SovereignsChoice (10 page)

“I’ll strike you with the belt, not the
buckle,” he says, as though reading my thoughts. “My intention is to punish you
and teach you a lesson, darling—not to injure or disfigure you.”

“Oh.” I swallow hard. “All right. Then
what?”

“Then I’ll get you ready for dinner,” he
says lightly. “Am I right in assuming you barely touched your lunch?”

“Yes,” I admit. “I-I was too worried.”

“You never need to worry like that, Emma,”
he murmurs, stroking my cheek. “I will punish you often but never in such a way
as to harm you permanently. In fact, I hope in time you will look forward to
being punished.”

“Look forward to it?” I look at him,
wide-eyed. “Why would I possibly do that?”

“Because, darling…” His voice has dropped
to a low growl and his gray eyes are hot. “In this contest of wills we are
involved in, punishment is as likely to include pleasure as pain. Do you
understand?”

I bite my lip, feeling my body grow hot
with some unspoken need. “I…not entirely.”

“That’s all right,” Aiden murmurs. “I’ll
teach you.” He stands, pushing me gently off his lap. “Now run down to the pool
like a good girl and get your collar. When you come back, I want you to assume
the position and get ready to take your whipping.”

My heart thuds so loudly in my ears I can hardly
hear my own reply. “Yes Master,” I whisper. And then I turn to do his bidding.

I’m tempted to take my time getting to the
pool and back but something tells me Aiden won’t wait for long. And if he has
to come find me, five lashes with the end of his belt will be the least thing
I’d have to worry about. So I rush through the mirrored corridors, relieved
when I find the pool on the first try. Maybe I’m finally getting to know my way
around this funhouse maze of a mansion.

When I get back with my collar buckled in
place, Aiden is sitting on the side of the bed, long legs crossed and the black
leather belt held casually in one hand. He has the buckle end wrapped around
his palm and the other end of it trails down to the floor, looking like a long
black snake. When I see it, I feel my entire body break out in gooseflesh. How
much is this going to hurt?

“Assume the position, Emma,” he says softly,
rising from the bed in one fluid motion. He’s all grace and power—all vampire.
And I feel like a frightened little nothing of a witch as he strides around the
bed to loom over me. “It’s all right, my darling,” he murmurs, perhaps seeing
the fear in my eyes. “After the pain, the pleasure—remember?”

To my shame, a hot current of desire runs
through my veins. Goddess, what is he turning me into? Will I actually crave
this kind of treatment, look forward to being punished in time? I don’t have
time to answer these questions. All I can do is bend over the bed with my hands
on the mattress and my head bowed.

But apparently this isn’t the right
position. “Lower,” Aiden instructs me sternly. “Get your entire upper body on
the bed, Emma. Then lift your ass into the air and spread your legs for me.”

Goddess, it’s almost as if he’s getting me
into position to fuck me! The idea makes my cheeks burn and I do what he says quickly,
hoping he can’t see me blush.

The bed is waist high on me so it’s not
hard to simply rest my chest and arms on it. I even nestle my cheek to the
maroon duvet, trying to take comfort from the feeling of cool satin against my
face. Then I press my ass outward—which makes the phallus still strapped inside
me move in a most disturbing way—and spread my legs for him.

The position makes me feel hot and
vulnerable in a way I didn’t think was possible. I can feel my insides
clenching with a mixture of lust and fear as I wait for the first stroke to
fall.

“Are you ready, Emma?” he asks, his voice
low and stern. “Ready to take your punishment?”

I bite my lip and am hardly able to reply.
But I force myself to whisper, “Yes Master. I-I think so.”

“Let’s see, shall we? This is for
forgetting your collar and snooping where you don’t belong.”

From the corner of my eye I see the blur of
his arm and then with a flat, smacking sound the belt falls. I gasp as it
strikes me, flames of pain licking over my exposed skin, marking me for my
Master’s pleasure. I let out a muffled cry and grip the satin duvet in
trembling fists.

“That’s one,” Aiden murmurs. “You’ll have three
more like it so brace yourself, darling.”

Three more? But I thought he said he’d
give me five?

The question is driven out of my head as
the belt licks over my skin again…and again and again. The pain is much sharper
than it was when he spanked me with his hand and yet somehow I like it. Maybe
it’s the feeling of being so open for him, so helpless, but the pain of the
belt starts a fire between my legs, making me want to shift from side to side
and ease the growing pressure I feel in my swollen clit. I don’t dare move
though—not until the last blow falls.

