Page 35 of Taming Seraphine

It’s a rack of what I can only describe as crocodile clips from science experiments attached to chains. I stiffen, wondering if they carry an electric current.

“What are those?” I whisper.

“Nipple clamps.” He picks up a pair that’s dipped in black rubber. “Give me your little finger.”

I offer him my pinky, letting Leroi attach the clamp to its tip. There’s pressure, but little else. “What’s so special about this?”

His gaze drops to my nipple, which tightens under his attention. “The clamp isn’t for fingers,” he says, his voice husky.

Warmth surges low in my belly. I’m sure it has nothing to do with a silly clamp and more with the way Leroi is breathing so close to me. His face is expressionless and still, but the rapid rise and fall of his chest tells me he really likes this toy.

It reminds me of how excited he was when I held the knife to his throat. My clit throbs with the remembered sensation of rubbing against his thick, hard shaft, and my own breath quickens with anticipation.

“Would you like to try it over your clothes?” he asks and I nod, unable to find the words. It’s been so long since anyone’s asked my permission to touch me.

He brings it to my nipple in a motion that’s agonizingly slow. Its jaws open, and he hesitates.

“Do it,” I say.

The clamp closes in around my nipple, sending a surge of sensation between my legs. It’s so intense that I grip the edge of a shelf for balance and squeeze my eyes shut.

“Do you like it?” Leroi asks.

The pressure borders on pain, and my throat tightens, as do the muscles of my core. Samson and Gregor used pain to control me until I learned to dismiss the sensations. I don’t understand why it’s making me so aroused.

“Seraphine?” Leroi’s voice breaks through my thoughts.

“It’s nice,” I say through shallow breaths.

“Look at me.”

My eyes flutter open.

Leroi’s irises are a ring of dark brown around dilated pupils, and his jaw is tight. The intensity of his gaze sends heat rushing through my veins, and the pulse between my legs quickens.

“It’s more than nice, isn’t it?” he asks, his voice a low growl.

“Yes,” I whisper, my throat dry.

He removes the clamp, leaving my nipple sensitive and throbbing and wanting more. His gaze lingers on mine as he tosses it into the basket and pulls me toward the next rack.

Following him on trembling legs, I lean into his side, feeling more alive than I have in half a decade. When I was in that basement, I used to imagine someone would burst through the doors and set me free. The fairytale was better than facing my reality, but I knew better than to believe in a knight in shining armor. It was nothing more than a dumb fantasy.

My mysterious rescuer would slay my enemies, heal my wounds, and reunite me with Gabriel. We’d all live happily ever after in a castle with its own chocolate fountain. I never imagined this savior making me enjoy sex or giving me an orgasm.

I’m glad I spared Leroi’s life.

At least for now.

THIRTEEN

LEROI

Seraphine is not the same woman I pulled out of that basement. Her eyes are alight with excitement at the prospect of the toys, and she even welcomes the red-haired store clerk’s help. I stand back, observing the two women giggle and chat about toys, not believing that she just stabbed Monica with a letter opener for getting too close.

The taller woman places a hand on Seraphine’s shoulder, and Seraphine doesn’t even flinch. Instead, her smile is brighter than the sun. She seems mesmerized by the clerk’s knowledge of kink.

Seraphine is mercurial–unlike anyone I’ve ever known.

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