“No, Sir,” she whispered, at once mortified, confused and thrilled.
A man with silver hair and deeply tanned skin at a nearby table was watching her, she could swear to it. As their eyes met, the man smiled ever so slightly, his gaze never wavering.
She looked away, heat again rushing into her face. Master Jack was watching her, waiting. Pressing her lips together, Cleo reached for the small clasp between her breasts. She shifted, contorting slightly to slide down one strap and then pull the bra from her sleeve.
As her large breasts tumbled free of their confines, she glanced around fearfully, half expecting the maître d’ to appear and escort them out of the dining room in disgrace. She glanced down at herself. The top halves of her areolas were clearly visible to anyone close enough to see. The silver-haired man was still watching her with hungry eyes.
“Focus,” Master Jack snapped.
Cleo, hand trembling slightly, handed the bra across the table.
Just as he placed it in his lap, the waiter appeared with two more plates. Cleo barely noticed as the waiter described whatever it was. In spite of her acute embarrassment, her nipples were poking perversely against the sheer fabric of her dress, her cunt moist and throbbing. She kept her head down as she waited for the server to disappear.
He had brought them some kind of salad, with bits of feta and fresh raspberries strewn artfully over the greens. She reached mechanically for the salad fork as she tried to get herself back under control.
“No,” Master Jack said. “Place your hands behind the chair. Grip your wrists and remain in that position until I tell you otherwise. I’ll feed you.”
She glanced wildly around. ”Sir, all due respect, is this safe, sane behavior? We could get thrown out of here.”
“I’ll worry about that,” Master Jack retorted. He took her chin gently in his hand as he looked deep in her eyes. “For the rest of this evening, you are not to speak unless asked a direct question. Your focus should be on acceptance. You need to stop directing, stop anticipating, stop controlling. You have agreed to give yourself to me, mind, body and soul, for the next five days. I have promised to keep you safe from harm. With submission comes trust. If you don’t yet trust me, that’s on me. I’ll do my best during our time together to earn that trust. For now, you’ll need to go on faith. If you are unable or unwilling to comply with what I choose for you, I’ll arrange to have you driven back to the club at once. Our contract will be terminated due to your inability to comply with its terms.” He paused a moment, letting the import of his words sink in.“But if you stay, you will obey me, to the letter. No questions asked. No hesitation.”
He let go of her chin and sat back, fixing her with a gaze she couldn’t quite decipher—half stern, half pleading.
Cleo stared back, horrified at even the suggestion she be sent back to the club in disgrace. She drew in a breath and blew it out with determination. She had to trust that Master Jack knew what he was doing.
What was she worried about? He knew the owner of this place. Nothing bad would happen. This was New York City, after all. No one gave a fuck what anyone else did, as long as it didn’t interfere with them.
Eyes fixed on her Master, she placed her hands behind the chair, finding and gripping her wrists. Her heart raced, her breathing rapid.
He lifted his fork and speared a single raspberry from Cleo’s plate. As he brought it to her lips, she accepted the sweet, tart bit of fruit. She savored it on her tongue as she lost herself in those deep brown eyes.
Reaching across the table, Master Jack undid one more of her buttons, and then another. Her breasts were now fully exposed, the nipples jutting forward for any and all to see. Certain all eyes now had to be on her, Cleo kept her gaze on Master Jack, willing the heat to leave her face.
“Beautiful,” Master Jack murmured, his eyes moving like fingers over her breasts. His gaze moved up to her face, and he smiled, his eyes hooding. “Relax, slave girl. The night is young, and we’re just getting started.”
Chapter 8
Jack’s cock hardened at the lovely sight of Cleo’s breasts framed by the silky black material of her open dress. While envisioning this scenario earlier that day, he’d imagined he would have her remove her dress entirely. But those buttons, which seemed to exist solely for him to undo, had changed his mind.
It was far sexier to expose her in this way, as if her dress had been ripped open. Her position with hands behind her back forced the luscious globes up and out, like an offering. He was pleased with her obedience. Though, if he owned her outright, he would have punished her for hesitating. For now, however, he was content to ease her into the proper mindset.