Sculpt-Paige_Michaels-Becca_Jameson (6 page)

He stepped back and wrapped his hands around her shoulders. “Now tell me what happened at the Loft.”

She blinked and dropped her head. Deep shame moved in a red flush from her neck to her cheeks. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because you won’t want me if you hear.” It was the truth and almost too painful to say.

“Did you harm a child?”

She shook her head.

“Okay. Then what was it?”

“I can’t…”

He dropped his hands and turned his back to her. Defeat swamped her. He was going to leave. “Lucinda, you will tell me. But if you need to do it in a different way, I’ll give you that opportunity. You tell me when you’re ready, and I’ll ask you again. For now, grab your coat and whatever you need to stay the night.”

She nodded in relief. Part of her wanted him to force it out of her, let her face the music of what she’d done and see if he could accept her regardless. But the other part, the part that ached for him and all that he could give her, wouldn’t let her say anything. Not now. Not yet. Not until he was done teaching her.

She grabbed her toiletry bag and clothes to wear tomorrow and tossed them all in a backpack, along with her wallet. She should tell someone where she was going. She should have told someone the first time, but the truth was she didn’t have anyone. No one she knew well enough in the community to disclose anything to, no one she knew well enough in real life who wouldn’t report back to Julian. Julian had told her to stay away from the community, to lay low and keep her head down. But surely he wouldn’t begrudge her search for a Dom now, after all this time.

At least she hoped he wouldn’t.

He didn’t have the first clue what happened between Lucinda and Julian and Morgan, but he didn’t let that stop him from his plans with Lucinda. Whatever it was, she’d tell him eventually, or beg him to beat it out of her. It was a sticking point, and maybe the reason she hadn’t found a Dom yet.

They drove to his place with her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, her tits pressed against his back. He wanted to mark them. Bite them like he had her ass and then maybe come all over them. But he needed to give her his gift first. Her reward for not calling or texting him. He’d told her he would, and he needed to be a man of his word with her.

He pulled the Indian into his garage next to his Lexus SUV. He didn’t take the bike out nearly enough, but Minnesota weather wasn’t always conducive to riding. Though if she agreed to keep him warm, it might be worth a few brisk rides.

She followed him into the house, and he entered his alarm code. She walked to the foyer and stared at his Degas replica. Her fingers danced over the delicate ballerina, and then she dropped her hand and faced him.

“How did you get your money? Where do you work?”

“I’m a broker for Morgan Stanley.”

She nodded, and then lifted her head and said, “I won’t stay if you’re not going to fuck me tonight.”

He shook his head and crossed to the hall table, opening the top drawer. “I understand you need something from me, but that isn’t it. You don’t determine whether I fuck you or not. You won’t push me into it. But I will give you this and a promise.”

He held out a medium-sized silver box. She took it and looked at him with a curious expression before tearing into it. He almost laughed at her eagerness. She held up the whip he’d wrapped carefully in tissue.

“What’s this for?”

“It’s my commitment to you. My figurative signature on our contract. You bring this to me anytime, anywhere, and I promise I will deliver what you need. That’s what I’m offering to you.”

Her eyes had gone wide, and her nipples pebbled under the bodice of her dress, begging to be sucked on. “Any time?”

“Yes, sweetheart. That’s the promise.” He let his gaze stray up and down her body. This dress was much better than the tight one, but the woman seriously needed a new wardrobe if the best choice she could come up with that had a flared skirt was this or a costume. He moaned inwardly, picturing how much sexier the tight cotton dress would be without the bra at all. Her tits were smokin’ hot, high and full. Her nipples weren’t well concealed by the bra, but they would be perfect puckered nubs without it.

“Why would you do that?” The vulnerability in her voice almost felled him. God, she needed to be treasured, this girl.

“Because then you won’t push me into being angry with you. I don’t want to be angry. I want to give you what you need and have you give me what I need.”

