Calliope's Master

by Melinda Barron

  After connecting the USB cord, she downloaded the shots she’d randomly taken last night. There were twenty-six of them, and they all showed the same thing: darkness. Occasionally there was the edge of a building, or the twinkling of stars overhead. But there was no ghostly woman, and there was no Henry. She’d been moving the camera so fast that some of the images were blurry, but she could tell that, even if the images had been in focus, there would be nothing there.

  “Crap.” She flipped through them again, wondering if she would find something a second time through. Nothing. What had she been thinking? She’d had a dream about Henry, and she’d allowed it to move from her subconscious to her conscious mind. It had sent her on a wild-goose chase that had made her new employer think she was crazy.

  Speaking of employers, she checked her watch. How long had she been up here? What was taking Silas so long? There hadn’t been that many dishes to do. Maybe she should go back down, see if she could help him. Or maybe she should just do as he said and stay where she was.

  “If you can go twenty-four hours without saying ‘I can’t’, I’ll give you a good, hard whipping.” Her clit tingled as she remembered his words. Then she thought about the pain, not good pain, that she’d felt when Justin had tried to whip her. Would she do the same thing with Silas? And how embarrassing would that be? She should just end it now, before she died of mortification.

  And miss all that great sex? Her nipples tightened, and she closed her eyes, reliving the feel of his hard cock inside her. It had been so good. He’d been rough with her, giving it to her just as she liked it. It was almost as if he could read her like an open book.

  “I’m home, and I brought a friend. I didn’t expect it to take so long, but I had to check all the doors and make sure the hotel was secure for the night, something Phillip usually does.” The sound of his voice startled her, and she jumped just a little as her heart lodged in her throat. She stood and walked to the door.

  He had a hotel cart loaded with her belongings. Sebastian sat on one of her suitcases. He surveyed his surroundings before jumping down and then sauntering over to her. He rubbed against her leg. She reached down and tickled behind his ears, and he responded with a loud purr.

  “He usually stays with Nella and Phillip, and he let me know, in no uncertain terms, that he didn’t want to stay by himself. I’m surprised you didn’t hear him caterwauling. He sounded like he was in heat. He jumped on the cart while I loaded up your stuff.”

  “He’s so sweet.”

  “Yeah, when he’s quiet.” He wheeled the cart toward the far end of the room. “Our room is in here.” He pointed to the right. “I get the left side of the bed.”

  She opened her mouth, prepared to protest the change. When she realized she was ready to say, “I can’t stay with you,” she snapped it back shut.

  “Very good,” he said with an evil grin. “The thought of a good spanking motivates you to behave. It’s excellent information to have. Come here, Calliope.” He jerked his head toward the door.

  Sebastian, as if realizing he was being dismissed, walked to the couch. He jumped up and settled himself in a corner.

  Calliope walked over to Silas, who opened the door to the bedroom. She went in first. The decor was beautiful; a large, four-poster bed with a black comforter took up the far wall. There was a couch near the French doors, which were open onto the balcony. The room was chilly from the air, but the decorations made it seem warm.

  “If the night air bothers you, I’ll close one of the doors. I like to feel the cold air until the first snowstorm.”

  “It feels nice,” she said.

  He parked the cart near an open door. She could see shirts hanging from rods inside. “I use less than half the closet, so you can use whatever space you want. The bathroom is right next to it. We’ll make use of it tomorrow to shave that pretty pussy of yours.”

  Shivers ran through her and she caressed her arms.

  “I noticed you’d been neglecting that chore.”

  She wanted to say that it shouldn’t matter, since she had no one to shave for. But she did have someone to do it for now. She’d known they were going to have sex tonight. She should have prepared herself for him. He’d been stripped of his pubic hair, something that reminded her of Henry. Her late husband told her that shaving his genitals had made them more sensitive when she used her tongue on him.

  “Don’t worry; we’ll put it right tomorrow.” He crossed the room to her and kissed her forehead. “Strip down to your bra and panties.”

  “I should,” she pointed to the closet, “put my things up.”

  “In the morning, after we’ve shaved your pussy.” He walked across the room, shedding clothes as he went. First his shirt, then his jeans. When he had nothing on but his black boxers, he pulled back the sheets and blankets before he climbed into the bed, parking his rear in the center. “Do as I say. Strip down.”

  God, she loved that tone of voice, that rough, demanding timbre that meant there could be a spanking just around the corner. Except, not tonight. She had to remember to watch what she said.

  She stripped to her bra and panties, then stood with her wrists crossed in front of her, her hands resting just above her crotch. Getting into bed with someone was so intimate. Knowing you were going to sleep with them, be close to their body all night long. It was different from having sex. She’d never shared a bed with anyone but Henry, not even her sisters.

  She felt goose bumps form on her body, and she shook. You can do this, she said to herself. Don’t freak out, just go with it.

  “Come here.” He pointed to the spot between his outstretched legs, just as he’d done when they were downstairs. Relief passed through her as she realized he wasn’t expecting her to climb into the bed sans all her clothes. Not tonight, anyway. It would give her a little time to get used to the idea of sleeping with another man while she was nude.

