Sophia silently closed Gabriela’s bedroom door and started to walk down the corridor when she saw Alistair seated on the TV room sofa, fresh from a shower, wearing a white T-shirt and stone-washed jeans. He was nursing a half-filled glass of whisky in his hands and his profile was turned to her. His mind was so far away from the room that he didn’t even blink.

She paused in the dark, analyzing him. He had been strangely subdued since she had started working again.

She also considered the fact that Gabriela had begun kindergarten. He had accompanied them and insisted on visiting the entire school, from attic to basement. He had talked to the teachers and the headmaster, ensuring that it was what Gabriela wanted. Eventually, after seeing her happiness, he left the building, instructing Devon to sit at the bench on the other side of the road until Sophia was back to pick her up. If Alistair weren’t so concerned, Sophia would have laughed.

Maybe it is the house. But she ruled that out as they had discussed it lengthily and decided that living there together was the best option. They would live in her house and he would pay for everything after their marriage.

Or perhaps, he has lost his desire for me because of my breakdown and my taking drugs again to steady myself. The thought made her feel disgusted with herself.

On Wednesday when she had asked him if there was a problem, he said there was nothing wrong, held her in his arms quietly until she fell asleep as he’d been doing since the Leibowitzes visited for the first time.

Sophia sighed. She could not fathom what was happening. She was feeling better every day since. She hadn’t liked the way he had faked sleep Thursday night when she had appeared from the dressing room donning a silvery lace gauzy camisole—and nothing more—ready to seduce him.

All right, you had your time. “Hello,” she said cheerfully, walking into the TV room.

Time to finish this, Alistair Connor. You have brooded enough. Alistair pasted a smile on his face and turned to look at his wife. “Good evening.”

Good evening? Sophia shook her head at his formality. Where has my Lord Caveman gone? “I didn’t order dinner yet. I was not expecting you so early. Are you hungry?” She sat beside him, tucking her legs beneath her. “I was just wondering, since you arrived early, and it’s Friday, we could go out.” I have ordered the employees to vanish as soon as you arrived and our bed is ready for me to jump your bones.

She shifted on the sofa getting closer to him and Alistair felt his pulse quicken. White roses, vanilla, and orange blossoms. “Hmm?” It’s been a while since we made love.

She almost smiled when she saw the telltale vein on his neck appear. “Do you want to go out?”

Her perfume wafted around him when she threw her long hair to the side. It clouded his consciousness. He managed to answer hoarsely, “Nae.” I want to take you to bed. Correction, I will.

“Mmm…” She took the glass from his hand and leaned over him, with a hand on his thigh to put it on the table. His muscles tightened under her touch. On her way back, her hand lightly touched his crotch and she felt his half-arousal.

I have to set things straight between us first. He hooded his eyes and swallowed his moan.

She sighed, relieved, and asked naughtily, “So, Lord I-don’t-want-to-go-out, what can I do for you?”

He looked at her for a moment through the slit of his long eyelashes. He’d missed making love to her. He had missed their friendly talks. The last few days had been quite difficult to handle. He hadn’t resisted jacking off alone while she slept, only to return to bed and find that her warm, pliable body could turn him hard again within minutes of coming.

Fuck. Fuck the married name. Fuck everything. He didn’t say a word as his fingers dipped in her hair and his free hand snatched her by the waist onto his lap. His mouth closed over hers with a hunger that only she could fulfill. It’s you that I want. Every way you want to give yourself to me. Any way.

She could feel his manhood get even harder under her buttocks and plunged her hands into his hair, her fingers fisting it to pull his head back. She breathed on his mouth, “I missed you. Make love to me.”

He stood up, carrying her in his arms and walked to their bedroom, kicking the door closed.

As soon as he put her on her feet, he quickly got out of his clothes.

Sophia smiled devilishly and unhurriedly untied her dress and shrugged, letting it fall to the floor. She combed her hair up and let it fall and spill down. Dark locks bounced over her bare shoulders, caressing them, as he wanted to.

