Page 30 of Emerald

The stress of the previous hours has drained my body. The rich, delicious scent of the food drifts up to my nostrils.

Ivan is right that he has all the time in the world, while I’m only going to get more and more miserable.

I open my mouth slightly and lean forward.

I close my lips around his fingers, taking the food.

“Good girl,” Ivan says, his voice low and approving.

That voice sends a thrill running down my spine.

He’s smiling. Pleased with me.

The oatmeal really does taste phenomenal. As soon as it hits my tongue, my stomach clenches and gurgles, demanding more.

Ivan can hear it.

He scoops up a little more and holds it out to me.

God, this really is embarrassing. And strangely intimate. I’ve never let a man feed me before.

I can’t stand being put in a subservient position. I need to take back the power. Exert myself on him, as he’s trying to exert himself on me.

So when I lean forward to take the next bite, I look up into his eyes. I open my lips and slightly extend my tongue. As I take the food out of his hand, I let my tongue trail along the underside of his fingers. And I suck ever so gently on his fingertips.

I see the flush of color rising up his neck, from beneath the crisp white collar of his dress shirt.

He’s not the only one who can play games.

He’s not the only one who can offer temptations.

As he holds out the next bite, he lets his thumb trail over my lips. I lick his fingers clean, and his hand touches my cheek. His fingers trail down my throat, down to my collarbone and the swell of my breasts beneath the blanket thrown round my shoulders.

But then he stops.

He sets the bowl to the side.

“I know you’re a wild thing,malen’kaya lisa,” he says.My little fox. “But what you’ll come to understand is that I’m going to tame you.”

A shiver runs over my skin.

I’ve never submitted to a man before, and I don’t intend to submit to this one. No matter how intimidating he might be.

He bends over his leather bag and unzips the top. I can’t see what’s inside. I’m not sure I want to know.

He takes out a coil of rope—soft, black, neatly wrapped. He unfurls it, his eyes fixed on mine.

“Here’s how this is going to work,” he says to me. “I’m going to ask you questions. If you answer honestly and fully, you’ll be rewarded. If you lie to me, or you try to be evasive, I will punish you.”

Oh Jesus.

My heart flutters against my ribs.

He loops the rope around my wrists with two quick twists and pulls my arms over my head. He lifts me to a standing position, then threads the rope through a hook hanging from the ceiling. The roof of the cell is low, and he’s so extremely tall that he can reach the hook without even stretching.

But I’m pulled up on my tiptoes, my arms overhead, and my body completely vulnerable. My heart is racing. I’m terrified, but there’s much more than fear causing the adrenaline to flood through my veins . . . there’s also anticipation.

It’s insane. I can’t believe what I’m feeling.