Follow Me Darkly

by HELEN HARDT

  “No.”

  “It holds your mouth open so I can fuck it. What if I want to use this tonight?”

  I’ve come too far to back down now. “Then I want you to.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Braden,” I say, “let me be clear. I’m giving myself to you. I’m giving you the control you so desperately want. If you want to put a collar on me and lead me around on a leash like Sasha or Penny, do it. I’m yours.”

  “For good this time? I get your control in this room?”

  “Yes, Braden. I yield to you. I give up control.” He’s opened up my dark side, and at this point, I fear nothing from this man.

  Nothing.

  I want him. I want it all.

  He groans, pushes me onto my back, lies on top of me, and dry thrusts his cock against me. “See how hard I am for you? See what you do to me? All these things I love to do, all these toys—I don’t even need them with you. All I need is your lush little body, your gorgeous parted lips, those luscious tits. Your control. But mostly I just need you, Skye. I can fuck you all damned night.”

  I open as he slides his lips against mine, pushes his tongue into my mouth. We’re still fully clothed, but I feel as though we’re already making love, our bodies already joined in that most intimate way. He deepens the kiss.

  I’m in love with this man. So freaking in love.

  Can he possibly return my feelings?

  He breaks the kiss, gasps sharply, and gives the chain between my breasts a hard yank. I arch my back, my whole body reacting to the tingles that flow outward from my nipples. Then he grasps the fabric of my dress and rips it, tearing it from my body.

  “Braden!”

  “I already told you. I’ll have this dress remade as many times as it takes.”

  My nipples are red and hard from the nipple clamps that still grip them. Only my black panties are between Braden and me now.

  “Grip the rungs of the headboard, Skye,” he says darkly.

  I don’t hesitate to obey. I grip the wood firmly.

  “Don’t let go,” he commands.

  “I won’t.” He rises and walks back to his highboy.

  What does he have in store for me? I want to know, and just as desperately I don’t want to know.

  But I’m all in now.

  I’ll take what he gives me, and I’ll take it gladly from the man I love.

  He returns with a piece of rope. “Nylon,” he says, “doesn’t cause rope burns.”

  I nod as he deftly ties my wrists in place, using the strange notches on the rungs. I pull against my restraint to no avail. I’m secure in his bindings. Secure in what he has in store for me.

  He walks back to the highboy and returns again, this time with a piece of black silk. He covers my eyes.

  “Do you remember the last time I took your sight?”

  “Yes.”

  “That was to heighten your other senses. But that’s not why I’m doing it this time.”

  I don’t respond.

  “This time, I’m taking it because I can. Because you’re giving it to me.”

  “Yes.”

  “You can’t move your arms. You can’t see. What else should I take from you?”

  “Whatever you want, Braden.”

  He yanks the chain between my breasts once more. I arch into the sensation, my feet flat on the bed as my hips rise. I pull against the restraints, my fingers itching to run through Braden’s silky hair, to trail over his masculine jawline and scrape over his stubble, to touch his hard shoulders and corded muscle.

  Rustling wafts to my ears. He’s undressing, I think. Soon. Soon he’ll touch me with those warm hands, those firm lips, that beautiful hard cock.

  But nothing.

  Nothing, until—

  Whip!

  A lash comes down on my breasts, jiggling the chain and clamps and sending an intense sensation through me.

  Another whip and then another.

  “The tops of your breasts are rosy pink, Skye. So beautiful. Do you want me to do it again?”

  “Yes, please. Whatever you want.”

  The lash comes down once more and then again. I gasp and then sigh. Gasp and then sigh. Gasp—

  “Oh!” Something pricks my nipple. Then again, on the other one.

  What happened?

  Then softness, wetness, a suck of one nipple. The prick wasn’t a prick at all. Braden pulled the clamp off without loosening it, and now he’s licking and sucking the already sensitive bud. I’m so ready for his dick, I think I might die a slow death if he doesn’t get inside me soon.

  But he continues his torturous teasing, licking and nipping at my nipples, and then—

  “Oh!”

  Something cold makes my areola shrink so tightly, I think I might pop. He hasn’t told me not to speak, but I stay silent anyway.

  He has my control. I give it up freely, and it feels…

  It feels free.

  I feel free.

  Free as a bird soaring through the blue skies. Who knew giving up power could be so freeing? How do I feel so unbound when I’m bound?

  The icy trail extends over my breasts and then down my belly, where it pools in my navel for a few seconds. Then down, over my vulva, and onto—

  I jerk, arching. The tip of the ice melts against my clit, and it’s an influx of heat and chill together mingling in an intense spiral. Tiny droplets trickle over my labia, chilling and blazing at the same time.

  “Braden!” I cry.

  “Baby,” he says huskily. “We’ve only just begun.”

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  The coldness slips inside me then, and I lift my hips against the invasion. Then his mouth is on me, replacing the chill with his hot tongue.

  He devours my pussy, licking and sucking, moving upward to my clit as if he knows exactly when I needed it, but then leaving it before I can reach the precipice I long for.

  He’s good at the tease, at the anticipation. He enjoys it…and truth be told, so do I.

