Bound to be Tempted: Emergence, Book 4 (20 page)

“Words, baby.”

“Yes, Sir. You may cover my eyes.”

He lifted the black material up to her face and held it in place. And then he attached it behind her head. “I’ve seen you do dozens of scenes in this club. I’ve never seen you do this one. I want the experience for you, and I want your awareness heightened with the loss of sight.”

“Okay, Sir.” She trusted him with everything in her. There was no doubt of that. The titillation was wondering what he had in mind.

He took her hand and led her into the room he’d obviously reserved much earlier. “Wait here,” he whispered close to her ear. “In a standing pose, baby,” he added.

She nodded, quickly spreading her legs and clasping her hands behind her back. She even tipped her head, although the motion was a moot issue.

She listened closely to the movement around her, unable to discern what he might be preparing. Soon, he returned to her side and took her arm to lead her forward. He ducked down in front of her and wrapped his fingers around her ankle to remove her shoe. She set her bare foot on the ground as he removed the other one. “One step back, baby.”

She obeyed, her feet landing on something metal and cool.

“Step out, Maggie.”

She did that too. With Carlton still at her feet, he grasped first one ankle and then the other, securing them to the metal base, or maybe a bar on the base. She wasn’t sure.

He smoothed his hands up her thighs as he stood, reaching under her skirt but not lifting it out of the way. When he dropped the skirt and caressed her belly, he pressed her backward.

She lost her balance, but that was intentional. She found herself leaning against something else cold and metal, a pole of some sort angled just enough to force her to lean against it. It rested along her spine, making contact with her bare skin where the dress didn’t touch.

Next, he took her hands and attached them to the pole at the small of her back.

She slouched, uncertainty boring into her. Whatever this apparatus was, she hadn’t seen it before. It must have been new. She wouldn’t put it past Carlton to have had it delivered this week.

Her slouch ended when Carlton lifted her chin and tucked something padded under it, forcing her to stand tall when he attached the restraint behind her head.

Moisture was building between her legs already. Spread like they were, she knew it would run down her thighs soon. And she wasn’t naked.

Carlton touched her arms and then trailed his fingers over her frame. She never knew where they might land at any given moment while her arousal built. She didn’t have to fight to stay still. She could hardly move her torso an inch in either direction with her feet spread and her chin so high.

He teased her nipples through the material of her dress. His finger stroked down the lacing up the center until he reached her belly. “I love this dress.”

She didn’t respond.

“It covers more of you, but it leaves more to the imagination also.” He circled behind her, dragging one finger around her waist until he returned to the front. “The skirt barely covers your pussy, baby.” He reached beneath it and cupped her sex. “You’re wet.”

She couldn’t argue that point.

“And hot. Do you like being restrained like this?”

“Yes, Sir.” He knew that.

“Do you know what I want, baby?”

“No, Sir.”

“I want you to learn to come in public without anyone noticing.”

She swallowed. He’d told her that before.

“We’re going to practice that right now.” He released her pussy. “I’m going to leave your dress on because it’s sexy and I’m not in the mood to share your pussy with the world. But I’m going to work you so close to the edge you can’t keep from shivering. And your job is to learn to stay still. No sounds. No movement. Just feel whatever I do.”

“Yes, Sir.” Her words were breathy. He had a way of dragging her close to orgasm before he started the scene. His voice was effective. His word choice was even more so.

He reached for the laces between her breasts. “I can’t stand the idea of not watching your nipples. If I have to do without a visual of your pussy, at least I want to see your tits.” He pulled the leather thong holding the front of the dress together until it came untied. He didn’t remove the laces, but he loosened them enough to cause the front of the dress to separate until she felt the cool air of the room on her nipples.

“You’re already pointed and tight, baby.” He grazed his fingers along the undersides of her breasts.

She concentrated hard on the feel of his hands, but she shouldn’t have because the second he reached to pinch her nipples, she lifted on tiptoe, a squeak escaping her lips.

