Page 38 of The Escape Artist

“If Kane's glowing review is to be believed, it's going to make you very very excited.”

Claire bit her lip and nodded. She gasped at the first touch of the cold cream. Ari spread a generous amount between her legs, covering all of her pussy, including her clit. Then he put more on his finger and put some of the cream inside her, stroking her inner walls with it.

She moaned and arched toward him.

He withdrew his finger. “Not yet, little one. Wait. Save the show for Kane.”

Claire felt the flush crawl up her neck.

Ari took Claire to the end of the brightly lit front hallway. She was squeezing the life out of his hand. He shouldn't do this to her.

He had to keep reminding himself she wasn't like his other subs. She wasn't a sub at all. How had he ever gotten to the point where he'd justified taking an actual captive, a real slave? She couldn't just safeword out of something that upset her. And he didn't want to traumatize her. He just wanted her. Her and her obedience. So if he didn't want her a broken mess at his feet, he had to watch her carefully and not push her beyond what she could take.

He pressed her against the wall next to the playroom door.

“Claire, look at me.”

Wide, scared eyes met his.

“If this is too much for you, I can send him away and punish you instead.” He needed to give her an out, however weak. He should have made her tell him everything that had happened in her former captivity but he couldn't bring himself to hear the details. It would only confirm what a monster he was for keeping her like this.

“What if I have a flashback?”

Ari brushed her hair back and kissed the shell of her ear. “If you have a flashback, I'll get rid of him.”

He pushed the door open. “Kane? Could you come here a minute?”

The other man joined them out in the hallway, and Claire flinched. Not a great sign. He should shut this down right now. But if she couldn't handle it, she needed to tell him and take the out he'd given her.

“Yeah, what it is?” Kane said, his gaze raking over Claire.

“Will you go get me a bottle of water from the kitchen?” He didn't want to leave her alone right now.

“Sure.”

Kane was gone a couple of minutes. Ari stroked her hair and carefully watched her for signs of a panic attack.

“Here,” Kane said when he returned. “Is she okay?”

He actually looked concerned. That expression was weird on his usually impassive face. But the show of concern seemed to loosen Claire's tension. Ari couldn't begin to imagine what mental acrobatics were going through her head to make this even a little bit okay for her.

“She'll be fine. Just give us another minute.”

“Sure.” Kane went back into the playroom.

Ari unscrewed the bottle cap and handed the water to Claire. She took several long drinks. Finally, when the bottle was half empty she handed it back to him.

“Better?” he asked.

“Yes, Master.”

“Listen to me. He's in art mode. When we go in there, he's looking at you as an artist. Nothing more. He's not judging you, and he's not going to hurt you. Or touch you. Okay?”

She nodded. The fear was starting to recede. Her breathing had moved back into a more normal pattern. Her pupils were beginning to dilate, evidence that the arousal cream was working.

When they were inside the playroom, Ari turned to observe her reaction to the space. Unlike the foreboding dungeon, this room was bright and welcoming with sunlight streaming in through a giant window which took up one full wall.

Outside the window was a view of the pool which was covered for the winter. Beyond the pool was a seemingly endless stretch of green rolling hills. Or they would be green if they weren't covered in snow. The trees next to the perimeter fence sat so far away, they looked like small landscaping bushes. Gauzy light gray drapes were pulled back from the windows letting the full light and view in.

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