by Terri Pray
“Hot. So damn tight!” he groaned, rolling his hips, his cock pressing against her walls.
Pressure built with each new thrust into her being. Her cunt rippled, tightening about his length as she struggled to hold onto her own desires. Sweat beaded across her brow, her fingers pressed into the cool, damp earth, her thighs held tight by her own bloomers.
Focus. She had to focus and push past this, not give into the hunger. She tensed, trying not to move, not to give into the pleasure that threatened to take control of her body.
His balls slapped against her ass.
His grip tightened on her hips.
She rocked, violently, with each harsh thrust into her tight core. She whimpered, trying to swallow the moan but it was already too late. Her sounds urged him on. Her submissive posture welcomed him.
“You need this!” he groaned behind her. “Mine, you'll be mine within a month, crawling to me, begging for my attention, my touch, my use.”
She pressed her lips tightly together and whimpered behind them, her eyes closed, every ounce of her strength focused on preventing her from coming. Each thrust hit that hidden spot deep within her core, but she wasn't going to let it happen. She was stronger than this. She wasn't...
He growled, shuddering behind her, filling her as his fingers threatened to leave bruises behind on her hips. His cock swelled. His pleasure claiming his body without thought or regard for hers, or the hunger his use would leave behind. She barely had time to be aware of what he had done before he pulled free of her core, leaving her craving something she knew she couldn't have.
“Interesting, you're the first woman who has managed to arouse me twice in quick succession. What is it about you that commands a man's desire so?”
She didn't have an answer for him. How could she? She didn't even understand what he was going on about. She didn't command men's desires, she'd been kept as a slave, used for their pleasure, what was commanding about that?
But I could learn how to command them. Yes, that was an option and one she had to take if she wanted to find a way of preventing Steven from using her as nothing more than a plaything. She was stronger than that, she would learn how to use it to protect herself and use men in the same way they had used her.
“Kneel at my side.” He lifted his hands away from her body and she reached back, using a handful of grass to wipe the remains of his passion from her body before she pulled up her bloomers as she stood up. She'd need to wash and change when she returned back to her room, but until then she would hide the way her body felt, and the need for a wash.
With a barely swallowed whimper she covered her stinging ass back up before she lowered down to her knees, folding her hands in her lap. Her bottom protested with the new pressure that now forced itself on her ass. “Who trained you?”
“Sir, that is something I prefer not to discuss. I believe I agreed to be submissive to you, not bare my soul to you.” She kept her voice low and calm as she replied. No, nice try Steven, I'm not giving that to you. You might try and sell me out.
“Part of being submissive is answering questions, Celeste.” His jaw clenched, she could hear that in his voice. “You will answer me. You have agreed to be submissive to me and I will not tolerate you hiding things from me.”
“No, Sir, I will not answer you. That is a part of my life I will keep to myself.”
“Are you trying to anger me?”
“No, Sir. I'm drawing the lines. Ones I will not cross. A slave may have to answer, submissive by agreement— I believe that negates the right for you to demand answers, keys to my past. So I will not give you that information. Nor will I answer any other questions about my past. I will keep those to myself.”
“You will answer me one day.” He nodded slightly, his gaze narrowed on her face.
“Perhaps, only time will tell. But it won't be through you attempting to order me, Sir. That's not a way to get a woman to surrender her secrets. I'm sure you're aware of that.”
He faltered for a moment then laughed as she knelt there on the damp earth. “You have spirit, Celeste. I'll give you that much. But what good will it do you if you're then only serving to piss me off?” He pushed to his feet and looked down at her. “Up you get, we need to return to the fortress before people become concerned. After our little incidents in the hall they would start to look at us. We will have to be careful until they become more used to our little walks together.”
Celeste frowned and rocked, carefully, to her feet. Smoothing out her skirts as she looked at him. At least he seemed to understand the level of observation they would both be under. “And you have plans on making this a regular event?”
“Of course, why would I gain an agreement from you if I didn't plan on acting upon it?” He arched one eyebrow at Celeste and shook his head. “Sometimes we will come out here, other times we will, once suspicions are put to rest, have private time in either my quarters or yours.”
Not mine, not if my life depended on it. “I see, Sir.”
“You don't approve of this, of course.”
“I don't approve of being blackmailed, Sir. I don't know of a living soul who would.” She kept her voice calm and finger combed her hair into a tidier state. “And that is what you're doing to me, blackmail plain and simple.”
“I don't deny that.” He moved to her side and offered his arm.
“So you cannot expect me to like it, or approve.”
“Fair point.” He nodded slightly and began to lead them back toward the path. “But you will become used to it in time. You might even come to enjoy what we share together. I know you're aroused by everything that happened back there. I could smell it on you, coating your flesh.”
“I will not deny that.”
“Then you will not deny that I can offer you a way to enjoy that pleasure. A way to be yourself again.”
“You've mentioned that, though I have yet to see such evidence.” No, instead she had been left wanting, needing sex, and would have to seek out either a slave, or her own hand to sate her needs once they returned to the fortress.
