Rafael wrapped an arm around her waist and led her into the attached bedroom. Mia looked around in amazement at the beautifully decorated room and the large bed that dominated the space as he walked into the attached master closet to retrieve a dry shirt.
“This is lovely,” she complimented as he emerged from what looked like a massive space.
“Thank you,” he answered without elaborating. “Come, my sweet. I need to get some work done. You can rest while I review some files.”
“Do you have a spare computer or phone? I would love to let everyone know that I am safe,” she dared to suggest.
“You are on vacation as far as everyone knows. No one has been concerned. They know that you are having a good time,” Rafael answered absentmindedly as his eyes scanned her nude body.
Saying nothing else, he turned and reentered the closet only to return a few seconds later with a soft, flannel shirt. Rafael unfastened all the buttons before helping her into the garment. “I do not wish you to become ill. While I prefer to see your body, I want you to be protected from a chill more.”
She tried to stand completely still, but his fingers slid gently against her skin as he fit each button carefully into the correct buttonhole. His touch made her shiver as she remembered the caresses he’d lavished on her body. “Do I ever get to touch you?” she dared to ask. “May I kiss you?”
He smiled at her as he finished the last button. “We will kiss when you have proven your loyalty to me. Touching, we will enjoy long before our lips meet. A kiss is special.”
Bewildered by his response, Mia followed him silently when he took her hand. Padding barefoot through the large house, the young woman caught glimpses of staff members working. Rafael continued through the house until he came to a closed doorway. Pulling keys from his pocket, the man once again wearing a crisp dress shirt, unlocked the door and pulled her inside. Once inside, he locked the door to seal them inside.
Mia looked around the large office space, trying to figure out what specifically this obviously successful businessman did. A massive bank of screens dominated one wall. Without giving her time to take everything in, Rafael tugged her over to an oversized wooden desk. As they moved behind it, Mia noticed a large cushiony mat to the right of the office chair on the floor.
“Take a seat, Mia. You will need to entertain yourself. There is a variety of office supplies in the bottom drawer. Help yourself to paper, pens, markers. Do not get off your mat without permission. Do not interrupt me with something frivolous,” he warned, meeting her eyes to make sure she understood.
When she nodded hesitantly, he pointed to the mat before sitting down in the large office chair and powering on his computer. Mia sunk to the mat on the floor and lie quietly on her side. Her mouth pursed and twisted to the side as she tried to decide how she felt about sitting on the floor at his feet. She didn’t think she liked it too much.
Opening her mouth to say something snarky, Mia heard him begin to speak in Mandarin Chinese. When a lyrical voice spoke back in the same Eastern language, Mia snapped her mouth closed and listened. She’d had a teacher in elementary school who knew a bit of Mandarin and had delighted in sharing small bits of the language with the students in Mia’s class.
Recognizing the sounds and rhythm of the language, she struggled to follow his conversation. Unsuccessful at doing anything more than picking out a very few familiar words, Mia tried to recall the small amount of information that he had shared with her during their online conversations. Rafael had easily focused each interaction on her, and she had basked in his attention.
When that conversation ended, Mia started to comment on his language ability, “I didn’t know you spoke…”
Her words cut out as Rafael’s hand lifted and drifted casually below the surface of the desk as he began another conversation. When his fingers curved around her shoulder to tighten warningly, Mia closed her mouth with a snap.
Sitting there hidden from the view of whoever Rafael spoke with, Mia’s anger multiplied. The more she thought about being a hidden embarrassment, the more steam built up inside her. Finally, she exploded. Pulling open the bottom drawer that he filled with busy work for her, Mia slammed it shut, making as much noise as possible.
Without pausing in his conversation, Rafael grabbed the back of her still damp hair and lifted his hand up. The pain brought tears to her eyes as she stood to try to get close enough to his hand to ease the pull on her scalp. The conversation continued between him and the businessman on the screen. Rafael trapped her between the desk and his chair and began unbuttoning the soft, warm shirt wrapped around her nude body.
