Provoked

by Riley Murphy

  Chapter Eight

  Charlie knew she was in trouble the moment the first slap of his belt connected with her bottom. Every reaction she expected to have never arrived. That fact more than anything else had startled her. But she hadn’t been astonished for long. More like caught up, intrigued, and invested.

  Too late she realized she’d been so busy exploring this phenomenon she hadn’t seen the real danger. She hadn’t noticed how deeply she was sinking. How quickly she was falling, and how meekly she stepped down the path that Neil paved for her.

  She drifted into a place that wasn’t the present or the past. It was a new space. A quiet world that befriended her. Seduced her. It encouraged her to come in closer, promising not to lead her astray if she did. She wasn’t thinking clearly. She couldn’t be. None of this made any sense.

  “That’s right. Never stand idle and plead for the one thing you have the power to earn from me by begging. Use your body, tiger. Flex forward. Almost there.”

  The leather belt crushed into the softest part of her again and again as he tortured her with it. She’d been on the verge for so long it didn’t take much to push her to the edge. Her body pulsed with zinging shots of adrenaline that lifted her to breathless heights. With blood thrumming, pounding in her ears so loudly it silenced everything else around her until her muscles quaked, she tried to hold on, but failed. Over and over she came until her body was one large, thrilling wave of arousal. Sensations building, peaking, and then plummeting only to build all over again.

  Why was she flexing toward him? He was right there. Close enough and yet not close at all. She wanted something more. Not from him. From her body, but that part of her was letting her down. It had been caught. Captured. Corralled.

  He was free to do what he wanted to her.

  And she wanted him to do things to her.

  “This is nice.” He crowded her. Impossibly close so that her hip bumped up against his hardness. Just the thought of that part of him sinking deeply into her made her moan. “I love how you chase my attention. Come, kitty. Come and get some more.”

  The belt was her enemy and yet she went after it as if it was her truest friend. Pivoting forward so her center could be tormented some more. It was like having the greatest itch scratched just out of reach of it.

  Oh God…

  “Very nice. That’s my good tiger.” His scent, when he curled down and rubbed his cheek against hers, was invigorating. His breath falling in a warm tickle over her skin exciting, but his dark praise? It comforted her in a way she’d never been soothed before. “I want you to come again.”

  She wasn’t sure she did. She didn’t know anymore.

  “Again.”

  Every time his whispered command penetrated her consciousness she swore she was going to do it. She was going to come for him, but then the rollercoaster rocketed off the rails and she was spinning, spiraling down while she waited to hear his words that acted like an accurately tossed lasso, wrapping around her, reining her in before pulling her back up.

  “Again.”

  She got so used to the ride, that when it stopped and he hugged her tightly, all she could do was shudder in his arms. The second he undid the ball gag and took it away, massaging her cheeks, her teeth began to chatter. Was that her panting? She was definitely purring in a way she didn’t recognize. Was she crying? She was. With anger? No, frustrated joy that her body had taken over and betrayed her this way. It was empowering, enlightening, and humbling all at once.

  “Now to finish your punishment.”

  Didn’t he know? Couldn’t he see that he’d brought her to her knees? If not for the cuffs, her shaky legs wouldn’t have been capable of holding her. If not for her pride she would have begged him to let her go because she knew any more attention from his belt would finish her off. The last little feminist lie she was clinging to was about to be demolished.

  It was true. Some women liked to be treated this way…and she was one of them.

  The sharp slap of the leather landing across her bottom assured her. The angry frustration settled into a gentle tide of spreading elation. Was that her moaning in ecstasy? Louder still when he sank a hand in her hair and tugged, pressing himself intimately against her.

  “You like that don’t you, tiger?”

  “Yes.” She was sure she answered, but her reply sounded as if it came from a distance.

  She moaned again and this time the echo seemed to come from above her.

  “You did well with your punishments. I reward good girls. Do you want to play with me?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  There was no doubt in her mind that this is what she wanted, but her mind wasn’t guiding what came out of her mouth. Her replies were being voiced before conscious decisions were made. How could this be?

  “Show me.” He tugged on her hair. “Beg me. Taunt me with your ass. Make me want to treat you right. To treat you the way you want to be treated. Entice me to play with you.”

  His words shot through her consciousness and drove her to act. Causing a series of silent pleas to run like a ticker-tape in her mind as she shifted. Please play with me. Want me. Give me your attention. Treat me the way…the way…I want to be treated.

  “Very good, tiger.”

  Smack.

  Stars burst behind her closed eyes. Brilliant whites, soft blues, and lovely sunset colors surrounded her. Carrying her. Lulling her into that quiet world she was coming to crave.

  Smack.

  She was engulfed in stunning calm.

  Smack.

  Seduced by the intimacy.

  Smack, smack, smack

  And left drifting into a place that was safe and guarded by him. Only him.

  “I don’t see you working for it. Have you had enough?”

  His husky words sliced through the silence and chased the colors away. Replacing her sanctuary with one he created. A world where his scent, his tone of voice, and the power of his dark presence made promises she wanted him to fulfill.

