Her eyebrows lifted as she looked at me from head to toe and then held her attention on Gavriel. “And who is this obedient one?”
Rubbing his neck when I felt it tense, I waved my other hand around. “This is my pretty boy, and he’s not available.”
“Shame. He is quite delicious looking.”
Giving her a wicked smirk, I had to laugh.If she only knew who he really was.“He is. I protect him at all costs. Which is why I’m here and not at Paradise.”
There was a light laugh that came from her as she stood and adjusted her corset. “Work and play in two different locations. I completely understand. Do have a good night, Lady E.”
As she walked away, pretty boy’s shoulders relaxed and I reached down to turn his head toward me. “Good boy.”
Leaning down, I gave him a kiss on the forehead as he murmured, “Thank you.”
"You know the best dominance isn't about pain or humiliation. It's about trust. About holding someone's surrender in your hands and honoring it."
“Yes, ma’am.”
"Stand," I finally commanded, ready to move us forward. When he rose fluidly to his feet, I pulled him by the chain, ordering, "Follow me."
The private alcove was perfect—draped in midnight-blue velvet with strategic lighting that would showcase his body beautifully. My personal selection of implements was arranged on a side table: floggers, cuffs, blindfolds, and more intimate toys that made my pulse quicken.
"Strip," I ordered once the privacy curtain was drawn. His eyes met mine for a brief moment. Just a flicker of the real Gavriel, the man who commanded armies of killers, flashed in those eyes before he lowered them again and began unbuttoning his shirt. Each layer of clothing he removed seemed to peel away another piece of his burden.
When he stood before me in nothing but the metal cage constraining his obvious arousal, I circled him slowly, admiring what was mine.
"Kneel." He sank gracefully to his knees, hands resting palms up on his thighs. "Do you know why we're here, Pretty Boy?"
"Because you commanded it, Goddess." He let out a long breath. “But you said earlier to just be.”
I smiled, trailing the falls of the flogger across his shoulders. "That's true. But not entirely accurate. We're here because you're carrying too much. The weight of your sister's future. Your father's expectations. The violence of your world." I leaned down, my lips close to his ear. "For the next few hours, you'll carry nothing. I'll take it all."
His breath hitched, and I saw his hands tremble slightly.
"Color?" I asked, checking in on him.
"Green," he whispered firmly, and in that single word, I heard his surrender.
I straightened, assuming the posture that had earned me my reputation in these circles. "Then let's begin."
The first strike of the flogger across his back was gentle, a promise to deliver pleasure with the pain. His muscles jumped beneath his skin, then relaxed as I established a rhythm. With each stroke, I watched his breathing deepen, his mind emptying of everything except the sensation I was creating.
This was what he needed. In the outside world, he was the Owl’s Talon, the feared enforcer. Here, he was mine to protect, to push, to please. And for a few precious hours, the only thing he had to worry about was obeying me.
As the flogger's intensity increased, I saw the moment he truly let go. It was in the way his head fell forward, a soft sound escaping his lips that wasn't quite pain, not quite pleasure, but something transcendent between the two.
"That's it," I murmured, softly running my fingers down the reddened skin of his back. "Let go for me, Pretty Boy. I've got you."
And in this moment, with the world temporarily held at bay, I did have him—completely, utterly, in a way that had nothing to do with the cage he sometimes wore between his legs and everything to do with the trust in his eyes when he finally looked up at me.
"Thank you," he whispered, and I knew he wasn't just talking about the flogging.
I cupped his face in my hands. "We're just getting started."
Time slipped away as I guided Gavriel deeper into submission. The outside world receded with each command, each touch, each whispered praise. His skin quivered under the gentle caressof the flogger, sending shivers down my spine as I watched him twitch in delight. The sound of leather against flesh echoed through the room, punctuated by soft moans that escaped his lips. With each strike, his breath hitched in anticipation of my touch. My palms glided over his hot skin, tracing patterns that ignited a fire within him.
The scent of sweat and arousal filled the air, mingling with the faint fragrance of lavender from our surroundings. His muscles relaxed under my touch, responding perfectly to every sensation I evoked. It was mesmerizing to watch him lose himself so completely in this intense experience we shared together.
When I finally released him from the restraints, he turned toward me with heavy-lidded eyes that spoke volumes about his state of mind. His lips parted invitingly, begging for more. Shaking my head, I murmured, "You did so well for me."
