“You’re free to use it, if you like. Or you can join me every morning for a run.” He flashes that disarming smile again.
“I prefer to walk along the cliffs,” I say as he leads me down a curved corridor, the view nothing but endless sea beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows on our left.
“So I’ve heard. Enjoy those walks while you can. Autumns are chilly here, and the winters are brutal.”
“That’s what I’ve been told.” We’re exchanging little more than generic pleasantries, and I’m surprised at how comfortable I feel in his presence. At the end of the hall, double doors open into a spacious suite.
“This is where you’ll stay for the month.”
Windows line the entire left side of the room, and straight ahead, the standard French doors open onto a balcony. Through an archway next to the four-poster bed, I spy a private sitting room, going by the plush group of chairs, loveseats, and a minibar. The space is familiar yet different from every other room I’ve stayed in so far in the Zodiac Estate.
I wander through the arch, and my jaw drops. On the other side of the wall, another bed awaits. Turning to Miles, I meet his expectant gaze, and suspicion burrows under my skin. “Why are there two beds?”
Two beds with no door between them.
“We’re sharing the suite.”
“What about privacy?”
“Privacy isn’t a privilege in this house.” He reaches for his tie, hesitating a moment before loosening the knot. “The barrier of our virginity will be the only thing between us until we marry.”
“You mean if we marry.”
“Yes,” he says with a small smile. He pulls the tie from around his neck and begins unbuttoning his white dress shirt. My brain short-circuits as he sheds the garment. I freeze, but my stupor doesn’t stop him from unzipping his pants. His hands tremble as he pulls them down, and I wonder if he’s nervous under that polite exterior, or does he suffer from a tremor?
“W-why are you taking your clothes off?” Finally, I discover my vocal cords.
“In a second, you’ll understand why.” He pushes a pair of white boxer-briefs down his muscular thighs, and my mouth hangs open. I command my eyes to focus anywhere but below his waist, but I can’t drag my attention away. His cock is flaccid, the length trapped inside some sort of metal contraption that seems much too small to hold his manhood.
“It’s a chastity cage,” he explains, as if he heard my chaotic thought process. “I’m not allowed to have an erection, and you’re not allowed to orgasm.” His gaze darts to the area between my legs. “Hence the device.”
I gulp. “How does it work, exactly?”
“It’s painless, unless you reach climax.”
I’m positive my skin has turned as pale as the flowers on the walls in his main sitting room. “What happens if I…?” My brain stalls, and I swallow the words I can’t bring myself to repeat.
“Then it’ll hurt.”
“How bad?” At the thought, I press my thighs together.
“The pain is on the level of labor contractions, or so I’ve heard.”
“Vance didn’t tell me that.” Nor did Liam.
“He isn’t aware of that feature. It’s proprietary to SinTech.”
“SinTech?” That sounds ominous and…sinful.
“My family’s company. We specialize in the design of high-end sexual devices.”
“Like your cage?”
“Yes, and the device you’re wearing, though it hasn’t been made public yet. Outside of Vance and the chancellor, no one knows about it. Except for the legacy members, of course.”
“And now me.”
“Yes, and you’re not to tell anyone.”
“I hadn’t planned to.” A note of irritation colors my tone.
“It wasn’t my intention to accuse. I’m only setting boundaries and expectations.” He steps toward me, unabashedly naked. “First things first, you need to undress.”
I stumble back. “What?”
“Nudity is an important part of our time together. The body isn’t a distraction, nor is it shameful. Our bodies are beautiful, Novalee. I believe we’ll share true intimacy at the end of the year, but for now, we’ll learn to co-exist in our natural form.”
“No.” The protest leaves my mouth before I can stop it, and as I retreat by another step, a bitterness reminiscent of fear rises in my throat. It’s one thing to put up a fight with Liam, or even Vance, but disobeying Miles Sinclair is risky. I know nothing about him, except that he lives in a vortex of immaculate purity—from the whitewash of his house to the locked cage that ensures his abstinence.
And then there’s the undeniable terror waiting under the surface of my calm, because what if he’s worse than Heath Bordeaux?
“I won’t put my hands on you, but you’re not leaving these rooms until you undress.”
I stride to the door we came through and yank on the handle, but it won’t budge. Panic mounts, spreading down my legs until they tremble. I’m almost gasping for air as I bolt for his side of the suite, searching for another avenue of escape.