The Velvet Ribbon

by Christie Adams

  “Oh God!”

  He pushed deep inside her, but it was the rhythmic, controlled strokes, the feel of his well-muscled body moving against her that was overwhelming her. Fast would have been good—this was a thousand times better, the slow perfection of him filling her in a way that made her completely his. Her clit, already supersensitive, was being brutally aroused by the closeness and the unrelenting stimulation, and as if that weren’t enough, her breasts were pressed against his chest, her nipples stimulated to stiff points by the direct contact with his muscular flesh.

  She tried to clasp her legs around him more tightly, but with the ankle restraints it was impossible—instead, she got an intense reminder of her status as this man’s sub, a reminder that targeted the space inside her only he could fill.

  A large masculine hand anchored itself in her hair, pulling her head back and exposing her throat. His mouth was hot on her skin, she could feel his teeth grazing her flesh, then she was falling backwards, secure in his arms…

  With her hands pinned to the pillow, Beth couldn’t resist as he moved over her body. His hips continued to drive against her, hard and unrelenting. He was sheer animal power in human form, carefully controlled but with a hint of danger, as if any moment that control might disappear. What if…

  She could take that wild ride with him, she knew she could. He was her Dom. He owned her. Everything she had to give was his.

  If only this could last forever. He was the man she’d wanted all her life.

  “Please, Alex,” she gasped, “please let me come!”

  “No!”

  He released one of her hands so he could squeeze her breast as he picked up the pace, his rhythm faster now. Her pleading became sobs of tormented pleasure; she couldn’t hold it in much longer.

  “Come, Beth, come for me, now!”

  She needed no more encouragement. A supernova burst in her mind and her body, her orgasm exploded on a panting cry of sexual ecstasy, the like of which she had never known until this day. Her climax felt like it would never end, wave after unrelenting wave crashing over her, robbing her of speech, thought, even her sense of self. And while she was in the throes of that ecstasy, Alex went deeper, harder, driving into her until he came too.

  She whimpered when he rolled off her, only distantly aware of him moving to release her bonds before he gathered her to him, holding her while she came down from the heights. His low voice comforted her, muttered words she couldn’t comprehend, such was the tumult inside her, until she reached the point where she could whisper her thanks against his sweating chest.

  Alex wrapped his arms around his sub, pulling her tightly into the protection of his body. He knew he had to be her anchor while she came down from the heights they’d just shared, but inside he was shaken to the core by the strength and depth of the emotion that had swept through him while making love to the woman he held so tenderly. It was so long since he’d felt anything like this…no, he’d never felt anything like this. This was unique.

  She was unique. And he adored her.

  If he hadn’t known better, he’d have thought Beth was showing signs of having flown in to subspace—her eyes were glazed and unfocused, and he felt the first hint of a shiver. He wouldn’t normally have expected that to happen in such a relatively mild scene; however, it was her first scene, and not only that, she’d not had sex for a while, so maybe it wasn’t all that surprising that she’d been affected so deeply.

  He took a moment to dispose of the condom, and then drew the sheets over Beth, leaving her with an instruction not to move—not that she looked capable of going far.

  Without bothering to pull on any clothes, he went out to the kitchen to pour a glass of orange juice, to which he added a splash of cognac. He also grabbed a bar of chocolate—Beth’s favourite, if the frequency of the appearance of it on her desk was anything to judge by.

  When he returned to the bedroom, she’d moved onto her side and was curled up in an almost foetal position. He deposited the juice and chocolate on the nightstand by the bed. At the moment, Beth needed warmth and comfort more than anything else. He was more than happy to provide that. With a curious lightness in his heart, he slipped under the covers and moved closer to her.

  “Come here, beautiful,” he encouraged, his tone soothing and gentle. “You’ve been a very good girl, and now it’s time for me to take care of you.”

  She turned back towards him and snuggled closer—a good sign, he thought, she was responding to his voice and his commands, though the look in her eyes was still distant. He wrapped his arms around her again—Christ, she was cold.

  Although she was the main focus of his attention as he went about warming her up, there was a part of Alex’s mind that was replaying the session and evaluating how successful it had been. He was also evaluating his feelings.

  For a first session with a new sub, it had gone very well. Best to keep it fairly simple and not too demanding, and she’d responded well to a little discipline, light bondage and verbal instruction.

  For a first session with the woman he loved, it granted him a glimmer of hope that maybe he could give her what she needed, because hell, she was everything he wanted and needed out of life.

  She moved slightly in his arms. When he looked down at her in response, she was looking at him with questions in her eyes.

  “Everything’s okay, love,” he said quietly. “How do you feel?”

  She shivered again. “Cold. Should I feel cold? It’s been so long…”

  Since she’d had sex. Alex didn’t want to think of all the times he might have had her with him, just like this, if he hadn’t been so hung up on letting the past rule his life. Doubtless there would be fallout he’d have to deal with, but not now. Now he had a sweet sub to take care of.

  “I’ll keep you warm,” he promised her. “You’ll never be cold again. Are you ready to sit up? I have something that might help.”

