Unraveled

  In response he placed a tender kiss below her ear.

  She missed his solid presence after his arms fell away. She concentrated on keeping her shit together. Counting during each inhale and exhale.

  So his wet mouth sucking on her right nipple tore a soft groan from her. She felt the tip tightening into a rigid point; then a sharp pinch followed.

  Her eyes flew open and she gasped.

  A smug smile danced on Knox’s lips. “Forgot about the nipple clamps, didn’t you?”

  Yes, dammit. “No.”

  “Oh, then no need to go slow for this one.” His warm lips briefly teased her left nipple. As soon as it puckered, he snapped the clamp on.

  Fuck. Ow.

  “I like how that looks on you,” he murmured, rubbing his thumb beneath the section of skin where the clamps bit down.

  Shiori opened her eyes and watched his face as he touched her.

  “Too tight?”

  “No. I’m okay.”

  He dipped his head and dropped a kiss on the sensitive sweep of flesh between her neck and shoulder. Then he picked up the flogger and ran it back and forth across her breasts.

  Holy shit. That felt good.

  Knox moved behind her and seemed to hesitate. Just as she was ready to command him, that first lash landed between her shoulder blades.

  It wasn’t a hard blow, it didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t what she’d had in mind either.

  His breath teased the nape of her neck. “Like that?”

  She angled her head and rubbed her face against his. “No.”

  He stiffened.

  “It didn’t hurt, but it’s not what I expected either.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Tease me with it. Drag it across my skin. Just because you’re using that doesn’t mean you can’t use your hands and your mouth. Drive me crazy, Knox.” Her teeth found his earlobe and she tugged on it. “Make me arch my back. Make me writhe and rattle these chains. Show me you know exactly how to please me.”

  A beat passed. Then he sank his teeth into the section of her neck that made her knees weak and pressed his hot, bare chest to her naked back. His deep, gravelly voice teased her ear. “You are so fucking hot. But, baby . . . remember you asked for this.”

  When Knox stepped back, she almost whimpered at the loss of contact of his body against hers. But then he started using the flogger. Sweeping it across her upper back and arms. A slow drag and then a quick flick that felt like the pressure of fingertips on her shoulders. A ghostly caress over her ass cheeks and down the insides of her thighs.

  Just on the first pass he’d turned her entire body into a mass of gooseflesh. Her heart raced, sending the blood pumping faster though her body, making her nipples throb.

  Then the flogger disappeared, replaced by Knox’s big hands. His fingers traced the delineated muscles of her biceps and triceps. The underside of her arms. His callused finger teased the valley between each of her fingers and around the cuffs on her wrists. The chains shook when he grabbed on to them above where she was restrained. He fit his damp chest against her back and pressed his groin into her ass, rocking into her so she could feel his hard cock through the fabric of his underwear.

  Heat spread throughout her core. She moaned and let her head fall forward.

  Knox took that as his invitation to attack her neck. Torturing her with tiny nips and sucking kisses. Doing that pause thing that caused her to tremble. His hot breath floated across her nape as he built her anticipation of where his mouth would land next.

  His hands slowly slid down the chains, then over her arms, then followed the curves of her body from beneath her armpits all the way to her calves.

  When the feathers and leather drifted over her skin again, she jumped.

  This time the tease lasted longer. The repetitive nature of his strokes brought awareness to every nerve ending on the back side of her body.

  His warm, wet tongue licked up her spine, starting at the top of her butt crack and ending with a sharp nip of teeth at her hairline.

  Shiori gasped. And trembled. And found it hard to catch her breath when she had no idea what he planned to do to her next.

  Knox’s voice, sweetly seductive this time, reverberated across her scalp. “Please keep your eyes closed, Mistress, while I switch positions.”

  He slid the braided end of the flogger handle between her legs, dragging the nubby leather from her clit to the pucker of her ass. Back and forth, building that need for release in her until she shook like a junkie in need of a fix. And then he sent her soaring, rubbing furiously on her clit as she came undone.

  Before she fully regained control of her brain cells, rivers of softness floated from her collarbones to the skin between her hip bones. Another quick flick of his wrist and the leather straps sharpened the impression of impatient fingers digging into her flesh.

  Earlier, in the stillness of the room, she had heard the sounds of their rapid breathing, the clank of her chains, and the whisper of his footsteps. But now all Shiori heard was the white noise in her brain as Knox overloaded her entire being with myriad sensations.

  Again she jerked in the restraints when he pressed his skin to hers. The nipple clamps dug into his chest and he spread his hands across her back, forcing their upper bodies closer together.

