Chasing Clouds

by Annabelle Knight

  “Take off your dress,” Chase instructed out of nowhere.

  “Here?” Elodie stammered, “but what…?”

  “Take off your dress,” he repeated calmly.

  Elodie’s eyes fell from his face to his lap. She saw the beginnings of a bulge forming and knew that what he wanted was for her to obey. She lowered her gaze further and slipped the fabric of the dress down over one shoulder.

  “Look at me,” Chase instructed.

  Elodie slowly submitted and lifted her head up to meet his stare. He was completely calm and just watching, his eyes narrow and focussed. Elodie slipped the other shoulder down and let the dress fall to her waist. She pushed it lower and stepped out of it, looking to Chase for further instruction, which he wasn’t slow in giving.

  “And your underwear,” he said, his voice taking on a gruff tone as he lowered himself into one of the large leather armchairs. He sat forward, interlacing his fingers together. Elodie did as she was told, unhooking her bra from behind and letting it fall to the floor where it lay with her dress. Her nipples were already hardening thanks to the chill in the living room; her rose- pink buds stood to attention, forcing Chase to switch focus. He stared at her breasts greedily yet he did not move. Next Elodie hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her pants and pushed them down, the lace material brushing her skin as they traversed her thighs. She stepped out of them one foot at a time and stood there, completely naked in Chase’s living room.

  “Lay down and show me,” Chase muttered; his voice had taken on an animalistic, guttural edge, “show me how you like to be touched.”

  Elodie’s arms hung limply by her sides. She had never been asked, no, told to do this before, ever, and she wasn’t entirely sure she knew what he meant.

  “I…” she started, but Chase brought his hand up to silence her.

  “I want to see you pleasure yourself, lie down on the ground and show me how you like it.”

  Elodie did as she was told. She sank to her knees slowly, then lowered herself onto her back. She looked up and was shocked to see that the lofty ceiling was actually a highly polished steel surface that reflected the room below perfectly. She could see herself, lying naked at the foot of Chase, who was now reclining in the large armchair. He wore a satisfied look on his features as he fixed her with a stare of intent. The rug that she lay on was soft and sumptuous against her skin, offering a welcome respite to the chill she felt settling across her skin. She started by slowly tracing circles across her chest and mid- section with one hand, pausing sporadically to gently tease her nipples. Gradually her fingers travelled lower until they were at the precipice of her flushing lips. She opened her legs slightly.

  “Wider,” Chase instructed.

  Elodie obliged and moved her legs further apart. She closed her eyes and stroked herself up and down, bathing in the absolute bliss that each caress provided. Her fingers paused momentarily before deftly encircling her sensitive nub. This sent shock waves through her body; she was becoming impatient now, desperate almost. Her clitoris was now a swollen nub, begging for attention and crying out for her touch. This time it was her own body making demands of her and she willingly obliged. The second her fingertips made contact she gasped, she was growing wetter and knew that it was only a matter of time before she would want, no, need, Chase to be inside her. She softly took her clitoris between her thumb and forefinger and applied a delicate pressure: she rolled it between her fingers and allowed the blissful sensations to flood her senses. She was vaguely aware of movement now. She opened her eyes but continued to play with herself, wishing only to please. The sight of herself in the mirrored ceiling above almost stopped her in her tracks: she had never seen herself in this way before. Glancing over, she saw that Chase, now naked, had opened a drawer in a chest that, up until now, Elodie hadn’t noticed. He turned around and from the reflection above she could see him carrying a black, leather- bound box with a silver handle and matching hinges.

  “Don’t stop,” Chase urged as he settled himself beside her. His voice sounded muffled; she turned her head and saw that the tie that he had worn earlier was now held in his hands. “That’s it, show me exactly what you like.”

