by Demi Alex
She was right.
Marko had his own plans for the night. They were almost to their door, and he wanted to announce the conversation was over, but he wouldn’t. Not yet. He could read the need for more clarification in the soft lines that marked her forehead.
“I don’t understand why all those people were there, or why the sub wanted to be on display, but if that was me, I don’t know if I’d even be aware of their presence. Her focus was on Jean-Luc.”
More pride pushed impatience to the side, and smug contentment swelled in his chest. Kat was more intuitive than she knew. She understood so much. “The sub was only aware of her master. As for the others, their reasons vary.”
“Is he going to fuck her in front of all those people?”
“Penetration is not allowed in the training room.” He stopped outside their suite. “While a hard fuck is good, sex isn’t the goal. Achieving subspace is. Jean-Luc will read her body and mind, to take her there. That is what he does.”
“Do the observers get off on watching?”
“Questions five and six,” he noted. The conversation needed to end. He had one focus, and one focus only. “And yes, some do. I’m not sure if you noticed that a few were masturbating and having oral sex in the room.”
“I noticed.” Her pupils went dark and her breath hitched. “It was different than in the dance area though. They seemed more connected somehow.”
“Most were there because it’s the training room. They wanted to learn about or embrace the lifestyle. Others were there to honor her submission—many consider it an act of ultimate beauty. Still others simply enjoy watching, while some enjoy pain, but regardless of why and how, the sub will get what she needs.”
“Subspace,” she breathed, a look of longing in those expressive eyes.
“Yes,” he said, lowering her feet to the floor, while keeping a hand on her lower back. He lifted her face and captured her gaze. “We have under an hour left in my special time. Tell me what you want.”
“I want to please you, Marko.”
Perfect.
Chapter Twenty-One
As he instructed, Kat closed her eyes and let Marko lead her into the suite. Unaware of his intentions, she clung to his arm with both of her hands, trusting the next hour would expose her to sexual pleasure she’d only dreamt of. In a futile attempt to silence the anticipation playing in her ears, she scraped her teeth on her lower lip and steadied its trembling.
She pressed her torso on the length of his arm and felt her way into the room. With her sight not in use, her other senses went into overdrive. Her skin simmered with the heat radiating in the space. The familiar and comforting scent of sweet lavender wrapped around her body, and she breathed in deep, immediately transported to an open field of the beautiful flowers. The soft music reminded her of waves rolling on a shore and filled her mind of simpler days.
“Keep them closed for a few more minutes, sweetheart.” Strong hands gripped her shoulders and positioned her to wait. Lips brushed over her forehead and disappeared.
She immediately felt the loss of his presence when he retreated, and grabbed at empty air. “Where did you go?”
“Silly girl, that’s question number seven,” he said. “You only have eight and nine left. Choose wisely.” His footsteps faded and she guessed that the room was larger than she’d thought.
Folding her arms over her chest, she tapped her toe. “It’s not fair. That was a rhetorical question and you know it.”
“It was a question nonetheless.”
He was back. Steady breaths heated the side of her neck as he pulled back her hair and brought his lips to it. Every tiny hair on her body bristled with expectation and air escaped her lungs. Slow, torturous licks crept up her side to just below her ear, and then he prolonged the agony with tiny, wet circles, spreading erotic heat through her sensory highway.
A soft, silky material stretched across her eyes, and she instinctively reacted by raising her hands.
“Unless you plan on using your safe word, keep your hands low at your side.” His amusement registered in her mind, but she didn’t argue. She fisted her hands and pressed them to the sides of her thighs.
“Better?” Kat raised her chin and squared her shoulders.
“That’s number eight, sweetheart,” he answered, tying off the blindfold. He smoothed out her hair, then caressed down her arms and captured her hands, squeezing her fingers in a stern warning. “Think before using the last one.”
Fuck! She’d wasted another question.
A mixture of annoyance and excitement raced through her body, but she embraced the marathon of emotions flooding her sensory pathways. Kat’s pulse pounded in the darkness of her mind, and her nails dug into her palms.
“No use in lamenting the past, sweetheart. Let’s move forward,” he said, tracing a finger over the swell of her ass as he walked around her. He stood before her, his touch ever so lightly skimming from her throat to her chest, and coming to rest between her breasts. “You have the prettiest blush. Soft, warm, and absolutely consuming.”
“Thank you,” she said, feeling her heart thunder against his palm.
Unbuttoning her jacket, he used both hands to lower it off her shoulders. His hands returned, cupping her breasts and unhooking her bra. Cool air swept over her, and her nipples grew harder. He suckled on one and rubbed the other, and her hips moved against him in an effort to ease the pressure building between her thighs.
“Accept. Don’t control, ” he commanded.
The silky caress of his hair soothed her anxiety, while the rough stubble on his jaw scraped her skin, and had her yearning for more. She arched her back, moaning in pleasure as he held her breasts together and suckled both nipples at once.
“I can spend hours on your breasts.” He alternated between sucking the sensitive peaks into the blazing heat of his mouth and then blowing a cooling breath over the heavy ache. “You had a special request, bella.”
