by Jan Bowles
Max stood behind her and ran his hands over her trembling body. Her breasts heaved as he cupped them. He enjoyed feeling their weight and the way they blossomed with his touch through the flimsy material. Her nipples puckered beneath his fingertips into the most perfect buds. He leaned in and whispered against her cheek. “I sometimes think that you don’t really see me. I’m here in person, but am I here?” Max stroked her head. “Does my soul really connect with yours? I want you to be totally aware of me. Everything I do should be reflected back at me from your eyes.”
He undid the tie around her waist, and slipped the gown from her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. Ella had the perfect body. He would never tire of appreciating it.
“Now hold out your hands.” She dutifully obliged, watching him bind the soft rope around her wrists through hooded eyes. Usually she would ask what he was going to do, but not this time. Whatever was eating away at her was unhealthy. Once he’d tied her wrists, he attached the bindings to a piece of rope looped through a ring at the apex of the A-frame. He raised her arms until they were high above her head and then secured the rope. Next, using leather straps, he attached her shapely ankles to either side of the frame, so her legs were spread evenly apart. When he was completely satisfied, he stood back and admired his handiwork. Ella was going nowhere. She would just have to listen to what he had to say, whether she liked it or not.
In true theatrical style, he drew the table of punishment implements closer for her inspection. “Take a look at what your Master has in store for you, pet.” He lifted up the flogger and cane, bringing them within inches of her eyes, then placed them back on the table. Next he chose the pear of anguish, holding it close and opening the device in front of her. There was just a hint of nervousness as he studied her eyes. “This is called the pear of anguish, for obvious reasons.” He replaced it on the table. “I’ll leave you to reflect for a while on how you will make a better slave for your Master.”
Max then began strolling from the room. When he reached the glass windows, he flicked the two-way switch, allowing him to see inside the playroom from the courtyard outside. As an added bonus, Ella wouldn’t be able to see out, so surprise would be on his side when he returned. Plus, if she got into difficulty, he wanted to be able to cut her from the frame in as little time as possible. He was smart enough to always have Ella’s safety as his utmost priority. She was the most precious thing in his life.
He settled himself into a chair and scanned his newspaper, occasionally glancing at Ella. By the time five minutes had elapsed, she appeared to be in a trance. It was something she’d learned to do over the past few weeks. When Max returned to the playroom, he stood behind her and stroked his hands over her flawless back and curvy, feminine rump. The way that she responded to his touch left him no doubt that she was the perfect woman. He just had to convince her to let go of her inner turmoil and join him wholeheartedly.
“Have you anything to say, Ella?” he whispered, as he moved his hands down to the apex of her thighs. He slipped his finger inside her moist folds, searching for the piercing, knowing her clit would be stimulated even more. A gasp left her lips as he rotated a finger over the silver bead.
“No, Master. There isn’t anything I need to tell you.” Her sweet, tender voice that he loved so much rose a little higher with each word she spoke.
“Interesting. So where exactly did you go last Wednesday morning?” Max felt a sudden jolt rack through her body. “Yes, that’s right, my pet. I know you didn’t visit your attorney. Care to enlighten me?” When she didn’t answer, Max picked up the flogger from the table and walked in front of her. He raised it up, showing it to her, trailing the leather tresses provocatively across her bare shoulders and breasts. Her wary eyes followed every movement he made. “We cannot have any secrets from each other, my pet. As your punishment for deceiving me, you will receive five lashes. If you continue to withhold the truth from me, I will give you five more, until you come to your senses. Understand?”
“Yes, Master.”
Max moved behind her and lashed her butt five times. Taking care not to break her delicate skin, he aimed for a different spot each time. Her ass cheeks were bright pink by the time he’d finished. Held tightly by the A-frame, her whole body quivered, but she didn’t cry out. He soothed her reddened backside with a hand and leaned in to her ear. “Anything to say?”
“No, Master.”
