by Sienna Snow
My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten much last night due to my nerves. I headed toward the kitchen.
I crossed the threshold of Max’s palatial kitchen and stopped midstep. He multitasked behind the stove, sautéing vegetables with one hand and flipping an omelet with the other. He wore a pair of loose-fitting jeans and nothing else, and his muscular back rippled with each movement of his arms and shoulders. The dragon tattoo on his shoulder stretched and bunched, accentuating his honed form.
I remembered the night in Cape Town when I convinced him to get it. I’d told him it symbolized wisdom, strength, and power. He’d smiled, told me he needed all of that to deal with his future, and sat down in the chair.
I lingered in the archway of the room, transfixed by his smooth and fluid motions. Damn, I loved a man who knew his way around a kitchen.
He must have sensed my presence, since he grabbed a plate and slid food onto it. “Stop standing there and take a seat. Your food is ready, and I made you some chai.”
My heart skipped a beat. He remembered I loved Indian tea in the morning. Why did he pay attention now when he never did before?
“Arya, sit.”
I jumped at his command and sat on a stool at the island. Max placed my breakfast in front of me, and I proceeded to inhale the food.
“Mmm, this is delicious. You always knew how to cook.”
He took a seat across from me and smiled. “I love watching you eat. Last night you barely touched your plate. I’m glad you have your appetite back.”
I paused, looking down. I was eating like a starved horse.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
He took a sip of his coffee. “I ate after my session in the studio.”
“It feels weird to have you watch me eat.”
“Fine, give me a bite. Then you won’t be eating alone.”
I brought the fork to his mouth and his lips folded around the peppers and egg. The same lips that devoured me last night. A sudden urge to cross my legs coursed through me.
“Happy? Now finish your food. I have plans for the rest of the day.”
“Oh really? And what would they be?”
“A bit of exercise and then a visit to a special room.”
Oh, the playroom.
A heaviness tightened my chest as I realized his bedroom last night was only to make me comfortable—it wasn’t to break down the wall, as I’d thought.
God, I am so messed up, and we haven’t even been together more than a night.
Oh, well, I’d never played in a proper playroom before, and the idea of it both scared and thrilled me.
“Don’t worry, we’ll take it slow. We made do when we were in Cape Town, but here I’m well prepared.”
His cool voice sent a shiver up my spine, and I dropped my fork. As I reached down to pick it up, Max’s fingers touched the ink exposed by my minuscule shorts. I stayed folded over and savored the feel of his light touch on my back as he traced the mystical bird.
Abruptly, he grasped my arm and tugged me back to sitting. “Here, use a different one.” He plucked the dirty fork from my fingers and replaced it with a clean one from the other side of the counter.
He sat back on his stool and gestured for me to continue eating. “Tell me about your bird.”
I glanced up from my plate. “It symbolizes my rebirth from the ashes,” I said cautiously, not wanting to reveal too much.
Sadness flashed across his face. “Did I hurt you so much that you felt that way?”
“Don’t flatter yourself. You were part of it, but other things devastated me even more.”
“Will you tell me what happened?”
My breath hitched. “Revealing my secrets wasn’t part of our deal. This is just physical.” My voice quivered and immediately I regretted my words. No matter what I said, I knew it was more than physical.
I’m such an idiot.
His eyes went cold, and he stared at me as if he wanted to argue, but he let it go.
“Breakfast’s over, Arya. Follow me.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Where are you taking me?”
Ignoring my question, Max pulled me from my seat, then led me out of the kitchen and up a set of stairs I hadn’t seen earlier. They opened on the second floor but on the opposite side of Max’s wing.
We paused outside two large mahogany doors. “Give me your hand. I’m going to program access to the room.”
He placed my palm over a metal plate that illuminated red with the press of my skin.
Max keyed in the security code and the panel changed to green under my fingers and the door unlocked.
“From now on, this is where we’ll play,” he said, as I followed him inside. “There’s a bedroom and dressing room to the left, and the playroom is to the right.”
His harsh tone caused me to pause, but the gentle hand on my back moved me forward.
“I would give you the world and this is all you want.” He released a deep sigh. “So be it. I’ll take you on your terms.”
He’s giving me what I asked for. Then why does it feel so wrong? “Go to the Saint Andrew’s cross and kneel.”
“Yes, Sir,” I whispered.
Warily, I entered the room to the right and surveyed its contents. Wood the same shade as the door paneled the walls. Dark hues covered every inch of the space with the exception of the floor, which was a sharp contrast of polished ivory travertine.
My unsteady breath echoed around me, and even the slightest sound would reverberate like the crack of a whip.
One wall held cabinets and drawers that blended with the sharp masculine space. A spanking bench sat to the right, padded with plush leather and places to strap arms and legs without discomfort.
The cross stood in the center of the room. Saliva pooled in my mouth as uncertainty entered my being. Was this how I really wanted it between us? I swallowed and reached inside myself for courage to go through with my plan. I squared my shoulders, released a deep exhale, and moved to the foreboding piece of furniture.
Circling the unit, I grazed my fingers across the thick wood beams of the cross and noted the leather cuffs. My core quickened in anticipation. He’d fuck me on this soon.