He sucked a nipple back into his mouth, then pinched it between his fingers. Cool metal slid on either side of the sensitive nub, and she sighed in pleasure.
“Nipple clamps,” she said with a whimper. “Thank you.” The contraption slowly squeezed tight until she gasped.
“Beautiful,” Marko said, licking the flesh around the intense pinch. His thumb feathered over the free nipple. “Does this beauty want some attention?”
“Please,” she whispered.
He suckled the stiff peak, nipping gently with his teeth, until she was ready. He applied and adjusted the second clamp, caressing softly over the pulsing strain.
“How do you feel, Kathryn? I need to know,” he said, tugging gently on the chain linking her nipples and causing pleasure to shoot through her.
“Good. I feel good,” she said breathlessly. “The pinch is good.”
“In that case, I’ve heard enough.” He placed the chain between her lips, pulling her breasts high and intensifying the sting. “Keep the chain in your mouth. It pleases me very much to see how pretty your nipples look stretched high.”
Quivering, she forced out a breath through her nose. Her shoulders dropped and her head eased back, tugging harder on her nipples.
“Slowly, sweetheart. Be gentle.” Marko fit his hand at the small of her back, and she gladly accepted the support. “That’s it, Kathryn. Breathe for me. Find your balance, and stand for me.”
Shivers raked her body, and she fought to catch her breath and stand. Once the mammoth feat had been accomplished, and the shivering had subsided, he splayed his hand across her back and unzipped the skirt.
“Since this is our first time with nipple clamps, you may enjoy them until I’ve removed the rest of your clothing. Your nipples are so pretty, all dark and distended. So swollen and tempting like tiny little cherries begging to be devoured.”
She nodded, and pain zinged from her breasts to her core. She lowered her chin and allowed for less pressure. But the throbbing between her legs grew.
&nbs
p; “Go ahead. Feel,” he said, lifting her hand to her breast. “One hand. Take turns.”
Pulsing like mad, the burning peaks jutted between the metallic clamps, which had the shape of bobby pins, and she skimmed over the tight nubs. She hooked a thumb through the chain and tugged until pressure flashed like white light in her mind.
His tongue trailed behind her finger, soothing the sting in slow swirls. He licked down the underside of her breast, while returning her hand to the side of her thigh.
Placing wet kisses on her hips and her belly, he lowered the leather down her legs. His lips brushed the insides of her thighs; then he slowly urged her legs apart and pressed his open mouth against her heat. “Pure heaven.”
Kat wanted to tangle her fingers in the soft waves of his hair, and drop to her knees to kiss him. She burned to touch him, to see him, and to show him how much she needed him. Relaxing her fist, she gave in to the insistent longing and raised her hand.
Large fingers shackled her wrists. He folded her arms behind her back, which caused the chain to yank on the clamps and squeeze her nipples harder. “Intertwine your fingers and keep your hands there. Concentrate on your balance.”
“I can’t. The burn is too great,” she breathed, managing to keep the chain in her mouth, but feeling the massive sting on her tender nipples.
“You can,” he said, stroking softly down her hip. “You’re my determined and beautiful Kathryn. You can do anything you set your mind to. You please me so much. Every beautiful way you respond makes me ache to bury my cock inside you and stay there forever.”
She moaned her delight. She pleased him. She made him happy. Sucking on her parched lip, she nodded and linked her fingers at her back. He would give her what she needed. He knew.
“That’s it, sweetheart. You will wait.”
But he moved torturously slow, and she doubted her endurance. She needed him inside her, sating the desire that burned and consumed her abilities.
He unhooked the silk stockings from the garter and they slid down her thighs. With tenderness that hurt, he supported her weight and lifted her feet off the floor to remove the boots. Next, he rolled the stockings off her feet and pressed his mouth to the backs of her knees.
He kissed every inch of her body, reverently whispering his admiration and love. With each brush of his lips and stroke of his tongue, the tight ball of protection she’d wrapped around her heart unraveled, one string at a time.
The concept of time ceased. He took the chain from between her lips. She cried out as pain pulsed through her right nipple when he freed it from the clamp and blood returned. His tongue soothed over the throbbing swell, and she floated in a cloud of ecstasy created by Marko’s sensual worship.
When she was able to breathe again, he did the same to the left nipple. The torment was so much greater upon the removal of the clamps, but she arched toward him and offered the sore nubs for more play. Her breath sputtered from her lips and she mewed with an impatient urgency she didn’t recognize.
“Next time,” he assured, blowing pacifying breaths across her chest and slipping his hand between her legs. He pinched the tight bundle at the top and moistness oozed from within her. “Next time,” he repeated.
Completely exposed and vulnerable, she groaned her frustration and pleaded for the use of her hands. The ache to feel him was so great, it burned like a wildfire.
“Let me kiss you,” she begged, the silk blindfold catching the moisture on her forehead. “Please, Marko.”
The sweet words and heated kisses continued, but he didn’t allow her to move.
“What are you feeling, sweetheart?” Marko whispered against her ear, nibbling on the soft flesh of her lobe and sending more tingles from her head to her toes.
“I’m shaking, Marko. My legs won’t hold me much longer.” She swallowed a sob, determined to make him understand. “It’s not fair. I need you. I want you. You’re here, giving me excruciating pleasure, but you won’t let me touch you. It hurts.”
