Page 16

Story: Feral Beauty

“Got it. No choking the chicken,” he acquiesced with a mind-boggling lack of panache. She’d little doubt the male was completely unschooled in the art of seduction. In this, Vivian really was the pro.

She spun, sauntering to her waiting prey, the Black Widow, weaving her web. Once she stood between his parted knees, she turned and lifted the hair off her nape. “Unzip me?” This she presented as a request, not a demand.

Completely ensnared, Liam made a strangled sound and leaned forward in his chair. “Sure.”

With rough fingers, he seized the top of her dress, and she bit back a harsh curse. She’d asked him to unzip her, not change her oil.

“Slow, Liam,” she corrected.

He swallowed audibly.Gulp.“Right.” Down the zipper went one careful inch at a time. The warm drag of his finger against her spine raised goosebumps on her arms.

She turned to face him, shimmied the dress down her thighs, and flipped it away with a pointed toe.

Liam panted, his pupils dilating. She stood before him in a black demi-bra that barely covered her nipples, lace panties, and stockings. The weight of his admiration warmed her blood. The way he studied her, taking in every curve, was like a caress on her flesh.

She gave herself a mental shake. What had she been saying? Oh yes. She cleared the husky rasp from her throat. “Rule Number Three, you will address me as Mistress, not Viv.” Liam was the only one who’d ever called her Viv, the sound of it an endearment on his tongue. She was no longer that girl. Vivian Laurent was the Black Widow. She was about to remind him of that.

“Let’s practice, shall we?”

“Practice?” he asked, sounding dazed.

“Yes, Liam. Practice.” She propped her toes on the bit of cushion between his thighs, and he breathed a throaty groan. “Now, be a dear and unclasp my garters.”

He swiped the back of his fingers over his mouth and reached for her thigh. Before he could make contact, she shoved his hand away.

He blinked and met her eyes.

“Yes…” She canted her head.

“Yes, Mistress?”

She dipped her chin, a queen granting her approval.

After a bit of clumsy manipulation, Liam managed to release the metal clasps. When he reached for her stocking, she smacked his hand. “That will do.” Oh, the damage those coarse hands would cause. While he watched, she slowly rolled the silk down her leg.

His skills improved with the clasps on the second. She took an equal amount of time sliding off the stocking while using his distraction to deliver her last warning. “One last thing. Know that if you defy or disrespect me, there will be consequences.”

While unclasping the garter belt from her waist, she sauntered to her heavy mahogany dresser. “Liam?”

“I hear you. Consequences.”

“What about you, darling?” She kept her back to him, reaching for the clasp on the back of her bra.

“Me?” he croaked.

“Anything you’d like to add to our agreement? I understand collars are a hard limit.” For her as well. Never would she use anything like that with him. “Any other triggers I should be aware of? Any weaknesses?”

She could practically hear his spine crack as it straightened.

“I don’t have any weaknesses,” he was quick to say.

With the hooks of her bra unclasped, she rolled her shoulders free of the straps and let them slide down her arms.

That bit of lingerie hit the ground with a very masculine exhale. Behind her, she registered the sound of Liam exiting the chair. Denim rustled against his legs, and his heavy footsteps plodded across the carpet. She pulled a negligee out of her drawer, dropped it over her head, and settled it around her hips.

Dressed in a scrap of semi-transparent midnight silk, she turned to face him. The heated look in his eyes threatened to undo her.Focus, Vivian. You can do this.

“Come now, Liam. This is your chance to speak up. During the next two weeks, we’ll be spending quite a bit of time together. I’ve no desire to cause you harm. It’s important that I understand your limits.”