Mel followed, hypnotized by Vanessa’s voice. Vanessa took Mel’s hands and brought her wrists together. Out of nowhere, Vanessa produced a short chain and clipped the cuffs to each other.
“Raise your arms above your head,” Vanessa said.
Mel looked up as she lifted her arms. She was right underneath an elaborate iron chandelier. A long piece of rope dangled from the center of it. Sure enough, Vanessa reached up and tied the rope to the chain at Mel’s wrists, leaving her strung up with her arms stretched almost to their limits. Her feet were flat on the floor, but every muscle in her body was taut.
Vanessa cupped Mel’s face in her hands. “How do you feel?”
“Fine,” Mel remembered Vanessa’s words about honesty. “A little anxious. But not in a bad way.”
Vanessa kissed Mel gently on the lips. “Trust me.”
Vanessa disappeared somewhere behind her. Mel heard the rustle of fabric and turned her head. Vanessa had slipped out of her dress, revealing a lacy black bra and matching panties. Her lace-topped thigh-high stockings were held up by a garter belt. Just the sight of her made Mel ache.
“Eyes forward. Unless you want me to blindfold you?”
“No, Vanessa.” Mel snapped her head back around. There was a challenge in Vanessa’s voice that Mel didn’t dare to test.
“Stay perfectly still.”
Mel heard the click of Vanessa’s heels on the floor behind her. When Vanessa came back into view, she had the riding crop in her hand. But instead of coming back to Mel, Vanessa went to sit on the end of the bed.
She leaned back and crossed her legs, admiring her handiwork. “You look delectable tied up and waiting for me like that.”
Mel tested her restraints. They held fast. And the sturdy chandelier didn’t move at all.
Vanessa smiled. “You’ve been waiting for this, haven’t you?”
“Yes.” Mel could feel the blood rushing through her veins.
“Yes? Just ‘yes?’”
“Yes, Vanessa.”
“That’s better.” Finally, Vanessa stood up. She circled around Mel, trailing her fingers across the back of Mel’s thighs.
Mel felt like an insect caught in Vanessa’s web. Only she wanted to be eaten.
Vanessa tapped the tip of the crop against her palm. “Do you know why so many people find the combination of pain and pleasure so irresistible?”
“No, Vanessa.”
“It’s because pain is a stimulant. Just like a drug, it puts your nervous system on high alert, and makes your body hypersensitive in the best possible way.”
Something smooth brushed against the back of Mel’s neck. She froze. Was it the tip of the riding crop? What was her safe word again? Violet? Velvet. Mel was nowhere near the point of using it. But she found it reassuring all the same.
“Relax,” Vanessa said softly.
Mel breathed the tension out of her body. Slowly, Vanessa snaked the riding crop across Mel’s back, lower and lower, all the way down to where Mel’s thighs met. Mel inhaled sharply as heat spread through her body. The mixture of anticipation and arousal was a heady cocktail.
Vanessa pulled the riding crop away. Mel squeezed her eyes shut, listening for what was to come. She felt like she was at the top of a rollercoaster, waiting for the inevitable drop.
But instead of a forceful strike, Mel felt a firm tap on her ass. The impact made her jump up onto her toes. But it didn’t hurt. Vanessa continued, tapping out a series of short, sharp swats with the tip of the riding crop that left a pleasant tingling behind. Murmurs fell from Mel’s lips. Slowly, Vanessa increased the intensity. Slowly, Mel’s cheeks began to burn. But it only added to the heat between her legs.
Vanessa pressed her body up against Mel’s and ran her hands over Mel’s stinging cheeks. “That feeling? That rush? It’s your body reacting to the perceived danger. Every stroke brings you closer and closer to an elevated state of awareness.” She leaned in and whispered into Mel’s ear. “And tonight, I’m going to take you all the way there.”
Mel heard the whoosh of the riding crop through the air, then felt the sting of the whip on her ass cheek. She hissed. That was more than a firm tap. Mel reflexively tried to bring her hands down to protect herself, but they were bound above her head. Vanessa snapped the crop against Mel’s other cheek. Her skin stung. But it wasn’t a bad kind of pain. It was the kind caused her nipples to peak and set her body alight.
“Your skin looks so lovely striped in pink.” Vanessa trailed the supple tip of the riding crop over Mel’s ass. “How are you doing, Melanie?”