  She went to him, crawling up the bed before she settled between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her, and she closed her eyes. His hard, male body provided a comfort that she’d missed so much.

  “Tell me…” He paused, and she waited for him to ask her about her life with Henry, about the things they’d done together and how far they’d gone in their BDSM lifestyle. Instead he shocked her by saying, “Tell me one word that describes your childhood.”

  “My childhood?” She turned her head toward him. “Why?”

  “Because I said so.” She shivered, the movements a reaction to the icy cold from the door, and the stern look on his face.

  “One word? I can’t think of…” She slammed her mouth shut.

  “Hmm.” She saw his hand reach for the bedside table where he lifted a clock. “Just a little after midnight. No spanking for you today.” He hugged her to him. “I don’t like to repeat myself.”

  Calliope tried to think of one word, but nothing came to mind. Her family was so… “Cold and distant.”

  “That’s two words. Your childhood was cold and distant?”

  “No, it was cold, because my parents were distant. I was thinking about them.”

  “I see.” He stroked her thigh. “Brothers and sisters?”

  “Two sisters, and neither of them really gave a damn about me. We look a lot alike, but they’re both outgoing. They managed to escape the mold my parents tried to put us in. I’m not sure how they did it, and they weren’t willing to share.”

  “Friends?”

  “I read a lot of books, so Nancy Drew was my friend. I had a few ‘real’ friends, but none of them very close. After Henry died I sort of lost touch with them all.”

  “You can have more than one friend at a time, you know.” He stroked her hair. She relaxed into him a little. The hard ridge of his cock pressed into her backside, but he didn’t do anything to initiate sex.

  “Did you go to the prom?”

  She giggled nervously at the terrible memory. “My cousin took me. His mother made him. At least I didn’t have to worry about
him trying to kiss me. He spent most of the night with his friends, trying to spike the punch. I was home by ten o’clock.”

  “Shame.” He kissed the top of her head. “Was Henry your first lover?”

  “Yes.” She looked toward the open doors out into the dark night. “Sometimes, I think that…” She swallowed back the rest of her words.

  “Think what?” When she didn’t answer, he put his fingers on her chin and turned her head up toward him. “No secrets. I want to know you.”

  That warmed her up in all the right places. “Sometimes, I think he wanted to watch me suck cock because it took me out of my zone, you know? I was so shy when he met me that it was hard for me to participate in public events. I was very hesitant the first time, and I was punished for it. I improved as time went by.”

  “Hmm.” He caressed her arm with the tip of his fingers. “We’ll have to think of something else to open your zone.”

  She could just imagine what he had in mind.

  “Can I ask questions?” She gazed up at him.

  “I don’t know, can you?” When she frowned, he laughed. “Sorry, my father’s an English teacher.”

  For a moment, she didn’t get it, and then she laughed. “Sorry, I guess the phrase is ‘may’ I ask questions.”

  “Yes, that’s the term, and yes, you may. Ask me anything you want.”

  “Did you go to the prom with your cousin?”

  His booming laughter made her giggle. “Not hardly. My cousin is a beautiful woman who’s always thought I was beneath her. No, I went to the prom with Heather McCard. She gave it up very easily.”

  “Shame on you.” She playfully slapped at his arm.

  “What? I was an eighteen-year-old male, and a woman said, ‘fuck me’. Who was I to say no? Guys don’t say no to women who say that, trust me.”

  “I take it you’d done it before?”

  “Several times.” He put his lips right next to her ear. “I was a bad boy. Besides, Heather and I had been dating for a while. We’d fooled around, but never ‘gone all the way’. This was just the culmination of our relationship.”

  “I see.” She focused her gaze on the window. “You broke it off with her once you’d fucked her.”

  “No, she broke it off with me. She was going off to school on the West Coast, and she didn’t want any baggage from Salem. But she wanted to fuck a few more times before that.”

  “And who were you to say no to her needs?”

  “Exactly.” They laughed again, and she snuggled against his chest. It felt so good, so warm and hard.

  “Tell me one word that describes your childhood.”

  “Happy.” She felt him shrug. “Sounds like a cliché, I know, but I was happy. My father’s an English teacher and a high school football coach.”

  “Really? Most coaches are history teachers. That’s different.”

  “He loves Shakespeare and Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Doyle, and, are you ready for this… Anne Rice.”

  “Vampire fan, is he?”

  “He’s read them all, and he’s also read her erotica. That’s where I found out about BDSM, from a book of hers that I found on his bedside table. My parents were out of town for the weekend, and I was bored. I can’t remember where all my friends were, but I had nothing to do. I went into their room for something and found this book. It was an eye-opener.”

  “Did you smack Heather’s ass the next time you fucked her?”

  “Yes, I did, and she loved it.”

  A small prick of jealousy ran through her. She wanted him to smack her ass. Again. And again. And again. She needed to turn the conversation away from this, or she would never be able to sleep.

  “I suppose you played football. What were you, quarterback?”

  “Tight end.” She felt him nod. “And I was good.”

  “I don’t doubt that.” She stroked her finger up his arm. “What about your mother?”