But after four sharp licks with the belt he
pauses for a moment. “Spread your legs wider now, Emma,” he commands softly.
“You’ve had four on your ass. You need one more between your legs to teach you
a lesson.”

“B-between my legs?” I stutter, turning my
head to look at him in disbelief. “But—”

“Do as you’re told,” he says sharply. “At
once, Emma!”

Biting my lip, I open my legs even wider
and tense my body for this last blow. The leather harness strapped between my
legs shifts again and I can feel it pulling back, revealing more of my naked,
vulnerable pussy. Is this where Aiden intends to spank me? On my tender outer
pussy lips? But he can’t…he wouldn’t…would he?

“This is for touching yourself when I told
you not to,” Aiden says, cutting off my frantic thoughts.

The black belt licks up between my legs,
stinging my exposed pussy lips, making me gasp and jump at the sudden heat that
blooms there. Tears sting my eyes for just a moment—this is a much more
sensitive area. It makes me glad I only had to take one blow there.

“Five,” Aiden says. “Your punishment is
over. For now.” I start to get up but he puts his hand on my hip, indicating I
should hold still. “Wait a minute, darling. I need to examine you first,” he
says.

His hand strokes over my hip and begins
exploring my sensitive, tingling ass. A glance in the mirror shows bright-pink
stripes on my pale flesh where the belt hit me. I wonder if my pussy lips are bright-pink
too and feel a mixture of shame and heat I can barely contain.

“Such a lush, delicious ass,” he murmurs,
stroking along my quivering cheeks thoughtfully. “I love a woman with a heart-shaped
ass, do you know that, Emma?”

I’ve never heard my ass described as heart-shaped
before but then again, I haven’t had any lovers who might be interested in
describing it. “No,” I whisper. “I mean no, Master.”

“Well, I do and yours is perfect.” His hand
roams lower, stroking over the leather harness buckled around my thighs. “I see
the phallus is staying in place well,” he murmurs as his fingers trace the
crotch of the harness. “Are you getting used to wearing it?”

“Somewhat,” I whisper hoarsely. “I-I can
almost forget it’s there if I don’t move too much.”

“I’m going to take it off you now,” he says
and I feel him unbuckling the straps. “I want to examine your pussy.”

I let out an audible moan as he takes off
the leather straps and pulls the flesh-colored phallus slowly out of me. It’s a
relief to be free of the thing and yet…now I feel so empty. So unfilled.

“That’s good,” Aiden murmurs, stroking the
small of my back with his other hand, as though soothing a frightened animal.
“Now turn around, Emma. Lean back on the bed and keep your legs spread.”

I do as he says, feeling even more
vulnerable now that we are face-to-face. “Are you all right?” He cups my cheek
and rubs his thumb gently under my eye. “You’re crying a little.”

“Am I?” I put my hand to my cheek reflexively.

“Did it hurt that much?” His eyes are
compassionate, almost tender.

I bite my lip. “Not…not when you spanked my
ass,” I whisper, falteringly.

“Poor darling.” He cups my face and leans
down to kiss my wet eyelashes with disarming gentleness. “Let me see if I can
make it better.”

He puts the harness to one side and kneels
before me on the floor, his breath hot on the insides of my thighs. I can feel
myself blushing as he examines the lips of my pussy closely, making sure he
hasn’t hurt me too much. They are dull red, just like the stripes on my ass,
and tingling with heat.

“Poor Emma,” Aiden murmurs again. “I’m
sorry I had to punish your pussy, my darling, but it’s the only way you’ll
learn not to touch yourself until I tell you to.” Leaning forward, he presses a
soft, hot, open-mouthed kiss to the right side of my swollen pussy.

I gasp and nearly jump out of my skin.
“What…what are you doing?”

He looks up at me, his gray eyes burning. “Kissing
you better. Remember—after the pain, the pleasure. Always, Emma.” He nuzzles me
gently before kissing the other side of my pussy as well. Then he spreads my
cunt lips open carefully with his thumbs, exposing my secret inner folds. I can
see my clit, framed like a little pink pearl and pulsing just for him.

“So beautiful,” Aiden murmurs. He continues
to nuzzle, breathing in my scent, and then kisses me again—this time right on
my open pussy. I moan as his hot mouth envelopes me and the soft, sweet suction
begins. He is kissing my pussy the same way he would kiss my mouth—gently, intimately,
and very,
very
thoroughly.

