SovereignsChoice (13 page)

I’m surprised that he knows whoever called
the candle flame must be the one to extinguish it. It’s important to the
circular nature of magic but that’s not something a vampire would be aware of. Unlesshe’s had dealings—intimate dealings—with witches before. I want to ask him
more about the spell book and the witch who owned it but he’s clearly not going
to answer. He’s simply waiting patiently for me to blow out the candles so he
can go get cleaned up and changed.

I’m pretty sticky myself so I decide that
this particular conversation will have to wait until later.
Much
later
if Aiden’s reticence to talk about his past is any indication.

Leaning over the desk, I puff gently on the
twin candle flames and watch them wink out of existence. I still don’t know how
I lit them or if I’ll ever be able to do it again but Aiden is beckoning for me
to go. There’s no time to wonder.

He lets me walk to the bedroom this time—maybe
in deference to our mutual state of post-coital stickiness. Okay, I know it’s
not really post-coital but it’s as close to sex as I’ve ever gotten so I’ll
take what I can get. Or maybe he’s just quiet because he wants to put some
distance between us. He’s certainly not nearly as talkative and affectionate as
he was earlier and there’s a pensive look on his face that makes me vaguely
uneasy.

I haven’t been on very many dates but I’ve
heard tons about the different kinds of men from Lexy. According to her, you
want to avoid the dark, silent, brooding types, no matter how attractive they
may seem to start with. “Give me a Bingley over a Darcy any day,” Lexy always
says. “I like my men happy, eager to please and uncomplicated.”

All attributes my new Master seems to lack.
Of course, I didn’t get to choose Aiden—he chose me. A fact that I still have
mixed feelings about. On one hand, it’s very easy to be attracted to him. He’s
so masterful and handsome and sure of himself. He knows exactly what he wants
and tells me exactly what he expects. When I obey, he gives me mind-blowing
orgasms and lavish praise that makes me feel special in a way I never have
before.

On the other hand, he dishes out pain as
well as pleasure and seems to expect me to like them equally well. He wants to
own me body and soul and he’s already talking about some mysterious bond
growing between us. I’m not sure how to feel about that—after all, I just met
him yesterday.

Has it really been such a short amount of
time since he first walked into my shop with that list of ingredients? Somehow
it seems so much longer than that. But time doesn’t seem to have much meaning
here in this strange glass house. It stretches out like taffy until I don’t know
where I’m going or how long it takes to get there. I—

“Stop.” Aiden takes my arm, breaking my
train of thought and I realize that we’ve reached the threshold of the bedroom.

“Stop what?” I look at him, startled.

“Stop thinking so hard.” He cups my cheek
for a moment and looks into my eyes. “Just let things be, Emma. We have such a
short amount of time here together—try to enjoy it.”

“A short time?” I raise an eyebrow at him.
“I’m here for a year. I’m yoursfor a whole year…Master.”

“Such a short time,” he repeats softly.
“The blink of an eye. A snowflake melting on your cheek.”

I suppose living for centuries gives vamps
a different sense of time. What seems like a long time to me is nothing to him.
“I guess maybe I’d feel the same way if I was basically immortal,” I say neutrally.
“But to a mortal witch like me, a year can be an eternity.”

“Vampires aren’t really immortal—we just
have very long lifespans. Which can be shared…under the right circumstances.”

“You mean like a life-bond?” I shake my
head. “I thought that was only between two vampires.” Vamps sometimes bond
themselves together to double their lifespans. It can only be done once and it
ties them together so that if one dies, it drags the other down too. But I’ve
never heard of a vampire bonding with anyone mortal. If they did, it would have
the opposite effect and cut their lifespan in half. It could mean the
difference between the vamp living a thousand years or only living five
hundred.

Both ages sound incredibly ancient to a
mortal but to a being like a vampire, there’s a significant difference there.
Of course, they’d get to share their truncated lifespan with their mortal lover
who wouldn’t die until the vampire did but I don’t know of any that would be
willing to cut their lives in half for love.

“There are some of my kind who would bond
outside our race,” he murmurs, leading me into the bedroom at last. “I have
heard of it being done.”