Mia looked with panic over her shoulder at the man who was watching. She hissed, “Rafael. Rafael. Stop. I’m sorry. I lost my temper.”
The businessman’s hands never hesitated. Soon, he pushed the garment over her shoulders. Mia tried to stop him or free herself, but Rafael was too strong. He overpowered her with ease. Before he pushed his chair back, Rafael hooked one polished leather dress shoe around one of Mia’s ankles. The momentum of the rollers on the carpet off-balanced the young woman and she found herself stretched out over his lap with her bottom pointed to the ceiling.
Rafael captured both of her hands behind her back, trapping her across his thighs. Her toes barely touched the floor. Even more concerning to Mia, when she reared up and turned her head to look back at the screen, she made eye contact with the other businessman. He could see everything that was happening. Mia dropped back into place, trying to hide as much of her body from the other man’s view.
With his free hand, Rafael opened the second to the bottom drawer. Pulling out two wide items, he placed them on the desk in front of him. To her horror, Rafael changed the conversation.
Speaking in English, he indicated the paddles on the table, “My apologies, comrade. My possession is new and untrained. I am sorry to interrupt our conversation, but I feel that poor behavior should be addressed immediately. If you don’t mind?”
“I would suggest the red one. It appears to be the sturdiest,” the Russian answered with a heavy accent.
“No, Rafael. I’m sorry…” Mia pleaded before yelping as the red paddle smacked against her bottom. To her astonishment, the conversation resumed between the two men. She knew that the Russian was watching. Mia could feel his eyes on her bare flesh. Refusing to look at him to see condemnation in the stranger’s eyes, Mia kept her face pressed against Rafael’s calf.
Over and over, Rafael applied the sturdy instrument to her bottom and upper thighs. The flesh turned pink immediately, and then red began to blossom on the pale skin. He continued to spank her until Mia stopped squirming on his lap and hung limply. Rafael replaced the two paddles in the desk and closed the drawer.
The conversation between the two businessmen continued as if nothing out of the norm had just taken place. Rafael reached past her to snare his tablet. He placed this on the small of Mia’s back before beginning to rub her spanked bottom. He typed a few words and then replaced the tablet on his desk.
To Mia’s surprise, he released her arms and lifted her to lie against his chest. Her gasp of pain as her weight settled on her punished bottom brought faint smiles to each man’s lips. His warm hands smoothed over her body again and again as Rafael rocked the chair underneath them.
Clinging to his crisp dress shirt as her tears wet the fabric below her cheek, Mia missed their reaction to her small distressed sound as she berated herself for disappointing him. She knew that she shouldn’t make a noise. Why did I push him? she asked herself, even though she already knew the answer. She had wanted to test him. Would he be trapped into ignoring her flagrant misbehavior due to his business call or not? She realized now that he would deal with her swiftly despite the audience.
Within a few minutes, she heard him thank the businessman on the other side of the world for his time and disconnect the phone call. Mia expected to hear the Russian say something derogatory about her, but there was no mention of her or he
r spanking. With wonder, she realized that in Rafael’s world, her appearance and punishment had been accepted without question. The other man had even suggested which paddle to use as if this were a normal conversation. She didn’t understand this new world that she’d become a part of, but she was learning the rules were much different.
Rafael’s office door clicked as the lock was disengaged. Mia looked up in shock as the door swung open. A suited gentleman walked across the office carpeting to place a silver tray bearing two bottles of water on the desk in front of the businessman before hanging a new starched shirt on the handle of a nearby cabinet. Mia curled against the solid, warm body below her, trying to hide her nudity. With her eyes hidden, she didn’t notice that the butler never looked directly at her but turned and left the office at his boss’ nod of thanks.
