Page 36 of Friends with Benefits (Club Risqué)

As he lifted her arms and secured each wrist to the cuffs set in the smooth wood, she accepted that this scene was one that had the potential to define every scene she took part in for the rest of her life. Like some kind of yardstick.

The thought sent another shiver through her. This time of apprehension.

Because it occurred to her that scening with Christian had the ability to ruin her for everything to come.

Whether she liked it or not, whether she wanted to admit it or not, her emotions were heavily engaged in this scene, whereas any that had gone before had merely been an act of play.

This was so much more than any of those had ever been, and Trinity couldn't help but wonder exactly where that would leave her when Christian was gone.

Don't think like that! the little voice inside her head scolded.He's gone before, so it won't be the first time. It won't even be the worst time. You managed then, and you'll manage now. At least, this time, you have a specific end date to work with.

Trinity accepted the advice of the voice of reason inside her head as Christian moved to secure her feet. She just wasn't quite convinced about whether things would be better or worse when he moved on again.

True, there was a contract and it would come to a natural end, but Christian was about to invade one of the most sacred parts of her life. The last bastion she held that defied his influence.

After this, there would be no part of her life that he hadn't touched, and therefore, no sanctuary.

ChapterTwenty-Seven

When Christian finished securing cuffs to her ankles, he remained crouched behind her for several seconds, drawing his fingers from her ankles to her calves to that sensitive crease behind her knees. Across the back of her thighs, sweeping over the swell of her buttocks and then into the dip of her waist as he rose and pressed his thumbs into the base of her spine.

He proceeded to massage lightly up her back and across the breadth of her shoulders, stopping briefly to give a little attention to her neck, before feathering his fingers lightly along the length of her arms, until, reaching her restrained wrists, he traced the leather and subtly checked her circulation.

Pressing himself close along the length of her back, he threaded their fingers together against the cross.

His breath seemed to scorch the sensitive skin of her neck as he nuzzled behind her ear, and Trinity couldn't hold back the quiver of desire as he laved the area with his tongue, then bit down on that erogenous zone where her neck met her shoulder.

Her pussy flooded immediately. God, what this man did to her with just the most basic of touches.

"I'm going to flog you first. Do you have any problem with that?" he murmured, his voice rumbling in her ear.

"No, Sir," she voiced her consent, but there was little volume to the assent. Her breath had all been stolen.

Behind her, she heard the rustle and flick of the thick falls of the flogger as Christian shook them out and made a practice swing, the fronds swishing quietly in the air.

And then they were on her. The wide, thuddy fronds curling around and licking at her buttocks and thighs. Kissing, and caressing, and warming as Christian played a deft and practised figure eight movement against her pinkening skin.

He moved carefully upward, treating her upper back and shoulders, which lulled her into a lovely, mind-stilling place.

When he stopped, she felt a brief loss, but she was satisfyingly languid, and she watched Christian with half lidded eyes as he walked around the front of the cross so he could see her.

"I'm going to give you a spanking, now you're nicely warmed up," he told her, his voice all sexy and gravelly. "What would you like me to use?"

Her mind was a blank, but since he'd asked her a direct question, she forced out a proper reply, "I'm happy with whatever gives you the most pleasure, Sir."

And it was true. Trinity lived to please, and pleasing Christian in whatever way she could was a pleasure in itself.

Trinity's gaze was trained on Christian, but when his hands dropped to his waist and the telltale clink of his buckle being unfastened caught her attention, her eyes diverted there instead. She watched him slowly pull his belt loop from loop until it was completely freed, then he doubled it and gave it a tug.

Trinity's eyes flew back up to his, pupils dilated, lips slightly parted, and she was only peripherally aware of the way his mouth tipped up on one side as he acknowledged her reaction.

Walking close, he snagged his hand around her neck and rubbed the side of his nose against her cheek. "How many?" he murmured in her ear, nipping the lobe between his teeth.

Trinity gulped, her tummy flipping and her sex clenching. "As many as you wish, Sir," she answered hoarsely.

The hand at the back of her neck squeezed in acknowledgement and he drew his tongue along the seam of her lips, stealing a kiss that was over too quickly before he stepped back and pulled something out of his pocket.

"I have another little treat for you before we start," he promised, before holding up a small velvet pouch. He poured the contents into his palm, but she couldn't see what it was.

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