by Jesse Joren
With a final, soft lick at my mouth, he was pulling away, smiling into my eyes again.
"The day wouldn't have been complete," he said, "without a French kiss."
I drew away from him unsteadily, my breath coming in short bursts. My mind whirled like a bird in a cage, searching for something to say.
"You cheated me out of my bath last night," I blurted. "How can I trust you when you don't keep your word?"
Hex smiled.
"I have every intention of providing you with a hot bath," he said.
"What's the catch?" I asked.
I was having trouble keeping my voice level. I didn't want some minor technicality to result in me being boiled in oil.
His voice became very quiet in the still cabin.
"Only a small one," he said. "I'm going to bathe you."
CHAPTER TWELVE
For a moment his words had no meaning. My body understood the implications before my mind had absorbed it. A low-grade trembling shook me, even though the cabin was warm from the fire.
"I'm not planning to rape you, if that's what you're thinking," he said. "I have no desire to damage you."
My voice shook in spite of my best efforts.
"In the interest of negotiation," I said, "what exactly do you mean by no rape and no damage?"
"That would have been a good question to ask earlier," Hex said. He held out a hand to me, silent and waiting.
My short list of pitiful options flashed through my mind.
Fight…but he was stronger.
Run…but there was nowhere to go.
Scream…but there was no one to hear.
Negotiate…but that had pretty much worked against me so far.
What did that leave? My mind drew a blank.
As if in a dream, I put my hand into his. The warmth closed around mine as he pulled me up and led me to the beautiful, empty tub.
Hex directed his voice at the ceiling and reeled off a series of numbers, too fast for me to catch. A smooth gush of hot water poured from the faucet, steam curling into the cabin's cool air
A voice-activated bathtub. With a digital code, no less. If this was Walden, it wasn't a version that Thoreau ever imagined.
"I'm going to turn around," Hex said, "and you're going to strip."
He turned away from me, leaving me staring wildly at his broad back. I bit my lip as the water level rose, trying to figure my next move.
Nothing happened. I was rooted where I stood. Even if he got angry, even if he hurt me, I couldn't make myself strip. To stand there naked and flawed under that knowing gaze.
My hands clutched the front of the robe in a death grip. Time seemed to have slowed to a crawl. The quiet purr of the water seemed very loud in the echoing room, but still I couldn’t move.
Hex finally turned back to me, not looking surprised to see me still dressed. He spoke another code. The water stopped as silently as it started.
With silent grace he came closer until only an arm's length separated us.
"Since you haven't moved," he said, "continue doing exactly that."
His hands closed over my arms, moving them to my sides. I closed my eyes as he reached for the robe's belt. A pulse throbbed in my temples.
Tell him to stop. Then you can at least pretend that you tried.
My tongue was frozen to the roof of my mouth. I stood like a stone, unable to move or speak.
Hex gave one brief tug at the belt, parting the robe before pushing the fabric off my shoulders. It slithered down my legs and dropped soundlessly into a puddle at my feet.
My arms jerked up to cover my breasts, but he lowered them to my sides again.
"You can have the panties for now," he said. "Don't get too attached."
Something new had crept into his voice. It was still patient, still controlled, but that husky, thick note only increased my terror.
My hair had fallen over my shoulders. He took a long strand and touched the prickly-soft ends to my lips, tracing the outline of my mouth.
A tingling, shivering sensation started where he'd touched me, like a tiny spark. It followed the path he was tracing over me, down over my neck.
I opened my mouth to blurt something out. What, I wasn't sure.
"Hex, please, I think we—"
He put his finger over my lips.
"Be still," he said.
He brushed the soft tail of my hair back and forth over my shoulders, each pass getting closer to my breasts. I couldn't look away, mesmerized by the slow strokes mapping my body.
For an instant he paused, glancing at me.
"These look ripe," he said, teasing my nipples with the soft brush of my hair. " I plan to check very thoroughly."
