She figured ‘come here, Kitty’ was an order.
Kris sighed but stepped down from the bar area and made her way across the floor, her cheeks going red at the feeling of all those eyes on her. Her entire face was burning by the time she finally stepped onto the main platform in the middle of the room. The floor underneath her feat was decorated with gold engraving of smaller circle with a bigger circle around it. The smaller circle was solid gold and the outer ring was decorated with intricate designs that seemed Celtic in nature. In the center of the golden circle were words that Kris didn’t really recognize. They were in some foreign language.
She finally looked up at Antoine, her eyes sweeping the room. Everyone seemed rather eager for something, though she wasn’t sure what. Their eyes glittered with an eagerness she’d seen back in the strip club. Before she could dwell on their gazes for too long, Antoine gripped her wrist and pulled her over towards a strange looking bench. It reminded her of a saw horse, though it was padded on the top and had various D-rings and eye screws drilled into it. It was just tall enough that her toes would barely be able to brush the ground.
Kris was eyeing the device suspiciously when Antoine ran his long, cold, tattooed fingers down the side of her neck. “Bend over, Kitty.” He whispered in her ear, his voice gruff and demanding.
Something about his tone made her want to obey his every command. She shuddered with pleasure and stepped forward, staring at the bench. She chewed her lip a little but slowly leaned over it, aware that the tight dress was riding up her thighs, allowing the bottom of her ample ass to hang out for the crowd to see. Once she was bent over the bench she allowed her body to relax, surprised that the bench didn’t dig into her at all. She rested her chest on the pillow-like surface, allowing Antoine to move around the sawhorse and spread her legs as needed.
A soft gasp escaped her when she felt the smooth heat of rope running across her ankles. The rope tightened around her tender skin as Antoine looped it through the rings and tied it off. He repeated the action for both legs and then moved to her wrists, squatting in front of her and catching her gaze.
“If you want it to stop, just say red light.” He whispered, tugging at the rope around her wrists, hard enough to make her yelp.
She gasped and nodded, dropping her head as he legs began to shake. At first, Kris thought she was shaking because of fear. She had suddenly found herself tied to some sort of apparatus used for kinky activates and there were people all around her, watching her every move. The longer she contemplated her situation the more she began to realize that the feeling bubbling in her belly wasn’t fear…It was excitement.
Antoine stepped around the sawhorse so that he was standing near her rump, running his hands over the smooth skin of her ass and thighs. As his fingers danced back up her thighs, he gripped the bottom of her dress and pulled it back, gripping her panties and bunching them up until the round globes of her bottom were revealed to the crowd.
“Look how perfect and her unmarred she is…Not a single mark on her.” He whispered, leaning down and brushing his lips along the smooth round of her ass. “Perfect.”
Kris shuddered a little and dropped her head until her long curls hung in her face and hid her burning cheeks. Her heart was pounding so loud she could hear it in her ears and her mouth was as dry as the Sahara. Every move he made was driving her closer and closer to the edge and he hadn’t even done anything yet. Her hands curled in fists and she did her best to still her shaking.
Antoine stood up and glanced at Kris and the crowd, a mischievous smirk spreading across his face. “I think it’s time we make this Kitty purr.”
As soon as those words left his lips, the crowd hooted and hollered, cheering him on. Antoine brought his hand up and then back down on Kris’ ass, sending a shockwave of dull pain through her body. Kris cried out, her fingers spreading and then clenching again as her head snapped up and her eyes widened. Her mouth was open in a silent scream as she pulled at the restraints holding her in place and a sob left her lips.
The feeling that radiated through her wasn’t the pain she expected. It was a strange, warm liquid pleasure that filled her to the brim with desire and want. Kris spent the last few years of her life feeling numb and, for lack of a better phrase, dead to the world. She shuffled through life, just happy to make it to the next morning. When that hand came down on her rear end, she suddenly felt alive. Her body gave a violent shudder and she pressed her cheek into the cool leather, her legs pulling at the restraints as she started to rock back and forth against the saw horse.
