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I nodded.
Reed clenched his jaw.
“Yes,” I quickly corrected. I still struggled with the whole verbal consent thing, but we were working on it.
“Do you understand that you can take back consent at any time?”
I nodded again, then quickly added, “Yes.”
“Good. Do you have a safeword?”
“Lavender.”
Reed’s lips twitched. The first time I’d picked that word he’d chuckled, giving me a peek of the relaxed man I only got little glimpses of.
“Lavender,” he repeated back to me. “Good. How are you feeling?”
I pulled in a deep breath. “A little nervous.”
“Do you trust me?” he murmured.
“Yes, I do.”
Reed nodded approvingly. “Eyes on me.” Then he stood and moved to the side of me, facing the audience with one hand on my shoulder.
Someone coughed in the audience, reminding me we weren’t alone, and I looked out at the crowd.
Reed squeezed my shoulder. “Look at me.”
I met his gaze.
“It’s just us.”
“It’s just us,” I repeated.
He gave me a full, genuine smile, and my heart skipped a beat.
The man was absolutely beautiful.
He cupped my cheek and I sucked in a breath as all the cells in my body rushed to that place of contact as if each one of them was desperate to be closer to him. He held my face as he brought his mouth to my ear. “Do you consent to being tied up, Ms. Blake?” He slid his hand down around the base of my skull.
A shiver of lust ran down my spine. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?” His fingers flexed on my neck. Not painfully, though, just enough to get my attention.
“Yes, please?” I teased.
His low chuckle tickled my ear and tightened my groin. “The appropriate response is ‘Yes, Master’. I’ll let it slide this time.” He nudged my earlobe with his nose and I sucked in a breath.
Had this conversation been loud enough for others to hear, he would have demanded that I call him Master.
Of course I knew that, but a tiger doesn’t change its stripes over night and neither could I.
Plus, he liked my sass.
And he’d made the mistake of telling me so.
He trailed his fingers down my throat, then dragged his fingertip from one shoulder to the other, tracing across my collarbone. In a voice low enough that only I could hear it, he said, “I’m going to tie you up now.”
I licked my lips as anticipation electrified my veins.
“I will first secure your legs to the chair.” He ran his hands down each of my legs slowly, settling at my ankles, then tightened his grip on each.
Inhaling a shaky breath, I nodded, holding his eyes as he continued to describe what I already knew was about to happen. Even though no one in the crowd could hear him, he’d explained that it was important for them to see the way he prepared me for a scene.
“I am then going to present a simple knot design for the audience. It will secure both of your arms.” As he said the words, he ran his hands from my elbows down my inner arms, slipping his fingers around each wrist and pulling them together. Then he wrapped one big hand around both and tightened his fist.
My pulse sped. Heat pooled low in my belly. Every touch ignited my body. My hair stood on end, as if in anticipation for the next graze of his fingers. My blood vibrated in my veins, as if every part of me was excited at the prospect of being tied up by this man.
Reed, still clasping my wrists together with one strong hand, stood slowly, and as he did so, he lifted my arms above my head. My breath caught as the pressure built between my legs.
He licked his lips as he looked down at me, his dark eyes heated.
Then he dragged both hands down my arms, separating them and placing my palms onto my thighs. He ran his hands down my legs, raising his eyebrows when his touch sent a shiver through my body. He wrapped a hand around each ankle, then swiftly spread my legs, lining my feet up with each chair leg.
He looked away from me and I sucked in a shaky breath, studying his face as he picked up one bundle of rope. His brows furrowed as he focused intently on wrapping the rope around my right leg, looping and pulling, then tightening each knot as he made his way from my ankle to my knee. The rope bit into my skin, but each gentle brush of his fingers counteracted the pain.
Finished with one leg, he positioned himself in front of the other, then looked up at me.
I tried to move my leg to test the knots, but it didn’t even budge.
“How do you feel?” he whispered.
“I’m…” I paused, but he’d be able to see the truth in my eyes anyway. “Excited.”
He gave a slight nod, then began repeating the rope technique on my other leg. I watched him again, in awe of the man’s beauty. From the intense set of his brows to the tip of his tongue sliding out to lick his lips every so often, Cabot Reed was striking. He epitomized the tall, dark, and handsome description, adding a heavy dose of danger to the equation with physical strength and a sharp mind. And now, knowing the way he could so easily wield his power and control, I was putty in his hands.
He finished securing my leg to the chair with a series of knots that stretched from ankle to knee, then placed his hands on top of mine and pulled them together, gripping my wrists as he met my gaze. “I’m going to tie your hands now.”
“I can’t wait.”
His lips twitched but his eyes tightened.
I lifted a brow.
He ran his tongue over his teeth.
“Master,” I finally whispered. “I can’t wait, Master.”
Reed’s nostrils flared and his eyes darkened; desire dripped from his gaze.
Desire for me.
