by Leah Brooke
Brenna swallowed heavily. “But I—she can use it?”
“Only if absolutely necessary. If she uses it each time you’re together, either you’re an awful Dom, or she’s just playing games with you. She has to want to explore the pleasures to be found in submitting and surrendering herself to someone who wants to form a bond with her, one in which he agrees to take care of her in all ways. Understood?”
Brenna nodded, hoping she did. The reality of this fantasy seemed far more complicated than she’d expected. “Yes. Only in emergencies.”
Royce smiled. “Something like that. Of course there’ll be times when she’s gagged, in which case she won’t be able to use it at all, but trust must be created between you before then.”
Knowing she’d never get to that point in the brief time she planned to be here, she nodded again. “Okay.” Just the thought of being unable to use her safe word scared her, but with it came an excitement she hadn’t anticipated. Imagining being bound and gagged, unable to escape as they forced pleasure on her while they prevented her from objecting or using her safe word sent a fresh wave of arousal through her, one so strong it stole her breath.
She would be nothing more than an object for them to play with and she wouldn’t be able to do a thing to stop them. Hopefully, they would take over and push her past her fears.
He waited until she met his eyes again. “Now that we’ve gotten a few things out of the way, it’s time to get to know your submissive a little better. Let’s begin the inspection.”
Royce’s matter-of-fact tone as he announced his erotic intentions weakened her knees, making her glad that she was sitting.
“In–Inspection?” Just the word made her tense and sent her hunger soaring.
Royce smiled patiently, his eyes alive with anticipation. “Of course. We have to learn what your submissive likes and doesn’t like. You need to learn which places are very sensitive, and which places she doesn’t like to be touched. You need to know her body as intimately as you know your own. She belongs to you, remember. She’s yours to take care of. She’s your possession—your most valuable and precious one.”
That low, silky timbre in his tone made her nipples bead and press against the soft robe, while her clit throbbed incessantly. Everything he said sounded provocative, but one word had her pulse racing.
“Possession?”
Royce’s brow went up. “Of course. At least when you’re involved in a scene—or for our purposes—when we’re in this room. She belongs to you. Her pleasure. Her pain. Her fear. You must be able to anticipate everything she’s going to do or say. It takes exploration, experimentation, patience and a lot of attention. For now, though, you don’t even know what she looks like. You don’t know how she likes to be touched, or what issues she needs to overcome.”
Brenna let her eyes drift to his in the mirror, her heart pounding nearly out of her chest. Wondering how much he knew, she gulped and nodded.
Royce smiled. “You’re going to have to be gentle with her, especially at first. She’ll be uncomfortable with her nakedness, but you can’t allow her to hide herself from you. She belongs to you. You must have access to every part of her body in order to make her aware of that.”
Royce’s eyes narrowed on hers. “She’ll never be completely comfortable with it, in fact, it would be a shame if she ever did, but she’ll do better as time goes by.”
Brenna came to her feet, taking a moment to steady herself.
Royce held her eyes in the mirror. “She’ll want you to help her, but taking her clothes from her doesn’t command her compliance. She has to take off her own clothing. It’ll make her feel more helpless, because she knows she’s submitting to you of her own free will.”
He knew what she felt!
He didn’t take. He enticed her to give.
Biting her lip, Brenna reached for the belt of her robe, her eyes held by Royce’s in the mirror for several long seconds before he disappeared into the darkness again.
Of course he would know what a submissive felt. He was a Dom, after all.
Pausing, she gulped again, nervously wrapping the belt of the robe around her hands. “What if she doesn’t undress?”
The silence that followed made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. After several long seconds, seconds that dragged out with excruciating slowness, Royce spoke again, his voice low, but with a steely edge.
“There are a variety of reasons for that, but the bottom line is that she strips or she’s taken back to her room. It’s over. She has to give herself willingly, Brenna, or there’s no submission. There’s just rape.”
Brenna sucked in a breath at the ugly word. It wouldn’t be that at all, but she didn’t know how to give him what he wanted. Her mind went blank, the riot of sensation building inside her blocking out everything else. She felt more alive than she’d ever felt in her life, every nerve ending tingling with awareness. With her heightened awareness came arousal, a kind of arousal she couldn’t have imagined, made more intense because it originated in her mind.
Damn, he was good. Too good.
Royce appeared in the mirror again, bending low, his eyes gleaming with knowledge of her arousal and a calm assurance that he could handle it.
“The submissive has all the power, Brenna, something every Dominant knows very well. That’s the only way this kind of relationship can really work. She must know she’s in good hands and that she can trust the one mastering her. With one word, everything comes to a halt.” Inclining his head, he gestured toward her reflection.
“Does she want to use that word and walk out of here, or does she want to let her robe fall to the floor so we can continue to explore her? Her Dom would be anxious to explore those luscious curves. He would want to know the texture of her skin. He would want to feel the trembles beneath it. He would want to know how each soft touch, each firm touch, affected her. He would want to know everything about her and teach her more about herself than she could have ever imagined.”
Each word he spoke slid over her skin like a caress, heightening her desire.
