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  "Should I go lower?" I asked.

  "Yes," she breathed.

  She inhaled sharply as I slipped my hand between her cheeks, rolling the tiny nub of ice softly around the puckered rosette inside.

  "Jesus Christ."

  "I still want to fuck you here you know," I said, slipping one chilled finger just half an inch inside her, drawing a short gasp from her lips. "Maybe tonight?" I left the question hanging in the air. I already knew it wouldn't be now. I'd have her there eventually — I intended to have all of her, everything she could give — but not tonight. Of course, that didn't mean I couldn't plant the seed, make her wonder.

  I slipped the ice lower still. Parting her legs, I stroked it gently across her inner thighs, gradually working my way towards her pussy. She was incredibly turned on by this point. The scent of her excitement filled the air, and her lips were glistening despite the fact that I'd yet to use the ice there. I desperately wanted to slip my finger into that softness, to bury my tongue in it and lick her until she couldn't even speak, but I restrained myself. I found the act of forcing self-control extremely exciting. Waiting now meant more pleasure for both of us later. That said, I'd never found waiting so difficult as when I had her in front of me.

  Every time my hand drifted closer to her sex, her hips bucked a little more wildly.

  "Do you want me to touch you?" I asked.

  "Yes," she replied, no longer making any effort to disguise the desire in her voice.

  "You'll have to do better than that."

  "Please, Sebastian, please touch my clit."

  I poised my hand above the entrance to her sex, my fingers splayed around it, the ice pressed just above her entrance. I love the rush of power I feel at moments like that. For me, kink has never been about the pain or the taboo, it's about power and intimacy. This beautiful woman had given herself over to me. She'd put her pleasure entirely in my hands. Nothing is more intimate than that.

  "You have done very well," I said, brushing the ice ever so gently along her slit. "But there's one more thing I want to do first."

  She let out a groan of disappointment, but it quickly cut off as I began cupping and kneading her ass. God, it was so firm, so perfect. I could have played with just that part of her for hours. But I didn't want to lose the effect of what I'd just done. Her skin was still icy and wet, and it made a delicious cracking noise as I slapped my palm gently against it.

  Instantly her body tensed. She knew what that symbolised, and although I'd spanked her once before, it was some time ago. I didn't blame her for being a little fearful.

  "But I kept my hands exactly where you told me to!" she said.

  I laughed. There was still plenty of vanilla in her. "I know. This isn't a punishment. It's a reward." I leaned in close, stroking her skin tenderly. "Remember how much you enjoyed being spanked last time? Remember how wet it made you?"

  She swallowed loudly, her cheeks flushing pink, but after a few seconds she nodded.

  "Good. You can lift up your hands now and get onto your knees."

  She did as I asked, the smallest tremor evident in her movements. Sliding in next to her, I wrapped my hands around her hips and lifted her over my lap until she lay, bent over my knees, across the bed.

  I took a moment to admire her in that position. I could feel the heat of her arousal radiating onto my thigh. She was so sexy and so strong, yet she allowed herself to be so vulnerable. It was one of the most erotic things I'd ever seen. "Wonderful. Are you ready?"

  She drew a long breath, then nodded.

  "Say it."

  "I'm ready to be spanked." It was barely more than a whisper.

  Those words were music to my ears. "Okay."

  And without further ado, I pulled my hand away and brought it whipping back against her left cheek. The crack was much louder this time, ringing throughout the room. She bit back a cry.

  "It will sting more this time because of the cold," I told her, pausing to admire the small red circle that was blooming on her skin. "That's part of the fun of temperature play, it sets all your nerves into overdrive."

  I started softly, easing her into it, alternating from side to side and soothing each cheek with a gentle rub before continuing. I kept my pace uneven, never pausing the same amount of times between blows, never allowing her to develop a rhythm. With the blindfold on, she was constantly guessing.

  Her body flinched with every blow, her breath coming short and sharp, but the pitch of her cries and the quirk of her mouth told me all I needed to know.

  "Are you enjoying that?" I asked, landing a slightly harder slap.

  "Yes," she replied, her voice thick with lust.

  "Shall I smack you harder?"

  She nodded quickly, now utterly shameless.

  My next blow was stronger, and she yelped as it landed, driving her crotch into my leg and sending a pulse of pleasure shooting through my own body as she pressed against my cock.

  I sped up, losing myself in the moment. With every blow she grew more excited, and that in turn stoked my own arousal. There's something intoxicating about the connection I feel during a scene like that. The trust, the sensuality, the vortex of sensations; it's a potent cocktail.

  Soon, her entire ass was rosy and glowing. I paused, parting her cheeks with my hand, mesmerised by the wetness between. Unable to resist, I punctuated my next smack by slipping a finger from my free hand inside her. She let out a long moan, a sound of pure animal pleasure, as all her muscles clenched tight around me.

  "Christ, look how turned on you are," I said.

  She writhed beneath me as I explored her, revelling in the way her body hummed as I stroked her G-spot. I'd been with a lot of other women, but none looked so perfectly alluring in their pleasure as she did. Something about her just sent all of my blood rushing south.