Alistair looked at her and licked his lips, suddenly famished for his wife. His eyes drifted down and it was then that he saw what she was wearing underneath the dress.

A black and silver transparent strapless corset that concealed only half of her nipples, tied with large silk ribbons on the front and a thong so transparent that it showed she had waxed everything. He swallowed loudly.

His ink-black brows rose and he rotated a finger in the air.

She turned slowly on her feet, circling her hips.

He saw that it was nothing more than a thread between her cheeks. He took a ragged breath. “Fucking hell, Sophia.”

Her hands went to the silk ties, but his shot out to stop her. He wanted to feel those wanton lips around him, sucking him deep in her mouth, dressed just as she was. He got harder just thinking about the erotic vision she would make. He looked at her lustfully and commanded, “On your knees. Suck me.”

She didn’t hesitate and a molten fire spread through Alistair’s body as she took him in her mouth, slowly, wetting her way down, her hand massaging his balls.

He dipped his fingers into her hair, fisting it as she sucked him with greed and started to move her head up and down his erection, mimicking what she wanted him to do with her. Faster and faster, until he was moaning loudly and saying her name.

In a groan, he ordered, “Stop.”

When she didn’t, he gripped her hair firmly in his hand, and giving it a yank, stopped her motions, repeating, “I said stop.”

Startled, she looked up at him. She knew he enjoyed coming in her mouth; that he usually said stop when he was about to come and didn’t mind if she continued.

But there was something different this time.

She obeyed and scanned his face. She had learned to read him and she could see a tension he was rigidly controlling. Something told her he wanted to lose that control.

Alistair wasn’t sure if she would comply with his request, but he had reasoned with himself during their honeymoon that he would never know if he didn’t ask.

Let’s see your reaction. The green in his eyes was dark and his deep voice was a Scottish rumble. “You have to learn to obey me.”

Oh. My. She sucked in a breath and lowered her head a bit, hiding a naughty smile under her hair. “I’m so sorry. I’ll behave better next time.”

Fuck, Sophia. You’re hot. A shock ran up his spine. He hadn’t expected her to agree. He tsked twice. “Anyway, you’ll have to learn to obey. I dictate your pleasure tonight.”

She had wondered how it would feel to have someone ordering her around in bed. And, what was much more difficult to imagine, if she would be able to obey every order without rebellion. She wanted to know what he would do to her.

He gave her hair a light pull. “On the bed. Lie on your back.”

Although Alistair had never requested her to play submissive, she was horny and eager enough to let him order her around. She lay down and looked at him, tethering on such desire her hands itched to touch herself.

When he saw the naked need on her face and her rapid breathing, he tsked, “You’re a wanton woman.”

“Yes, master.” Her voice was unrecognizable to herself, laden with anticipation.

Nae! He gripped her chin and said, “Nae, no’ master. I’m Alistair Connor. Understand?”

Sophia drew in a loud, ragged breath. “Yes, Alistair Connor.”

He closed the curtains around the bed, cocooning her in a cozy, sensual space. Sophia could hear him rummaging through his nightstand, taking out a few things, but not knowing what he would do made her even more aroused.

He climbed on the bed with pouches and a thick black, blindfold. There was a feral grin on his face, and ink-black locks fell over his forehead and left eye.

He put the blindfold over her eyes and pushed her arms up on the bed and knelt between her legs. “Hold on the headboard and don’t move.”

The prospect of not being able to see and stay in such a defenseless position was exhilarating.

He bent her legs, planting her feet on the bed with her legs spread wide. “Now relax and enjoy, because I’m going to. I want to hear all your moans and cries. I want to know that your pleasure is all mine.” Mine!

She could hear the pressed need in his voice. She expected him to take her corset and thong off, but he didn’t.

