MasterofVelvet

by Kirstie Abbot

“It’s stunning, Giorgio,” Adam approved, handing over his credit card, “and before I forget, I need the ankle and wrist cuffs to match the play collar.”

  “Already in the box, Adam. May I congratulate you on your choice of day wear for your sub? It suits her perfectly.”

  Adam had left the collar round Beth’s neck. He turned to look at her, his eyes devouring her face and body. “It’s as flawless as she is, Giorgio.”

  * * * * *

  After stopping at Beth’s place to pick up her belongings, they returned to Adam’s apartment for a few more essentials and then they were on their way out of the capital.

  The further they drove away from London, the more Beth became aware of a change in Adam. He was still tense but as they proceeded down the motorway, she realized that he was losing the veneer of urbane sophistication that he wore at the office, and instead was acquiring an air of carefully controlled…aggression? Beth wasn’t entirely sure that that was the right word—there was just something about the way he was focused that sent a chill down her spine but she knew with absolute certainty that it wasn’t directed at her.

  One thing was for sure, though—he was a man with a lot on his mind and as such Beth didn’t feel inclined to press him about the mystery that was enveloping them. He had, after all, said that they would discuss things later. Instead, she fingered her new collar, conscious of the weight of it around her neck and thought about what had happened back at Giorgio’s.

  The whole experience of being fitted for the play collar had seemed surreal, right from the instant that the other man had asked Adam for his permission to touch her and to use her name.

  She still wasn’t quite able to work out how she felt about that—on the one hand, objectified, as if she had no thoughts, no feelings, no intelligence, no rights of her own but it was also an expression of respect for her relationship with Adam. Then, while being fitted for the collar, she had been shown nothing but respect by the other man.

  So, what exactly was she getting herself into by staying with Adam? Whatever it was, she loved him. Was it time to let go of her independence and dismantle the wall that had protected the most vulnerable part of her for so long? Could she be brave enough to do that with Adam? Oh God, such a confusing whirl of thoughts and questions.

  “Beth, tell me what you’re thinking.”

  She had to say something. “Adam, we’ve known each other, worked together, for over three years now. I know you have good reasons for doing what you’re doing even though we haven’t talked yet. I’m sorry for being such a pain earlier on.”

  “You’re not a pain, love. I’ll tell you everything when we get home and then you’ll know why this is all happening. We also need to talk about our relationship. Give me your hand.”

  He pressed her palm down on his thigh. “Why are you trembling, Beth? You don’t think…? Love, I’m not letting you out of my sight, not for a very long time, even when this heap of crap is over and done with. When we talk later it will all make sense, I promise.”

  And with that, he raised her hand to his mouth for a gentle kiss. “Beth, I’ve wanted you in my life for a very long time. Now I’ve got you—let’s just say I’m not planning on letting you go. No matter what.”

  In that instant her mind cleared and she had a real answer for the question he’d asked. It was time to let go.

  She so wanted to say it, to admit to how she felt, the words were there, battling to pass over the threshold of her lips, but was this the right place or the right time, in a car on the motorway? If not here, where? If not now, when?

  “I’m glad,” she said, looking out of the car window, aware of the inadequacy of the words when measured against the feelings. Her throat felt so dry—nerves, she guessed. “Adam?”

  “What is it? Are you all right? If something’s bothering you, Beth—”

  “I love you.”

  Chapter Nine

  God, that sounded so pathetic.

  As soon as she said the words, Beth wished she could take them back. Not that they weren’t true—she’d just sounded so pitiful. Even worse, tears of embarrassment made her eyes smart. All she’d probably done was make a bad situation worse.

  “Beth.” His voice made a verbal caress of her name. “We’ll be at Winterleigh in about twenty minutes. When we get there I’ll let you get settled in the family room while I bring everything in from the car and then we’ll talk. There are things you need to know but this isn’t the best place to tell you.”

  Beth had never known twenty minutes to pass so slowly. They turned off the motorway, onto a main road leading to winding country lanes clothed in the russet shades of autumn. In what appeared to be the middle of nowhere Adam slowed the car and then they were turning off the lane and into a drive, access to which was secured by remote-controlled gates. They passed through the gates, around a bend to the left and there was the most beautiful house Beth had ever seen. This was Winterleigh?

  The car crunched over the honey-colored gravel, following the sweep of the drive, stopping at the front door. Adam came round to help Beth out. For a moment she simply stood there, looking up at the cream-colored walls and leaded windows. She’d had no idea what to expect but it wasn’t anything like this.

  “You have a beautiful home, Adam.”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “It’s always been missing something vital,” he said with a hint of longing in his voice before turning back to her. “Until now, that is.”

  He led her inside. The interior was every bit as impressive as the exterior. It was also light and modern with a definite minimalist theme to the neutral décor. The family room was dove gray and white with a pale oatmeal carpet and it was to that room that Adam took her with an order to make herself at home. He would be back in a few moments and then they would talk.

  Beth was looking at the contents of the bookcases when he came back, carrying two cups of coffee.

