Bound by Love (4 page)

             
Tanner grinned, and that was her answer.

             
Lunch proceeded, and Natalie began to wonder about her own motivations. She’d been bold that morning getting dressed. Tanner didn’t know yet, but was beginning to suspect something. Anxiety, or fear, combined with excitement destroyed Natalie’s appetite. She sipped casually at her wine, acting as normal as possible. What in the world could she have been thinking?

             
“Take your coat off,” Tanner requested. “It’s warm in here, and I’d like to see you.”

             
Natalie shook her head, and saw Tanner’s jaw tense.

             
His eyes roamed over the emerald green trench coat. He frowned.

“Why not?”

              Natalie glanced out the window at the expanse of New York, and for a moment, wished she could fly away. She was trapped. Hadn’t she planned it this way? Well, not really. She’d hoped to get home first. That had been the idea.

             
“I’m waiting,” Tanner reminded, impatiently.

             
Mustering courage she didn’t know she had, Natalie raised her chin in defiance, and looked at Tanner’s steely blue look. “I can’t,” she said, simply.

             
For a moment, Tanner didn’t respond. He thought he should understand, but didn’t. The look in her eyes gave her away. Suddenly, he knew.

             
“You aren’t wearing anything under the coat, are you?” He accused.

             
“Yes, if you count the blue satin lingerie set I got when we were in Paris.”

             
Natalie shouldn’t have been surprised at Tanner’s reaction, but she was. He was jealous, of others admiring her. The idea of her walking around New York, half-naked, incensed him. He was enraged and wanted to punish her, regain control, but they were in a public place.

             
Tanner rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on, fast.

             
“Are you okay?” She asked.

             
“You know about the headaches I get,” he barked. “I told you about those. I’ll take a pill when we get back.”

             
Interesting, Natalie thought. It had never occurred to her before. Apparently, repression could cause Tanner’s headaches. Sure, the doctors saw the connection between his prior car accident and the head pain. But, they knew nothing of his sex life. She did.

He’d had to hold
himself back, for years. He still did. Thus, his warnings of the danger he was to her, how he wasn’t good for her.

Fortunately, he’d found out he wasn’t guilty of abusing that woman, Salina. But, Natalie knew he still feared his urges. His urge to punish her, now, after what he considered misbehavior, was strong.

The clenching of his jaw, and the stiffening of his body, told her what he’d do, if they were alone. Or, what he might do later, anyway. At the moment, repression was the temporary control, and Tanner had a spitting headache.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said, and took her hand, leading her to a more private setting.

Feeling Tanner’s annoyance, a tinge of fear ran down Natalie’s spine. What did she expect? Why in the world did she go out dressed like she did? Seeking a thrill wouldn’t have been enough.

She knew she’d incited Tanner’s anger, purposefully. Her inner nature begged for his punishment, his control. She wanted him, and inside, she felt that’s how he showed he cared.

Once inside the limo, he seemed calmer. Natalie was confused when he turned to her, and lightly touched her cheek with his fingertips.

“
You know you made me insanely jealous. You were virtually naked under that emerald coat, and every waiter, every customer, every passerby, was closer to your naked body than I ever want them to be again.

You want punishment. You incited my anger.

I think you like spankings, baby.”

Natalie blushed, knowin
g the truth he’d so boldly voiced. She looked around as if someone might hear. Even knowing, they were entirely alone behind the privacy panel of the limo.

“I’m not going to spank you. That’
s your punishment,” he announced, his eyes emotionless.

Natalie felt
disappointment, and a sinking feeling came over her. She’d pushed him too far. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Well, actually, she’d done it on impulse and hadn’t thought it through at all.

“Next time you think up a prank like that,”
he stated flatly, “you better consider the consequences.” And with that, he tapped on the glass, letting the driver know to take them home, and leaned back against the leather seat, rubbing his temples.

The day Natalie moved in,
Sara served a delicious lunch on the patio. After eating, they toured, room by room, discussing what could be done with the penthouse. Tanner wanted her to redecorate. One room would make a perfect studio for her. She could work on her designs without interruption.

Most important, Tanner wanted to create a playroom. He had the emerald green trunk full of sex toys
, which he took joy in surprising her with. But, he didn’t have a private room, like he did in Milan and Paris.

             
Natalie was to rectify that. She was to create the room. Tanner seemed overly excited about it, which wasn’t like him. The idea was that she could make a room she felt comfortable with, and include items she wanted to have for them to use. She’d, literally, be telling Tanner what she wanted him to do with her, merely by the design and stocking of the special room. And, that excited him.

             
As they stood in the room intended to be converted for their future sex play, it seemed like the perfect time to bring up some questions Natalie had. She sat on the sofa and Tanner sat beside her. He’d already moved the polished, emerald toy box into the room.

“Can I ask you something?” She started.

              Tanner turned to look at her directly. “Depends, what did you have in mind?

             
“How many women have you been involved with, before me?” Natalie had asked this before, but he had never answered, to her satisfaction.

             
“I don’t see why that matters,” he replied, exasperated to have to talk about his past, which didn’t matter.