Whatever Ella was hiding, she was too scared to tell him. He tried a different tack. Standing in front of her, he raised her chin with his finger and thumb, forcing her to meet his gaze. Her beautiful blue eyes, awash with tears, connected with his. His gut clenched as he said the words, “You disappoint me.” Ella could never disappoint him, but he had to try and get through to her. He then strode away, calling over his shoulder. “After you have had time to reflect on your disobedient ways, I will be back to administer further punishment.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ella stared at the bank of opaque floor-to-ceiling windows that separated the courtyard from the playroom. When Max had left the room he’d changed the polarity, so she couldn’t see out. Where was Max? Was he on the other side of the glass, watching her, observing her? Her heart ached for him. She loved him without question, but he wouldn’t want her after this.
History would repeat itself.
Three times he’d returned to discipline her, and three times she’d refused to say what was eating away at her heart. For the past week she couldn’t shake the thought from her head. Her own husband had tried to kill her, because he couldn’t stand the thought of her being alive when the woman he truly loved was dead. It made her feel worthless, and less than a real woman.
To add to her unhappiness, Max had found out about her little lie. How long could she hold out from telling him the truth?
Secured tightly to the A-frame, her arms ached so much she wanted to cry out with the pain, but she kept her mouth firmly shut. She may disappoint him elsewhere, but when it came to tolerating his discipline, she would refrain from using her safeword. Maybe then she could redeem herself in his eyes. At the moment it felt the only way.
Her heart somersaulted in her chest, when part of the opaque window slowly slid open, and Max entered the playroom. His silver-gray eyes pierced her very soul as he stood a few feet away and studied her. Eventually he spoke.
“Have you anything to say, my pet?”
Ella shook her head, and bit down on her lower lip, before answering, “No, Master.”
“Then there is no alternative.” She watched him pick up the evil-looking device he’d shown her earlier. He held the pear of anguish in front of her, showing her how it worked once more. Four segments opened out like the petals of a flower. It had some deadly-looking spikes on the end, too, that would be very painful if he inserted it in her pussy.
Unwilling to use her safeword, Ella closed her eyes, and breathed deeply, awaiting her fate.
Instead of feeling pain, Max calmly stroked a hand down her cheek. “Red, Ella. I’m ending the scene. I’m using the safeword.” He shook his head. “I would never use this on you. It’s just for show.” He tossed it contemptuously onto the table, and began untying her legs. “I don’t know what’s got into you.” She saw the disappointment on his face and her heart broke. He wouldn’t want her now.
History was repeating itself.
When he released her from the A-frame, the circulation in her legs had been restricted for so long she could barely stand, and she collapsed to the floor. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his jean-clad legs and clung tightly to him, feeling totally devastated.
“Oh, Master, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I know you want to get rid of me, but I can be a better slave if you give me one more chance.” The tears came in earnest. Surely their relationship must be over?
“Ella, baby, why would I want to get rid of you?” Max knelt down, and gently smoothed his hands over her quivering, naked back. “Just tell me everything. I’
m sure it can’t be as bad as you’re feeling right now.”
“I so wanted to be a good slave, and to wear your permanent mark,” she sobbed.
“I know, baby.” Max sat on the floor, and pulled her into his arms. He held her close, stroking his hand through her hair as tearful tremors racked her body. She clung to him, knowing her tears dripped onto his masculine chest, and ran in rivulets down his toned stomach.
His tender embrace made her cry even more. “I’m afraid to lose you, Master. I’m afraid to tell you. If I do, you won’t want me anymore. I love you so much.”
He cupped her chin angling her face to his, and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Through blurred vision she saw the concern in his eyes. “Do not be afraid, little one. Your Master loves you, too, and there is nothing you can tell him that will make him love you less.”
Ella stared into his wonderful gray eyes, barely believing what she’d heard. “You love me? Even though I lied to you?”
“It hurts me that you do not confide your true thoughts, but I cannot stop loving you, Ella. Trust me, and I promise the unbearable pain you’re feeling will go away.”
Her lower lip quivered with fear. “Master, I’m afraid.”
“Just trust me, and all will be well.”
