The sun lines at the corners of his eyes deepened. “Since I intend for you to come tonight—and I do—and the thong doesn’t agree with you, I’m afraid you’ll have to suffer from my personal attentions.”

He hadn’t given up at all. Oh God. Her eyes widened as he moved the wine and the remotes to one side, then lifted her and stood her in the middle of the walnut coffee table. “Master!”

“Yes, sumisa?” He sat in front of her, almost on her toes. “Open for me.” He mercilessly pushed her legs apart until her feet were at the edges of the square table. He moved closer, his face right…oh God, right at her groin level. After pulling one of the remotes closer, he turned the bullet vibrator on. The buzz hit inside her, and she moaned.

“Master R, I don’t think—” She bit her lip, feeling like an idiot, feeling the thing buzzing inside her. “I can’t. This isn’t going to work.”

He laughed, actually laughed. “Then I’ll simply enjoy myself with my little sumisa’s body.” His thumbs parted her labia as his fingers curled around her hips, anchoring his hands…and her as well. The feeling of his thumbs pulling her open sent heat spiraling through her again.

“If you start to lose your balance, you may put your hands on my shoulders as you did before.” He looked up at her, his lips curving, “I thought of asking for a number, but I can see fear isn’t what’s on your mind at this moment. “

Fear? Embarrassment, maybe, but this was so far from what any of the slavers had done it held no comparison. It was Master R touching her.

As he leaned forward and blew a stream of warm air onto her exposed clit, the sensation shot across the nerve endings, making her toes curl. Before she got used to that, his mouth closed loosely over her.

“Oh, God.” Hot, oh so very hot. His lips pressed and released, creating a circle of heat and pressure around the nub—so, so soft yet tightening more with each repetition until her clit was trapped. A flicker of his tongue over the top weakened her knees, and she grabbed his shoulders, bending over slightly to keep from falling.

“That’s right, cariño, hang on tight.” His breath teased her pussy, and then his tongue slid up and down one side of her clit, flickering over the very top, before moving to the other side. Blood swelled her tissues until they felt too tight. Bursting tight.

A whine escaped her, and his only response was to let go one hand and turn up the vibrator.

“No…” It shook her from deep inside. He put his hand back, fingers curving around her hip, thumb opening her labia even more firmly. As if trying to match the vibrator, his tongue rubbed at the edge of her clit, moving the looser hood back and forth, no longer teasing but demanding a response.

The pressure grew inside her, her climax approaching as inexorably as a rising tide. Her toes tingled, and the muscles of her thighs trembled until she wondered if she’d fall. She couldn’t seem to care. Everything in her tuned to the movements of his tongue as it rubbed one side of the bundle of nerves, then the other. His lips closed around her, trapping her clit in heat, tightening.

Her fingernails dug into his shoulders, her hips giving little jerks, needing…more. She wanted to pull him closer, needed to, but he held her ruthlessly, doing exactly as he wanted.

Slowly his lips tightened, pinching the nub. He sucked lightly, and his tongue butterflywinged over the very top, and everything in her tightened, tightened. The roaring of surf sounded in her ears.

He sucked—oh, God—sucked strongly, and sensation gripped her spine like a fist until it exploded; everything spasmed in massive waves around the humming thing at her center, shaking her in an earthquake of sensation.

His thumbs released her, and his hands curved under her ass, holding her up—holding her against his mouth as he flicked her gently again, making it last. Her legs gave out entirely, and his rumbling laugh against her clit made her come again. Without any effort at all, he lifted her. “Put your legs around me,” he said in a firm voice. She was shaking too hard to fight him.

She’d had orgasms. She’d been afraid that part of her life was over. But he’d done what she asked and gone further even. Aroused her—pleasured her.

His eyes had darkened to almost black; satisfaction filled his smile. “You taste very nice, cariño. Since we’ve crossed over this bridge, and several days remain where you are still under my command, I will enjoy having my mouth on you often.”

A shudder of anticipation ran through her, and his firm lips curved up.

