The Sacrifice

  Immediately I dial Lexy’s number. It seems to take forever and the phone makes a hollow, ratcheting sound with each sweep of its ancient dial but finally I hear it ringing. I only hope my cousin will pick up—this line is going to show up as an unknown number on her cell. I wish I would have brought my own cell to the Sacrifice Ceremony but I hadn’t had anywhere to put it and hadn’t wanted to risk losing it in the rowdy crowd.

  Lexy answers on the fourth ring, sounding cautious. “Hello? Who is this?”

  “Lexy, it’s me!” I can’t disguise my relief at hearing her voice.

  “Emma?” she squeals. “Oh my Goddess, I was so worried about you! How are you? Was the Sovereign magnificent? Did he ride you like a stallion?”

  “I’m fine and he’s okay,” I say, deliberately ignoring the last question. “I’m calling you from his house right now.”

  “Is it amazing? Is it fabulous?”

  “As a matter of fact it is,” I say. “He’s definitely not hurting for money.” Then again, what vampire is? The fanged set are notorious for having more money than God and the Republican party put together.

  “Why did he pick you?” Lexy wants to know. “Did he say?”

  “He hasn’t really told me yet. Although he did say that…” I clear my throat, almost too embarrassed to go on.

  Lexy clearly senses some juicy gossip. “Come on, Emma,” she urges. “What did he say?”

  “That he, uh, wanted me from the moment he first saw me in the store,” I say in a rush. “I mean, I have no idea why. I tried to tell him I’m a dud but he acts like he doesn’t believe it.”

  “Maybe he wants you for more than your power, did you think of that?” Lexy demands. It’s so exactly like what Aiden himself said to me that I feel a strange sense of déjà vu.

  “Maybe…” I say reluctantly.

  “Maybe nothing—you’ve got the figure of a goddess and he obviously likes women with curves,” Lexy assures me. “So where is Mr. Mysterious now?”

  “At his office, I think. He said he had work to do and left.”

  “So he just left you there all alone after a night of passion? How rude!” Lexy sounds indignant. “Someone should tell him he can’t just fuck and run like that.”

  “Why not? You do it to guys all the time,” I point out. “And besides he hasn’t actually, uh, done that yet.”

  “What?” Her shriek nearly deafens me. “You mean he accepted you as his Sacrifice but he still hasn’t claimed you yet?”

  “I wouldn’t say he hasn’t laid claim to me,” I say, thinking of the collar I’m currently wearing. If that isn’t a mark of ownership, I don’t know what is.

  “Well, why hasn’t he fucked you? Is he gay or something?”

  “Most definitely not,” I assure her. There’s no doubt that Aiden likes females. “He’s just…taking his time. He seems to think the anticipation will, uh, heighten the experience.”

  “Weird…” Lexy sounds almost thoughtful. Then she switches gears again. “So can I come over and see his place?” she asks, sounding as playful as a puppy eager to explore.

  I’m tempted to say yes and ask her to bring me a selection of clothes from my apartment. Aiden promised to fetch them for me but so far that doesn’t seem to be happening. However, two thoughts stop me. One, I’m not sure how Aiden would feel about me inviting someone over to his house without asking his permission first. In fact, I think the odds are that it would piss him off—a lot. And two, I’m still wearing this stupid harness. If I sit very still, as I am now, I can almost forget the damn dildo is up inside me. But the idea of seeing someone I know—even Lexy—while wearing it, is just too freaking weird. Even if I kept it hidden, I would still be able to feel it up there and I’m sure she would notice me walking funny and then it would all come out and…uh-uh, no way.

  “Sorry,” I say reluctantly. “But I don’t think it’s a good idea right now. Maybe I can ask him later.”

  “Oh.” She sounds crestfallen. “Well, how about we just meet for lunch? I can at least pick you up, even if I don’t go inside, can’t I?”

  “Uh, I don’t think I’m allowed to go out,” I say. The thought that I’m a prisoner in this house gives me a sudden lump in my throat. “I…I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to stay in the house.”

  “What?” Lexy sounds pissed. “He can’t do that to you—order you around like that!”