“Uh-uh. See, I need you to listen. No movement. No noise. An entire room full of people would have seen and heard that.”

She lowered back down onto her heels and breathed deeply. “Sorry, Sir.”

He still held her nipples. “I’m going to clamp these. Because I like to see them that way.” He pinched harder. “Stay still while I apply the clamps and then when I remove them also. I’ll do it a few times to help you overcome the need to squirm.”

She didn’t see how that was possible, especially with a blindfold, but she braced herself. Even though he’d used clamps on her several times now, she always tensed when he applied them…and then freaked when he removed them.

She felt the material of her dress grazing the sides of her breasts as she inhaled deeply, concentrating on the way Carlton worked her nipples into stiffer points and then quickly clipped his favorite accessories onto each one. She knew by the sound he’d used the bells.

He stepped back then, grazing his fingertips down her belly until he skimmed the bottom of her skirt. “I’m not going to remove your skirt, but I am going to torment you.”

Something came up between her spread legs. She hitched in a breath as cool wetness hit her pussy and nestled against her.

“I put some lube on it, baby, just to be sure.”

On what?

He reached under her skirt and pulled her sex open with one hand as he pressed the smooth, rounded
something
firmly against her open lower lips.

Oh God. If that’s a vibrator
…

His hands lifted a few inches to stroke above her clit, as though ensuring the
something
was making contact with the little nub. Oh God, was it ever.

And then his hands were gone. Her skirt fell back into place.

She tried to breathe, to think about anything but the way her Dom was about to torture her needy body. But all she could concentrate on was the
something
.

A clicking sounded at her back, each faint noise accompanying more pressure against the smooth item pressing at her entrance. It was like some sort of knob, like a wand. Too big to enter her, it nestled at her entrance, covering every inch of her skin, including her clit.

He’s tightening it. Fuck
. She lifted off the balls of her feet as the pressure increased.

When the clicking stopped, a humming began, low, almost inaudible, but that was the least of her problems. The humming was an indication that indeed the
something
was a vibrator and it was now armed and tormenting her pussy.

“Breathe, baby. Relax.”

Relax? Breathe?
Was he kidding?

Her clit climbed to hyperswollen in less than a minute. Pulsing. Needy. Wanting. She stayed very still, hoping if she concentrated hard enough on the slight vibrations, it would be enough to get her off.

“It’s not time yet, baby.” His voice, deep, gravelly, commanding, registered in her ear, so close she could feel his breath. And he splayed his fingers over her exposed belly where the crisscross of laces hung loose.

He waited. And then he continued, “Do you know what I want from you?”

She didn’t speak, afraid if she moved her lips her clit would press harder against the vibrator. As it was, she was trying to ease her heels to the ground. Even though the pressure would increase, she couldn’t stand there long on her tiptoes.

“I want still, quiet orgasms… Lots of them. I want you to take them, one after another, without moving or moaning or speaking. Can you do that, baby?”

Not a chance in hell
. “I’ll try, Sir.”

“Good. I’m going to increase the speed and I want you to take it. You’re allowed to come when I do this. You’re allowed to come as often as you need, but you can’t speak, move or scream. If you do, we’ll be here all night until you learn.”

Her face heated. Her mouth fell open. How many times would he want her to come?

“I’ll decide when I feel you’ve learned. If that takes two or ten orgasm under control, that’ll be my choice.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Your safe word?”

“Red, Sir.”

“Will you need it tonight?”

“No, Sir.” Not if the goal was multiple orgasms and the only apparatus being used were restraints, nipple clamps and a vibrator.

The humming increased, as did the vibrations, of course.

Think about the pleasure
. She sealed her lips together, fighting sounds. She couldn’t block the hum in the back of her throat, but maybe he wouldn’t notice.

“No sounds, baby. None,” he whispered. He stroked her neck.

She swallowed and shifted her attention to her pussy. So much pressure… More speed…more vibrations. How many people were watching her? She couldn’t concern herself with that. It didn’t matter.

