Page 22

Barbara

I was dizzy and hot all over, my skin tingling. It chafed where I touched his clothes, their fabric coarse, yet even that touch heightened my pleasure that was also agony.

He made me come three times in a row, and I was numb between my legs, my arms trembling where I held them high, tied wrists pressing into the warm skin of his nape.

He was unarmored under his clothes, the heat of him seeping through. His body was hard and unyielding under me, so very male, and I felt like a total mess. All my muscles shook, melting from the torturous pleasure. My stomach hurt from tensing every time he touched me.

The hard length of his cock under my ass drove me crazy, too. I wanted to see it again, because one small glimpse wasn’t enough, but I had no energy to try to get off and look. My seduction ended the moment Phantom barged in, and it was his show now. He seemed to prefer it this way.

“What’s wrong, pretty thing?” he crooned when I shuddered with a strangled cry as he tapped my clit gently. “Are you done? You look like you are. Such a pretty mess of a girl. Look at yourself. And you wanted to have pictures of us taken, huh? What would people say when they saw you like this, hm? A princess completely debased by her monster bodyguard.”

He laughed gutturally, sinking two fingers inside me. I whined from the stretch, but I was so wet, he moved easily in my slick, filling me to the knuckle.

“What shall I do with you, filthy girl?” he asked, caressing my cheek with his free hand. “You can’t handle any more but you won’t say it. My stubborn little doll. Tell you what. If you want more, ride my fingers. If you can’t, we will stop.”

I laughed hoarsely, pulling my legs up with effort. I trained four to six times a week with an exacting ballet teacher. Neither muscle burn nor discomfort were ever a good reason to stop.

I braced my feet on his widely spread thighs and began moving, haltingly at first. His length jerked under me when I pressed into it, and Phantom hissed, throwing his head back.

“Like this?” I asked, trying to sound innocent as I pressed down into him and moved my hips slowly, grinding on his erection.

“Yes,” he breathed, pumping his fingers. “Good girl. Exactly like this.”

I looked down, catching just a glimpse of his dark red tip. It glistened with something slick and blackish. Ignoring the burn in my thighs, I moved even further back to see more. Phantom gasped when I pressed in harder, and then his hand was on my chin, directing me to look in the mirror.

“Focus, doll. Make me come and I’ll let you taste it.”

Shivers went down my spine, and I felt myself clench around his fingers. He choked out a laugh and pulled hair off my face, combing the strands back gently.

“Not long now. Keep going.”

I pushed myself, rocking even as my stomach tightened with another impossible wave of anticipation. He angled his hand so that the heel of it pressed into my clit with every roll of my hips, and his fingers curled inside me until it felt shockingly good. Heat radiated from where he pressed in, and I whined, needing to come and yet unable to stop riding him.

His shaft was so wet, it slid against my skin with soft smacking sounds. I shivered, clenching my jaw as the pleasure inside me mounted.

“Such a sight. Perverse little thing,” he whispered harshly, pumping faster. “Will you be mine? Just for a bit? Just as long as… Oh, fuck… Yes… Right there, this is good… Yes, ride me, love.”

I trapped the grunt of effort that wanted to tear free and sped up, sliding on top of him with all my strength. His fingers pressed in harder, touching a place that flared with needy tension. I was almost there, but I needed him to finish more than I needed it for myself. I had to be the one who made him come, had to see that I could.

“Fuck!” he snapped, his hips jerking up as his fingers danced inside me.

I cried out, ecstasy breaking through. As my orgasm rolled through me in endless waves, I was vaguely aware of him jerking and cursing, his fingers digging possessively into my thigh as he took his pleasure with me.

When I settled, breathing hard, the first thing I noticed were black, half-translucent streaks of glistening fluid on the parquet. They reached far, almost to the mirror. I stared, and Phantom pulled his fingers out of me with a murmur, dipping between our bodies for a moment.

