Page 104 of Pretty Monsters

I pet her hair. Just a small reminder she's still here, and not running the opposite direction from me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not doing anything. I'm here. Whatever you want to happen is what comes next."

The corner of my mouth curves up ever so slightly. "Whatever I want? Are you sure you want to give me that kind of power? I'm not in a good frame of mind."

Loud footsteps sound up the stairs. "We're heading out," Ford calls.

I leave Raven kneeling on the floor. Anticipation is half of what I've got planned for us tonight, and this new turn of events is giving me more ideas.

"Is everyone leaving?" I ask him.

"Lucien is going to go with us for a while and help make sure everything is safe. He still doesn't think the three of you should return to your apartment, but we're going to get Jess settled into ours and get ready to head back to school tomorrow."

"So we have the entire building to ourselves?" My question reveals my intent, and he smirks at me.

"Enjoy. I'll be coming back later. We all agreed that there should be a few of us who can handle a weapon at both locations until this is resolved. Apparently, Lucien is uncomfortable hanging around here while you are, and I quote, 'screwing his sister'."

I roll my eyes. "In other words he wants to play with Amber and Ted."

Ford shudders. "Please don't put those images in my head."

"At least they're only mental images for you. I've had a first hand preview of Lucien's proclivities."

A door opens and shuts below. "That's my cue. I'll be back later. Try and remember that."

Once it's quiet downstairs I grab Raven's elbow and lift her to her feet.

"Where are we going?" she asks.

"Downstairs." With my hold on her elbow I practically drag her down the stairs.

I leave her in the middle of the room while I search for the items I need. When we brought Jess here I went out and purchased a few things we didn't end up using. Leather cuffs to bind her wrists, and I made a few other purchases on the off chance Raven ever wanted to really play with me. I left everything in a backpack on a shelf in the office.

She hasn't moved by the time I return to the main gym floor. There are some rings embedded in the wall, to attach resistance bands to, across from the floor to ceiling mirrors. They'll be perfect for my plan.

Raven remains still, and I take my time crossing the room to reach her. She's wearing a blue blouse that buttons down the center. It makes her odd colored eyes glow, but as lovely as it is, it's covering too much skin. Without letting my skin touch hers, I carefully undo every button.

Her breathing is uneven, making her chest heave with every inhale, but still she remains unmoving. When all the buttons are released, I push the shirt off her shoulders and watch as it flutters to the floor.

Bending down, I untie her shoes and slip each one off her small feet. I don't have a foot fetish, but I find every inch of Raven beautiful. She lets me unsnap her jeans and drag the zipper down, leaving her standing in black lace panties and a matching bra.

"Mmm," I hum. "Beautiful, but you know what would be better?" My voice is soft, so at odds with the hard edge I feel I'm balancing on.

"What?" she breathes.

"You need some jewelry," I murmur, and pull out the leather cuffs. "Perhaps some bracelets."

"First we need to get rid of the rest of your clothing." Moving around behind her, still being careful to touch her as little as possible, I unhook her bra and let it fall to join the rest of her clothing.

Lifting one arm over her head, I buckle the leather cuff and use a carabiner to attach the chain to the ring in the wall. Once that arm is secure, I bring the other one up to fasten in the cuff.

I can't avoid touching her as I slip her underwear down her legs. Reaching back into the bag I produce a spreader bar with leather cuffs similar to the ones securing her wrists.

Raven's eyes open wide. "What is that?"

I chuckle, feeling much more in control of myself and confident she won't run away from me. "You said anything I wanted to do. Are you backing out?"

She closes her mouth and shakes her head.

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