  He leaves my pussy then, and I whimper at the loss, but warmth crawls up my body, and I brace myself, ready for him to thrust his hard cock inside me.

  I whimper again when the thrust doesn’t come.

  Instead, a soft caress to my earlobe and then a raspy whisper.

  “I know your secret, Skye.”

  “Wh-What secret?”

  “You only come when you give up control.”

  My eyes shoot open under the blindfold. All I see is black.

  “That surprises you?” he says softly.

  I say nothing. Though I never thought it before, his words make perfect sense. All those years I tried for an orgasm only to fail time after time. Only when I relinquished control to Braden did I have success.

  Wow. Talk about an epiphany.

  “I’ve given you climax after climax, but only when you yield to me. You told me tonight that your fight is over. That I have your control.”

  “Y-Yes,” I say.

  “Do you know what that means to me?”

  “N-No.”

  “It means you’re mine, Skye. In this bedroom—in the dark—you’re mine.”

  “Yours,” I echo. “Yours in the dark.”

  Then he thrusts his cock into me.

  I arch into the invasion, trying to open myself to take more of him.

  “So much more I want to do to you,” he says against my cheek. “So much more. And now that I have your control, I will. But for now, I want to fuck you like this, while you can’t touch me, can’t see me. Your tits are so beautiful, your nipples red from the clamps and your chest pink from my crop. Colors I gave you, Skye. Colors that prove you’re mine here in the dark.”

  “Yours,” I say again as I wrap my legs over his hips. His perfect r
ear end is hard against my calves.

  Thrust. Thrust. Thrust.

  I revel in the fullness, the completeness, of him inside me. So good. Better than good, even. Something feels different this time—something I can’t put my finger on.

  Until it explodes into my mind as if it were always there.

  I’m letting myself feel the emotion behind the physical.

  I love him. Does he love me? I don’t know, and for this brief time, it doesn’t matter. I’m going to feel the emotion. Let myself go. Throw myself into this coupling with my whole heart and damn the consequences.

  I love him. He may not be making love to me, but I’m making love to him.

  I want to trail my fingers over his broad shoulders and strong back. To scratch him. To mark him.

  Mine.

  Tonight—at least right at this moment—he’s mine.

  His balls slap against me, and the smacking sounds from my wetness drive me further toward the brink.

  The brink.

  The peak.

  The precipice.

  Still, I don’t get there. Don’t quite make it. Until—

  “Come, Skye. Come for me.”

  A pleasure bomb explodes in my pussy and wafts outward, outward, outward…

  Tapestries of color and sound whirl in my mind’s eye as I leap into oblivion. Perfect oblivion.

  “That’s it, baby. Show me. Show me how you come for me.”

  “Braden!” I shout. Then more words, some jumbled, some completely unintelligible. Because it’s all fantasy now. I don’t even pull against my restraints anymore, because everything suddenly makes sense. Perfect sense. All everything and all nothing at the same time.

  All.

  Just all.

  I give it all to Braden. Not just my control but my heart. I already knew I was in love, but now? I’m lost without him. Lost without giving all of me to him.

  He gives me one last thrust and releases, and as I feel him contract, filling me, I know this is what I’ve been searching for. This.

  Just this.

  …

  “You’re beautiful,” Braden says, stroking my cheek. “You have an amazing ‘just-fucked’ look.”

  He removes my blindfold and releases my wrists.

  I instinctively rub them, though I feel no chafing or pain. He took good care of me.

  I look out his amazing floor-to-ceiling windows at the twinkling harbor.

  This.

  It’s all this.

  This is how I’ll take my last photo for my contract with Susanne Cosmetics. I’ll wrap a sheet around me, leave my hair in “just-fucked” disarray, and have Braden shoot me profiled against the window.

  “Will you?” I ask after I tell him my plan.

  “I will. You just can’t post that you’re at my place.”

  “I wouldn’t do that,” I say. “Our private life is private.”

  “Don’t be surprised if the Babbler does some kind of exposé.”

  “Good point. I’ll wear a robe instead of a sheet.”

  “God, no, Skye. Wear the sheet. You’ll sell so much lip stain that Eugene what’s her name won’t know what hit her.”

  I rise, go to the bathroom, remove the Night on the Town, and apply the Cherry Russet. I run my fingers through my hair so the disarray is an arranged mess. Perfect.

  I set up the shot, find the place where the lighting is perfect, and then hand my phone to Braden. “Stand right here. I want a profile shot against the harbor. Make sure you get a good shot of my lips.”

  “Wait,” he says.

  “For what?”

  “You’ll see.” He walks to his closet, rummages around, and returns with a black object. He hands it to me. “Wear this.”

  “A mask?” It’s satin with black feathers and a large crystal jewel fanning out from one side. I’m almost afraid to touch it because it looks so delicate. I simply stare at it a few minutes.

  “Trust me,” he says. “Go to the bathroom and put it on. See what you think.”

  I nod and traipse into the bathroom, securing the sheet around me. I place the mask over my eyes…

  And I’m transformed. My eyes pop against the blackness. But my lips? They don’t pop. No, that’s too tame a word. The russet red seems more vibrant than it is, almost as if the rest of me has faded into black and white.

