Dark Perception: The Corde Noire Series (22 page)

“
No, missing the
emotion.”

“
You’ve lost me.” He walked
her out of the bedroom. “Come on. Dinner is almost ready. I made us
grilled sirloin steaks with oven roasted potatoes.”

She gawked at him. “You can
cook?”

“
Can grilling two steaks
and throwing frozen potatoes in the oven be regarded as
cooking?”

Hooking her arm around him, she
giggled. “It is to me.”

“
Yeah, well, wait until you
taste it. I sure hope you like your steak well-done, because that’s
what it’s going to be unless we hurry back to my place.”

When Melinda stepped through her front
door, she thought she heard the faint sound of music begin again,
but she said nothing to Nathan.

Perhaps it was just her imagination.
After all, she was a musician and prone to having melodies haunt
her. The only problem was, none of them had ever sounded quite as
hopeless as that one felt.

* * *

Two glasses of Lambrusco wine helped
Melinda wash down the overcooked steak and soggy potatoes. While
Nathan cleared away their plates, Melinda turned around on her
chrome stool by the breakfast bar and contemplated the collection
of slavery relics on the wall. There was something unsettling about
the artifacts that made her skin prickle. It was as if they held
the key to a mystery Melinda felt compelled to solve.

“
I told you I’m not a
cook,” Nathan imparted from the kitchen.

She spun back around to him, lifting
her glass of sweet wine to her lips. “No, I liked it.”

He ran some water over the plates in
the sink. “Please don’t lie to me, Melinda. It doesn’t suit
you.”

She gestured with her wineglass to the
sink. “I’ll do the dishes since you cooked that delicious
meal.”

He laughed, sounding like a symphony.
Melinda’s body tingled all over. “Leave it for Paula, my
housekeeper. She’ll be by in the morning.” He picked up the bottle
of wine. “You’ll like her. I’ll tell her to clean your place, too.
It will save you from having to worry about vacuuming and cleaning
toilets.”

“
Maybe I like cleaning my
own toilets.”

Nathan raised one dark eyebrow to her
as he refilled his wine glass. “I hope you’re joking.”

“
You don’t need to keep
doing things for me. The apartment, the clothes, the driver … now a
housekeeper.”

He put the bottle down. “Don’t you
like being spoiled?”

“
Yes, very much, but I
don’t want you to feel like you have to keep doing everything for
me. I want you to know I’m not with you for the perks. I’m here
because I want to be with you.”

“
You need to understand
things have changed, baby. You’ll have to keep up certain standards
from here on out.”

“
Standards?” She wrinkled
her brow. “What are you talking about?”

“
Melinda, you’re going to
be seen with me, represent me whenever we go out, and people will
form their impression of me by what they see in you. It’s going to
be very important for you to act and look a certain way. The
clothes I got for you today are a start. Next week, I’m going to
have people come over and do your hair, nails, and makeup. You need
to look more sophisticated.” Nathan paused and his face grew
somber. “And there can be no more outbursts like the one at Denise
Becnel’s party. I want a woman next to me I can be proud of, I can
show off, and most of all, I can trust to behave
appropriately.”

Melinda was waylaid. She sat on her
stool digesting his expectations and feeling as small as a
gnat.

“
I didn’t realize I was
embarrassing you, Nathan.”

He came around the breakfast bar to
her stool. “You’ve never embarrassed me. I’m just asking you to
remember it isn’t just about you anymore … it’s about us.” He
touched the black collar around her neck. “I hope you understand
this is going to help both of us get ahead.”

She kept her eyes focused on her
wineglass sitting on the breakfast bar. “I’m not upset, just …
wondering why I’m here.”

He ran his hands along her shoulders
and let his fingers lightly tease the back of her neck. His touch
made Melinda ache with longing.

“
You’re here because I find
you to be the sexiest, most provocative woman I’ve ever
met.”

Melinda tried not to laugh. “Me …
sexy?”

“
Incredibly sexy.” He
reached for her white linen dinner napkin on the bar. “In fact, I’m
going to show you just how sexy you are.”

He folded the napkin over, pulled the
ends out with both hands, and gently secured it over Melinda’s
eyes.

She reached up. “What are you
doing?”

He stayed her hands. “I need you to
trust me.” He tied the napkin behind her head. “Do you trust me,
Melinda?”

The question circled in her thoughts
like a hungry hawk. “I trust you, Nathan,” she finally
declared.

He took her hand. “Then come with me.
It’s time to play a new game.”

Melinda knew where this was going.
Whatever protests she had originally wanted to voice failed when
she thought of having Nathan inside her.

He led her a few feet from the bar,
guiding her gently in his arms. When he stopped and left her side,
she was disoriented. Then she felt a tug on her right tennis
shoe.

“
What are you going to
do?”

“
Shhh,” he told her as he
slipped off her shoe.

After removing her shoes and socks, he
started on her button-down shirt. The way he undressed her while
blindfolded was strangely erotic. Her yearning for him mounted with
every passing minute. By the time he slid her beige cotton panties
down her thighs, Melinda was panting with desire.

For several seconds, she stood feeling
the chilly air on her bare skin, but could no longer hear him
moving about. As she went to reach for the blindfold, he held her
hands.

“
No. You are to do as I
say.”

She nodded, lowering her hands to her
sides. “Yes, Nathan.”

He pinched her right butt cheek and
she squealed. “You are always to address me as Sir when we
play.”

She giggled. “Yes, Sir.”

“
Bend over and grab your
ankles.” His hand rubbed over her right butt cheek where he had
pinched her. “I want to see how far I can push you.”

“
What are you—?”

