Page 41 of Darkest Sin

“I do,” a man says. “She’s a pretty little thing. You’re one lucky man.”

“What if I don’t want them to watch?” I ask.

“Then we can go. But do you want to go?”

The word ‘yes’ is on the tip of my tongue but I hold it back. Do I actually want to go? Mikhail’s hand on my thigh is exciting. And he’s not wrong: I do love being in front of an audience.

I never thought my love of performing would translate to a moment like this.

Finally, I answer him. “No. We can stay.”

“Good girl.”

His praise makes me feel more alive than I have in a long time.

“Now, prop your feet on either side of my thighs and open your legs wide. Let’s give these people a show.”

I swallow hard as I follow his instructions. Mikhail pushes my dress up – even though it doesn’t have far to go – exposing my underwear to everyone in the room. My white, innocent underwear. I can smell my arousal.

Mikhail lets out a low growl into my ear, sending a spike of heat straight between my legs. What is he doing to me? No one has ever made me feel this unhinged and excited before.

His fingers play with the edge of my panties.

I look at the other people in the room. They’re all hungry for this. I hate that my body responds to it but I do. I like being watched. I like being front and center. I’ve been striving to be the principal ballet dancer at my company for years and when I finally achieved it, I thought it was the best day of my life.

But what I’m feeling now is somehow even better.

Mikhail pulls me back against his chest. I allow all my weight to rest against him. I’m choosing to trust him in this moment.

He brings his hand to rest between my legs, over my underwear. I can feel the heat of his hand radiating into me.

My breathing comes out in trembles. I’ve never been this desperate for someone to touch me before.

And then he finally does.

My hips almost buck up but I keep them controlled. It’s ticklish but in a good way. I force myself to relax against Mikhail.

He doesn’t move his hand around; just keeps it rightthere. My thighs begin to tremble from keeping my legs open as tense as they are. I’ve been dancing almost my entire life. I have a lot of strength in my body but right now, this is unfamiliar territory for me.

“Does this feel good, baby?” he murmurs in my ear.

“Yes,” I admit, blushing when the people around me look even hungrier.

“How about this?” He begins to rub his palm back and forth. The motion is so pleasurable, I almost let out a moan. “Do you like this? Tell everyone that you do.”

“I do like it,” I gasp out. My hips can no longer stay still. I raise them a little to seek more friction from his hand.

“Have you ever touched yourself before?”

“No. I was too embarrassed.”

That gets a few pitying laughs from the people around me.

“You don’t need to be embarrassed now,” he says, pressing his palm down harder against me. “You just need to learn to let go.”

I rest my head on Mikhail’s shoulder and feel his steadying breath on my cheek. It’s comforting. He’s got me, even in this crazy new world he’s brought me to.

He rubs me harder and harder through my underwear. I want to feel him skin to skin but I’m shy to ask. I’m sure he would be on board for it. The problem is that with all these people watching, it makes talking feel to intimate. Too on display. I don’t want to say the wrong thing and ruin the moment.