By The Numbers More Than

by Riley Ashford

  What am I doing?

  Lora had left on the little lamp on the nightstand, but the room was filled with shadows. And so was she.

  “You understand what we’re doing, don’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “If you want to stop, say ‘jasmine.’”

  A safe word. Relief swept through her, and then, trepidation. How could she trust him, a stranger, when she hadn’t been able to trust Richard, a man who claimed to love her?

  “Are you scared, Lora?”

  “Yes.”

  “If you want, I’ll go.” He stroked her hair. “But I’ll return. Every night. Until you let me claim you.”

  She’d read a quote once about how you couldn’t cross a chasm with two great leaps. Either you jumped and made it across, or you tumbled into the darkness. She was willing to risk the fall.

  “Stay,” she said.

  He said nothing for a moment, just kept stroking her hair. The light touch felt good. Where else would he touch her? And how?

  “You’ve pleased me,” he said. “You deserve a reward.”

  Excitement quivered in her belly.

  “Close your eyes.”

  She did. Then she felt him squat next to her. One finger trailed her cheek. “Have you not remembered your manners?”

  The censure in his tone made her flinch. She swallowed the knot in her throat then she licked her lips. “Thank you, Master.”

  He drew back the curtain of her hair and kissed her throat. “Stand up.”

  She rose to her feet. The game had begun, and she had every intention of playing it to the end. He grasped her hand and pulled her forward. Then he turned her, and she realized her bed was now behind her. Anticipation sparked. Her pussy was already wet for him.

  “Lora’s choice,” he said. “What do you want for your reward? A kiss here --” He put a finger against her mouth. “-- or here?” The finger swept down her body to her clit.

  “I want…” She hesitated, and then thought: What the hell. “Both. I want both.”

  He chuckled. “Clever girl. Then both you shall have.”

  She wanted to look, but if she even slitted her eyes, he’d know, and he’d punish her. She very much wanted those kisses, and she would be obedient to get them. Maybe later she’d test her Master’s resolve.

  He knelt at her feet.

  “You have a luscious cunt.” He peeled back her labia and she knew he was studying the glistening pink of her pussy.

  He leaned forward and breathed her in, then tenderly kissed her lips.

  “M-master?”

  “You may enjoy this,” he said, anticipating her question, her needs.

  Lora quivered. How could he know me so well?

  His slid his tongue over her flesh, gently lapping the evidence of her desire. He took his time, went exquisitely slow. She knew he was learning what she liked, what excited her. He rapidly flicked his tongue over her clit, and then suckled it. Pleasure wound through her, made her skin tingle, made her nipples harden. It had been so long since a man touched her, and much longer, if ever, that one had cherished her.

  She moaned.

  His fingers dug into her hips as he focused fully on pleasuring her. When she succumbed to the incredible orgasm, her body went still, and he pressed his face to her cunt, allowing her pulsations to suck at his tongue.

  Her thighs trembled as he spent delicious seconds licking her come. Her knees felt as though they might crumple, but she kept control of her body. He might be disappointed if she gave in to such weakness.

  Then finally, he rose to his feet. “You did well, Lora.”

  He cupped her face, and kissed her. Fully. Deeply. She tasted her own essence on the sweep of his tongue. She wanted to touch him, to hold him, but she wanted so much more to please him. He could chase her shadows away, she knew he could.

  He pulled back. “How did he make you feel?”

  The question startled her. It also confirmed that he’d known her during her time at the D-Zone. Or maybe he’d been a friend of Richard’s? She hadn’t been allowed to have friends, but he often expected her to cater to his.

  She struggled to think of an appropriate response. Richard had been a mathematics professor, and liked to taunt her with complicated equations. Sometimes his games included figuring out those equations, and she nearly always failed to do so. Her punishments had been harsh.

  “Less than,” she said finally. “He made me feel less than.”

  “You deserve better, Lora. You must believe that.”

  “I do,” she said.