“Here, my sweet. Drink some water. You will need to learn to behave differently now that you are with me,” Rafael directed as he opened the water and held the cold bottle to her lips. He observed her carefully as she drank several sips before allowing her to take the bottle in her own shaking hands.
“That man saw me,” she whispered.
“He would not have known for sure you were there had you sat quietly as you were bidden,” Rafael mentioned casually as he opened a desk drawer to remove a box of tissues. Pulling several out, he wiped her eyes and nose.
“You hurt me,” she accused.
“I did,” he answered without remorse. Reaching past Mia to the desk, Rafael casually moved all the papers stretched before him and his tablet to the side. Taking the water bottle from her, he lifted her effortlessly to sit on the desk before him. “Lie back on my desk, my sweet,” Rafael sternly commanded.
Bewildered, Mia followed his directions and lowered herself to her forearms. She watched him roll his chair away from her before tugging her mat into the space between them. Moving her thighs widely apart, Rafael knelt on the mattress and pulled her reddened bottom to the edge of his desk. She gasped as Rafael lowered his mouth to taste her.
“Mmmm,” he murmured as if savoring the flavor of her intimate juices. Raising his head slightly to meet her eyes, Rafael noted, “You are very wet, my sweet. I will continue to pleasure you until you come twice.” He looked at his watch and added, “You have five minutes before my next phone call, or you will again have an audience for our private moments.”
“What?” she cried as his mouth lowered to nibble at her pink folds. Rafael did not pause to answer her.
Rafael had been fastening the last two buttons on his new shirt when the phone call had activated on the screen before him. Mia curled on the carpet at his feet. Rafael had locked the mat in the cabinet behind them. She would need to earn the privilege back. This time Mia was quiet as she squeezed her inner thighs together frequently to enjoy the lasting tingles that remained from her orgasms. Moving slightly to pillow her head on his smooth leather shoes, she drifted off to sleep with a faint smile on her lips, totally missing the matching curve of his.
15
At dinner that night, Mia was surprised to be seated at the table with Rafael. The large dining room could have hosted forty guests easily for a meal. The young woman hunched her shoulders to hide her body as the servants bustled around the two of them at the large table in the elegant, formal dining room.
“Shoulders back, my sweet,” Rafael ordered as he shook out his linen napkin to lay it across his lap.
Forcing herself to follow his commands, Mia cursed her impetuous actions that had resulted in the removal of the shirt he had allowed her to wear as well as the still painful bottom that she sat on. As she sat back against the chair, the aloof butler had placed her own napkin over her lap before motioning the servers to ladle a delicious smelling soup into the bowls before them. Overwhelmed by dishes and silverware in front of her, Mia hoped that she wouldn’t make a fool of herself.
“Ahem,” Rafael cleared his throat before lifting the outermost spoon to dip it into his soup.
Nodding in relief, Mia picked up her spoon and followed his lead. Her eyes traced the wide shoulders of the handsome man at the head of the table. Rafael had dressed for dinner as she watched. An elegant gown had hung in the doorway to the master bathroom as he changed. She knew that had she not acted in anger, she would have been wearing the beautiful silver gown.
Shrugging away the past mistake, Mia promised herself that she would please him in the future. She raised the spoon and tasted the soup carefully. Deliciousness exploded over her taste buds, making her aware of how hungry she was. Immediately, she raised another spoonful to her mouth.
“I have an excellent chef, my sweet. He will be glad to see that you enjoy his food,” Rafael smiled at her, enjoying her obvious appreciation of the soup before him. When she hesitated self-consciously, he encouraged her, “Eat, Mia. You are hungry.”
Relieved, Mia ate several more spoonfuls of soup before pausing to ask, “Do you always eat dinner here in this beautiful room?”
“Yes, my sweet. Why have a dining room if you do not use it? I will admit that it is much more pleasurable to have your company than to dine alone. I will host some dinner parties now that you are here,” he remarked casually.