  Slipping my finger free, I left it poised against her entrance, and then smacked her again. "Do you think I should keep going?"

  "Please," she replied, sounding almost pained.

  Stroking the outside of her sex softly, I leaned down close to her head, planting a slow kiss below her ear, letting her answer hang in the air just long enough to make her unsure.

  Then, when the quick little breaths falling from her lips reached fever pitch, I whispered in her ear, "Okay," and plunged back in. Her whole body stiffened as I found that soft pad once more, savouring the way each tiny touch echoed through her. At the same time, I resumed spanking, trying to weave that pain in time with her pleasure.

  The combination was nearly too much for her. In less than a minute her cries reached their crescendo.

  "Are you ready to come for me?" I asked her.

  "Oh God, yes!"

  "Then do it."

  And a few seconds later, her whole body stiffened. The sight of her, those trembling muscles and that perfectly flushed skin, was nearly enough to make me come too. I never tired of doing that to her. I could have watched her come all day.

  When the room was finally quiet again, save for her little sighs of satisfaction, I lifted her off my knees and onto the bed and reached for my belt. The time for restraint was over.

  In a matter of seconds I was naked and straddling her prone form. She said nothing, simply arching her ass up towards me and propping herself up on her elbows. So perfectly ready and willing. I paused a moment, to take her in, stroking my cock back and forward between her cheeks. The vibrant red of her skin had dulled now to a soft glow, although she still flinched a little at my touch.

  A long moan escaped my lips as I pushed my way into her, her body welcoming me with a familiarity that set all my nerves tingling. She was incredibly wet from our games before, and I was able to bury most of my length in a single stroke.

  "I swear you get bigger every time," she said, her voice low.

  I responded by seizing her hips and pushing myself in further still, until I was pressed up against her. I started slow, giving her time to adjust, relishing her slickness and warmth. Our bodies quic
kly fell into sync, hers bucking gently beneath me, pressing upwards in time with my rhythm. Each stroke was almost torturous. Nothing had ever felt as good as she did.

  Soon, that exquisite softness became too much. I longed to let go.

  "Put your arms behind your back," I said.

  She did as I'd asked, resting her head on the pillow in front. Somehow, that position made her look even hotter, the subtle angle of her back making her ass look good enough to eat. Crossing her wrists and pinning them behind her with one hand, I began to fuck her harder, using her arms as leverage to drive her against me. Her body was completely mine now, and the volume of her cries instantly increased. There was no doubt she loved being rendered so powerless as much as I loved rendering her so.

  The wax on her back had hardened, and with every punishing thrust, little flakes broke off and drifted down onto the bed. I forced myself into her with a single minded urgency, as though by pushing deeper I could claim just a little more of her. There was nothing else in the world at that moment but her body beneath mine.

  Her muscles tightened and her sounds became choked, and then another orgasm ripped through her. Then sensation of having her come around my cock drove me wild. I could feel every trembling contraction vibrate through her and into me.

  It was too much. I felt the vestiges of my self-control shatter along with her. A mounting tension began building inside me as my hips took on a life of their own. It started low in my balls, radiating upwards and through my shaft then spiralling out further still.

  "I'm going to come on you, Sophia," I panted, savouring the little sounds of encouragement the spilt from her lips.

  As my pleasure reached its apex, I pulled myself free. There was a bursting sensation and my vision dimmed as I spurted liquid heat onto her back. Seeing her like that, coated in wax and water and me, was the perfect conclusion to the night's activities. It was so fucking hot seeing her marked in that way.

  "Well now I know you've made a mess back there," she said.

  I laughed. "I may have. Let me fix that." I went to get a towel and took my time wiping her clean. Thanks to the oil, everything fell away easily.

  "Fuck, I love you," she said, as we lay there afterwards.

  "That's the post coital hormones talking."

  "Maybe," she said with a grin, "but it's still true."

  "Well, I love you too." I reached out and gave her ass a squeeze. "Particularly certain parts of you."

  She punched me playfully. "Now who's talking with their hormones?"

  We snuggled together for a while, enjoying the comedown. Gradually, her breathing softened, and I assumed she'd fallen asleep, but then she spoke.

  "I can't wait until this is all over."

  "Me too," I said, running a hand through her hair. "I know this is rough, but you're dealing with it really well. I'm proud of you. And I'm so damn lucky you're putting up with it at all."

  "You are rather lucky." She opened her eyes and gazed up at me, a playful little smile playing on her lips. "Then again, so am I." She let out a little sigh. "I'm just not much of a homebody, you know? Before all of this, if I wasn't at work in the evenings, I was out with Ruth and Lou, or Elle, or you. I can't wait to have that again. I want to be able to go out to dinner with you on my arm and watch all the other women in the place drool."

  "If that's the case I dare say we'll be rendering the whole place incapacitated. You obviously don't see how most men look at you."

  She laughed. "Perhaps in the interests of public safety we'd better stay here, forever, then."

  "Perhaps." Some of my mirth slid away. "It won't always be like this, Sophia. We'll fix this, eventually."

  "I know," she replied, but there was a hint of sadness in her voice.

