Page 45 of Red Velvet

Chapter 23

Kade

Watching innocent little Lila fall apart under my command is beautiful and mesmerizing in its very own way. She's breaking sooner and with more grace than I expected, willingly submitting to the pain and to the whip that causes it.

I watched her struggle, tensing and growing stiff and strained when we first started, grimacing as she fought the impact of the flogger on her dainty body. I took my time with her, keeping it slow and bearable for as long as possible but without risking boredom. If my strikes had been any weaker, she would’ve drifted away, eagerly following any thoughts as they popped up and never going where I wanted her to. I needed to keep her on her toes, quite literally. I needed her to accept what I was offering.

And she did it with such dazzling allure.

I saw the change on her face first, then on her body. Her muscles relaxed and she no longer simply endured what I was doing to her, but instead started to feast on the exceptional delight that comes to those who wait, those who are open to receive it and ready to accept the challenge it presents.

She went there, her face losing all focus and her tension ebbing while her backside started to bloom a dark red. The last few blows I landed drew blood, something I’d never planned on doing. But I allowed it to happen because I knew she could take it.

Lila proved to be more than worthy.

She was soaked after I freed her from the cross, covered in sweat and tiny pearls of blood on her backside, and—most importantly—dripping between her legs.

I made that happen, just like the exclamations she let out when she came on my cock, almost losing consciousness again. She lost herself in me, and that's the greatest gift a man like me could ask for.

But as appealing as it is to watch her break under me, it’s even more satisfying to build her back together.

She's lying on her side, eyes closed and lines of smeared makeup adorning her face. Her breathing is so calm and relaxed that I wonder whether she might’ve fallen asleep. But then she opens her eyes, her gaze seeking mine as I rest next to her, leaning on my elbow as I watch her come down from her high.

"Thank you, sir," she whispers, finding the perfect words in a perfect moment.

I smile at her. "I never told you to say that."

She turns back into her coy self, a sheepish smile dancing on her face when she replies, "No, but it feels right to thank you."

"Why? What for?"

"For everything. For all of this. I mean… I know you don't like to be referred to as an adventure—"

"Experiment is the word I used. I don't like to be an experiment for you."

"Right, that," she acknowledges, nodding. "And you're not. Truth is, I'm struggling to find the right word for this. I mean, I don't know what we are, what this is, but it's clearly… special."

She bites her lip as if to stop herself from speaking, her eyes darting back and forth between me and the mattress below.

"I'm sorry. I'm just blabbering. Please don't think I'm making more of this than it really is. I'm just processing, thinking out loud."

"You don't have to be sorry, Lila," I assure her. "I know what this is."

She looks alarmed. "You know? Because you've seen it before?"

That would be the truth. She's not the first inexperienced girl I've been allowed to break, even though it’s been a long time since I've had the pleasure.

I nod, giving her the honest response she deserves.

"Yeah, of course you have. There must’ve been many before me," she says, sounding hurt even though she's still smiling. "I guess I'm lucky to have met someone like you, someone with so much experience."

I can tell she wants to say more, that she wants to share what's going on inside her head, to let me in on her thoughts and feelings regarding all of this. But she remains silent, restoring distance between us, because that’s what we agreed on.

It's true that I've had unversed and innocent girls like her before. But even then, it never felt like this—so right, so compatible. She's so responsive to everything I have to offer, so quick to learn and so willing to push herself, more than anyone I've ever met. Her strength is coupled with a bright and curious mind, reflecting everything she experiences, everything she feels, and she's only afraid to share it with me because she thinks it would cross a line and create an intimacy between us that we precluded from the beginning.

I should be glad about that. It shows she remembers her place, that she knows I'm not the man who will give her the same happiness she witnessed when her sister got married. It seems she's smart enough to not even consider the possibility. I like that about her.

But it also bothers the fuck out of me.

---