by Rylee Swann
“In parts. The largest draw is the open communication, and the understanding it brings. You may find me to be a bastard or manwhore for not wishing to be with a woman more than once, but I have my reasons. In this setting, those reasons are respected. In the outside world…” He lifts a shoulder.
“What are your reasons?”
He looks up at the ceiling as he seems to consider the question. “I didn’t have a happy childhood, and my choices in life were made for me. As a teenager, I swore that I’d one day make my own choices, good or bad. I worked hard, learned and grew my business, giving myself financial choice. When it came to relationships, I found that to be trickier. The games and drama were exhausting. I chose to streamline that too.”
“Streamline it down to contracts and limits? To safe words and one-night stands? That sounds lonely.”
For the briefest moment, it’s like I punched him in the stomach. He recovers quickly. “I appreciate my privacy.” He takes another step toward me. “Are you lonely, Caroline?”
My father died of cancer three years ago, and my mom moved to Florida to live with her sister. I love her as well as my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, but only see them a couple times a year. I have friends I see on occasion, and that’s it.
I think of my cactus. The only thing that relies on me for anything. A thing I named after a man I hate in order to remind myself not to fall for another prick.
Tears burn my eyes and I blink them away. “I’m satisfied.”
Silence stretches as he comes to stand in front of me and pushes a strand of hair back from my face. “Are you, Caroline Murphy?”
I swallow hard. “Today is my birthday,” I blurt out, not sure how that’s relevant or even important.
His thumb moves over my lower lip, pulling it out from between my teeth. “Happy birthday.”
God, why am I so close to crying?
I clear my throat. “Thank you. It’s a big one. Thirty.”
He moves closer, until my breasts press against his chest. “Is that how many spankings I get to give you?”
Oh dear heavens. “Um, or orgasms.” I could feel myself blushing to my roots as he laughs.
“So, are you feeling more open to me touching you however I wish?”
Yes, my body screams.
No, my mind objects.
I check in with my heart. Yes, it whispers. Be brave.
Setting my glass down, I lift my hands to his chest then up to his face where the bristle of his whiskers are rough under my palms. “Yes.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Xavier
Yes.
I can’t remember a time when a single word has excited me so much, but even while it’s still ringing in my ears, I crush my mouth down on hers. It’s another thing I can’t remember doing, not in many years at least.
Kissing.
It’s too personal. Too intimate. I’ll kiss any part of a woman’s body other than her lips.
But I’m kissing Caroline Murphy. Better, she’s kissing me back.
I’ve got to reestablish control.
But, dammit, I don’t want to.
I want to keep kissing her, keep listening to the little sounds she’s making, feel her fingers in my hair. The kiss is naked and raw and full of lust.
Burying my hands in her hair, I cup the back of her neck to hold her in place as I deepen the kiss. My tongue sweeps over hers, plundering her mouth, attempting to possess every inch of its sweetness. I realize how much I’ve missed this. A simple kiss. I could stand here forever and drink from her lips, but I need to feel her skin. Sliding my lips up her jaw and to her ear, I bite the lobe until she cries out, her body pressing harder against mine.
Finally, I pull away, leaving us both heaving for breath.
“What is your safe word?”
She blinks rapidly, as if trying to understand my words. “I don’t know.”
“Then we’ll use standard safe words. Yellow if I get close to your limits and you need me to slow down. Red if you want me to stop. Do you understand.”
She nods. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
Her pupils dilate. “Yes, Master X.”
Taking her hand, I pull her to the middle of the room, a place where silk cloths hang from the ceiling before a tall mirror.
“Lift your arms over your head.” She blinks rapidly, not moving. I lower my voice. “Now.”
She doesn’t move as quickly as I’d like, but her arms move above her head and I bind her wrists with the silk straps. “You won’t be able to lower your arms, but you can pull this…” I place a strip in her palm, “to untie yourself if needed. Do you understand?”
She seems dazed but nods. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?” I snap.
