Page 10 of Darkest Desire

It made her think of how some people said they felt when they experienced ASMR—those soft barely-there sounds that “tickle the brain” of certain individuals.

Only it’s not my brain he’s tickling, she thought as Sirex’s voice guided her to the left and then straight ahead again. In fact, her nipples were getting tight and she was feeling weak in the knees and wet and hot between her thighs. What was it about obeying her mentor’s commands in the dark like this that was getting her so turned on?

Maybe it’s because it’s so dark in here—it’s almost like we’re in bed together and he’s whispering in my ear, she thought—which brought a completely inappropriate mental image of herself and the big warrior cuddled naked in each other’s arms, in a big bed to mind.

No, stop it! I can’t think like that about him. Sirex is my mentor—my teacher. We can’t have any kind of sexual relationship! It would be completely wrong.

But wrong or not, the longer she stayed in the dark listening to his voice and obeying his commands, the hotter she seemed to get.

“There’s a barrier ahead of you,” his deep, rumbling voice murmured in her ear. “You’ll have to step over it when I tell you. Walk forward five more steps straight ahead. Good. Now lift your right leg and step over, carefully…”

“Yes, Sir,” Phoebe breathed, doing exactly as he ordered. It occurred to her that her mentor would make an excellent Dominant—in fact, that was exactly what he would be if he was a character in one of her romance books.

But then that thought brought on another mental image. She could see herself kneeling at his feet, waiting for orders. Possibly sexual orders.

“That’s right, baby,” she imagined him saying. “Take out your breasts. I want to suck those tight nipples until I know you’re nice and wet for me…”

Suddenly she tripped and ran head first into a wall in the darkness.

“Ouch!” she gasped, throwing out her hands to stop herself from falling. They met with a sticky substance like chewing gum that clung to her fingers until she rubbed them against her trousers.

“Cadet Jenkins? Phoebe?” Sirex’s voice was sharp and concerned. “What happened? Didn’t you hear me telling you to step to the left and avoid that wall?”

“Um…” Phoebe wasn’t sure what to say. She couldn’t exactly admit she’d been having illicit fantasies of him which caused her not to hear his orders, could she? “I…I think there must have been some distortion on the line,” she said at last, fumbling for any explanation for her clumsiness. “I’m sorry!”

“Don’t apologize. Do better,” was his only remark. “Now walk forward again five steps…”

This time Phoebe concentrated on obeying her mentor’s instructions and made sure not to let her mind wander. But she couldn’t help the pleasure she got from listening to his voice giving her orders…or the equally great pleasure she got from obeying him. Submitting to him, you mean, whispered that naughty little voice in her head.

When she finally came out the other end of the tunnel, she found Sirex waiting for her.

“Well, well…” He frowned as he looked her up and down. “I’m afraid you’ll be wearing the results of your inattention for some time, Jenkins.”

“Yes, Sir.” Phoebe looked down at her hands, which had bright green stains on them. She probably had the same stains on her forehead and the side of her face from running into the wall.

To her surprise, Sirex cupped her cheek and lifted her face. Leaning down, he examined her closely.

“Did you hurt yourself badly? Do we need to go to the Med Center?” he asked, frowning.

“N-no, Sir. I’m fine,” Phoebe stammered, feeling herself blush. She had the crazy idea that he might somehow know what she’d been thinking about in the tunnel—as though her dirty thoughts were written on her stained face. “I’m okay, really,” she added.

“All right. If you’re sure.” He released her but she could still feel the warmth of his big hand on her cheek. It made her heart pound. She thought about repeating the lie that there had been some distortion on the line that kept her from hearing him…but decided against it. She had a feeling that her mentor knew she hadn’t been exactly truthful which was why he had called out her “inattention” rather than saying anything about her apparent clumsiness.

“That was the tunnel on its easiest setting,” he told her, still frowning. “There were no optical light illusions or added barriers. You’ll have to do better if you want to get through unstained next time, Jenkins.”

“Yes, Sir,” she murmured again and then dared to glance up at him. The stern look on his face and the way he had his arms crossed over his broad chest made her heart beat even faster for some reason. “How…how long will it take for the stains to wear off?” she asked, holding up her hands.

“They should fade in a day or two,” Sirex informed her. “Let’s hope you do better on your second trial.”

“I’ll try, Sir,” Phoebe said meekly. “I…I lied about the distortion,” she added, suddenly feeling like she needed to be completely honest with him. “I just…lost focus. That’s why I tripped and fell.”

“Hmm.” Sirex nodded thoughtfully. “Thank you for your honesty. And what were you thinking of that made you lose focus?”

“Oh, um…” Phoebe immediately regretted her impulsive honesty. She could feel her cheeks getting hot with a blush that she knew he could see and her heart started racing. “I…I’d rather not say, Sir,” she said at last. “It’s personal.”

“I see.” He nodded again. “Well next time try to keep your mind on the task at hand instead of on ‘personal’ matters. All right?”

“Yes, Sir—I will,” Phoebe promised, hanging her head.

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