Masque (17 page)

“Do you see anything you like?” Synn’s deep bass sent
tingles of goose bumps down her spine.

She turned and took a steadying breath. He was drop-dead
gorgeous with his simple black mask and evening attire, even if he did wear his
hair in a ponytail so the top hat would fit. His broad shoulders filled the
coat and his gray pantaloons were so tight as to be indecent, showing off his
cock and balls to perfection. “Yes, I do. You.”

He chuckled, a sound she was pleased to hear again. He
seemed almost happy. Maybe because of whatever he had planned for Bryce, and
she was positive he had something planned.

He wrapped his arms loosely around her waist and gave her a
searing kiss. “And I like what I see. But tonight is about playing, and I was
able to purchase new toys just for you.”

She looked over her shoulder and then back into his stormy
eyes. “Where did you get these from?”

He shrugged. “Matt is a wealth of information and quite
willing to run an errand or two.”

Her cheeks heated at the thought of Matt buying sex toys for
Synn to use with her.

He squeezed her waist. “Don’t worry, I told him it was for
some of the ladies who can’t leave the confines of the Abbey. Quite frankly, I
can’t believe you have such shops now.”

It was her turn to grin. “And I can’t believe they had these
toys back when you…ah, lived here.”

Synn’s smile changed to a self-deprecating smirk. “We had a
lot of interesting ways to find sexual satisfaction, but it was a hidden
activity. One of the reasons the prince only held his Masques after midnight and
had these rooms designed to change.”

Dressed in a beautiful Victorian dress, she could understand
the need for secrecy. If she had everything on she was supposed to have, it
would take Synn a half-hour to strip her naked. “Is that also why the prince
mandated all the sex be held in these rooms and nowhere else?”

Synn stepped back. “Have you been gossiping?”

She wasn’t sure if he was angry or teasing. “No, but when
Mrs. McMurray and I have afternoon tea, we do chat about the old days, if you
will.”

“I didn’t realize you had become such a friend to her.”

Did he look down on her for fraternizing with the servants?
The inadequacy Bryce had instilled flipped into anger. “And what is wrong with
that? I have a very hard time having ‘servants’ around. America isn’t like that
and neither is Canada. According to our American Constitution, we are all
created equal. As far as I’m concerned, Mrs. McMurray is as important as I am
and probably more so because she anticipates my needs. I never ask her to do
anything for me.”

She took a breath as the wonder of her last statement sank
in. It was true. She never had to ask Mrs. McMurray for anything.

Synn chuckled again before taking her in his arms and
spinning her around. “Ah, Rena, I’m so pleased to hear you say that.” He set
her on her feet again and she readjusted her dress to hide her exposed nipples.

He put his hand over hers. “Your heart is just what this
abbey has needed. It took me a good twenty years to understand what you just
now said. We were still living as aristocrats in a country that shouldn’t have
had any. Being trapped here with these people showed me my error, and I mended
my ways.” He wiggled his brow. “But not all of them. I suggest we begin before
Bryce joins us.”

She pressed her hand to his chest. “About Bryce. You need to
know that the man believes anything beyond missionary sex is crass. He…”

She swallowed. She hadn’t told anyone why Bryce had ended
their engagement. She didn’t need to tell Synn, but she wanted to. She licked
her lips and looked into his eyes.

The gray of his eyes calmed her. “What did he do?”

She took a deep breath. “He broke off our engagement because
I wanted to do something of a sexual nature that he thought was beneath him. He
said it proved
I
was.”

Synn pulled her into his arms and stroked her back. She
rested her face against his chest.

“What did you ask him to do?”

When Synn spoke, his voice vibrated against her cheek. She
loved that. Feeling safe, knowing the man whose arms she rested in didn’t judge
her, what she had wanted suddenly didn’t seem so bad. “I asked him to tie me
up.”

Synn’s hand on her back stilled and his breathing beneath
her cheek sped. Fear raced through her heart as he pushed her back to arm’s
length.

Oh God, she couldn’t be rejected again, especially not by
him. “It was just for play. I didn’t mean anything by it, but he freaked out.”

Synn’s mouth was open and he stared at her as if he had seen
a ghost. She wished for the ability to dematerialize herself. What had she been
thinking to tell him? Her heart shrunk within her chest and water seeped into
her eyes. He was a complete blur before he scooped her into his arms and buried
his face against her chest. His hat fell to the floor in the process. His body
vibrating…with laughter?

“Synn?”

