by I. T. Lucas
“I know.”
“We will make it special in some other way.” She waggled her brows. “Missionary position is not a prerequisite.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“I’ll think about it while you are in the shower.”
Trying to imagine what Calypso could possibly come up with, Brundar let the water pelt him as he sat on the shower bench. Whatever it was, they were still limited to the one position of him either sitting or lying, and her straddling him.
He was just about finished when Calypso walked into the bathroom and opened the shower enclosure, holding a large towel in front of her. “Are you done, your lordship? I was sent to towel you dry.”
Brundar cocked a brow. What kind of a game was she playing?
“By whom?” he asked.
“The head maid, of course. May I turn the water off and pat you dry with this big, fluffy towel?”
With a smile curving his lips, Brundar leaned against the shower wall. “You may.”
“Thank you, my lord.” Still holding the towel in front of her, Calypso curtsied.
She was hiding something. Was she naked? Waiting for her to come closer, Brundar yanked the towel out of her hands.
Wow. The girl was sure creative. She had taken her plain black cooking apron and fashioned a tiny French maid one out of it. The front was cut in the shape of a heart and barely covered her nipples, and the bottom was cut in an arc, with its lowest point barely covering her mound.
Sexy didn’t begin to describe it.
Tossing the towel on the bench, he reached for her and cupped her ass. She had nothing on other than the apron.
Playacting wasn’t his strong suit, but he was going to give it his best because Calypso’s idea was brilliant. His injuries limited the physical possibilities, but there was no limit on imagination.
“You are a naughty, naughty maiden. Did you come in here to try and seduce your master?”
Calypso lowered her head in pretend shame and nodded. “Are you disappointed in me, my lord? Do you think I deserve punishment for my presumptuousness?” Worrying her lower lip, she peeked at him from under her long eyelashes.
Aha, so that was where she wanted to take this. It hadn’t crossed his mind to spank her, even playfully, while she was still bruised and hurting. But apparently, Calypso was ready for some play. He should be able to satisfy her wish while being very gentle. After all, it was all an act, the excitement having more to do with the mindset than the physical sensations.
“Turn around, young miss. And present your bottom.”
Calypso barely managed to stifle her smile as she pretended remorse. “Yes, my lord.”
She turned around, braced her hands on the shower wall, pushed her lovely bottom out, then gave him a sexy come-hither look over her shoulder. “Is that how you want me, my lord?”
Oh yeah, he did. Calypso assumed the perfect position for him to reach her bottom from where he was sitting. The minx had thought of everything.
He rubbed her left butt cheek first, then the right. “You have to keep your eyes closed tight. If I catch you peeking, you’re going to be a very sorry young lady. Is that clear?”
“Yes, my lord,” Calypso breathed.
“You are going to keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them.”
“Yes, my lord. I swear I’m going to obey your commands.”
Even though it was pretend-play, he knew her promise was sincere. Calypso was trustworthy. She wouldn't open her eyes until he told her it was okay.
“Good girl.” He caressed her butt cheeks. They were soft and smooth and so small that he could cover both with one hand, but it didn’t make her shape any less feminine. Her narrow hips tapered into an even narrower waist, giving her a beautiful hourglass form.
“You are a very beautiful girl, Calypso.”
“Thank you, my lord. Does it mean you forgive me for coming in here with an illicit intent?”
“I do. But I’m going to spank you anyway because you need to be taught self-discipline.”
“Thank you, my lord. I’m looking forward to your correction.”
Chapter 27: Callie
Callie was having a blast. When she’d concocted her plan, she’d been worried that Brundar was too rigid to enjoy playacting, or even to participate, but her guy was full of surprises.
He was doing great.
It was like he was reading her mind and doing everything exactly as she’d envisioned it.
What a turn-on.
The first smack shocked her, not because it was hard or painful, it was neither, but because of the magnifying effect of the shower enclosure creating an echo chamber. The gentle slap had sounded like a thunderclap.
It was good that her next door neighbor was out of town again, or she might have imagined the worst and called the police.
“It’s very loud in here,” Brundar said, probably worried about the neighbors as well.
“There is no one in the adjoining suite of rooms, my lord. No one can hear you disciplining me.”
He rubbed the spot he’d slapped. “In that case, I shall continue.”
“If you please, my lord.”
A volley of light smacks ensued, warming her behind and delivering just a smidgen of a sting. It was exactly what she wanted. Nothing overly taxing or intense, just playful.
“As this is your first offense, young lady, I think this is enough. Have you learned your lesson?”
Callie hesitated. Did she want more?
Yeah, she did. He hadn’t spanked her in so long.
“I’m a little bit thick-headed, my lord, and sometimes I need a lesson repeated before it sinks in.”
Brundar chuckled. “I see. Very well.” He continued the playful smacking, adding ten more, then switched to rubbing.
His caresses were getting more intimate by the second. “You’re very wet, sweetling. Are you aching for me?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Hmm.” He pushed a finger inside her. “Are your eyes still tightly closed?”