He used the curl he’d wrapped around his finger to stroke the sensitive spot at the base of her neck, and gestured toward the mirror.
“She’s counting on you to teach her—to show her things about herself that she hasn’t even fantasized yet.”
His warm breath caressed her ear, his deep voice lowering and becoming even silkier.
“Pleasure. Pain. A soft stroke. A firm one. Look into her eyes, Brenna. She wants to know. She’s hungry, and she needs someone who will take the time and patience to satisfy that hunger.”
Desire hummed through her veins like the finest wine, making her just as dizzy. Never taking her eyes from his, she unbelted the robe and let it fall to puddle around her hips, feeling her nakedness with acute awareness, one that made every inch of exposed flesh tingle.
Shaking with nerves, she looked into the mirror, not knowing what she should do next.
Disappointed when he straightened and disappeared into the darkness once more, Brenna met the reflection of her own eyes in the mirror. Shocked that the lust she felt showed so clearly, she started to close her eyes, jolting at the snap in Royce’s tone.
“Keep them open. You need to see her, Brenna. Remember? Don’t let her close her eyes, and let her believe this is a fantasy. Don’t let her escape into her own world. She needs you. Isn’t she beautiful? I’m jealous, you know. I would love to have the chance to master such a beautiful and responsive woman, one who doesn’t truly realize her capacity for pleasure. Passionate women are so vulnerable, so you need her to know you’re there for her.”
Brenna took a shuddering breath, her heart racing. She could feel his eyes moving over her, his gaze as potent as a caress. “I’m there for her?” God, she’d give anything to have him take over. She had to bite her lip to keep from begging him to do just that.
Royce’s voice lowered, the seductive timbre combined with the sharp edge of authority in it da
ncing over her skin like thousands of fingers. “Yes. She needs you for guidance, remember? She’s trusting that you’ll care for her. Why would she submit to you if you didn’t take care of her? She knows that there’s pleasure in store for her. You can see that in her eyes, can’t you? She just doesn’t know how much yet. Little by little, you’re going to show her. You’re going to show her that the deeper the submission—the deeper the pleasure.”
Brenna swallowed heavily, wishing she could see Royce’s face as the line between her and the woman in the mirror became even more blurred. “I don’t know how.” It came out as a breathless whisper, but seemed loud in the heavy silence in the room. Her nipples ached so badly, she barely resisted the urge to rub them, the robe beneath her bottom becoming even damper.
Another of those lengthy pauses followed, stretching her nerves and heightening her arousal even more. Sitting half-naked in a room with a virtual stranger, her body clearly illuminated, she felt the full effect of her exposure.
Fear, excitement, nerves, vulnerability, and lust made a powerful combination, one that left her confused and shaken and hanging on eagerly to Royce’s every word. She didn’t feel like herself at all, becoming a creature of need that would do anything to be what Royce wanted her to be.
She stilled, drawing a sharp intake of breath and holding it as he reached out and removed the belt. She shivered when the robe fell to the sides, leaving her completely naked.
Looking at herself in the mirror, she couldn’t deny that she hardly recognized the woman staring back at her.
Her eyes, dark with need, appeared not quite focused. Her cheeks had become flushed, her breath coming out in short pants through parted lips. Her nipples stood out, beaded and needy. Not until she studied her reflection—really looked at herself, did she realize that she’d arched her back, thrusting her breasts out in an involuntary invitation to Royce.
She knew she had a good body, but she’d never been as proud of it until now, eager to show Royce every part of her.
Royce’s disembodied voice came from behind her, silky smooth, but with an underlying steel. “You’re here for her, remember? Look at her. Look at that beautiful body. To master her, you’ll have to learn every inch of it.”
Unable to speak, Brenna nodded, her skin tingling as she imagined his hands touching her everywhere.
“She’s waiting, Brenna.” His tone had cooled considerably, a tension in it that hadn’t been there before.
Wrapping her arms around herself against the sudden chill, Brenna swallowed again. “Waiting for what?”
“You can’t allow her to hide herself that way from you. She must be open. She needs to have her arms at her sides and keep them there unless you tell her otherwise. She needs to spread those thighs. That pussy belongs to you and she has no right to hide it from you. She belongs to you. Are you really going to let her keep you from seeing parts of her she’s uncomfortable showing you? That won’t be permitted, Brenna.”
Even though he spoke to her as though telling her how to handle the woman in the mirror, she felt as though he spoke to her the way he would have done if she really belonged to him.
Still staring at her reflection, and even more confused, Brenna dropped her arms to her sides and spread her thighs, shaking so hard now that she could barely stand. Her stomach quivered, her pussy clenching, the need becoming unbearable. Frustrated, she lashed out at him.
“What’s she waiting for? What am I supposed to do?”
“Make her stand, Brenna. You need to see all of her.”
He waited until she got unsteadily to her feet before he appeared in the mirror again, moving the chair away to stand directly behind her, his tone soothing and warm. “Calm down, darling. You can’t lose control. She needs you.” His eyes narrowed, the heat in them unmistakable. “You know damned well what she’s waiting for, but is too scared to ask.”