She’d done more scenes at Emergence than most of the patrons in attendance. She’d been a member for over a year and had no difficulty participating in whatever was asked of her, but this…this was different.

This was Carlton. She was fast falling in love with him. He’d mentioned many times how much he wanted to be able to bring her silently to orgasm in public. This was his way of working her toward that goal.

This was unexpected.

This was spectacular.

It felt fucking fantastic.

Her nipples tightened as her breasts swelled with need. The tiny bells rang, sounding louder than they should to her ears.

“I know you’re squirming because I can hear the bells, baby.”

Ah. Right. That
.

He kissed her neck, licked a line up to her ear. “Take it, baby. Do this for me. Show me that you can control yourself. It’s the ultimate line of submission.”

The speed increased.

So close. Too close. She was torn, wanting to tip over the edge for the relief, while concerned she couldn’t meet his expectations and would find herself having more orgasms than she would prefer tonight. She had her limit. The vibrator would grow sensitive after a few moments. He knew that. But he also knew she could work past the sensitivity and reach a new peak, over and over.

The first orgasm swooped in fast, taking her almost by surprise as the vibrations jumped to a new level. She opened her mouth, but held back the sound threatening to escape. Her legs stiffened and then shook as she tipped over the peak and pulsed against the bulb at her entrance. She let her feet settle firmly on the floor and actually pressed her pussy against the device. Waves of bliss hit her hard.

And then the vibrations subsided to a dull trickle of energy as she caught her breath.

“Good. But you can do better. School your face. And try not to stiffen your body so hard and rigid. It doesn’t look natural. Your face looks like you’re in the throes of ecstasy. Which you are.” He chuckled.

Before she could catch her breath, the speed increased hard and fast.

She squirmed, lifting onto her tiptoes, although even that didn’t alleviate the pressure enough.

And then it was gone, the vibrations ceased, leaving her with the knob at her entrance that no longer got her off on its own.

She started to speak.

“Not discussing my methods, baby. Close your mouth and try again. You were about to wake the neighbors.”

He was right. And she strained to catch her breath, letting her body acclimate to the object between her legs currently posing less of a threat. Just when she thought she had herself under control, the vibrator started up again, a gradual increase until it reached a level slightly higher than before.

“So sexy, baby. Let yourself come. Just don’t tell everyone. I know you can do it.”

Pressure. More than she’d ever endured. She was closer to orgasm without going over than she’d previously experienced.
Think. Do not move
.

She let her mind settle on the bliss, felt the slow build as she approached another climax.

And then she was right there. And she absorbed the waves, keeping her body still, her throat clamped shut.

“Fucking gorgeous, baby.”

The pulses continued longer this time, her clit begging for more. What she needed now was penetration. And she wasn’t going to get it.

Another wave built on the heels of the second, rising faster, threatening destruction. But Margaret forced herself to enjoy the pleasure internally.

“That’s it, baby. I knew you could do it.” He caressed her breasts, her belly, her neck, teasing her everywhere while he praised her. “One more, baby. Do it for me.”

She tipped her head into his palm as he cupped her chin. She gasped for breath as she waited for the inevitable whir of the vibrator to start up again.

He let her rest this time first. Almost too long. She was just coming down from her high when she was yanked back to full arousal.

“Control, baby. Fight it.”

For him, she would. For Carlton, she would master this desire of his.

And she did, luxuriating in the deep grip of her channel as waves of pleasure took her into another dimension…without a movement or a sound.

As she endured his test, she had two thoughts. One, that if she passed this test he might declare her trained and break off their arrangement. That idea made her stomach clench. Because her second thought was that she was deeply in love with Carlton and never wanted this agreement to end.

Chapter Sixteen

On Sunday morning, Carlton decided she could sit on the furniture. When he first told her, she was shocked, but she’d misunderstood completely. His new position for her wasn’t on a chair, but on the table itself.