“Yes, sir.”
He pulled on the tie holding her apron. “Then turn around.” With a quick tug, he took it off, baring her body.
Breasts swollen and nipples aching, Callie waited for Brundar to touch more of her, but he was doing something with her apron. Was he folding it?
When he tied the blindfold he’d fashioned from it over her eyes, she found out.
Didn’t he trust her? And why was it so important to him? Was he going to tell her one day?
In the beginning, she’d suspected Brundar had some deformity he didn’t want her to see. He’d never gotten fully naked unless she was blindfolded. But since the injury, she’d seen every inch of him, except for his knees that were bandaged, and everything was perfect. Maybe they had been deformed even before the injury?
It didn’t make sense though, because he still insisted on the blindfold even though his knees were always covered.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you. But you might forget in the throes of passion.”
It was what it was, though, and at the moment she was more interested in continuing their playacting than solving all of Brundar’s mysteries.
For all she knew, he turned into a werewolf when he climaxed. But then he would have felt hairy, which he didn’t. The man had very little body hair, none on his chest and only sparse pale blond hair on his arms and legs.
“I understand, sir.”
“Good girl.” He tugged on her hand, guiding her to straddle him by placing her knees on the bench, then wrapped her in his arms and just held her.
It was such an intimate pose, chest to chest, face to face, even though she couldn’t see him. She felt his warm breath on her skin as he whispered in her ear, “You are precious to me.”
Callie melted into a puddle. Brundar had called her beautiful, he’d called her sweetling, but not precious, and not like that. It wasn’t just a term of endearment, it was his way of telling her he loved her.
Her dark angel had surrendered. The ice around his heart had melted.
“You’re precious to me too.” She found his lips and kissed him, but he immediately took over the way he always did.
It was fine. She loved his gentle dominance.
Cupping her buttocks with one large hand, Brundar lifted her up and guided his shaft inside her, wedging just the head and waiting for her to adjust to him.
She took over from there, sliding down slowly, enjoying the feeling of his velvety smooth skin, the warmth of him. It felt so different without the barrier between them. Perfect. The fit was as tight as always, but not uncomfortably so. It felt as if they were made for each other.
When he was fully seated inside her, she didn’t move, and neither did he. Being connected like that was so magical that neither of them uttered a sound, not even a moan.
For a few moments, they just held on tight to each other, connected in the most intimate of ways. But eventually, the need to move became overwhelming.
Clasping her bottom in his strong hands, Brundar lifted her up and then lowered her down. Pretty soon, though, he changed tactics. Holding her glued to his chest, stationary, he was thrusting into her as if he weren’t injured and had full use of his legs.
There was no way he could lift his buttocks and piston into her with such force without bracing his feet on the tile floor. She was too far gone to object, though, and it seemed that he was too far gone to feel pain.
When his shaft swelled inside her, he latched onto her neck and bit down. Pain exploded where his teeth pierced her skin, but a split second later the pain just wasn’t there anymore, and she was climaxing like a woman possessed. On and on her inner walls convulsed around him, milking what seemed like a never-ending geyser of semen.
The last coherent thought Callie had before blacking out was that if she weren’t on the pill, Brundar would’ve most definitely planted a baby in her.
Surprisingly, she felt a pang of sorrow that it was not to be.
Chapter 28: Roni
Roni glanced through the balcony glass doors at the darkening sky. What was keeping Sylvia?
He’d been waiting impatiently, not counting the minutes, but glancing at his watch every so often. He missed her. Yesterday, she had been studying for a test and couldn’t come, and today she was running more than an hour late.
After a day at the lab, he was drained even though he hadn’t done much aside from finishing the task William had assigned to him. There had been a few surveillance cameras he’d missed, and he’d added them on to the extensive array he’d already assembled.
Except, it seemed that all that work had been a waste of time because there were no more murders. Unfortunately, the killer hadn’t been found, so there was still a chance it wasn’t over yet.
Roni had a feeling that the area they had defined wasn’t big enough, and he would need to expand their reach. As long as he could play a part in preventing more murders, he didn’t mind how hard he had to work, or how tedious the task was.
Lives were at stake.
The pneumonia was still taking a lot out of him. The good news was that Bridget had declared him no longer contagious, and he was looking forward to getting together with Andrew. Meeting Andrew’s wife and the baby would also be fun. She’d been an angel, sending him home-cooked meals every day. If it weren’t for her, he would’ve been surviving on those disgusting frozen dinners that he found barely edible.
Roni got up and shuffled to the kitchen for another ginger ale. Sylvia had been harping on him to drink water instead of the fizzy sweet drink loaded with sugar and chemicals, but he didn’t like drinking plain water. Besides, the ginger ale helped with the headache and the nausea.
As he was shuffling back to the couch, the door opened, and Sylvia walked in with a huge grin splitting her face.
Turning back, Roni’s steps were much livelier. He wrapped his arm around his girl and kissed her cheek. “Where have you been, and what are you so happy about?”
