I swayed a little, my tiptoes straining to keep still—exactly as Q demanded.
Not having his heady presence close by, the pixies and nymphs in my chest sent more dust through my body, tingling, warming until I shuddered with ideas of what would happen next.
Where is he?
I looked around the room.
I saw nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Nothing else mattered but the pool table, the darkness, and Q—wherever he was.
I loved the anonymity. The unknowing.
A metal clink sounded a few paces away, followed by a footstep.
Then silence.
We could be married for years, and I would never get used to how silently Q moved.
Slowly, goosebumps spread over my arms. It wasn’t nerves dancing on my skin but excitement. I wasn’t cold or terrified. I was weightless and buoyant, waiting for my master to return.
A hand landed on my waist making me leap upright. My heart bucked in surprise.
“Jumpy, Tess? Afraid of what’s coming next?” Q didn’t wait for my answer. He pressed my shoulder blades down, stalking around the pool table to the other side.
His eyes were the only pinpoints of light until he flicked a switch, bathing the apple felt with a golden glow. The chandelier above painted us with golds and burnt oranges from the tinted crystals.
Q no longer looked devilish but royal.
My heart flew free, fluttering to the ceiling.
“Donne-moi tes mains.” Give me your hands. The order whispered through the golden light, quintessentially him. His raspy, melodic voice had a power over me he wasn’t aware of. I instantly locked my wrists together, jutting them toward him.
Q didn’t say a word as he accepted my gift, wrapping soft, black fabric around me. The silk looked like morbid blood, as if I’d slashed my wrists in a fit of insanity.
The moment he’d restrained me, Q tugged the cord, making me stretch even further across the table, securing it somehow. Once tied, he strolled back toward me, setting my heart jumping and body dissolving under his intense stare.
My back was icy cold while my front was toasty warm. The two sensations, coupled with my lack of mobility, made my lungs suck in air as if oxygen was about to go extinct. The closer Q came, the more lightheaded and woozy I was.
I flinched as he cupped my ass.
“What are you going to do?” I didn’t bother testing the binds. I knew Q—he had a way with ropes—there would be no chance of escape.
“Sometimes, the only way to make your dreams come true is to shatter them,” he said, circling me like a predator. “Sometimes, the only way to make your nightmares disappear is by facing them.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. “I won’t have nightmares anymore. I faced those issues today.”
Q stopped behind me. “That may be true, but I’m all for making sure.” He ran a harsh hand down my spine. He stepped to the side; I tensed for a wallop. “But maybe I’m not talking about your nightmares anymore.”
His hand darted to the side, reaching something I couldn’t see. I sucked in a breath as the same hand slinked around my hips, moving toward my pu**y. His touch caused me to press my head harder against the table, cursing my trembling legs.
Without a word, Q stroked my folds, smearing my wetness with forceful fingers. My eyes snapped shut as sparks erupted from his touch, then popped wide as something firm and unyielding clamped around my clit.
It throbs. Fuck, it throbs.
“Q?”
“You get one question. After that, I refuse.” His voice thickened with his accent.
I squirmed, trying to figure out what he’d pinched on my clit. For the life of me I had no idea. “What did you use?”
Q rubbed my back and ass as if I were a prized horse he was about to mount. “It’s a clothes peg. And before you ask, everything I use on you tonight is what I’ve found around here. I didn’t come prepared—but I do know pain is pain—regardless of what causes it.”
He dropped his head, dragging his teeth over my hip. “Now shut up, esclave, and let me savage you.”
My eyes watered; my cl*t burned and thrummed with every heartbeat. The cinch of the peg kept me on edge, compounding the orgasm I desperately wanted.
Having Q touch me gave a small sense of relief. If he stroked me, he wasn’t far enough away to whip or use any other item he may’ve found. But then he stepped away, leaving me cold and totally vulnerable.
Oh, God.
The first strike bit into my skin like a thousand insects.
Insects.
My legs gave out—the table supported all of my weight.
My mind split into two pieces. Flashbacks swarmed.
“We’ll beat you bloody, pretty girl.”
“I’m going to f**k you, puta. You’re next.”
“Hurt them, or we’ll hurt you.”
The horror of Rio sucked me backward, then other memories came thick and fast.
“How long have you wanted this, Tess? How long have you wanted to be f**ked?”
“I’m in love with you. You’ve stolen everything but given me so much in return.”
“Your pain is my pain. You honour me by letting me mark you.”
My body wanted Q’s dark medicine but my mind fought off the lustful haze, running away from pleasure into grief.
No! I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay strong.
“Tess.” Q leaned over me, tapping my cheek. “Reste avec moi.” Stay with me. “Only concentrate on now. Not then. Claim it back.”
I moaned, cursing myself. I thought I was free. I felt as if I had too many layers. Layers upon layers of complications. I’d freed myself from one, only to find another.
The pool table creaked as Q leaned on it, brushing away a curl from my eyes. I looked up, locking onto his gaze. Brandishing whatever he’d used, he trailed it down my back, making me shiver. “I’m going to punish you every time you let your thoughts drift.”
My ni**les stiffened against the felt. Seeing Q destroyed all my thoughts, granting me strength to embrace what I needed. I nodded.
“Every time you shy away from pain, I’ll punish you. It’s for your own good. ”
I nodded again, not trusting my voice.
Q gave me a look so full of adoration and togetherness, I knew I wouldn’t have to fight to keep my thoughts in the present. He’d taken me utterly hostage.
“Good girl,” he murmured, leaning off the table. His fingers found my pu**y again and I arched my h*ps into his palm. A single finger pressed inside, conjuring liquid and need, while his knuckles knocked the peg on my clit. Intense stars bolted down my legs.