in me, a woman you could do anything you wanted to because I was so hot for sex with you I’d do anything for you. I was just the right kind of woman because all I wanted was to be fucked any way you wanted to fuck me. I was a toy for you and I’d let you manipulate me, and they’re right, aren’t they? Aren’t they, Sevastyan?”
She struggled not to cry. She wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction. She was tougher than that. They were so right about her. She was hanging in his ropes, desperate for him to fuck her. Nearly begging him to. Humiliating herself by telling him what those men had said—what they all thought of her in his cousin’s home.
“I want to know every single thing they said, Flambé, and then I’ll address it point by point. I can see overhearing this conversation really hurt you and I wish that you had come to me immediately, although I can understand why you didn’t. Please continue.”
She was grateful that he didn’t portray any emotion. His expression didn’t change. His voice didn’t change and that gave her the courage to keep going.
“They said you don’t give a damn about women. About anyone other than your cousins and maybe their wives, but they doubted that. In your families, most of the women are killed after they provide their husbands with sons.”
His expression remained the same, that mask was in place. He didn’t flinch or look as if anyone was saying anything that was crazy.
“They said that you killed the men watching us at your house. You went out and hunted them down and you killed them, just like you had to have killed the ones following us when we were on our way to see Brent Shriver.”
“That’s it? That’s everything?”
“Only that you told Mitya it was difficult to find a true submissive, especially one your leopard didn’t want to rip to shreds, and I was a true submissive and Shturm was enamoured with Flamme.”
He nodded. “First, Mitya and I did have a discussion some time ago, before I ever met you, that I couldn’t hope to find a woman who would suit my particular needs. My cousin is considered rather dark and very sexually demanding. I am much darker and more demanding. Both of us know this and he was worried about me. It was unfortunate that we had the discussion within the hearing of men we trusted.”
He reached for the bottle of water again and held it to her lips. “Drink. Do you need to come out of the ropes? Or do you want to continue with the discussion in them?”
She wanted to stay bound. She felt safer. Comforted. “I’m good.”
“He knows Shturm is a killer and that it was dangerous for me to go to the club, but it was my only outlet. I was careful, but that solution wasn’t going to last forever. As for manipulating you, I suppose I can and will sexually, just like tonight, but you could have said no at any point. Those men are selling you short. When it comes to our sexual relationship, we both, fortunately, enjoy the same thing. Outside of that, we are going to have to work things out. Manipulation is not going to work on you in our day-to-day life.”
Flambé knew that much was true. He couldn’t manipulate her outside of the bedroom.
“As for doing whatever I want with someone like you, you love the ropes the way I do, so yes, I can do whatever I want and I don’t have to worry that you’ll find the things I want or need repulsive. You made that very clear to me, although whoever was gossiping has no idea what they were talking about because they were making shit up. As for being my toy, you aren’t anyone’s toy. You’re my woman and we’re partners sexually. You have the right to say what you want or don’t want and I’ll respect that.”
He stepped close to her and cupped her face gently in his hands. “Do I give a damn about most women? No. I love my cousins’ wives. I am already falling for you and know that it isn’t going to take much to just keep going in all the way. Do I think that’s a good thing? No. I don’t. Like I said, I’m much darker than Mitya, and I’ve got things inside me that sometimes escape. They aren’t always good. You’re capable of