“I don’t want you to hurt,” he said. “I want you to know what it feels to want something so bad, and to be kept at arm’s length.”
Tears drenched the silk at her eyes, and her heart swelled with a familiar ache. She knew what it felt like to want something so bad and not have it. She’d denied herself for a long time.
“You have the power to change that, Kat. Make it happen.” His tongue traced down the side of her neck and her composure drained.
“I don’t know how,” she cried, sinking into the dark and quiet hopelessness.
* * *
Marko caught her as her knees gave. He lifted her in his arms, and kissed over the tiny beads of perspiration on her forehead. She was almost there. She’d discover the way.
He placed her relaxed body in the center of the large bed, then reached for the silk tie on the nightstand. Arranging her arms above her head, he secured her hands to the headboard. He studied the relaxed lines of her body, the smoothness of her lips, and he craved the opportunity to see into the depths of her eyes and soothe her confusion.
Denying his need, he left the blindfold in place and walked away. He retrieved some juice from the bar, and stripped off his clothes while he waited for Kat to emerge from the respite her mind required. The minutes seemed like hours, testing his patience and tenacity to allow time for her realization to dawn. But the reward of having Kat steeled his resolve, and he set to awakening her with gentle persuasion.
Kat’s mind may have needed to rest, but her body responded to each kiss. Her breasts weighed heavy in his hands and her nipples pebbled in his mouth. The exquisite flush returned on the heated canvas of her torso, and the musky perfume of her excitement scented the air. When he tasted the sweetness between her legs, her hips lifted and pushed her core to his mouth. He closed his lips around the swollen bundle of nerves, and thrust a finger in her tight heat.
A glorious gasp escaped her lips, and his heart soared.
“Welcome back, bella,” he said, pushing a second finger deep inside her body and stroking her back to awareness.
She writhed and moaned, tugging on the restraints at her hands, and clenching his fingers with need. He straddled her thighs, careful not to place his weight on her, and gently controlled the thrashing of her legs as her climax built and she struggled for her release. He coaxed her higher and higher, smoothing her cream over her clit and bringing her to the edge and holding her there, but not letting her fall.
“Tell me, what do you want?” Marko demanded against her lips, sealing her mouth in a kiss and delaying her answer. He withdrew his fingers, and slid them through her swollen folds. Her tongue keenly searched his mouth, and she eagerly sucked him into hers. Breaking the kiss, he was instantly rewarded with a sigh.
“I want to come,” she rasped.
He plunged a finger into her wet heat and found the special spot deep inside her, returning her to the edge. “Like this?”
“No,” she protested, shaking her head. “With you. I want to come with you.”
“And what will you give me in return?”
“Anything,” she cried.
He crushed her lips in a branding kiss, and covered every inch of her softness with his hard body. Holding himself at her entrance, he removed her blindfold and waited for her sight to adjust.
“I love you, Kat,” he said, thrusting into the sweet refuge of her body and claiming her as his own. Taking her higher, and stoking the fire that burned between them, his body shook with need. He cupped her face and took her mouth, breathing his love into her soul.
“I love you,” she breathed.
Elated to hear the words on her lips, he threw back his head and buried himself inside her silky acceptance. Relinquishing his heart to her, he claimed her body in deep and urgent thrusts, plunging them off the edge in an earth-shattering and joint release.
He collapsed over her, holding her close and reveling in the heat of her breath on his neck. When the strength returned to his arms, he lifted hi
s weight off her chest and looked at the perfect woman beneath him. His woman.
He stretched up and released her hands. Quickly unwinding the material from her wrists, he rubbed them gently and brought each to his lips. “Thank you.”
Long lashes rested over her cheeks, and she burrowed against him with a content moan. He slid to her side and pulled her against him, holding his most precious possession against his heart.
As their breathing settled and his senses returned, he reached for the glass of juice and took a sip. Lifting her mouth to his, he gave her a drink.
With a beautiful smile curving her swollen lips, she looked at him and stroked her fingers over his jaw. “Tell me what you want, Marko.”
“More time,” he said. “Come with me to Provence. There is so much more I want to show you. Let me introduce my home and family to you. Plus, there is my mama’s bouillabaisse on Sunday. I’ll get you back to New York with time to spare for the deadline.”
“Okay.”
His heart soared. “My absolute favorite word.”
Sending up a silent prayer of gratitude, he dropped his chin to her shoulder and simply held her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Marko brushed his lips over her temple and held Kat tight. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Kat asked in a soft whisper.
“You’ve given us more time. You’ve allowed an opportunity to see and experience my world. Nothing could make me happier than introducing you to my family.” Combing his fingers through her hair, he inhaled the sweet floral scent and smiled. “They will be glad to know that I’m not delusional over an imagined lover. You’re real.”
“I can never imagine anyone thinking of you as delusional. You’ve got all your shit together—all of the time. You’re smart, capable, successful, super handsome, deliciously sexy, and everything a woman dreams of.”
He fit a finger beneath her chin and lifted her face to meet her gaze. “But I wasn’t enough for you.”