She sat naked, one foot from the edge of the table at his chair, her legs bent, her feet planted, her knees spread wide.

Carlton liked to sit between her legs, and who was she to argue? It was sexy as hell having him watch her pussy while he ate and fed her.

“What time are you supposed to be at your parents’?”

She rolled her eyes. “I was hoping you’d forgotten and we could let that one slide.”

He lifted a brow and smiled. “Nope. You need to face them. Your life is in a holding pattern while you let that fester.” Carlton pushed back from the table, loaded the dishwasher and wiped his hands on a dishtowel. He leaned against the counter, his legs crossed, his stance making her lick her lips. “What time, baby?”

“One.”

He padded forward, lifted her from the table and set her on her feet. “I set clothes on the bed for you.”

She cringed. What would he choose for her to wear to her parents’ house?

“Don’t look at me like that. They’re decent.” He headed for the living room. “Oh, I forgot shoes. They’re in the orange box to the left inside the closet.”

“Got it, Sir.” She wiggled her ass at him as she left the room.

Margaret made quick work of dressing in the outfit he’d set out, grateful for the jeans and soft sweater that wouldn’t leave her feeling vulnerable at her parents’. He’d even included a bra. No panties, but she could live without them under her jeans.

She headed for the closet next.
Orange box
… It was high and she reached up on tiptoes to nudge it forward so it would topple into her hands.

It came down, just as she’d planned, but unexpectedly it careened into her hard, the lid falling off, and the contents flying into the air.

Not shoes, to her surprise, but papers…and photos…and documents…

She squealed, but not loud as the mess rained all around her.
Ugh. Wrong box
.

She kneeled on the floor to gather all the pages and stack them up to put them back in the box.

And then she froze.

Her breath caught in her throat. Slowly, her eyes glued to several photos, she lowered herself to the floor and sat on her ass. Her hand shook as she reached for one of the pictures. Her eyes scanned the pieces of paper, memories from a lifetime ago. Carlton’s memories.

Karen
.

Her name was on everything. Soft, feminine handwriting covered the pages as she glanced around. Heart-shaped doodles scrawled on the corners of notebook paper. Love letters.

Oh God
.

Her gaze went back to the picture gripped in her hand. She scrambled to grab several others and laid them out in front of her.

A chill went down her spine. “Fuck,” she whispered.

“Baby, are you—” His words cut off as he stepped into the closet and found her there, pieces of his past circling her, reaching for her, taunting her.

For a brief second, she felt sorry for him. He’d loved this girl so much he’d kept her alive in an orange box in his closet.

But then her focus landed on the picture in her hand again and she dropped it like a hot potato. Her vision blurred. Rage like nothing she’d ever felt swarmed in to eat her alive. She leaped to her feet and jumped away from the remnants of a life that was no more. Or was it?

“Baby…” He reached for her.

She jerked from his grasp, backing into the bedroom, her fists squeezing tight at her sides. “Carlton.” Disbelief crowded her brain, fogging it, making it difficult to think or feel properly. And then she screamed, “She’s fucking
me
! You, you, you—”

She shook her head, trying to clear it, make sense of this insanity. She glanced back at the floor. Karen stared back at her, smiling, mocking her. Or was it a mirror?

“No, baby. Let me explain.” He inched toward her, palms out, pain in his voice.

Not the kind of pain she was feeling, but more of a sorrow from being caught red-handed.

“Explain what?” she shouted. “Explain that you found a woman who looked just like your old girlfriend and thought you could replace her? That’s fucked up, Carlton. Even for you.” She heaved for oxygen. She needed to get out of there. She spun on her heel and ran for the bedroom door.

“Maggie, no.” Carlton was right behind her. He reached for her forearm, but she yanked it from his grasp.

“No. Don’t touch me.” She twisted in circles, looking for her purse. It was by the door, of course, where it always was. She took long strides to get there, heedless of her bare feet.

All she cared about was getting the fuck out of the house, and now.

