****

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispers against my lips as we dance in front of the fireplace to music playing in the background.

I swallow down the lump in my throat caused by the sincerity in his voice. I’ve been told I was beautiful before, but never with this type of emotion behind it. With Jeremy I don’t have to question if he’s telling me the truth or what he thinks I want to hear. With him, what you see is what you get. “Th-thank you.”

“Don’t thank me for telling you the truth. I can’t wait to watch you win that award. You deserve it.”

His words remind me of that damn awards ceremony. I bite my lower lip, ducking my head between his shoulder and neck. I feel like I want to hide again. Of course he refuses to let me. He pulls back and brings his hand underneath my chin, raising my head up so my eyes meet his. His eyes are searching mine, and although everything inside of me is telling me to look away, I can’t. Here in this dim living room with only the fireplace illuminating us, once again, I feel completely exposed to this man. When I think he’s going to finally ask me why I’ve worked so hard to avoid my birth city and why this dinner is such a big deal, he doesn’t. Instead, he lowers his head and nips my bottom lip with his teeth before he uses his tongue to slowly outline my lips. The slow sensuous glide of his tongue causes me to gasp, parting my lips and making way for him to plunder my mouth full force.

“Mmm,” I moan into his mouth as he takes mine.

He starts off slowly, exploring, and teasing, but then turns into the take-no-prisoners Dom he is. His hand moves to the back of my head, trapping me against his mouth, not allowing for me to move. Soon I realize he is moving us to the floor where he’d removed the coffee table earlier. He lays us down on the plush carpet in front of the fireplace and sits back on his haunches, staring down at me. He remains quiet but still in complete control of the situation. I can see the look in his eyes. He’s in full Dom mode.

“You will feel my diamond encrusted nipple clamps tonight with weight added,” he says as he runs a finger from my chest over my abdomen and down one leg. Even though I’m still fully dressed, his light touch sears my skin. This isn’t the first time he’ll be using those particular nipple clamps on me, but it will be the first time with the weights added. My nipples begin tingling in anticipation, and I can already feel the moistness dampening my thong.

“No restraints tonight, though,” he adds. “Just my hands.” His grin tells me the only restraints he needs are his two hands. They can be just as effective as any belt or scarf he has. Meticulously, he begins undoing the buttons of my dress, exposing more skin with each flick of his fingers. Once completely undone, he spreads each side of the dress, revealing my lace bra and panty set; another item he insisted I bring along on this trip. His low grunt of approval encourages a smile on my lips. He helps me sit up to completely remove the dress and places a pillow down to support my head. He begins to reach for my bra, but I stop him with a hand on his.

“I want to undress you,” I say out of nowhere. I’ve never undressed him before, but I want the chance to revel in this process.

He pauses, pondering for a moment before nodding. I sit up on my heels and begin unbuttoning the white shirt he’d worn to dinner. Each undone button reveals more of his colorful chest. When I reach the last bottom, I remove his shirt, leaving his top half completely bare. Without thinking, I use my tongue to outline the viper tattoo that snakes around from his belly all the way up to his neck. He’s told me that was his nickname in his marine battalion. The viper is one of the deadliest snakes alive.

“Love, that feels good, but you did not ask permission,” he scolds.

I close my eyes, wondering how he is able to maintain such control in this moment. I can feel his heartbeat thundering under the prodding of my lips and yet, his voice sounds like he’s in total control. I just want to touch him all over. Reluctantly, I pull back, but not until I swipe my tongue across his nipple one last time. The hitch of his breath alerts me that he is not as unaffected as he’d like me to believe. “I need you to stand so I can take off your pants,” I remind him.

“I’ll do that. Sit back, plant your legs, and rest on your elbows.” He doesn’t even wait for me to move. Instead, he helps me into the requested position. He quickly releases the front clasp of my bra and removes it. His hands are on my breasts squeezing and massaging them. My head falls back as my nipples harden even more; no doubt his intention. My eyes tightly shut as I feel him move between my legs before his warm mouth surrounds one nipple. I cry out at the pleasure his tongue provides my nipple. He next moves to my other breast causing the same reaction. When he pulls back, I shiver with a need to feel him again. Instead, he shifts and opens a bag. He pulls out the nipple clamps. I see the glint of light reflecting off the diamond as he moves it in front of me before taking one nipple and placing the clamp on. Again, I cry out from the immediate pressure of the clamp around my nipple and then again when I feel the second clamp engage. I bite my lower lip to keep from crying out again. Slowly, as usual, the pain subsides and a familiar pleasure emerges, moving straight to my core. I continue to bite my lip to keep from moaning this time. Just as the pleasure subsides slightly, I intake another sharp breath as the pressure increases and I realize Jeremy has added a weight to the middle chain of the clamp, causing the clamps to tighten around my nipples.