  “Actually, he can,” I say. “I mean, that’s pretty much what being the Sacrifice means, doesn’t it? I’m his…his property.” I swallow hard but the lump won’t go down and suddenly I want to cry. “I’m…I’m stuck here for a year. I can’t even go out to attend any classes.”

  “Oh, Emma!” Lexy sounds genuinely worried about me. “Honey, please don’t cry! I wish I was there to give you a hug.”

  “I wish you were too,” I say, sniffing. “I could use a hug right about now.”

  “I’m sure you could and Mr. Bossypants Vampire Overlord is too high and mighty to give you one, isn’t he?”

  She’s completely serious but her new nickname for Aiden makes me want to laugh instead of crying. “That’s one way to put it.” I sigh. “Look, I probably shouldn’t stay on too long. This is one of those old fashioned land lines and I’m not sure if he has the phone monitored or something creepy like that.”

  “What are you going to do for the rest of the day? Just file your nails and wait like a good little girl for Daddy Vamp to come home?”

  “Right now I’m exploring,” I say. “Trying to figure out a little more about him. I thought maybe if I understood him things here might be…well, a little easier.”

  “Of course they would!” Lexy sounds excited again. “I’ll try to dig some dirt on my end too.”

  “And how will you do that?” I ask. “You going to start frequenting the blood bars?”

  “Of course not, silly. I’ll just sleep with a few of his fellow vamps. There’s nothing like a little pillow talk for getting information.”

  “That’s very sweet of you, Lexy,” I say. “But you don’t have to sleep with half the vamps in the Bay Area just for me.”

  “Who says it’s just for you? I’m kind of on a vamp kick right now.” She says casually, as though confessing she’s been craving a certain type of latte at Starbucks.

  “Really? And what happened to the werewolf you were lusting after last night?” I demand.

  “Booooriiiing.” Lexy yawns. “You know he didn’t even last five minutes before blowing his load? Ugh—at least vampires are never premature ejaculators. Most of them have had years to learn to get it right.”

  “Whatever you say,” I tell her. “But look, I really should go now.”

  “Okay. Just try and call me when you can. I’m saving this number under Emma’s master’s house. Okay?”

  “What?” I jump as though she stuck me with a pin. “Why would you call it that? Who say he was my master?”

  “He did, when he claimed you last night,” Lexy says cheerfully. “Talk to you later, cuz.”

  And with a click, she’s gone.

  Chapter Ten

  After Lexy hangs up, I have a moment of dejection. She’s more than my cousin—she’s my best friend and biggest cheerleader. I wonder when I’ll get to see her again. I guess I’ll have to ask Aiden about it tonight.

  Just the thought that I have to ask permission to see a friend pisses me off and I go from depression to irritation in an instant. Then I catch myself—Goddess, I’m really going through a wide range of emotions lately. I’m sure part of it is due to my new life situation but I’m also afraid my frequent mood swings might mean the onset of one of my rare but horrible periods. I’m really irregular and usually don’t get them more than three or four times a year but believe me, that’s more than enough.

  Well, on the bright side, if I do get my period, Aiden will have to let me go home—at least for a while. I have a certain herb brew that I keep ready, which is the only thing that keeps the cramps bearable. I usually t
ake it and curl up in my darkened bedroom for twenty-four hours until the worst of the pain passes. Without it, I’m completely incapacitated and I don’t think my new master will be too enthusiastic about having a deathly ill sex slave who can’t even lift her head, let alone do anything kinky. Of course, I haven’t had The Dream yet—the one that always comes right before my period. So maybe it’s just my new circumstances that are making me emotional.

  I realize I am still holding the heavy old fashioned phone receiver in one hand as I think and a soft beeping is coming from the earpiece. I put it down with an audible clunk and spin the black chair restlessly. As I do, my eyes fasten on the laptop again. I reach for it…and draw back. Snooping in my new master’s computer is probably the biggest no-no I could commit. A lot of men don’t even want their girlfriends seeing what they look at online and I’m nothing to Aiden but a slave.

