Page 19 of Tormented Dreams

He felt like a randy teenager all over again. And that was quite something at his time of life. He wasn't used to having such little control.

Usually, he maintained a rather more detached perspective. One that stood him in good stead as a sadist. He was the one who set the pace and could continue on and on until his subs were crying and begging for culmination and relief.

That, however, all seemed to fly out the window where Grace was concerned, and with just a look, she managed to reduce him to a quivering mass of straining hormones. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about the lack of control.

On the one hand, he felt subtly undermined, though it wasn't something that was deliberate on her part, just his own rampant reaction to her. On the other hand, it was wildly exhilarating to come across a woman who affected him in such a way after all the years he’d spent in the lifestyle.

She set him on fire, just with being. There was no other way to describe it. Sometimes it felt like she was the other half of him, the yin to his yang.

Xavier realised he didn't ever want to give that up and desperately hoped they had some kind of future together.

Not that he was giving anything away right now, of course. Nobody looking at him at this moment in time would ever guess at the raging swell of emotions bubbling underneath his habitually cool and unruffled façade. But then Xavier was nothing if not an expert at playing this game, and right now it was time for some rather darker pleasures of the flesh.

Nipping at her lips as he drew away and redirected his attention across the skin of her jaw, all the way along to the sensitive area underneath the shell of her ear with a string of licks and bites, Xavier whispered in her ear, "I want you to go bend yourself over the bed now, my sweet, and wait for me."

With that, he stepped away, noticing the way Grace's naked body shivered and erupted in goose bumps from the loss of his heat. But also, he suspected, from the anticipation of what was to come.

Steadying herself briefly, Grace immediately did as he instructed. She was such a delight. There was enough of a hint of sass in her to keep things interesting, but she'd lost any of the brattiness she might have displayed as a youngster—if indeedthere had ever been any. She was old enough to know her mind and negotiate what she wanted without having to resort to acting out. And at his time in life, Xavier found that trait a very big draw.

This was another first. He’d never brought women into his home. Not before today, anyway.

This was his quiet place, his sanctuary. Whenever he played, he played at the club. Never before had things ever gotten this up close and personal, treading the boundaries of his fiercely guarded privacy. Not even during the six months when he had acted as a 24/7 Master to Fluff. In all of that time, he had gone to her and had never once let the circumstance overflow into this private sphere of his life. It simply wasn't what he did. Even his toy bag was kept in his private locker at Club Risqué. But Grace unbalanced him, and now he was going to have to improvise somewhat.

He took a deep, cleansing breath. Now wasn't the time to have his concentration diverted away from the scene that was unfolding. A good Dom, especially one who was a sadist, should never have his attention divided. Everything needed to be focussed on the play and the sub so nothing crucial was ever missed, and Xavier had always prided himself on his attention to detail. He was a perfectionist. Some might consider him detached, but one thing was for sure. Nothing ever interfered with his construction and implementation of a scene.

Pushing his unsettled thoughts aside to consider at a later date, Xavier took his time, knowing it would only serve to increase the suspense and anticipation. Allowing his mind to quieten and clear, he settled into the zone, relaxing into both his experience as a Dom and also into the experience that was about to unfold.

One side of his mouth lifted into a crooked half smile as he watched Grace's muscles tense and relax as she tried her best to keep still, clearly fighting the urge to look over her shoulder to see what was going on.

Crossing to his wardrobe, Xavier removed a couple of ties from a hanger then pursed his lips in thought. Time to think outside the box.

"Stretch your arms out above your head," Xavier instructed, moving back to where Grace still waited on the bed. He made quick work of tying her wrists together, securely, then placed a plump pillow under her abdomen, forcing her butt even higher in the air. Pushing her legs further apart, he widened her stance until she was forced to place more weight onto her torso in order to support herself, making it all the more difficult for her to move. Then, when he was satisfied with her position, he left the room.

Xavier's movements were quick and efficient as he moved around his kitchen and utility room. Digging some clothespins out of a drawer, he checked each of them carefully and tested the amount of give in each one. Then he dumped a dozen of them into the dishwasher and set it to sterilise. Grabbing some ginger root from his vegetable store, he pared and shaped it carefully while he waited for the brief steaming function to finish. Placing everything on a tray, his final task was to grab an ice bucket and fill it with ice cubes before he went back to the bedroom.

Glancing at a side table on the way, he grabbed a fat candle from the decorative arrangement there and hurried back to the kitchen for a lighter before he jogged back up the stairs with his improvised toys.

For just a few precious moments, Xavier paused in the doorway to admire the way Grace looked, splayed out, ready for him, on his bed.

He wondered, briefly, at the wave of pleasure that flooded him at the sight of her there in this, his own private space. He might not have brought another woman here before, but somehow, she looked right. As if she belonged right there, laid out on his mattress, for his indulgence and gratification.

And hers.

Xavier pushed away from the doorframe and decided he'd let her stew for long enough. She'd been so very good, waiting patiently without complaining. It was time she got her reward.

"I've got some treats for you," he promised, his voice oddly husky. "Are you looking forward to them? Do you want me to tell you what they are, or shall I just surprise you?" He knew the latter was normally her preference, but this was a different environment. She didn't have the safety of a dungeon monitor overseeing their scene.

"Surprise me," she whispered, her voice a shiver of lust and anticipation, her eyes finding and holding his, full of trust and desire. He was humbled by it.

"For all intents and purposes, this will be just like scening at the club. We'll use the traffic light system, the same as usual. I'll check on you and ask what colour you are, throughout. Understand?"

"Yes, Master, I understand."

"What about your limits? Is there anything that you might prefer to suspend in our current environment?"

"No, Master, I trust you implicitly," she replied steadily, holding his gaze and letting him see the truth of her words.

Her wholehearted conviction and the way she slipped effortlessly into the scene despite being here, in his fairly innocuous bedroom, rather than within the safety and ambience of the club setting, made his heart swell just that little bit more. Damn, she was perfect!

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