             
“It matters to me. I cannot change the past. And I’m not jealous. I just want to understand you. I know you mentioned the group that was involved with bdsm. Something molded you, the way you are. Who, or what, was it?”

             
“Baby, listen. I had sex before you. Plenty of it, but not as often as you imagine. I worked a lot. My father was training me. We traveled a lot and I wasn’t free to take off whenever I desired.

             
The longest relationship was with Aime, like I told you. We were compatible, sexually, that’s all. I’ve never been married, and I’m not sure I’m the marrying type.

             
There were several other women, submissives that I tried out. I hate to sound callous about it. It was sex, the way I like it. No one stands out. I never had a serious relationship. That’s what you want to know, isn’t it?

             
Natalie had him talking, and took the chance to find out more. “Yes, and I want to know what kind of things you did with those women.”

             
Tanner ran his hands through his thick, dark hair and sighed, deeply. “A lot, I did a lot with them. Does that satisfy you?”

             
“Like what?” Natalie held her ground.

             
“Like the things we do. Only….”

             
“Only what?” Natalie demanded.

             
“To be honest, they were more submissive. I was into restraining them and punishing them. Never physically injuring a woman, mind you, but I was aggressive. I think…you’ve subdued me. I’m not sure how it happened.

             
I never met a woman I crave, like I crave you. It’s not so much what we do, as how we do it. There are no words. It’s different with you. You excite me, and sometimes I fear I will lose control,” Tanner admitted. A desperate look came over his normally reserved features, and Natalie stopped breathing.

             
He’d just conveyed something vital.

“I want you to lose control,” she whispered in a low voice.

              The heat that flooded through Tanner at her words was palpable. His male pheromones wafted around her, and Natalie felt faint. She’d just risked it all.
What would happen now?

             
Tanner was quiet.

Natalie felt a little shaky
. Had she pried too much, or pressed him too hard?

             
“Strip,” Tanner said in a guttural voice, shocking Natalie into alertness.

             
Tanner stepped over and locked the door, just in case a maid, or the cook, got curious. He stripped down to his cotton jockey shorts, and looked at Natalie who’d done nothing more than take off her sweater.

             
“Now,” Tanner urged, and Natalie began removing her clothing with trepidation. The instant she was naked, Tanner pulled open a drawer in a maple chest and produced a white, satin corset. It laced down the back.

“Come here,” he commanded.
“You’ll have your wish. I don’t feel in control, right now. You stir passions in me that I didn’t know I possessed.”

             
Tanner gave her a nod, indicating she was to do as he said.

“Hold out your arms.” And she did. He put the sexy corset on her and laced it at the back, taking a moment to admire the view. The corset’s cut was such that the hem wa
s a moon-shaped curve, not only exposing her buttocks, but accentuating them.

In the front, the bodice went to just below her lovely breasts, leaving them bare and exposed. Tanner sucked each nipple as a tease.

              Weakening for a moment, Tanner bent down, turned her around and kissed her tenderly on the ass. Lush, soft and firm, her ass had his cock rock hard. He stood and turned Natalie to face him.

             
“I’m going to punish you,” he told her and fear struck her heart. “You’ve toyed with me, taunted and teased me. I’m the master, here. You will obey me. Do you understand?”

             
Natalie swallowed, thickly. She nodded once.

             
Tanner didn’t smile and his eyes didn’t sparkle. Darkness came over his features, and he looked like he was made of stone. Gorgeous… but frightening.

             
He led her to a large, stuffed chair and stood her in front of it. “Lean all the way over and place your forearms on the seat of the chair,” he ordered. Slowly, Natalie complied, placing her elbows and forearms on the seat cushion, which positioned her ass high and vulnerable.

             
She heard Tanner walk across the room and recognized the sound of the emerald trunk opening. He walked back, his male scent wafting around her. He reminded her of a predator closing in.

             
Before her eyes, was a long bamboo cane. Tanner showed it to her. “This is a more severe punishment than any I’ve given you before. It’s lightweight and hollow, as bamboo is, but it will do the job.”

             
She gulped and wondered what she’d gotten into. At the same time, her clit hardened and her nipples tightened.

             
“I won’t make any permanent marks. But if it hurts too much, say the safeword, and I will stop immediately.”

             
In a daze, Natalie nodded. Nothing happened for a moment.

             
Tanner turned on some soft music, in contrast with his stated intentions. She felt him behind her again. “Close your eyes,” he ordered.

             
He placed his hot hand on the fleshy part of her buttocks, admiring the contrast between the stark white of the satin corset and her rosy, pale skin. He may as well have touched her clit. Such was the effect of the feel of his hand. She closed her eyes.

             
Whap – a blow struck the soft part of her buttocks, and she yelped. The first blow was followed by a round of blows in a perfect rhythm. Natalie’s entire body became an instrument to be played, every nerve ending was raw. She expected pain and tensed, at first, to prepare.

             
If pain it was, it didn’t harm her. She was embarrassed to find out she enjoyed the whipping. Her own inner desires shocked her. She’d allowed Tanner so much liberty with her, yet it seemed there was no limit to her debasement.