She raised an eyebrow in surprise. “With who?”
Peter gave a dismissive shrug, but Connelly didn’t miss the spark of excitement in his eyes. “Just someone I met earlier today.”
“Is he here at the conference? Visiting from out of town? What?” she pried.
“God, you’re so nosy,” Peter teased. “He’s a limo driver. He brought someone here from the airport. It’s not going to go anywhere. He lives here, we live in Atlanta, but he was cute so I thought, what the hell?”
Connelly smiled at her friend as she reached out to readjust his shirt collar. “Good for you. You know, if it goes well, you can always cancel on the costume party. I would understand.”
“I know you would, but I’m not about to leave you to go in there alone. If he wants me, he can wait till the party is over.”
Connelly giggled. “I doubt that I would be alone for long, Peter. I will be fine. If you want to stay with him, stay. I promise I won’t hold it against you.”
“Well, we’ll see how things go. If it doesn’t go well, I can always blame things on you.”
“And you would too, wouldn’t you?” she said, giving him a fake glare.
“What can I say?” Peter grabbed the almost empty box of freebies she always had when she did a signing, and started to walk away. “I have the boss from hell.”
“You think so now,” she called out. “Just wait till later.”
Peter’s laugh made her smile. The first real smile she’d had in days. Unfortunately, it quickly faded the second she thought of Nathan. Would she ever stop?
With a shake of her head, she walked to the elevators that would take her to her room. She needed some quiet time.
Once in her two-room suite, she walked to the window and stared out over downtown Chicago. Even the bright late-afternoon sunshine couldn’t shake the gloom and sadness from her heart. She missed Nathan so much it hurt. Had she made a mistake? Acted too soon? Let her fear rule her?
Sighing longingly, she began to unbutton her shirt and stroll to the bathroom. As she walked through the bedroom, she tossed her shirt on the foot of the bed, then froze. Attached to the headboard were cuffs, and lying across the middle of the bed was a flogger.
“What the hell?” she mumbled.
Had Peter done this as some sort of joke?
“I know a certain submissive who could use a good flogging for not talking with her Dom about her fears.”
Every part of her tensed with excitement at the sound of Nathan’s deep voice coming from behind her.
“You didn’t stop me,” she whispered, unsure she wanted to turn around.
She was afraid she was imagining all of this. That he wouldn’t truly be there.
“I was hoping you would come to your senses on your own. Looks as though I was wrong. That will be another thrashing for my trouble and travel expenses.”
Connelly’s lips twitched.
“Does the sub have anything to say?” he asked.
His voice was so deep, dark, and dangerous sounding it sent a shiver along her spine. But not from fear. Not at all.
She turned her head slightly, but not enough to see him over her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Master.”
“Not good enough,” he snapped.
This time she did turn, and her breath caught at the sight of him standing in the bedroom doorway. His hair had been cut short due to the stitches that ran along the side of his head, but that didn’t take away from his looks. If anything, the shorter hair enhanced them, but she still preferred it longer.
“It will grow back,” he whispered.
She smiled slightly but didn’t say anything. Of course he would know what she was thinking. Black slacks hugged his hips. His white dress shirt was open down the front, exposing his muscular chest. God, he looked good enough to eat.
“What would Master have me do,” Connelly asked, “so that he believes my apology is sincere?”
“Strip and present your ass to me.”
Her mouth fell open. “Wha—”
His eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t kidding about the flogging, sub. You ran, and now you’ll accept the punishment.”
“But—”
“Now, sub,” he said calmly but menacingly enough her hands went immediately to the button of her slacks.
She pushed her slacks over her hips, letting them fall to the floor before stepping out of them. “How did you get in here?”
He didn’t answer, just watched.
She frowned. Peter of course. “Was it your limo driver who offered to take Peter out to dinner?”
She slipped out of her shoes and kicked them aside. She now stood before him in a matching thong and bra. She licked her lips nervously as his gaze traveled down her body, then back up again, heating her flesh and making her feel very sexy.
“Are you going to answer me?” she asked.
“Why? You already know the answer, but keep asking, because every question you ask without permission is another slash to your backside.”
She immediately closed her lips.
“That’s better. Now finish.”
She reached behind her for the bra clasp. Damn sadist.
“You might want to be careful of those thoughts as well, pet,” he said, but the amusement in his voice was unmistakable.
That’s so not fair.
“There’re lots of things in this life that aren’t fair.” He walked toward her and pulled a knife from his back pocket. Connelly’s breath caught as she stared at the long, silver blade. “I grow tired of waiting.”
He slid the blade under the elastic of her bra, and she squeaked, jerking slightly away from him. He caught her upper arm and frowned. “Careful, pet. I wouldn’t want to cut you.”
She scowled as he cut the bra right up the middle between her breasts.
“Or maybe I do.”
Her heart hammered out of control as he used the blade to push the bra aside, exposing her breasts. He brushed the dull side of the blade over her nipple. The cold steal against that hard nub sent a shiver over her body. What the hell was he doing?