  “I’d have made it something stronger but even I draw the line at alcohol at this time of the afternoon.” He deposited the cups on the coffee table. “Come here, Beth.” He held out his hand. “Sit with me.”

  Though she wanted to curl up at his side, Beth sat demurely a few inches away from him on the cream leather sofa, dreading what was going to happen next. This would be where he told her that he was very flattered but unfortunately he didn’t feel the same way about her. He liked her and wanted her but he didn’t love her.

  His arm went around her shoulders, pulling her against his body. “About what you said in the car, love. It shames me that I let you be the one to say it first—I should have told you as soon as I realized. I guess too much baggage got in the way.” He tilted her head up for a kiss that consumed her. “I love you, Beth. I have for a long time.”

  She looked at him in silence, searching for some sign that he was just humoring her, but there was none. He meant it. Beth let out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and rested her head against his chest, one arm draped across his abdomen. Whatever the reason behind their flight from London, it would be all right now. They’d see it through together. Adam loved her.

  “Now, about our relationship.” His arm tightened around her. “You were right, this is too soon. I was planning to give you time to get used to me, to the change in our relationship—to fall as hard for me as I have for you—and then convince you that moving in with me was a good idea. But the circumstances we find ourselves in now have to take priority. For now I need to keep you close to me for your own safety.”

  He kissed her temple. “I want to make it clear that I’m not asking you to make any decisions about the long term. For that, you need to be in possession of all the facts before making a decision about the rest of your life. I just need you to understand that you have to stay here with me for now.”

  The rest of her life. He really wanted her. Loved her. Beth felt like she’d just been handed everything she ever thought she wanted but she had to be sure and not just for her own sake. She had to be
sure for his sake too. She pressed closer to him, using her body to tell him that she understood, that she wasn’t frightened of what he wanted.

  “As for why we’re here and not in London, I promised you an explanation,” he continued. “By the time I’m finished, we may both need something stronger than coffee.”

  Beth listened intently as the man she loved began to tell her of his past—the years he’d spent in the military, the transfer to Special Forces where he’d been the linguist on the team and the missions he’d been sent on in some of the world’s most hostile hot spots, where he’d acquired the scars that marked his body. She wept silent tears for what he’d gone through, for the friends and comrades he’d lost.

  “Shh, Beth, don’t cry, not for me. It’s all in the past now. Or at least it was. Dan thinks, and I have to agree with him, that the bugs and cameras were planted by, or on behalf of, someone we ran into back then—someone who may be looking for revenge.”

  “Revenge? For what?”

  Adam shook his head. “Who knows? Beth, it wasn’t a picnic out there. We had to do things—”

  She reached up to kiss him. “You did what you had to do, Adam. You had to protect innocent lives—how many did you save?”

  “If this is someone out for revenge, then perhaps not the one or ones that mattered.” His voice was almost haunted. “I brought you here so I can protect you better, love. The house has state-of-the-art security—Dan installed it last year—and out here, I have the means to protect you with reasonable force if it becomes necessary.”

  Beth went very still. “What does that mean?”

  “The house has a gun room—all legal, don’t worry. I normally only use the shotguns on clay pigeons.”

  A chill descended over Beth as she realized the implication of what he was saying. The danger they were in was real. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “I’m not teaching you to shoot if that’s what you’re asking,” Adam said in a tone that brooked no argument. “If someone sees you with a firearm, it makes you a target—you can leave that to me. What I want you to do is get to know this house inside out and to be able to get to a secure room I’m going to show you from anywhere in the house.”

  “A panic room, you mean?”

  “Not in the sense you’re thinking, Beth. It’s just a secure room with an independent communications system, so that if we’re attacked and they cut the obvious lines of communication, the system in that room will still function.”

  For a moment, Beth wondered when reality had morphed into the pages of a thriller, the only place where any of this would make sense. She had to ask. “Why do you even have a secure room? Do you have a crystal ball I don’t know about?”

  Adam gave a short, humorless chuckle. “Dan’s idea—God knows why he thought I might need the damn thing.”

  Well, it was an answer—of sorts. “Suppose something does happen. Do I just call the police? Should I be calling anyone else?”

  “Good questions, Beth, and they deserve good answers. There’s still an outside chance that this could just be industrial espionage, in which case there’ll be no danger to us here but if this does prove to be connected with my past and something happens, call the police and then call Dan. He’ll know what to do.”

  “And when I’ve done that?”

  “Stay put. Dan will come for you.”

  Why Dan? Why not Adam?

  He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he held her close. “My love, we have to face facts. I may not be in a position to come for you. It’s always wise to have a backup plan.”

  Beth closed her eyes. Something awful was rushing in her ears. No. That wasn’t going to happen. It was a nightmare that didn’t bear thinking about. She wasn’t going to lose him—not now, not ever.

  “And in order for the plan to work, I need to show you the secure room and give you a tour of the house—but I think that can all wait ‘til tomorrow. I think that what you need right now is something to take your mind off that crap.”

  Adam pulled out his keys, including the one for the padlock on Beth’s day collar. “Turn around and lift your hair up.”

