The Revelation (36 page)

I do as I’m told and he slips the nightie over my
head and onto my body. I’m confused as to why he’s dressing me
rather than keeping me naked, but I’m too fried to give it much
thought.

“Come.” He grabs my hand and pulls me out of the
bathroom and back into the dungeon. Everything’s been
cleaned—there’s no sign of my messy orgasm and absolutely nothing
out of place. He guides me to a bed in the corner, lays me onto my
back, and wordlessly secures bindings around my wrists and
ankles.

“You don’t have to tie me up anymore,” I say,
pulling against my bindings. “I won’t try to escape.”

“No. I can’t risk losing you,” he says simply.

A wave of glee washes over me. I know he’s simply
following my script, but those words make my skin buzz,
nonetheless.

“I’m not tricking you,” I coo. “I didn’t run when
you left me alone in the bathroom, did I? You can trust me.”

He pauses, mulling that over. “No,” he finally says.
“I can’t risk it. You’re a
unicorn
.” He shoots me a snarky
look, obviously proud of himself for deftly inserting that little
gem into our scene. “I can’t risk it.”

“Please.”

He sets his jaw. “No. Now that I know what it’s like
to have you, I don’t think I can live without you.”

My heart stops. Was that in the script? Or did Josh
say that in real life?

“What’s your name?” I ask.

He makes a face like I’ve just asked him to spell
antideluvian.
“Um,” he says, apparently pondering the
question. “Joshua Faraday,” he finally says.

That’s not at all what I expected him to say. I
thought he’d come up with some exotic sex-slave-master name like
Magnusson Carmichael III. For my part, I’ve certainly planned a
sexy name and backstory—I’m an heiress named Chantel
Giodissimo—but, jeez, if Josh is going to be himself for our
role-plays, then I should do the same. And, in fact, now that I’m
thinking about it, it’s probably better if we just “be ourselves,”
just like the song says.

“Hi, Joshua,” I say softly. “I’m Katherine Morgan.
It’s nice to meet you. I sure wish we’d met under different
circumstances than you breaking into my house and absconding with
me.”

Josh smirks. “
Absconding
with you?”

I grin. “Yeah.
Absconding.
And you gave me a
freaking heart attack when you did it, by the way. Oh my God.”

He flashes an adorable grin. “I’m sorry, Katherine.
I didn’t mean to scare you when I
absconded
with you. It’s
just that when I saw you walking down the sidewalk the other day, I
had to have you.” He glances at the clock and I follow his gaze.
It’s a few minutes to ten. He trains his beautiful blue eyes back
on me. “Please forgive me if I scared you.”

“I forgive you. You’ve given me intense pleasure,
Joshua—pleasure I couldn’t have imagined.”

His beautiful eyes are smoldering at me.

“Will you untie me, Joshua?” I ask softly.

He shakes his head. “I can’t. You’ll run away. And
if I lose you, I’ll be wrecked.”

My heart lurches into my throat. He sounds so
earnest. I can’t tell if that was Joshua Faraday the
Sex-Slave-Master speaking—or Joshua William Faraday?

I open my mouth to tell him I’d be wrecked if I lost
him, too, but before I can say a word, the door to the dungeon
swings wide open and a slender figure wearing a ski mask bursts
into the room.

I shriek in surprise and pull violently on my
bindings.

“I’ve come to steal her away,” a woman’s voice says
in a lackluster monotone. She holds up a plastic sword. “I saw her
and I had to have her.”

I look at Josh with wide-eyed astonishment and he
bursts out laughing.

The masked intruder lowers her sword and shifts her
weight, her body language conveying total annoyance.

“
From Justin to Kelly
,” I say. “Who the heck
is this poor woman, Josh?”

Josh wipes his eyes and motions to the masked
figure. “Kat, this is Kaitlyn—she owns this place. Kaitlyn’s one of
the top Dommes in Los Angeles.”

“
The
top,” Kaitlyn corrects. “If I do say so
myself.”

“Sorry.
The
top. You can take off your mask,
Kaitlyn. Oh my God. This is so fucking hilarious.”

Kaitlyn removes her mask to reveal a very attractive
woman, with brown hair and dark, piercing eyes, in her early
forties or so.

“Hi,” Kaitlyn says to me calmly. “I’m here to steal
you away and make you my sex slave.”

I giggle. “Nice to meet you, Kaitlyn.” I jut my chin
at my wrist restraint. “Sorry I can’t wave hello. So you’re here to
fight to the death for me, huh?”

