He never talked about it, but there were small signs. Not least the small scars that marked various parts of his body and what seemed to be a strong sense of justice. He was willing to cross the line of strict legality if he had to, using the skills of the morally dubious to bring down true villains.
“Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I said, subtly wiping away a tear.
I could feel my breakfast in my tummy. It didn’t make an escape attempt but could tell it was thinking on the matter. The pictures were graphic, clearly composed in vivid black and white. I remembered when he had taken them. Each of our daily fuck sessions ended with and impromptu photo-shoot when I was too tired and beaten to resist. But it seemed that this was the idea.
“These are all online?” I asked.
“Yes. On ‘specialist’ sites. Mostly on the dark web. They wouldn’t be widely circulated but they are there. Apparently, he was paid quite handsomely for them. Torture porn is one of the most popular genres.”
I lost it. I was trying not to cry and stay strong for him. I couldn’t. All of a sudden, I was 23 again being hog tied on the floor, my black eye still throbbing after the fact. Dave was saying how sexy I looked. I didn’t know if I actually believed him, or if I was just afraid of him hurting me even worse.
Tobias enveloped me. His strong, gentle arms wrapped easily around my body, holding me and protecting me from harm. I put my head against his hard chest, sinking further into his loving embrace.
When I came back to reality, I pulled reluctantly away from his comforting wrap, wiping the tears from my eyes. Clearing everything thing off the bed with his business face on, Tobias sat on the bed in the lotus position. As if I could read his mind, I did the same, sitting across from him in the same position.
Hands flat on his knees, Tobias started to take regular deep breaths. I tried the same, matching his rhythm as closely as I could. As I breathed, the sound came to resemble the gentle roll of the tide.
As we breathed, the rhythm fell into perfect sync. I noticed my mind going blank. The worries and the pain faded into the distance, still present but starting to sound like they were at the end of a very long tunnel.
The touch was light and warm. One hand on my chest, right over my heart, the other on my forehead. I could feel his muscles tense as he began to focus. The positive energy felt like it was flowing into me.
I lay back on the bed, overcome with a sensation of calm warmth. Tobias followed me down, hands still in place on the focal points. I heaved a sigh as my body and mind came together, the utter peace in my mind running like water down the rest of my body.
Leaving his hand on my chest, he caressed the other down my face and along my neck, making me tremble with joy as he worked his way down to his final destination. Finally, with one hand over my heart and the other cupping my pussy, he started stroking me, slow and soft, up and down my delicate pink lips. Working me up to ultimate joy.
I was still conscious but part way into another world while Tobias stroked my chest in a most agreeable way as he began to read.
“When April with his showers sweet. The drought of March had pierced the root, and bathed every vein in such liquor, from whose virtue is gendered the flower. When Zephyr too with his sweet breath, has quicker in every grove and field. The Tender sprouting and the young sun has in the ram his half course run. And small birds make melody, that sleep all the night with open eye. So nature goads them to their hearts. Then people go on long pilgrimages and palmers to seek strange shrines known in sundry lands and especially, from every shire’s end.”
“Go on,” I said, when he looked over to see if I was asleep.
I never wanted to sleep. I just wanted to stay here awake with him in this bliss forever.
Chapter Fourteen
Tobias
The day of reckoning had arrived. Ordinarily I would have gone for a run around the block several times to hype myself up, but that wasn’t in the cards. Instead, I had to console myself with running the grounds, starting at the gate and then back around to it. Yet, to be fair, the grounds did run for the equivalent of eight city blocks in any direction.
Most people listened to music as they ran. I could certainly understand that, despite it never really holding much appeal for me. Goodness knew I had tried. Yet the simple fact was impossible to avoid. I preferred audiobooks.