  But I won’t be snooping, I argue with myself, my fingers still itching to open it. I’ll just check my e-mail and send a message to some of my professors saying I’ve had a personal complication and I might not be in class for a while. Then I’ll shut it down and leave everything exactly where I found it—Aiden will never even know.

  That sounds harmless enough. Promising myself I’ll be quick, I open the laptop and reach for the power button. But to my surprise, it pops to life by itself. Not only that, but there is a video starting on its screen. As I look for a way to stop it, a title suddenly appears in the center.

  The Tender Dominant

  Hmmm, this could be interesting. And it can’t hurt to watch for just a minute, right? I stop fiddling with the mouse pad and sit back in the leather chair, watching.

  There is no intro—the first scene begins at once. A girl with blonde hair and green eyes is sitting on the edge of a large bed. She is wearing a black bra and panties and her legs are crossed demurely. Her hands are folded in her lap and her face is serene. Clearly she is waiting for someone.

  She doesn’t have to wait long. The bedroom door opens and a powerfully built man with skull cut hair enters. He is wearing nothing but black leather pants and his upper body is muscular and cut. I can’t help thinking of Aiden’s six pack abs, which were visible last night when he claimed me and named me his Sacrifice. I wonder what he’d look like completely naked…

  The video on the laptop screen draws my attention back to the scene at hand. The muscular man is standing in front of the blonde girl but he says nothing. She looks down at her hands shyly, also mute. I wonder if there is going to be any talking at all and I sort of hope not. The cheesy, contrived dialog is one of the things I hate about porn. All that, “Oh God, fuck me, baby! Fuck me harder!” and “Take it, bitch! Take it all!” is so stupid and fake, not to mention really off-putting. So I like it that the two people on the screen aren’t saying anything. Not that it’s completely silent—there is background music. But not the bow-chicka-bow-wow kind—it’s something soft and unobtrusive with acoustic guitar that I actually like.

  The man—the Dom?—lifts the girl’s chin, forcing her to look at him. The move reminds me of what Aiden did to me this morning when he wanted my complete attention. I shift in the seat uncomfortably, and the phallus he put inside me shifts too. I cross my legs tightly, trying not to think about it.

  The Dom on the screen leans down and whispers something in the girl’s ear, too low for me to hear. She looks at him uncertainly, then nods. Not as if she is agreeing to a request, though—as though she is acknowledging something he told her. Something he’s planning to do to her that she can’t stop, even if she wants to.

  At first, however, all he does is stroke her hair and kiss her cheek. He sits down beside her on the bed and runs one large hand over her shoulder, making her shiver. Is she shivering with anticipation or fear? Maybe a mixture of the two? I don’t know but I can’t seem to stop watching.

  I like the way he strokes her body, running his big hands over her as though he owns her. As though she is his most precious and cherished possession and he needs to take care of her. He cradles her breasts, teasing her nipples to hard little points behind the thin material of her bra, then strokes lower, caressing her belly and thighs, urging her to spread her legs. The blonde seems reluctant at first but then she sighs and submits, opening herself to him.

  The man cups her pussy through the silky black panties. I can see him pressing against her, parting her pussy lips through the slippery fabric. The blonde throws back her head and moans softly, breathlessly, surrendering to the pleasure he gives her.

  I shift in the black leather seat again. Damn, this is really kind of hot. I’ve never seen porn like this—porn that seems to have been made with women in mind. There’s no screaming or begging, no endless series of ridiculously contorted sexual positions or demeaning cum-shot facials. There’s just this—just a woman submitting to a man, giving herself up to his big, warm hands on her body.

  I can feel my pussy getting wet and hot as I watch the scene unfold. The man reaches in his pocket and produces a small, black scrap of fabric. A blindfold, I realize. The girl on the screen seems to realize it at the same time. At first she shakes her head but he lifts her chin again and looks at her sternly. No words are necessary—that look is enough. At last she drops her eyes and nods. She is frightened but she has to submit. Goddess, I know that feeling—it’s scary and erotic at the same time. I feel sorry for the blonde girl but at the same time, watching her dilemma is really turning me on.