When his hand came back up, his fingers slightly wrinkled from moisture, they glistened with the same blackish fluid. His cum.

“Here. That’s how we taste together. Open your mouth.”

I did so at once.

“Good girl,” he murmured, sliding them in.

When I sucked on them, flicking my tongue to lick it all off, he released a hot breath and pressed his temple to mine, breathing deeply.

I swallowed the last traces of our joint pleasure. It was musk, primal and biting, but underneath, there was something milder and much more alien. It tasted like the earth smelled after rain.

Phantom stroked my tongue with his fingers. I bit them playfully, and he jerked with a surprised laugh, nuzzling the side of my face.

“I was wrong,” he said with a rueful laugh, helping me bring my arms back down. “Ultimately, it didn’t matter how we did it. I’m still in pieces.”

My shoulders hurt and my body was weak from effort, but I still turned fast to look at him, alarmed by his words. Phantom avoided my eyes, busying himself with cutting my restraints. As soon as my wrists were free, he took them in his hands and gently massaged the lines from where the cable tie dug in.

“Why are you in pieces?” I asked after a moment when he still didn’t say anything.

I was naked, we were both sticky, but I wanted nothing else than to stay on top of him and keep touching. This was the best I’d ever felt with another person. I shuffled to sit sideways in his lap.

“Was I so bad?” I asked when he didn’t answer, still soothing my wrists.

I thought it was amazing and more than I could have imagined, even after reading all those things on the Internet. But then, what did I know? Phantom could have anyone, and I had no experience at all. Maybe he hated it.

His hands stilled on mine, and he barked an incredulous laugh, finally looking at my face.

“Bad? The opposite—you were so good, doll. The best. Here I thought I’d spoil men for you with my dick, and look at you go, doing that to me. Oh, well. We might as well fuck properly now. There’s nothing to lose.”

“I… spoiled men for you with my dick?” I asked as laughter bubbled in my chest. I felt light and dizzy, and oh, so happy.

Phantom smiled and ruffled my hair. “Nah. Don’t worry about it. We should get you in the shower, though. You smell like me.”

“I like the way you smell,” I said dreamily, remembering the list I wrote out yesterday. “And I like how you move, and your face…”

I pressed my hand to his cheek, exploring the panes of his skull carefully while he watched me, his eyes glowing pink, their vertical pupils clearly visible now that I was so close.

“And I like everything about you,” I said, biting the inside of my cheek with faint embarrassment, though it felt safe to say it after everything we just did.

“Yeah?” he asked after a beat, his expression sharpening. “Everything? Even when I peep at you, steal your books, and eat your pie?”

I hit his arm lightly, conscious of his lack of armor.

“Yeah,” I said, smiling until my cheeks hurt, only not like when I smiled for the cameras. This time, I couldn’t control my expression because happiness poured out of me in waves. “I like you even when you’re annoying. You’re amazing.”

Phantom stared at me, his hands holding me a tad too tightly, like he was determined not to let me go. I wasn’t leaving, though. I wanted to stay here forever and just be near him.

“Okay. Rewind,” he said after a moment, his voice hoarse until he cleared his throat. “You like me. Like, ‘like me’ like me.”

I smiled. “Uh, yes. I just said that. I like you a lot.”

And I did. I was also pretty sure I had a huge crush on him, and maybe… Maybe even more. But that I wasn’t ready to say.

There was a moment of tense silence.

“I can’t handle it,” he said, standing abruptly.

I landed on the floor with an outraged gasp. Phantom groaned, shook his head, and pulled me up to my feet with a mumbled apology. He turned away, zipped up his pants, and made a call.

“Please, pick up. Please.”

I gaped at him, completely taken aback. I wasn’t even angry at his rude behavior, because hell , it was rude. Wasn’t he supposed to say it back or something? ‘Oh, I’m so glad you like me, I like you, too!’ Was that so hard?

But he was evidently distressed, and I didn’t understand why. What did I do wrong?