“I have a surprise for you. Come.” She took his hand and headed for the door.
“A surprise?” It wasn’t his birthday.
“Yeah. You’re going to love it.”
They entered the elevator, and she pressed the button for one of the underground levels. Maybe she was taking him to watch a movie in the keep’s theater? He hadn’t seen it yet.
“Can you give me a hint?”
“No. We are almost there.”
Where was there? He followed her out of the elevator and down the corridor. The doors on this level had small square windows on top. Some were empty, and some were set up as classrooms. He wondered what was being taught in there.
“Here we are.” Sylvia opened one of the doors and walked inside.
It wasn’t a classroom, but it wasn’t empty either. Big cardboard boxes of varying sizes were stacked in the middle of the room, and several utilitarian chairs were haphazardly scattered throughout. He counted six.
“What is this?”
Sylvia grinned. “Open one of the boxes.”
He chose the smallest one from the top of the pile and tore the tape off. There was another box inside, and he pulled it out.
“Drumsticks?”
“Open another one.”
Roni could already guess what he would find in the other boxes.
“You got me a drum set?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “The guy that helped me in Guitar Warehouse said that this is the base set and that you can add other things to it. He started asking me all kinds of questions about the kind of music you play, but I didn’t know what to tell him. I’ll go back and get you whatever else you need.”
For once, Roni was speechless. He’d told Sylvia not to do it, but was touched beyond words that she had done it anyway.
Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her. “Thank you. But I have to pay you back. In a couple of weeks, I should be getting my first paycheck, or however money things work here. I don’t have a bank account I can use safely, but maybe Andrew can cash them for me.”
Sylvia didn’t look happy about that. In fact, she appeared offended. “Can you accept it as your birthday present?”
“It’s not my birthday, and even if it was I couldn’t accept something so expensive.”
“What if you buy me something expensive back?”
“Like what?”
“Like a diamond ring. A diamond engagement ring.”
For the second time in one evening, Roni was rendered speechless. Was Sylvia proposing?
She punched his chest playfully. “Say something.”
“Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I’ll marry you. Wasn’t that a proposal?”
“It was, but for a very long engagement. You’re too young to be getting married. You’re not ready.”
“The hell I’m not. If that’s what it takes for you to move in with me, I’m ready today. Your mother can’t object to you moving in with your husband, am I right?”
There was hesitation in Sylvia’s eyes. “I don’t like rushing into things, and my mom is not good with sudden changes. Let’s give it some time. Okay?”
Roni nodded, but his jubilant mood had plummeted. He knew exactly what Sylvia was thinking. She wanted to wait and see whether he turned or not, and she wasn’t ready to fully commit to their relationship as long as his future wasn’t clear.
Not that he could blame her. If he didn’t turn, he would grow old and eventually die while Sylvia remained young and healthy and sad. If she loved him, and he was pretty sure she did, the heartache would be unbearable.
Although if the roles were reversed, he would’ve chosen to be with her even if their time together was finite. If the pain of losing her proved too much to bear, he would’ve found a way to end his life after she was gone.
“Do you want to start putting the set together? I have no idea what goes where, but you can tell me what to do.”
The sad reality was
that in his current state Roni was too weak to do it himself and needed her help. Sylvia was strong, was stronger than him even before the pneumonia. Lifting the heavy drums would be nothing for her.
But he didn’t want to put his feebleness on display. Not while she was watching. He would get William to help him, or maybe Andrew.
It was about time the guy came to see him, and Roni could guilt him into helping with the assembly.
“I’m too tired, baby. I’ll get one of the guys to help me tomorrow.”
Sylvia looked disappointed. “You can tell me what to do, and I’ll do it by myself while you sit on a chair and supervise.”
He shook his head. “And miss out on the fun of assembling it myself? I don’t think so.”
She pouted. “Fine. Be like that. But once it’s up I want to hear you play.”
“It’s a deal.”
Chapter 29: Callie
“Ready to go?” Callie asked.
Leaning on his crutches, Brundar nodded.
Yesterday’s bareback sex had been epic, but Brundar had paid for it dearly with his knees. In the height of passion, he’d been oblivious to the pain, but once the endorphins and adrenaline levels had subsided, it hit him full force. It had been so bad that he’d even agreed to go back on the painkillers. The man was too stubborn and too macho to take them unless the pain level was intolerable.
He hadn’t even argued when she’d called Franco and told him they were not coming in.
“Are you sure? Because if you are still hurting, I can call Franco again and cancel. He was very understanding yesterday.”
“I’m good.”
“Do you have the painkillers with you?”
He shook his head.
Of course not. Silly man. He would rather suffer than, God forbid, admit he was taking anything for pain.
Callie turned around, snatched the bottle of pills from the counter, and threw it inside her purse.
“Now we can go.” She held the door open for Brundar.
“You could’ve gone yesterday. I didn’t need you to stay and watch me sleep.”