  Braden is right.

  I adjust my mussed hair just a bit to accommodate the mask and then return to the window where Braden waits, still holding my phone.

  “You look breathtaking,” he says.

  “Remember, it’s the lip stain I’m selling.”

  “I’ll take several,” he says. “We’ll get a good one.”

  I take my place at the window.

  “Smile,” he says. Then, “No, don’t. Part your lips in that sexy way.”

  I chuckle and then move my mouth into my normal expression. I hope that’s what he means.

  “Perfect.” He shoots several photos and regards the screen. “The second one, Skye. Use the second one.”

  I take the phone from him and peruse the photos. Though I prefer the fourth, as my lips are more visible, I see Braden’s point. In the second, my gaze seems focused on nothing in particular, as if I’m contemplating the harbor. Or the night. Or the mask I’m wearing. Or the fact that I’ve just been fucked incredibly well. Or anything. The “what” doesn’t matter. What matters is the ethereal look of the photo. It perfectly captures a perfect moment.

  Second one it is. I do some quick edits and post the photo.

  Cherry Russet lip stain by @susannecosmetics. Perfect for all life’s moments. #sponsored

  No hashtags other than the required one. Just the copy.

  It says it all.

  Braden walks toward me and wraps his arms around me. We look out at the beauty of the harbor, the moon shining down and casting silver sparkles on the boats below.

  “I have more in store for you,” he whispers, “now that I control you in the dark. Will you follow me, Skye? Trust me to give you all kinds of pleasure?”

  I smile against his shoulder. “I will.”

  He kisses my forehead. “I can’t believe what I’m about to say.”

  I pull away slightly and meet his gaze. He’s looking at me. Truly looking at me, and I feel, almost for the first time, that he’s actually seeing me.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Maybe”—his voice is low, hypnotic—“maybe we can give this relationship thing a try.”

  Waves of happiness surge into me, and I can’t help myself. I say the words.

  “I love you, Braden.”

  Seconds pass. Seconds that seem like hours while my heart races. Until—

  “I love you too, Skye.”

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  An email arrives Monday from Eugenie.

  Skye, those posts were fabulous, especially the last one. You looked radiant, and sales for Cherry Russet are off the charts! Plus, we’re getting orders for Night on the Town, as well. I’ve deposited the remaining five thousand dollars in your account, along with a thousand dollar bonus for the extra post about Night on the Town. I want to meet with you in person to talk about our next deal. We’re so pleased! I’ll be in touch to set up dates for you to fly to New York. Thank you so much!

  I smile and hug myself. Addison may have ruined my balloon shoot, but Eugenie is pleased. I take a quick look through my posts. The photos are good. No, not just good. They’re great, and I’ve gained another ten thousand followers. I have far to go before I pass Addie’s ten million, and I may never get there. If I don’t? That’s okay. I’m taking good photos. They may not be changing the world yet, but someday I’ll shoot a photo that people remember always.

  I’m free of Addison Ames, I’m earning money, I have an ador
able new puppy, and I’m in love with an amazing man who loves me back. I still know so little about Braden, but he rescued Penny for me. He saved a puppy. For me.

  Really, what more do I need to know?

  After I shower and dress, I take the T to Bark Boutique early on Monday. Won’t Betsy be surprised when she learns I have a new puppy?

  When I get off the T, my phone dings. A text from Braden.

  Be ready tonight. I’m going to take you where you’ve never gone before.

  Sparks sizzle beneath my skin. What does he mean? Is it literal? Is he taking me somewhere? I doubt it. It’s probably a new adventure in the bedroom. He could mean anything, and I don’t want to know almost as much as I want to know. Surprise heightens the anticipation. Already my body is on fire.

  I quickly type a response.

  Can’t wait!

  Then I enter Betsy’s shop. She smiles and beckons me over to the counter.

  “Skye, what are you doing here?”

  “I need everything. A collar. A dog dish. A kennel. Treats and toys.”

  “For Tessa’s dog?”

  I smile. “No, for mine.”

  “You got a dog?” she squeals.

  I nod. “She’s the sweetest little rescue pup, about three months old. Her name is Penny.”

  “But you said your place doesn’t allow dogs. Are you moving?”

  “Not for a while. My lease isn’t up for six months, but she’s staying at Braden’s until then.”

  Betsy’s face drops. “Oh.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  She shakes her head. “I’ve been over and over this in my head, Skye. There’s no way around it. I can’t tell you what I know.”

  “I didn’t ask you to.”

  “But you did.”

  “Yeah, before. But the past doesn’t matter to me anymore, Bets. I love him.”

  She shakes her head again. “Fuck.”

  “What?”

  “You love him.”

  “Yeah. And he loves me.”

  “He does?”

  “Yeah.” I hug myself. “He told me Saturday evening. Actually it was early Sunday morning.”

  “Oh, Skye…”

  “It’s okay. The past doesn’t matter. I don’t care what happened between him and Addison. Nothing matters except now, and right now, I need supplies for my adorable new puppy. Can you believe that Tessa called Braden and told him about the pup, and he went right over and got her for me?”