A bolt of hot sensation traveled down to coil tightly between my thighs. My nipples swelled tight and hard under that expert touch. Now the room seemed too warm.
His thumb briefly brushed the hard nub of my nipple.
"For now, this is about the bath you earned. I plan to give you exactly what you deserve."
He let my hair fall and walked behind me. There was a quiet wooden click, then his fingertips brushed against the nape of my neck.
With quick, deft movements he twisted my hair into a loose knot on the back of my head, fastening it with something that sounded like chopsticks.
Again Hex spoke a code into the empty room. This time a whirring click responded to his voice. Instinctively I turned toward the sound.
A panel slid open over the tub. A pair of wide black leather cuffs dangled over it, suspended from thick-linked steel chains. They descended slowly and came to a stop, swaying silently.
Even though I'd never seen the cuffs before, they were as familiar to me as my own name. I swallowed hard, staring at them as they gleamed in the half-light.
Hex's voice seemed very far away.
"You said more than once that being bathed was one of the most sensual things you could image. Let's see how you like the real thing."
The next instant I was in his arms, held tight against that broad chest. He crossed the short space to the tub and lowering me to stand knee-deep in the warm water.
Holy shit, he was fast. And strong. No matter how much I might wish otherwise, I was no delicate little flower. He'd handled me as if I weighed nothing.
My arms trembled as I crossed them over my breasts again, glancing upward. The cuffs swung silently over my head, promising trouble.
"Hold out your arms," he said. "and stop trying to hide. You don't have secrets here. Not with me."
The proud part of me said to resist. The practical part of me knew that ship had sailed. Slowly I held my arms out in front of me, acutely aware that of the cool air on my breasts, my stomach.
Hex's fingers closed around my left wrist, pulling my arm up over my head. There was a soft, firm pressure as one of the dangling cuffs was buckled around it.
A moment later my right wrist was also restrained with firm, gentle care, as though I was fragile and might break. When Hex pulled away I was cuffed and stretched, wearing nothing but panties and bath water to above my knees.
"You look perfect," he said, his eyes very serious. "This gives me almost full access to you. Almost."
From his back pocket he pulled a folded knife, flicking out a thin blade. He slid it under the strip that held the panties on my hip. The fabric melted before the sharp edge.
There was a cold kiss of steel at my other hip, then a brief tug. The panties slid from me, hanging from Hex's hands in two pieces.
Naked. He's seeing me completely naked, my mind gibbered.
Frantically I tried to tell myself that the cabin was dark. That I was still mostly hidden. That he wasn't really seeing all that much of me.
Hex murmured another code. Soft white light illuminated the area around the tub, casting my bare body into glowing, white-edged detail.
My fantasies of this particular scene didn't include the hot scorch of shame. I tried not to look at Hex, but when my gaze brushed his, I c
ouldn't look away. The heat reflecting back at me from his eyes made the steaming water seem lukewarm.
"Good," he said. "I don't want to miss details."
My hands clutched at the cuffs like a lifeline.
"Hex, please listen, uncuff me, we can —" I began.
His fingers over my lips stopped me again, tracing the shape of my mouth.
"I understand that the script calls for you to protest, to resist. I prefer silence."
With slow deliberation he scrunched one piece of the panties into a soft, tight ball.
"Open your mouth," he said.
I turned my face to one side. He gently caught the back of my head and held it steady, poking the soft wad of silky material between my lips. My own musky taste filled my mouth.
Hex pushed in the second piece, past the point where my tongue could it out. My sounds of protest were muted, muffled. I had to settle for glaring at him, but he only smiled.
"That's the trouble with making promises to the Devil," he said. "Sooner or later, he always shows up. I'm here to claim my price, Eva."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Hex went to the table, returning with a small, cobalt-blue bottle and a buff-colored square. His eyes lingered over me as I stood stretched and silent in the steaming water.