Antoine grinned at the reaction. “Oh, I think she likes it.” He hummed, turning to lean over her, his hips jutting against hers. “Do you like it?”
“Yes!” She gasped, her voice a little more desperate than she would have liked it to be.
“Louder, so these good people can hear you.” He insisted, his fingers drawing small circles over the handprint on her ass.
“Yes! Yes, I like it!”
Antoine chuckled and rewarded her with another slap on the rear. “What a good girl. Now, say ‘thank you, Sir’.”
“Thank you, Sir!” She said quickly, dropping her head back down once the words left her lips.
He must have been pleased with her because as soon as she thanked him she was rewarded again and again with hard slaps to her bottom. Antoine didn’t stop until she was a mess of tears and blubber, mindless sobs. Every slap was like an echo of the first, sending that eye opening jolt of pain through her body. The pure ecstasy that ran through her was enough to drive her wild and soon her vision was getting blurry and the world began to spin.
Kris was clinging to the saw horse, rocking back and forth as she pleaded for more mindlessly, begging him for anything he would give her. She’d completely lost control and it felt good. When she was like this, she didn’t have to worry about anything but the next sting of pain. The world faded to a dull hum and she was hardly aware when the restraints were tugged loose. She didn’t try and stand from the sawhorse, afraid that she might fall if she tried to walk.
The adrenaline that was coursing through her was more intense than anything she’d ever experienced and as she came down from it she began to shiver. Kris was silently thankful for the blanket that was draped over her and for the strong arms that wrapped around her and carried her out of the club. Her eyes were closed, but she knew she was outside when the cool air hit her skin.
She felt warm and safe for the first time in her life and when she finally did open her eyes, she saw Antoine and she smiled, leaning against him and letting the much taller man carry her up the stairs.
Chapter Twelve
By the time they made it up the stairs, Kris was starting to come back to reality. She was still shaking and whimpering softly, teeth chattering as a cold wave washed over her. She didn’t feel bed, per se, but she didn’t feel great. Antoine carried her to her bedroom and laid her out on her bed stroking her long curls back and offering her a cool bottle of water.
She snatched it from him and nearly drank the entire thing down in one gulp. She sighed as she finally leaned back against the bed, taking a deep breath and throwing her arm over her eyes. “What was that?” She murmured.
“That…Was called a scene.” He said softly, drinking his own water, “It’s when two or more people engage in some kind of…Activity together.”
“When people do kinky things in front of other people.”
“I suppose you could reduce it to that if it helps you wrap your mind around it.”
She rolled over onto her belly and looked up at him. “What would you have done if I didn’t like it?” She pressed, waiting for his response. The answer she expected was something along the lines of ‘tell you tough shit’. She wasn’t used to people obeying her wishes.
“I would have stopped.”
His answer surprised her and she stared at him a good while, cheeks flushing red. She told herself it was because of the ‘scene’ that she’d just engaged in, but deep down she kn
ew that the more she found out about this man, the more she found herself attracted to him, and not just his tattoos.
“Yeah right. You were getting that crowd pretty riled up. Are you seriously expecting me to believe that you would have stopped all that just because I told you to?”
“Of course I would have. I’m not worried about what the people in the crowd are thinking. I’m worried about what’s going on in your head.” He said, glancing down at her.
She gave another shudder and chewed her lip, looking away from him. “You’re lying.”
“Stop that, right now. I won’t have you insulting my skill.”
“Your skill?”
“I consider myself a professional at this and I pride myself in the way I treat my submissive.”
Kris grabbed a pillow and rested her head on it, looking up at him curiously. “So, what exactly are you wanting out of this? I don’t understand. There were plenty of people in there who seemed to know what they were doing and I know this whole scene is pretty popular right now. Why did you pick me? Why did you pick someone who doesn’t understand the first thing about all this?” She asked, eyebrows furrowed.