“
You never ask questions
during a game, Melinda. You only speak when spoken to. Understand?”
His tone was menacing and very unlike what she was used to. “I tell
you what to do, what to endure, and you will willingly take
everything I give you. Now, bend over like a bad little
girl.”

Stretching for her ankles, she was
apprehensive about what would happen next. What was she going to
have to endure?

His hand slapping her right butt cheek
instantly answered her query. It wasn’t what she had expected, but
Melinda was surprised to find it not so much painful as it was
shocking. She had never been spanked before, even by her
parents.

“
Did that hurt?”

She shook her head, tightening her
grip on her ankles. Daydreaming about being spanked in the dress
shop had felt sexy. Bending over with her butt in the air, less
so.

He hit her again, harder than before.
This time he left a sting on her bottom, but Melinda enjoyed the
sensation. She liked the way he was making her nervous and excited
at the same time.

“
What about that? Was that
painful?” he whispered, his mouth right next to her ear.

“
No … Sir.”

The next whack on her butt did hurt
and she yelped.

“
That was to remind you
that I am your Master.” His lips grazed her back. “Good girl. You
did well.”

She nodded, biting her quivering lower
lip while a few tears gathered in her eyes.

Nathan’s hand caressed her right butt
cheek, and instantly Melinda forgot about the pain. His fingers
were moving closer and closer to the valley between her legs. With
every passing stroke of his hand, she ached for him to touch
her.

The next slap wasn’t over her butt
cheek; it was right against her folds. She stepped forward,
overcome by the shockwave of the blow.

Nathan pulled her back into position,
forcing her hands to her ankles once more. She could smell the wine
on his breath and feel the caress of his clothes against her
skin.

“
Did you like that,
Melinda?”

Was it wrong to admit she did like it?
Somehow this game felt dirty, but Melinda liked being bad … more
than she had realized.

“
Yes, Sir. I liked
it.”

Hoping for more, Melinda prepared for
the next slap, splaying her legs apart. But Nathan must have sensed
her expectation, because instead of slapping her folds, he slipped
his fingers into them.

“
You’re so wet. You do like
this game, don’t you?”

When she felt his hand move away, the
slap that connected to her wet flesh knocked her to her knees. Her
body was vibrating and she didn’t know if she could
stand.

Nathan was next to her, taking her
hands and helping her from the floor. He led her forward until her
knees brushed up against something. The sofa?

“
Place your hands on the
sofa,” he ordered.

Slapping her palms on the leather
cushions, Melinda was thankful to have something to lean on. Nathan
ran his fingertips down her back, his nails lightly scratching her
skin.

She waited, anxious to find out what
would happen next, but as the minutes passed there was nothing.
Melinda’s anticipation was building, and mixed in with it was the
pleasurable swirl of excitement.

“
Spread your legs.” His
voice sounded as if he was right next to her ear. “Do
it.”

Melinda hurriedly kicked her feet
apart. Again, nothing happened for several seconds, and then … a
low humming sound was all around her.

“
This is just a toy I like
to use,” he reassured her in his sultry voice. “Something to reward
you for being such a good girl.”

The vibration began next to her right
nipple and slowly made its way down her stomach. Melinda’s mind
raced with possibilities of what this toy could be, and then it hit
her just as the vibrating sensation dipped between her
legs.

“
Oh, God,” she cried as he
pushed the vibrator into her.

The cascade of sensations was
overwhelming. This was not the gentle tingle she was used to. Her
back arched, and her teeth clenched.

“
Don’t fight it, baby. Let
me please you.”

He moved the vibrator slowly in and
out of her. White heat rose from her groin and engulfed her. It was
so much more than anything she had ever experienced. The waves of
tension began cramping her muscles in unrelenting
bursts.

“
I can’t …”

“
You will,” he commanded
against her cheek. “You will take every second of it, and
more.”

A slap resounded and the sting on her
left butt cheek only intensified her pleasure. Melinda groaned and
her hips gyrated against his hand, rhythmically rising and falling
with every penetration of the vibrator. She threw her head back as
the orgasm climbed quickly from her depths, exciting every nerve in
her body as it went. She held on to the sofa as the waves of her
impending climax rose and receded.

“
Nathan!” she called, on
the verge of collapsing.

“
That’s it. Scream for me,
baby.”

Then her body constricted in one
overpowering spasm. Melinda screamed as her consciousness narrowed
to only register the vibrations coursing through her. Never had an
orgasm been so intense, and the throbbing continued on and on. When
she finally fell against the sofa, her awareness returned. Covered
in a film of sweat, she was completely dazed when Nathan
unexpectedly kissed her cheek.

“
Where in the hell did you
learn to do that … Sir?”

He snickered as he stroked her back.
“Years of practice.”

Melinda raised her hand to the
blindfold still covering her eyes.

“
No,” he said, taking her
hand away. “I’m not done.”

“
I may not survive any
more.”

His hand went between her legs and
teased her wet folds. “You’ll survive.” Melinda pressed into his
hand, pining to feel him deep inside her. He pulled his hand away.
“I want you to stand up.”

Eager for more, Melinda dragged her
body up from the sticky leather sofa. “Anything you say,
Sir.”

Nathan took her hands and guided her
forward. “Kneel on the sofa. Put your hands on the
back.”

After she had positioned herself,
Nathan spanked her butt. “You didn’t say, ‘yes, Sir.’ You need to
acknowledge my commands, Melinda.”

“
Sorry, Sir.”

Nathan firmly gripped her buttocks. He
bit into her shoulder, making her groan with longing. Melinda heard
the sound of his zipper and the rustling of clothes.