“Finally!” Phantom snarled into the phone. “Nat, she said she likes me. What do I do?”

Wow.

I huffed softly, picking up the chair to put it away by the wall. I took off the remains of my leotard and grabbed a robe from a hook by the door.

“What do you mean, I should be happy? Nat, I’m in agony! This has never happened to me. Help me, you stupid snake!”

I couldn’t hear the reply, but Phantom was completely frozen, listening to every word like it was his salvation. Moving slowly so as not to distract him, I crouched and used my torn up clothes to wipe the floor. From up close, I saw his cum glittered delicately, as if it contained tiny golden particles.

“Okay. I’m breathing. Yeah. No, I mean… Oh. Oh, fu—heck. Yeah, she’s still here. No, she hasn’t run away, you idiot! She knows I’m seeing you. And she knows I’m a psycho.”

He was silent again, his eyes trained on me as he stood motionless, holding the knife he’d used to cut up my clothes. I gave him an uncertain smile, and he shivered.

“But I have never ki—okay. Yeah. You’re right.”

Ki—what? I wondered what he meant, a shiver going down my spine. I reminded myself I trusted him no matter what as I moved further to wipe down another streak. I didn’t know if it was normal for men to ejaculate with so much force, but it definitely made for interesting results.

“No, I don’t need pointers from you! I’m pretty sure you’re a slimy kisser. Bye.”

He put his phone and knife away and strode to me, his long steps swallowing the distance between us. Unsure yet not afraid, I got up from my crouch, waiting.

Phantom said nothing. He took my face in both palms and leaned in, his bony outer teeth pressing to my lips. My breath hitched. His mouth opened, something akin to lips touching mine. I kissed him back at once, clumsily, because his outer teeth were in the way and I wasn’t sure how to make it work.

But he didn’t seem to care. Phantom groaned, one hand sliding to the back of my head to hold me, the other gripping my ass. I gasped, flicking my tongue out to see if it would help. As I gently licked into his mouth, he froze entirely.

I tried to pull back to ask if he was okay, but his grip tightened on me, and then, his tongue was in my mouth, pressing to mine. It was hot and tasted like him, and I moaned in pleasure, grabbing the back of his bony head to keep him there.

Taste after taste, lick after lick, we made it work. I nibbled on his tongue and on his outer teeth, then pressed deeper until our tongues wound together, his so much longer and thicker than mine. But it worked. We kissed, and I didn’t care what or who he was, just that it was him.

“Doll,” he breathed reverently, pulling back for just a second before he dove for my mouth again like he couldn’t get enough.

I shook all over, my hands sliding feverishly over his head and down his nape. His were all over me, grabbing my ass, caressing my hair, stroking my back.

He moaned, unabashed and needy. Tingles broke out all along my spine, and I kissed him harder, his masculine sounds of need making me ache with lust. I wanted to climb him, get him out of his clothes, and get him inside me. I’d never felt such a desperate need for anyone before.

“You’re so good,” he murmured, tearing his mouth away from mine.

He nuzzled a path down my jaw and neck with hot little licks that made me shiver. I moaned in response, and he moaned back, grabbing my ass in both hands and hauling me up until I straddled him.

He kissed me again, his tongue sliding deep in my mouth, and gripped my ass until my cheeks spread. I bucked against him, seeking friction, and he pressed me closer, returning to my mouth, his breath hot on my wet lips.

Something beeped. Phantom stilled, breathing hard, then shook his head like a dog.

“Someone just came in through the gate,” he said, his voice gritty. “I’m gonna let you go now, okay? And I’ll see you later. Yeah?”

I nodded, and he nodded back, then pressed his face to my hair and inhaled.

“Yeah. Okay. Have to let you go.”

I kissed his cheek when he let me down to my feet, and he shivered, his hands hanging loosely at his sides as he stared at me.

“See you later, handsome,” I whispered with a smile, then turned to run to my room.