Alistair licked the hollow of her throat, thrilled by the way her pulse was beating rapidly. He kissed his way down her neck to her collarbone, whispering what he was going to do to her.

Sophia bit her lip to stifle a moan but it came out anyway. She was breathless by the unexpected way he was behaving. She had thought he would take her fast and rough as he liked it when he was agitated. But he was enjoying playing with her, making her hornier than ever.

He continued a path down to her breasts, and rested his mouth in their valley, licking from one mound to the other, and then licked the outer part of her breast as much as the corset allowed, without tasting her nipples.

She shivered and twitched beneath him when he undid the first bow, and then slowly the others. He bit her satiny skin on his way down and dipped his tongue into her navel but didn’t touch where she wanted him most. She was drenching in desire; her skin was oversensitive and she was sure she would come as soon as he entered her.

Alistair explored every inch of her bare skin, swirling his tongue and tasting her body, from her shoulder to her ankles and up again until she was moaning loudly and he knew the pressure was going to catapult her from the edge. He fully enjoyed the way he drove her mad with desire. He pulled her corset from beneath her. “Now. We are moving this to another level. Easy and slow. Turn around.”

What for? What level? Sophia wanted to ask, but she did as asked.

His finger caressed her spine, deepening into her ass, toying with her over the silk. He took off the flimsy thong slowly, running his broad hands all over her thighs and calves, pulling her downward on the bed until her arms were stretched over her head, and pushing her on her knees, with her rump elevated. She was completely exposed.

“I’m pleased with your waxing.” He was more than pleased, he was painfully aroused. He lay on the bed, and his hands lowered her hips to his face. He blew a warm breath before feasting on her.

Sophia let out a low cry of pleasure when his wet tongue touched her; she had been waiting for that since they had started. She knew some men found it pleasurable, while others only did it to get what they wanted. And others who didn’t even do it.

Alistair delighted in it, not only did he like the feel of the velvet skin and the womanly taste, but he enjoyed the power of controlling a woman in such a pleasurable way.

But he had never used it as he did this time. He took Sophia to the edge and back so many times with just his skilled hands and tongue that her delightful moans came out from her mouth one after the other. When he himself couldn’t take it anymore, he repositioned himself and picked up a thin vibrator and lubricant.

Sophia lost all her coherence when she felt a cold gel coat her anus and he pressed the vibrator into her. She tightened in reflex, begging, “Please, plea—”

A slap on her round cheek cut the litany as he gently breached the initial resistance.

A surprised cry left Sophia’s mouth and she heaved.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes.” A barely coherent moan left her mouth as she relaxed, allowing it full entrance and could barely think anymore. It’s good! Don’t stop!

“Please what?”

Another slap followed the turning on of the vibrator and she moaned. Those slaps were much softer than the ones of the first night and much more arousing.

He pressed himself just to her entrance but didn’t push. “You didn’t answer.”

“Please, Alistair Connor.”

The stinging sensation of another slap was overcome by the pleasure of him entering her unhurriedly.

“Wrong answer. Please, Alistair Connor, what? Say it out loud.”

“Please, Alistair Connor, fuck me,” Sophia shouted as his deep and loud groan fueled her veins with liquid heat.

She was so slick with desire that with one push he was fully settled inside her, stretching her with his massive and wide girth.

Caging her in his arms, he said in her ear, “Wrong again. I’ll make love to you; I’ll take you to Heaven’s doors and back, until you learn to obey.”

His fingers dipped firmly in her round buttocks, as he rode her to an edge she didn’t know existed, his own desire under such a strained control that he was totally conscious of every inch of her tight softness around him, of the artificial vibrations massaging him, of every breathing and sensual sound she was letting out. A heated need to let go came over him when he saw how strong her hands were gripping the headboard and how beautiful was the sight of her curvaceous back which he was the one commanding.

She didn’t understand how he could control himself so well. She was trembling so hard she was sure she would beg him to end the sweet torture, but she didn’t. It was painfully erotic to endure it and wait for his order; to wait for him.