  Elodie willingly obliged. He gestured for her to open wide; she did not protest. He pushed the mid- section of the tie into her mouth and, pulling it taut, tied it in a knot at the back of her head. He then turned his attention away from her and focused on the box that he had carried over and set down beside her. He lifted the lid and emptied the contents next to her. Elodie’s eyes grew wide: out onto the floor fell a plethora of sexual paraphernalia. He held up a pair of utilitarian- looking cuffs and leaned over her. Chase shackled her wrists high above her head, attaching them to the metal leg of the sofa. Elodie had never felt more alive: sparks of excitement flew within as she watched Chase masterfully render her completely helpless. He took his time, mulling over each toy as if it were a costly purchase not to be made with a light heart.

  After long moments of anticipation, Elodie saw him select a heavy- looking, silver rod. It was several inches long with a deliciously inviting curved body. Chase pressed the tip of it against her skin. She winced: it was cold and her natural reaction was to shy away. He watched her lustily, sliding the silver toy down her stomach and back up, all the while watching her intently. She let out a muffled groan. The anticipation was becoming too much: she felt a warm wetness begin to flow down the inside of her thighs. She squirmed, hoping against hope that Chase would offer her some much- needed relief quickly, and he did. He held the toy at the mouth of her sex, pausing to watch her wetness pulse with desire. Slowly he penetrated her; inch by inch the toy invaded. She squirmed under its attention but Chase placed a strong hand below her navel which halted her protests. He pressed down firmly: she could feel the toy rubbing against her internal hotspot, still cold and still delicious. She writhed under his touch, which only seemed to spur Chase on: he moved the toy inside her more frantically. Never once did he pause or take his eyes from her. Elodie felt herself slipping, she couldn’t help herself – it was all too much.

  “Not yet,” Chase said suddenly. He slid the toy out from between her legs and examined it. It was thick with her essence; he extended his tongue and tasted her, closing his eyes to savour the moment. He reached down and grabbed something from the floor that Elodie could not see, all the while stroking his hard shaft up and down with his free hand. He re- positioned himself at the juncture of her thighs, savouring the sight of her. Without uttering a solitary word he buried his face between her legs and Elodie bit down hard on the material between her lips. He flattened his tongue and circled her swollen pearl expertly, never once relenting. Elodie twisted under the delectable sensations and tried to yank free of the cuffs but to no avail, they bit into her wrists, inflicting a sharp yet strange pleasure that Elodie revelled in. Chase pulled away from her and edged up her body, stopping every now and then to pinch some of her skin between his teeth. He bit down on one of her nipples and Elodie lurched: a bolt seemed to shoot through her body, although at that precise moment she couldn’t tell whether it was pleasure or pain. Finally, with their faces only inches apart Chase entered her, she spread her legs wide and linked her ankles behind his waist. She could do nothing as he pushed into her, slowly at first, but building pace each time. Elodie stared up at the ceiling and watched as his buttocks contracted with each thrust, his muscular back constricting in such a way that made Elodie soar. With one hand he produced a pair of clamps, connected by a gold chain. With one hand he deftly pinched them at their base and released them around each nipple in turn. Elodie wanted to cry out loud; her eyes widened as her head flew back. She struggled against them, but only for a moment. Her nipples ached, but in a good way, in a way that she could definitely get used to. Chase bowed his head and took the chain between his teeth, he continued to drive himself in and out of her, pressing firmly against her external hot spots with each inward thrust
. Elodie could take no more as she finally succumbed to climax. As her body jerked spasmodically, Chase lifted his head: the chain tightened and pulled her stiff buds skyward. Elodie let out an animalistic cry that the gag did little to muffle. Chase pulled the chain from her mouth and pressed his lips firmly against hers as he embraced his own release.

  After a little while, Chase pulled from her. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and stood up. He walked to the dresser from which he had produced the black box. Elodie was still cuffed and unable to move. She strained her head but couldn’t quite see what he was doing.

  “Chase?” she said uncertainly. Moments later, Elodie heard a familiar click and whirr: her head shot up and she saw that he was standing only feet away from her with an old Polaroid camera.