  His hard stomach muscles flexed against her belly when he nestled his cock against her mound. “Tell me when you’ve had enough, Nushi.”

  “Never,” she whispered. “I’ll never get enough of feeling your hands on me.”

  Keeping her eyes closed, she blindly sought his mouth for a kiss. A hot, openmouthed, frantic kiss that ramped up her desire. She shifted her head, wanting a deeper kiss. A harder kiss.

  Knox growled and ravaged her mouth with such hunger that if she could’ve rubbed her legs together, she would’ve come.

  This was what she wanted. This was what she’d been missing her entire adult life. This unspoken connection with a man.

  And without her having to direct him about what she wanted, Knox used his hands and his mouth on the front side of her body. Lips and teeth and callused fingers mapping every square inch of quivering flesh.

  When she sensed he’d dropped to his knees, she fought the urge to look and see what he planned to do to her next.

  He swirled the flogger around her ankle and her knees buckled. But that didn’t deter him. He just used his knowledge about one of the most sensitive spots on her body to his advantage, and to hers.

  She didn’t know how much more of this she could take.

  Before she could ask him to release her restraints, Knox’s big hands clamped around her hips. Then he settled his mouth on her pussy. No teasing licks. He just circled his lips around her clit and sucked until she shattered.

  Then he snapped open the cuffs on her ankles. His body brushed hers as he stood and she moaned.

  “It’s all right,” he murmured. He snaked an arm around her back, holding her close as he undid the arm restraints. “I need to get you out of these before you bruise this beautiful skin.” After he released her left arm, he pressed kisses around her wrist. “I’m not overstepping my bounds, Mistress. It’s my responsibility to see to your needs. You needed this.”

  Shiori let him hold her up as he fiddled with the last cuff.

  But before he did, he trailed his lips up the side of her neck. “You were right to push me. I’ve never wanted to please anyone as much as I want to please you.”

  Reaching up, she pressed her cool palm to the back of his neck. “You pleased me beyond what I expected, Knox. Putting me in restraints was a great idea.”

  She felt him smile against her throat.

  Click and then her arm was freed.

  Knox didn’t move. He kept her upright until she found her balance.

  When she slid her hand up his chest, she paused for a moment to feel his heartbeat. Wildly erratic. Then she stepped back.

 
Knox’s face was flushed. His eyes were dark with lust. His cock poked out of the top of his underwear. She sensed his impatience, so it meant the world to her that he waited and gave her the lead.

  Shiori took his hand and placed it over the nipple clamp on her right breast. “Remove them. One at a time.”

  He slipped his hand beneath the bottom curve of her breast and freed her nipple with his other hand.

  Sharp, stinging pain flooded her breast, and his hot mouth was right there, sucking away the hurt until she sighed with relief. Then he switched sides, and while he tongued her nipple and eased the sting, his thumb swept across her other nipple, keeping it sensitive. When he pulled away, she noticed his smirk.

  “I like how the clamps made your nipples such a rosy red.”

  “Maybe I’ll use them on you sometime.” She snapped the waistband on his boxer briefs. “Take these off and sit on the bench.”

  No protest, but he did sweep everything off the bench and onto the floor.

  She grabbed a condom from the bowl by the door and returned to the bench to hand it to him. “Put this on and lie back.” As soon as he’d complied, she straddled him. “Hold on to me or drop your hands to the floor. And you don’t come until I say.”

  She loved that he picked the option where he touched her. Those big, skilled hands settled on her hips like they belonged there.

  “Lift your head and watch as I take you in.” Wrapping her fingers around the base of his cock, she aimed the head at her opening. She lowered onto him as slowly as her shaking legs allowed. “Feel how wet I am? You did that to me.” One at a time she brought her legs onto the bench, squeezing his hips between her knees. She pressed her palms on his pecs and leaned forward. “I want to kiss you.” Her gaze fell to his mouth. “But I want to fuck you hard.”

  He groaned a soft, “Yes.”

  When she started to move on him, she expected he’d thrust his pelvis up. But he didn’t. His hands tightened on her hips.

  Since he’d tortured her—even at her own request—she opted to return the favor. His ears were one of his hot spots, so she licked and sucked and breathed heavily into both of them before she focused her attention on his neck. His skin tasted of musk and salt.

  She ran her tongue along his collarbones and tried to bury her face in his chest hair, but the angle was wrong.

  No matter how fast she bounced on him, he didn’t start pumping his hips. Yet she could tell by the way his eyes were squeezed shut and his jaw clenched that it was taking everything he had to hold back.

