by Poppy Flynn
"No," she replied with a breathy moan that wanted to arrow directly to his cock. "It feels wonderful!"
Another heartfelt groan of ecstasy. Micah was glad he was standing behind her.
Melody surrendered herself and floated in the unfamiliar sensations that were bombarding her. She couldn't remember a time when anyone had treated her like this. Sure, Daddy had often washed her, but it had never felt like this did. Daddy had prodded and probed and concentrated on her sexy places, whereas Micah just glided his hands gently over her bruised body, meticulously washing every inch. She could feel his cautiousness as he soaped her cuts and abrasions. She knew there was no hidden agenda in his actions and, perversely, it was that very thing that touched her so deeply.
She could feel herself relaxing as he burrowed his strong fingers into her hair and massaged the sweet-smelling shampoo into her scalp.
Trust, she realised. She had no idea why she trusted Micah after such a short amount of time, when she was more naturally predisposed to trust no one. It wasn't just that he had done nothing to hurt her yet, it was almost like an aura he carried about him which gentled her frazzled nerves and called to her on some subconscious level, to reassure her that she was safe with him. It really made no sense at all, given her past experiences. There was no rhyme or reason but, somehow, she just knew that her new master would always treat her with care and respect. It was such a foreign concept that she couldn't help hoping he would choose to keep her forever. She would serve him well, be the very best slave he could ever hope for and always be grateful that he had become her saviour, her own real-life hero.
"Keep your eyes closed while I rinse this off," Micah said gently. "I don't want the suds to sting your eyes."
And Melody's heart swelled a little bit more with his caring words.
Micah dumped a huge load of conditioner into the matted nest on Melody's head. "I'm sorry," he apologised quietly. "But there's no way I'm going to be able to get a brush through this without pulling quite a bit."
"It's okay," she told him softly. "I'm used to far worse."
Wasn't that the truth! It was a thought that crossed both their minds simultaneously.
It took a long time, a wide toothed comb, a ton of conditioner, and infinite patience, but finally, Micah had managed to run the brush through Melody's hair from root to tip.
There was a disconcertingly large mass of tangled hair, which had pulled out with the knots, now sitting on the bathroom floor and, although she'd been quiet and uncomplaining throughout, he was sure her scalp must be really tender. She was a real trouper, that was for sure, and he couldn't help but admire her for it.
Micah had encouraged her to wash her face and down there herself, and now she was feeling cleaner than at any time in living memory. Oh, she knew she had been clean before, in the past, but until you lost that very basic privilege, it wasn't something you ever considered, just something you took for granted.
Finally rinsing everything off, Micah helped her up and moved her to a dry section of the bench, swaddling her in the huge fluffy bath sheet while he tidied up.
"If you're feeling up to it, I've filled the hydro pool as Xavier suggested." He eyed her critically. She was starting to flag a little. Just sitting in the shower and getting cleaned up had taken more out of her than she could have imagined, but actually, the thought of sitting in the heavenly warmth of the gently massaging bubbles sounded blissful.
"I'd like that," she told him with a small smile, and before she had time to blink, he had swept her up in his strong arms and was carrying her through a concealed door at the back of the water playroom and out into a domed, glass atrium which stood on a balcony.
Completely enclosed and heated, it still gave the impression of actually being outside. The lighting was subdued, coming from hidden recesses at the base of the hydro pool, enabling her to see her way, but not so bright that it obliterated the sparsely lit countryside and the night sky that surrounded them. And somehow, the space managed to feel exposed and yet private at the same time.
After he'd dropped her carefully into the deliciously bubbling water, Micah pressed some unseen button, and suddenly, the glass walls became opaque, closing in around her like a blanket so that only the sky through the peak of the dome was clear. As she lay there, submerged, allowing the warmth and the effervescence to lull and relax both her body and her mind, she could make out a few stars twinkling in the inky depths of the darkness and it felt quite magical, like she had been miraculously transported to some charmed, fairy-tale place. An alternate reality where the evil and the pain that had encompassed her life no longer existed. She floated, wondering if it was all a dream, a tragic attempt by her mind to escape the truth of her pitiful, painful existence.
Except Micah was right there next to her. She could feel the strength of his gaze as he quietly watched to make sure she was all right. If she reached out, she could touch him, and he would be solid and real under her hand. And in that moment, Melody wanted nothing more than to touch him, to feel his beauty as a genuine thing, to give him a little bit of pleasure in exchange for the care that he had given her. Master or not, he hadn't asked anything of her yet and she didn't know when he might, but right now, Melody found that she wanted to give rather than to have something taken on demand as had always been the case in the past. She wanted to show Master Micah her gratitude, and while her servitude ran deep, she felt as if, with this man, it might be acceptable.
Rolling onto her stomach, she reached out a tentative hand and brushed it across his rock-hard abs. For a moment, Micah did nothing but stare intensely into her eyes. She gained confidence from the fact that he hadn't chastised her, so she swallowed and trailed her hand lower, bracing against the unexpected desire to feel all of those glorious muscles.