Her eyes widen. “Yes, Master X.”
With long, leisurely steps, I walk a full circle around her, liking what I see. Standing behind her, I lower my lips to her ear. “You’re lovely. Look in the mirror. Do you see what I see?”
Our eyes meet in the mirror, and she hesitates, then shakes her head.
Such self-doubt. It’s hard to witness. By the end of our evening together, I hope she can look at herself differently.
Lifting my fingers to the back of her neck, I finger the tie of her halter. My cock pulses uncomfortably as I pull the string, and the front falls away to reveal her large breasts. The nipples are a dusky pink, tight from passion. It takes all my willpower not to reach out and touch them.
Pushing the dress past her hips until it pools on the floor, I’m pleased to find a pair of simple lace panties, nearly the same shade of blue as the dress. Sliding my hands around to her stomach, she shivers as I touch her flesh there, then whimpers as my fingers travel up her ribs until I’m cupping her breasts.
“Breathe, Caroline.” I kiss her shoulder and neck, feeling her pulse pounding beneath my lips.
She cries out when I pinch her nipples, throwing her head back when I pinch them harder, then lift a hand and slap the underside of one perfect breast.
“Look in the mirror. Watch. Don’t take your eyes away.”
Watching her reflection, I gage her reaction. Shock is followed by confusion, but that is followed by a low throaty groan. It goes straight to my cock, and I slap her again, the other breast this time before kneading them both with my fingers and palms.
“Feel it,” I command her, our eyes locked together. “Absorb the sensation. Let it bring you fully alive.”
She writhes, her beautiful body twisting from side to side. I want to make her stop, but that lesson will need to wait for another day.
No. What the fuck?
There will be no other days.
The thought makes me sad and I push it away. We only have a few hours. I’ll teach her what I can during that time.
“Tell me what you feel so far, Caroline.”
Eyes still locked with mine, she licks her lips. “Afraid. Worried. Aroused.”
“The contradictions are thrilling, right?”
“Yes.” The word is a burst of breath as I pinch her nipples again.
Leaving her, I walk over to a dressing area, shrug out of my jacket, and drape it over a chair before moving to a large chest and open the doors, easily finding what I’m looking for. I take the flogger off its hook and unwrap it from its packaging before turning around. Her eyes grow wide as I tap the handle against my palm. This one is simple with buttery soft leather strips. With enough force, it can leave a pretty mark, but it’s the perfect way to introduce her to my world. It can sting without leaving lasting damage.
“Caroline, do you trust me?”
Goosebumps rise on her skin. It’s a fascinating reaction that pleases me a great deal.
“Yes, Master X.”
I move slowly toward her. I’m in no rush because she’s fully under my control. Besides, each moment I delay only reinforces my power over her. Makes her more watchful. More obedient.
Her breath hisses from between her teeth as I tra
il the tresses of the flogger up her leg and hip, up her belly and over her breast, around her ribs and down her ass. When I’m behind her again, I pull her hair out of the way to expose her lovely back.
“Pain enhances sex.”
I step back, pulling the tresses of the flogger tight with my hands. Her eyes are huge in the mirror, but she doesn’t say a word, doesn’t protest. More, she doesn’t pull the ribbon that will instantly free her.
Taking that as consent, I bring the flogger around, and she jerks as it connects with her skin.
I do it again, lightly at times, harder at other, stopping when the flesh is a pretty pink, and I know the endorphins are flooding her system. “This isn’t to hurt you, Caroline. This causes your body to be more sensitive to my touch. You’ll feel more. Feel everything. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Master X.”
“Be still. From this moment forward, you only move when I tell you. You only speak when I ask a question. I expect no less than perfect and complete obedience. Is that clear?”
Her eyes flash, and I know she wants to argue. Finally, she submits. “Yes, Master X.” The words hold a note of petulance. For some reason, it makes me smile.
