by Monica Burns
Tobias fought to tighten his control over his senses. He wasn’t about to let this woman know just how much her body or her touch affected him. Jaw clenched with tension, he swallowed the knot of lust in his throat. Determined not to reveal how close he was to falling completely under her spell, Tobias kept his head bent and closed his eyes to focus his attention on his current state of discomfort.
The wood at the center of the x-shaped cross pressed into the small of his back, providing little support for his upper body. With a gentle movement he shifted his arms into a more comfortable position. He almost laughed at the thought. He’d never been so far from comfortable in his life.
The ache in his arms made him clasp his wrists together to ease the protest of the muscles in his shoulders and forearms. At least he had enough slack in his bindings for that minor comfort. Mystère’s creative use of lace restraints had amused him at first, but no longer.
It wasn’t just that she’d chosen lace straps. She’d tied the fragile bindings to the narrow strip of silk that loosely bound his wrists together. Not to mention the fact that it was his best silk tie. While he’d fully expected Mystère to bind him to the wood, he sure as hell hadn’t anticipated she’d use something as delicate as lace to hold him in place.
If his arms had been bound directly to the cross itself, he’d at least have strong leather straps and solid wood providing some support. The cost of easing his discomfort was his silk tie brushing lightly against his neck. It was like having an irritating fly darting across his skin. The overall result was a damned unpleasant position meant to create extreme discomfort.
The only reason the lace straps were still intact was his determination not to lower his arms until she granted him a reprieve. He could only hope it wouldn’t be too long in coming. He gritted his teeth. If there was anything he was capable of it was how to endure and never give way unless it was absolutely necessary. He’d learned that at a young age. It was the one thing that had always helped him manage the demons of his past, and the devils he confronted on a daily basis in the East End. He shifted his body again in an effort to find a more comfortable position.
“Careful, Tobias. I would not want our evening to end so quickly simply because you broke your restraints.” The chastisement revealed her amusement, and he grunted with irritation. He’d be damned if he was going to let this evening end without his cock being satisfied or ensuring she was satisfied as well.
“If I break these lace straps, my Lady, it will only be when or if you command me to do so. My needs are secondary to yours. I await your pleasure.”
He tightened his mouth as a muscle in his shoulder signaled a moderate level of pain in his brain. His cock was still aching for release, but his entire body was beginning to compete for a different kind of release as well. An escape from his bindings. No other Lady in La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres had ever invoked that sensation in him. She had him dancing on a high wire without a net waiting for her to alleviate his discomfort with just a word or touch.
“Is that determination or stubbornness I hear in your voice?”
“Only a desire to please you, Mystère.”
“You seem quite eager to do so,” she said with a soft laugh. Tired of dancing on the wire, he forced a laugh past his clenched teeth.
“I’m eager to use my tongue on those beautiful pink folds between your legs.” Even though she was several feet away from him, he still heard her sharply inhaled breath. It encouraged him. “I want to use my tongue to pleasure you until you scream my name. That is how I want to please you, Mystère.”
Slowly Tobias lifted his head to look at her. Desire flashed in her beautiful dark blue eyes, while her tongue wet her lips in what he knew was an unconscious reaction to his words. Was she wet now? He suppressed a groan. Christ Jesus, he wanted to fuck her. He wanted to pleasure her in a way no man ever had. Need tugged at him as he watched the desire on her masked features. He knew she was debating whether to give way to her own need. Mystère’s eyes narrowed beneath her burgundy mask.
Was she going to let him prove his desire to please her? Every inch of him wanted to hold his beautiful tormenter in his arms until his need was spent, and then he wanted to repeat the effort again and again until morning. Even then he was afraid it wouldn’t be enough. He discounted the thought. It had simply been too long since his cock had surrendered to the touch of a skilled Lady.
“You seem quite sure of yourself, Tobias.” Just the subtle inflection in her voice made him feel like the game had shifted back in her favor. He stiffened as he watched her approaching him.
