Captivated

sex contained… for the moment.

She held her breath as he cat-footed his way behind her, close, hot, a breath away, his arm coming around her, his fingers dangling the missing golden loop.

She dropped her hand. She couldn't breathe. She felt him taking her hands and loosely binding them. She didn't care.

She arched her back against him as he began caressing her bare nipple. As he dropped the golden loop over the hard point and then gently squeezed.

A thousand darts of pleasure assaulted her body, enhanced by her sense of being held captive. She caved against him as his fingers kept up the inexorable pressure and he took the other nipple in his hand.

Both now, both tender, hard points compressed by his fingers until she was squirming for mercy. Her buttocks writhed against the hard ridge of his penis, as if she were both trying to elude his relentless touch and begging for more.

He wouldn't let her go; her nipples were so hard, so pliable, so lusciously erotic, two voluptuous pleasure points that were his to do with as he desired. His to adorn, to play with, to stroke, to squeeze, to drive her to the explosive edge of frenzy.

Never to stop; always his: his wife, his pleasure, his power, as he kept up a consistent erotic pressure on her nipples.

She had to get away. She would crack wide open if he didn't let her go. She kept backing against his hips, pressing and seeking the throbbing rock-hard bulge of him, wanting to settle herself against it and crash to the shore.

She was breathless with the sensation of it. It was unspeakable, indescribable, and heightened by the reality of the image of her watching him, watching the unrelenting press of his fingers on her nipples, watching her body's voluptuous undulations, and the way she arched herself forward and mutely begged for more.

She was an utter wanton in his hands. She could not stop him; she didn't want to. She could have loosened the bonds in a moment, and she didn't.

She was, in her fantasy, a slave to the inescapable pressure of his fingers on her nipples. And she would not plead for mercy until he had wrung the last drop of pleasure from her rippling body.

She craved more and still more of his ruthless touch. She felt it swelling up in her, billowing, gathering, commingling with the twisty feeling spiraling from her breasts.

She was breathless with it; she felt the sensations collide, implode, and shoot between her legs like a rocket.

She bent double with it as it burst all over her body, and he followed her down, down, down, his fingers unyielding on her nipples, and her hands grasping his penis convulsively as she slipped to the floor.

'No, no, no…' she moaned. 'No more, no… oh, God oh… ohno more, please, no more'

He couldn't stand to let her go, but he heard the raw edge in her voice, and reluctantly, slowly, he removed his fingers from her breasts and pulled her roughly against him.

She felt his fingers fumbling with the restraint, and then a gentle caress as he removed the golden loops from her breasts as well.

She felt mindless, floatingmaybe she was: he lifted her easily to the bed and then he placed the golden loops on the bedside table; and without saying a word, he left her.

Evie was waiting outside the door, a tray in her hand. 'She is mine,' he said roughly. 'Serve her. Ill see where she goes.'

The second note came with her breakfast not minutes after Court exited the room.

Dear Godshe hadn't any time to luxuriate, to think, to plan…

My dearest, darling Pet…

Oh, God, how could he? Why couldn't he have just understood by her not responding to his previous note that they could never have a future together?

And nowoh, nowhe wanted her tomeet him?

Of course he didn't know that she had no clothes, that Court was keeping her a sexual captive, that today she had totally become his carnal slave.

This was impossible!

Court should see him; Court should be the one to tell him…

Tell him what? Tell him about all the games they had played? About the thrall collar and the harness and the restraints. And how willing, how wanton she wasreally?

And how all thoughts of Gerard had evaporated once she had experienced the voluptuous satiation of his masterful coupling with her?

And to top it off, she thought mordantly, Court could reveal the secret of her lusty nipples, and how she exploded with pleasure when he squeezed them while she watched him play with her in the mirror.

Yes, Gerard would love knowing about all these things he could never have. She had been a fool to encourage him in the first place. Everwhen she had known that her father's folly would be the deciding factor of who she would marry.

What am I going to do? What? How could he do this to me?

Why couldn't he have just gone away?

Why? Why! Because four days ago, you still loved him. Four days ago, Court had not adorned your nipples with gold. Four days ago, you knew nothing about the whims, the power, and the carnality of men.

And now you know… and you've chosen, and you must be fair and tell Gerard face-to-face, just as he entreats you to.

How? Wearing what? My thrall collar…? My golden loops around my nipples…?

She couldn't bear to sit still. She paced around the room agitatedly, trying to make some sense of things, trying to figure out a way to avoid it altogether.

Gerard wanted to meet with her tonight. He wanted to hear from her own lips that she wanted him no moretonight.

Which meant that somehow she had to find a wrapper or dress to cover her nakedness and sneak down to the arbor after the moon rose.

Elude Courtat nightwhen every carnal impulse was in play… including her own…?

The gods were crazy; there was no way she could accomplish it.

Even if Evie were to help her.

She had to get rid of Gerard. He was perfectly capable of continuing his onslaught of notes and pleas. And always in his gentle, but determined way. He'd never stop, ifshe did not put a stop to it.

And, in fact, it was entirely possible that he would continue to hang around, hoping against hope that she would leave Court.

But that was impossible now. Not after tonight. Not after the ferocious pleasure she had experienced at his hands.

She would meet Gerardsomehow

She pulled open the armoire door and almost fell forward in her astonishment.Changes. There were dresses hanging in the armoire.

She didn't even know if she remembered how to wear one.

She would wear one tonight. Just for a few short moments, tonight. And then she'd never have to get dressed ever again.

Midnight. The house was quiet, too quiet, she thought; Court had been gone all day, conferring with his overseer at Oak Bluffs.

It was time to get back to business, he'd said, and maybe she was glad, at least today, that he felt that way.

He'd be staying overnight, Evie told her. And maybe that was a good thing, because she needed that time; she had to make Gerard understand: she belonged to Court, and she wanted everything Court chose to give her.

She wondered to what extreme she would have to go to convince Gerard of that. He was not a man who was easily brushed off. He had been very persistent in his wooing of her, and now, in his pursuit, in spite of the fact