When I stepped into the hotel room, I had to cover my mouth to keep from screaming. A strange man sat at the table, his hands folded across his lap as he read from a newspaper. I had no idea who he was, but when he glanced at me, I knew he wasn’t my blackmailer. He was older, with fuzzy wisps of white hair and a wiry frame. He had to have been in his sixties, and judging by his pale blue eyes, he was no threat to me.

“Sorry to scare you, Miss Valentine.” He stood up and smoothed out his black suit. “My name is Ted, and I’m here to drive you.”

“Drive me where?”

“My boss informed me that you are to stay the weekend with him.” He crinkled his brows together. “He said it was already arranged between you two, and you would understand.”

“Oh.”

Of course, I understood what he meant. Either I went with this strange man to an unknown destination, or Brayden’s evidence would disappear.

This was our agreement, but the thought of being somewhere else out of my control was a bit daunting. At least in the hotel, I could scream if I needed to. But at the end of the day, what choice did I have? If I wanted to see Brayden released, this is what I had to do. I’d spent the entire day trying to figure out how to gain my blackmailer’s trust, and I wasn’t about to back down now.

“Alright,” I relented. “I guess I’m ready then.”

I walked towards the door, and Ted followed, rushing to open it for me. We stepped into the elevator and silence engulfed us. I caught him giving me a curious look, and I shifted uncomfortably. I wondered how often he did this sort of thing for his employer, or what exactly he knew of our agreement.

He was all business as he escorted me through the parking garage to a shiny black car. Belatedly, I tried to get a glimpse of the license plate, but Ted caught me. He opened the door and cleared his throat, holding out a simple black blindfold in his hand.

“My employer said you understood this is required as well.”

Ted looked more uncomfortable with the idea than I was as I reached out and took the material.  If only I’d had the courage to look into my blackmailer’s eyes that first day, I wouldn’t have to keep up these childish pretenses. I wanted to know who this man was. I wanted to know everything about him. And I wasn’t entirely sure anymore if it was because of what he was doing, or the warring feelings inside of me.

I sat down on the soft leather seat and buckled myself in before placing the fabric over my eyes. Only once it was secured did Ted begin to drive.

It was stupid, but the temptation to pry information out of him was too strong. Ted looked harmless, but would he tell on me if I said something I wasn’t supposed to?

I took a chance and hoped for the best.

“So you know about the game then?” I asked.

Ted didn’t reply right away. He cleared his throat and answered me in a soft voice.

“I’m sorry, Miss. I’m not certain I know what you’re talking about.”

“Your employer,” I clarified. “You’re aware of our agreement?”

“I’m really not supposed to be talking to you…” he said. “He requested that I didn’t. I’m sorry, ma’am.”

A hollow laugh echoed from my chest as I sank back into the seat and crossed my arms. So much for that idea.

The car filled with silence again, and I thought that was going to be the end of it. So I was surprised when Ted spoke again a few minutes later.

“I don’t know about my employer’s proclivities,” he stated. “Nor do I want to. I’ve known him since he was a boy, and I trust his judgement in all matters. He’s a good man.”

His words were defensive, which showed me he cared for my blackmailer. It was an unexpected development, and I wasn’t quite sure how to handle it. 

I tapped my finger against my thigh while we drove, wishing we’d get there soon. But Ted wasn’t done yet. For someone who wasn’t supposed to talk to me, he had a lot to say.

“He seems different lately,” he noted. “I think he likes you very much. It’s nice to see him smiling again.”

Oh, poor Ted. Little did he know.

“Thanks, Ted,” I answered politely. “But would you mind putting on some music now? I’d like to relax before we get there.”

Ted didn’t refuse me. He switched on some classical music and hummed along as he drove. It was a long drive, much longer than I’d anticipated, and soon the melody had put me to sleep. It wasn’t until the car crunched over gravel that I woke.

The car came to a halt, and my door opened a moment later. But it wasn’t Ted’s hand that pulled me out. No, that was the hand of a man who was all too familiar with my body. He didn’t say a word as he led me from the car, guiding me into what I assumed was his house.

I couldn’t see anything through the cloth, but by the way my heels clicked against the floor, I could tell it must be expensive. Some kind of hardwood, I thought. Next was a staircase, with at least two levels. I clung to the banister even though he had his hand around my waist the entire way up.

The house was quiet. Too quiet. Every sound echoed off the walls around us as he led me down another corridor. A door opened, and he ushered me inside. My heels sank into the softness of carpet as he pulled me into his arms.

“It’s good to see you inside of my home,” he murmured. “I’ve wondered what it would be like to have you here.”

“And?” I asked nervously. “What’s the verdict?”

His fingers grazed my face, warming my skin while he reacquainted himself. My body reacted to him before my mind could stop it, and I turned into his hand, conflicted by how good it felt.