Using the blade of the knife, he pushed the bra straps down her arms. It fell silently to the floor, leaving Connelly dazed, slightly fearful, and incredibly aroused.
He trailed the knife down her stomach, letting the blade scratch her skin but not deep enough to draw blood. “Now that thong.”
Pushing the blade between the soft cotton and her skin, he turned it so the knife sliced through the material easily. The blade had to be incredibly sharp to cut through the material like it was a hot knife cutting through butter. He repeated the process on the other side, and her panties joined her bra on the floor.
He put the flat of the blade under her chin and lifted it so she met his gaze. He studied her for a brief second, his eyes dark and sultry, the lust shining in them sending her senses into a heightened state. She feared him, what he would do, but at the same time trusted him. The warring feelings and sensations added to her already humming desire.
“Turn around and climb on the bed,” he ordered.
She swallowed. “What are you going to do?”
She wasn’t afraid of him…not really. But the sight of that menacing-looking knife in his hands gave her pause and turned her insides to molten jelly.
Nathan lowered the knife but replaced it with his hand. He applied gentle but firm pressure against her neck, forcing her to her toes, and her heart nearly pounded out of her chest.
“You never ask a Dom what he’s going to do. You say, ‘yes, Master,’ and obediently do whatever it is he tells you to.”
She again swallowed. “Yes, Master.”
He loosened his hold on her neck. She turned and climbed onto the bed on her knees. She actually trembled as she glanced at him over her shoulder.
“Move to the headboard,” he ordered.
“Yes, Master,” she whispered as she shuffled forward on her knees.
The mattress was thick and soft, giving her the impression
of moving through quicksand. She reached the headboard and rested her hands against the cold wood.
“Spread your arms.”
She licked her trembling lips for what must’ve been the tenth time. “Yes, Master.”
She spread her arms wide, each hand touching the posts on either side of the headboard. Nathan wrapped one of the cuffs around her wrist and clicked it closed. At the sound of the lock moving into place, she actually jumped.
Nathan moved the blunt end of the blade along the back of her arm. “What’s your safe word, pet?” he asked.
“Red,” she whispered.
“Louder,” he replied. “Say it loud enough that I hear you.”
“Red,” she said louder and more firmly.
“Good girl,” Nathan murmured as he moved to secure her other wrist to the opposite bedpost.
Braced on her knees, front facing the wall, arms outstretched, Connelly awaited her fate.
NATHAN COULDN’T HELP the grin that pulled at his lips as he climbed onto the bed behind her. Damn, she looked incredibly sexy all spread like that. Her skin flushed pink, her limbs trembling just a bit, and a small spark of fear in her eyes at the unknown. He enjoyed that look, but what he enjoyed more was her trust in him.
Using the dull edge of the knife, he pushed her hair away from the side of her neck. He could practically see her heart pounding. He placed his lips over her pulse point and sucked. A shiver ran through her, and her beating heart rapidly against his lips.
“Such a pretty little submissive,” he murmured close to her ear.
He trailed the sharp edge of the knife along her skin, very lightly, being careful not to actually cut her. The hitch in her breathing made him grin and his balls tighten. He followed the rise of her ass before setting the knife aside out of her line of vision and pulling a much duller and smaller one from his pocket. Pointing the tip against her hip, he pressed in and ran it over the cheek of her ass.
Connelly gasped.
A red mark appeared against her skin, but no blood. He would never break the skin, but she didn’t need to know that right now.
“Behave yourself and be honest with me, pet, or I go deeper next time.”
She swallowed. “Yes, Master.”
There was a quiver of nervousness to her voice that sent his desire screaming to the surface. He replaced the piece of plastic in his pocket and reached for the flogger.
He slid his left hand between her legs and cupped her already incredibly wet pussy. Her lips were slick with her cream, and he used the tip of his fingers to spread it.
“Are you ready for your punishment, sub?” he asked. “It feels as though you are.”
“Yes, Master,” she sighed, working her pussy along with his hand.
“Good.”
He removed his hand, ignoring her groan of aggravation, and climbed back off the bed. He stood at the foot and swung wide, hitting the side of her hip lightly with the flogger. Connelly gasped and arched her back. Nathan turned his arm and with a backhand motion, he hit the other hip. This time, she moaned and pushed her hips out, silently begging for more.
He worked up and down both sides, lightly flogging her skin and leaving pink marks all over her sides and hips. Connelly was panting now, her body shifting to meet each swipe of the leather. He could watch her do this all day, but he wanted her to talk to him. Tell him her fears so they could get this all out in the open and hopefully work past it.
To do that, he would need to turn things up.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Connelly could hardly breathe. Every flick of the leather against her skin sent her body to the edge of blissful pain. She wasn’t sure how to describe it, but she wanted more. She wanted it harder.
As though reading her mind, Nathan hit her much harder this time around her waist. She squeaked in pain, but it soon morphed into a warm pleasure that had her purring. God, this felt so…incredible.
“Why did you leave, Connelly?” he asked.
“I was afraid,” she replied without thinking.