“Well I haven’t,” I say. “Um, is it all
right if I take another shower? I’m kind of sticky.”

“So I see.” His sharp gray eyes flicker
over me in a way that makes me blush. He nods at the master bathroom. “Help
yourself. I’ll be waiting to tuck you in.”

Well, that’s kind of nice. I go into the
bathroom, relieved to have a little alone time to take care of business. Aiden
is amazing but he’s so intense—it can be hard to be around him all the time. I feel
as if he sucks all the air out of any room he’s in—in a good way, of course. A
way that makes me incredibly hot, but still, a girl needs to breathe sometimes.

I take a quick shower, being certain I get
all of his essence off me and out of me. Not much leaked into my pussy so I
hope I’m okay. If I had a normal cycle I’d be able to tell but with my period
being so irregular, I have no idea.
Well, the chances of getting pregnant by
a vampire are slim anyway,
I think, trying to make myself feel better.
Just
get over it. And maybe ask Lexy to bring some condoms or something.

I shut off the water and dry myself thoroughly.
Then I wrap myself in another one of those big fluffy towels and come out of
the steamy bathroom.

Aiden has also changed. He’s wearing
another pair of faded jeans but this time his T-shirt is black. It still clings
to his chest in a mouthwatering way, though. Mmm, I wouldn’t mind running my
hands all over the flat, muscular planes of his body. I wonder if I’ll ever be
allowed to explore him the way he seems to enjoy exploring me.

“Come here, Emma. It’s time for bed,” he
says and puts out a hand to me. I come forward and take it. Aiden interlaces
our fingers and squeezes my hand gently. “Are you feeling sleepy now?”

I have to admit that I’m fatigued. A day
full of sexual tension, punishment and pleasure topped off by two delicious
orgasms will do that to a girl. I open my mouth to answer in the
affirmative…and yawn instead.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Aiden says dryly.
“Come on—get rid of that towel.”

He takes my towel over my halfhearted
protests. “Isn’t there anything I could wear to bed?” I ask, shivering. “Those
sheets are bound to be cold.”

Aiden frowns. “No, I want you naked or
nearly naked at all times. Come, I’ll help warm you up before I go.”

My heart speeds up at the idea of how he
might warm me but he simply takes me to bed and spoons me, curling his big body
around mine protectively and rubbing his hands over my arms and legs. As the
heat of his big body envelops me and his warm, masculine scent fills my senses,
I begin to feel deliciously drowsy.

“I thought…” I yawn again. “Thought
vampires were…cold blooded.”

“A myth,” he murmurs softly, his deep voice
soothing in my ear. “Along the same lines as the belief that all witches ride
broomsticks and keep black cats as familiars.”

“I like cats,” I protest and yawn again.

“I’m sure you do.” He sounds as though he’s
smiling. “You’re nearly asleep now. Would you like me to tuck you in tight
before I leave?”

“Why do you have to leave?” I protest sleepily.
“This is nice…lying here like this together. Don’t you like it?” I don’t think
I would have the nerve to ask him this if I wasn’t so tired but in my fatigued
state, it just comes out.

“As a matter of fact, I dolike it,”
he murmurs. “Much more than I should.”

“I don’t…don’t understand.” I yawn again,
so sleepy I can hardly hold my eyes open. “What does that mean?”

“It means I’ve already gone much further
with you tonight than I meant to,” Aiden says. “And I don’t intend to break any
more of my rules.”

I want to ask him what his rules are and
how they apply to me but I’m too tired. The next thing I know, Aiden is kissing
my cheek and murmuring that I should have sweet dreams.

As he turns out the light, my eyes slip
closed and I’m out.

“So how are you enjoying life in the lap of
luxury?” Lexy demands, her voice excited on the other side of the phone. “And
when can I come see you?”

“Soon,” I hedge, winding the old-fashioned
phone cord around my finger. “Just…not yet.” I still haven’t gotten up the
nerve to have her over while I’m wearing this damn harness and I don’t know
when I will. Every day I contemplate inviting her over…and every day I chicken
out. But I know I can’t put my curious cousin off much longer—it’s been nearly
two weeks since Aiden claimed me as his sacrifice and Lexy is dying to come
over and see my new life.