  Still holding her close, he held the glass of juice to her lips, letting her take a couple of sips. He tried not to laugh at the face she made at the first one—her expression could have curdled milk. It conveyed precisely what she thought of the taste.

  “Cognac.” He turned the burgeoning laughter into a solicitous smile. “Hey, it’s supposed to make you feel better.”

  From the doubtful look she gave him, Alex figured she was starting to regain her equilibrium. “Maybe the chocolate will go down better.”

  He broke off a couple of generously sized pieces, feeding them to her as he had fed her the cheese and biscuits a couple of nights earlier. Alex was a man who prided himself on not much being able to trip him up, but what Beth did next completely stunned him—when she finished the chocolate, she took hold of his hand and proceeded to lick the melted smears from his fingers.

  Although the display of natural submissiveness stunned him, Alex was more concerned about how she’d react to what had happened once she recovered fully. It was quite possible that embarrassment, even shame would kick in, and he wanted to be on hand if and when that happened. Taking her out for dinner again, as he’d planned, no longer appealed—all of a sudden, pizza, beer and a bad movie, with Beth curled up on the sofa beside him, seemed like a far better idea.

  “Alex…I need to go to the bathroom.”

  “No problem.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll help you.”

  “No!” Her face flamed. “I mean, thank you, but I need to –”

  “You need me to make sure you’re all right, Beth,” he overruled her. “It’s my job, as your Dom, to take care of you, and I take it very seriously.”

  He carried her into the bathroom, letting her attend to her needs while he ran the shower to the right temperature. When she was ready, he removed the velvet ribbon, with a promise that it would be replaced when they were done, and then followed her into the spacious enclosure.

  “Alex?”

  He picked up a bottle of shampoo and poured some into hi
s palm, then made a circular motion with his index finger to indicate that she should turn away from him. He lathered up the shampoo, and then began to massage it into her hair, finding great pleasure in carrying out the simple task for the woman who meant so much to him.

  And now would seem an opportune moment to go back to basics. “Beth, as my sub, what is your only purpose?”

  “To please you,” she replied.

  “Good girl. And it pleases me to bathe you and wash your hair just as much as it pleases me to fuck you and spank you.”

  The juxtaposition of his matter-of-fact tone and the raw language he used clearly amused Beth, judging by her reaction. Her quiet chuckle brought a smile to his face as he rinsed away the shampoo. Using his fingers to comb conditioner through her hair, Alex decided that he liked making her smile and laugh. Her mere presence lifted his soul from the darkness that still threatened to overwhelm it more frequently than he cared to contemplate.

  And he liked washing her body with the fragrant, creamy shower gel too. He could easily spend a lifetime getting to know every part of her intimately—every curve and hollow, and every reaction to his touch. Was she ticklish? Maybe now wasn’t quite the best time to find out.

  He was about to start showering himself when her hands stilled the movement of his. “May I?”

  The sensation of her touch on his body was sheer torture. She washed his back first, her soapy hands never faltering as she gently cleansed the scarred skin, left to right, shoulders to waist. He sensed her drop to one knee, and she was carrying on down, over his buttocks and then down each leg. When she came around to the front of him, her gaze dropped to the erection jutting from his groin.

  “Don’t look so surprised, Beth. That’s the effect you have on me.”

  She looked up at him. For a heart-stopping moment, he thought she might shrink away, but then a slow smile lit her flushed face. “I think I can do something to help you with this, Alex. If I may?”

  Oh shit. If he gave in to whatever was going on in her devious mind…

  What he did or didn’t want went by the board. He could only watch as she moved closer, close enough to take his nipple between her soft lips and begin to suckle, sending a bolt of sensual lightning straight to his cock.

  “Beth.”

  Her name was a growled warning. If she carried on like that, he’d have to take her again—and he hadn’t intended to do that quite so soon, no matter what opinion his dick might have on the subject.

  “Please, Alex.” She looked up at his face, her eyes full of what he could only describe as adoration. For him? “Let me give you this.”

  Alex hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. He didn’t deserve this, but that didn’t stop him wanting it…wanting her.

  His sub had a wicked mouth. He felt her teeth grazing across his nipple before her tongue started working its magic again. He leaned back, the coolness of the tiles nowhere near enough to calm his growing arousal—especially when Beth’s mouth transferred to his other nipple, while her fingers began to play with the first.

  And when her mouth began to travel down his torso, it only grew worse. He watched her move lower and lower, until she was kneeling before him. It didn’t take a genius to work out what she had in mind. He braced himself for the onslaught.

  Her tongue stroked his heated flesh, his inner thighs, his groin, until she reached his balls, where she promptly drove him out of his mind with arousal and a raging need. When she licked up the underside of his cock, he could do nothing to prevent the low, guttural groan that rumbled past his lips. When her tongue traced the prominent veins along its pulsating length, he moaned again. When he felt the gentle suction she applied to the head, he thought his skull was going to explode. With his balls cradled tenderly in her palm, Beth used her mouth and free hand to send him to sweet oblivion.

