we walk into the room, even though I try to hide them. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it’s not this. A dark room, with nothing but a large sofa chair in the center facing what looks like a large stage. “What is this?”
“Wait and see.” He walks us to the chair and sits, bringing me onto his lap. I squeal at the unexpected move, and his large hands wrap around my waist. His breath is warm as it skates along my neck. “Relax, little bird. Tonight is just for your viewing pleasure.” I squirm in his lap, trying to get comfortable, but it’s almost impossible. Being this close to him is both thrilling and nerve-wracking.
Dim lights begin to flicker, illuminating the room. I stiffen, and his fingers graze along my thighs as a faint glow glimmers from the stage. My eyes lock on the shimmery light, where two silhouettes are now forming. A man and a woman come into focus.
“What are they going to do?” I ask in a hushed voice.
Gabriel squeezes my thigh. “Patience,” he murmurs in my ear. My curiosity overrides my nervousness, and I find myself relaxing in Gabriel’s lap, waiting for what’s to come.
The couple glides to the center of the stage and comes into perfect view. An aura about them instantly captivates me. The woman is breathtakingly beautiful. Her hair is the color of gold and falls in beautiful silk waves down her back. She’s barely covered in provocative, white-laced lingerie that hugs each part of her body perfectly. A wave of insecurity swirls inside me at her beauty. Is this the type of woman Gabriel prefers?
Gabriel presses me closer to him, sensing my lack of confidence. “Relax, little bird.”
My chest exhales a deep breath, and I realign my focus on the man as he appears. He is dressed like Gabriel in an expensive and tailored suit, looking just as devastatingly handsome. His dark hair and strong jaw compliment his full lips and chiseled cheeks. He finally speaks, his voice low yet seductively demanding. He commands her to kneel, and my breath hitches as she obeys. Her head bows to the floor, and I’m mesmerized by her compliant form, my own body melting into Gabriel’s. My eyes are transfixed on the gentleman as he walks around her, dragging a feather along her flesh. A tingle begins to vibrate in my chest as he slowly trails the feather up the center of her chest, stopping to tease the edge of her clavicle. A shiver runs up my spine when he glides it along her slender shoulder blade. He brushes her perfectly positioned hair to the side, exposing her virtually bareback, and I can’t help but bite the inside of my cheek.
When he’s behind her, he drops the feather and pulls a handkerchief from his pocket. The color of the red material matches the deep-rooted fire stirring inside my belly. He reaches in front and wraps it around her eyes, taking away her sight. My heart starts to beat at an erratic pace. My eyes are transfixed on her hands, folded in her lap. That’s when he steps away and I catch sight of the next item he retrieves from a stool close by—a whip.
“What is he…?” my voice trails off as I follow his every move. Thin leather strips drag along her porcelain thighs, up her stomach, and over her small breasts. He moves behind her once again, and my throat constricts as he raises his hand. Slashes of leather lash along her pale flesh. I jolt in Gabriel’s lap with each sharp slap.
One, two, three…
“Why is he doing that? He’s hurting her.”
Four, five…
“Is he, though? Does she look like she’s in pain?”
How could she not be? Angry red lines form across her back, raising the skin to welts. Her eyes are hidden by the blindfold, only her parted lips revealed, and the rise and fall of her chest noticeable. Her subtle panting sounds like a sign of… of…
“Sometimes, pain is pleasure, little bird. Do you not wonder if she’s wet between her thighs? Should we ask to see?”
I grab his hand, stopping him from moving. “No. I’m okay.” The wetness between my own thighs revealed I’m far from okay. The woman receives another round of lashes and still doesn’t make a sound. As I lose myself in the way her lips stay parted with each breath she takes, I see it. I feel it. She is finding pleasure from it.
The gentleman leans