Without the shop to run or any outside
distractions, my days have fallen into a strange kind of routine. Every morning
after breakfast Aiden brings me back into the bedroom and puts the harness on
me, sliding a slightly larger phallus deep inside my pussy. Then he gives me a
lingering kiss before leaving for work along with strict instructions that I am
not to touch myself. After that, I spend the day completely naked—swimming,
lounging by the pool, talking to Lexy on the phone, doing homework, reading or
studying
Farrow’s
.I still haven’t managed to repeat my trick
with the candles but the spark of hope I thought had died out in my heart has been
rekindled. I can’t help wishing that maybe Aiden is right—that I really do have
power and it’s just blocked.

Aiden comes home around five each day and usually
finds some reason to punish me. Sometimes it’s some small task that he’s given
me to do, which he claims isn’t completed to his satisfaction. Other times it’s
my attitude if I’m feeling particularly defiant. Whatever the reason, we usually
wind up in the bedroom with me over his knee or bent over the bed while he
spanks me or uses the belt or the paddle or the riding crop on my ass.

I still resist these punishments but not as
much as I did in the past. That may have to do with the fact that Aiden always
pleasures me afterward. If my skin is stinging he rubs soothing ointment or oil
into it and that usually leads to a slow, delicious pussy massage. Sometimes he
lets me come but mostly he doesn’t—either way, I’ve become alarmingly addicted
to having those long white fingers stroking my hot flesh.

After my punishment, he takes me to the
dining room, handcuffs me and feeds me dinner. Sometimes I wear a blindfold and
sometimes not. After dessert, I usually sit under the table and suck his cock,
though he still hasn’t let me take him all the way. In fact, as far as I know,
Aiden hasn’t come again since the fateful night in his study. He’s growing
stingier about my orgasms too, preferring to keep me at a fever-pitch of lust
at all times, apparently, instead of allowing me any kind of release. It drives
me crazy but what can I do?

After dinner we usually spend time together
in the study although sometimes we skip that if Aiden has decided to continue
my “education” in the bedroom. Often he dresses me in revealing outfits and
makes me parade around in ridiculously high heels, putting on a show for his
enjoyment. At first this made me uncomfortable but slowly, the realization that
he really doeslike my body has made me like it more too. So what if I’m
not a supermodel? Real women have curves and if my Master wants me to show mine
off, why not? Besides, he loves to touch me and tease me when I’m dressed up
for him and I love the feel of his hands and mouth on my body.

But the nights we play dress-up are nothing
to the nights he ties me up. Sometimes he ties me to the bed with silk scarves
and spends hours teasing me with feathers and ice cubes and different kinds of
nipple clamps. Once he tied me to the bedpost, a silk rope wrapped around my
body, crisscrossing my breasts and pulled up tight between my pussy lips. He
teased for what seemed like forever, touching, sucking, biting until I begged
for release and called him Master in a broken, longing voice. Only then did he finally
let me come.

But even after all this, he still hasn’t
fucked me. He says he’s preparing me, getting me ready to take him when the
time comes. Sometimes I want him inside me so badly I ache but as far as I know,
he still has no plans to take me in the immediate future. I’m trying to be
patient but it’s really hard.

So when Lexy begs to come over and see me,
I’m reluctant. I’m living a whole different life now and besides, I would have
to talk to her while wearing the harness. I’ve been sorely tempted to take it
off at times but I’ve always resisted because Aiden is so adamant about me
never, ever removing it. I’m sure Lexy would sense something was going on if
she came over and I was walking funny and I’m just not ready to get into the
nitty-gritty details of what Aiden does to me yet. I know my cousin and best
friend has had lots and lots of sex but I doubt she’s ever had the kind of
relationship I have with my new Master.

Thinking of that makes me remember what
happened last night…

“I’m home, darling,” he murmurs, stepping
into the study and laying a flat expensive-looking black briefcase on the desk.

