Then I slide my hands down her abdomen, pushing the dress off her to the floor. She stands only in her black panties. I lower my head and inhale. Deeply.
She has the scent of a goddess. But she’s not a goddess. She’s Eve. She’s Delilah. She’s a temptress like no other woman I’ve known. She has no idea how much inner strength I required to hand her that sweater, to tell her to leave.
Because my God, I want her. I want to do everything to her.
I inhale again and then slide her panties over her hips.
They land within the circle of the dress.
She’s naked.
Naked and wet and completely at my mercy.
Perfect.
I trail my tongue over the top of her vulva, which is freshly shaven and smooth this time. I spread her thighs and flick my tongue over her clit, savoring the brief taste of her. She inhales sharply and I tilt my head, meeting her gaze.
“Bedroom,” I rasp. Then I stand and pull her—naked while I’m still fully clothed in my tux—to the bedroom.
I leave her standing by the bed and walk to my highboy. I open a drawer and pull out a black silk blindfold.
Tonight it begins.
The education of Skye Manning.
The submission of Skye Manning.
I return to the bed, place the cool silk over her eyes, and tie it around her head, taking care not to tug on her beautiful hair.
She opens her mouth, and I wait. I wait for her to tell me to stop. I will always stop if she wants me to, but she doesn’t want me to. Already I feel this.
She closes her mouth, and I smile, knowing she can’t see my expression.
“Don’t speak,” I say. “Just enjoy.”
“Enjoy what?”
I hold back the urge to give her a light smack to the breast for her disobedience. “I told you not to speak.”
She presses her lips together.
“Because I’ve taken your sight,” I say, “your other senses will be enhanced. You won’t see what I do to you, but you’ll smell it, taste it, hear it.”
“What if—”
“Skye,” I say, forcing my voice to sound gentler than I actually feel, “if you speak again, I’ll punish you.”
She rips the blindfold off her eyes. “I didn’t sign up to be beaten.”
I expect resistance. Actually want it. Skye’s strength and take-charge attitude are part of what attract me to her, and it will make the end that much sweeter. For both of us.
“Who said anything about being beaten? What kind of man do you think I am?”
“You said you’d punish me. What other kind of punishment is there?”
I meet her gaze. “You’re about to find out.”
Chapter Twenty-One