She wanted him to come with her.

The man who had conquered her for good.

The master of her heart.

A loud cry of pleasure left her mouth when he pushed into her hard again.

Alistair couldn’t resist the pull anymore that was coursing in his veins. He took off the blindfold, to better see her face. Slapping her butt, he hammered into her faster. The feeling of unleashing his fantasy was so intense, he shouted, “Who am I?”

Her control was all gone with his thrusts and slaps and she was deep into the fantasy. And she screamed, “Alistair Connor, my master.”

Fisting her hair hard in one hand as he plunged into her, his eyes sparkled with green flames. “Wrong answer! I’m Alistair Connor, your slave.”

He took her mouth in a kiss, thrusting deeper into her.

They tumbled together into a bright abyss of unending pleasure.

* * *

Alistair’s hand wandered over the small of Sophia’s back as he looked up to the blue and green crafted canopy. He couldn’t make heads or tails of his own wife. Every day she surprised him and brought light to emotions whenever he felt confused or completely lost. He was almost sure his fantasy would be ridiculed or rebuked by her but she had thrown herself in head first with him.

Sophia was lying on her side, ensconced on his body, with one leg over his. She felt so boneless and sated that she didn’t want to move a finger. But she was so curious that she shifted to look at his strong profile and whispered, “How do you do it?”

“What?” he murmured back, not wanting to break their communion.

“Control yourself like that and drive a woman to such peaks of pleasure?”

He turned to look at her and mirth sparkled in his eyes. “Years of practice.”

“Should I be jealous, Lord Experienced?” She squinted her eyes playfully at him.

“Never. There’s only one woman in my life. You.” His lips hovered over hers in a reverent kiss, before he confessed, “I’ve never said that. To any woman.”

“What?” she breathed as he rolled her over and pushed on an elbow to stare at her.

“I’ve never said to any woman: ‘I’m your slave.’ That sentence never crossed my lips.” Alistair’s fingers traced her face and then combed her raven hair spilled over the white pillows and sheet.

She bit her lip, wondering how she should answer. It caught her completely by surprise during the lovemaking and now that he had confirmed it. “Why did you say it?”

“Because I’m no’ your master. Never. Don’t, mistress. Your slave can do it for you.” He pulled her lip from her teeth and bit it playfully. “You know, Sophia, I’ve switched a few times, but never liked it.”

Oh, damn. Here they come again. She sighed inward. Listen to him, Sophia. He needs to talk about it. “I’ve never understood this switching thing. I still have difficulty understanding the beating. A slap or two is nice, but a spanking, a beating—”

He tutted. “This is not about domestic violence. This is about sex.”

“Still it’s about beating and humiliating.”

“Aye. And nae. Pain is involved when the partners want it. To be frank, I’ve never liked it very much. Much less, to be a sub. I don’t even like being under a woman.” He smiled at her. “Only with you. It’s not in me, you know. But I submitted a few times under my strict rules, because it pleasured one of my partners a lot.”

“Emma,” she said bluntly. That bitch.

He gazed at the scar Emma had caused her and traced it, before he confirmed, “Aye, Emma.”

“She’s evil,” she murmured with fear in her eyes. “And she wants you. I don’t understand and you never explained. My fault, by the way, you did try. What was Emma’s place in that...strange marriage? Can you explain it to me? Full disclosure?”

I owe her this. He nodded and rolled again onto his back, bringing her over his body. “Sophia…this is a hard-core porn story about your husband. The man you sleep with; make love to. The man who helps you take care of your daughter.” Don’t be an asshole, Alistair Connor. There are things that should be kept secret.

“Alistair. I hear horrible stories every day at the Foundation. I’m not a nun, or a virgin anymore.” She bit her lip, weighing his reasons. “It’s better to learn the truth than to be lied to. Emma told me a few things already. You are the man I’ve married, the one I’ve chosen. I prefer to hear your side of it.”

