“Take off the bra. I’ll remove the panties,” he told her gruffly.
His breath burned in his lungs as she unfastened the rear hook and her breasts spilled out of the cups. His cock lurched against his boxer briefs.
No. Most definitely the real thing.
Her lithesome arms fell to her sides, leaving her high, pink-tipped breasts exposed. Her eyes were still downcast. It was so strange to see her in anything remotely resembling a submissive pose. Unusual . . . and extremely arousing.
He closed his eyes briefly, blocking himself from the potent vision of her, and turned his attention to the grungy room where she’d been living. His mouth tightened when he again took note of the bars on the windows. He stepped over to the dresser and picked up the long-handled silver and enamel hairbrush he’d seen there earlier.
“Pick up your pearls and come over here,” he said, waving toward the end of the sagging double bed. It was made. He’d give her this—she’d kept the room as neat and clean as she possibly could. Again, his heart squeezed in his chest at the thought of this gem of a woman living in such squalor.
He sat at the edge of the bed, making the springs squeak in protest. He noticed she still hadn’t moved and was looking in turn at him, the hairbrush in his hand, and the heap of pearls she’d set on the desk.
“I’ll tell you what I’m going to do with them. Bring them here.” She scooped up the pearls and approached him, her gaze flickering from his face to his lap. His cock twitched as if she’d touched him.
He did his best to ignore the flagrant display of naked beauty just inches away from fingers that were itching to touch. He set down the hairbrush and held out his hands. She blinked, realizing what he wanted, and handed him the pearls.
“These pearls are valuable to you personally,” he stated rather than asked as he held the creamy, heavy gems in his hands. She blanched.
“How did you know that?” she asked.
“Because while they are lovely, they’re cultured and irregular in shape. You said the watch was the least valuable thing you could offer, but these”—he held up the pearls—“were a hundred times cheaper. More so.”
“Don’t call them cheap.”
“I’m not casting aspersions on your pearls. I’m just pointing out, the cabdriver would have likely prized their value over the watch. It would have made more sense to offer them. Who gave you the pearls?”
He saw the mini-revolt spark in her beautiful eyes and something else . . . something he didn’t like. “That’s none of your business.”
He examined her closely for several seconds, but she revealed nothing more. Anger flickered in him at her show of defiance. So did something else. Jealousy.
“I’m going to bind your wrists. Go like this.” He held out his arms and put his wrists together, palms facing inward. For a split second, he saw panic flash across her beautiful face. Despite the outlandish reports of her sexual antics, this was not a woman used to being bound.
“What are you going to do after that?” she asked suspiciously.
“I told you earlier I owed you a punishment for teasing me the way you did. Now you’re going to get something extra for living in this hellhole and putting yourself at risk.” His eyelids narrowed when he saw her confusion . . . her desire. “Is there something you want to ask me?”
“No.” Even though she said nothing else, her defiant expression said loud and clear, I can take whatever you can dish out. It’s all the same to me.
“You are still pulling at the reins,” he said softly. “When you stop it and submit, the time will have come.”
He saw bewilderment shadow her features, but then her gaze met his. Her anxiety seemed to vanish. Slowly, she held out her hands to be bound.
He exhaled. Her show of trust aroused him even more than the vision of her gorgeous body. He resisted an urge to touch . . . caress . . . consume . . .
. . . possess completely.
“You’re going to restrain me with pearls?” she asked incredulously from above him a moment later as he began to twist the gems around her wrists.
“If you struggle or try to get your hands free, you might break the silk.” He glanced up into her now flushed face. “I find that something delicate can restrain better than metal if the wearer values what binds.”
He determinedly focused on the task of looping the pearls around her wrists, making the long strand stretch snugly from lower wrists to forearms. Her thrusting breasts fractured his focus, trembling slightly as she breathed and he maneuvered the necklace. He could imagine in graphic detail how soft the skin of them would be sliding against his lips. When he’d finished restraining her wrists, he looked up at her face.
She was exquisite, her skin gleaming more luminously than the pearls. Her scent filtered into his nose—clean, light, extremely feminine. Her eyes looked large in her pale face, but they grew wider when he reached up, unable to resist, and stroked the under-curve of her left breast. He watched the rosebud tip darken and tighten. Blood pulsed into his cock.
For a second, a haze of lust fogged his vision, stealing his will.
“Lie down in my lap,” he murmured after he’d steadied himself. She complied without speaking. He guided her, taking some of her weight since her wrists were restrained. He noticed how careful she was of not stretching the silk and pearl bond and felt a stab of irritation.
Who had given her the necklace? She clearly held it dear.
Her skin felt like warm silk as he grasped one hip, holding her steady. The fingers of his other hand trailed down her back. He felt her ripple beneath his touch, mounting his lust. She settled in his lap, the sweet pressure of her body taunting his erection.