“A lesson in obedience. One I know you're aware was needed. You disobeyed me and had to be corrected. As such you went without any sexual release.”
“I'm aware of how that works.” They left behind the safety of the trees and began the walk back to the fortress. It won't stop me from taking care of matters myself though.
“Ah, you're going to ease your needs later, aren't you?”
“Perhaps.”
“And if I forbid you?”
“You can only command me whilst with you, not when I'm elsewhere, Sir.” Celeste didn't try to hide the smile. “So what I do in the privacy of my room is of no concern to you.”
He growled beneath his breath and stopped, only a few hundred yards from the entrance to the fortress. “You're pushing matters with me, Celeste.”
“Yes, I believe I am. But I'm not the type of woman to simply lay down and give up.” She looked at him, her voice soft, and calm. “You knew that when you pulled this little stunt on me.”
He scowled. “Yes, I did.”
“So it would be better if you accepted that and moved on, Steven. I'm not going to change who I am just so you can feel better about yourself.”
“You little... ”
“Careful, the guards might hear you and then you might be detained for Jamezen. I don't believe he was very happy with your little stunt in my room.”
“When we next have some time together you're going to pay for this.” He growled and lifted his head up, trying to appear as if there was nothing wrong at all. “I don't like women playing tricks on me.”
“Not a trick, simply using the letter of the agreement, Steven.” The wood of the drawbridge echoed beneath her steps, the large gate open for their return home. Home. The fortress. The rules that bound it. She was still safer here than she had been in London. Or so she hoped.
The guards called out a greeting as they walked back into the court
yard. Steven waited only until they were back within the safety of the walls before he relinquished her arm and offered a half bow. “I enjoyed our walk, Miss Blue, and hope we will be able to enjoy such again before much longer.”
Celeste forced a smile into place and nodded slightly to him. “We will see.”
He nodded once more, then turned and walked away, leaving her alone in the courtyard with her need, and her annoyance at being caught so easily. She still couldn't forgive herself for that. She knew better. So much better. And yet had still walked into the trap.
Foolish. Stupid and she deserved everything that had happened out there. But she had a way of preventing it from becoming worse. If she kept her distance from him. Found other companions within the fortress. Then she should be safe. Or that was the plan. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was still a plan.
Celeste closed her eyes and listened to the world around her. The distant voices of the guards. The cries of the slaves inside the fortress. The birds and sound of the waves. Even the breeze. It all combined to lull her into a sense of calm if only for a short while.
But safety didn't exist.
It was only a figment of her imagination.
And no man, or woman, on the Island could be trusted.
Now I've got that one figured out, what do I do next?
CHAPTER TEN
Celeste settled down onto the window seat in her room. The sky was clear, barely even a wisp of white cloud to mar the silken blue. Small white peaks teased the waves that lapped against the shore. Peaceful. Just as long as she didn't try to remember the others who also lived in the fortress. The men and women who saw the slaves as nothing more than a source of amusement, to be used and tossed aside the minute they were done with them.
Had she been much better when she'd first arrived?
Yes, at least I made sure the slave was tended when I was finished. It wasn't a perfect situation, but she'd at least done her best, which was more than others did, from what she had seen. Now she was trapped by her own desires and had to spend more of her time watching the world through the window.
Well, it was better than walking into Steven again. She knew what he would want from her. After their time in the trees she'd been forced to relieve the growing pressure through her body and then had remained in her room for the most part. Better than walking into Steven and having to deal with his desires?
Men like that were trouble. They didn't care for anything other than their own desires and that would never change.
And where does that leave me? Stuck in a room, with nowhere to go. Wonderful. Well that hadn't been her initial plan but every time she stepped foot out of her room Steven quickly made an appearance, not exactly fun and games in her mind.
Blah. There has to be a way out of this. If there was she hadn't spotted it yet. Which left her in an interesting position. Well, at least staying in her room was peaceful for now. She could watch the ocean and the ships approaching the Island.
Ships? She frowned and peered out at the ocean, her gaze fixing on the two vessels heading toward them. Who? She watched, billowing sails sparkling in the sunlight. There were no ships due in, that she knew of, she hadn't heard of any due in at all.
Her stomach knotted, a chill settling in over her body.
Why am I afraid? What's there to be scared of? They're just ships.
Just ships, were there such a thing as just ships? Of course there were. She just needed some time away from her room. The walls threatened to close in on her and her body itched with the need to step away from the walls. It wasn't something she could just sit around and deal with.
So what was stopping her?
What was keeping her in the room apart from fear?
Nothing at all, just fear. And if I let fear rule me, then I'm letting Davien still control me.
That had to stop, now.
Celeste swung her legs down from the padded window seat and smoothed down the simple blue dress she wore, sliding her feet into a pair of silver slippers. They weren't perfect, she couldn't take a long walk outside the walls of the fortress in them, but she could, at least, take a short walk around the walls themselves. Just a little fresh air, time away from the room, and in a way where she would remain safe from Steven.