“I picked you because I knew you would be exactly what I wanted. I didn’t want someone who was going to grovel at my feet. I wanted someone with a bit of fight in them and I wanted someone who didn’t know what they were walking into. I didn’t have to worry about you being trained by someone else. I can mold you into exactly what I want.”
“Okay…So you want a sex slave.”
“I want a partner. Someone to help me run my business, clean my house and be by my side. I want someone who I can spend time with and enjoy their company. My life has been a very lonely existence for a long time.”
“I have a hard time believing that. You seemed to have a lot of friends down there.”
“Why are you arguing so much?”
Kris sat up and leaned against the head board, watching him closely. “I’m not arguing; I’m trying to figure out what makes you tick.” She said, touching her own temple, “I want to know what you’re thinking because as far as I can tell, you’re paying me to be your girlfriend.”
“I am not.”
“You want to hang out, have sex and you want me to cook and clean for you. That covers all the girlfriend bases.”
“But we aren’t in love.” He said flatly.
“It all comes back to that, huh? You don’t want to deal with love because it’s messy. It’s easy for you to pay someone off and call it a business relationship since that way I can only break our contract and not your heart, huh?”
His green eyes shone like a serpent’s as they darted over to meet her own stormy ones. She was smirking a little and crossed her arms, clicking her tongue.
“I can see right through you, Antoine.”
“Call me, Sir.”
“Alright, Sir. You try and act all tough and put this façade of some guy that doesn’t give a damn, but the truth is that you don’t want to let anyone in so they can break your heart. This isn’t something new, doll. I see it every night in the club. Guys come in and throw money at the strippers so they can ignore the fact that their wives can’t stand to look at them or because their girlfriend’s left them. At the end of the day it’s easier to buy all the things that come with love than to actually open up your heart and let someone in.”
Antoine stared at her for a long moment and then Kris shrugged and laid her head on his lap. “But hey, if that’s how you want to live your life, that’s your business.” She said simply, running her finger along his cheek. “I don’t give a damn, as long as I keep getting paid.”
It was a cold thing for her to say but it seemed appropriate since he’d just broken one of her secret dreams. Maybe she’d ran away hoping that she might find love. Maybe she was hoping this bad boy was her secret prince charming. Maybe, just maybe, her sharp, uncaring words were just another way she’d learned to protect herself over the years.
Chapter Thirteen
The conversation they’d had after their first scene cleared up Antoine’s intentions, but Kris was still a little unclear of what her role meant. Antoine had offered her some reading but she wasn’t interested in that. Clearly he knew people who were very active in the life style and Kris wanted to get her information from first hand sources, though she hadn’t expected that first had source to be one of Antoine’s ex-submissives.
He assured her that there was no animosity between him and Reinn but Kris didn’t quite believe him. Plenty of people told their friends that their break-ups were ‘mutual’ but that never seemed to be the case. Someone always held some kind of grudge and women were notorious for falling in love with men that they shouldn’t have. Kris could only hope that this wasn’t the case.
She glanced down at the paper that had the address of a café scribbled on it. She and Reinn were supposed to be meeting up to talk about the kinds of things Antoine did and didn’t expect from her. Kris turned a corner and saw the sign that read ‘Crème Bakery and Café’. She was pleased to see the wrought iron metal furniture that sat outside, warming in the sun. Fall was just starting to set in and take away some of the unbearable Louisiana heat.
Kris walked through the small metal gate, her eyes drifting across the patio. She wasn’t sure what Reinn looked like, though Antoine had given her a brief description. When he eyes landed on a tall red head wearing a large sun hat she knew she’d found her.
She wandered over to the small table where Reinn was sipping at her tea, her eyes covered with huge, bug eyed sun glasses. When Kris approached, the woman slipped off the sun glasses and glanced up and her, eyeing her up and down. Her eyes were intense and a hazel color that reminded Kris of a precious stone of some sort. Reinn seemed much older and Kris would have expected and was at least in her late thirties.
