“After tonight,” I tell him, “every nasty little barb Zac Powell ever sank into you will be ripped clean out.” My voice is like praline—sweet, hard, and sharp around the edges. “He will mean nothing to you, and you will be free.”
The quick, panting breaths deepen, and he shifts restlessly on his feet. “Good. Do it.”
One side of my mouth curls as I plant a palm flat on his chest and shove him backwards onto the bed. He falls easily, landing with a soft bounce.
“Spread your legs,” I snarl as I turn away. Crossing to my dresser, I rummage around in the top drawer for supplies before returning to the foot of the bed. Ned has moved to the centre, his head on a pillow and his legs wide apart. Only his cock moves, growing and stiffening against his stomach with each thud of his pulse. “Arms out to the sides.” He obeys, and I give a hum of satisfaction. “Don’t you make a pretty picture. All a-fucking-quiver just for me.”
I lift one hand and his gaze drops to the four long lengths of material I’m holding. Eyes blazing, he bites down on his bottom lip and stretches his limbs further apart. Satisfied with his show of consent, I set to work.
“It’s about time you learned a few things about me.” My words are curt as I tie the end of one strip around his left wrist, before securing the other end to the bedpost. “I’m not all shallow sweetness and snarky light.” His left ankle is bound next. “I’m not glitter and fucking rainbows.” Stomping my way to the other side of the bed, I start on his right side. “You want the real me? Here I am. Pushy. Demanding. Possessive as all hell.” The instant the last knot is tied, I climb onto the bed, still fully clothed. I use one straight arm to hold myself above his naked body, while the other hand grips on to his hair. Tugging gently, I tilt his head back until his throat is bared. I wrap my mouth around him, biting down hard enough to feel the rumble of his moan vibrate against my teeth. When I release him, I blow gently on the wet spot left by my tongue and delight in the goosebumps that erupt across his skin. “You will always be safe with me, Ned,” I murmur in his ear. “But you’re no longer safe from me.”
“Fuck.” The word spills from Ned’s lips on a harsh whisper. His back arches and he pulls on his restraints, as if testing their strength. They’ll hold for now, but not forever—exactly as I made them.
I lift my head. Ned’s face is flushed and sweaty, pupils dilated, mouth open in invitation. He’s perfect like this. Desperate with need and willing to split himself open for my pleasure. He’s not quite where I want him, though. Not yet.
Forcing myself to back up, I return to the foot of the bed and pull my shirt over my head. His hungry gaze devours every inch of me. “I’m going to make demands on you, darling.” The term of affection is cloaked in ice. Because there is no room for doubt here, not from either of us. “I will demand, and you will obey. Not just tonight, but for as long as you wear my tether around your neck.” My pants fall to the floor, followed by my boxer briefs, and then I’m naked before him. He stares at me, his hips curling upwards. A drop of pre-come drips onto his belly. “You won’t do it because you need me, or because you can’t live without me. That’s bullshit.”
I climb back onto the bed. Kneeling between his legs, I hook his thighs over mine so I can move in nice and close with my knees bracketing his hips. My hands splay out across his chest, brushing his hardened nipples. “You’ll obey me because you want to, because you can’t resist.” My fingers curl into claws and I dig blunt nails into his skin before dragging them down across his chest and belly. “You’ll obey me because it feels so fucking good.”
Ned hisses in a breath, his back arching into the sting of my touch. “So good.”
Pretty red lines appear on his skin, and I bend over to follow one of them with the tip of my tongue. The salt left behind by his earlier performance coats my tongue and I smile. “You taste like a rock star.”
Reaching behind me, I grab another of the items I brought with me from the drawer and cover it liberally in lubricant from a small bottle. Holding on to the cord that attaches it to a remote control, I press the small bullet vibrator against his hole and watch his eyes go wide as it slides inside. The push of a single button switches it on to the lowest setting.
Ned shouts in surprise. “Holy fuck.” His hips buck and he tries to pull his legs up, but they’re trapped by the restraints and he groans pitifully.
Dropping the remote beside me, I press up against him. My hard cock nestles against his balls, and my eyes close as the vibration travels from him to me. We both groan this time and I have to fight not to rut against him. If I’m not careful, I’ll end up blowing my load before he does.
“Let’s talk about all the things you’re going to do for me, my darling Ned.” I try to keep my voice even, but he’s writhing in front of me, whimpering and yanking on his bindings. So damned sexy. I want to cover him in my come, mark him in a dozen different ways, so he’ll never forget who he belongs to. But fuck it all, this isn’t about me. I refuse to let him down again.
“From this day on you’re going to be brave, Ned. You’re going to be strong.” I rake my fingernails down his thighs, bringing more red lines to the surface. “Never again will you cower behind memories of that monster. He will be gone, and you will show the world who you truly are.”
His eyes are closed and panting moans spill in a constant stream from his lips. He still manages to nod, though. To show he hears me. He’s listening to every word.
I use the remote to turn the vibrator up to the middle setting. Ned’s arse clamps down as his breathing speeds up again. I rise further onto my knees so I can reach all the way up to his shoulders. “You’re going to open yourself wide, the way you were always meant to.” The firmness of his upper chest resists my blunt nails, so I dig in harder, going slower, allowing him to feel every scrape. “You will give yourself over to the music inside you. Let it flow through you, let it move you, let it have you.” I move on to his arms, stretched out before me. “You will seduce your audience in all the ways that feel right and good to you, and no more. Because you are the only one who gets to make that choice.”
Getting up on all fours, I hover over him. My gaze traces the red lines I’ve left on his skin, the tether around his neck, the bindings that restrict his limbs. Despite his helplessness, power radiates from every coiled muscle. He overwhelms my senses with the vast possibilities he contains. If he’ll let me, I’ll happily spend my whole life protecting him as he finds ways to set himself free.
“Everything you’ve ever dreamed of, Ned,” I tell him, willing my words to sink deep into his psyche, obliterating all others. “It’s all yours to take, and to give, as you choose. You are everything you will ever need.”
His eyes spring open and he draws a deep breath through parted lips. “Toni.” My name is barely more than a breath brushing over my lips. “I give my everything to you.”
With a slow smile, I lower my mouth to his, tasting his surrender. I can only hope to be worthy of his trust. For the next minute or two, he may not be sure.
Moving back off him, I go back to kneeling between his thighs. He lies in front of me, his brow lowering. “Toni?”
The remote for the vibrator is beside me. I kick it up to the highest speed, my mouth curling as Ned’s entire body goes rigid and he growls out loud. I take a mental snapshot because holy hell do I want to draw this. I want to commit every line, every curve to paper, so I’ll never forget the way he looks in this moment. The one right before I piss him off again.
A second button switches the vibrator off. It pulls free with a gentle tug on the cord, and I drop the whole thing off the side of the bed and onto a hand towel I have ready on the floor.
Ned roars his displeasure and I respond with a low, satisfied chuckle. “If you want to come, Ned, you’ll have to use my cock to do it.” I grab the bottle of lubricant and drizzle some in my hand. Leaning back on the other arm, I spread my knees a little wider, so he’s got a good eyeful before fisting my length in a tight, wet grip. “I want you to fuck yourself on me until we’re both covered in your hot come.”
“Yes.” He yanks at his restraints, as though to remind me they’re still there. “Please, Toni.”
Swallowing, I shake my head. “I can’t set you free. Only you can.”
His eyebrows raise and he glances up at his bound wrists. “I can’t.”