“Jer-Jeremy!” I moan.

“What did you call me?”

I hear the warning in his voice and my eyes pop open. “S-Sir,” I manage to say.

“Better.” He moves back from me, stands, and begins unbuckling his belt and pants. When he pushes his clothes down and his fully erect cock springs out, I bite my lower lip so hard I think I may draw blood. Every ounce of my body is inflamed and ready for him to take me anyway he wants. But I know him by now. He will drag this out as long as possible. He kneels down between my legs and kisses me between my breasts, using his tongue to lick my soft mounds, but avoids my nipples. Still the feel of his tongue that close to my clamped nipples reignites the fire, and the pool between my legs expands. My legs widen on their own accord, silently begging him to take me already. I almost cry out in relief when I feel his hands at my waist, gripping the edge of my panties. He moves his mouth to mine and our tongues begin to duel. His kiss becomes so forceful until it pushes my head back against the pillow and I encircle his neck with my arms, remembering I’m free to do so. Suddenly I feel a pressure on my waist and then a tearing noise and I realize he’s just ripped my lace panties from my body.

“Much better,” he says, grinning against my lips.

His finger rubs my labia before he pushes his way inside of me. I moan against his mouth at his intrusion. He answers by adding a second finger.

“J-jer…Sir,” I moan breathlessly as he continues to breach me.

“You’re going to win that award,” he says out of nowhere.

I open my eyes and I’m met with such an intense look that I have to reclose them.

“Look at me,” he growls, his fingers still working their magic on my pussy.

I open my eyes again.

“You’re amazing in every way possible,” he reiterates before crushing his lips to mine again. He removes his fingers and within seconds, I feel his massive cock pushing into me. I inhale sharply at the contrast between his fingers and his cock, but widen my legs to make room for his big body between my thighs. “You’re going to win and I’m going to be the proudest man in the room,” he groans as his cock pushes into me.

I blink, trying to keep the tears in my eyes from spilling over. Jeremy refuses to let up. He buries his head in the crook of my neck, continuing to whisper words of encouragement. He tells me how deserving I am and how proud he is of me. Those words along with his thrusting cock and the nipple clamps all work together to send me higher and higher to a place I’ve never reached before. I close my eyes, trying to push back against the onslaught of emotions swirling around inside me, but it’s no use.

“Cum for me,” he demands right before biting my shoulder as his cock pushes against my G-spot and I fly completely apart.

I arch my back completely off the floor. I part my lips on a silent yell as the orgasm rips through me with more force than I’ve ever felt before. I pant uncontrollably and somehow realize I’m crying at the same time. The tears I’d tried to keep from spilling are gushing like a tidal wave now. I continue to pant, sob, and climax all at the same time. Jeremy just holds me through it all, still whispering his encouraging words, which cause me to cry even harder. But now I feel less afraid. I have no idea how long this goes on for. Maybe five minutes or five hours, but when I finally come back to myself, I’m completely drained.

Carefully, Jeremy pulls out of me and removes the nipples clamps, causing me to flinch. He stands up, but I can’t move. He pads over to the kitchen and I hear the refrigerator open and close. Moments later, he brings me back an opened bottle of water. He lies beside me, handing me the water, and pulls me to him. “Drink,” he commands, holding the bottle to my lips. The water is a balm to my dry and scratchy throat. I must’ve done more yelling than I thought.

“Better?”

Silently, I nod and turn to curl against his chest, needing his strength right now. He wraps his arm around me, pulling a blanket over to cover our naked bodies.

“Thank you,” I whisper. I feel his lips brush across my forehead and I close my eyes again after more tears flow. We lay quiet and still for a long while. The only movement is my forefinger making tiny circles across Jeremy’s chest.