  “What’s this? Such a pretty little flex.”

  Smack!

  That slap connected harder than any of the others and she was back to seeing stars again.

  “I don’t want pretty. I want nasty. Needy.”

  Smack!

  “I want desperate.”

  Smack!

  Even though each one landed slightly harder than the last, to her the strokes were sublime. Every connection dared her to take more, causing her to want more. Need more.

  “That’s better.” He rubbed the loop of the hot leather over her bottom cheeks and for the first few seconds she felt a stinging sensation. Not unlike the tingles she got in her toes as a kid when she’d been out in the icy cold and came in to thaw her nearly frozen feet by the fire.

  “I’m going to give you one more, tiger, but only if you literally beg for it. Remember, I don’t want pretty or nice. I want raw. Dirty. I want the little girl inside you who likes to play to tell the woman holding her back to get with the program. Tell her to give me what I want. Make her do it. For me.”

  The anticipation of knowing ahead of time what he was going to do made her whole body come alive with vibrations. All the delicious zing-type tingles that had been circling her breasts after being tortured with the clamps, rushed down like a waterfall, landing directly between her legs where her inner muscles squeezed up tightly in aching want.

  “Give it to me. I want the snap of your leather against my ass. Hard. Slap my ass. One more time. Please, sir. Please.”

  “You continue to surprise me, little girl.”

  Smack!

  With that her legs gave out, but he was there. Holding her in his strong embrace as he quickly undid the cuffs and gathered her into him. His scent and warmth was the beacon of light she needed after walking through a wall of darkness. He represented comfort. Safety. Home.

  “Hold me.” She didn’t know why she’d said that because he already was, as he massaged her arms and shoulders. “Hold me tigh
ter.” What was wrong with her?

  “I can do that,” he breathed that promise in her ear. Hearing it she nearly passed out, but then he added, “You have no need to worry, tiger. I’m taking care of you tonight. Come here.”

  She couldn’t have stopped him if she wanted to. Not that she did, but it was a moot point, feeling like she was. Limp dishrag was a good description. So when he lifted her up and ordered her to wrap her legs around his waist, she didn’t hesitate. At the same time, she wound her arms around his neck and held on tight.

  “The surface is going to be cold against your spine,” he warned, walking them back a few paces, before he pressed her into the wall, and used his weight to pin her there. She remained snuggled against him, with her nose squashed into his neck. Not wanting to move even after he said, “Look at me.”

  The moment was too intimate. They were too close, and she was a complete wreck, and to top it off? If she looked at him now she’d fall apart.

  “Catherine.”

  Charlie hated hearing her sister’s name on his lips. Not after what they’d just done together. When she looked up it was more in way of angry defiance than anything else. He was right there. Staring at her. God the way he looked at her, acutely studying her in the dim light, made her stomach clench until she couldn’t take it any longer and turned away.

  She tried to shift, attempting to inconspicuously brush a hand across her cheeks. Surely her mascara had run, but his sharp command stopped her.

  “Don’t.”

  Immediately she halted and would have turned back on her own if he hadn’t forced her to.

  “Don’t ever turn away from me without permission or being told to.”

  She swallowed. This was the part of the man she hadn’t met before. She knew the mechanic, the stern Dom from the club, and the strict Dom from a moment ago, but this one was different. This man you didn’t want to cross. He was the secret monster that inhabited her dark fantasies. The disciplinarian who made the most daunting taskmasters shake in their boots.

  “I didn’t turn away from you. I only wanted to wipe my face. I must be a mess.”

  “You are.” His eyes never wavered as he studied her from forehead to chin and back again. “You’re the mess I created. Every tear streak tells a story. Our story. I want to read it, enjoy it, and bask in it before you carelessly brush it away. Do you understand?”

  In an odd way she did. “Yes.”

  He tightened his hold and continued to study her. Only harder this time. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Why would you ask me something like that? I know I’m not perfect, but…” She wanted to look away. To hide. She wasn’t going to cry no matter how much she ached to. It wasn’t her fault she was out of her element here. It wasn’t his fault either. He didn’t know who she really was so to him there were probably all kinds of things wrong with—

  “But you are.”

  Her heart skipped a beat and she blinked. “I’m what?”

  “Perfect,” he whispered. “Beauty under pressure. I like to watch…a spectator of grace.”

  She was searching for the appropriate words to convey what she was feeling. How she was feeling. What she wanted, when the words “Fuck me,” rushed out of her before she could stop them.

  Slowly he shook his head. He was so close the slight breeze from the movement lifted the fine hairs on her temple. “Not tonight, tiger. I’ve got other plans for you.”

  “I…I don’t understand.” She was clinging to him. Naked and available. Stripped down emotionally and ready to do whatever he wanted her to and his answer to that was no, not tonight?

  “When I said you were perfect you took that as a compliment.” He leaned down until his forehead kissed hers. “And you shouldn’t have. People need things to fix otherwise they quickly get bored.”

  “I’m not a thing.”

  “If I’m not mistaken, you offered to be my plaything.”

  Those husky words had a warming effect on her. “If I am, I’m the toy you’ve just said you don’t want to play with tonight. How is that fair?”

