by Monica Burns
“Why do I think you found it difficult to obey that simple command?”
Jane made sure not to sound amused. She wanted Tobias to surrender to her, but she had no desire to emasculate him. She wanted to harness his strength and power, not suppress it as they experienced an exquisite pleasure and satisfaction together.
“It was…a challenge simply because all I could think of this week was you.” His words emphasized his reluctance to give way completely to her. She bit back a smile.
“And when you thought of me, you experienced no temptation to disobey my orders at all?”
“No,” he rasped with an abruptness that was like metal scraping across an iron grate. A second later, he nodded his head. “Yes, damn you.”
“Well then, I’m glad you were at least tempted by thoughts of me.”
“There were times when I almost gave way and used my hand to spill the seed I’d promised only to you.” His voice was a harsh growl, but he didn’t turn his head to meet her gaze.
Instead, he kept his attention fixed on the stage, the line of his jaw hard and unyielding. When he didn’t say anything further, Jane leaned into him and placed her hand on his thigh. He became even more rigid, and she glanced down to see the growing bulge in his trousers.
“You intrigue me, mon cher,” she whispered as she slid her hand up along the inside of his thigh.
“Do I?”
There was something dark and rebellious in his voice. Tobias would fight her every step of the way. The thought sent excitement streaking through her. She’d wanted to find a man capable of testing her strength unlike any other, and Tobias would give her that challenge. She wanted to reach into his depths until the darkness she sensed in him spilled out of him in a wild cry of irrepressible submission to her will.
With deliberate slowness, Jane scraped her fingernail from the base of his erection up to the tip of him. Tobias jerked beneath her touch, and his body hardened into an immobile statue. Jane knew it was a bold, confident caress, and the ease with which she performed the action startled her. She’d never caressed any man so intimately before, not even Barnaby.
Awareness slowly filtered its way into Jane’s head as she swallowed her shock at the manner in which she was touching Tobias. During her training at La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres, she’d used crops and the handle of a whip to touch the men she’d controlled, but she’d always avoided intimate caresses such as this. She’d simply considered her unwillingness to do so as part of her inexperience.
It wasn’t until now that she understood why she’d not sought reciprocal pleasure from the men offering to serve her. Deep inside she’d longed for a man of Tobias’ strength to test her. She’d never dreamed Tobias would be that man, and she couldn’t deny the pleasure the thought gave her. He ignited desire in her, and she reveled in the exquisite sensations spiraling its way through her body.
“Shall I tell you why you intrigue me?” she whispered into his ear.
“You honor me with the offer to do so, my Lady.”
Although his voice was steady, Jane heard the note of need layered beneath his words. The heady scent of him filled her nostrils as her lips brushed his cheek. His sharp inhalation at her touch heated the blood in her veins.
“You fascinate me because you kept your seed for me, and yet I know you will fight the need to release it in my presence.”
“Perhaps my need for release is not as strong as you believe.” The manner in which he choked out his words said he was teetering on the edge of a cliff. A precipice of surrender she’d led him to, and she was certain he would jump.
“Your body betrays you…” She paused and realized she wanted his first act of submission to be the sharing of his real name. “What name shall I address you with?”
“Tobias,” he said through gritted teeth.
Jane’s heart skipped a beat at the small concession. Angélique had told her there were few people in the club who used their real names, including Tobias. That he’d shared his real name with her indicated a trust she knew would be necessary between them.
“Tobias,” she murmured, testing the sound of it on her lips. It wasn’t the first time she’d spoken his name, but she’d never done it in his presence. Lazily, she traced a line across the material stretched taut over his hard length. “You are a conundrum, Tobias. Your arousal is as obvious as your reluctance to submit to my will and accept the pleasure you will experience in doing so.”
He remained silent, and Jane reached out to turn his head so she could look in his eyes. There wasn’t a hint of submission in the gaze that met hers. Instead, banked fires glowed in his eyes, and a shiver raced down Jane’s back. A sharply pitched desire clutched at her body with a strength she knew would test her abilities with Tobias.