“Oh hello.” I look up guiltily from the
laptop. “I was just-just doing some homework.” My herbology professor has been
very accommodating about letting me do assignments online. However, I’m still
not sure what I’m going to do about my final exam, which is coming up soon.
I’ll really have to be there in person for that and Aiden will just have to
understand. Although
how
I’m going to make him understand, I’m not sure.
He’s so protective it’s ridiculous.

“Homework, hmm?” he murmurs, looking over
my shoulder. I try to minimize the image but it’s too late—he’s seen it. On the
screen a woman lies bound and gagged. Her legs are spread and she’s been double
penetrated—her pussy stuffed with her Master’s cock and her anus filled with
what looks like a kind of tail. It’s a thick black wand with multiple thin
leather strands attached to the end. The image both fascinates and frightens
me. I’m getting quite used to Aiden mastering my pussy but he hasn’t yet tried
anything further.

“This intrigues you?” Aiden asks, looking
at the screen and then at me, one eyebrow raised.

I can feel my skin getting hot as a blush
rises to my cheeks. I cross my legs, feeling the phallus shifting inside me and
nod shortly. “Maybe.”

“Interesting,” he murmurs. “I hadn’t
intended to start anal play until after I claimed your pussy but we can begin
sooner if you wish.”

“I don’t… I’m n-not sure…that’s not the
only thing that…that I find, uh, interesting,” I say, stuttering in
embarrassment.

“Is it the double penetration?” Aiden asks
matter-of-factly. “Because I do have another harness, darling—with room for two
phalluses instead of just one.”

“It’s not a dildo I want inside me,” I
burst out, my irritation finally overcoming my embarrassment. “It’s you!” I
bite my lip and look down at my hands. “It’s
you
, Master,” I say in a
whisper.

“Oh?” Aiden lifts my chin and looks into my
eyes. “Are you frustrated, darling? Wondering when I’m finally going to fuck
you?”

“Yes,” I admit. “It’s been weeks since you
claimed me as your sacrifice and I’m still technically a virgin. I think I’m
ready now, Aiden…Master. I want…want you inside me.” I blush as I say it, my
cheeks getting even hotter but I can’t hold this in anymore. He hasn’t let me
come for the past two days and I’m going a little crazy.

He strokes my cheek. “And I want to be
inside you, more than I can say. You’re so lovely, Emma.” He kisses me softly
on the lips, making my heart pound. Goddess, he tastes good! “Sometimes it’s
all I can think about,” he murmurs. “Making love to you, making you mine
completely and forever…”

“Then why don’t you?” I ask breathlessly. I
want more of those sweet, addicting kisses but he steps back.

“You’re not ready yet,” he says softly. “I know
you think you are, Emma, but the phallus you’re wearing still isn’t nearly as
large as what you’re going to have to accommodate the first time I take you.”

I look at the growing bulge in his
expensive charcoal suit pants and know he’s right. Still, I want him.

“I’ll stretch,” I say impatiently. “The
female body is made to open—I’m sure I’ll be able to manage having you inside
me. It might be a little tight at first but—”

“It’s not only your body that needs to be
ready but your mind,” Aiden tells me. “You’re not ready to completely surrender
yourself to me yet, darling. And until you are, I won’t take your virginity.
Won’t fill your pussy with my cock and my cum.”

Just hearing those dirty words in his deep
voice sets my heart pounding. Goddess, I want him but he’s determined not to
take me yet. “What can I do?” I ask, detecting the sexual frustration in my own
voice but unable to do anything about it. “How can I prove I’m ready?”

Aiden frowns thoughtfully. “If you’re that
determined to prove yourself, you can come to dinner with me tonight.”

“Dinner?” I feel exasperated all over again.
“We eat dinner together every night.” Well, I eat—he mostly feeds me and does obscenely
delicious things to my body. But still…

“Tonight it’s going to be different,” Aiden
promises me, his gray eyes gleaming. “Tonight we’re going out. But first we
have to get you ready.”