Josh is still laughing. “Oh my God, this is so
ridiculous. I’m sorry, Kaitlyn, I should have listened to you.”

Kaitlyn rolls her eyes.

“I’m so sorry, babe. I didn’t think it would be this
lame. I thought it would be fun and silly, but not
lame
.”

“It’s adorable. I love it. You thought of
everything.”

“I was originally thinking about hiring a stuntman
and choreographing a whole big thing with pyrotechnics, but the
logistics just seemed crazy. There would have been, like, twenty
people involved, and I didn’t think you’d like that.”

“Good call,” I say, laughing. “Embarrassing myself
in front of Kaitlyn here is plenty.”

Kaitlyn shrugs. “Don’t be embarrassed. My whole life
is about helping people fulfill their fantasies. This is a first, I
admit, but, hey.”

“Thank you,” I say. “So what do you say we press
fast-forward on the sword fight? Pretend you two have already
fought and Kaitlyn lost?”

Kaitlyn nods and looks to Josh for confirmation.

“Hell no,” Josh says. He reaches down next to the
bed and pulls out a plastic sword to match Kaitlyn’s. “We gotta
have a sword fight, babe—I don’t care if it’s ridiculous, it’s in
your script. We gotta follow the script.”

Kaitlyn and I exchange a look.

“Okay,” she says. She begrudgingly holds up her
sword. “I’m here to steal her away and make her my sex-slave.”

I giggle. This is utterly ridiculous. A travesty. I
absolutely love it.

Josh leaps up from the bed, on the attack. “
En
guarde
!” he shouts.

For a few minutes, Josh and Kaitlyn whack each
other’s swords like pre-schoolers on a playground while Josh shouts
lines from
Princess Bride
, until, finally, Kaitlyn falls
into a chair with a sword shoved into her armpit and dies.

“Let this be a lesson to any man who tries to
abscond
with what’s mine,” Josh says, standing over
Kaitlyn’s body. “Fuck you, all of you. She’s mine.”

A ripple of pleasure zings through my body. It’s
ridiculous, yes—but it’s freaking hot, too. The boy has put a lot
of effort and thought into making my silly fantasy come to life. I
can’t help but swoon.

Kaitlyn opens her eyes. “So... Is that it,
then?”

“Yeah. That’ll do it.” Josh helps her up. “Thanks
again for everything, Kaitlyn. You’re a trooper. Now be gone!” He
laughs.

Kaitlyn shakes her head. “Have fun, you two. Now
that I’ve seen you in action, I totally get it. You’re total
goofballs.” She smiles for the first time since she stepped foot in
the room and turns toward the door. “Be sure to turn out the lights
and lock up when you go.”

“Will do,” Josh says. “Thanks again.”

“Thank you!” I call out to Kaitlyn’s back just
before she slips out the door.

Josh turns to me. “How cool was that? I just had a
sword fight with a real-life dominatrix.”

“How’d you hook up with her?” I ask, an alarming
thought beginning to creep into my head. “Is she a
friend
of
yours?”

Josh rolls his eyes. “Cool your jets, Madame
Terrorist. Kaitlyn’s a friend of Reed’s. I’ve never used her
services.” He laughs. “And to answer your next question, no, Reed’s
not a client of hers, either. They’re just friends. Reed knows
everyone in L.A.—well, anyone who’s interesting.” He beams a huge
smile at me. “So, my sexy little sex-slave, are you ready to keep
going with our porno? We’ve still got the third and final act to
perform, you may recall: The Big Reveal.”

I smile broadly. “Ooh la la. The Revelation.
Yes.”

“Any last words before we get back into
character?”

I think for a minute. There are definitely words I’m
dying to say to Josh, three little words to be exact, but I can’t
do it. They’re magic words a girl simply can’t be the first to say
in a relationship.

“Nope. I’m good,” I say. “Proceed.”

“Quiet on the porn set!” Josh yells over his
shoulder to an imaginary crew. “And...
action
.” He crawls
onto the bed and cups my cheek in his palm. “Are you hungry,
Katherine?”

“Yes, Master Joshua. Starving.”

Josh reaches down next to the bed, retrieves a small
cooler, and pulls out a sandwich in a Ziplock baggie.

“Aw,” I say. “
From Justin to Kelly.
You made
me an orgasm-inducing peanut butter and jelly sandwich? So
sweet.”

“Wouldn’t want my sex-slave going hungry.” He grins.
“I’ve got an apple and some chips for you, too, if you want
’em.”