"What are you doing?" Micah croaked hoarsely, stilling her hand with his own as her palm closed over the growing bulge in the boxers he still wore.
"Giving you pleasure," she whispered in return, massaging at his semi rigid length beneath the hand that hadn't yet pinned her own enough to make it immovable. Except that even as she experienced that thought in her subconscious, Micah pressed harder, effectively stopping her movement but also restraining her palm against his throbbing length so that she could feel him grow.
A satisfied smile drew up her lips and she squeezed her fingers around his shaft, drawing a gurgling hiss from his sensuously full lips. What would they be like to taste? she wondered, momentarily distracted. She didn't think she dared go that far. Masters were funny like that. They'd let a slave near their cock, but their mouth was far too intimate. Not that they seemed to mind pushing things into a slave's mouth. They were, mostly, just fussy about their own, in her experience…although maybe her experience wasn't the most accurate.
"Melody?" She was brought out of her musings by the harsh rasp of his voice, his usual calm and velvety tones lost in that moment. Was that a good thing, or did it mean he was angry? She didn't really know, but the trust she had in Micah made her bold. She'd find out soon enough if it was misplaced, and even though the thought made her sorrowful, at least then she would know.
"This is not something you need to do." He tried to peel her hand away, but she resisted.
"But I want to repay you for your kindness," she told him guilelessly, her eyes wide and her expression sincere.
"No payment is needed, Melody. Everything I have done has been because I want to help you. I have no expectation for any kind of reparation."
"I know." Melody nodded, bringing her naked body even closer to his. "That's why I want to do this for you."
Micah shook his head, fighting against the response of his own body which was all too aware that there was a naked and willing woman so close, he could feel the heat of her body against his own. "It isn't necessary, sweetheart." The endearment slipped out unintentionally and he could see the effect that small flattery had on her. "I don't want to take advantage of you, Melody. And that's what this would be."
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br /> "No!" she stated with surprising defiance, but one he was pleased to see surface. "That doesn't make any sense. How can you take advantage of something that is freely given?"
"You don't understand, Melody, I don't want to abuse your trust," he asserted as gently as he could.
"I know I'm not desirable," she stated sadly. "I am thin and flawed and used, but your body still responds to me. I can feel the life in your cock, so I know it hungers," she whispered, squeezing her fingers around the bulge in the thin covering that stood between them. "And it's because I trust you that I want to give you this, as a gift."
Micah grasped hold of her shoulders, and for a moment, she thought she had pushed too far, but as soon as he saw the instinctive flinch, he gentled his touch, though he still shook her lightly.
"Don't ever say that about yourself!" he commanded intensely. "Don't even think it. You mustn't allow another person to undermine your belief in yourself, no matter how hard it seems not to. You do that, and he wins, and I know you don't want that."
Melody nodded, acknowledging the truth in his words. The thought that the brute might still have the power to take anything more from her reinforced the resolve she had felt when she'd made her frantic bid for freedom just a few days before. Micah was right. Where was the good in taking those steps, those risks, if she still let his evil subjugate her from a distance?
Of course, contrary to his intention, it served to strengthen her resolve with Micah, too, and she manoeuvred herself between his outstretched legs where he still held her hand snuggly between the two of them.
"I understand what you are saying, but I don't think it applies. You are not asking this from me or taking it without my consent. It's something I want to give because you told me I had a choice. Is that not true then? Do I not get to choose after all?" she asked quietly, looking him directly in the eye, her expression sombre as if disappointment was expected.
Micah knew right then that he had been trapped in a web of his own good intentions. His subsequent decision had the ability to destroy something precious and fragile.
This wouldn't be about refusing to take advantage; it would be about denying her something vital, the knowledge that she truly did have the choices he had tried so hard to convince her of. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. In all his years, Micah didn't think he'd ever faced a dilemma as difficult and as sensitive as this.
In the end, no matter how much it pained him, he couldn't bring himself to shatter her tenuous trust by taking away the choice he'd assured her that she absolutely had.
"Just know that you don't have to do this," he reminded her finally, keeping his eyes locked with hers as he let the hand that had captured her own slip away to his side and allowed her the freedom to do as she would.
She felt empowered. Micah had given her something beyond the normal sphere of comprehension. She wondered if he knew that, but some sixth sense told her that indeed he did. He was a man of deep feeling; she could tell that for herself, a man of uncommon depths of morality and integrity. She had the sense that she was testing his boundaries, though she didn't fully understand why, but she understood enough to know that he somehow did this for her benefit and not his own.
He didn't move a muscle as she touched him, tentatively, once again. If it wasn't for the feeling of his body quickening underneath her questing touch, Melody would have believed that he was unmoved, he stayed so still, but she came to realise it was because he didn't want to coerce her in any way. Because he wanted her to genuinely understand that she was free to do—or stop—as she pleased. Her heart squeezed. He truly was an extraordinary and exceptional man.
Even as she sought to give him her own gift, he gave a more generous one in return.