  His hands clenched into fists for a few seconds, until he could force his fingers to uncurl enough for him to lay his palms flat against the tiles. He needed the chill to turn down his desire to fuck her wonderful mouth. The alternating kisses and licks were like nothing he’d felt before, and the most distant part of his brain, the microscopic part that was still able to put together a coherent thought, wondered how Beth, who behaved with such decorum in the office, could be so skilled in such a carnal art. Was it natural talent, or had some lucky bastard had the pleasure of teaching her how to suck a cock?

  Alex pressed his back harder to the cold wall, using it to bring himself back from the brink of orgasm—he wasn’t ready to come yet, he had to know…

  “Who taught you, Beth?” he managed to get out, looking down at her, dreading the answer but needing it more. The thought of her in this position in front of another man was killing him.

  She looked down, a slight flush rising to her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Alex. I wanted it to be good for you.”

  Without her mouth wrapped around his cock, he was a little more capable of articulating what was on his mind. “Did I say it wasn’t? Answer my question.”

  “No one. I’ve never…I never wanted to do it for anyone before. I’m sorry.”

  She was sorry. Sorry? “For what? For having a beautiful mouth and knowing how to use it to please me? Never be sorry about that, sweetheart.”

  She looked up at him, her eyes glowing with emerald fire. “Please…may I continue?”

  He nodded. “But I’ll tell you when I’m about to come—then it’s your choice.”

  He could give her that, at least. And her choice, when the time came, was to give him a gift that almost brought him to his knees in front of her. He gave her the warning he’d promised, expecting her to back away, but no, she remained in position, taking him deep into her mouth as he climaxed and licking him clean when he was spent.

  Afterwards he allowed her to finish the task of washing him, so that they could get on with the serious business of relaxing for the rest of the evening.

  Relaxing—now that was a laugh, Alex thought some time later as he lay in bed. For the last few minutes the ceiling had held a curious fascination for him. The half-finished pizza was abandoned on the coffee table, along with his beer and Beth’s wine. Neither of them knew how the film ended, and he suspected that Beth cared as little as he did.

  She was already asleep at his side, naked apart from the ribbon. His stomach clenched at the memories she’d given him, of her kneeling in front of him while her mouth gave him pleasures that had blown him apart, and then kneeling again, holding out the makeshift collar for him to replace after the shower. He had done so with warmth, gentleness and care, and a silent prayer of gratitude.

  And above all, so much love that he thought his heart might break from it.

  But now it was time for sleep. Alex began his usual ritual of controlling his respiration, counting each breath as he tried to get into the right frame of mind, hoping, as he did each night, that the terrors would stay away. Tonight of all nights, he needed them to stay away. He couldn’t bear to think of the consequences if Beth were to discover the terrible secrets from his past and the power they still held over him…

  9

  On Monday morning Beth sat at her desk, feeling like a totally different woman from the one who’d left the office on Friday night. And her concentration was shot to pieces. The last time she’d occupied this space, she’d been nursing a turned ankle and reporting the theft of her bag. Now she was here with Alex’s temporary collar around her neck and a whole new perspective on their relationship.

  A week might be a long time in politics, but a weekend in the world of Domination and submission could beat it hands down. As yet, Beth wasn’t sure whether the beating would be done with a flogger, a crop or a paddle…

  She’d arrived at the office fifteen minutes earlier, accompanied by the man who was no longer just her employer. It was only quarter past eight now, but it had been a very strange morning, right from the moment she had dared to wake her sleeping companion with a kiss. For a brie
f instant an odd expression had passed over his face; then it was gone and he was leaping out of bed and dragging her off to the bathroom with him. Beth could swear she’d spent more of the weekend in that bathroom than out of it.

  Of course, on the flip side of all that prune-like skin was the sinful deliciousness that was communal bathing.

  A finger ran across the velvet ribbon—yep, it was still there. Not that she needed it to remind her of her new circumstances—there was a certain lack of underwear that performed that function quite nicely, thank you very much. Especially when she got up to finish making Alex’s coffee and take it into his office.

  He was on the phone to Japan again; while Beth was fluent in French and could get by in a couple of other European languages, her employer’s command of a wide variety of foreign tongues—some of them quite exotic—was seriously impressive. She was about to leave when he signalled her to stay.

  “Thank God that’s all sorted out now,” he said with a long sigh when he put the phone down. “Come here.” She went around the desk, only to be pulled unceremoniously onto his lap for a deep, lingering kiss. She remained silent while he simply looked at her and looped a stray strand of hair around her ear. Under his gaze, she felt a warm contentment flow through her soul.

  “Beth, you have no idea how often I’ve wanted to do that since you started working for me. I think I’ll start every working day just like this.”

  She wasn’t about to argue with that.

  “I should have mentioned this over breakfast—Cam’s coming in just before nine to give me the latest on the security problem we’ve been having. I just want you to be prepared for when he notices this.” His touch was gentle on her throat. “You know you don’t have to wear it in the office?”

  “I know—I want to.”

  The words left her lips before she realised they were spoken, and in the space of a heartbeat, she knew they were true. She felt protected by Alex…as well as more informed. Over the weekend, he hadn’t been reticent in sharing information she’d need to know—she could now see the Dom in his friend too, and she had no doubt that Cam would respect that protection.