  He kissed her softly. “Go to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  She nodded, but misery darted through her. She felt his thumb brush over her cheekbone. “What is it?”

  “I don’t want to disappoint you,” she said. She gulped and added, “Master.”

  “Then tell me what’s wrong.”

  She found herself hesitating again. She wanted to do what he told her, but she didn’t want him to leave. If she expressed her wishes, would he go? Or stay?

  Tears squeezed out from under her eyelids.

  “Lora.” Her name was gentle admonishment. “You are still learning the rules, and I know your previous experiences were not satisfactory. I swear, darling, that you can trust me.”

  “I want to.”

  “Good.” He wiped away her tears. “Why are you upset?”

  She blurted, “Please don’t go.” Embarrassment swept through her. She sounded so desperate. She wasn’t weak, damn it.

  “I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep,” he said. “But it’s not time for you to know who I am.”

  “I won’t look, Master.”

  He turned her around, and then she heard the rustle of covers. “Get in.”

  She leaned down and felt her way across the bed. When she was settled on a pillow, he crawled in behind her and gathered her into his arms. His erection pressed between her buttocks, and she giggled.

  “You find my torment funny?” he asked.

  “A little.” She squirmed against him, and he groaned. “Let me service you, Master.”

  “No,” he said. “Tonight, I want to hold you.”

  Lora snuggled into his embrace, and protected by his strong arms and stronger will, she fell asleep.

  * * *

  Lora opened her locker and shoved her purse inside. She had a bad case of the butterflies. She’d awakened alone, feeling refreshed. Happy. She found a note in the kitchen. Her master left instructions to wear a dress to work, and to not put on pantyhose or underwear.

  Would he show up? Take her here?

  Excitement buzzed up her spine. She shut her locker, smiling.

  “Don’t turn around, Lora.”

  Her eyes widened. How had he gotten into the room so quietly? She didn’t move a muscle. Her palm rested on the gray metal door, her knees feeling soft as pudding. She heard the snick of the deadbolt and knew her master had locked them into the small back room. Employee lockers, vending machines, and a card table with foldout chairs occupied the space.

  She didn’t hear him walk across the room, but suddenly, she felt him behind her. He said nothing as he grasped the edge of her dress and pulled it above her hips.

  “You disobeyed me.” He plucked at the black thong.

  Her heart thudded and moisture leaked from her pussy. She couldn’t seem to catch her breath.

  “Take off the underwear.”

  She wiggled off the thong, and he took the panties from her. She stared at the locker, wet and wanting. She heard him breathe in, and then he said, “You smell so good. I can’t wait to taste your pussy again.”

  “Thank you, Master.”

  “I’m going to spank you, Lora.”

  “I deserve punishment, Master.”

  He smacked her ass, hard.

  Sweet pain radiated into her cunt. She bit her lip to keep from gasping. She wondered how long they had before Annie or Frank knocked on the door. Would they hear her being
spanked?

  The idea of them listening made her wetter. The thrill of possibly getting caught was such a turn-on.

  He spanked her again, open-palmed and harder than before.

  She swallowed her moan. She wanted his mouth on her nipples and his cock inside her. She wanted the pain and the pleasure. She wanted someone who understood her darkness, and could keep her in balance with her own nature.

  He swatted her a third time.

  She was panting now, and trying really hard not to squirm. Her nipples were hard, and her breasts ached.

  “Do not pleasure yourself,” he said sternly. “I’ll see you after work.”

  He yanked down her dress and smoothed the material over her raw buttocks. She stared at the locker, her body on fire, and waited until she heard the door shut. Then she shakily sat down in the closest chair. Pain bloomed when her ass made contact on the flat surface.

  The sensation was a lovely reminder of her master. If he had not forbidden her, she would’ve put her hand under her dress and stroked herself to orgasm. She couldn’t wait until her shift was over and she could go home.

  To him.