“Baby, stop. Sit down. Let me talk.” He kept to her back, not touching her, but not giving her an inch of space either.

She rounded on him with her hand on the door to the garage. “Don’t.” She held up a hand. “Let me go, Carlton. I swear to God, if you have a decent bone in your body, you’ll let me go.” She didn’t know where she would go or what she would do, but she did know she needed to get out of this house for now and think. She needed space.

He stopped, close enough she could see his chest rise and fall, feel his breath hitting her shoulders. She didn’t meet his gaze. She lowered her voice. “Let me go, Carlton.”

He nodded. “I hate you driving like this.” His hands shook at his sides.

“I know.” It was ironic that his worst fears had all tumbled together into one moment in time, but it couldn’t be helped. He was going to have to get over it. “I need to get out of here. You have to let me. We’ll talk later after I’ve had some time.”

He nodded again.

Carlton gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles hurt. Maggie had been gone for an hour. Too long. Eventually he couldn’t take the stress any longer. He’d paced a hole in his carpet.

He’d gathered up the mess in the closet and stuffed it back in the box. He berated himself for his stupidity. He was worried out of his mind.

And then he’d gotten in the car. She surely had gone to her apartment. He knew she wouldn’t go to her parents yet. It was too early in the morning, and besides, it would be hard for her to go there even under the best of circumstances. Her car wasn’t at her apartment or her office. That left one place, and he pulled into the parking lot of Emergence, breathing out the biggest sigh of relief ever.

He gave a silent prayer to whoever would listen up above and then turned off the car and dragged himself to the back entrance of the club.

He let the door shut hard behind him, announcing his arrival, and followed the sound of voices to Jason’s office. When he finally rounded the corner, his shoulders slumped in relief. No matter what, he was just glad she was alive. If he never had the opportunity to touch her again because of his damn stupidity, he could at least rest easier knowing he hadn’t caused her to crash her car on the way over.

She sat on the couch, curled in a ball with her knees pulled to her chest, a throw tossed over her legs. Her face was red from crying, dry streaks from tears on her cheeks. She held a wad of tissues in one hand and several littered the floor next to her.

Jason sat in a chair nearby. He turned toward Carlton, a wan smile on his face. As Carlton stepped farther into the room, Jason stood. He nodded at Carlton and left without saying a word, closing the door to his own office behind him.

Carlton eased into the seat Jason had vacated. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

She stared at him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. Her tears had probably dried up before he’d arrived and now fell anew. “Tell me.”

He looked at her, trying to decide what she meant.

“Tell me when you decided I was not a replacement for your dead girlfriend. Or did you?”

“Of course I did, baby.”

“When? Before you fucked me for the first time? Was it before you took me as your submissive? Was it before I fell so hard for you I can’t stand to be without you?”

“Yes. Before all of those things.” He sucked in oxygen at her last words.

She swallowed visibly. “I’m not Karen.” Her voice was weak. “I can never be her. And I’m not a replacement.”

“I know that.”

“Tell me more.”

He knew exactly what she meant this time. He leaned forward, wanting to be closer to her, but not risking her wrath by touching her. “The first time you came to the club, you took my breath away. I thought you were a ghost. That was a year and a half ago. I almost couldn’t stand to be in the same room with you for fear I would inadvertently reach out and touch you to see if you were real.

“You were with Lori. You weren’t mine to touch.”

She stared at him, not moving, so he continued. “Yes, you looked like her. Like Karen. The resemblance was uncanny at first. But then I got to know you, and you’re nothing like her. Your personality is so distinct there’s no comparison.

“Eventually I forgot most of the time that you even looked like her in the first place. You took on your own glamour with your uniqueness. Your smile lights up a room with genuine delight. Your complex mind is a wonder to behold when you’re in the zone. And your submission…baby…your submission is humbling.”

She stared at him for long moments, holding his gaze. Finally she licked her lips and wiped her eyes with her tissue. “Tell me you haven’t been sleeping with a dead girl.”