  Her master fastens the blindfold around her eyes and makes sure she can’t see. Then he lowers her gently to the bed, arranging her so she’s right in the center of the mattress. He raises her arms over her head and then ties her wrists to the headboard with a black satin loop. She shifts uncertainly but a soft word from him makes her settle down and relax into her helplessness. He is her master, whispers a voice in my head. What else can she do but submit to him? What else can she do but open herself and take whatever punishment or pleasure he offers her?

  I shouldn’t be thinking like this but I can’t seem to help it. Goddess, I don’t know why this is making me so hot but it really is. I shift again, feeling the phallus move in a fucking motion inside my pussy.

  The Dom leans over the blonde girl and slowly strokes her breasts. Then he unsnaps her front hook bra and peels it apart, baring her for his approval. He looks at her hungrily, clearly pleased at what he’s seeing. She shivers, almost as though she can feel his gaze on her naked skin. He caresses her breasts gently, then kisses her nipples, sucking them hard until she moans softly and arches her back, offering herself to him.

  Then he produces a pair of nipples clamps.

  I watch, my heart suddenly racing as he attaches the two sliver clips to the girl’s erect nipples. Goddess, it makes me think of how Aiden did the same thing to me this morning. Suddenly I wish I hadn’t taken them off. The way they squeeze me is painful but pleasurable too in a way I can’t describe. Experimentally, I open the crimson shirt, baring my breasts, and pinch one of my nipples. A sharp little shock runs straight to my pussy. Oh, that feels good. I pinch the other one too, imagining I’m still wearing the clamps. Remembering how it felt when Aiden put them on me.

  I want to see more breast play but the Dom has moved on. He is working his way down the blonde submissive’s body, kissing and licking her taut abdomen as she moans and quivers under him. When he gets to her pussy, he slides his thick fingers into her panties and rubs, obviously opening her, exploring her inner cunt.

  I feel a gush of wetness from my own pussy and look down. All morning I’ve been trying to ignore this damn harness Aiden put on me, but now the sight of it between my legs is unexpectedly erotic. The way the black leather straps crisscross over my thighs, the way the crotch presses against me, holding the phallus in place inside, gives me a sudden jolt of lust. I can’t help noticing, though, that the leather doesn’t cover my entire pussy mound—just the bottom part. My neatly trimmed thatch of curls and most of my cunt slit are still entirely visible. And
in fact, much more than that is on display. I’m so hot that my pussy lips are swollen with need, opening of their own accord like flower petals, to reveal my pink inner cunt. I can see the sensitive button of my clit peeping out, almost begging for attention.

  I start to slip my hand between my legs…and then Aiden’s words come back to me. 'Don’t touch yourself and don’t make yourself come.' It was his final command before he left the house this morning. Although I don’t see how he could possibly know if I broke his silly rule, I reluctantly draw back my hand and go back to watching the screen.

  It’s well worth watching. The Dom has removed his submissive’s panties now and is spreading her legs, baring her pussy. She’s shaved completely bare down there, I notice, and wonder what that would be like. I keep things neatly trimmed but I’ve never tried shaving or waxing it all off. Why should I? It’s not like there’s anyone to admire my handiwork. Now there is, whispers a little voice but I push it away and keep watching.

  The Dom is kneeling beside the bed, almost in an attitude of worship. He positions himself between the girl’s legs, his broad shoulders forcing her to spread even wider. Using his thumbs, he delicately parts her bare pussy lips, revealing her pink interior. For a long moment he simply looks at her, drinking her in, studying her delicate folds, her secret places revealed just for him. The blonde submissive moans and bucks her hips—clearly the waiting is killing her and just as clearly her Dom knows this. Anticipation, I think, remembering Aiden’s words again.

  Then the Dom licks his submissive’s pussy from bottom to top, his tongue gliding gently but firmly over her inner folds. The girl gasps and moans, her hands clutching at the black satin band that binds and restrains her, but she makes no move to get away. Instead, she opens herself even wider, pushing her hips up to meet her master’s mouth, begging for this most intimate and forbidden kiss.