Page 79 of Betrayed

“I’ll take it, Celeste.Merci.”

Once inside, the sounds of erotic pain and sexual gratification evaporated the vodka she’d consumed. “I’m sorry,” she began.

His hand came down sharply, twice eliciting a startled yelp.

“The truce ends tonight, one-sided as it was. You’ve been asking for this. After the stunt you pulled tonight, I’m going to give it to you—in spades.”He paused a moment, his large hand spread possessively across her behind. “Ah, a cross is open. Perfect for the punishment I have in mind for you.”

She shivered both in dread and anticipation as arousal immediately dampened her panties. Just so, his hand slipped down, and his fingers curved between her thighs as he moved through the crowded playroom to his destination.

As she bounced atop his shoulder, his hand came into contact with the crotch of her panties. “You’re wet already.” He grunted in approval. “I should have known detente was not what my naughty little masochist needed. To be clear, I won’t make the same mistake again.”

Inside the ropes, he let her slide down his long, hard frame—breasts grazing his chest, soft mound rubbing across the distended length of his cock outlined in the front of his trousers. The arm at her back kept her plastered to him as her feet touched the ground. Then his free hand tangled in her hair, pulling her head back. Gazing down into her eyes, he ground his erection into her soft belly, making his desire for her clear.

Close enough to feel the soft rush of her breath against his lips, his order came out as a deep rumble. “Strip off everything. I don’t plan to leave an inch of your luscious body untouched or unpunished.”

He stepped back, arms folded, and with the first sign of a smile, wicked as it was, curving his lips, he waited and watched.

Chapter 21

EXPECTING MORE OF Aprotest, Arturo was pleased when she immediately complied. More so when she peeled the clingy black dress down her body, revealing her curves and flawless skin. His unwavering attention brought a blush to her cheeks and gradually deepened to a rosy red as it spread over her throat and down to her alluring, round breasts. Close to forty and after two children, they were still firm, despite their ample size. Her belly was flat, her hips shapely, her divine ass high and tight, with enough flesh to jiggle delightfully when he swatted it.

He did so now as she turned and set her dress on the nearby shelf.

“Step up to the cross, facing it,” he ordered when her eyes came to his after the crisp, resounding blow, which was really very gentle by his standards. She was in for a surprise, however, since he planned to push her past the arbitrary and quite ridiculous restriction she had set on pain. It was what she needed, and short of a safeword, what he needed to give her. He was determined to clear the air between them, once and for all.

He cuffed her wrists then latched the D-rings to the eyebolts in the far end of each crossbeam above her head. With arms spread wide and secured in position, he drew the flat of his hands down her arms, across her shoulders, brushing her hair forward, over her shoulders, and baring her back.

The fragrant skin of her neck was too tempting to ignore. Arturo leaned in and spread kisses from there down her spine, caressing her with wide sweeps of his hands on either side as he went. His fingers curled around her hips as his lips lightly grazed her round, pliant cheek. It wasn’t nearly enough. He opened and sucked greedily. The sweet, enticing sound of her cries sent a surge of adrenaline through him, driving him to leave his mark. When he released her, he admired the pink circle, stroking his tongue across it, soothing the minor ache before bending to restrain her ankles.

Once she was bound to the four cross points, he stood and moved in close behind her. His hands slid between the padded X and her soft body. He cupped her breasts, not roughly but lustily, exploring their fullness and savoring the silky softness he’d missed these past few days.

“It has been too long,ma colombe. I crave your body as much as you yearn for mine,n’est-ce pas?” His fingers located her hard nipples, pinching and rolling them aggressively as she liked.

“Yes, sir,” she groaned. “I’ve missed you, too.”

“Mon Dieu!You admit it! I thought you’d put up more of a fight. Perhaps it’s the alcohol speaking.”

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