His tongue laps gently over my clit but just
as I think I’m going to explode he stops and rises, licking his lips. “You
taste delicious, darling,” he assures me, his deep voice thick with lust. “Your
pussy honey is even sweeter than your blood.” He strokes my hot cheek. “I can’t
wait to taste you more thoroughly. But now we must get ready for dinner.”

“Dinner?” I croak. I’ve never been less
hungry in my life—well, for food, anyway. My entire body is crying out for more
of this, more of his touch on my skin, his mouth on my most secret and private
places. I’m a mess of raw nerve endings and exposed emotions. I need to come
and I need my orgasm to come from him—from his hand. The same hand that
pleasured me. The same hand that punished me. “Please…” I whisper. “Please,
Master. I’m so… I need…”

“I know exactly what you need,” he murmurs.
“But you won’t get it now. Come, let’s get you dressed for dinner, shall we?”

My outfit for dinner appears to consist of
a pair of satin-lined black handcuffs and a black silk sleeping mask and
nothing more—well, except for the collar and nipple clamps that I am still
wearing, of course.

“But how can I eat like this?” I protest
when Aiden settles me into one of the cushioned dining room chairs and places
my cuffed hands in my lap.

“Simple—I’ll feed you.” He makes it sound
like the most natural thing in the world for me to be dependent on him for
every bite.

“But why?” I ask the forbidden question
again as he puts the sleeping mask in place over my eyes.

“Because you’re mine now.” His voice is a
low, possessive growl that sends a shiver down my spine. “Mine to care for, to
protect, to cherish. From now on I’ll feed you, bathe you, dress you if I want
you to wear clothing—take care of you in every possible way.”

His promise, spoken in that soft, deep
voice affects me in a way I’m not ready to deal with. Suddenly I can feel my
heart hammering and my breath coming short.

“I-I’m not some life-sized Barbie doll, you
know,” I say, trying to push back the feelings rising inside me. “Something you
can take out of its box and play with until you get bored and want to put it
back.”

“I’m aware of that, Emma.” He lifts the
blindfold and looks at me, his gray eyes burning into mine. “But I don’t think you’reaware of how deep a bond between a vampire dominant and his submissive can
be. I will give my blood to nourish you if necessary. Do you understand?”

My breath catches in my throat. Vampires
take blood from others regularly—it’s how they live. But they don’t give it. I think
it has to do with vampire biology—because blood is what animates them, their
body doesn’t like to part with it. They heal any cuts or abrasions almost instantaneously
so deliberately cutting themselves deeply enough to give blood is agonizing.

It’s simply not done. And yet Aiden is
offering this to me, and the look in his eyes says he is completely serious. If
the need arose, he would suffer that I might live.

“You-you would?” I can’t help asking.

He nods, slowly. “It’s not simply that I
own you, Emma. You own me too. A piece of my soul.” He puts a hand to his chest
and clenches it into a fist.

“Vampires don’t have souls,” I whisper and then
wish I could call the words back.

He closes his eyes and a look of pain
passes over his face. It’s gone so quickly I wonder if I imagined it. “Maybe
not,” he says. “But you own a piece of me nonetheless.” Then he replaces the
blindfold and calls for Barnes to bring out the first course.

I have no idea what to expect when I open
my mouth for the first bite and I’m surprised by the sharp and spicy flavor of
the soup that hits my palate. I taste the tartness of lime, the bite of red
pepper, and other flavors so rich and complex it’s hard to differentiate them.

Aiden gives me a moment to savor the taste
before he gives me the next spoonful. “What do you think?” he asks as I finish
swallowing.

“Delicious,” I say. “But…unexpected. What
is it?”

“Tom Yum soup—it’s Thai,” he says, lifting
the spoon to my lips again. “Do you like it?”

“Yes, very much.”

“Good. We have other Thai dishes as well
tonight.”

A vampire who not only eats, but enjoys
ethnic cuisine. Go figure.

Not that I’m complaining. The next course
is Pad Thai which I have had before but never like this. It’s creamy and sweet
and sour and salty all at once. The noodles are perfectly
al dente
and
the crunch of crushed peanuts on top makes my mouth water.

Aiden seems to take pleasure in my
enjoyment of the food. I wonder if he is eating too—it doesn’t seem possible
since he’s so involved in feeding me.

“What about you?” I ask after he gives me
what he says is the last bite of the noodle dish. “Aren’t you eating?”

“I enjoy food but I don’t need it to
survive,” he says, blotting the corner of my mouth with what feels like a linen
napkin. “And I want to concentrate on you. I love how sensual your mouth looks
when you eat.”