She licked her bottom lip, and he couldn’t stop himself from slipping his middle finger in between her lips so she could suck on him. Her cheeks hollowed, and her greedy tongue lapped at him with just a hint of teeth. His cock went steel hard, and he held back a groan, imagining those lips around him. He pulled his finger out, and she whimpered.

She stared at him with wide, kohl-lined eyes. “What do you need?”

He considered for a moment, wondering how much truth he should give her. But she’d proven herself to be fearless, and he wanted her to know his appetites. “I need to fuck the hell out of you. I need to take every hole of yours and drill into you until you scream. I need to spank you and beat you and choke you and have you beg me for more. I need rough, raw sex and someone who can keep up with my appetite. I need you to crave what I can give you and give me everything you have, everything you are. I will not go easy. But nothing I do, ever, will be done in anger. Am I clear?”

She handed the whip to him with shaking hands, her gaze cloudy, already starting to drop into subspace. “Play with me now, Master.”

∙•∙

Lucinda released the black leather whip into Theo’s hand and ducked her head.

She waited as he stepped around her body slowly, clearly examining every inch of her until a flush climbed up her cheeks. She wasn’t even naked, and his gaze penetrated her anyway as though he could see through her façade and knew every one of her secrets.

“Take the dress off, sweetheart. And the bra.”

Her fingers shook as she lifted the soft material over her head and let it flutter to the floor beside her. They kept shaking as she reached behind her back to unclasp the black lace that barely served as a bra. It was her favorite, and wearing it was intentional.

“Kick off your heels too.”

She did as he demanded. Nerves ate at her, but not because she was scared. She’d been flogged before. She enjoyed it. But not by this man. And the true reason she was anxious was because his ability to wield that whip would tell her everything about his ability to dominate her.

“You’re nervous.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Good. You should be.” He stepped in front of her and reached out with his free hand to grab one of her nipples. He squeezed the tip hard and tugged.

The sharp pain made her stiffen her spine.

“Follow me.” Theo turned and headed toward the kitchen.

She followed behind him, her hands at her sides, her head still tipped toward the floor.

When he reached the island in the center of his pristine kitchen, he nodded toward the granite. “Hands on the top, Lucinda. Do not remove them.”

She lifted both palms and set them on the surface.

“Lean forward. Bend your back. Let your tits hang in front of you.”

She shuffled her feet backward enough to give her space to do as he requested. Chills raced up her spine in anticipation of his whipping.

Instead of striking her immediately, he tucked the whip under one arm and grabbed both her ass cheeks with his hands. He squeezed and molded them painfully, pulling them apart to expose her tight asshole. There would be bruises from just his hands, and he hadn’t even struck her yet.

She moaned as his fingers dug into her cheeks with enough force to leave marks.

“That’s it. That’s my good girl. You’ll take what I give you, and you’ll do it on my terms. I’m going to strike you now. You are to remain still. If you move, I’ll stop. Is that understood?”

She nodded toward the ground as she mumbled, “Yes, Master.”

“Good. If you doubt me for one second, try me and find out.”

She trembled. She knew he wasn’t kidding. If she wanted him to whip her, she would need to stay still.

The only warning she had was the quick
whoosh
through the air less than a second before the first strike landed on her ass.

Lucinda flinched, but she didn’t move her feet. A tight ball formed low in her belly.

“That’s it, sweetheart. Now you’re catching on.” Another blow landed under the first, with slightly more force. It stung. It felt fantastic. Her pussy gripped at nothing, wetness leaking to run down her legs.

“Can you handle more?”

“Yes, Master.”

Two more strikes hit her, crisscrossing her ass. Harder. The burn was intense, more than she’d ever experienced before. Perhaps Theo was correct when he said he understood her needs. Without pausing to rub the sting as she expected, he set his free hand on her lower back and held her steady, continuing to whip the leather through the air. It landed several more times until every inch of her ass and the tops of her thighs were on fire.

She groaned, letting her head fall lower, her red hair hanging around her face like a curtain, shielding her from seeing anything but the floor. Her clit throbbed. She was so close to coming.

“Do not come, brat. I haven’t given you permission.” The whip struck her again.

Her knees buckled.