As he set her on the sofa, pushing her back, she realized the vibrator inside her was off. He pushed her legs apart. She was so wet, his fingers slid inside easily, despite the way she clenched around him. He removed the bullet and laid it on the end table. Then he sat beside her, pulled her against his side, and kissed the top of her head. “You did very well, sumisita mía. I’m proud of you.”

The joy of pleasing him mingled with her own satisfaction.

“Do you want to continue?” He moved to see her face, his eyes intent, waiting for her answer…and expecting an honest one.

Continue. That meant he would… Her mouth went dry. “No. Yes. I don’t know.”

“Do you trust me, Kimberly?” he asked softly.

She’d never trusted a man the way she trusted him. When had that happened? “Yes, Sir.” She tilted her head up, reached to touch his stern jaw, feeling the slight scrape of his five o’clock shadow. “I do.”

“Let’s see how far we can go.”

Oh God. No. Her breathing sped up, and then he asked, “What’s your safe word?”

Safe word. He’d stop if she panicked. She swallowed and said firmly, “Cramp.”

“Very good.” He stood and started to unbuckle his belt.

Fear turned her cold as memories drowned her: men surrounding her, undoing their pants, pulling out… Her feet drew up, and she scrambled into a corner of the couch.

His hands stilled, and he watched her. So silent. After a long minute, he held his arms away from his sides. “I would like your pretty hands to unclothe me, gatita.”

Me?

Not moving, he waited, his gaze never leaving her face. Patient. After a minute, he prompted, “It will be my pleasure, Master. Is this not what you say?”

He can hardly do anything with clothes on, she told herself, the sweet sense of satiation gone completely. I wanted to do this. I can. She swallowed and whispered, “It will be my pleasure, Master.” So, so not true.

It felt as if it took her an hour to stand up, naked in front of him. Another hour before she touched him. She’d seen him before, she told herself. They showered together, after all.

His lips curved when her hand reached his belt. “You smell like flowers, cariño. I like the shampoo you brought with you. What do I smell like?”

She blinked, diverted from the icy terror surging up and down her spine. The end of his belt slipped loose. She unzipped his pants. “Um. Clean. Not flowery, more like a—the ocean. Not sweet.”

His hand cupped her cheek; his thumb touched her lips lightly, a gentle kiss of skin. “And I am not sweet, mi pequeña sumisa.” His eyes caught hers, dark and intent. Determined.

A shiver of fear—of heat—went through her at the thought of him inside her. His cock sprang free, and she realized he’d gone commando. This was it. She felt like a statue, frozen in stone.

“You have a choice, sumisa,” he said gently. “We have both been tested, and your birth control is still active. Do you wish a condom or not?”

No longer a question of if they’d have sex, but just what way. It felt as if she was being pulled into a whirlpool. “Um.” Memories spinned into the circle with her…the plastic, slick horrible feel of the…others. They’d worn condoms. Their…they hadn’t felt real, just evil. “No. No condom.”

He looked surprised but simply took hold of her and moved her so he could sit in the center of the couch. “Kneel on the sofa. Straddle me, Kimberly,” he said, his voice so very gentle.

Her hands had gone numb; her lips tingled like she’d been sucking on ice. She put a knee on each side of his thighs, trying to not see the thick erection raised between them, the piercing glinting in the light. He gripped her behind her thighs and pulled her forward until her pelvis pressed against his erection. “Look at me, little one,” he said softly. “Who am I? My title, my name.”

Her mind blanked, until his intent gaze captured hers again. “Master R.”

“Bueno. Whose cock are you rubbing against?” A smile curved his lips. “Whose cock have you washed in the shower every morning?”

She had. She’d touched him, washed him. The words came easier under his dark brown gaze. “Master R’s.”

“Good. Kimberly, are you afraid of Master R?”

“Sometimes.”

His laugh rang out, the darkly male one she loved that meant she’d surprised him— delighted him. His grin flashed at her. “There’s an answer to warm a dom’s heart.” With his eyes still dancing with laughter, he nodded at her. “Time’s up. Lower yourself on me, chiquita. You may go as slow as you want…as long as you don’t stop.”