Surely if Max said he loved her, then she had to tell him? It would be a travesty to continue denying him what he craved the most. “I met Joey. He flew in from Charleston, to speak with me about Kirk’s suicide.”
“Baby, why didn’t you say? I don’t mind you finding out these things. Just not behind my back.”
“I was going to tell you, once I’d learned the truth, but—” She buried her head against his naked chest, craving his warmth and understanding. Max stroked her hair once more, calming her, lifting her spirits. He loved her. With Max by her side surely she had the strength to continue? “Joey told me things that I’ve found difficult to cope with. Things I’d rather not tell anyone.” She sobbed even more, feeling totally filled with emotion. If she didn’t let it out soon, she would burst. As it was she could barely breathe.
“Go on,” Max urged.
“I don’t think I can,” she choked.
“It’s for the best, baby.”
“Oh, Max. Kirk hated me. He wanted me dead.” Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed uncontrollably. “He literally…tried to squeeze…the life from me. My whole world went…black.”
“I know, baby. But remember that Kirk wasn’t himself. He was paranoid and delusional at the time.” Max began slowly rocking her back and forth, making soothing noises as he stroked his fingers through her hair. “Hush now, little one. That’s it, just let it all out.”
“He couldn’t stand the idea of me being alive, when she was dead.”
“Who was dead?”
“She was dead…and he…hated…me for…it.” Her words were halting.
“Kathy? Do you mean Kathy’s dead?”
“Kirk saw her killed by a roadside bomb when they were together in Afghanistan. When he came home I wasn’t enough to keep him alive. I wasn’t Kathy, so he tried to kill me. And then he killed himself. She’s dead, and I feel so guilty for thinking so badly of her.” The floodgates fully opened, and a wall of emotion that she’d tried so desperately to dam in place spilled and poured from her like a giant tidal wave. Her whole body heaved as she tried to catch her breath through the deep sobs that just kept coming.
Max held her tightly in his embrace, wrapping his legs around her, cocooning her from the evils of the world. They lay on the floor of the playroom, entwined together, until she had nothing left to give. Until she was empty. He whispered close to her ear. “I love you, Ella. Nothing can ever take that away from you. Not the past, not anything. Not Kirk. Nothing. Do you hear me? What we have, what we share, is beyond comparison to anything else. That is all that matters. You and me and now.” He kissed her forehead so tenderly, she sighed. Then he kissed her eyelids one after another. “Let’s wipe away your tears, my love. We cannot change the past, just the future. And your future is definitely with me.” When he kissed her lips, she opened her eyes, amazed at the love she saw reflected in his. Raw and passionate, his soul lay bare and open with emotion.
At that moment she connected with him forever, and she whispered, “I see you, Max. I actually see you”—she touched her temple with an index finger—“here.” Then she held her hand against her breast. “And I feel you here. I’ll never keep anything from you ever again. I promise.” She’d seen his spirit. She’d seen his love with her own eyes. Max loved her. That was all that mattered.
Max caressed her fingers with his lips. “I’ve waited a long time for this, Ella. I knew you would eventually come to me unconditionally.” He scooped her into his arms and carried her from the playroom. She felt so safe and wanted pressed against his strong, virile body as he walked toward their bedroom.
Chapter Twenty-Three
After Max laid her carefully on the bed, a feeling of deep relaxation overwhelmed Ella. It was as though every nerve had been disconnected from her body. Inert and supine on the mattress, she watched him undress as he pulled the boots and jeans from his legs. Max loved her.
“I feel so calm, Max.”
“That’s because you’ve opened up to me. Your worries are my worries now. Your fears are my fears. By sharing your thoughts with me, you unburden yourself. I’ll take care of your emotional needs from now on. Depend on it, baby.”
“I wish I’d trusted you before, Max. Why did I find it so difficult to tell you the truth?”
“Because you were afraid of losing me, baby. But you needn’t have worried. You are so very precious to me. I didn’t know Kathy, and I’m sorry she’s dead, but believe me when I say, you are ten times the woman she ever was, or ever could have been.”