  Slowing down gave him a breather and allowed her to grind the way she needed to. She rocked against him, driving herself toward the edge, pushing harder when her midsection tightened. Finding that sweet spot, she started to come for the third time. It wasn’t as intense, but she loved having his cock filling her as her cunt muscles spasmed around that hardness.

  When Shiori blinked away the white fog and looked down, Knox said, “You’re so beautiful and fierce when you come.”

  She kissed his lips like she could suck the words into her soul. Before she released that tempting mouth completely, she whispered, “Come whenever you’re ready.”

  “Thank you, Mistress.”

  They stared into each other’s eyes as she rode him. When he arched his neck and turned his head away, she didn’t falter in her rhythm. Their bodies were slick with sweat as they moved together, and Knox came with a hoarse cry.

  He looked pretty fierce himself.

  Shiori stretched out on him completely, nestling her face into his neck and sighing deeply.

  His hands left her hips and trailed up and down her back, creating those delicious goose bumps.

  They remained like that until the sweat on their bodies started to cool after one last kiss to his neck; then she rolled up and let him slip from her body. She stood and gathered up her clothes.

  For some reason Knox didn’t get up. He remained sprawled on the bench, staring at the ceiling. He didn’t even acknowledge her when she picked up the toys he’d swept to the floor.

  Finally she said, “Knox? Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. Just wrung out.”

  But that wasn’t it. Something else was going on with him. “Are you sure?”

  “Jesus, Shiori, let it go. I’m fine.”

  Since they’d finished this scene or whatever it was, she ignored his use of her name. But she knew if she stayed in here with him a moment longer, they’d end up in a fight. So much for them continuing the fun and games for the rest of the weekend.

  Every time it felt like she’d made progress with him, something had him pulling back.

  Feigning confidence she didn’t feel, she swung the pillowcase over her shoulder. Without looking back she said, “Clean up the room before you take off,” and walked out, leaving him to his regret, because she suspected that was what he was feeling.

  * * *

  AFTER leaving the club, Shiori went home.

  She poured herself three fingers of scotch. Rather than sitting in the stark living room with the incredible city view, she headed straight to her bedroom. She stripped and flopped on the chaise lounge. The plush sheepskin covering felt absolutely decadent on her bare skin. This was the only piece of furniture she’d bought—the penthouse had come furnished—and she loved every freakin’ inch of it.

  The smooth, smoky scotch did nothing to soothe her jangled nerves. She didn’t know where to begin dissecting what had gone wrong tonight.

  Maybe you don’t need to.

  No. She had to figure out where she’d made her missteps with Knox—because it was obvious she’d stumbled.

  He’d submitted in every way she’d asked him to. Kneeling. Asking her permission. Waiting for her signals. Last weekend when she’d taken two hours building his lust and his stamina before she’d rewarded him with a hand job, after he’d come, he looked at her like she was everything.

  That’s what she needed from him. His understanding and acceptance that taking him to his own blissful headspace was her joy, maybe even more so than his.

  But he hadn’t allowed her to reach that part of him tonight. How could she convince him to let go every time?

  Maybe it wasn’t Knox’s issue but hers. She’d never had to break down a sub before. So how did she go about breaking down Knox’s walls without breaking him?

  Frustrated with her lack of insight, Shiori grabbed her phone and checked the time. It was just before noon in Tokyo. She scrolled through her contacts and selected the name.

  The phone rang almost a dozen times before it was picked up. “This had better be an emergency,” the gravelly voice warned.

  “It is. I promise.”

  “Shiori-san! Is that really you?”

  She smiled. “Yes, Mistress Keiko, it’s really me.”

  “While I am happy to hear from you, I would prefer a call later in the afternoon.”

  “I’ll be sleeping by then.” Shiori sipped her scotch, savoring the delicious spread of warmth down her throat. “I’ll get straight to the point so you can return to your beauty sleep.”

  “Ha.” Fabric rustled in the background. Mistress Keiko spoke to someone in a soft and sweet tone. “Sorry for that. Now that I’m up, I’m sending Muja to make my tea.”

  “Muja lasted more than a month? I’m surprised.”

  “Muja is my only submissive these days,” she chided gently. “If you’d been here even once in the last year, you’d know that.”

  “It’s not like I’m avoiding you. I’m still in the United States.”

  “Permanently?”

  “No.” That sounded more definitive than she’d intended.

  “So what can I help you with?”

  That was all the prompting Shiori needed. The situation with Knox poured out of her.

  Mistress Keiko remained quiet for quite a while after Shiori finished talking. Then she sighed. “You know what I’m going to say.”