He shook his head against her chest, still laughing, or
crying, or she didn’t know what. Holding on to his shoulder with one hand, she
forced his head up with her other hand. His smile was wider than the ocean and
left her breathless. His eyes sparkled with unshed tears as if he’d laughed so
hard, he’d cried, but that couldn’t be. This was stoic Synn.

He shook his head again and dropped her feet to the ground,
but he pulled her toward him and cupped her face. “I love you.”

Rena froze before Synn’s gentle kiss on her lips coaxed the
heat back into her limbs. Her mind fought her body’s enjoyment of the kiss as
it raced to what he’d said.

He ended the kiss and put his hands on her shoulders. “I am
thrilled you wanted to be tied up. In fact, I have dreamed of dominating you in
such away. Will you allow me that pleasure?”

Confusion warred with titillating excitement at Synn’s
reaction. Did he love her or not? Or was he just thrilled at her weird
interest. He wanted to tie her up and make love to her. Completely off balance,
she nodded to his request. What happened?

Synn’s face grew serious. “Thank you.”

He didn’t have to be grateful. She should be grateful he
wasn’t repulsed. Nothing made any sense.

He took her hand. “Come. Tonight we play. I have a few new
toys I want to try.”

Synn perused the toys in the cabinet while his mind raced.
He hadn’t realized how tense he’d been about introducing Rena to the Black Room
until that moment. The relief, coupled with his strong feelings for her,
overwhelmed him. Nothing had hit him that hard since the deaths of the Abbey
occupants. It would make tonight more enjoyable knowing what had destroyed her
relationship with their guest. That hadn’t been a good match. He, on the other
hand, was perfect for her. The thought of using his knowledge of bondage on her
had his cock paying attention. What he had with Rena was…

He glanced at her profile. She stared blankly at nothing.
Why would she— Bloody hell, he’d told her he loved her. No wonder she was in
shock. Blast, he meant he loved that she would enjoy being restrained. He
couldn’t love her. He cared for her enough to want to continue with her after
the Masque was completed. That he had come to accept. But love her? It would be
a doomed enterprise.

He turned his own gaze toward the shelf. What did she think?
What could she think? They were centuries apart. He rubbed his chest. It felt
strange and uncomfortable. He shut off his thoughts. He needed the open air to
mull over this problem and tonight was for play.

He reached into the cabinet and selected a bullet-sized toy
with a separate control. He needed to get her mind off what he’d said, make her
forget it all until he could sort it out himself. “I think we will start with
this and,” he picked up nipple clamps, “these.”

Her focus returned to him and he grinned. The thought of
what they would do tonight had the blood rushing to his cock, which made it
much easier to focus on the task at hand.

She touched the nipple clamps. “What are these? I thought
they were earrings, but the chain between them would hang under a woman’s
chin.”

He raised his brows. “You’ve never seen these before?”

She shook her head.

His cock hardened further. She was a virgin in so many ways
and he couldn’t wait to introduce her to the pleasure of toys. “These are
nipple clamps. Let me show you.” He tugged on the neckline of her gown and her
breast popped out like an old-fashioned jack-in-the-box.

She covered herself with her hands. “Synn, Bryce might come
in.”

He gritted his teeth. He couldn’t wait to strike that name
from her vocabulary forever. “No, he won’t, as I told him I would send for him
at half past the hour. Now remove your hands so we can be ready when he gets
here.”

Her hesitancy bothered him more than he wanted to
acknowledge, but she finally put her arms to her sides as she curiously looked
at the clamps. “Do they hurt?”

Her complete capitulation had his erection becoming painful.
On their way through the White Room he would have to pilfer some cold water to
cool it off. “No, they won’t hurt. You can adjust them to how you like them.
Here, I’ll show you.”

He held one breast in his hand, resisting the urge to suck
on her stone-hard nipple. She was so responsive it made his own control that
much harder to find. Gently, determined not to let his hands shake, he clipped
the toy on her nub and tightened. “How is that?”

Her face had a rosy hue to it and her chest rose and fell
rapidly. “It doesn’t hurt. Will it stay on?”

“Yes.” He swallowed hard and concentrated on keeping his
fingers steady as he clipped the other end on her other nipple.

“Synn, this is making me,” she licked her lips, “hot.”

“Good.” Carefully, he lifted the neckline of the gown so it
covered her nipples and areolas, pressing those clamps tight against her
breasts, but leaving the chain loose beneath the front to sway with her walk.

She laid her hand on his forearm. “I think I need to sit
down.”