Ella felt euphoric. She felt wonderful. Max’s words soothed her. You are ten times the woman she ever was, or ever could have been.
Max looked like a Roman centurion. His body rippled with muscle as he moved toward her. The morning light, streaming through the wall of windows, cast him in silhouette. She could just see his huge cock standing taut and erect against his washboard stomach. Her natural response was to open her legs and hold out her arms as he joined her on the bed.
“All in good time, baby. First I get to enjoy your supersensitive pussy.” Before she had time to speak, he’d swooped down and swiped his tongue over her clit, teasing her piercing. Her whole body arched as Max cupped her butt and raised her ass from the mattress. He devoured her pussy, lashing his tongue repeatedly over her clit. He sucked the sensitive bundle of nerves into his mouth, causing her to cry out in pure pleasure.
“I love you, Max.” Her fingers twisted into the duvet, and she gripped tightly as a wonderful spasm convulsed deep inside her pussy. Then another and another rolled in, one on top of the other. Through hooded eyes she saw her body writhe against his mouth. When their gaze connected, Max slowed the gentle sweeps of his tongue. His eyelashes swept down as he studied his task with feverish intensity. He mercilessly rolled the bead of the barbell jewelry over her clit, rocking it back and forth until her cries of ecstasy left her lying exhausted and panting on the bed. “Jesus, Max.” Her orgasm was so exquisite it verged on pain. Max certainly knew his way around a woman’s anatomy.
“I will never tire of eating your pussy. Not when you come so sweetly for me.” Trailing tiny kisses up her quivering stomach, he circled each breast with his tongue, flicking the sensitive nipple with the probing tip, and sucking them into his mouth.
His hard cock pressed along the length of her slit as he nestled his manly weight between her thighs. It was tantalizingly erotic, feeling his throbbing, pulsing prick, pushing against the entrance to her pussy. He caressed her collarbone, dipping his tongue into the hollow at the base of her throat, before peppering tiny kisses over her neck. Ella arched giving him even more access. She needed his tender touch like the air that she breathed.
“Max.” That one word whi
spered breathily from her lips, but said with such feeling it sounded like a plea.
He smiled into her eyes as he tenderly smoothed the hair from her face. Taking his time he dipped down to kiss her lips. His shoulder muscles strained as he kept his weight from her.
“Always remember, I love you, little one.”
Ella smoothed her fingers along his masculine brow ridges. She smiled into his beautiful, silver-gray eyes, knowing each and every word he spoke was from the heart. Then she traced the side of his face, feeling the stubble on his jaw rasp against her fingertips. He turned to kiss her palm and she brushed her hands through his hair, and wrapped her arms tightly around him, never wanting to let him go.
He felt warm and wonderful against her naked flesh. After all the heartbreak she finally felt at peace. “Max, I love you so much.”
* * * *
Max stared into Ella’s eyes, feeling his whole world lay beneath him. His heart soared at her whispered words of love, and a sense of calm pervaded every part of his body. Ella had finally reached out to him. Her emotional outpouring had brought them closer together. She’d been lost between grief, jealousy, and hate, searching endlessly for the truth about what had happened to Kirk
To him, Ella was beautiful in every respect. He stared into her shining blue eyes. This woman had turned his life upside down, and he could never live without her now.
“I want you to marry me, Ella. I want you to wear my permanent mark.”
A teardrop slipped from the corner of her eye, and he wiped it away with the tip of his tongue. “Max. Do you really mean that?”
He smiled at her innocent, breathless charm. “Of course I do. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t.”
“Max, you’ve made me the happiest woman alive.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes, Max, yes, yes, yes, yes.” She threw her arms around him, hugging him close.
Max cupped her chin, angling her face to his. “Let’s seal our love with a kiss.” Her lips parted as he caressed her mouth with his own. He flexed his hips, positioning his cock at her moist entrance. Then, holding his weight from her, he slowly slid inside her welcoming warmth, her tight vaginal sheath enveloping him.