The elevator doors opened to the silence of Declan’s floor. Hesitant to step out first, Charlie watched as Declan exited, waiting rather impatiently. “Come, Charlotte. We have a full night ahead of us.” Charlie could feel the heat of his stare on her neck, her chest, and her legs as she made her way out of the elevator. They walked hurriedly to his room, and Declan pulled a key out of his pocket, quickly sliding it into the slot. Charlie heard the door close behind her and felt Declan’s heat against her skin. She expected him to touch her, but he didn’t. Instead, he brushed his mouth against the shell of her ear. “Come.”

Come. Just one little word. Four letters. How could something so small feel so big? How could his stare pierce right through her like that? Dare she accept? What lurked down the path he wished to walk? His hand, which seemed to burn with passion earlier, now seemed cold, almost menacing.

Why then did she curl her fingers into his palm? Why did her voice betray her thoughts?

A quiet whisper of “yes” escaped her lips. There was no turning back once she had taken his hand. What had she agreed to? What was she thinking? She wasn’t thinking; instead she was feeling. She was responding with lust, and that trumped any logical action. This was not about rational thought. No. This was about something far more primal. Although her secrets might haunt her, she couldn’t say no. She did not want to deny him. She was a willing lamb to a sacrificial rite of decadence. He offered his hand and in return she offered her soul.

He pulled her across the room to a chair. Declan sat in the chair staring up at her intently.

“Charlotte, please kneel here so I can pull your hair down.”

Charlie knew once she knelt before him, everything would change. She knew when she first saw Declan she would belong to him. He would own her. Now that the moment was here, the anticipation electrified her. Charlie knelt by his feet. Declan reached one hand down, pulling the band free, spilling her hair around her shoulders. He ran his fingers through it, brushing the side of her neck and going through her hair as he lightly brushed the swell of her breasts.

“There. That’s much better. Charlotte, your hair is far too beautiful to be kept up like that.” Declan’s eyes darkened. Leaving her no time to get comfortable, Declan yanked her to her feet. Confusion replaced Charlie’s feelings of lust momentarily, but before she could get steadied, Declan wrapped a hand around her throat, applying a bit of pressure. Her reaction was immediate. She bit down on her lip trying not to make a sound. She pressed her thighs together in an effort to try to stop the pulsing of her clit.

“You like this, don’t you?” Declan whispered gruffly, squeezing harder. “One of your biggest desires, but you have had trouble finding a match for your wants until now.”

Declan gripped her throat hard enough now that she struggled to breathe normally, but she didn’t want him to stop. She loved it. He might be ready to hurt her, but she didn’t care; she was too lost in how good it felt. As quickly as he started, he released her. She gasped for air, her pussy throbbing.

“Do you want to know a secret, Charlotte?” His breath was hot as he spoke, his lips hovered just above her flesh, yet she felt branded by his whisper.

“Yes, please,” she managed to utter, her mind confused by the contradiction of inviting butterflies and the screaming need to pull back.

“I like that you’re nervous. In fact, your uncertainty fuels my need to touch you, to push you down on my bed, and watch in lustful amusement as you struggle with your emotions. The knowledge that you do not comprehend the sensations racing through your body, the hint of fear due to your unleashed imagination, all of it only edifies my need to claim you. Own you. And, do you want to know one more thing?”

“Y … yes.”

“Before I penetrate you, before I mark you, you, my dear Charlotte, will be begging. Begging me for experiences you cannot even articulate. You have no idea, no fucking idea how desperate you will become, and that makes me want you all the more.”

Swiftly, he reached a hand out, pinching her left nipple between his thumb and forefinger through the material of her dress. He pulled and she cried out, pleasure pulsating through every part of her body.

“Do you want more, Charlotte?”

Charlie nodded.

“I asked you a question, Charlotte,” Declan said, moving to her other nipple and giving it the same rough treatment. “I expect an answer.”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes I want more, Declan.” Charlie could barely think straight as she saw the desire flare to life in his eyes again. She ached for him to touch her again. She needed his touch.

“Are you still nervous?”

Charlie shook her head. After all this, I can’t possibly be.

“Bend over and place your hands on the table. If you move them, you won’t like the consequences.”

She hesitated briefly before turning, bending over and staring at the painting of the Pittsburgh landscape. Silence crept in between them. As it stretched, Charlie’s embarrassment transformed to excitement.

Declan’s hands deftly pulled her panties down, and he explored her flesh. He moved his fingers along the crack of her ass and down to her pussy. He lightly brushed against her labia and then back up to her ass cheeks again. He caressed her for a few more moments. Charlie yelped as he smacked her left cheek with his bare hand, hard enough to leave a handprint. Declan wrapped his arm about her waist in an effort to keep her still. He held her tightly as his hand came down hard again, this time on her right cheek. Then back to the left, then the right, then a caress to smooth the skin.

“When I ask you a question …” Declan delivered another blow that made Charlie jump. “You answer the question and address me as Mr. Pearse. Don’t give me a nod. Don’t address me as Master. You haven’t earned that right yet, and neither have I. Do you understand, Charlotte?”

“Yes!” she shouted as he caressed her ass once more.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, I understand,” Charlie whimpered.

“Wrong answer, my Charlotte.” He kept spanking her, alternating spots. Charlie gritted her teeth at the pain, but soon it gave way to undeniable pleasure.

“Yes what, Charlotte?”

“Yes, Mr. Pearse!”

Declan relented in his smacks to Charlotte’s ass and began kneading her flesh with gentle fingers. “That’s better. Good girl.”

Charlie drew in a cleansing breath and relaxed, pushing back against his fingers.

“And when I ask you to do something …” Whack! He slapped her ass. He went into a steady rhythm, slowly building in speed and intensity. “Never hesitate. Understand?”

“Yes, Mr. Pearse.”

“You learn quickly, Charlotte.” He massaged her ass again, and her juices slipped down her thighs. “I’m very pleased.”

Charlie wriggled with anticipation, expecting another forceful blow to her derriere. Instead, there was a new command.

“Spread your legs.”

Charlie obeyed without hesitation, moaning as Declan’s hand slid between her legs. He inserted a finger into her warm depths, working it in. Her body clenched around his finger as she pressed back against Declan’s hand. She moaned, eager for him to continue, or to increase his pace and bring her to orgasm.

“Would you like to come?”

“Yes,” she moaned as his finger moved faster in and out of her body.

Without warning, Declan rained down another smack on her behind. “And you were doing so well.”

Charlie cried out in a mixture of pain and pleasure, squeezing the side of the table desperately to steady her hands.

“I won’t forget again, Mr. Pearse. I’m sorry.”

“Good girl.”

Declan returned his attention to the growing ache between Charlie’s legs, rubbing her in just the right way. She whimpered, moaned, and gasped his name, but he kept his pace the same, keeping her on the edge of bliss, but not letting her come.