“Ye-”—he cleared his throat—“yes, that answers that.”
Now was the hard part, but I’d go on. It was time to start the seduction of my pretty Worthy. “And while you’re here, under my care, I want you to let me show you a few things. I want you to realize that you’re perfect the way you are. Nothing about what you like, the pain, the whip or the blood, is bad or not normal. No, just listen to me. That bastard hurt you because he liked to see suffering at his hand. I want you to understand that I can give you the greatest pleasure you’ve ever experienced in your life. No humiliation, no pain you don’t want. You’re in charge of what I do and don’t do. I’m going to tell you every day what I want to do and you have the power to say yes or no. Every time, including today. Today I want to do something you’ve probably never experienced. I’ve told you all the truth today. The bad and the worse. You have no reason to trust me, honestly, but I’m going to ask you, will you trust me to make you feel good today, Worthy?”
He wouldn’t look me in the eyes for one minute, then two, but I wasn’t going to speak again. That was a trick I’d learned from the police years ago. Let silence stretch, and a person will try to fill the quiet eventually. When Worthy’s eyes finally met mine, they were red-rimmed and bright with an emotion I couldn’t recognize. Then he finally spoke, and his words weren’t what I’d expected.
“Why do you call me Worthy?”
This timehelet the silence stretch untilIcouldn’t stand it anymore. Dammit.
“I call you Worthy because you are. You’re worthy of all the good things you haven’t had. You’re worthy of being treated with respect and care and consideration of your feelings and your needs. You’re a good person, and you’re worthy. That’s why I call you that. Is that all right? I can go back to calling you Worthington if you like.”
Worthy began shaking his head vehemently in the middle of my answer. “No, please, don’t stop. I like—” He choked on his words as one single tear escaped his left eye and trailed down his cheek. He took a deep drink of his water, then cleared his throat, looking back into my eyes. That same emotion from before was shining bright, the green of his eyes glowing against the redness. “I like it. Please, you can keep calling me that.”
I held his gaze, lifting my right hand that was still holding his, to wipe that lone tear from his cheek. I couldn’t help myself, so I brought my index finger to my lips and slowly licked Worthy’s tear, tasting his pain for the first time. I couldn’t contain the small moan it pulled from me. Thinking I may have gone too far, I looked back at Worthy to see his reaction.
Now his eyes had turned sleepy, almost sultry, then his words became the sweetest thing I’d heard since the death gurgle of that pedophile over a week ago.
“I believe you’re telling the truth, and I may regret this, but I’m done living my life through fear. Make me feel good.”
Worthy stood up abruptly, paced to the doorway, and then back again. He came right at me, leaning one hand on the arm of my dining chair and the other on the dining table, pinning me in.
“Dammit, I don’t even know what to call you. They only called you CJ at the wedding, but that doesn’t sound right. What do I call you?”
The blaze in those sultry eyes held me still as I answered, “I’m called Crow. It’s the only name I use now except my alias for my other business. You can call me Crow, if you want to call me anything.”
“Crow.”
The sound of that name coming from Worthy’s lips would have made me weak in the knees had I been standing. He moved those sensuous lips over the letters in such a way, I wanted to hear it softer, louder, as a whisper and as a scream. I vowed I would make it so I heard them all from Worthy’s lips. Soon.
“Yes, that’s what you can call me.”
He nodded and then moved into my space even further, being bolder than anyone had been with me in all my adult life. I loved it. He got closer and placed his mouth close to my ear and whispered, “Crow, I want you to make me feel like you promised. I’m trusting you this time. God help me, I’m trusting you. Please don’t make me regret it.”
I held back the shivers I felt from his breath on my ear, then moved my mouth to his ear and answered, “Strip, get on the bed, and wait for me, Worthy.”
He stepped back, held my steady gaze for a minute, and then walked toward the bedroom, pulling his tee over his head as he walked.
As he left the room, I let a slow smile spread across my face. That show of relent, submission, and obedience was the first step in my plan. I didn’t smile often, but this was a special occasion. The truth had been the key. I’d wanted to pull him in slowly, carefully, and I would stay on this path for today. He wasn’t the junkyard dog, I’d thought he was. Worthy was the kicked puppy that wanted to be loved. If this show of trust was any indication, my plan was working like a charm.
Welcome to my web said the spider to the fly.