  * * *

  Customers were few and far between, so Lora occupied her time with straightening shelves, re-arranging end caps, and cleaning the area around her cash register. Her ass had stopped stinging, but she hadn’t quite rid herself of the ache of her own need -- the kind that could only be assuaged by her master.

  Mr. Chips ’n Dip arrived at her counter with his bag of Ruffles and pint of dip. He wasn’t bad-looking, and he did seem to keep his gaze on her. She’d never noticed before. Was it because he was Mystery Man? She smiled at him as she handed over his change.

  He mumbled his thanks and left.

  When her shift was over, she grabbed her purse and coat. She was in such a hurry that she nearly plowed down Frank who tried to enter the break room while she was exiting it.

  “Oh! I’m sorry.”

  “It’s all right.” He looked her over, squinting behind the glasses. “You look different. Kinda glowy.”

  His observation threw her. “Thank you. I feel kinda glowy.”

  “Cool.” He nodded then he said, “You want me to walk you home?”

  “It’s really nice of you to keep offering, Frank, but I swear I’ll be all right.”

  “Okay, then. Good night, Lora.”

  “’Night!” She hurried through the store, tossing Annie a quick wave as she left.

  She’d gotten to the edge of the first alleyway when Mr. Chips ’n Dip stepped out of the darkness.

  “Been watching you,” he said.

  His hungry gaze swept over her, and her initial excitement turned to dread. Somehow, she knew that he was not Mystery Man.

  “It was nice to see you again,” she said, “but I need to get home.”

  “I’ll go with you.” He grabbed her elbow. “C’mon.”

  She yanked her arm out of his grip, and glanced back at the neon sign of the grocery store.

  “Don’t run,” rumbled the man. He pulled out a switchblade and waved it at her. Her heart dove to her toes. “Just wanna show you a good time, is all.”

  “Hey!” Frank chugged down the sidewalk. “Stay away from her!”

  “Lora!” Charlie hurried toward her from the other direction.

  Faced with two angry men coming at him from either side, the man put the knife away and sent her a look of disgust. “Ain’t no bitch worth this kind of trouble.” He pushed past her and crossed the street, going into the adult bookstore.

  Frank got to her first. “You all right?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “You’re never late,” said Charlie as he joined them. “I got worried.”

  “Thank you, both of you.” She was shaking, and feared her legs would give way.

  “C’mon,” said Frank. “We’ll get you home.”

  Lora felt utterly protected all the way to the apartment complex. Neither man would leave until they checked out her place. She gave Charlie his Snickers and a kiss on the cheek, and she hugged Frank.

  After they left, she locked her door. Then she collapsed onto her couch and cried.

  Knock, knock, knock. Startled out of her weeping, she dashed away her tears, and went to look through the peephole.

  She opened the door and smiled. “What’s up?”

  “You dropped something.” Frank pulled his hand out of his pocket and unfurled her black thong.

  Lora swallowed the knot in her throat. “You?”

  “Disappointed?”

  “Happy.” She opened the door, and he walked inside. By the time she’d followed him into the living room, he’d removed his glasses and his coat. His tight T-shirt showed off his lean form and some seriously great muscles. He brushed his fingers through his hair and suddenly, the shaggy look gave way to a more styled form. He looked older, too, and she realized he was probably her age.

  He was gorgeous.

  “I met you at The D-zone,” he said. “You took a couple of my sub classes. Then that asshole Richard got hold of you. I thought I’d lost you then.”

  The Dom had been masked; she’d never seen him.

  “What a coincidence we ended up working at the same crappy grocery store.” Frank had only been hired three months ago.

  He grinned. “Saw you in there one night and couldn’t resist getting to know you. So, I got a job there, too.” His gaze went serious. “You’ve been denying who you really are. Richard stole that light from you, and it pissed me off.”

  “I’m a project?”

  “Don’t.” His voice held the steel of the master’s voice, and she went liquid. “You’re mine.”