He let a tear of his own slip down his face. “I’ve never looked into your eyes with my cock inside you and thought of anyone but my Maggie. I swear.” He lowered onto his knees in front of her, bringing his face close to hers.

“
Your
Maggie?”

“Yes. Mine.” He took a deep breath. It was time to get his head out of his ass. “You’re mine, Maggie. I’ve been an ass to pretend otherwise. I was scared. I never wanted to fall in love again with anyone. When Karen died, she took a piece of me with her. I’ve lived without that for all these years. And then you waltzed into my office and sucked the life out of me with your submission. I love you so much it hurts. You’re my life, Maggie. My soul. I’ve never felt this way before, not with Karen, and not with anyone since then.” He tentatively took her hand and turned it over to kiss her palm and then place it against his cheek.

“Do you have any other secrets lurking around you need to divulge? I can’t take much more of this, Carlton.”

He exhaled as a smile spread across his face. She was going to forgive him. Give him another chance. “None. I promise.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.” He leaned closer. “Please come home with me.”

“Get rid of the box.”

“Done.”

“Don’t ever call me by her name.”

“I would never.”

“I’m my own person.”

“I’m so very clear on that.”

“And I love you.”

“I—” His throat caught. He blinked. “What?”

“You heard me.” She smiled again.

“I know. But just to be clear?”

“I love you, Carlton. Even though that was a shitty thing to do and you should have told me, it doesn’t change how I feel.”

“I should have told you. You’re right. Can you say that one more time?”

“I love you.” She didn’t wait for him to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him first, a deep, sensual kiss that curled his toes and made him melt into her body, right in Jason’s office.

Margaret’s palms were sweaty as she stared at her parents’ front door. After a morning that had ripped her in two and put her back together, she was exhausted. But Carlton had convinced her to keep this lunch date and face her fears.

She’d worried about driving here by herself. Carlton hadn’t said a word. Of course he had no idea about her other fears. She knew she should have come clean with him that morning about her concerns and the notes and the possibility that someone was following her. But she’d been too exhausted to fight that battle, and everything had been so perfect. She hated to ruin the moment. She would tell him later. Adding that to the stress of facing her parents and facing his dead girlfriend hadn’t been in the cards this morning.

And she figured she would surely be safe in the middle of the day in a residential neighborhood. She hadn’t noticed a single person following her today. Not now and not earlier when she’d fled to see Jason at his office.

She could hear voices inside. She knew she was the last to arrive. She’d intentionally come late and hoped to leave early. The less time she spent at the house, the better. Especially since she couldn’t very well confront her parents about her childhood issues on a day when the extended family was also present.

She finally lifted her hand and knocked. It seemed silly since these were her parents, but she didn’t feel like this was her home. She wiped her hands on her jeans as she waited. She was glad for the outfit Carlton had chosen. It was perfect.

When the door finally opened, her mother stood there with a beaming smile on her face. “What are you knocking for?” She grabbed Margaret with both hands and pulled her in for a hug. It actually felt good. She hadn’t seen her mother in months. “Come in, honey. Come in.” She pointed over her shoulder. “Your aunt and uncle are already here. And your cousin Robbie.”

Margaret cringed as she followed her mother into the living room. She hadn’t seen Robbie in years. Something about him had always rubbed her wrong. Uncle Rocky and Aunt Barbara had three sons. All of them were older than Margaret. They were close in age and had seemed more like friends to each other than brothers. They’d given her the heebie-jeebies even as children.

Of course it might have had something to do with the fact that she considered them egotistical bigots like her parents and their parents. Even as a child, she’d hated them. They’d gang up on her and taunt her like a little sister instead of a special cousin. Her dad would always tell her to toughen up. He actually encouraged them to bully her, saying she was weak and needed better influences in her life.

“Hey, squirt.” Robbie was the first to greet her when she entered the room, and of course he couldn’t say something adult and polite. No, he still talked down to her like she was a child.