  “Errr, What are you doing?” she asked, uncertainty creeping into her voice.

  “Relax, little one, it’s just a keepsake for posterity. You look too gorgeous not to capture the moment. Don’t worry, it’s just for me.”

  Elodie didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything at all. Chase took the photo from the camera, shook it in the air a few times then threw it in the black box along with the toys that he had used on her. He bent down and undid her handcuffs; she pulled her arms free and rubbed her reddened wrists. Chase crouched next to Elodie. Now adorned in a grey robe, he held her clothes out to her, which she took from him. The material of her dress brushed past her nipples as she put it on. She stifled a gasp and winced: they were still sensitive from Chase’s attentions. He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.

  “OK, let’s get you home,” he said casually.

  Elodie was shocked, to say the least. She had been under the impression that she would stay the night. Had she known she’d be brought back only to be turned away again, she might never have come at all.

  “Home?” she asked.

  Chase nodded and repeated his mantra about being busy and needing to be up early.

  “Don’t be like that,” Chase said, pulling her in for a hug, “I’d love for you to stay, but you never said anything about staying over, did you? Do you really want to be woken at silly am and then have to do the walk of shame?”

  Elodie could see his point, but still – walk of shame? She wouldn’t be ashamed. She opened her mouth to protest, but Chase was already calling for a cab, and Elodie found herself hoping that it wouldn’t be Mr Bosford that came to take her home. Chase walked Elodie to the door, although it felt as though it was more to make sure she left rather than any real sense of chivalry.

  “Can I ask you something?” Elodie asked as she stood in the doorway.

  “Let’s talk tomorrow, I’m exhausted right now, babe,” Chase replied. “Taxi’s outside, be safe.” He gave her a warm smile and closed the door.

  Elodie stood there for a moment, hardly able to believe the turn of events. Had that really just happened? She felt dirty, like a used rag that had been discarded.

  ‘Am I being crazy?’ she asked herself. Chase had said from the start he needed to be up early; and he was right, she had just said she wanted to go back to his, she’d never said anything about staying the night. Was it her? Maybe she was sending out mixed messages? She made her way to the cab making a promise to herself that she wouldn’t be quite so vague next time.

  Two weeks passed and Elodie still felt funny about how things had been the last time she had seen Chase. She had spoken to both Steph and Carla about it over coffee and cake at Betty’s; she hadn’t painted them an entirely accurate picture, but she had said that he’d taken a photograph of her after sex without her say- so. They had both agreed that it was out of order and really quite odd behaviour and weren’t backwards at coming forwards about how they now felt about Chase. This put Elodie on edge. She didn’t know why, but she felt as though criticising Chase was uncalled for, especially since they didn’t know him like she did. All Elodie wanted was some reassurance, not for them to pick him apart right in front of her.

  “If you ask me, he’s too old and he’s clearly into some weird stuff,” Steph had said. To Elodie’s surprise, Carla had agreed.

  “Steph’s right, El. The more you tell me about him, the more I think he’s just not right for you. I know I’ve always said to get over someone get under someone else, but I didn’t mean fall under their spell.”

  Elodie felt herself flush. She wasn’t under anyone’s spell.

  “It’d be good for you to be on your own for a bit, you know, figure out what it is you want, for yourself,” Steph had concluded.

  “I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” Elodie said, aghast. “I thought you two would have my back at least.” Carla and Steph both looked at each other. “And don’t do that. Judge me with your sideways looks. I won’t tell you things in future if this is how you’re going to react.”

  “Elodie, I don’t know where this is coming from but we…” Steph began.

  “I know what you’re doing, you want me to be single again because you are,” she pointed to Carla, “and you can’t stand anyone to be in a better relationship than your own,” she turned her finger to Steph.

  “El, that’s just not true. We’re just concerned,” Carla said, her temper beginning to flare.

  “Yes, it is. You think just because I’m younger than him and not as experienced that I’m not good enough. Well, you can take your concern and shove it up your arse,” Elodie said. She stood up and stalked out of the room.