He swatted her again, and she moaned as a burning sting traveled up her spine.
“Of what?”
“Of losing you.”
There was a pause; then he continued. The leather straps of the flogger wrapped around her upper thigh. She could feel herself getting wetter. Her pussy clenched and unclenched with each swipe against her flesh. She wanted him. Now.
Nathan, please.
“You weren’t afraid for yourself?” he asked as his slaps slowed, became softer.
“No.”
“Tell me, pet.”
“I was afraid someone else would show up from your past and kill you.” She gasped and moaned. “Nathan.”
“Do not come, Connelly,” he commanded in a rough tone.
He stopped, and she drew in several shallow breaths to try and calm herself down. She was so close. How was this punishment? Other than the not being allowed to come?
She felt the bed sink and tried to glance over her shoulder, but his tone made her stop. “Face frontward, sub. Do not turn around.”
She quickly turned her face back to the wall and braced her hands against the headboard. He touched the top of her spine with the tip of his finger and slowly slid it downward.
“You realize I probably have a better chance of dying in a car crash?” he murmured before pushing his hand between her legs and lightly stroking his fingers through her cream-coated labia.
“I don’t like to think of you dying at all,” she whispered, then bit her lip as his fingers did a sexy figure eight between her opening and clit.
“We’re both going to die at some point, pet. That’s life.”
“I know,” she moaned as she pressed her hips backward.
Nathan slapped her hip. She gasped and then immediately straightened back up.
“I didn’t stop you because I was afraid too. I was afraid that you would be killed because of something I did or because someone from my past wanted revenge.”
He circled her clit but didn’t touch it. Connelly’s whole body tensed in strangling need. If he didn’t fuck her soon, she would scream.
“Do you know what I realized?” he whispered.
“No.”
“That life’s too short for fear.” He buried his free hand in her hair at the base of her neck and pulled harshly, jerking her head back. In a low, menacing voice, he growled in her ear. “That you’re mine, and I’m not about to let you run off like some scared little rabbit.”
Connelly’s heart soared. “Yes,” she hissed.
“You’re going to promise, sub, that from here on out you will always talk to me about your fears.”
She licked her lips, wanting desperately to move her hips along with his fingers, to shift just a little so he would touch her clit or thrust them inside her throbbing passage. “Yes, Master.”
“That you will never run again.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Say it,” he growled.
“I promise.”
He shifted his hips, and his cock slid between her legs. His thick length rubbed enticingly against her mound, making her moan in both pleasure and the pain of being so turned on she could hardly breathe.
“Oh, God, Master,” she panted. “Please.”
“I can read it in your head, pet, but I want to hear you say it,” he whispered.
She blinked. “What?”
“Say it,” he whispered as he brushed the head of his cock over her clit.
Reaching around her, he cupped her breasts and pinched her nipples firmly enough to make her squeak.
“Say it and I’ll give you what you want. What we both want.”
“Oh, God, you damn sadist.” He pinched her nipples again, making her groan. “I love you.”
“Again,” he growled.
“I love you.”
He thrust into her so hard and deep she screamed. Her neighbors would probably come banging on the door any second, but she didn’t care. He fe
lt good pushing inside her, stretching her walls wide enough she thought at first it might be too much.
He pulled her hips back against him, forcing himself even farther inside. So deep his balls slapped against her pussy. She wanted it rougher and jerked her hips, meeting every thrust of his cock.
Nathan chuckled as his fingers tightened in her hair. The rough handling nearly sent her over the edge. “My sexy little sub likes it rough.”
“Mmm. Yes, Master.”
“I like the way you say that,” he whispered.
Connelly was so close she could hardly breathe. She wanted to come. It was just out of her reach. Would he let her? She didn’t think she could hold off much longer.
“Master, please. I need to…”
He slapped her on the ass, and the first stirrings of her release slammed through her. Connelly gasped, trying to hold it off. “Oh, God. Master. I love you, Master. Please.”
Nathan soft chuckle sent a shiver through her whole body. “You may, my sexy little sub. Now.”
She instantly exploded, and her entire body shook with the intensity. Nathan continued to slam into her, fucking her hard. Just as one orgasm ended, he pinched her clit, sending her over the edge into another one, this one even stronger than the last. Just as the throbs subsided, she felt Nathan thrust one final time and lose himself to his own release. He held still inside her, and every pulse of his cock vibrated against her walls, sending a tremor of pleasure to her core.
“I love you, Connelly,” he whispered, and a single tear slipped free to slide down her cheek. He kissed it away, and her heart melted. “We’re going to work this out. Together.”
She smiled, and as she nodded, the stubble on his chin scratched at her temple. “Together,” she softly agreed.
Loose Id Titles by Trista Ann Michaels
Darkness Falls
Dead Reckoning
Leave Me Breathless
Their One and Only
Shutter
* * * *
The CRIME & PUNISHMENT Series
Master Delacroix
* * * *
The ENTWINED FATES Series
Captive
Destined for Two
Mercenary
Remember Me
Slaves
Crime & Punishment 2: Master Delacroix Page 22
