Page 81 of Merciless Desires

"Very well." Before I can react he rips the thin shirt down the middle leaving me bare and exposed. I gasp, instinctively covering my breasts with my arms.

Roughly he pries my arms away, letting his gaze rake over me. I burn with mingled shame and arousal as those glacial eyes devour every inch of newly exposed flesh.

"Exquisite."

I flex and unflex my fingers as he runs his hands over me like a farmer appraising livestock. His intimate touches are designed to humiliate and debase.

When he moves behind me, tracing my spine with one long finger, I flinch away. He grasps my hair and wrenches my head back, his breath hot on my neck.

"You will not evade me, Natalia. I will have you in any manner I choose."

Despite my anger, heat blooms within me at his words, his nearness. As much as I despise it, I can’t seem to banish my desire when it comes to him. It’s as though my body recognizes something in him that my mind recoils from.

His hands resume their leisurely exploration. He touches me possessively, as though I’m his. His plaything. Rage simmers beneath my skin but I force myself to remain motionless, trying so hard not to react. Denying him any visible reaction is the only form of defiance I can afford.

Unable to endure his invasive stare, I squeeze my eyes shut, further humiliated when a single tear escapes, tracing a path down my cheek.

His thumb brushes the tear away gently.

"Exquisite," he repeats softly.

Startled, my eyes fly open and I meet his gaze. For an instant, I glimpse something unexpected there—but it’s gone so quickly, I can’t identify it, and his expression hardens once more.

I stand frozen while he studies every curve and hollow of my naked body. A slight tremor grips me.

At last, he steps back, fully clothed while I’m utterly exposed.

His eyes seem even darker now as he orders, "On the bed. Face down."

What? Is he fucking kidding me?!

When I hesitate, his hand cracks across my ass so hard I stagger, butt cheek burning.

"Do not test me further." His tone brooks no argument.

I comply, perversely grateful for the chance to hide my shameful arousal. The mattress dips beneath his weight as he settles beside me. I flinch when his fingers graze my shoulder.

"Hush," he murmurs, tracing abstract patterns on my skin. Despite myself, I relax fractionally at his unexpectedly gentle touch.

Slowly, methodically, he explores every inch of my bare back, my sides, even the sensitive swell of my stinging rear. I grit my teeth against the rising tide of unwelcome pleasure, determined not to let him know how affected I am.

But, of course, he discovers for himself when his fingers dip between my legs and he feels my slickness. And to make it worse, I can't restrain a choked moan.

He gives a satisfied hum at the evidence of my desire.

I clench my jaw, silently cursing my traitorous body. I will not surrender fully, not even if he wrings climax after shameful climax from me. Because fuck him.

Sensing my continued resistance, Viktor doubles his efforts, his skillful caresses slowly dismantling my defenses. Each gasp and stifled whimper that inadvertently emerges from me feels like defeat. He conquers my flesh with ease, but my mind remains my own.

Viktor flips me over so that I'm on my back, and I can feel his hot breath on my skin as he leans close. His teeth and tongue trail a scorching path from my breasts to my stomach, and finally between my legs. He sucks my flesh, bites down sharply, laves tender licks, and peppers sharp nips all over my neck, shoulders, collarbone, breasts, and stomach. It's as though he's devouring me. And then he moves between my legs. With the same teeth and tongue action, he draws out a litany of soft cries from me as pleasure and pain mix inextricably together.

My hips thrust against his face of their own accord as the sensations become too intense for me to control. I'm trembling now, both in anticipation of the next glorious wave of sensation and also in fear of what will happen when it subsides.

This is a cruel game my captor is playing, taking perverse pleasure in testing my limits.

How much pain can I endure before crying out? How much pleasure? How long can I resist responding to his touch? My body betrays me even as I steel my will, arching and gasping at the cruel ecstasy he inflicts.

When his fingers, teeth, and tongue finally wring a helpless orgasm from me, I smother my cries in a pillow, denying him the satisfaction of my vocal submission.

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