I was pretty sure my mother was back. I didn’t shower, but I put on clothes and a dash of makeup to give her no more reasons than necessary to be furious with me. She would be, anyway, but I was ready to face her.

With that happiness flowing through my veins after being with Phantom, I felt invincible. Well, almost. The idea of rebelling against my mother still terrified me, but I was as ready as I’d ever be. This was the right moment, I knew. I’d just done something outrageous, something forbidden, that I had wanted with all my being.

It was a victory over my conditioning, and it gave me the self-confidence I needed to break free.

I was about to seek my mother out when she knocked on my door and let herself in without waiting for permission.

“You’re different,” she said accusingly without greeting me first.

She wore a cream pantsuit and gold jewelry, her makeup impeccable yet unable to hide the tired draw to her mouth. I realized with a start my mother looked thinner than normal, her hands clenched into fists at her sides seemingly bony.

I wondered if it was my fault, and then shut that thought down. Yet, my heart hammered sickly as slimy fear coiled in my gut. She still had power over me.

You don’t have to do this anymore, I told myself in a bid for control. You don’t have to let her take over.

“Yes, I am,” I said when I was sure my voice wouldn’t wobble. “I’ve done a lot of thinking lately.”

“Evidently,” she said with an angry huff. “Sit down. We need to have a talk.”

I twitched with an instinct to obey but stopped myself before moving. “I’ll stand. But of course, we can talk.”

She shot me an angry look and shook her head. I put my hands behind my back, because I had an urge to wring them in front of me, and I didn’t want to appear weak.

“Barbara, you have to stop this,” she said. “This is it. This is the moment we’ve both worked so hard for, and it’s the time to do your best. You can have your little rebellion after we get through the wedding. I won’t stop you then.”

My lip curled. “Sure. I’ll have the Landizzas to stop me, no? And you’ll wash your hands off me and be happy I’m gone. Well, Mother, I won’t marry anyone, but you will get rid of me. I’m moving out.”

She stared at me like I was insane and then laughed cruelly, like she couldn’t believe the drivel that came out of my mouth. I cringed, her mockery making me want to shrink, but I breathed through it and stood tall.

“And how will you afford to live on your own?” my mother asked when she was done laughing. “You don’t have a job, and besides, you’re too soft and naive. You won’t make it in the real world.”

My hands clenched into fists, and I took a step closer. At least I was angry now, and anger made me brave.

“Because you made me so,” I hissed. “You never let me learn how to have a proper life. But you know what? I’ll figure it out. Besides, I’m an adult and I can access my trust fund without your permission, which is what I’ll do.”

“No, you won’t,” she said, her nostrils flaring. “Not if we have you committed. Which is what will happen if you don’t listen to me!”

She screamed the last part, and I flinched away, fear choking me up. She breathed hard, stepping closer, until she had me cornered against the wall.

“Getting married is the one thing you’re good for, and by God, you will do it,” she hissed, getting in my face. “Adonis will be here for dinner. You’re going to smile, laugh at his jokes, and when he kisses you goodnight, you’ll kiss him back.”

Everything in me burned with the need to do what I always did: break down and say yes. But my body still buzzed from Phantom’s touch, his scent still clinging to my skin, and I remembered I was safe. He wouldn’t let her hurt me.

“No.” The word felt so alien and yet so right in my mouth. “If he comes here, I won’t see him. If you force me to be at the table, I will be rude to him and make him leave. I’m not afraid of you anymore.”

Well, that was a lie. When her face twisted into a mask of horrible fury, I wanted nothing more than to run in terror. For a moment, I thought she would hit me, but after a few tense seconds, she stepped away, her face smoothing out.

Now, that was even more terrifying.

“Fine. I’ll call off the dinner. But this isn’t over, Barbara. You will do what’s right in the end.”

She left, and I slid down to the floor, shaking. It didn’t feel like a victory, and yet, I was so proud of myself.

I was sick with fear, and yet I said no. It meant I was strong.

It meant I could do it again.