“I can’t do this, damn it! Help me.” The last came out as a sob, her voice choked with tears. Nearly beside herself with frustration, she groaned as waves of warning tingles washed over her.
And he’d barely touched her!
Royce held her eyes in the mirror once again. “Do you want me to touch you? To help you explore her? If so, you’re going to have to ask. She’s your submissive. Yours to give to me.”
Brenna couldn’t think of anything in the world that she needed—wanted—more than Royce’s touch.
Shaking uncontrollably now, she stared at the mirror, surprised that she could no longer even see herself, her vision blurred with tears of frustration.
“Yes. Touch me. Hold me. I can’t stand it anymore.”
She sagged with relief when Royce’s arm came around her waist, taking her weight. Shivering at his warm breath against her ear, she closed her eyes, leaning back against his shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I’m so confused.”
“No, you’re not. You know exactly what you want. You’re just too scared to ask for it. Open your eyes, Brenna. Look in the mirror.”
Doing as he asked, she sucked in a breath at the sight of her naked and in his arms.
She’d never seen anything so incredibly erotic. She looked so small and fragile against his much larger frame. Need clawed at her, and she had to bite her lip to keep from begging him to take her.
His dark skin made hers seem even paler, his dark hand appearing exotic and masculine against her quivering belly.
“Look at her, Brenna. Look into her eyes.”
Wrapping his free hand around her wrist, Royce lifted her hand to her breast, trailing her fingers over her nipple.
“What does she need, Brenna? Look into her eyes. What does the woman in the mirror need?”
Her stormy eyes met his calm ones in the mirror, a confidence in his that somehow reassured her and the only thing that kept her panic at bay. She wished with everything inside her that it was his hand touching her instead of her own. Her own touch didn’t even come close to appeasing this rampant hunger.
She needed his.
She’d never needed so much to belong to someone. Ten minutes with Royce and she ached so badly she’d do anything for relief. After only ten minutes, she felt connected to him in ways she’d never felt with any man, even when making love.
He intrigued her, excited her, and made her feel more desirable and sexy than she’d ever felt before.
More than that, she found herself connected to him, captivated by his strong presence so much that she yielded herself to him before she made any conscious effort to do so.
She’d do whatever he wanted, be anything he wanted her to be—if only he would make her his.
Her stomach quivered as the throbbing of her clit became unbearable, her pussy clenching and releasing even more of her juices.
She ached everywhere.
Tingled.
Burned.
Other than holding her up and wrapping a hand around her wrist, he hadn’t even touched her, and yet she began to come. To her amazement, one small orgasm after another took hold of her, each sending shimmering waves through her that didn’t even come close to satisfying the raging hunger Royce had ignited inside her.
Choking, her body wracked with sobs, Brenna shook her head, closing her eyes against the disappointment she knew she would see in his.
“She—I—need you. God help me, I need you. And I can’t.”
Wrenching herself from his hold, she ran for the door, running naked down the hallway and into her room, slamming the door behind her. Leaning back against it, she sank to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably and feeling like a fool. Still incredibly aroused, she wrapped her arms around herself and began to rock, the small movement soothing her.
It had only taken Royce a few minutes to discover her biggest secret, one she hadn’t entirely believed herself.
She needed to surrender herself to a man. To submit. To him. To turn herself over to his care. She wanted to belong to him, and to see pleasure and hunger in his eyes as he took her.
The few minutes she’d spent with Royce had made her feel more than she’d ever felt.
It hurt—so much she couldn’t breathe.
The hard, impatient knock, much louder and more insistent than before, made her jolt. Slapping a hand over her mouth to hold back a cry, she looked around wildly, wondering what she should do.
She couldn’t face him, especially naked and crying, her body still humming with the remnants of something too strong to be considered merely lust.
“Brenna, I can hear you crying. Move away from the door so I can open it.”
She closed her eyes as his deep voice, now low and soothing, washed over her. If she opened the door, she knew she’d fall into his arms and beg him to take her.
She’d dreamed of feeling this way, but the reality proved to be more intense and frightening than any fantasy. “No. Go away.”
“I can’t do that, Brenna.” The door opened a few inches. “Let me give you your robe. Put it on and we’ll talk.”
“I don’t want to talk to you.” It came out as a hoarse cry, her emotions in tatters. Curling into a ball on the floor, she stilled, wondering if she only imagined the tension in Royce’s voice.
“Too bad. Move back a little so I can give you the robe. Sebastian’s bringing you some wine to help you settle.” After a pause, he knocked again. “There’s no lock on the inside of this door, Brenna. What are you going to do, stay there all night?”
“Yes.” After this, she’d never be able to face him again. She’d wait until he left, and find a way to escape.
“All right. I’ll come in through the hidden door.”
“What?” Brenna jumped to her feet, looking around to see where Royce might come in.
As soon as she moved away from the door, he opened it another few inches and stuck his hand inside, her robe dangling from his fingers.
“Put this on, and we’ll talk.”
Brenna snatched the robe from his hand and hurriedly slipped it on, keeping the side of her foot pressed against the door to keep him from entering. Her hands shook so badly that it took three attempts to tie it, but she finally managed it.