A sapphire-blue pillow sat two feet in front of the cross. I sank to my knees, spread them wide in the pose I remembered Max preferred, and rested my palms against my thighs while keeping my gaze downcast.
That wasn’t bad. I’d slid into the pose without stumbling.
“You look exquisite with your eyes down and your thighs spread, but I can’t see the treasure in between,” Max said as he positioned himself in front of me.
“Do you want me to undress, Sir?” My eyes remained lowered, but I couldn’t help but notice the magnificent erection hidden under his pants. I licked my lips in hopes of tasting him again.
All of a sudden, I feared he’d expect me to take off everything. My shoulders tensed and I resigned myself to what came next: questions about the past and why I kept our daughters from him.
“Take off the shorts but leave the top on.”
My spine relaxed as relief flooded my body.
Max extended his hand. “Why are you tense? This isn’t much different from our nights in Cape Town. The only change is the setting.”
I slid my palm over his and allowed him to help me stand. We stared at each other for a brief moment before he fisted my hair, tilted my head back, and kissed me.
Releasing me, he squatted down. “I’ll do this.”
He trailed his fingers over my neck and between my breasts, down my shirt-covered stomach to the edge of my shorts. With slow, gentle movements, he tugged the elastic down until the fabric collected at my feet. The cool air in the room chilled my body, causing it to prickle with goose bumps. My aching clit poked out between my swollen folds as Max’s warm breath grazed the sensitized flesh. A moan escaped my lips.
“I love the smell of you,” he said, licking my seam. “Stand in front of the cross. I’ll s
trap you in.”
Following his directions, I waited for him to position me, but soon realized my body was too small for the leather to hold me comfortably. My feet wouldn’t touch the floor if he cuffed my arms. I hoped he knew what he was doing.
As if reading my thoughts, he responded, “Don’t worry. You’ll be completely suspended in a few minutes.”
Okay, now how was he planning to get me on that thing?
“Come here.”
I moved, and his fingers encircled my wrists. He pulled the soft cloth-lined leather cuffs from one corner of the beam and released them through a loop. The sound of the chain clanging resonated throughout the space. He brought a restraint toward me and secured my wrist with the soft, buttery straps, then repeated the process on the other side.
The binding felt loose, but the gleam in his eyes told me he’d soon cinch them tight against the wood.
“Now, your feet.”
He caressed the insides of my thighs, sending a jolt of nervous desire through me as he skimmed lower to my feet. He harnessed each ankle, leaned to his left, picked up a stool, and placed it by my feet.
“Step onto it so I can tighten the chains.”
I followed his instructions and waited.
“Ready?”
“Yes, Sir.”
My heart leaped into my stomach at the first sound of the metal sliding through the hinge of the beam. My arms lifted above my head, attaching to the beams of the cross, with the stool being the only thing that kept me from hanging by my wrists. “Let’s secure your legs.” Max tightened the restraints, making sure I kept my balance until I was incapable of anything but the tiniest movements. He fastened two straps under my arms and across my chest that immediately relieved the strain on my arms.
“Now it’s time to play.” Max surveyed me from a few feet away. His eyes glazed with desire as a wicked grin slid across his face. “There are so many things I’ve dreamed of doing to that beautiful body of yours. I plan to explore as many of them as possible.”
My sex throbbed at his words, and a smile touched my lips. For a man who’d expected some form of sexual gratification multiple times a day, five years of frustration was coming to a head, and all because of me.
“What’s put that expression on your face?”
“Knowing that there is a high chance I’m not going to be able to walk properly after you are done with me.”
He closed the space between us and ran a finger over my mouth. “I’ll take care of you, even if I have to carry you.”
Lowering the neck of my tank, Max positioned the material under my breasts. “Now this is how I enjoy seeing you. Your tits and pussy exposed and ready for me to do whatever I desire.”
My breath quickened and my nipples pebbled. His hot gaze told me he approved of my reaction. His thumb flicked my taut bud, and I arched into his touch, but he pulled away. He surveyed me as I hung suspended before him.
“You’re at my mercy,” he hummed. “Do you know how gorgeous you are? Maybe sometime in the next fifty years or so I’ll get used to it.”
Please don’t say things like that. I can’t risk giving you what you want.
“Now let’s adjust this. I want to feel that hot wet mouth on my cock.”
He tilted the cross with a tug of a lever, and soon I found myself lying on my back with my head angled toward the floor and my mouth perfectly aligned with his rock-hard erection. A rustling caught my ears as Max removed his clothes.
I waited, and my vision settled on the mirror positioned above me on the ceiling. I exhibited complete wantonness, with my skin and face flushed, my nipples erect, and my pussy glistening. I stared back at myself with excitement and a little trepidation. Nothing could stop him from lifting my shirt and seeing my scars, and all I could do was hope he wouldn’t.
“Open up, Arya. I want to fuck your mouth while I play with your body.”
Tilting my head back, I spread my lips. He made a noise of pleasure, a tiny moan that went silent the moment I took him into my mouth. With wicked joy, I savored his flavor as he pumped in slow strokes from the rim of my lips to the back of my throat.