I am immediately self-conscious. “It’s not
fair,” I tell him. “You can watch me as much as you want but I can’t see you at
all.”

“That’s the point, darling,” he murmurs.
“You need to learn to trust me even more than your own senses. You need to give
yourself to me completely.”

His words make me hot and cold all over. “I’m
trying,” I whisper. ”Really, I am.”

“I’m glad.” I feel the cool brush of his
fingertips over my cheek and then he tugs very gently on the golden chain
between my nipples. I moan softly in surprise at the spark of pleasure-pain
that runs through my body. “So beautifully responsive,” he murmurs. “Tell me,
Emma, how does this make you feel?”

“When you tug on the chain?” I ask
breathlessly.

“Not just this.” He tugs it again, making
me gasp. “All of it. Being here with me. Submitting to me.”

“I don’t know,” I whispered. “I hated it at
first. Now I’m…well, I guess I’m confused.”

“Yes, it is quite confusing. For me as
well.” He stops tugging the chain. Instead he cups my cheek and I can almost
feel him studying me, those cool gray eyes searching my blindfolded face.

“How could you be confused?” I ask, wishing
I could see him and glad that I can’t at the same time. “You’re the Master.
Everything is supposed to be clear to you.”

“And I thought it would be. I saw you in
your little shop and decided I had to have you,” he murmurs. “Now…now I’m not
so sure.”

“What are you unsure about, Master?” I hear
the doubt in his voice and I wonder what he could be talking about.

“How to explain,” he muses. “This chain I
have between your breasts—it binds you both with pain and pleasure.”

“Yes…” I hold my breath, waiting for him to
tug it again but he doesn’t.

“What would you think if I told you I feel
a similar binding between us?” he asks. “A connection both fragile and
beautiful. And when you pull against it—as you seem to love to do…”
Now
he
tugs the gold chain, making me moan. “When you do that, it affects me Emma. Affects
me with emotional intensity equal to the physical intensity you feel when I
pull on yours.”

“I-I don’t mean to pull against it,” I
protest. “I’m just…not used to this. Not used to submitting.”

“And I am not used to feeling,” he murmurs,
so low I almost don’t catch the words.

“What?” I say, hoping to hear more.

“Nothing.” He withdraws his hand from my
cheek. “It’s time for dessert now. You’ll be glad to know that for this course
I will remove your blindfold.”

I blink as the lighted room comes into
view. Aiden is sitting across from me, still dressed in his immaculate gray
suit, though he has removed the jacket and loosened his tie. He looks like a
man just home from a hard day at the office and I wonder what kind of business
he runs. He passes for human very well and he can go out in daylight. Is he
working somewhere in downtown Tampa, mixing with human colleagues who have no
idea of his true nature?

The thought sends a shiver down my spine.
It would be like working with a wolf or a mountain lion and having no idea
until it was too late. Still, Aiden James seems much too civilized to prey on
his coworkers, whomever they might be. Maybe he’s the CEO and doesn’t have to
deal with them very much—that would fit his cool, remote personality to a T.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks,
looking at me closely.

“You, Master,” I blurt before I think. I
clear my throat, my cheeks getting hot. “I, uh, was just wondering where your
office is. Where you work from.”

“I own a company with offices in downtown
Tampa, if you really want to know,” he says. “Most of my employees are in a
separate building from the one that houses my office.” He gives me a rare
smile, baring those sharp white fangs it’s so easy to forget about until
they’re staring you right in the face.

I bite my lip and look down. He must know I
was thinking about him snacking on his workers. Was it a lucky guess or can he
see into my thoughts somehow?

“Your face is very easy to read,” he
remarks.

“That’s what Lexy says too,” I say. “Uh, my
cousin.”

“The one you were talking to today on the
phone?” He raises an eyebrow at me and I blush.

“Well, yes. Are you monitoring my phone
calls?” I demand.

“I could if I wished but no. I do, however,
take note of when my telephone or computer has been used.”

“You can’t cut me off from the outside
world forever,” I protest. “I have a life, you know. Maybe not a very exciting
one but—”

“What do you most want?” he says. “Ask,
Emma. I can’t promise to give it to you but I won’t be angry with you for
asking.”

“To talk to my cousin,” I say at once. “Maybe
go out with her for lunch sometime. Or have her over here?” I make this a
question because I’m not sure about asking to have people over to his house.

Aiden frowns. “Yes to the first request—you
may talk to her as much as you like on the phone. As to having her here, I am a
very private man.”