  I wished I could reassure her, but the truth was, I wasn't sure myself.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Sebastian

  Thomas intercepted me the next morning, as I was arriving at the house.

  "Can I have a word?" he asked. He looked concerned.

  I motioned him towards my office.

  "What's up?" I asked, as he closed the door.

  "I heard something last night from one of our guys overseas. It's just a rumour, nothing concrete, but word on the street is that The Syndicate might be planning something big."

  My eyes widened. The Syndicate were one of the closest things we had to a rival. They were less tightly knit than us, more of a financial conglomerate than anything else, but that only made them more ruthless. Russia, China, Saudi Arabia - anywhere with big oil or natural gas production - those were their strongholds. We'd had an uneasy peace with them for decades, mostly because butting heads would cause both of us immense damage; but it certainly wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that they were behind the recent attacks.

  "Any idea what?" I asked.

  Thomas shook his head. "It's just whispers at this point. It may not even be connected to all of this."

  "You don't sound like you believe that."

  He smiled thinly. "You know me. I don't like coincidences."

  "Me either. I can't see an end game in it for them, though," I said. "We're not remotely close to any of their power bases. Even if they did manage to somehow destroy us all down here, it wouldn't make any difference to their operations. If they were going to make a play, I'd expect them to go after Europe or America, not us."

  "Maybe they're just sending a message?"

  "Maybe," I replied, although that didn't feel quite right. These attacks felt targeted and meticulous. "If it is them, they've certainly upped their game. They're not exactly the most subtle group, but the people messing with us right now are like ghosts. They're always one step ahead."

  Thomas nodded. "That's been bothering me too."

  "Well, keep your ear to the ground. Maybe they'll slip up and give themselves away. We could use a gift like that, right now. This whole situation is really starting to wear on me. Not to mention the toll it's taking on Sophia."

  My discussion with her had been on my mind all day. I desperately wanted her to be happy, and would have liked nothing more than to spend our nights out on the town, but that was a spectacular way to leave us both exposed. Leaving her alone at work was bad enough, but at least her office had door scanners and security guards and a thousand sets of watchful eyes. Bars and restaurants were a different story. They weren't contained, they weren't a known quantity. Even with our little rag tag security team, there were a million things that could go wrong.

  But as the afternoon rolled around, I was struck by an idea. I tracked down Tony and Aaron, and organised for them to just go straight back to the house. Tonight, I'd be playing chauffeur.

  A few hours later, I was waiting on the footpath outside Sophia's office. As she exited the building and caught sight of me, her face lit up with a curious smile.

  "Hey you," she said.

  "Hey yourself."

  "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

  I grinned and held up the bag I was carrying. "I thought maybe we could have a little dinner party in your office. Just because we can't go to a restaurant doesn't mean we can't eat out."

  "Oooh, my office. How exotic!" Her voice was sarcastic, but her smile only widened.

  "Well, we don't have to..." I replied, trying my best to sound put out.

  She laughed. "I'm kidding. That's very sweet of you. And good timing. I'm starving."

  I followed Sophia back inside, drawing a few strange looks from her colleagues, but we made it to the office without any awkward questions.

  "It's still kind of early," she said, as I closed the door. "What happens if my boss decides to pop round for a chat?"

  "Then I will politely ask him to leave."

  "He might not appreciate that."

  "Well I might not appreciate him interrupting our date."

  She laughed. "I suspect you may just win that encounter."

  I reached into the bag and cracked open a container. The room instantly filled with t
he smell of peanuts and garlic. "I hope Thai is okay."

  She made an appreciative noise. "Thai is more than okay."

  "And the coup de grace," I said, pulling out the bottle of wine I'd brought.

  She clapped. "You know me too well."

  "Only plastic cups I'm afraid."

  "What?" she replied, with mock haughtiness. "This is an outrage!"

  We settled in, passing containers back and forth and shovelling food into our mouths with those thin, store provided chopsticks. We were ravenous, and within just a few minutes we'd both managed to drip sauce down the fronts of our clothes, but all it did was make us laugh. There was something so comfortable about this sort of sharing. I'd eaten at a lot of fancy restaurants in my day, and while they had their charms, none of them compared to this. This was a level of affection and intimacy I assumed I'd never have, but by some miracle of God or fate, or whatever you want to call it, I'd found a woman who seemed to be willing to take all of my baggage on board. And amazingly, with our lives currently wrapped up in conspiracy and danger, we could still share moments like these.

  "Thank you for this," she said, as we were taking a breather.

  I shrugged. "It's no Mi Casa."

  She reached out to give my hand a little squeeze. "Maybe not, but it's perfect anyway." And she was right.

  It was a little sad, heading back to our makeshift fortress, but that couldn't erase the joy of the evening. Sophia's eyes were sparkling more than any time since before she was taken, and that alone made me incredibly happy. She had such life in her, and at times I was terrified the situation would crush that to dust.

  It was dark by the time we pulled into the driveway, but I could still see the silhouettes of one of our guards sitting in his car on the grass to one side. The other would be around the back. It was encouraging to see that, even when we weren't home and they had every opportunity to slack off, they didn't. They were true professionals.