He caressed my jaw with his fingers as my tongue worked the ridge of his head, circling it every time he withdrew. I loved his clean masculine scent, and every sound he made shot a spasm straight to my aching core.
He continued at a slow pace, and my reverse position left me helpless and at his mercy. My body burned as if on fire, desperate for even a little touch.
Sensing my need, he cupped my breasts and squeezed tight, almost too tight. I cried out around him, and his cock swelled in my mouth, followed by an increase in his rhythm.
“I’m going to come,” he called. “I’m sorry, baby.” With those shaky words, he jerked and came deep in my throat. Salty and sweet, his unique essence coated my tongue. I swallowed every drop he released.
His cock softened in my mouth, as did his grip on my breasts. With a gentle caress, he disengaged from my body and leaned down to kiss me.
“Now that you’ve relieved some of my tension,” he murmured against my lips, “I’ll be able to last longer than a teenage boy seeing his first naked woman.”
He kissed me again and stepped to the opposite end of the cross.
“Let’s start with these.”
I lifted my head to peer down my body at Max, standing naked and relaxed between my spread legs, and the two objects he held in his hands. The first was in the shape of an egg, a butt plug much larger than the one he used last night. Swallowing, I couldn’t take my gaze from the alarming item.
Would my body accommodate such a massive device?
“This is smaller than I am, Arya. It will prepare you.”
“Max, I’m not sure that I’m ready.” I couldn’t hide the apprehension in my voice.
“You will be once I am done with you.” He responded with a chuckle. “This.” He held a silver rod with a bulbous head. The form was thin, no more than the circle of my fingers but at least ten inches long and smooth. “With the plug will have you so stimulated, you’ll be begging for my cock.”
I swallow the uncertainty down, and tried to remember the pleasure he gave me through all forms of anal play.
“Baby, this is for your enjoyment as much as mine.”
He ran the dildo up and down my legs in a gentle caress, stopping a hairbreadth from my dripping pussy. He teased the outside of my labia, making sure not to touch my clit. I shifted my hips, trying to get him to brush the part of me that begged for his caress, but he pulled away the second I moved.
“P-p-please…” I moaned.
“In time, baby. Now let me place our toys in their temporary home.” Leaning over to a set of drawers on the wall, Max selected a tube of lubricant. His erection was no longer soft from release but semierect.
Damn, he had fabulous recovery.
“Tilt your head back and close your eyes. I want you to feel but not see.”
I followed his directions. But right before I shut my lids, I caught a brief image of my strapped, helpless self. I couldn’t believe how incredibly sexy I looked.
Was this how Max saw me?
“In case you’re tempted to peek.” He slipped a silk mask over my eyes and tied it behind my head.
In immediate response, my senses fired to life, from heightened hearing and the sound of our breaths to the lingering taste of Max still on my tongue. Soft silicone stroked over my nipples and down the center of my shirt, stopping at the crease of my bare pussy. Cool liquid grazed against my puckered back entrance.
“You’re so wet I don’t need to use any lube, but I want to make this as pleasurable as possible.”
He drew my arousal with his thumb to mix with the gel, and slipped two fingers into my rosette.
I arched in response to the invasion. “Oh.”
“You like that,” he crooned. His words were more a statement than a question, and I couldn’t argue.
The plug slid lower, lingered at the opening of
my soaked pussy, but quickly moved and pressed into the space his finger had vacated. At the same time, he slipped something cold and hard into my vagina.
I squeezed around both objects, gripping them tight inside me. I breathed through the simultaneous discomfort and ecstasy of fullness.
“Let me clean up and you relax.”
Sure, that’s going to happen with two large masses inside me.
I was lulled by the sound of Max’s movements around the room, the water in the sink I hadn’t known was there, and the smell of the candles he’d lit. Suddenly, I jumped as my body throbbed, my breath quickening and my mind fogging from the onslaught of stimulation.
The plug and the phallus were vibrating.
“Max,” I called, as the pulsation of the devices increased.
“I’m here, baby.” His lips grazed my forehead. “I want you so wet and out of your mind that when I take you, you’ll only focus on your release.”
Everything inside me tightened, and I arched up and squared my hips, needing some form of relief. The hot wetness of his tongue skimmed my clit and I went off.
I contracted around the dildo and cried out, “Max!”
“That’s it, baby. I love the sound of my name screamed when you find your pleasure.” He pumped the pulsating metal inside my pussy, back and forth, refusing to let me come down from my orgasm. “In a moment, my cock will fill your ass and there won’t be a single place on your body that my cum hasn’t marked as mine.”
His words propelled me over the edge of another orgasm. My fists yanked against the restraints and my fingers dug into my palms. I thrashed my head back and forth as my body bucked.
“Please, Sir. I can’t take any more.”
He slid the plug from between my cheeks. “One more and then I’ll let you rest.” He pressed his slick cockhead against my stretched hole and surged forward.
We both groaned as he eased his cock deeper. The device in my pussy vibrated stronger, and I bore down until Max was in me to the hilt.