“I understand,” I say quickly but he raises
a hand to stop me.

“
But
, I understand the female need
for companionship.” He sighs. “You may have her over as long as you’re willing to
see her while you’re dressed in the way I see fit.”

“You mean I can’t take off the harness when
she comes over,” I say flatly and Aiden nods.

“Exactly. I need you to wear it for a
certain number of hours during the day. It serves to open you and also to
remind you of me.” He looks at me intently. “I never want to be far from your
thoughts, Emma. You are never far from mine.”

I look down, unable to stand the intensity
of his gaze. “Don’t worry,” I mumble. “I-I think of you a lot too. I can’t help
it.”

He smiles and strokes my bare thigh until I
shiver. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“What about my class?” I ask in a rush, my
heart pounding. “Can I contact my professor? When can I go back? My final exam
is coming up soon and—”

“No classes, not yet.” He frowns. “It’s not
safe.”

“Not safe?” I frown back at him. “I’ve been
going all semester with no problem. I mean, I know it’s a night class but—”

“You didn’t belong to me before,” he
interrupts me, frowning sternly. “I’m sorry to tell you this, Emma, but as the
new Sovereign I have many enemies who would be happy to do to you what they
couldn’t do to me.” He sighs. “Besides, you’re not nearly through with your
training yet. And…”

“And what?” I prompt him impatiently.

He looks at me thoughtfully. “And I’m not
ready to share you yet,” he murmurs at last. “The bond between us is still too
fresh—too new. I need you here, where I can nurture it. And protect you.”

“Protect me and keep me all to yourself,
you mean,” I say snappishly.

“Exactly.” He’s perfectly calm about it, as
though it’s not a big deal for him to keep me confined in his home. “Now then.”
He claps his hands. “Let’s have no more unpleasantness. You can contact your
professors and ask to do the assignments from here. If they give you problems
about it, let me know. I can be very…persuasivewhen I have to.” For a
moment his gray eyes flash silver and I shiver.

“All right,” I whisper, though inside I’m
still upset. Am I going to be kept a prisoner here in his house this entire
year? It’s very confusing to be so attracted to a man who is also a vampire and
my captor. I must have the worst case of Stockholm Syndrome ever because I
can’t help wanting to please him, can’t help craving his touch…

Before I can dwell on the problem too much,
Aiden rings a tiny silver bell and calls for Barnes to bring out dessert.

It turns out to be banana coins—slices of
banana wrapped in some sweet pastry and fried until they’re crispy on the
outside and meltingly soft and sweet on the inside—with a scoop of coconut ice
cream on top. The entire concoction comes in a little porcelain bowl with a
matching pitcher filled with golden honey sauce on the side. Aiden drizzles a
little bit of it over the dessert before spooning up one of the slices and a
generous amount of ice cream. He holds it out to me.

“Be careful, darling. The inside is going
to be extremely hot but the ice cream should keep it from burning your tongue.”

I wonder if he’s always this solicitous and
careful of all his submissives, then I remember him saying this isn’t a game he
plays often. He certainly seems to be enjoying it now, though. He feeds me two
more coins with the creamy smooth ice cream and gives me a sip of cool water to
cleanse my palate. Then he puts down the spoon, sits back and looks at me.

“It’s time for the second part of dessert
now, Emma,” he says softly, his eyes half-lidded. “Can you guess what that
might be?”

“No,” I whisper, my heart suddenly
thumping. “No, I-I have no idea. What is it?”

Instead of answering, he asks me another
question. “Tell me, my darling, have you ever sucked cock?”

Those dirty words in that deep voice of his
sends a spark of heat straight to my bare pussy. I shake my head, pressing my
thighs together, feeling suddenly even more naked. “No, never.”

“Well, you’re going to learn. Come here and
kneel before me on the ground.” He scoots his chair away from the table and
opens his long legs. Then he unzips his expensive gray slacks and pulls out his
cock.

I try not to gasp but I can’t help it. He
has the longest, thickest shaft I’ve ever seen in my life—and that’s saying
something because Lexy has a thing for gay porn and she’s always making me
watch it with her.

Aiden seems unaffected by my shock. “It is
both a blessing and a curse,” he remarks as he strokes himself slowly with one
well-shaped hand. “It is the reason I was turned in the first place—but it also
ensures that I can never take a female without extensive preparation.” He gives
me a slow smile. “Which is one reason I am so content to take my time with you,
my lovely little witch.”