“Shall we begin?”
“Y-yes, Sir.”
“Turn around. Stand at the counter beside the sink. Face the cabinets.”
When unease glinted in her eyes, Beck wondered if she’d changed her mind. But his tenacious girl positioned herself exactly as he’d demanded.
“Very good. Don’t move. You do not have permission to speak unless spoken to, except to use your safe word. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Beck stepped back, peeled off his shirt, and tossed the belt over his shoulder before moving in behind her. Pressing his wide chest against her back, he savored the ripple that skittered through her. Then he clasped her elbows, guided them to the counter, and pressed her palms flat against the cool granite before threading his fingers through hers. “Are you sure you’re ready to taste my pain?”
Her ragged breath zipped up his excited senses. “Yes, Sir.”
He’d never imagined he’d have the chance to command her in this way, to ever put his marks on her. The terrible anticipation was killing him.
“But I’m afraid.” Her voice trembled.
“I won’t tell you that you shouldn’t be.” He dragged his tongue up her neck. The flavor of her warm flesh exploded on his taste buds. The sharp, sweet scent of her fear mixed with the spicy musk of her pussy as he bit her lobe and tugged. “What’s your safe word?”
She sucked in a tiny gasp and squeezed his fingers. “Freedom, Sir.”
“Don’t forget. You’ll need it tonight.”
Heavenly said nothing more, simply braced. Her willingness to serve him was a powerful aphrodisiac. His cock—a throbbing slab of steel and leaking like a fucking sieve—grew impossibly hard.
Beck backed away just enough to stroke the soft, supple flesh of her ass before he opened the drawer at her hip and retrieved a pair of bungee cords. “Raise your arms.”
Slowly, she did. Her breasts rose. Her nipples jutted up like an offering to the gods.
The temptation to toss the belt aside and spend the night wringing one ear-piercing scream of ecstasy after another from her roared. But if he gave in to his urge to violate her in every way known to man, he’d also deny them both this chance to connect on a potentially deeper level.
The irony of wanting to make love to her didn’t escape Beck. In the past, sex had been the fringe benefit he enjoyed after a whipping good time at Shadows. He’d never been tempted to opt out of a scene in lieu of it—until now. But he owed Heavenly this experience; she needed it. Then once he’d reddened her ass and sipped her tears, he would drive as goddamn deep inside her as he could and brand himself onto her soul.
As Beck worked the bungee cords around her wrists and fastened them to the stainless cabinet pulls, tension bled from her body. She found security in being bound, and the unconditional trust she was handing him wreaked havoc with his control.
“If your arms get tired, you can’t handle the pain, or you find any reason to stop, say freedom. Understood?” He curled a finger under her chin. “Listen to me. Using your safe word isn’t a failure. Only not stopping me if you need to is.”
“I understand, Sir.” She lowered her head, her whole body tightening, seemingly braced for impact. “I’m ready.”
Suddenly, the realization that he was about to hurt his little girl felt like a punch in the gut. His throat went dry. His heart raced. Never in all the years he’d been a sadist had Beck ever balked at a scene.
Get a grip, man.
Dragging in a deep breath, he wrapped the belt around his fist, rolled his shoulders, and centered himself. Then he brought the leather down across Heavenly’s ass with a slow, soft slap.
She jolted and yelped. Then in the next moment, she began to giggle.
“You’re laughing at my lash, sub?” Beck feigned insult.
She started to glance over her shoulder but caught herself. “Not at you, Sir. The swat surprised more than hurt me.”
“Because I didn’t want it to…yet.”
He flicked the belt over her ass again, eliciting a smaller jerk this time. He repeated the process, landing a series of light slaps. As he delighted in the pink hue blushing across her pale ass, her heels started to leave the ground. She wriggled unconsciously to escape the slowly building pain.
He lowered the belt and stepped in, caressing her warm, lush flesh. “Enjoying my warm-up?”