Before she could reconsider her words, Mia blurted, “Will I be able to wear clothes?” Her hand covered her mouth as the last syllable left her lips. She stared at him, hoping that her question would not have angered him. To her relief, he laughed.
“That will be up to you, my sweet,” he answered. Changing the subject, he told her, “Tomorrow, a hair stylist and groomer will be coming to attend to you.”
Her free hand lifted to her hair to run through the brown strands. Mia wanted to ask what the stylist would do to her, but she was beginning to learn that it was best not to question Rafael. That second word popped into her mind. Didn’t they call people who cut dogs’ hair groomers? What was that person going to do to her?
She forced her hand back down to her lap as she ate another spoonful of the delicious soup. Deliberately, she shifted on her sore buttocks to remind herself of the punishment that she could risk. Silence fell over the table as they both ate. When she finished her soup, the bowl was whisked away by a silent server.
Mia glanced up to see him watching her with a slight smile of approval. Without thought, her lips spread in a wide grin. She had pleased him. It was a thrilling feeling. Her lips twisted slightly together as she struggled to find a way to continue to make him happy.
“Mia, you may ask me questions if you wish,” he informed her softly.
“Are you married?” she blurted, surprising herself.
“No, my sweet. I have not married yet. I have been searching for the right woman to make mine,” he answered without hesitation.
They were silent as the next course was placed in front of them. It was a small filet of steak and beautifully arranged vegetables. They both ate for a few minutes, enjoying the main course. Mia was not used to eating so well. For her, this was quite a treat—like eating in a restaurant for her birthday.
“When’s your birthday?” she curiously asked.
Rafael laughed with delight at the seemingly random question. “My birthday is on April 14. Next year, I will be forty-seven years old. Does that seem ancient to you?” he asked with a smile.
“I’m twenty-seven,” she answered before realizing that he already knew that. “You know so much about me, and I know virtually nothing about you.”
“I am exactly what you see—a businessman who has created a successful life for myself through long hours, hard work, and never-ending control.”
“Sounds lonely,” she remarked as she took another bite of the delicious steak. When he didn’t answer, she looked up, afraid that she had been too honest. He was looking at her thoughtfully. She smiled, hopeful that she wasn’t in trouble and relaxed a bit when he smiled back.
“At times, very lonely, my sweet.”
16
With a tummy pooching slightly from the delicious meal, Mi
a accepted quickly when Rafael suggested walking in the garden. Very conscious of her nudity, the young woman walked slightly behind the businessman as they passed through the house. Rafael’s well-trained staff did not make eye contact with her or stare.
She didn’t understand. Were they used to having naked women walking around here? Wrinkling her nose in anger at that thought, Mia did not notice that Rafael had stopped to open the garden doors. With a body jarring impact, she slammed into the back of him.
“Uff! My sweet, are you okay?” Rafael turned to run his hands down her arms.
“Sorry. I should have been watching where I was going,” she muttered, avoiding his eyes.
“What is wrong, my sweet? Think carefully before you answer. I do not wish to be lied to,” Rafael warned. When she hesitated, he took her hand and pulled her through the doorway and out into the fragrant garden. Moving down a concrete pathway to reach a bench, he sat down and pulled her onto his lap. When she started to scramble off, Rafael pinched her blistered bottom to remind her to behave. She froze in place.
“What is wrong?” he repeated.
“The people who work here… are they used to seeing your women wandering naked around your house?” The words tumbled from her lips. She couldn’t look at him. Mia stared at her hands twisting together on her lap. When he didn’t answer immediately, she forced herself to try to relax. Leaning into the crook of his neck, she inhaled. Sandalwood. Unable to resist, Mia pressed her lips to the crisp collar that encircled his neck.
“Ah, my sweet. How you please me.” Rafael wrapped his arms around her to squeeze her tight to his hard body. “My staff are well-trained in all ways. They are, however, not used to seeing naked, young women wandering around my house.”
Leave Me Breathless: The Black Rose Collection Page 84