“You’re the sweetest sex-slave-master, ever. Thank
you. I was ready to eat my hand when we got back from hiking. Now
I’m ready to eat both arms.”

He breaks off a bite-sized piece of the sandwich and
feeds it to me.

“Whoa,” I say, chewing the sandwich with gusto. “You
told the truth—I just came.”

Josh laughs.

“Why is this sandwich so good? Did you lace it with
something illegal?”

“Nope. Just organic strawberry jam.”

He feeds me another bite.

“This sandwich is so frickin’ good,” I say, “it’s
giving me
Munchausen
syndrome.”

Josh chuckles. “No, babe. Not
Munchausen
syndrome. That’s when you poison someone slowly just so you can
keep being their caretaker.”

“Oh.” I giggle.

He chuckles. “You’re so cute.”

“So what did I mean, then?”

“
Stockholm
syndrome, I think.”

“Is that where someone held captive falls in love
with their captor?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he says.

“Okay, then, yeah. That’s what I have for sure.”

We both stare at each other for an awkward beat.

Oh shit. I think I just told Josh I’m in love with
him.

He feeds me another bite of sandwich but doesn’t say
anything for a long beat.

“Water?” he finally asks, his voice tight.

“What?” My cheeks feel flushed. I just told him I
love him in a clever sort of backhanded-code, didn’t I?

Josh holds up the water bottle. “Thirsty?”

“Oh. Yeah. Thank you.”

He holds the bottle to my lips and I take a long
guzzle, my heart racing. Damn. I wish I’d told him more clearly
than that, in a way that would have left no doubt. I shouldn’t have
been so subtle. I should have said, “This sandwich is so good,
it made me fall deeply in love with you, Joshua William
Faraday
.” But I didn’t. I left it vague. “Yeah, that’s what I
have,” I said—and nothing more. Idiot. And now the moment has
passed.

“Chips?” Josh asks.

“What kind?”

“Doritos.” He holds up a little red bag. “Original
flavor.”

“Thank you.”

He pops a chip into my mouth and then into his own.
“Fuck you, Jonas—I eat what I want—although I must admit I feel
kinda bad I’m chowing down on Doritos while gourmet meals are
sitting in my fridge.”

“How about we eat Jonas’ food tomorrow night?” I
say. “We can stay in and rent a movie.”

“Awesome. Yeah, a quiet night at home with my Party
Girl with a Hyphen sounds damned good. More water, babe?”

I shake my head. “I’m good. I’m done.”

“You ready to keep going with the porno?”

I nod.

“Cool. I’ve got my entire speech ready for act
three.” He stows the remaining food in the cooler. “Give me my cue,
babe,” he says softly. “I’m gonna slay it.”

I clear my throat. “Untie me, Joshua,” I whisper. “I
don’t want to be a prisoner anymore. I need my freedom.”

Josh touches my cheek tenderly. “Katherine, when I
absconded
with you, all I cared about was making you mine,
through any means necessary. All I cared about was what I wanted.
But now, even though I want you more than ever, I care too much
about you to keep you as my prisoner anymore. Now the thing I want
more than my own happiness is yours.” He touches the cleft in my
chin.

Holy Exploding Heart, Batman. Not To Mention
Ovaries. I know Josh was merely following the loose script I
babbled to him in Las Vegas, but he delivered his lines with such
breathtaking sincerity, my heart seems to have lost its ability to
discern fantasy from reality.

“Hang on,” he says. He gets up and walks behind the
bed, outside of my field of vision. I strain against my bindings.
What’s he doing? He’s supposed to untie me now and ravage me as a
free woman.

A song begins playing over the sound system and my
heart stops. Holy shitballs. He’s cued up “If You Ever Want To Be
In Love” by James Bay—the song that made Josh literally bolt out of
his bedroom when it came on last night. Oh my effing God.

Josh returns to the bed. His clothes are off and his
hard-on is massive. He sits on the edge of the bed, gazing at me
with smoldering eyes, and slowly begins untying me.

Holy shitballs.

The minute I’m free, he pulls my nightie and
underwear off my body and guides me onto his lap and straight onto
his erection. I take him into me and wrap my thighs around his
waist, throw my arms around his neck, and ride him feverishly,
spurred on by the song—and especially what it means that he’s
decided to play it for me in this magical moment.

“Don’t leave me,” Josh whispers, cradling me in his
arms, fucking me, caressing me, kissing my face.

I’m lost in him. I gyrate my hips on top of him and
smash my breasts against his muscled chest, desperately trying to
press my beating heart against his.