Claiming My Sweet Captive

By the time I finished my work for the day, I’d managed to bury the turmoil Samantha had incited within me that morning. My mood was still dark, but at least I was stable. I’d regained control by planning every detail of her training tonight. It had been too long since I’d had release. Having her melt in my ropes and come on my hand had left me aching for her, but she hadn’t been ready to serve me in the way I wanted.

That would change tonight. I’d given Samantha pleasure, but she had to learn that her main purpose was to bring me pleasure.

My plans were cold, calculated.

But the ice inside me melted as soon as I stepped into the bedroom. She beamed at me, and the brightness of her joy hit me square in the chest. She held one of the comic books I’d left for her, her fingers barely gripping the edge of the pages, as though it was something precious she didn’t want to damage.

“Thanks,” she said, the word warm with gratitude.

I blinked, feeling as though I’d been blinded by the sun. My lips spread wide in a grin of my own. “You are even more beautiful when you smile than I imagined.”

Her smile faltered. “You’re manipulating me again.”

The accusation didn’t puncture my satisfaction. “So, you don’t want the comic books?” I teased.

“No,” she exclaimed, clutching the book closer to her chest like a child clinging to her favorite teddy bear. “I mean, I want them. I um, actually already read all of them. But I’ll read them again,” she added quickly.

“You read all of them today?”

“I tried to go slow, but they’re so good.” Her eyes practically rolled back in her head when she said so good, as though she experienced transcendent pleasure while reading. “And I process things really fast. I usually do more than one thing at a time to stay occupied. But this was good,” she hurried on. “Way better than staring at the ceiling.”

“I’ll have to get you more, then.”

“You don’t have to get first editions,” she replied, still speaking rapidly. I’d thought it was a nervous tic, but it seemed words tumbled out of her when she was excited, too. I rarely saw anyone express this level of passion about any subject, but she practically bubbled with enthusiasm. She really was adorable.

“I like newer stuff, too,” she babbled on. “Graphic novels are awesome. Works by Frank Miller and Alan Moore are great.”

“I’ll get those for you, then,” I told her, my smile remaining fixed in place. It felt strange to hold it for so long without my lips curving in cruel amusement or twisting in an arrogant smirk. Samantha’s levity was infectious. “And more first editions.”

I’d give her anything she wanted if it made her this happy. The innocence about her I’d found so enchanting went beyond her sexual inexperience. There was something sweet and pure in her, and I craved more of it.

“But I just said you don’t have to,” she protested, but her eyes still shone with excitement. “I’ve read most of them online, anyway.”

“But they made you smile. So, you’re getting more. Don’t argue with me, Samantha,” I added sternly before she could protest further. “I’ll put in an order tonight, and they’ll be here in the morning.”

“How did you get them so fast? These had to be really hard to find.”

“There was a store in New York that had them in stock. I sent someone to go get them.”

“But I just told you I was bored last night.”

I shrugged. “It’s not a long flight.”

I gaped at him. “You flew someone from Chicago to New York and back again overnight to get me some comic books?”

“Yes, and it made you smile. So, the fifteen minutes it took me to set it all up was more than worth it.”

Her joy deflated, her smile melting as her eyes tightened.

“What’s wrong?” Had I said something to destroy her happiness? Now that I’d experienced her levity, its sudden absence made my stomach drop.

“I don’t want anything you bought with your Bliss money,” she said quietly.

My jaw tightened, my pleasure effectively doused. “You’ll get the books anyway,” I declared. I’d promised I’d get them for her, so I would follow through. She’d smile for me again, regardless of her wishes at the moment. She would learn to be happy around me.

“I won’t read them.” Her stubborn streak resurfaced.

“That’s your choice. You’ll still have them.”