Or that was the plan.
Of course, as soon as she stepped out of her room and walked more than a dozen paces away from the door, Steven appeared. Had he been waiting around the corner for her? She didn't put it past him. If nothing else Steven was very capable of playing the waiting game, especially when it came down to a woman he wanted.
“It's been some time since you stepped out of your room, Celeste.” Steven's voice reminded her of a tinker. The type that came to the local village and tried to sell potions and lotions to the unsuspecting community. Fortunately she'd never been foolish enough to buy anything like that. “I was beginning to grow a little concerned about you. It isn't healthy to remain in your room for so long.”
“Well, I'm rectifying that now, Steven. A short walk around the walls should help me chase away the cobwebs.” Celeste smiled politely and continued to walk on through the corridor.
“And have you forgotten our arrangement?”
“No, not at all, I've simply not been up to company.” She kept her voice calm as she walked. Losing her temper would not be wise and would only draw attention to the situation, thus potentially revealing her to Jamezen. Not something she was willing to do.
“Then I hope you don't mind me walking with you, Celeste.” He offered his arm.
“Nothing's stopping you.” Oh no, I'm not taking your arm this time. “I hope you realize I'm not really in the mood for conversation, so I wouldn't be the best of company for you.”
“It's not conversation I'm interested in.”
Her skin crawled instantly, even as her womb contracted. God. Why did her body keep insisting on trying to betray her? She didn't want Steven.
No, I want a man who can control me from time to time, and he's the closest I've found since I stepped foot in this place. Well, she couldn't argue with that one. Even the Lord of the Island triggered her he's submissive alarm. Maybe not fully submissive, but he dallied in it, of that she was very sure.
She didn't look at Steven now, not as she walked out into the courtyard and inhaled deeply. The fresh air tempted her senses. She missed the fresh air, the time she was able to spend out in the open. Being raised on a farm, that space, that time away from the walls, had been second nature to her. But since Davien had claimed her that had all changed. First his estate, then London. The ship had offered her some chance to be out in the fresh air, but since arriving on the Island she had hidden within the walls of the fortress except for one walk beyond the walls.
And look where that got me.
Steven waited until they began to climb the stairs up through one of the small towers then grabbed her, pinning her to the wall, his lips inches from hers. “Did you really think I would give up on you?”
“Steven. This isn't private. Let me go.” Her body tightened, warming instantly. Her cunt rippling with an instant hunger. He pushed her fully against the wall. She didn't want this, didn't need it, yet her body said something else. “Let me go, please.”
“No, I'm never letting you go, Celeste.” He leaned in, claiming her lips, holding her tight against the cold, stone walls. Her body betrayed her, her lips parting beneath his, welcoming his tongue into her mouth. She groaned. Her eyes closing. Passion and wanton need rippling into life. He shifted her hands, lifting them above her head, pinning them to the stones in one of his own hands.
What was she doing?
I don't care. I need this.
No, she didn't need it. She wanted it. She was weak, giving into the hunger. Had she truly become nothing more than a slut seeking out her own pleasure, regardless of the risk?
No, I just— I have to taste this.
Not here. Not now!
She pulled away from the kiss, her body protesting
loudly. She wanted the kiss to continue even as she knew that it was far too dangerous to allow him that chance. Any chance, to expose her to the others in the fortress. Hey, hold on, what's so bad about a kiss? There's nothing in the rules about no kissing between citizen's of the Island. Not even about more public sexual activities. So, I should be safe.
“What are you doing?” Steven looked into her eyes. “You want this, why stop me? Why prevent this?”
“Just don't take it into submission, understand?”
“I never planned on that. Not in public at least.” His lips parted in a lazy smile. “In private is another matter. When we have time again I'm going to turn your back red with a flogger. Fuck you senseless and leave you begging for more.”
She nearly came with the words. “Not here, not now. A kiss, nothing more.”
“For now.” He nodded, and reclaimed her lips. The kiss seared her soul, her heart, but not with the passion she craved. Just the hunger that burned in her no matter what else she did, where she went or how she tried to hide it. His tongue dueled with hers, probing, stroking, tasting her. Her body tightened, breasts felt fuller, nipples taut as they pressed against her dress. He wasn't the man she wanted, or belonged to, but he would do for now.
Use him, don't be the one who is used in return.
She tried to ease her arms out of his grasp, but she couldn't without making a scene, so for now she did the only thing she could, and accepted what he was doing. Her inner walls clenched. She already knew she would have no choice but to find a way to ease her sexual tension when this was over, but for now she gave herself into the kiss.
Steven released his grip on her hair, his lips still claiming hers. His cock hard, pressing through his trousers to grind against her mound. She shuddered, desire and good sense battling with each other. Passion coated her lower lips. Sex. She needed sex and she needed it now.
“Come with me, to my room, explore what we could enjoy together.” He whispered against her lips. “You want this. We both do.”