  Elodie was so angry, and things only got worse over the passing days. She couldn’t put her finger on why she felt so uneasy about it all, but she did. Thankfully, work was so busy she couldn’t dwell on the state of her relationship with her friends for too long. Chase was being true to his word and working hard; or he was being suspiciously elusive and avoiding her. She was obviously sending out some kind of vibe, as both Carla and Steph had asked her on separate occasions what was wrong. Elodie couldn’t tell them, though; she didn’t think she could bear to hear their thoughts on the matter. She had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach and, no matter how hard she tried to shake it, it just wouldn’t go. She didn’t like the feeling of being overlooked, and there were only so many times he could avoid her.

  Elodie sat in the staff room, completely alone, sipping a cup of coffee and mulling over her dilemma. She felt as though she deserved better, and that maybe Chase wasn’t the greatest thing since sliced bread after all. She shook her head in an attempt to dislodge these thoughts that refused to leave her alone. She snatched up a discarded copy of En Mode magazine that someone had left and leafed through. She flicked past fashion pages, interest pieces and celebrity gossip, and was pleased to see that she had worked on flights with more than one famous face gracing the pages.

  “Do you mind if I sit?”

  Elodie looked up. Grace was standing above her, a cup of tea in one hand and a chocolate biscuit in the other. Elodie moved the magazine over slightly and nodded. Why would Grace want to sit with her? There were plenty of other tables free after all. Unless she’d found out about the other night at the bar; maybe she’d seen Elodie leaving as she had ventured in to meet Aaron?

  Grace sat down and staring intently at it, broke her biscuit in half and offered one piece to Elodie.

  “You want some?” she asked.

  Elodie looked at her and raised an eyebrow. Hesitantly she took the offering, wondering if somehow Grace had managed to poison her half. She gave the biscuit a half- hearted sniff and then popped it into her mouth. Grace picked up the magazine that Elodie had been reading and began to peruse it herself.

  “It’s a small place this, nothing is ever secret for long, you know.” She said this without looking up from the magazine. Elodie felt her blood run cold: she knew exactly what Grace was getting at. But how could she know? They had been so careful.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” Elodie said, trying her hardest to keep her tone ca
sual.

  “Hasn’t it ever crossed your mind why he’d want you to keep it a secret?” Grace pressed, putting the magazine down now and looking Elodie square in the face.

  “I, errr,” Elodie stammered.

  “It’s OK. I don’t expect you to say anything, least of all to me. I’m just saying, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to think about it. I’m sure there’s a brain rattling around in that pretty head of yours.”

  With that Grace stood up and left, leaving Elodie’s alone with her racing thoughts. She felt as though she’d never been more transparent in her entire life. Would Grace tell anyone? Would Chase be mad? Would she be fired? Would he? All these questions, and dozens more, raced around her head. She needed to speak to Chase, whether he was busy or not. She stood up, shoved the half- read copy of En Mode into her bag and sped off to find him.

  Elodie found Chase in mid- conversation with Gareth; she hovered near them for a few minutes, not wanting to be rude, but the urgency she had felt only intensified as she waited.

  “Chase, sorry. I need a word about… something,” she said lamely. Gareth gave her a questioning look but said nothing. Instead, he took his cue to leave, telling Chase that he would have to have a think about it, whatever ‘it’ was.

  “Elodie, that was a bit…” Chase began

  “Grace knows we’re together. I’m sure of it, she just gave me a biscuit and was really cryptic with me,” Elodie cut in.

  Chase raised an eyebrow.

  “Not a biscuit?” he said dismissively.

  Elodie felt a bubble of frustration burst inside her. Why wasn’t Chase taking this seriously? After all, hadn’t it been he who was so adamant that no one at work could find out, that it must remain ‘their secret’?

  “Chase, you’ve got to listen. She hates me for kissing Aaron. I wouldn’t put it past her to tell, and then you could end up losing your job.” Elodie said.