“In return, I will imprison you in pleasure and crush your resistance until you’re begging, crying, screaming for me to release you from the torment my fingers, tongue, and cock will bring you. And when you think you can’t take any more, I’ll take more. I’m going to squeeze every morsel of ecstasy from your pretty little soul.”
She begins breathing fast again, and I circle around her, trailing the flogger tresses over her heightened skin.
“Caroline, I’m curious. What would you like me to do to you right now?”
She doesn’t answer immediately, so I strike her again, this time with enough power to sting. She jumps, yelps, but quickly regains herself.
“Answer me.”
“K-kiss me.”
I circle her again, the flogger’s tails moving across her breasts. “Where?”
Her eyes fly to mine, and I bring the flogger down on her thighs. “Nipples,” she yelps.
Bending my head, I flick my tongue over one before taking it into my mouth, sucking hard. Her flesh is sweet, her scent vanilla and lilacs. Bound as she is, she still manages to arch into me, feeding me her breasts. I take one in my hand, and with the other hand, bring the flogger between her legs.
“Please.”
“Please what?”
I take the other nipple in my mouth, using my teeth to scrape the sensitive skin. Between her legs, I work the flogger, grinding the handle into her clit.
She wails but doesn’t answer. In a flurry of movement, I wrap her hair around my hand, pulling her head back until she’s looking at me. “Speak when spoken to,” I growl, my lips an inch from hers. “Do you understand?”
Her eyes are wide, fear living in them now. “Y-yes, Master X. I—”
“Enough.”
I crush her lips with mine, feel them open, and use my tongue to explore hers. Damn, she’s so sweet. The whimpers driving me crazy. I rip my mouth from her and kiss down her neck, nipping at her collarbone, making her feel the bite.
She moans, and I capture the sound with my mouth.
“Where do you want my lips next, Caroline?” I ask against her ear. “Tell me now. Don’t hesitate.”
“Between my legs.”
I pull her hair harder. “Say it. Where?”
“My—”
Harder, wrapping the strands around my hand, watching her face to know her limits. “Say it. Tell me what you want.”
“My vagina.”
I can’t help it, I laugh. I let go of her hair and laugh up at the ceiling. That is a first, but I also momentarily forgot how innocent she is of this lifestyle, which means she probably doesn’t talk dirty often either.
She’s scowling at me, which makes me laugh harder. “What?”
I toss the flogger away and swipe at my eyes. “I’ve never gotten that answer before.”
“Oh… sorry,” she practically snarls. “I’m sure the thousands of other women you’ve done this with understand the repertoire better.”
That sobers me. A little. “Hardly thousands. I’m very selective as to whose… vagina I kiss.”
She snorts out a laugh, then blushes, then snorts again. Soon, we’re both howling. I can’t believe it. Until this moment, I didn’t know that laughter could be part of sex. I don’t dislike it.
Which makes me worry, and the worry sobers me. “Say pussy.”
In an instant, she sobers too. “P…” She shakes her head.
I tangle my hand in her hair, pull hard. “Say it.”
She swallows and takes a deep breath. “Pussy.”
I let go of her hair and smile against her mouth. “Was that so hard?”
“N-no, Master X.”
I kiss her cheek, her temple, her forehead. “To answer your unasked question, being a Dominant is about pushing the submissive from her comfort zone in all ways. I sensed a part of you that revolts at the word, but trust me, Caroline, there’s nothing wrong with this…”
I kneel before her and do what I’ve been longing to do. Pull down those lace panties.
Dark curls are revealed above perfectly pink lips. I can smell her, the musky scent of her arousal.
I stand and walk around her again, watching her completely naked body in the mirror. “Tell me what you want.”
She meets my eyes in the mirror. Normally, I would never want a submissive to look at me this way. But things with Caroline are different. She’s different. I’m different with her.
“Touch my pussy.”
I smile. “See how easy it is to ask for what you want?”
She nods. “Yes, Master X.”
“I want you to feel everything, Caroline. The pain. The pleasure. Feel how they heighten and dance with each other.”