Kris settled at the table, putting her black leather bag in her lap, fluffing the white sun dress that billowed around her in the soft wind. Kris didn’t like wearing tight, revealing clothing when she didn’t have to. She much preferred loose, flowy outfits that she could layer.
“You must be Kristine.”
“Call me Kris.”
“No. I don’t think so. I prefer Kristine. It’s much more feminine.”
Kris was a little put off but the woman’s statement but ignoring it for now. She’d let it slide since Antoine had wanted her to meet Reinn so badly. She could handle a little bit of attitude for a $10,000 check.
“…Alright then. You’re Reinn, then?”
“I am, but call me Mrs. Henry.”
“You’re married?”
“About to be.”
“Oh.” This lady was weird but Kris tried her best to ignore it, taking a deep breath to continue the conversation. “Okay then Mrs. Henry, Antoine wanted me to meet up with you so that we could talk about your relationship with him.”
Reinn’s eyes flashed with thought before a slow smile came to her lips. “Of course. What does he want me to tell you? Assure you that he was kind? Tell you all of his dirty little secrets?”
Kris didn’t like where this was going. Reinn immediately put her on edge. Out of instinct, she started to withdraw her hand from the table, though she wasn’t really sure why that was her reaction.
“I was more or less wondering what kind of things you did for him and what he might expect of me.” She murmured.
Reinn chuckled and sipped at the coffee she was drinking, watching Kris with a slow, steady gaze. “What did I do for him? Oh, sweetheart, I did things for him that you couldn’t even possibly imagine.” She whispered. “I made him happy.”
Kris set her lips in a firm frown and rolled her eyes, “Look, I don’t care what happened between you guys, okay? I’m not even romantically into him. He obviously didn’t want to be with you anymore and that’s between you two. Don’t drag me into your drama.”
Kris had gotten used to being firm with women like Reinn. She was clearly upset that her and Antoine’s relationshi
p had gone south and at the end of the day, that wasn’t really any of Kris’ concern. Reinn just smiled in response and stared the shorter woman down.
“You’re just his type, you know.” She said, tapping her plum painted lips, “I’m not surprised he picked you. He likes to tear weak girls apart.”
Okay, that was enough. Kris wasn’t going to sit here and be insulted by one of Antoine’s jaded lovers. This was a bad idea and Kris had known it was a bad idea from the very beginning. She pushed her chair away from the table without another word, afraid that if she spoke she might also physically lash out. She wasn’t interested in being thrown in jail today.
As she turned to leave the woman behind, Reinn’s hand snatched out and gripped Kris’ wrist, yanking her back to the table. Kris cried out and stumbled back, catching her hand on the metal table in a way that made the rough edge dig into her soft skin. Blood began to drip onto the concrete, though Kris was far more concerned about the crushing grip Reinn had on her wrist.
“I will destroy you.” Reinn whispered, her eyes wild and her teeth clenched so tight Kris was sure she was going to chip a tooth.
Kris reeled back and tried to pull her arm from Reinn’s grip, crying out as she finally managed to get free, stumbling back and holding her wrist to her chest. She stared at Reinn surprised by the sheer animalistic rage that seemed to be coursing through her. Kris was not normally the type of person to leave before she got the last word in, but it seemed today would be a good day to let it go and just get out of there.
She turned and all but ran back to her car, gripping her wrist to her chest, her eyes wide with surprise, anger and something that she barely recognized as fear.
Chapter Fourteen
Kris drove back to the apartment and glanced at the door a moment. The apartment was split into three levels. The top level was the flat that she now called home and the third level, the basement, was the club that she found herself excited to visit again and the second floor was...well, she didn't actually know what the second floor was. It looked like a storefront, but in the entire week she'd been here, she hadn't bothered to actually look. She'd been too busy adjusting to the new city and her life with Antoine.
VAMPIRE:Vampire Guardian Series: Paranormal Mystery Vampire Alpha Male Romance (New Adult Contemporary Paranormal Royalty Fantasy Romance Collection)) Page 34
