Page 50 of A Secret and a Lie

Give in and submit to Ford, and you could release all this tension and anxiety,my subconscious whispers.

The moment I walk into my low-lit playroom, I find a naked Elliott on his knees in the center, his cock already locked in the cage I left for him.

Taking a few predatory laps around his form, I notice his breathing is ragged and his body trembles slightly.Good, you should be afraid…for so many reasons.

“Eyes up, slave,” I order when I’m standing before him, careful to use the moniker he prefers.

He obeys, his brown eyes sliding up my legs and torso, lingering on the ample swell of my breasts before finding my face. His eyes are bright when they hit mine, sparkling with lust.

“Spread your legs. I want to see what I’m working with.”

He does as he’s told, and I grin to myself at his willingness. My inner smile wanes as I resonate with that eager-to-please sensation that curls in your belly like a tempest. Ford isn’t even here and he’s fucking with my head.

Nathaniel shared that our friend Elliott is heavily into humiliation, so I make an overt point to click my tongue as I shake my head, taking in the sight of his squished, angry-looking dick locked within the metal cage. “Do you have the key for me?”

He presents the key, and I take it—and his control—from him, setting it carefully on the dresser so that it doesn’t get lost.

“Tell me your safe word.”

“Liar, Madam Allison.” His voice is husky and quaking, not at all the steady, confident man I’ve seen on television. I smile, though my heart’s not in it.

I usually love when they fall apart, stripping themselves bare for me, but now all I can think about is how much I wish I could do that for someone else.

I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t alluring to watch Elliott writhe beneath my cane as it came down on his cock, immediately after it was released from its cage. It turned me on to see his bright red face illuminating the room like a blood moon as I lashed him. The ghost of his screams still lingers in the air from when I carefully stretched his balls when he came, his entire body convulsing.

We’ll be a good match, if I get my mind right.

“Thank you,” he murmurs, curled up next to me on the large, comfortable bed. I’ve wrapped him in a blanket and snuggled up to him. His trembling has mostly subsided, but I continue to drag my hand up and down his back in soothing strokes. His throat rumbles against the swell of my breast as he adds, “That was…perfect. I’ve never come that hard before.”

As I gaze into his smooth, refined features, I find his cheeks are stained a pale pink shade, his eyes flickering with vulnerability, and I smile. We all deserve to lose ourselves in good sex, the kind that empties your brain of all thoughts and releases your body of tension and anxiety.

“I’m here whenever you need me.”

He nods, blushing a bit harder as he asks, “Can I see you next week?”

I nod. “Of course.”

He clears his throat then, shifting as he nuzzles into me. “I know your privacy policy, but I…” he trails off, but I hear his unspoken words loud and clear.

“You want to be reassured that your secrets are safe,” I surmise.

His question feels different from when Ford asked me, more authentic, which has an uneasy discomfort churning in my stomach.

When he nods against my neck, I explain, “They’re safe. You’re safe, Elliott. This is a mutually beneficial relationship.”

Pushing up onto his elbow, he looks me in the eye, and I noticehow the gray hair at his temples appears darker in the moody, ambient light. “Forgive my brashness, but what do you get out of this?”

There’s nothing to forgive; his bluntness is refreshing. I appreciate his curiosity and the need to feel secure in a relationship like this. Furthermore, we don’t have the kind of rapport I spent sixteen years cultivating with Henry, and I trust my gut here. Elliott isn’t a threat.

“Outside of the privilege of dominating such a lovely creature such as yourself,” I begin, my smile shifting into a smirk as his cheeks redden to a deep crimson. “I trust that you’ll let me know if there’s ever anything I should be…concerned about. There’s a lot of risk in this business, and I’d like to ensure that I’m safe.”

My words are casual, but there’snothingnonchalant about my statement. There’s an implied threat.

Luckily for me, he seems to understand as he nods vigorously. “Of course, Madam Allison. I’ll keep my ears open for you.”

“Such a good boy.”

Ford