"Now you look perfect," he said softly.
Slowly he opened the bottle and tipped a thin stream into the water. The perfume of a Southern summer night rose on the steam.
Honeysuckle, clean and sweet. I'd know that smell anywhere.
"A little bonus for your hard work today," he said. "See, I'm not a complete asshole."
He smiled, but his words seemed rehearsed. His eyes touched the loose knot of my hair and ran all the way down my face and body, like a soundless caress.
I looked down to see what he saw. The cuffing had brought me up almost on my toes, stretching me taller. My breasts were thrust out in front of me, my stomach and thighs pulled tight.
The pearly light etched every line in soft whiteness, making my body glow. In this light, even I could reluctantly admit that I didn't look too bad.
Hex cupped his hands and reached down into the bath to scoop up scented water. He trickled it over my shoulders, sending tiny rivulets over my breasts and stomach.
Again and again he splashed me, each touch of the water like a soft, wet lick. Soon my whole body gleamed with water and bath oil under the light.
"You want to hide, don't you?" Hex asked. "I can see it in your eyes, in every line of your body. Even your toes are curling down there in the water, wanting to run away."
He dipped into the water with the chamois, pulling it up soft and soaking. Without any particular hurry he began to wash my arms, letting the warm water drip down as he worked.
His casual movements brought him close to me, his masculine scent mingling with the sweetness of the flowers. The panties stopped my protests behind their silky, musky wall.
I could feel him moving behind me, working on my shoulders, down the length of my back. The chamois was soft and smooth, like a wide tongue licking me clean.
Naked. He sees all of me.
That thought was still there, trying to break into a gallop. Each sweep of the wet leather made it recede, become less important. There was a soft splash as it fell back into the water.
Hex was soundless behind me, but my body was acutely aware of him, like electricity that stirred every inch of my skin. His hand touched my waist, sliding up and cupping the firm sides of my breasts.
"These are mine," he whispered against my ear, sending a thrill racing through me. "Like the rest of you. You gave yourself to me a long time ago."
I closed my eyes, his words and his touch both searing into me. He was right. How carelessly I had made this bargain. Now he was here to collect his pound of flesh.
A lot of them, actually. Sometimes even the Devil got more than he bargained for.
His hands gave my breasts a brief squeeze, then they were sliding down over my hips and thighs. He dipped back into the water to find the soaked square of soft leather, dragging it over my legs.
The nuzzle of his lips at my ear distracted me again. His arms were around me now, and some distant corner of my mind knew he was getting wet, clothes and all.
He didn't seem concerned as he washed my breasts in slow, firm circles. Sometimes I felt the leather, but mostly I felt his fingers on every curve, every hidden crease.
My nipples tightened again, swelling almost to the point of pain. The flick of his thumbs over them made me gasp as my legs went weak.
For the first time I was grateful for the cuffs that held me so tightly. I clutched at them like a lifeline, trying to keep my balance.
The chamois left my breast and licked its way down my body. He cupped both hands over the flesh of my hips and ass. I swallowed hard behind the gag as shame and arousal fought a brief, bitter war inside of me.
Hex's arms tightened to bands of steel around me. His voice was harsh in my ear.
"Your whole body just went rigid. You don't have my permission to do that. Do you understand me, Eva?"
I nodded, quick little jerks of my head.
His voice softened as his arms released me.
"No, you don't. Not yet. But you will. Turn."
Awkwardly I clung to the cuffs and lifted my feet to turn toward him. The motion twisted the chains over me, stretching my arms tighter.
Hex was smiling down at me. Dark, damp patches stained his shirt a darker blue, molding to his body in a way that made me feel faint. Or maybe it was just the unfamiliar position of my arms overhead.
His gaze skimmed my body again, stopping to rest on my face.
"Looks pretty clean," he said, "but let's see what's below, Cherry-on-the-Bottom."
