He placed a hairbrush, a blindfold, and several red and black ropes on the bed next to her. “You ready to move to advanced, Jessie?”
Her cheeks got really warm. “Haven’t we been operating at an advanced level already, Master?”
He’d fucked her ass, and though he’d used dildos on her, still he’d never thrust his dick in her pussy. Surely that meant something. Something she wasn’t ready to face. Could filling her pussy up with his cock be what he had in mind for this sexual bout? Had he saved his best for their last day together? Hope sprung up inside her, and a wanton tingle spread through her channel.
“Pet, your edge is still undiscovered and untested. Does that surprise you?”
Like a world-class musician, he’d strummed every inch of her body for the past six days and nights in his dungeon providing her rapturous sensations until the world and all her worries had faded into oblivion. But whenever the sex had ended, anxiety had always flooded back into Jessie. She had a single reason why she was in his home and in his bed. To win him over.
“Yes, Master. That surprises me some.” What could he have in mind for her next? He’d introduced her to an array of ways to reach a state of dreamy submission. Not a single mark he’d left would be permanent, but she could still feel every delicious sting he’d given her. It would be several days until the burn and ache of her body faded. Yet what had her in a panic wasn’t about the new sexual delights he would show her today, but was about how little time she had left with him.
With one hand he cupped her chin, and with the other he stroked her hair. “Did my brother tell you about Shibari?”
“No, Master. What is that?”
His tone deepened. “It’s a type of bondage that was imported from Japan and utilizes ropes to tie up submissives. Kinbaku, in English ‘tight binding,’ is artistic bondage. The translation of Shibari is…”
From the very beginning of the week, Austin had seemed to enjoy being “Instructor Dom” much more than being with her. She had no reason to believe he felt differently now. He continued with the history lesson, sounding similar to one of her professors from university, about the rope fetish.
She listened halfheartedly. She expected Austin would take her back to her hotel tomorrow morning and everything would be over. Her insides sank. She wouldn’t just be losing him. She would be losing Jackson, Phoenix, Dallas, and Denver. Though those four would want her to stay with them in spite of Austin’s refusal, she couldn’t be the wedge between them and their eldest brother.
She clearly didn’t have much intuition, plain as day by her long engagement to a gay man. Still, she’d hoped to hear some evidence of interest from Austin that would give her some assurances, but not a single word of what he felt about her left his lips. He didn’t talk much except when educating her on BDSM. Was she reading into his silence outside his dungeon too much? Maybe, but she didn’t think so. He knew the real reason why she was here, and still he remained mute.
Though screwed up as it was, words always spoke louder than actions for her. She needed to hear him say something that would mean she had a chance. But the words never came.
“…more of a journey than a destination for both Dom and submissive.” Master stopped and raised an eyebrow. “Are you taking this in?”
Am I only a project to him? A plaything to toss away in the morning? Defeat seemed inevitable to her, but damn it, she was not going to give up until the final buzzer sounded. His brothers, her lovers, deserved her very best attempt.
“I’m listening. Shibari is rope bondage from Japan. Is that why you chose an Asian aesthetic for your home, Master?”
“You’re sharp, pet. Yes.” He collected two of the red ropes and folded them in half in his hand. “These are for your gorgeous hair.”
He held them up for her to see.
“May I touch them?”
“Yes.”
She caressed the two ropes lightly with her fingertips, and an anticipatory buzzing rolled through her. Though very tightly woven, it felt almost silky. “What’s it made of?”
“Little girl has a lot of questions.” His head tilted forward, making her jittery. Thankfully, he looked back at his ropes. “I only use hemp, not because it is traditional, but because it’s easy to tie and for knots to hold. Also, these are from a maker I’ve been buying from for years. Their ropes are finished to perfection and restrain without causing skin-cutting friction.”
She couldn’t wait to feel the ropes’ smoothness on her flesh.
Austin sat down next to her on the bed. “First, let’s get your hair brushed. Turn your head away from me, pet.”
“Yes, Master.”
His fingers and the brush worked magic on her tangles, and she nearly drifted off. She felt him gather up her hair in a ponytail and began wrapping two of the ropes around it. “Like your collar, hair bondage is another way for me to control you.” He jerked on her hair, causing her head to tilt back. “Your throat is so pretty and vulnerable. Understand?”
A dizzy, exposed sensation took hold of her, and she loved it. “Yes, Master.”
He released her hair and continued tying up her locks with the two ropes. “I can use it like a leash to lead you around, or I can immobilize your head by attaching it to something, like a clamp or even other ropes.”
She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of him behind her, possessing her hair with his hands and Shibari knots. It took about ten minutes for him to finish tying up her locks.
“Done,” Austin stated, a hint of pride in his tone.