Very well, then. He breathed deep, clearing his thoughts. “As you already know, after April two-thousand-one, my status at the bank changed and Heather bulldozed her way into my life. She was an eager and creative lover and was always available to do whatever I wanted her to. When we went for missionary, although she always climaxed—or faked it—I sensed there was something lacking and I thought it was my fault. After all, I was much younger than she was. She usually called me sir, even when we were alone at work, and once, during sex, she called me sir. I told her no’ to, but she whispered in my ear that it pleased her to be owned and obedient.” He shrugged. “The kinkier things became, the more she would like it and abide. I faked knowledge, but the fact was, I had never gotten in contact with anyone like her, so I tried the wildest sexual ideas I had without thinking. How naïve. I couldn’t imagine that behind the good employee and the woman who kept the apartment immaculate, my clothes and shoes ready, and even organized my personal correspondence was a sadistic tortured woman. She liked to be my…” He searched for a word. Servant? Not quite. Submissive? Yes, but still...

“The word you’re looking for is slave,” she enlightened him, in a horrified breath. Oh, my. “Wait. Wait—”

Christ, Sophia! Nae. His hands moved from the back of his head in a flash and cupped her face, his thumb on her mouth stopped her. “Nae, sweetheart, never. I’m your heart slave. I love you and you’ve won my heart. Ours is an equal relationship.” A crooked white smile appeared on his face. “Well, an equal relationship where I dictate the orders.”

She slapped his bicep. “Dream on.”

He chuckled. Putting another pillow under his head, he became serious again. “She was eager to please and fulfill any fantasy I had. And so many other things. She never told me she was a submissive who needed and craved pain and humiliation. She loved obeying my orders and I did order her around, a bit hurriedly, sometimes even harshly in the office, without even noticing it.”

“Humph!” Sophia settled herself more comfortably on his body, her chin resting on her hands. “You order everyone around. Noticing it or not.”

“Do I order you?” he asked, amazed.

You do. “You try.”

I wish. “When she proposed having a threesome, I agreed. She said the girl was clean and on birth control, desperate to be fucked by me, The Mighty Alistair Connor, the best stud of the MacCraig stables,” he said ironically. “Sometimes, Heather just watched, and her friends said things to her like, ‘Your stud is fucking me.’ She masturbated and got off hard.”

God! “And you liked that?” Sophia was trying hard to imagine it. For her it was a clear cause for therapy or even psychiatric intervention. “You liked that women talked to—” Not wife. “To her like that?” That crazy whore.

I never gave it much thought. “It was like a drug: the more I had, the more I wanted. The sex was so hot, it never crossed my mind that there could be something wrong. I thought I loved her, Sophia. She did everything to please me. I would do whatever pleased her. If she liked it, it was good for me.”

This is wrong. One should never do whatever the other asks just aiming to please. The answer didn’t convince her very much. “Hmm. So?”

“One woman followed another. Nice, kinky sex. Threesomes, light toys, customs, lace, leather. I’d never had so much fun in my life. Thriving in business and being worshipped at night, in the morning, and during the whole weekend. I’m sure they had it all planned behind my back: the seduction, the pregnancy, the marriage, and the subsequent abortion.”

“They?”

“I can bet Emma had always been behind Heather, and the fucking idiot here never knew.”

What can I say to this? Fucking idiot is an understatement.

He was silent for a long time. “After Nathalie…I tried to glut the emptiness inside myself with the sex and violation of women’s bodies, but I had an uncontrollable craving to regurgitate every nasty feeling that had filled me in those moments. I preferred fragile, extremely thin, dependent, and sexy blondes. Until you. When I met you, on that cold January twentieth,”—she smiled and he kissed her lips—“my inner soul knew I had found the perfect balance of secure and fragile, strong and independent, and to top it off, feminine and sexy. The way you put first Wales, then me in our places. Fucking hell, Sophia! I thought I would come in my trousers. When you left the room tucked under Davidoff’s protective embrace, I knew I would have to have you. You had the audacity to repel me. That made me crawl after you. I would have groveled if needed. It appealed to my inner male, I had to conquer you.” He pushed up his strong body, leaning his back on the pillows and headboard, shifting her more comfortably on his lap. “When we kissed in the car, I almost took you then and there.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Never, Lord Caveman. Why didn’t you ever notice Emma if she worked at the bank?”