“Yield to me, Tobias.”
Without waiting for his reply, Jane rose to her feet and walked away without looking over her shoulder. A small part of her feared he wouldn’t follow her, but she dismissed the fear. He’d held his seed for her. Something he’d admitted he’d never done for any other woman. It declared how much he desired her, but would that be enough to make him submit to her fully? Angélique’s cautionary words flitted through Jane’s head. She pushed them aside. She intended to do everything in her power to seduce and bind Tobias to her.
The words heart and soul echoed softly in the back of her mind, but she crushed them. Allowing such a dangerous thought to fill her head was tantamount to confessing she wanted more from Tobias than the simple pleasure of exerting her will over him. She would not surrender her heart to a man again. Giving up her heart was nothing more than submission, and she had no intention of submitting to any man.
Chapter 6
Heart pounding, Jane opened the door to the room Angélique had made available solely for her use. The room was arranged exactly as she’d instructed her friend’s manservant. Her gaze drifted from the prayer bench to the St. Andrews cross screwed into the wall to the padded table she’d selected at the last moment. A brief second later, the sight of the large bed in the room made her heart skip a beat.
Angélique had recommended adding the item of furniture, and despite the logic of her friend’s suggestion, Jane had reluctantly agreed to the addition. The sight represented numerous possibilities, including Tobias finding a way to reverse their roles. She immediately questioned herself.
Had he not said that she would have the right to control her pleasure when she came to his bed after they were married? Jane bit down on her lip. Regardless of what he’d said, this room was far different than the marriage bed he’d been referring to. Still, in this room, she, and she alone, set the rules.
The spicy scent of Tobias’ cologne drifted over her shoulder. The potent smell heightened the exhilaration heating her blood. A frisson drifted across the nape of Jane’s neck as she heard Tobias close the door then move to stand behind her. Everything about him, and this moment, heightened her senses until her entire body vibrated with a raw primal reaction to his nearness.
Just as intoxicating was the sound of his harsh, unsteady breathing. The warmth of it blew across her shoulder with the same moist heat of a summer afternoon. Desire stirred in her belly and rushed downward to the core of her sex where it tightened and flexed with intense need. The acute sensation made her heart rate skitter out of control as she realized her craving for him was even stronger than she’d realized.
For a long moment, she didn’t move. She simply wanted to enjoy her heightened awareness of him. A low, impatient growl reverberated in the air between them, and she smiled. He wanted her. She glanced around the quiet room. But where to start? Doubt suddenly reared its ugly head. Tobias had been correct. She was inexperienced. Was she capable of making him do her bidding?
In the next breath, Jane crushed her uncertainty. Angélique’s tutoring had been extensive. Her friend would not have allowed Jane to take Tobias as her partner if the Frenchwoman did not have faith in Jane’s abilities. No, she was more than capable of ma
king Tobias submit to her. Her fear was rooted in years of submission to her father’s dictates and society’s expectations. Tobias would submit. He would yield to her utterly and completely. Without looking at him, Jane pointed to a spot on the large Persian rug covering a large portion of the floor.
“Stand there, and undress,” she ordered in a soft, inflexible voice.
“As you wish, my Lady.”
There was a distinct note of amusement in his response, and there was laughter in his eyes as he met her gaze for a brief moment before lowering his head in deference. Jane’s mouth tightened with irritation. Already he was testing the limits of her will.
“Do not look at me or speak unless I grant you permission to do so,” she said sharply.
Although her rebuke made him jerk as if she’d slapped him, he didn’t raise his head to look at her. Instead, his tension seemed to have vanished, and his amused confidence returned. With a casual shrug, his jacket slid off his shoulders and flew through the air as he tossed it onto the bed several feet away. He pocketed his watch and chain in a vest pocket before he threw the sleeveless garment with equal nonchalance onto the bed. Something in his demeanor said he fully believed they would end the night on the very spot where he was depositing his clothes.