I decide to break the silence. “You know my therapist used to say kids who experience trauma, often become adults who are emotionally stunted at the age of their trauma.” I don’t look up at Jeremy to see his reaction to my words. I can’t. “Danica is twelve, almost thirteen. I never realized that until later on.” I pause, sighing heavily before the next words spill from my mouth. “I was almost thirteen when I was forced to turn my first trick.” I feel Jeremy’s entire body stiffen next to me, but I continue, needing to say these words out loud for some reason. “My mother moved us to Virginia with her boyfriend and then got hooked on drugs. She eventually left one day and never returned, choosing drugs over me. For a while her boyfriend allowed me to stay, saying he’d take care of me. Then one day a few months later, he told me it was time I started to earn my keep. He used to bring home this guy who was in his forties. He claimed the guy just wanted to talk to me privately. That wasn’t true, though. When he took me in the bedroom, h-he…” I stop and take a shuttering breath, but I refuse to stop telling my whole story. “He assaulted me.” I snorted. “That’s the professional term for it. Assault. Over the next two years I was forced to service whomever he brought home. I was defiant, though. I never gave oral sex and whenever he took me to the store, I stole packs of condoms, forcing the johns to wear them. He used to beat the shit out of me for that, but I never stopped. He locked me in the bedroom and tried to keep me high on drugs to keep me out of it. But I started making myself vomit the pills up that he was giving me. I had to remain aware of my surroundings. I don’t know how I knew, but I knew I’d someday have the chance to escape. And the day before I turned fifteen, he fell asleep and left my door unlocked. I saw it and didn’t even think twice. I went in his wallet I saw lying on the table and took as much money as I could and left with nothing else. I found the closest Greyhound bus station and made my way back to New York. For about a year, I slept wherever I could. I went to homeless shelters, the backs of train stations, or wherever.” I stop to wipe a tear that had managed to escape.

“What happened then?” Jeremy asked in a low voice from behind me. He’d been so quiet and still until I’d almost forgotten he was there.

But now I feel his fingertips grazing my shoulder, stroking and comforting me. That encourages me to continue. “One day I got desperate. I was hungry and had no money so…” I sigh, ashamed most about this. “I decided to go back to what I knew. I began tricking to make money. I only lasted a few weeks before I was arrested. I thought I was going to jail for a long time, but even that scared me less than the idea of having to go back to the street and do what I was doing. I was young with no discernable skills and no family. The guards in jail weren’t much better than the tricks on the street, though. Most of them were grown men who would prostitute the girls they were supposed to be supervising. I saw everyone from prison guards to police officers involved in it. Thank God, I never was never in there long enough to be recruited for that, but it was happening. I even knew a few of the girls involved. The guards threatened anyone who dare to tell. And who the hell would believe juvenile delinquents over prison guards anyway, right?” I snort and shrug, a part of me still feeling like that helpless seventeen-year-old.

“How’d you get released?” His voice is laced in a tone I’ve never heard before.

Is he disgusted by me?

“About a month after my arrest, a guard appeared and told me to come with him. I was scared as shit. I just knew he was going to try to pimp me out. I was ready to run. Instead, he escorted me to the front of the jail where I was given my meager belongings and told I was free to go. It scared the hell out of me too until I looked up and saw Coral standing there, ripping into a prison official for not trying to contact someone about me. It was the first time I had seen her in years.”

“She came for you.”

I close my eyes as more tears fall and nod. “She did,” I say in a shaky voice. “That was the first time I met Liam too. He was with her. She had taken time out of her leave from war to find me. S-she…she…is my sister. Stacey…too,” I stutter. “We have the same father. He cheated on their mother with mine although Stacey didn’t know until recently. Coral has known since we were kids. When we were still young she promised to always look out for me, even though we weren’t supposed to know we were sisters. My father barely acknowledged my existence. Even after she moved away and went to college, Coral still kept in contact with me until my mother dragged us to Virginia. Coral got me into a program up in Central Massachusetts that provided me with counseling, GED classes, and a place to live and heal. I stayed there for nearly three years until I felt stable enough to move out on my own. I got a job working as a legal secretary and lived just outside Boston for a few years. I took some community college courses in creative writing and decided to finish a story I’d started when I was thirteen years old and locked up in a dingy bedroom in Virginia. That would become my first published book. When I realized I could live off the money I made as an author, I quit my job and moved to Vermont for the peace and quiet. I rarely dated. The idea of sex repulsed me for so long because of what I’d been through. Eventually, it got better and I dated someone for a while. He was okay, and our relationship was...nice. But we weren’t on the same page sexually. I’d shut down and just lay there until he was finished. That was my last relationship. It’s also why I hate New York and why I refuse to do public appearances for my books. The fear of being recognized by someone or the world finding out my sordid past.” I tremble at that thought. “Anyway, when Coral moved to Dallas and asked me to come with her to be closer, I agreed, happy to live so close to my sister again. Then I met you and all of a sudden, I wanted more,” I admit finally, looking up at him.  

His eyes were dark, something lurking behind them. They remained on me, searching for something. We stared at one another for a long time before he pulled me in, kissed my forehead, and pulled the blanket completely over us. He gently lowered me down, silently encouraging to me to go to sleep. Without protest, I did. I was tired and mentally drained after all I had just revealed; my secret shame. My eyelids fluttered before finally closing as I drifted off to a deep sleep.