“I promise.” My stomach twisted. “Now teach me, Sir,” I said, knowing the subject needed to be changed for the moment. “I want to know everything that you crave. I need to know all of your thoughts and fantasies. Show me the way through your darkness, my love.”
A firm kiss landed on my mouth. “Fuck I love you.”
“Take me to your world, Matteo.”
He kissed me again and held the door open for me. “After you, pet.”
Mae
When I walked by Matteo, a slight tug on my nipples made me yelp. I became so used to the burning pain that I completely forgot about the gold jewelry clinging to the hard peaks.
“Remember who you belong to. I own you,” he murmured in my ear. “Every single inch of you. You will call me Sir and nothing else. Understand me?” He emphasized his question by pulling on the chain.
“Yes, Sir,” I squeaked out.
“Good girl.” He tugged again. “Don’t defy me or I will show you what it’s like to be publicly humiliated.”
And I didn’t want that. Nightmares from my past pushed their way to the forefront of my mind. Whenever I was with Matteo, they had calmed, disappearing almost until they were only a shadow of my imagination. But at moments like this, when Matteo threatened the public display of dominance, it dredged up the past. He knew this. It was a trigger. And I couldn’t work on it without him.
A soft sensual beat sounded through the next set of double doors at the end of yet another long hallway. It rolled over my skin, vibrating deep into my bones. It drew me forth, capturing me in a state of euphoria.
“It’s the music and the atmosphere,” Matteo said, his voice low. “Duncan has lavender and eucalyptus oil blowing in the air conditioning as a way to relax the mind and soul. It’s for newcomers to make you feel at peace and to help ease your nerves.”
“My body feels light,” I told him, swaying to the music.
“You’re extremely responsive to it,” his brows narrowed. “I should have known you would be with how you react to me.”
“I need to sit down,” I mumbled, my head feeling fuzzy.
Matteo wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me up.
“Everything okay here?”
I looked up at the sound of the deep voice.
An older man headed towards us, walking with a limp. His eyes were dark, no emotion hidden behind them. He was large, wide shouldered and built like a house. His gaze zeroed in on Matteo before glancing at me. He took a step closer, his face coming into the light of the dim room. “Are you okay, pet?”
I swallowed a gasp. Half of the man’s face was burnt, the scars sliding down his neck and disappearing into the collar of his shirt. But his eyes…one was completely grey…the other was dark. Pure black. If there was a shade deeper than black, his eye would be it. The man was scary. More so than Matteo. This man oozed power. I never thought I would meet someone that had no life behind his eyes. No emotion. No nothing. He was an empty shell. Travelling the earth until God took him to a better place.
I inched closer to Matteo’s side.
The man noticed, the corner of his lips twitching. “Pet? Are you okay?” he repeated.
“I’m…” I looked at Matteo.
He nodded. “Tell him the truth.”
“I’m just light headed and need to sit down,” I told the older man.
“Alright,” he handed me a bottle of water. “Take care of your sub,” he told Matteo. “You know where the private rooms are if she needs rest.”
“Thank you,” Matteo responded, leading me into a large room lined with tables and chairs.
“Who was that?” I asked him when he sat me down.
“That was Jericho.” Matteo’s jaw clenched.
“Oh.” I looked around the room, wondering where the large man went. “He scares me.”
“As he should,” Matteo mumbled. “I’m going to get you some more water and chocolate.”
“Okay.” My brows furrowed, worry settling deep in my belly.
“Hey,” he brushed a hand over my head. “I’ll be right over there.” He pointed towards the bar at the other side of the room.
I told him to go and that I would be fine. I needed to stop this fear from controlling me. Dropping my head in my hands, I rubbed my temples. Not quite sure what was coming over me, I took deep cleansing breaths.