As much as she wanted to please him, Melody couldn't resist the urge to explore the hard muscles of Micah's torso as he sat, so patient and restrained, before her. She had never had either the inclination or the liberty to put her hands on a man's body before, and even if she had, none of the ones she had seen looked remotely like this. Micah was sculpted and defined, and he resonated an innate strength that was all the deeper for his moderation of that power.
That those muscles could tremble under her inexperienced touch emboldened her all the more.
"Can I kiss you?" she whispered, searching his face.
Could she tell just how torn he was? Micah wondered. He couldn't answer, he didn't have it in him. While he realised that much of this interaction was tantamount to the first time for Melody and was glad her previous experiences hadn't soured her to the true beauty of a mutual and harmonious coupling, he couldn't shake the gut-wrenching feeling that if he became a contributing participant, he would be guilty of influencing her free will. The only way he could deal with this was by giving her free rein to do as she wished without any intervention from him. Anything else would have the queasy disquiet that was already bubbling through his veins erupting in what would only be an ugly and irreversible disaster.
But, just as so much of this connection had ensued on a transcendental scale, this was no different, and once again, they seemed to communicate without the need for words.
Micah's lips parted, and Melody took that as a cue to bring her own mouth lightly down on his. She brushed her mouth against his own then darted her tongue out in a quick flick before it was gone. He could feel her gentle breath warm against his face before her tongue searched out a longer stroke. As she became more comfortable, she settled her chest against his and he could feel the hard points of her nipples rubbing against his chest, telling him that she was aroused on some level. It was a good sign and he was gratified by that. He hated the idea that she felt she needed to give restitution by way of her body just because he had helped her, no matter that this was her choice and he had tried to talk her out of it.
She sucked on his bottom lip and gave it a careful little nibble before finally pressing her lips against his more fully. Eventually her boldness increased, and she reached up to take his face in both her hands before she poked an exploratory tongue between his lips. Micah didn't think she noticed that although he followed her moves, there was little of himself in this meeting of mouths. He allowed her to lead, and that was okay. This, whatever this was, was all about Melody.
She was panting lightly when she finally came up for air and looked at him with a combination of surprise and wonderment. He realised that he had inadvertently moved his hands to hold her by her narrow waist. At least the hold was light, he told himself, forcing his hands away as she sat up and gazed considerately at his chest. She took him by surprise when she dipped her head and flicked her tongue out to catch a droplet of water that shimmered on his collarbone then chased a rolling drip down one of his pecs. She took such innocent delight in the act that he found he couldn't stop her no matter how much it knotted up his insides.
After that, it was as if the flood gates had opened for Melody. She kissed and nibbled and licked down his neck, his chest, and his abdomen. When she'd had her fill, she wasted no time with any more tantalising, just plunged her hands down inside his shorts until his rock-hard cock sprang free. She had an experienced hand and she used it to her best advantage, petting and probing, cupping and rolling his balls in her palm, varying the length of her strokes until he was could no longer help but to roll his hips in torment at her practiced teasing.
Micah swallowed and clenched his fists against the very real temptation to take control. He was a man on the edge. That was until Melody rose up out of the steam that surrounded them, water sluicing down the planes of her body and her long, wet hair and looked as if she was about to straddle his lap and mount him.
His breath lodged painfully in his throat and he bit his lip hard to prevent himself from shouting her down and destroying her new-found confidence, but this was something he did not want, and his eyes found hers in desperation.
Was it possible to rape a man? Melody had never felt that might be a reality until now, but her gut instinct told her
that if she lowered her body over Micah's albeit rigid shaft that she might be raping his mind even while his body might seem compliant, and that would force a wedge between them that could never be repaired.
Instead, at the last second, she changed her course and plunged her head beneath the roiling water and took his swollen cock into her mouth, ignoring the water that rushed into her mouth alongside.
"No!" Micah, who had not uttered a word until now, surged up out of the water, hauling her up with him until she looked up at him in confusion.
"I will not allow a situation where you cannot breathe!" Micah pronounced in no uncertain terms as she blinked her eyes to dislodge the drops that gathered there.
She nodded and simply crawled between his legs, resuming her ministrations, widening her mouth around his generous member until she had engulfed him all in her hot mouth and he hit the back of her throat. As she fought against the automatic gag reflex, she swallowed around his thickness again and again until he couldn't help the groan that escaped his lips.
Damn, she was good at this. Her hand fondled his balls and one of her questing fingers rubbed at his perineum, massaging him until he could feel the semen pooling and his scrotum tightening. Micah felt the sizzle in the base of his spine and sank his fingers into her hair so he could pull her off, but before he could warn her, she had grasped his buttocks tight and pulled him to her so that her nose pressed right into the wiry hairs at his groin. She drank him down, hollowing out her cheeks and sucking him dry like he was some kind of lollipop, and all the while, she looked up at him from beneath her lashes, her wide, violet eyes locked with his.
Micah collapsed back into the water, his legs feeling strangely weak. He said nothing as he scooped her up and pulled her into a tender embrace. He'd be damned if she was going to selflessly get him off without at least the smallest ounce of affection from him in return. She snuggled trustingly against him, never once breaking eye contact.