Chapter Seven
“Kiss me.”
Elizabeth tried to look away, but Alexander slipped his arm around her waist, and her body won the battle with her mind. As their lips met, her eyes fluttered closed. This time, he let her set the pace. Hesitant at first, she slid closer. Teasing her tongue over his teeth, she took in the taste of him. Arousal prickled her nose as her body responded to the feel of his tongue against hers, the tug of his teeth against her lip, and the firm grasp he had on her. She couldn’t move if she wanted to, but at that moment, she couldn’t fathom a single reason why she’d ever moveagain.
“Oh God,” she whimpered when she broke the kiss. “What are you doing tome?”
“Showing you who you are. Why I want you. I have very specific needs in the bedroom. Needs that I believe you can fill. And in turn, I will take care ofyourneeds—even the ones you refuse toacknowledge.”
“You want to tie me up.” The words shot a thrill through her, raising gooseflesh on the backs of her arms. Her core practically ached with a need she hadn’t felt in years. But giving up control…shecouldn’t.
“That is part of it. I require your surrender. Total and complete trust. And in exchange, I promise that you will always be safe and protected. No harm will ever come to you in my care. That is the role of a Dom,chérie.”
“You want to makeme—”
“No.” The single word practically exploded from his lips, though he’d never raised his voice. “I willneverforce you. Is that what you think submissionis?”
While she’d read the occasional romance novel that teased BDSM in a relationship, she’d never experienced itfirsthand.
“I’m not a…a sub. I’m sorry, Alexander. You have the wrongwoman.”
Alexander slid his arms around her. His breath whispered against her ear as he nibbled on her neck. Instinctively, she angled her head to afford him the access he demanded with his very presence. “Only the strongest of women make true submissives. A weak-minded woman can never trust someone enough to surrender. I want you in my silks, Elizabeth. I’ve made no secret ofthat.”
He cupped the back of her head. His stare sliced through her, right into the depths of her soul. She looked away, unwilling to give more of herself to this man who kept speaking as if she were alreadyhis.
“Your silks. You keep saying that.” Nothing about this situation made sense, especially not the throbbing ache between herlegs.
“All of my…implements involve silk in some manner. May I showyou?”
When she didn’t respond, his lips crushed down onhers.
OhGod.
She wantedhim.
“Come upstairs. I promise that nothing will happen you’re not readyfor.”
He rose and offered Elizabeth his hand. She considered, and after a moment, let him help her up. Arms linked, he led her through the parlor and up a sweeping set of stairs to a dark wooddoor.
Elizabeth’s heart pounded in her ears. Perhaps this wasn’t a smartidea.
Alexander turned to her and took both of her hands in his. “You know what a safewordis?”
“Yes.”
“I’d like to show you my silks. I do not intend to touch you. Not unless you ask. But for someone with no experience, even the sight of a crop in this context can be too much. If you say ‘red’ to me at any time, everything stops. If I am touching you, I stop. If I am demonstrating something, even if I am nowhere near you, I stop. If I am explaining something, and it frightens you, say red, and I stop. Do youunderstand?”
Elizabeth nodded, but Alexander shook his head. “I require verbal communication, Elizabeth. Inside this room, gestures mean nothing. I will ask you often if you understand me. Probably more than you think necessary, but trust me in this.Yes?”
“O-okay.”
Alexander opened the door and let Elizabeth step into his private sanctuary. A reflection of the man at her side, it whispered understated elegance and power. Floors the color of dark chocolate gleamed like new. Under the glow of recessed lights, a king-size, four-poster bed sat as an island of luxury on a raised platform. In the corner, a large wooden cross made from the same rich, shining, cherry wood as the bed frame dominated the space. Black silk restraints at each point of the X drew hereyes.
While Elizabeth was taking in the room, Alexander opened the cabinet next to the cross. Inside, a pegboard held numerous pieces of braided silk and rope, what looked to be several leather crops with silk covered handles, various implements with tassels at one end and silk at the other, a collection of blindfolds, padded silk cuffs, and on the top shelf, folded blankets and bottles of water. “Come here,Elizabeth.”
His voice was completely different in this room. Where downstairs he’d been playful, now he was deadly serious. His words took on a deeper timbre. They were slower and crisper—not harsh, but firm. Elizabeth chewed on the inside of her lip and stepped forward. Alexander lifted a blindfold in one hand and a piece of thick braided silk and hemp rope with suede tassels on the end in the other. “If you were ever to trust me with your pleasure, Elizabeth, this is how we would begin. This is my favoriteflogger.”
Flogger?
