A naked woman.
Now that was something she could write about to Liz. Julius closed the door and leaned against the wall, drawing her back to rest against his front. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, Amanda made out a few other figures standing around the edges of the room, watching the bench. But much less people than in the main room. Amanda’s shoulders began to unclench.
A shadow separated from the darkness and circled the naked woman. The man wore trousers, but no shirt. Squatting by the bench, he lifted a candle from the ground. The light flickered across a broad expanse of bare chest. He moved his hand from the top of the woman’s head, along the curve of her back and bottom, and down her long legs, the candle sending flickers of light to illuminate each bronzed inch of her flesh.
Amanda held her breath. She didn’t see any rope to bind the woman. No implements to use upon her. As far as peculiar desires went, this seemed rather tame. But the room itself seemed to hold its breath with Amanda, waiting.
It happened quickly. A tip of the candle, a splash of wax. The woman stiffened and gasped. The man repeated his action, this time drawing a long line of candle wax across the woman’s back. She writhed under the onslaught, and the man placed a meaty palm on her lower back to keep her still.
Amanda stepped forward, uncertain. Was he burning her?
Wrapping an arm around her stomach, Julius drew her back. “The hurt is only temporary,” he whispered in her ear. “And the lady wants it. She comes back for it again and again.”
Amanda had a hundred questions, but kept silent, watching intently. The woman’s gasps and moans did seem to sound more of pleasure than pain. Putting the candle down, the man ran a hand through his bushy beard before picking up a different candle. With the eye of an artist, he drew patterns on her skin with the liquid wax, holding her down here, shifting her body there. The only sounds in the room were the woman’s throaty moans, the crush of skin against velvet as she shifted restlessly against the bench, and the soft drips of wax striking flesh.
The chamber was several degrees cooler than the main room, but Amanda’s body temperature rose higher. She pressed her thighs together and tugged at the top of her corset. Through the thin linen of her gown, her breasts scratched against the whalebone.
Tugging her hood back, she gulped down the cool air. Julius gathered her hair and pooled it to one side, over her shoulder. He blew gently on the back of her neck, a soothing breeze.
The tongue he used against her heated flesh was anything but soothing.
With the tip, he traced a pattern from the nape of her neck to her ear, sucking the lobe inside his hot mouth, making her melt. “Do you enjoy watching her struggle against the pain, to see as she surrenders to her pleasure?” His voice was a huskygrowl, and it sent a shiver from her eardrum to her core. “Do you grow wet seeing her submit? To give her body over to the care of her partner?” He grabbed her skirt at her thighs and began to gather it up. Inch by inch, her legs were revealed to the cool air.
Amanda tugged at the strings of her cloak, loosening the knot. The thick wool shifted down her back, still tied onto her, but exposing more and more. Maybe in the dark room, with Julius at her back, maybe she could remove it.
Her hands froze at the ties when Julius’s fingers brushed bare skin. He had her skirt raised to her waist, and only the darkness covered her.
“Do you see how pretty she is in her passion?” He scraped his teeth against her ear, and she sagged against his chest. “Not as pretty as you when you submit. That moment, when you stop struggling against the ropes, stop trying to find comfort, to find satisfaction. When you surrender, and give yourself over to me to pleasure you as I see fit.” He shifted behind her, pressing his hard length into the crease of her bottom. “You are the most beautiful thing in the world at that moment.”
Her eyes blurred, and the flickering candles turned into dancing spots of lights. His thick finger found its way between her folds, gliding easily. “I knew you’d be wet,” he whispered, satisfaction oozing from his voice.
She clutched at his arm, her fingers digging into his coat. Her own gasp was covered by the shriek of the woman on the bench as wax was poured onto her bottom, the candle only inches from her skin. The bearded man sat back on his haunches and appraised his work. With a nod, he licked his thumb and index finger and snuffed out the candles, one by one. Each hiss of the dying flames was echoed in the back of Amanda’s throat. Julius’s fingers danced along her intimate flesh, making her mind splinter along with her body.
The room went full dark, heavy breathing the only sound. Leaning her head back on his shoulder, she let Julius’s fingers sweep her away. He vee’d two fingers and rubbed back and forth around her clit. He reached his other hand down her corset and pulled out a breast. The tip was aching for attention, and when Julius pinched down, she almost wept with pleasure.
She was almost there. Just—
A gas lamp flared to life, lighting the chamber with amber shadows. The man and woman at the center of the room stood before the small group. He turned the woman so her back faced the audience. Different colors of wax splashed across her body in a lively pattern. The spectators clapped politely.
Julius’s hands were otherwise occupied. With one hand he continued his relentless assault, with the other he draped her cloak back over her body, covering her nudity. Amanda struggled to stuff herself back into her corset and rearrange the top of her gown beneath the cloak. She clutched her breast through the stiff fabric. She couldn’t let anyone see her like this, red-faced and panting, but her hips had a mind of their own, thrusting into his fingers. She was so close. Rational thought abandoned her, replaced by all-consuming craving.
The bearded man looked up from his human canvas and caught her in his stare.
Heat raced across her skin. Embarrassment. Lust. Need. It was all the same. “Julius,” she begged.
Spinning, he nestled her body against the wall, his own blocking her from view. “Do you want me to stop?”
“God, no.” She placed her palms flat against the wood, wishing there was something she could grab hold of. “Please …”
With no more teasing strokes, Julius increased the pressure. He thrust two fingers in her channel and circled her clitoris with his thumb. With his other hand, he palmed her mouth and leaned in close. “It’s all right. No one can see or hear you. Come for me, Amanda.”
She clawed at the wall, ignoring the sharp prick of a splinter. She stood on the edge of the abyss, her heart skipping a beat, before flying off, shattering into a million pieces. His hand muffled her moan, his arms keeping her from slipping to the floor, a boneless mess. He rubbed her slowly, prolonging her crisis.
After her body stopped shuddering, he slipped his hand from between her legs, and her skirts dropped to the floor. He straightened her cloak and pressed a soft kiss to the skin beneath her ear. “There’s one more reward I owed you.” His lips curved against her skin. “Though I’m still much in your debt.”
She took a steadying breath and turned. Everyone in the room was grouped around the naked woman, admiring the streaks of color along her back. No one took notice of what Julius had just done to her in the corner. No one except the bearded man.
He strode across the room, everyone stepping aside for the behemoth. Stopping in front of them, the swarthy man crossed his arms across his broad chest. Amanda shrank into Julius’s side under the man’s scrutiny.