He could understand why, her breathing had tripled, and he
could tell she was already wet between her legs, which was exactly what he
needed next. Unfortunately, he’d lost control of his own breathing as well.

Trying to concentrate on what he wanted to do, he sat her on
the closest wingback chair. He didn’t want her walking yet. That sensation
should be a surprise.

He lifted the bullet vibrator and showed it to her. “Do you
know what this is?”

She blushed a deep-red hue. “Yes. It’s a small vibrator.”

He knelt at her feet. “I’m going to put it into your pussy.
Would you like that?”

Her breathing stopped for a moment and for a fleeting second
he wondered if her corset was too tight before remembering she didn’t have one
on.

Her breath expelled in a rush, and she nodded.

“Can you tell me what you want? Will you say the words, so I
can be sure?” He grinned crookedly, torturing himself.

She visibly swallowed. “Synn, please push that vibrator deep
inside my pussy.”

At her words, sweat formed above his upper lip. What had he
been thinking? Lifting her skirts, he surreptitiously wiped his mouth and laid
the soft material on her lap. He spread her legs. With hard-fought control, he
stroked his fingers around her opening, pushing aside her small sphere of
chocolate curls, careful not to touch her clit. She would come too soon if he
touched her there. His fingers were covered in her juices, and he gritted his
teeth against his urge to take her immediately. With deliberate slowness, he
pushed the bullet into her tight canal until it was sucked inside. The thought
of retrieving it had his cock pounding. With effort, he dropped her skirts.

She had her eyes closed, but her breasts rose and fell
rapidly. He couldn’t resist. He took the small separate control and set it on
low. He pushed the pulse twice.

Her eyes flew open. “Synn!”

Rena stared at Synn. Never had she been so sexually primed,
so completely at another’s mercy. She loved it, but the pulse of vibration deep
in her pussy had her grateful she sat. The man was the king of sin. His grin
didn’t help either. The wicked look in his eyes told her he had more planned.

He stood and offered her his hand. “Are you ready?”

Ready? Ready for what? She cocked her head. “I don’t know.
Am I?”

He nodded, full of confidence in his ability to please her.
She couldn’t argue with him there. Carefully, she stood, the movement of the
dress pulling her nipples lightly, but nothing changed below. Her labia, thick
and ready, remained slick. Synn offered her his arm as he did whenever they
strolled the rooms.

She shook her head. “Uh-uh. If we are going anywhere, you
have to wear something too.”

He smirked. “I do?”

“Yes, and I get to choose.”

He bowed. “As you wish.” Sweeping his arm aside, he allowed
her access to the cabinet. By time she took her second step, she understood the
nipple clamps and stopped. The chain swung against her belly, which itself
titillated, but then the weight of the chain transferred to one nipple more
than the other and tugged before swinging back to tug on the other. She glanced
over her shoulder. “You are going to want to stroll all the way to the Blue
Room, aren’t you?”

Instead of answering her, the bullet in her pussy buzzed. As
the unexpected zing sizzled through her core and down her legs, her knees
weakened, and she grabbed a nearby chair to keep from falling. Catching her
breath again, she squinted at him before turning her attention back to the
cabinet shelves.

Two could play this game. She decided on a cock ring with
its own vibration. Unfortunately, it didn’t have a remote control. Poor Synn.
Constant stimuli would be his punishment for torturing her with toys.

She smiled as she turned to face him and lowered herself to
unbutton his pants. She could limit the stimulation to her nipples, but her
pussy was beyond her control. With Synn’s large, hard cock hanging outside his
britches, she licked her lips, knowing he watched. His penis jumped, and she
steadied it as she slipped the rubber cock ring on and pushed the small
vibrator button. His thigh muscles rippled at the pulsation and she smirked.
Who would play with whom tonight? Buttoning him back in was a struggle, but she
managed to hide the vibrator mechanism against his balls so it didn’t show
through his pantaloons. Still, his cock looked damn big.

He helped her rise without a word and turned her face to his
for a kiss. As his tongue swept into her mouth, she groaned before a vibration
ran from her pussy to her toes and she squeaked.

He shook his head as he pulled her arm within his. “You will
need to be more circumspect. We wouldn’t want everyone to know about your toys,
especially Bryce.”

“You wouldn’t.”

He walked her to the door, the chain pulling her nipples one
at a time, sending spirals of pleasure to her pussy.

“Oh, but I would.”

The idea of her pussy vibrating while Bryce remained
clueless gave her a secret satisfaction, as if she thumbed her nose at him, or
pussy as the case may be. That was if she could hide her reaction, and around
Synn, that was hardly guaranteed.