“Emma worked dressed in black suits, wore flats, a tight bun, no make-up, bounded breasts, and heavy framed glasses.”

Sophia’s jaw dropped open. “Are we talking about the same woman?”

“Aye, the same. She was a submissive at that time and had to dress like a man. She was in training. Figures. Then Heather got pregnant. I was ecstatic; my whole family was against Heather; we married and she aborted a month later. In our bathroom. Her screams terrified me and there was so much blood. I don’t know if Emma helped her.”

“She didn’t need help. She just needed to take certain pills,” Sophia said.

“I called an ambulance and took her to a hospital. Emma was already there. Her ob-gyn, a friend of theirs, lied, saying it was for the best because of the fetus’s defect. We resumed our sex life; but she was clearly no’ satisfied. The more considerate I was, the more dissatisfied she became. It was then she asked to be spanked. I was stunned, but we set a new routine. One morning, she asked me if she could bring her best friend to introduce us to the utmost pleasurable sex that evening. I asked myself what that could be, said yes, but didn’t give it much thought.” Again.

“Emma.” She grimaced. “Ugh, Alistair Connor. When Emma told me you had sex with her and her sister, I thought I would vomit. It would be as if I had you and Tavish Uilleam. At the same time. Ugh!”

She wanted that too. “When I arrived home, Heather, completely naked but for a white collar and shackles that tied her hands to the back of a leather belt, was kissing and being fondled by another blonde clad in a black leather corset and thigh-high boots. All my tiredness flew away. It was an experience no young man would let pass. I wish I could say I was disgusted when I discovered the other blonde was Emma, but nae. It surprised me, aye, but she had the situation under her control. She apologized for starting things before I arrived and made Heather kneel at my feet, saying they were there to obey me.”

Oh, my. “Stop. What we just did…”

“Nae, Sophia. Don’t compare,” he said almost angry. “It’s different.”

How is it different? “I don’t understand why this sharing is so sexy. Besides…how can you pleasure both at the same time? Hmm…” Sophia couldn’t avoid blushing with the thoughts that invaded her mind. She whispered, “You only have one penis.”

Alistair laughed out loud. “Have you never seen a nice threesome porn movie? A nice one?”

Really, Alistair Connor. Do you think I have time for this? She shook her head, blushing even more. “No. Not a nice threesome movie, or any porn movie. Just pieces of those repulsive hard-core ones.”

I’ll show a few someday. “Men usually like threesomes with two women.”

Gabriel didn’t. “Not all men,” she interrupted. Before he asked how she knew that, she said, “My instincts never fail me.”

He heard the thoughts whirling in her head. Maybe she’s right… “Anyway, there are men who like threesomes with two women and others who pair to pleasure one woman. The last one is not an option for me.”

“For your information, neither of those are mine.”

He kissed her lips lightly. “I do hope so. I’m not sharing you with any one.”

“Good.”

Her curt answer showed him he had explained enough about Emma. “What happened today…you seduced me. And when I saw the lingerie,” his hand caressed the flimsy corset he had set aside, “and that shameless g-string you were wearing, I went mad with desire. I didn’t know what your answer would be and I was prepared for a no. We let our feelings rule us. With you, Sophia, it’s all about emotions.” He searched her eyes and asked, “Did you like it?”

She picked up his thumb and sucked it sensuously in her mouth. “Hmm. I think I’ll have to give it another try to answer your question properly.”