He knelt and dipped his hands into the water. I felt his fingers working around my feet, massaging the toes and arches. Usually my feet were ticklish to the extreme, but the firm, precise strokes sent ripples of pleasure up into my sore calves.
"Your legs will get used to the bike," he said as he worked his way higher, "then on to more difficult tasks."
The chamois was back in his hands, washing up and down my legs in long, wet strokes. Each pass brought his fingers higher up my thighs, closer to that spring of desire coiled tightly between them.
Hex gave me that same devious, sensual look that made me catch my breath. He got to his feet again, towering over me. The sodden square of leather dripped in his hand.
"Put your foot up on the side, Eva. I need to reach all of you. You don't want to be a dirty girl. Or do you?"
Dripping and flushed, I stared at him over the gag. He didn't look like he was teasing.
Hex tapped the copper side of the tub with his free hand. "Here. Now."
Slowly I lifted my leg out of the water, placing my foot on the edge. The position opened my legs, exposing me in every way. In spite of the sweet bath oil, the unmistakable scent of my arousal rose on the steam.
An instant later I felt the wet, sleek rag cupping between my legs, running against my swollen lips. I kept myself neatly trimmed, but the textured side of the leather caught against the slight stubble as Hex washed.
His finger pushed the cloth higher, brushing against the stiff little nub of my clit as he worked back and forth. The soft, wet friction made me groan. I wasn't sure if it was a protest to stop or a plea to do it harder, faster.
An instant later I gasped again. The unmistakable warmth of Hex's mouth closed on one nipple, then the other, tugging and sucking.
Teasingly he scraped his teeth against the tender hardness, nibbling and pulling. Each tug sent a hot bolt of sensation through me as I strained against the cuffs, struggling for my balance.
There was a soft splash as the chamois hit the water, then Hex's naked fingers were working against the hot, secret wetness of my pussy. His thumb continued to flick my clit as two of those fingers I remembered so well slipped inside of me.
"Open wide, Eva," he whispered against
my breasts, his mouth moving back and forth between my nipples. "Let me in."
It was like being back at my apartment. This time there was nothing to stop him. Whatever it said about me, I didn't want him to stop.
His hand pressed up with firm insistence that pushed the hard length of his fingers inside me. They found and rubbed the swollen place deep inside until I rose on my toes, writhing and twisting.
The rhythm of his thumb increased on my clit, flicking relentlessly in time to the rhythm of rubbing inside of me. His teeth bit briefly at my nipples before withdrawing. Then his arm was around my waist, pulling me hard against him.
Between my legs, his hand squeezed almost to the point of pain. Not the kind that hurt. The kind that turned my knees to jelly.
"You don't set this pace," he said. "I do. Finish it, Eva. Ride my fingers hard, like you'd ride my cock if I was under you."
His words hit me like the lashes of a soft whip. My body responded with a frantic desire for release. Everything about this was wrong, but on some primal level, it felt deliciously right.
A choked scream churned behind the gag as the shuddering orgasm exploded between my legs. It radiated out until my whole body spasmed in pleasure. The whole room seemed to be on fire.
Hex held me steady against him. Dimly I was aware of his hand still moving between my legs, of the sleek wet heat pouring from me and into his palm.
Humiliation and ecstasy suddenly went back to war inside of me. They tossed me between them and drove me into a second quick, hard climax on the heels of the first.
How could it be like this? I was a prisoner, a captive. I should hate him. Resist in every way. Feel sick if he touched me.
Instead my body melted against his, desperately trying not to fall as the waves of pleasures took me under without a fight.
Hex was pressing me against him, steadying me as pleasure slowly faded back to reality. His hand rubbed softly through the wet, dripping heat that was starting to run down my thighs.
"Open your eyes," his voice said close to my ear. "There's nothing that happened here just now to be ashamed of."
When I did, his face filled my vision, seeming to glow in the white light. I stared at him mutely, still lost in a haze.