  He pulled back. His look was intense. Probing. Scrutinizing, before he answered her. “When a sub comes to me she’s not asking me to be fair. She wants to know she can count on me to be there for her. Most times, in order for me to do that well, being fair has no part in the equation.” He tipped up her chin and whispered, “Don’t be boring, tiger. Continue surprising me.”

  It was her who was surprised when he dipped down and captured her lips. The action, just like the man, was compelling. He commanded the embrace, kissing her in such a way that she realized she’d never been kissed before. Not really. Not in a manner that was meant to steal her will, or create a desire that made her want to do things with him that she’d never done with anyone else. Nasty things. Intimate things. Dirty things.

  Suddenly the stars were back and so were the colors, along with a warmth that lit her up from the inside. This is what she’d been waiting for her whole adult life. The excitement and sparkle of something happening to her that was beyond her control. She fisted her hands in his hair and held on tightly. Ready to sink into the dark wonder he was providing.

  Hot apple heaven. He tasted like her favorite McIntosh, only better, as he pushed his tongue against her lips and she opened for him. All the way. Tasting and being tasted.

  She was floating again. Drifting. Ready to beg him in any manner she could, with her body, breath, or words, to change his mind and let her be his plaything. Her body was humming and vibrating with need. She was exactly what he said he wanted her to be earlier. Desperate.

  “Please don’t. I don’t want to let go.” Once again her voice sounded as if it came from a distance. Why was he making her lose her grip on him? She worked hard to open her eyes and focus as a chill surrounded her. It was cooler air in a different room. When that idea came to her after he’d gently deposited her on a stiffly woven matt, she frowned. “Wait.” Before he stepped away from her she came up on her knees and wrapped her arms around his thigh. “Sir, please...”

  Neil told himself not to look down, but he had to. The heat of her, naked and clinging to his leg demanded he confirm with a visual. He knew the sight of her against him was going to be hot, but as it turned out it was scorching as he watched her lovingly press her cheek into the front of him. So close to the outline of his hardened cock beneath his pants that the fucker actually twitched, shifting slightly, probably hoping to meet her more personally.

  Not going to happen.

  He buried his hand in her hair, intending to move her away until she sighed and clung to him more tightly.

  “I’ll surprise you. I promise I will.”

  That made him smile. “You’re a tough little cookie, aren’t you?”

  She tilted her head—God, those big eyes staring up at him filled him with an immense sense of power—and she smiled. “Yes.”

  Here again she thought he’d complimented her, he was sure. Caressing her scalp with his fingers, he whispered, “Even cookies crumble when you bite them.”

  Her gaze never faltered. “Is that what you’re going to do?”

  “Another time. Maybe I should have said cookies crumble when you dunk them in milk.” He nodded to the lap pool that glowed behind him. “At least I’m hoping that’s what you’re going to do.”

  She remained holding on, but leaned sideways. Scowling when she spotted what was in the distance. “A pool? Water?”

  He felt the immediate tension in her grip as it clenched around him. Keeping his tone even and his words measured and calm, he said, “I’m going to help you get over your fear. No.” He gripped her hair tighter when she shifted as though she was going to scurry off. “You’re going to stay put, Catherine.” That command seemed to ground her for the moment, so he pressed forward with what he had to say.

  “I know most Dominate men believe their way is best. That they know better and a sub should follow their lead. To a certain extent I’m on board with that.
In as far as they are the ones who want to initiate the change for the better for their bunnies…or tigers.” He grinned and tapped her nose. She was a watchful little cat with head back and eyes wide. “But unlike most, I’m of the opinion that I don’t need to get to the bottom of a sub’s most important issue, I only need to lead that sub to the path of a successful change. Once their confidence has been buoyed, a great many changes are possible from that moment on.”

  She didn’t blink. “But why the pool full of rushing water?”

  He let go of her hair and dropped to his haunches. “It’s a lap pool. It’s where I exercise on occasion and a good place for you to face your last ghost.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  He took hold of her face before she turned away. “I know you don’t want to. No one ever wants to stare their demon down.”

  “How did you—?”

  “Your risk sheet.”

  “Can’t we just fuck and call it a night?”

  He let her go and sighed. “I know you watched your sibling almost drown.”

  She didn’t flinch.

  “You wrote that you wished it had been you caught in that riptide.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise, but she still didn’t say anything.

  “You were pulled away before she was rescued. That had to be—” He was going to say hard, as there was no closure in the process, but she cut him off.

  “Pulled away? Yeah I was. By whom? Why? Did I write that down?”

  He heard the anger although he didn’t necessarily understand it. “I know you have dreams about it, so my thought is it’s time for the haunting to end and the ghost to go away.”

  “Dreams?” She seemed confused.

  “We’re going to make them a reality.” He hiked a thumb toward the lap pool and said, “We’re going to let you experience what your sibling experienced.”

  She leaned right back. It gave him an unobstructed view of her breasts. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about sucking on those beautiful parts of her, but he was. Right up until she gasped. “You’re going to drown me?”