Page 51 of Roberto

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Her bedroom was beautiful: hardwood floors, a wooden four-poster bed, and a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the harbor.

The room was already dark. As soon as we entered, she struck a match, lit three candles on a dresser, and closed the door.

We stood there in the flickering shadows as a faint hint of vanilla began to paint the air, mixing with the delicate floral scent of her perfume.

“Well?” she said, tilting her head coyly to the side. “As I recall, you were going to show me everything you learned about pleasing a woman.”

“And as I recall, you said you liked to be tied up.”

Her face went blank and her body tensed.

I gestured to the four-poster bedframe. “Don’t tell me you havethatand don’t use it.”

“I…” she started, then trailed off.

“You have to trust me before you’re willing to do that,” I said softly.

She hesitated, then nodded.

“Surely you have some scarves we could tie to the posts and wrap around your wrists without knotting them. That way, you could get out whenever you want.”

She hesitated again –

But I could tell by her expression that I’d guessed correctly.

“Get them,” I said in a gentle but commanding voice.

She walked over to the dresser and opened a drawer. Then she pulled out a pile of neatly folded scarves and put them on the bed’s white comforter.

I picked up a scarf. In the dim light of the candles, the color was deep burgundy.

I rubbed the cloth between my fingers. It felt like silk – luxurious and sensual.

I held on to one edge of the scarf and let the rest fall to the floor, unrolling in a cascade of cloth. It looked to be about ten feet long – just right for what we needed.

I noticed that the cloth was a bit frayed here and there, probably from years of use. No matter; it would do just fine.

Without a word, I walked over to the headboard and tied one end of the scarf around the left post. Then I retrieved a second scarf and did the same on the right side.

I gestured for Mei-ling to get up on the mattress.

She seemed caught between desire and fear.

“You haven’t even kissed me yet,” she said, jokingly chiding me.

“I will when the time’s right. Now get on the bed.”

The mattress was so tall she had to hop up to perch on the edge.

But she just stayed there, sitting with one leg crossed over the other.

She looked absolutely lovely…

But I couldn’t do anything with her like that.

“Not far enough,” I said.

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