“I’m certain of my ability to please you beyond measure, my Lady. If you release me now, I will gladly show you how much pleasure I can give you.”
“I have no reason to doubt you on that point, Tobias,” she said with a firm slap to his thigh. Red-hot heat stung the spot where her hand had smacked him. It was just enough punishment to catch his attention without causing him more than a second or two of discomfort. “You don’t seem to understand the rules, Tobias. You do not look at me unless I give you permission. Do you understand?”
“Yes, my Lady.”
The harsh warning made Tobias immediately drop his head and gaze. He’d deserved that punishment for his insolent manner, but damn if it hadn’t been worth it to see the way her mouth had parted with desire. It was impossible to see her face anymore, but he had an excellent view of her bodice and the way it clung to her body. In his head, he imagined what her rounded breasts would look like in his hands. A soft laugh whispered past her lips as she leaned forward to flick her tongue along the outer rim of his ear. Raw heat surged through him at the caress, until his steady breathing became harsh and ragged for not the first time this evening.
“You are a beautiful specimen of male, Tobias,” she whispered. Her teeth grazed his earlobe before biting down on the flesh to catch his attention.
Instinct and desire made him quickly turn his head to bury his face in the side of her neck. The warm, sultry scent he already recognized as hers and hers alone floated off her soft skin. Without thinking he captured a small amount of her flesh between his lips and gently sucked at her silky skin. He’d never tasted any woman so exotically sweet or tempting as this woman.
His playful gesture pulled a small gasp of surprise from her. In the next instant, she pinched him hard where his buttock met the back of the wood cross. He grimaced at the small punishment. It was no less than he deserved, and he was clearly trying her patience. But then nibbling at her flesh had brought him a tremendous amount of pleasure. That alone had been worth the pinch she’d given him. A quick glance at her neck showed only a faint mark where his lips had been. Good, he’d not hurt her.
“You are not allowed to take liberties simply because I find you pleasing to the eye.”
“I find you equally pleasing to look at, my Lady, when you allow me to gaze at you.” The impudent retort pulled a laugh from her.
“You’re as brazen as you are handsome.”
“I’m glad you find me pleasing, my Lady.” At his reply, Mystère laughed again.
“There is little not to find pleasing about you, Tobias.”
She stepped away from him, but not before she bent at the waist to study the spot where she’d pinched him. The sudden sensation of her soft mouth kissing the still tingling spot of skin sent a jolt of electricity into every muscle in his body. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had tended to him with such tenderness. What would it be like if she were to kiss every inch of him? The answer made him swallow hard as she straightened, and he found himself staring at her bodice again.
Her fingers toyed with the buttons on the front of her gown before she slowly unbuttoned first one and then another of the black fasteners. As she undid the buttons, he realized her gown was actually a skirt and jacket. The shortwaisted coat had blended so seamlessly with her skirt it had given the appearance of a gown suitable for an evening soiree.
As the jacket fell open, the
sight in front of him sucked the air out of his lungs. Her underbust corset was more revealing than anything he’d seen other Ladies wear, even Angélique. The corset cradled her plump breasts beautifully and exposed dark pink areolae. Delicious looking peaks of color that were made for sucking. He swallowed hard as he fought not to break free of his restraints and drag her into his arms.
Christ almighty, he’d never experienced this type of visceral lust before. If he didn’t take care, this woman would have him hanging on her every command. Self-preservation forced him to draw forth the pain and horror of the past in an effort to regain control of his base reactions to her. The memories barely pushed their way through the dark lust tightening its grip on him.
The mere thought of the past had always been enough to strengthen his will when he was with any Lady he served in La Maison des Plaisirs Sombres. But for the first time, the terrible memories weren’t strong enough to quiet his need. The realization scared the hell out of him. What the fuck was he doing here? He was playing with fire, and he knew better than to test the flames.