“I want that too.” The words are exhaled on a breath.
Kissing her neck again, she shivers when I trace my hands down her ribs, not stopping until I’m cupping her sex. Her slick folds part for me like silk, and it takes all my willpower to take this slow. Watching her in the mirror, I slide a finger into her wet heat, nearly exclaiming at how wet and tight she is.
Her breaths increase in speed, her body jerking with each inhalation. Her hands flex and fist above her. With one hand, I give her pleasure, swirling my thumb around her clit while two fingers work inside of her. With the other hand, I slap her breast, causing her to jump at the suddenness of it.
Watching her face, I do it again, twisting my fingers to find and stroke her g-spot. She keens, her knees growing weak. I hold her up, watching her in the mirror until…
She wails when I pull my fingers out of her just as she is about to jump off the edge of pleasure. “Please.”
I bring my hand down on her ass hard enough to leave a mark, “No talking.”
She has no chance to respond because my fingers are in her again, and this time, I pull her head back so I can take her mouth.
God, I can’t stop kissing her.
As my fingers move, I suck her bottom lip between my teeth, nibbling at it before drawing it into my mouth. I lick and suck the soft flesh even as I fingerfuck her harder, deeper, giving her more. Her body jerks the moment I stroke my thumb over her clit, and I know she’s close.
“So fucking responsive,” I say against her lips. As much as I love kissing her, I want to watch her come more. “Open your eyes.”
She does what I say and meets mine in the mirror.
I stroke faster, deeper, finding her spot. “You can come.”
A shudder runs through her and her mouth opens but no sounds escape. Her muscles clamp down on my fingers, almost painfully so… but still I watch her face as the orgasm overtakes her.
When she begins to still, I remove my hand from between her legs and lift my fingers to her mouth. “Taste how sweet you are.”
She doesn’t hesitate but sucks the finger I offer
into her mouth. I feel her lips, tongue, teeth as her mouth moves, and I can’t wait to feel it on my cock.
She sighs as I remove my finger and shudders as I place it into my mouth. “Sweet nectar, Caroline. I could drink from you for…”
Shit. I almost said for my entire life.
I seriously don’t know what’s wrong with me.
Moving away from her, I walk back to the buffet and take a bottle of water from the ice. I take a long sip. Back in front of her, I offer her the same, making her drink until its empty.
Tossing the bottle aside, I circle her again. Moving her hair out of the way, I kiss the back of her neck as I reach up and untie her hands. I inhale deeply, imprinting her scent on my brain. Her arms fall heavily to her sides, and I massage them while also holding her up.
“You did good, Caroline. Very good. But I have more I want to do to you.”
She shudders, and I bring down my palm, the sound of it meeting her flesh fills the air. It’s my turn to shudder. Her breath hisses from between her teeth as I soothe the sting away. “Pain creates endorphins and adrenaline that heightens your senses. Can you feel the hormones surging through you?”
She licks her lips. “Yes, Master X.”
Walking around until I face her, I kiss her mouth before sliding my lips down her jaw to nip at the skin of her throat.
Bending, I kiss her shoulder, then sink down until my lips wrap around one nipple, then the other. Her fingers dig into my shoulders as I suck, her body swaying as she holds on to me. Sinking to my knees, I kiss down her belly, her hips before nuzzling her soft curls with my nose.
Her fingers tighten as I spread her legs further apart. Smiling, I lick her slow and deep, catching her by the waist to hold her up when her legs grow weak.
Taking my time, I feast on her, circling her clit, teasing her entrance with my tongue as I pull her pussy lips into my mouth. Her fingers dig into my hair, pulling my scalp, which only makes me eat her harder. Faster. Devouring her.
Her body begins to jerk, and I take her ass in my hands, holding her harder against my face. She comes, flooding my mouth and tongue as her body spasms with pure pleasure.
Pleasure I’m giving her.
Pleasure she’s giving me.
