her courage was inspiring. Her submission was just hot.

“You challenge my self-control,” he rasped against the racing pulse at her throat. “Soon, so soon, I will take you home and you will be entirely mine. I will open you to a whole new world of pleasure. Until then, let us indulge a small taste.”

Greedy arms locked around her petite frame. More kisses on her shoulders and neck, building in demand. Desperate hands swept over her moist skin with ferocious intent. Every breath became more like a pant until ecstatic moans of pleasure echoed loud.

Pleasure, so much fucking pleasure.

He dipped his head and devoured her mouth, taking possession of her with his kiss and feasting on her submission. Her tongue met his with her own fierce need, revealing so much of what she hid deep inside.

Innocent or not, Julianne’s inner goddess was wide-awake and exulting in his dominance, lapping it up and rolling around with ecstatic delight in it. She threatened his very sanity with her voracious capacity for pleasure, driving him mad with the ruthless promise of a perfect surrender.

He eased back, compelled to see the art of her in bondage. The sight undid him. The contrast of the dark weave against her pale, luminous skin, the bright red of her lipstick smeared by his kiss, the glistening beads of sweat that trailed between her shoulder blades, all combined to blot out every honorable intention. He was seduced beyond reason. He growled and ran his tongue across her shoulders to lick the droplets away. The salty taste pulled something dangerous from his depths.

His sexual demon burst free, wild, greedy and violent.

Swift fingers claimed intimate flesh, flying over her slick center to create a maelstrom of sensation. He felt the tension coming, felt her begin to tremble as he took her, reveling in her ready wetness and heat. Julianne came in harsh, shattering spasms. He didn’t relent, bombarding her body with a barrage of stimulation until she came again.

The demon roared for more.

There was no patience, no care, no sense of anything but the primitive urge to dominate. Blind with his own ecstasy, he offered no quarter, driving her ruthlessly toward the next peak. Primal lust conquered him when he felt her rippling with orgasm again. She cried out as he tore her apart, completely lacking in gentleness as he did so.

He was crazed, even bordering on abusive, as he dragged her to the edge. Touching her everywhere, biting, pulling, pinching, forcing her toward another orgasm until she screamed for release from the erotic agony.

“
Ahh
.
S'il vous plait, Maître
.”

Master. The word stabbed him like a dagger, shattering his lust-filled haze.

Shaking off the blindness, he took in the image of his frenzy. His delicate Beauty crushed against the dais. Hair scattered across a face turned into the pillow. White satin stained with red lipstick. Pearls over contorted shoulders slicked with sweat. Ripped stockings.

He went numb. He didn’t want to see.

He closed his eyes and the foreboding, final passage of her journal flashed before him.

Master. Master. Master. Who are you to take everything from me, yet give me nothing but despair? I suffer every day for you, empty, alone and in pain. Why? Why do seek to destroy me? I swear I will survive. I will pretend, but I will never truly submit. I hate you, Master. With all that I am, I will always hate you.

That terrible, tear-stained page offered a clear warning. A warning that he, like a weak fool, had ignored.

Dear God, what have I done?

*****

When Jacques arrived at the gallery, he found Nico sitting on a dais in his studio with his face buried in his hands. Black ribbon spilled through his fingers and draped listless across his lap. He looked more than distraught.

“Where is Julianne?”

“I took her home.”

Jacques knew exactly what Nico had done with that ribbon, but asked, “What happened?”

He did not get the answer he expected.

“She was turned on by the suggestion of bondage and I decided to introduce it, here, in a place where she felt comfortable. I wasn’t going to touch her, not yet, just let her try it first. One minute, I was photographing her. The next, I was an undisciplined beast.” Nico looked up with horror in his eyes. “God help me, Jacques, I lost control.”

Jacques’s characteristic cool evaporated and he struggled to hide his shock. They’d shared countless scenes, bondage and otherwise, but he had never seen his cousin lose control. Not even close. Nico was a very experienced Dom. It didn’t register that he could make such a colossal error.

“Tell me. Everything,” he demanded in a flat voice.

Jacques listened as Nico spoke. What he heard was serious, but not dire. Nico pushed Julianne to her limit, but not beyond it. He took care of her properly afterward. She obviously enjoyed herself and left oblivious to the darker reality of what transpired. And there was even a silver lining. Her reaction to such an extreme domination meant that Julianne could become exactly the type of lover his cousin needed.

The Dom/sub 101 lecture was probably overkill, but Jacques went there anyway. “I’m not going to coddle you and tell you that you didn’t step over the line. You made a serious mistake by not ending that scene at the first hint you might lose control. You can never make that mistake with her again.” He gave his cousin a warning glare. “Ever. Do you hear me? If you do, you will answer to me.”

“I’m counting on it.”

Neither harbored illusions about what would happen if Nico ever abused his power over Julianne again. Within the Order, missteps had consequences. Extreme consequences. Each member was honor bound to preserve the other’s integrity and Jacques presented a formidable threat.

“But I still have to pull back, Jacques. She’s an innocent. I have to protect her. I refuse to hurt her anymore.”

“What makes you so sure you hurt her? She didn’t tell you she was hurt or frightened by what you did, so why are you imposing feelings she didn’t express?”

Nico swallowed hard, obviously holding fast to his shame and trying to skirt a fight. “I know what she needs,” he said in a clipped tone that was meant to block the next question.