He realized now that he’d vastly underestimated Mystère’s abilities. Up until she’d grabbed his balls a short time ago, he’d been convinced he was the first slave she’d ever had. Now he wasn’t so sure. Even if she were a novice, she was born to seduce and bind men to her with nothing more than a softly spoken command.
Warm fingers brushed against his chest, and he drew in a harsh breath. His gaze still downcast as she’d ordered, Tobias watched her hand slide down toward his cock. The woman had kissed him, caressed him, and enticed him with her lush breasts and the delectable temptations hidden beneath her skirts. The memory of what lay beneath her skirts dried his mouth. A vivid image of soft, pink folds shaved smooth as a baby’s bottom filled his head and threatened to carry him into territory where he’d never ventured.
Between the images in his head and the way that damned corset framed her plump breasts he was reeling. He was ready to explode. Unable to prevent it, a groan parted his mouth. Sweet Jesus, she intended to drive him mad. With every caress and move, she’d shaped and molded the dark lust inside him as a potter did his clay. Now, her fingers slid across his stomach, his lust became an almost unquenchable thirst.
“Your arms must be growing tired, Tobias,” she said quietly as her hand stopped just above the apex of his thighs. The need for her to wrap her fingers around his cock made him shudder violently.
“Tired is a relative term, my Lady,” he bit out realizing that until this moment, the pain in his arms had been blocked by the desire keeping him rock hard. “Since you instructed me not to break my lace bindings, I must ensure they remain intact.”
“You do know that I will remove your restraints if you ask me too?” It was a soft observation, but it was a challenge as well.
“I understand, my Lady, but I’m fine where I am.”
“Are you always this stubborn, Tobias?” she asked in a frustrated voice.
“My Lady?” he feigned ignorance.
“I’m referring to your willful determination to surrender only a bit and nothing further.”
“But I have surrendered to you, my Lady. I am at your mercy.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“Have I not done everything you asked of me, my Lady?”
“You’ve followed my commands, but with great difficulty, which makes me question the sincerity of your surrender.”
Her hands moved to gently clutch at his hips. She took a quick step into him, while tugging him toward her until he was forced to arch his back off the cross to avoid tearing his lace restraints. With his hips pressed into hers, he could feel her thighs through her dark red skirt. The skin over his erection tugged at him in a painful, yet pleasurable manner. She pushed the tips of her breasts and her corset into him and rubbed them across his chest.
The combination of skin and soft satin against his skin sent his pulse skyrocketing. Lust snarled its way through his limbs, and he growled low in his throat. She lifted his chin so she could look into his eyes. Whatever she saw in his gaze pleased her for she smiled. He liked her smile. He liked that he had made her smile.
Light as a feather her soft lips pressed into his chest. With each gentle press of her mouth, she teased his skin until his body shuddered at her touch. The wet heat of her tongue circled the tip of his nipple. He growled as fire raced across his skin.
“Did I hurt you earlier, Tobias?” Her question made him hesitate for a brief moment as he remembered her rule about lying. He shook his head.
“No, my Lady. It was a slight discomfort that only served to excite me.” It was the truth. When she’d tweaked his nipple earlier, he’d been startled more than anything else and close on the heels of his surprise had been desire.
“Does that mean you’re like some club members who require physical pain to achieve ultimate pleasure?” There was an odd note in her voice that made him think she was afraid to hear his answer.
“If you mean someone like Edward then the answer is no,” he said with a note of disgust. “And if I had my way, that bastard wouldn’t come anywhere near you.”
“I see,” she murmured. “Lancelot rescuing the damsel in distress.”
Relief echoed in Mystère’s reply, indicating she’d been worried about what type of play he preferred to indulge in. But it was the assessment in her voice that put him on high alert. Mystère wasn’t like all the other women he’d allowed to control him for a few pleasurable hours.
She had the strength and will to break him. He stiffened at the thought. No woman had ever done that before. It scared the hell out of him. Worse, he’d unintentionally expressed his possessiveness where she was concerned. It was an insight as to how he viewed her, and she’d taken note of it.