  “She never played football, not that I know of anyway.”

  Calliope gave him another playful smack. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

  “She’s a clinical psychologist, hence Phillip’s remarks about how she would interpret your dream about Henry and the woman with the lights.”

  “I see. Having her tear apart everything you said would have been fun growing up.”

  “You have no idea.” His tone was light, so Calliope knew he wasn’t talking about anything bad. “When she found out I was a Dom, she grilled me every chance she got. I finally told her to cut it out.”

  “She knows?” Calliope turned around, so she could face him. “How did she find out?”

  “She came to a club in Boston one night with a friend of hers who was doing some report on sexual activities. I was there.”

  Calliope’s eyes widened. “Oh my. What happened?”

  “Well, luckily I’d just finished the scene I was in. But she cornered the sub and asked her all sorts of questions about why she enjoyed pain and how it felt. Then, the next time she invited me over for dinner, she cornered me. Did I feel remorse for spanking a woman? Did I feel guilt over causing pain? Why did I feel the need to do these things? It was interesting.”

  He turned her back around and scooted them down until they were lying flat, with him spooned behind her. His cock was still hard, and she wanted to reach behind her, grasp him in her hands or better yet…

  She wiggled her ass against his cock. “Would you like me to suck you off?”

  “Best offer I’ve had all week.” He lay down flat on his back, and she knelt over him. She slowly undid her bra, then tossed it aside. “Your breasts are so beautiful.”

  She smiled as she grasped his boxers. He lifted his hips as she pulled them down, his cock bouncing free. It seemed bigger than it had the first time, and she licked her lips in anticipation.

  “Suck me.”

  She leaned over and ran her tongue up the length of him, from balls to head. His cock jerked in response. His deep groan infused her with need, and she tongued his slit. The salty taste of him slid over her tongue, and she nibbled gently on the head.

  “Fuck yeah, baby. That feels good.” She took the head in her mouth, closing her lips over the rim. Then she circled her tongue over him. His hips started to move, and out of the corner of her eye she saw him grasp the sheet in a tight fist. He put his other hand on the back of her head and pushed down ever so gently. She opened her mouth and took more of him, delighting in his murmured, “Fucking fantastic.”

  She sucked him deep, the thrill of having his cock in her mouth exciting her almost as much as the feel of him in her pussy. He put both hands on the side of her head, guiding her. He didn’t push too hard, and she let him take control.

  “Play with your cunt.”

  She kept one hand on his length, resting against his balls. The other traced down her stomach. She went under her panties and found her curls soaking wet. She murmured as her fingers dipped inside her folds.

  “That’s it, find that clit, pull it, pinch it, make it hurt just like you like it.”

  She followed his instructions, painful pleasure shooting through her as she pinched the little bundle of nerves. If it wasn’t for his hands on her head, she wasn’t sure she would have kept up the rhythm of the blowjob.

  “Come as soon as you can,” he whispered.

  It didn’t take long. When the orgasm hit, she let go of his cock, her tongue snaking out to find his balls. She lapped at him as she came, her tongue working the smooth flesh as one of his hands grasped his cock and jerked.

  She heard his strangled cry as he released, and she wanted to take him in her mouth, but his free hand kept her in place as she licked and sucked at his balls.

  “Oh fuck,” he whispered as his body went limp. “Damn.” A deep exhale of breath. “That was fucking good. More than good, that was… excellent… amazing.”

  “Yes.” She got up and padded over to the bathroom. She found a washcloth and soaked it under the hot tap, wringing out
the excess water. When she was back at the bed, she placed it over his softening cock. His deep groan of approval made her smile as she cleaned his groin and chest.

  After she put the cloth in the bathtub, she returned to bed. At first, she thought he was asleep, but when she reached to turn out the light, he grabbed her, tumbling her over so she was on her side, with him behind her. He settled the covers over them before she heard the click of the light.

  His arms closed around her. She felt cocooned in his warmth. He kissed her shoulder and whispered, “Good night, Calliope.”

  “Good night, Silas.” She put her hand on his. Seconds later she heard his soft snores.

  She kept her gaze focused on the window. She half expected to see Henry walk through it, as he had her first night in her room. But he didn’t. There was no woman in light, either.

  Only her and Silas.

  She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but all she could do was think about the talk they’d just had, about how relaxed it had made her feel. Comfortable enough so that she asked to suck him off. What did that mean, exactly? She wasn’t sure. Maybe she should ask Silas’ mother.

  That thought made her giggle. Silas’ arms tightened, and Calliope nestled against him. She felt very much at home, and she didn’t feel an inch of unease as her eyes closed and she edged toward sleep.

  The ringing phone pulled her out of a sound sleep. The arms that had been around her had been reduced by one.

  Silas’ mumbled, “Yeah?” let her know he’d also been fully asleep when the phone had rung. She looked toward the door. It was still dark outside, which meant it was very early.

  “Yeah? Okay. Now?” He sat up and turned on the bedside light before he ran his hand over his face. “Wait a minute, say that again.”

  He sounded more awake now, but the concern in his voice frightened her just a bit. Had something happened to Phillip and Nella? Or to one of their sons?