* * * * *

Synn made the most of his control. As they spoke to Gwen in
Delicious Sex, Trent left to escort Bryce from his room, and Synn buzzed her
pussy, causing her to grasp his arm hard to remain standing as wetness seeped
from her folds. In the Orgy Room, they found Chantal and her group. They wore
their masks as well, so no introductions were made, but comments on the best
bed for three couples were exchanged.

In the Threesome Room, they found Annette already kissing a
man on a chair on the second-floor balcony, in the other chair sat Byron, ready
and waiting. The fun redhead came up for breath and Rena recognized Matt. But
Annette had seen them and waved and in Rena’s mid-wave return, her insides vibrated.
She gritted her teeth in her smile before looking at Synn to find him grinning
like a schoolboy. Her irritation at being so sensitized died, and a yearning
built in her chest.

When they entered the Exhibition Room, they found Eve and
Jonathan. At their entrance, the couple greeted them, both wearing their masks.

Eve offered her hands. “It’s so good to see you. Are you
enjoying the Violet Room?”

Rena marveled at the coolness of Eve’s delicate fingers, but
her own blush heated her face. Instead of answering, she nodded.

“Good. It is meant to be pleasurable. I understand we have a
new guest this evening.”

Synn unhooked Rena’s arm and put his around her waist. “We
do, but we don’t know how he will react.”

She shuddered. “We don’t? I do.” Bryce was good at making
people feel like idiots and her fear was that he would unleash his substantial
arrogance upon her ghosts, her friends.

Eve touched her arm. “You never really know, dear. Some
people you think would be horrified, find they love the Pleasure Rooms while
others you thought would enjoy them, run away in self-righteous anger. I’ve
never understood that.”

“I doubt it will be self-righteous anger, but I would bet
money on pure disdain. At least that has been my experience.”

Synn’s gentle squeeze of her waist made her glance up at him
to find him smiling in understanding. “You may be right,” he turned to
Jonathan, “but there is only one way to find out. I’m looking forward to this
more than I should.” Synn’s smile morphed into pure devilment.

Jonathan laughed. “Synn, I haven’t seen you this excited
ever. Is it your new guest or your partner in pleasure tonight?”

Oh, damn. She wanted to sink into the floor. Was there a
lever she could pull to do just that?

Synn squeezed her waist again, his sensitivity to her embarrassment
reassuring. “Definitely my partner.”

Jonathan put his arm around his wife and his face grew
serious as he addressed Synn. “Have you discovered why Eric was causing
problems?”

“Father Richard believes it’s because he does not want to
cross over.”

Rena looked at Synn. “Father Richard? There’s a priest
here?”

Eve pouted prettily. “A ghostly priest who only speaks to
Synn.”

“That’s true, but I’m also the only one who caught his right
hook.” He rubbed his jaw for emphasis.

Rena pulled away from him. “A priest hit you?”

“Laid him out flat on the floor of the chapel.” Jonathan
smiled widely.

She had a ghostly priest in the chapel? Why hadn’t Synn told
her? She wanted to talk to this priest…maybe. “Does he always hit people who
come into the chapel, or just you?”

Synn grinned sheepishly. “No, just me when I deserve it.
Trust me, you don’t want to make him angry.”

She cocked her head. “I was in the chapel last week and I
didn’t see him.”

Synn pulled her back against him. “Nor will you. As they
said, he only appears for me and even then it’s not a guarantee.”

Hmmm, she wanted to talk to the father in regards to Synn.
There was so much she wanted to know and she had a feeling the father could
tell her.

Trent entered the Exhibition Room. “Synn, your guest is waiting.”

Rena tensed, and Synn kissed the top of her head even as he
buzzed her pussy alive.

“Oh.” It caught her off guard, making her aware once again
of the rubbing nipple clamps.

Synn turned back to Trent. “Is Eric still restrained?”

The footman scowled. “He slipped our clutches, but we have a
full-scale hunt underway to find him. Darby is directing it.”

“Do your best, man. He’s bound to show up sooner rather than
later.”

Trent raised his brow. “You can count on it.”

As the man departed, Synn whispered something to Jonathan.

Rena tensed. Now she had to play host to Bryce in a Pleasure
Palace while a rogue ghost was on the loose. Could things get any worse?

Eve whispered in her ear, “Believe me, everything will work
out for the best.”

She nodded, wondering what “the best” would be as Synn led
her away into the Voyeur Room, the nipple chain tugging on her nipples as they
walked out to meet Bryce.