It was the type of mistake he’d never made with any Lady in the club before. Hell, he’d never been possessive of any woman in his life before. And only one other woman in his life had ever invoked in him such an overwhelming need to protect and defend. This time he shoved his demons from the past aside to deal with the problem at hand. His slip of the tongue had made him vulnerable. Gritting his teeth, he quickly tried to repair the damage he’d caused.
“Any man who serves you should be willing to do no less, my Lady. In protecting you, I serve you.”
“Ah, yes there’s that word again. Serve,” she said. “Not surrender.”
Sultry and seductive, her voice enticed him to give way to her as she dragged her finger down his chest. Her simple observation said she had a deeper understanding of him than he liked. Perhaps not the complete picture, but it might be enough for her to dig deeper and force him to reveal pieces of himself he wanted to remain buried. Panic welled up inside him, and his heartbeat started to race out of control. Christ Jesus, this woman could easily pull out every dark secret he harbored in his soul. He tightened his mouth. That wasn’t going to happen no matter how difficult she made it for him.
A voice in the back of his head laughed. He might be resolved where she was concerned, but the urge to break free of his bonds and pull her into his arms told him just how close to the brink he was. The impulse was like a wave cresting over his head just before it crashed downward into the sandy shoreline dragging him into the undertow of temptation. It would take little effort to free his hands and bend his head to suckle her breasts before he explored the rest of her body.
The imagery of brushing his thumbs over her peaked nipples until she cried out with desire made his cock throb as he drew in a ragged breath. Desperately, he crushed the vision filling his head. What he longed to do and what he would do were two different things. All he’d wanted when he’d offered to serve her was a brief moment of pleasurable relief to defuse the powder keg inside him.
It was a lie, but he refused to admit it. Especially to the woman holding him hostage with just a few pieces of lace. This evening had left him vulnerable in a way he’d not experienced in years. It was a sensation that threatened to undo him. Tobias’ hear
t pounded in his chest at the revelation. A second later, her touch allowed him to push the demons back into the hell they’d emerged from.
Her forefinger pressed lightly into his chest then proceeded to trace a path across his skin. The nerve endings in his chest fired off a volley of pleasure signals in his brain. For such a light touch, it sent an intense, erotic heat slugging through his limbs. He didn’t like how easily she could manipulate his body, but he didn’t try to suppress his enjoyment of her caresses. He simply closed his mind off to everything but the pleasure of her touch.
Heedless of the punishment he’d received the last time for tasting the lovely swell of her neck, Tobias bent his head lower to breathe in her soft scent. The smell of jasmine filled his nostrils, and he dragged in the essence of her into his lungs. There was also the faint scent of musk. Triumph and satisfaction roared through him. He wasn’t the only one who needed a release. All he need do was obey her commands, and he’d soon find himself between her legs. His confidence regained, he ignored the pain in his arms.
“Will you let me pleasure you, my Lady?”
“I will…consider it.” It was a noncommittal response, and he frowned.
“Have I displeased you, my Lady?”
Puzzled by the rejection of his offer, Tobias started to raise his head then stopped. A second later, her hand on his chin, Mystère lifted his head to look directly into his eyes. The sapphire eyes behind her burgundy mask studied him carefully. For a brief moment, he sensed something familiar about her, but the thought vanished as he jerked his gaze down to where her forefinger was tracing its way toward his cock.
“On the contrary, you please me very much,” she whispered.
Thunder echoed in his ears as her finger glided under the base of his erection to press against the ridge she found there. She maintained the pressure on the thin line of sensitive flesh as she dragged her finger along the underside of his hard length. Tobias drew in a sharp hiss of air between his teeth at the touch, his body taut with need. His cock jumped with anticipation as her finger reached the mushroom cap of his hard erection, and a small drop of cum seeped out of him. Mystère smeared it over the head of his cock with her thumb.