Page 73 of Lies like Rubies, Part One

Dante laughed quietly. “That’s it, kitten. Fucking gorgeous.”

I flushed and froze in place, not sure what to do next or how to react to a gentle and amused Dante, not after his earlier fury.

“Up,” he commanded. I sat back on my haunches, my face right beside his thigh, and I fought the impulse to rest my cheek on him. How quickly he’d tamed me. The taste of my submission burned bitter on my tongue.

“Stand,” he murmured. As I rose to my feet, he drew me to him with a soft touch on my waist until I stood between his legs. I trembled, aware he hadn’t forgiven me, recalling that kindness made the cruelty cut deeper.

He held up his hand for me to inspect the two sets of golden bells resting in his palm. My eyes widened at the sight of the painful-looking nipple clamps.

Dante took my left nipple in his mouth, sucking and tonguing it until I moaned. He kneaded my other breast until both nipples were taut buds, begging for attention. Without warning, he pinched my left nipple hard and secured the clamp. I whined with the pain as he tightened the screw. He did the same to my other breast and blew across the bells until they tinkled merrily in the evening air.

Every labored breath I took shook them, their sweet jangle contrasting with the sharp pain flooding me and the intense desire that followed. As the hurt dulled to an ache, I shifted in place, rubbing my thighs together.

Dante ran a finger through the bells, then licked a nipple. I moaned at the intense pain and pleasure that shot straight to my clit as blood rushed to the point of contact.

“Does my little slut like pain?” he wondered, looking at me with amusement dancing in his eyes.

“I don’t—maybe? Maybe, sir?” I gasped, overwhelmed at the sensations as he continued to trail his fingers over the soft skin of my breasts. The ache between my thighs continued to build as he traced paths over the curves of my breasts, chest, and soft belly.

“I think yes,” Dante said thoughtfully. “I think you’re not only a slut for humiliation, but also for pain. What a delightful toy you’re turning out to be, kitten.”

He took a nipple in his mouth again, and I closed my eyes at the twin spikes of bliss and misery that slammed into me.

Dante gestured to a spot on the floor by his knee. “Come sit.”

I knelt by his right leg, facing him, uncomfortable despite the plush carpet beneath my knees, shifting nervously under his gaze, the bells tinkling every time I moved.

He picked up a bowl and offered me a spoonful of crème brulé. I wrapped my lips around it. My mind flashed back to when I’d done the same for Nick, and nausea ripped through me, once again ashamed at how I’d treated Nick, feeling like I’d cheated on Dante at the same time. I licked my lips, and then sat back on my haunches, suddenly exhausted from the effort of the stupid game.

“I can’t eat anymore.”

Dante raised an eyebrow. I flushed at my mistake. “I can’t eat anymore, sir.”

“Come kneel on the couch, facing the wall. Hands on the back.”

Grateful he wouldn’t force the issue of eating, I clambered beside him without complaint, wincing at the merry sound of bells clinking with every movement.

“Spread your knees, slut, so I can see how much you enjoy those clamps.” I did as he ordered, a furious blush spreading across my chest as he saw the wetness that revealed my arousal.

“Are you ready for your punishment for coming to me, lips swollen and bruised from kissing another man?”

I shook my head. “I thought that was the cage? Sir?”

“No, kitten, the cage was to give me time to calm down, so I didn’t beat you stupid for being such a slut.”

I froze, terror washing over me as awareness of my vulnerability sank in. I was naked and alone in a hotel room with Dante Oscuro, and nobody,nobody, knew where I was. He could do anything he wanted to me, and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it, which was, I supposed, the point of this arrangement.

Dante pulled his belt from his pants, the sound unnervingly loud in the quiet hotel suite. “I’m going to whip you. You are going to beg me to fuck you. Then you will go home tomorrow and invite Nico Lombardi to join us next Tuesday.”

“What?”

He gently smacked my ass with the belt, enough to sting. “How do you address me, slut?”

“Why do you want me to invite Nick, sir?” I asked, tears forming as I saw the end of that relationship coming.

“Are you crying, sweet slut?” Dante asked me.

I sniffed. “Go to hell.”

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