  “When I let you claim me.”

  “You’re wearing my collar,” he said. “My talisman. The moon and the sun. The light and the dark. Two sides of the whole.” He walked to her and cupped her face. “Before you decide that you truly belong to me, there’s something else you should know.”

  He stepped back. She watched his eyes go red, and when he smiled, he revealed a sharp set of fangs.

  Her heart started to pound frantically.

  “You’re afraid.”

  She nodded. “I don’t understand. You’re… different.”

  “I’m a vampire. I drink blood. More to the point,” he touched one of his fangs, and his smile widened, “I want to drink your blood.”

  “Will it hurt?”

  “In a very good way,” he admitted. “It will also give you pleasure.”

  “S-show me.”

  Oh, God. What was she doing? She’d just invited a vampire to bite her. A vampire whom she’d called Master. She’d already started giving him her trust; and he’d already started to fulfill her cravings. How was it that she was so calmly accepting that a creature of myth stood in her living room, offering to give her everything she needed? It was time for her to take a leap of faith. She wanted Frank, no matter what his foibles.

  He drew her trembling form into his embrace then leaned down and pierced her carotid artery. The twin stings of pain morphed into pleasure. Even though he was gently sucking the wound and drinking her blood, it also felt like something had entered her veins.

  Her whole body tingled with a pleasure she couldn’t describe. It flooded her entire being with incredible, intense sensations. It was as if a thousand fingers stroked her everywhere all at once.

  Her pussy convulsed, and she got so wet, her thighs got soaked.

  “M-master.”

  Yes, love, echoed his voice inside her mind, come for me.

  He cupped one breast, and through her thin shirt and bra, he captured her nipple and twisted it.

  The orgasm crashed through her, and for the longest, wonderful time, she felt as though she’d fallen into the sun. She burned and burned…

  Then she felt her Master’s tongue licking her neck.

  “It heals the wound,” he said, as he moved back. “Are you still frightened?”

  “No,” she said.<
br />
  He looked at her, and in his gaze, she saw such tender regard. And love. Her heart clutched. He loved her, and he would take care of her. She knew this to her very soul.

  “Are you mine, sweet Lora?”

  For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. Her choice. To trust. To leap. To accept. “Yes,” she said. “Yes.”

  He took off her dress, and her bra. Then he undressed, slipping his belt out from his discarded jeans. He drew her arms behind her back and looped the leather around and around until her wrists tingled.

  She stood there and he said nothing. He grasped her breasts, and tweaked the nipples so hard pain exploded, and the sensations rushed down to her cunt. She bit her lip, trying not to moan.

  He pulled her nipples out and twisted. The delicious sparks of agony danced with the pleasure already gathering low in her belly. He leaned down and suckled each tortured nipple then blew across the crinkled peaks.

  “Lean over the arm of the couch, Lora.”

  She did as he commanded. She heard rustling and then a metallic rip. When he finished rolling on the condom, he stood behind her. Her bound hands were going numb, her arms ached, and her nipples were still hard from his lovely torture.

  He slowly slid his cock inside her, filling her completely.

  “Don’t come until I tell you,” he warned.

  She couldn’t get her voice to work.

  He swatted her ass.

  “Y-yes, Master.”

  He fucked her. Fast. Hard. Her pussy abraded against the rough material of the couch. Orgasm threatened over and over, but she held off. Barely. He commanded her pleasure, him and no other.

  “Come on my cock, Lora.”

  Oh, yes. Yes. He plunged deeply into her, his fingers digging into her hips, and cried out his bliss. Lora let herself go, flying once again over the edge, into the chasm of shadow and light with her master.

  After a moment, he let her up, and unbound her wrists. He turned her around and gathered her into his arms. She very much enjoyed the feel of his strong arms wrapped around her.

  “You’re more than,” he said. “You are my heart, my world.”

  She kissed him, and then offered, “I love you, too.”

  Riley Ashford