  The chain dropped from around her neck, Beth missed its weight immediately. She watched her Dom lay it carefully on the coffee table.

  “I left everything in the hall. Go and get the collar and cuffs. They’re in the small gray box.”

  Adam watched his sub walk out of the room. He hadn’t intended to upset her but she had to know what they were facing and what to do if the worst-case scenario happened. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

  It could still turn out to be nothing more perilous than industrial espionage.

  Adam’s plan was relatively simple. For the remainder of the day he was going to concentrate on Beth and give her something other than their predicament to focus on. Tomorrow he was going to start training in earnest, to get back to something approaching the level of fitness he had while in the Regiment—or at least try to. Some target practice wouldn’t go amiss either. One of the advantages of living in the middle of nowhere with several acres of land at his disposal was that he could set up a target range and use it and no one would give a second thought to the sound of a shotgun. And he had to give Beth the guided tour of the house.

  Today though his priority was Beth and giving her a distraction now would help both of them. It would take her mind off what was going on and it would help him to envision a future beyond the current situation—a future with her.

  “Put the box down, and take your clothes off slowly. Perform for me, Beth. You’re a stripper putting on a private show for a client and at the end of it you want me to fuck you. Show me how much.”

  He was expecting her to blush maybe, to fumble with the buttons of her shirt—but he watched entranced as she began to sway in time to music only she could hear. Her expression was soft and dreamlike as her hands stroked over her still fully clothed body, drawing his attention—as if that were necessary—to the curves of her breasts and hips. She had the look of a woman who knew she was loved.

  She shimmied elegantly out of her gray skirt, revealing legs clad in sheer, black, lace-topped thigh-highs, and the smooth pussy he had taken great delight in shaving just a few hours ago. With arms raised as she seductively lifted her mane of hair, her shirt rode up, revealing voluptuous hips and the neat indentation of her navel.

  The little tease then turned her back to him while she unfastened the shirt and looked provocatively over one shoulder and then the other as she began to slide the shirt off. When it dropped to the floor she turned to face him again—hands clasped in front of her, gaze modestly lowered. She clearly thought she’d obeyed his orders.

  However, since she looked so sexy in the nylons and heels and this was her second performance of the day, he was prepared to let it slide—besides, it would give him the pleasure of removing them when he fitted the cuffs to her ankles.

  “Very good, Beth,” he murmured appreciatively, loosening his tie and unfastening the top buttons of his shirt. “On the basis of that routine, I’d be more than happy to fuck you. Now tell me how you felt while you were doing that. And tell me the truth.”

  She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment—another habit he needed to ensure that she broke—and then admitted that she’d felt really silly to begin with but that it had gotten easier.

  “That’s better. Trust me, Beth—from where I’m sitting, there was nothing silly about what you just did. It was beautiful to watch and it’ll come more easily with practice, love. And I intend to give you a lot of practice.

  “Now pass me the box, then sit down on at that end of the sofa, lean back against the arm and put your feet on my lap.”

  “Yes, Adam.”

  With very precise movements she presented the box to him and then obeyed the rest of his instructions, giving him a wonderful view of her almost totally naked body. Her slim feet were on his lap, pressed together and perfectly still. With a touch that spoke of ow
nership, he ran his hand up her legs to her pubic mound, which he stroked sensuously with the back of his fingers. The effect on her was obvious, evident in the delicate shudder she gave as she closed her eyes.

  After removing the shoes, Adam took his time with the nylons, savoring each moment as he rolled first one then the other down her endless legs. Completely naked, she was a real live wet dream. A picture popped into his mind. When Beth was confident enough in their relationship he’d take her to a very special spa for some very special treatment.

  As well as being stunningly beautiful and an astute businesswoman, Alessandra was a Mistress—a Domme. One of her enterprises was a luxurious spa and for her friends in the community, she had set aside a secluded suite of treatment rooms where a sub could be given a top-to-toe pampering session by Alessandra’s subs—who were both male and female and highly trained in the necessary skills. And while the session was taking place the Dominant of the lucky recipient could watch, either from behind a two-way mirror or relaxing on a luxurious velvet chaise longue in the same room.

  The thought of Beth being the subject of such a session was a seriously hot image, especially if the attending subs were given permission to touch her breasts and her pussy and he ordered her not to become aroused. Would her limits ever embrace a semi-public experience like that? At one time he’d have said no but now he had just a glimmer of doubt.

  With the cuffs buckled round her ankles, Adam instructed her to assume her first position in front of him but to offer her wrists to him for the other set of cuffs.

  Now for the collar. He took up a position behind his sub, held the collar to her throat and when she’d gathered her hair together, he fastened the collar and locked it in position with a small padlock.

  “Beth, I want you to know that the collar you wore for me on Saturday night was something I had made just for you. I’ve been waiting almost three years to put it on you and although it is a collar, it doesn’t mean I expect you to behave like a sub when you’re wearing it. Its significance is a private thing between us and only someone else in the community will recognize it for what it is.