With a lazy gesture of his large hand, his fingers undid his tie. Before he could discard it she stepped forward and pulled it out of his hands. Her movement made him immediately hold his hands out for her to bind him. It was the distinct action of a man willing to submit, but on his terms. She narrowed her gaze at him then smiled. Her experience might be limited in this game between them, but instinct guided her in how to answer his unspoken challenge.
“Your eagerness pleases me,” she said with a soft laugh. “But I’m not quite ready to restrict your movements just yet. Continue please.”
Tobias released a barely audible growl as he began to undo first one shirt button and then another. Jane’s heart skipped a beat at her first glimpse of his chest. Spellbound, she drew in a quiet breath as Tobias parted his shirt in an unhurried fashion. The deliberateness of his actions indicated his awareness of how enthralled she was.
Jane had known from the moment he’d offered to serve her that it would be impossible to openly share her first moment with Tobias with anyone. In fact, she wasn’t sure she would ever want to share him. The thought alarmed her, but she quickly shoved it aside to remain focused on the task at hand. His white shirt landed on the bed with everything else, and this time she didn’t hide the breath she dragged into her lungs.
He was beautiful. Powerful and fluid, his muscles rippled with each casual movement. She’d known he would be resplendent, but she was unprepared for her reaction to him. Every inch of her was on fire and the ache between her legs deepened.
Finished with the task she’d given him, Tobias rested his hands on his hips. His posture exhibited an arrogant rebellion against her authority. It was a subtle sign he’d yielded only a small portion of control to her. Even with his head bowed, there was a suppressed strength about him that said he could at any moment exert that force if he so chose.
Her body tensed at his defiance. Angélique’s voice echoed in her head. You must be prepared to do whatever is necessary to bind him to your will for he will not surrender easily. Quickly looping his cravat several times into a makeshift strap, Jane stepped forward and used the silk tie to slap first one arm and then the other in a silent demand for supplication. He jumped at the small punishment and immediately dropped his hands to hang at his side. The slap hadn’t been a harsh one, but she was certain it had stung.
Although he immediately dropped his arms to his side, his manner was unrepentant. Angélique’s words fluttered through her head once again. Tobias is not like other men, Jane. He has never submitted completely to any woman. It is a game he plays, and he has mastered it. Determination swept through her. Tobias desired her, and she intended to use that to her advantage. She also intended to teach him a lesson in humility.
Jane stepped forward and wrapped one end of the silk tie around his right wrist. Circling him, she dragged the silk accessory across his back before she caught his free arm and restrained him completely. The backs of his hands rested on his firm buttocks with the silk tie holding them in place.
Worried she might have knotted the tie around his wrists too tightly, she checked each wrist to ensure the tie wasn’t cutting too deeply into his skin. She had no wish to hurt him, only to teach him that she refused to let him question her authority. With a frown she tested the silken restraint with a sharp tug upward.
Tobias’ soft grunt satisfied her that the snug binding was slightly uncomfortable without being painful. With him securely restrained, she raised her head to study his back in detail. Dozens of faded white lines striped his back. Time had made the thin scars so faint that she was certain he’d been not much more than a boy when a whip had touched his back. Jane blinked tears out of her eyes as she reached out to caress the marks. Beneath her fingers, his body became rigid, but he remained silent.
Something terrible had happened to him a long time ago. It was evident from his restrained, yet tense, reaction. Was this part of the darkness she’d sensed in him? Instinct instructed her to say nothing at the moment. With each new layer she pulled back to reveal the different aspects of him, she would eventually reach the part of him that would explain the scars on his back.
One hand gliding across his shoulder, Jane continued her exploration of the hard muscles of his back and shoulders. The instant her fingers moved away from his scars, his body relaxed beneath her touch. She smiled and gently dragged her fingernail down the seam of his back. No blood was drawn, but her nail left a dark red indentation in his skin. Slowly she walked around to face him.