He takes me into the bathroom, rolls up his
sleeves and gives me a bath. Not a shower but a long, slow, leisurely bubble
bath. He shampoos and conditions my hair, rinsing it carefully so as not to get
any suds in my eyes. He washes every part of my body by hand, paying careful
attention to my breasts and pussy. I moan aloud as he caresses my tender
nipples with soapy hands and then dives lower, cupping my pussy and stroking my
throbbing clit beneath the heated water. I’m so close. I feel as if I’ve been
on the edge for days and I wonder if he’ll let me come tonight or just tease me
some more.

After soaping me all over, Aiden shaves
beneath my arms and also my legs. I felt strange the first time he did
this—it’s such a personal act and one I’ve always performed for myself. But I’m
used to it now, just as I’m used to him feeding me and brushing my hair and
tucking me into bed at night. Sometimes I feel less like his sex slave and more
like a much loved, well cared for child. Taking care of me seems to give my
Master almost as much pleasure as touching and teasing me sexually. And gradually,
I’m getting used to it.

Tonight, however, Aiden raises the bar.
After taking me out of the tub and drying me thoroughly, he leads me over to
the bed and has me lie down on my back with my legs hanging over the edge.

“Hold on a minute, darling,” he says and
disappears back into the master bathroom.

He removed the harness before putting me in
the tub and I feel bare and empty and intensely vulnerable just lying there
open like this. Thank goodness I don’t have to wait for long. When he returns,
he’s carrying some steaming hot washcloths, a can of women’s gel shaving cream
and a pink razor.

“What are you doing?” I rise on my elbows
to watch him as he settles between my thighs and arranges the things he’s
brought with him.

“Shaving you,” he murmurs and puts one of the
hot cloths over my naked pussy mound.

I gasp and writhe—the intense heat from the
steamy cloth is almost too much to bear. But it’s clear from the stern look
Aiden is giving me that he intends me to bear it anyway.

“But you already shaved my legs and under
my arms,” I protest, still writhing. “Why…why do you want to shave me
there
?”
And more to the point, why does he find it necessary? I keep the area extremely
neat and well-trimmed. What’s the point of shaving it?

“Tell me, darling,” he says, answering my
question with a question of his own as he so often does. “Have you ever shaved
or waxed your pussy completely bare?”

“Well…” I bite my lip. “No, not really.”

“It makes you incredibly sensitive to the
least sensation,” Aiden assures me, removing the first washcloth and stroking
the cool, soothing shaving gel over my mound with his long fingers. “And I need
you to be sensitive—
very
sensitive tonight.”

“I-I don’t understand,” I say. “Where are
we going anyway, some kind of strip club?”

He laughs. “Hardly. I’ve made us a
reservation at Bern’s.”

“Bern’s?” I look at him blankly as he lifts
the razor and begins, very delicately and with utmost precision, to shave me.

“Yes, Bern’s,” he says shortly.

Bern’s is one of Tampa’s oldest, finest and
most expensive restaurants. They primarily serve aged steak so tender you could
cut it with a fork—or so I’ve been told. I’ve never actually been there but
Lexy has. According to her, they have a bottle of wine on the menu that costs
as much as a nice house. Supposedly it belonged to Napoleon.

“Why are we going there?” I ask, trying to
keep my mind off how vulnerable it makes me feel to have Aiden perform such an
intimate service for me. I can feel his long fingers holding me carefully,
stroking the razor over my skin to make sure I’m utterly and completely bare
for him. My clit tingles every time he brushes it until I wonder if he’s doing
it on purpose. “Do…” I can barely get the words out. “Do you have a craving for
steak?”

“Not exactly.” Aiden looks up for a moment.
“Nearly done now, darling. To answer your question, we are going to Bern’s
because the staff there is very…accommodating. I’ve reserved us a private
room.”

Accommodating?
I don’t like the sound of that. I have a sudden thought that makes
me cold all over. “You’re not…you don’t expect me to go out in public
naked
,
do you?” I’ve gotten almost used to being bare all the time in his home. After
all, I mostly have the place all to myself except for Barnes whom I almost
never see. And more importantly, I’m sure he can’t see me because of his
blindness.