“You make it tolerable.” He tugged at the zipper of my dress and pushed it off my shoulders as he walked me backwards. 

My panties and bra came off next, followed by the clip in my hair. He helped me to kneel down on something soft and pulled off my heels, massaging each instep as he went. I bit my lip and held back a groan, wondering how something so simple could affect me so much. But then something metal wrapped around my wrist and clicked into place, and the world around me went still.

I tried to jerk my other hand away before he fastened it, but he held me until the mechanism clicked into place. The skin on my wrists was still sensitive, and I didn’t dare try to pull on the restraints. But I knew instinctively they were handcuffs.

“Why?” my lip trembled. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“You haven’t,” he agreed, smoothing the hair away from my face. “But I want to play with you tonight.”

His voice was pure silk, and it calmed me a little to know he wasn’t angry. I had no idea what he meant by play, but when I heard his zipper, followed by the velvety softness of his cock against my lips, I had a pretty good indication.

“Have you ever done this before?”

“No,” I admitted.

“That’s good.” He released a breath as he stroked my hair with his palm.

He nudged his swollen head against my lips, smearing my lipstick with a light groan. I parted my lips on instinct, the darkness inside of me eager to please him. It was a terrifying sensation, and I had no idea where it had come from. I wasn’t here to please him. I was here to do as was requested of me until my time was up. To play the game I so carefully constructed in my mind. But in order to do that, I had to shield myself from any real emotions towards this man.

He pushed past the barrier of my lips, gliding inside of my mouth much easier than I expected. His skin was soft and musky against my tongue, and I fumbled around the enormity of his size when he edged towards the back of my throat.

It occurred to me I had no idea what I was doing, and panic seized me as I gasped for air. Without the use of my hands, I was at the mercy of his.

“Shhh.” He stroked my face with his fingers. “It’s okay Brighton, just relax and trust me to guide you.”

Trust him. Such a simple request, but it nearly brought me to tears. Trust was a hard thing for me to give in the best of circumstances, let alone to a complete stranger.

I breathed through my nose and formed a suction around him with my mouth, trying my best to work him the way I thought I was meant to. I figured if I did it right, he wouldn’t need to choke me or make me gasp for air for any reason. But I was wrong.

The harder I worked him, the more ragged his breathing became. His hips pivoted forward into my mouth while his hands tangled in my hair. He was completely lost in the feeling, and he told me as much between breaths. Because of me, and what I was doing. I felt that potent rush again. I wanted to bring him to his knees. To show him how powerful I could be as I kneeled before him with my mouth around his cock.

I sucked him all the way to the back of my throat, ignoring my gag reflex and the instinct to pull away. He grunted and wrapped one of his hands around my throat as he rocked forward with his pelvis.

And that’s when I felt it, the enormity of my power. He twitched and convulsed and exploded inside of my mouth with a loud roar. Hot liquid spilled across my tongue as he jerked in my mouth, the saltiness of his semen a completely foreign taste for me. I swallowed it quickly, and only once it was all gone did he allow me some air.

He released another torrent of curses beneath his breath as he padded away from me. I smiled to myself, hoping that I’d somehow defeated him. That I’d surprised him and brought him to his knees like I’d intended.

When he came back several minutes later, he gave me a drink of water, for which I was grateful. But I nearly choked on it as soon as he spoke.

“I want to hurt you,” he said calmly. So calmly, I wasn’t sure I had heard him correctly.

On instinct, I jerked on the handcuffs holding me in place and tried to shake off my blindfold.

“Relax.” He smoothed his fingers over my lips. “It’s not what you think.”

A thousand images of knives and blood and other torture devices invaded my mind as I tried to understand what he was saying. But before I could even form the words to ask, he continued on, his voice more aroused than I’d ever heard it.

“Your purity,” he rasped. “I never could have known how addicting it would be. I want to see how far I can take you. How much you will let me do with you.”

“But why?” I whispered.

“I can’t explain why,” he said unapologetically. “It’s just what I want. I want to fuck your ass and taste your tears while I do it.”

The way he spoke was so depraved, I should have been demanding that he release me at once. But I wasn’t sure if it was the challenge in his voice or some baser part of myself that had me hesitating. I wanted to prove him wrong. To show him how strong I was. To play the game, I reminded myself.

“What will you do to me?” I asked.

He ran a hand down my back and over my hip, and my entire body shuddered beneath him.

“I don’t know yet,” he answered. “Whatever I feel like doing at the moment.”

“And if I tell you to stop?”

“Then I would stop.” 

“And the agreement?”

“Would not be affected,” he said.

I clenched and unclenched my hands several times, unsure whether this was something I could really go through with. At first, I thought I was considering it strictly because of my hidden motivations. But the more that I thought about it, the unknown possibilities… the more my body reacted.

Was it possible that I actually wanted the pain like he said? That I craved it?