“You have a beautiful body, Tobias,” she murmured as she stroked the hard muscles of his upper torso. It was true, even despite the shadowy scars on his back.
“I’m happy it pleases you, my Lady.”
Rich and sinful, his voice caressed her senses in a manner that made her mouth go dry. If she wasn’t careful, she would be submitting to him. Her mind foggy with the heat and scent of him, she hesitated for a moment before she pressed the palm of her hand into his chest.
“And the rest of your body? Is it just as beautiful?”
“You will not be disappointed,” he said with a self-assuredness that made her smile, despite his cocky manner.
“Then kindly show me.”
“My Lady?” Puzzlement filtered its way through his voice, and Jane almost laughed out loud.
“Finish undressing for me,” she said, not bothering to hide her amused satisfaction.
Tobias grew still at the command and lifted his head slightly almost as if he were about to protest her instructions. They both knew that with his hands tied behind his back he would have to ask her for assistance. He grunted an inaudible oath as his body became stiff and still as a statue. Patiently, she waited for him to ask for help, but he remained silent.
“Bloody hell,” he exclaimed softly.
He stood frozen in place clearly struggling to resist asking for her help, and she almost stepped forward to encourage him then stopped. It was obvious Tobias was a proud man, and as Angélique has said, he would not give way to her easily. This was a submission she could not coax from him. He would have to capitulate to her of his own volition. The room was quiet with tension as she watched him struggle with her command.
Suddenly, he shifted his body to one side and edged one foot out his shoe. When he’d finished the initial task, he repeated the effort and proceeded to remove the other shoe. It didn’t really surprise her that he’d refused to ask for help right away. But she knew the moment was coming when he would have no choice but to do so. With his hands tied behind his back, he could not unfasten his trousers without her help.
After several long moments Tobias managed to remove his socks as well. The effort appeared to vex him more than anything else. When he was finished, he j
erked his head up, but kept his eyes downcast.
“I will not beg.” His words were harsh and unrelenting.
“I am not asking you to beg, Tobias,” she said quietly ignoring the fact that he’d spoken without permission.
The muscles in his chest, shoulders, and arms were tight with tension, and his rigid posture made the veins in his neck more prominent. Then in a sudden motion he sank to his knees in front of her. Startled, she stared at his bent head in dismay. She’d meant every word when she’d said she had no desire for him to beg. All she’d asked was that he simply request her assistance, she had no wish to break his spirit.
An instant later, her consternation changed abruptly to annoyance as she watched Tobias fall to his side then roll onto his back. With his back arched, he tried to slide his hands underneath his rear toward his thighs. Eyes closed in concentration, his handsome features twisted with discomfort as he slowly forced his lower body through arms that were barely flexible.
Damn him, she should have bound his wrists tightly together and not given him any slack at all. The mistake reflected her inexperience and underestimation of Tobias’ stubborn nature. Aggravated with herself, she watched him inch his arms past thick muscular thighs. A moment later, he successfully rose to his feet with his arms in front of him. He was breathing hard from his exertions, and the thin line of his lips said his efforts had caused him considerable discomfort.
In silence, Jane watched him reach for the buttons on his trousers. His fingers strong and steady, he slowly removed his pants and underwear. Her heartbeat accelerated as she took in the beauty of his naked body. Thighs hard and muscular gave way to sinewy calves. Even his feet were lovely to look at.
With a restrained movement, which belied a fierce defiance, Tobias kicked his clothing to one side then straightened upright keeping his head bent. Although she sensed no amusement in him, there was no doubt as to his satisfaction at having acquiesced to her request without asking for help. She knew she should have chastised him, but one didn’t gentle a stallion with a whip. Gentleness and enticement would disarm Tobias. Punishment would only increase his defiance.