In an instant, Theo was on her, dropping the strand of leather to the floor and wrapping one arm under her waist to hold her up. With his other hand he plunged two fingers into her pussy.

“Oh God.” She breathed hard, her orgasm so close. She lifted her head to meet his gaze, barely seeing him through the curtain of her hair. “Master…”

Again he thrust into her, his thumb landing on her clit. “Come. Now.”

Lucinda’s eyes rolled back as her orgasm worked through her body, taking her into a deeper subspace so fast she couldn’t hold herself up through the waves of her pussy grasping at Theo’s fingers.

He didn’t let her go, though. He held her body steadily against his side, still stroking against her G-spot as she came down slowly from the most intense climax she’d ever experienced.

When he finally pulled his fingers from her channel, he shocked her again by stroking them across her clit, spreading her moisture around the distended nub that had gotten so little attention.

She was a limp noodle, but her bare feet braced with more effort on the floor as he sped up his caress, bringing her back to the edge so fast she never caught her breath. In moments, she was about to come again.

“That’s it, sweetheart. Give it to me. Grind your little clit on my fingers. Let me see you explode again.”

She curled her fingers against the granite island top, gripping at nothing. Every muscle would hurt tomorrow from her fingertips to her toes. Exquisite pain that would remind her every minute of the day who she belonged to now.

She shattered a second time, this second orgasm pulsing from her clit, her pussy empty. God how she wanted his cock. She bit her lip to keep from begging for just that. She’d learned one lesson if nothing else. Theo was not the sort of Dom who wanted to fuck her so badly that he put his own needs above hers. That acknowledgement brought a sense of calm that washed through her body as he released her clit and lifted her into his arms to carry her from the room.

With her eyes drifting closed, she paid no attention to where they were going. The next thing she knew, he’d laid her gently on the soft sheets of a bed on her belly. “Don’t move.”

She listened to his steps as he walked away, snuggling her face into the pillow under her cheek and tucking her arms under the soft material.

Moments later she heard him as he padded back into the room. He sat on the side of the bed and set one hand on her thigh. “I’m going to spread ointment on your ass. Try to stay still.”

The first touch of his hand made her flinch. It stung. Hell, it hurt like a mother fucker. Her entire body tensed as he continued to spread the cream on every welt. It took forever. Eventually, it began to soothe, her skin cooling.

“That’s a good girl. I know it hurts, but no skin is broken. Your ass is going to hurt like hell for a few days, but it’ll heal.”

“Thank you, Master,” she whispered into the pillow. Slowly she relaxed her body into the mattress.

“Don’t fall asleep yet. You need water.” He lifted her face gently, forcing her up onto her elbows, and set the tip of a water bottle at her lips.

She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was, and she greedily guzzled the entire bottle.

Theo chuckled. “You can relax now. Sleep.” He stood, tugged the sheet from the other side of her, and arranged it across her back and legs, leaving her ass exposed to the air. And then he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, brushing her hair from her face.

Seconds later he was gone. She heard the click of the door closing and opened her eyes. What the hell? She looked around the room, as much as she could see without moving her head. Yep. Just as she’d suspected. It was the same guest room she’d occupied last time she’d been to his home. A tiny nightlight plugged into the wall in front of her illuminated the space.

He’d fucking left her. Part of her wanted to jump up and run after him, but the rest of her was too tired to move. Sated. At least as sated as she could be after the best whipping of her life followed by two fantastic orgasms that didn’t include cock.

Goddamn that man. She closed her eyes and let sleep drag her under. It was impossible to avoid, even with the new frustration she felt.

He took her to work the next day in his SUV, concerned about what his motorcycle might do to her ass. She pouted, and he knew she wanted the pain of riding the Indian with welts on her ass, but it wasn’t reward time for her. He kissed her fully on the lips before coming around to open the door for her.

“Have a good day, sweetheart. Make good choices. I’ll call you tonight.”

She slipped her backpack from her shoulder and dropped it at her feet, rising on her toes to wrap both arms around his neck. “I always make good choices.”