“Okay,” I whispered before I could change my mind.

A rush of air escaped his lips as he pulled my face upwards and greeted me with a brutal kiss. His breath was sweet against mine, tasting of mint and a faint hint of Whiskey.

“That’s my good girl.”

 

***

 

My ass clenched as he shoved the plug deeper. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from making a noise. I didn’t want him to know how difficult this was for me. How scary.

He twisted the cool metal around inside of me, sending waves of foreign sensations throughout my core. Everything was amplified in this forbidden place, more intense. After the initial bite of pain, liquid heat flooded my body. Somewhere during the process, I had arched into his touch, silently begging for more.

His fingers feathered along my back, warming my already sensitive skin. It was the barest of touches, and yet it threatened to send me over the edge. My skin prickled and my nipples tightened when he twisted the plug again, effectively pulling it free. He replaced it with the head of his cock, and I grunted when he began to push inside.

The plug was one thing, but he was much bigger, and now I was stretched to my limit. There was a burning sensation as he invaded the tight channel, and it took every ounce of my will not to make a sound.

“Goddammit,” he groaned. “I’ve thought about fucking you this way so many times. But nothing compares to the real thing.”

The rapturous tone of his voice continued to surprise me. That I could affect someone this way. I didn’t understand it, and I was certain I never would. But right or wrong, it was hard not to let it get to me. Knowing I could drive someone to this level of crazy. To make him resort to these methods just to be inside of me. It only propelled my need to win this game even further.

He started to move, sliding in and out of me and igniting a dormant furnace inside of my belly. The sounds were flowing freely from my mouth now, and there was no stopping them. He’d reduced me to nothing more than an animal as he gripped my hips and plunged deep inside of me, his pelvis slapping against my ass cheeks.

“Do you like that?” he grunted.

I whimpered but didn’t respond.

He leaned forward and cocooned his body around mine, baring his teeth against the soft part of my throat. He dragged them along the skin and clamped down, making me buck against him as pleasure and pain warred inside of me.

He soothed the sting of his bite with a kiss and then moved his lips to my ear.

“I like to take it out on you.” 

His words jolted me into a state of violent convulsions as I exploded around him, held up only by his arm around my waist. When I thought he’d squeezed every last ounce of pleasure from my body, he started to thrust harder.

“Nooooooooo,” I begged when his hand found my clit. “I can’t.”

He didn’t listen. I sobbed when the pressure stirred inside of me again. It was too much. It was too little. I was going crazy while he toyed with me. Blood roared in my ears and spots flashed in my vision. I knew it was coming. I didn’t know if I would survive it.

When the first piece of leather cracked across my back, I knew I wouldn’t. The onslaught of pain and the intensity of my second orgasm made everything else around me cease to exist. I opened my mouth and tried to scream, but nothing came out. I was certain he’d just flayed me wide open and poured gasoline into the wound. I was still spasming beneath him, but I couldn’t tell if it was from pleasure or pain. They were one and the same now.

It took me a full minute to realize that I was gasping for breath, but no sound escaped my lungs. When the second piece of leather sang through the air and exploded against my skin, I jerked on my restraints and fell forward. This time, there was enough air in my lungs to force a guttural sound from deep inside of me. It vibrated through every corner of the room, and it was so feral I couldn’t believe it had come from me.

Undiluted pain invaded every cell of my body as he struck me twice more. When the endorphins finally rushed into my blood stream, a ravenous hunger for more uncoiled from deep inside of me.

He struck me again and again, propelling me into another dimension. This was worse than a coke binge. Worse than black tar or the thrill of E. This was the devil himself snaking his way inside of my heart and bending me to his will. This was addiction, quickly morphing into obsession. And somewhere in the clouded fog that was my brain, I knew this was a game I was going to lose.

It went on forever. And even when he had bottomed out inside of me and filled me with his release, I didn’t want him to stop. I sagged towards the floor like a limp noodle, and he panted against my back. His heart beat savagely against my skin, echoing my own.

I was vaguely aware of a sting, but when he peeled himself off me, I crashed and burned. The high I had experienced only moments before disappeared as pain licked along my nerves like fire.

I hissed in a breath, and my captor leaned down to whisper in my ear.

“I wanted to break you, Brighton. I never expected you to like it.”

A sob escaped me, and the dam broke. I didn’t know why I was crying, but I couldn’t stop. What was happening to me? What had he turned me into? And why did it always feel like he was punishing me?

He released the restraints around my wrists and pulled me into his arms. He held me against his chest and rocked me back and forth as if I were a small child. I didn’t fight him. I should have. But he was the only source of comfort I had, and I clung to it instead.

He kissed my tears away and whispered sweet words into my ears. Words he was too afraid to say out loud. He told me I was beautiful. That I was perfect in every way. And that, unconditionally, I was his.