"what are you doing?" i shouted before i could stop myself.

"relax," he said.

shocked into instant silence, i immediately willed myself to obey. slowly, the object went in and i found myself filled just to the point of pain and on the precipice of intense pleasure. i could feel it in my stomach, and strangely, i could also feel it pressing against the walls of my pu**y. i lie still, panting and moaning, trying to decipher what the hell just happened.

caleb's warm body pressed against my back. his hot mouth sucked at my earlobe, and my muscles contracted strongly, surging with wetness. "don't you dare push this out, or i'll whip your ass raw." as he said the words he thrust his erection against me and shifted the plug inside me. i moaned.

"yes, master," i whispered. my voice was a wanton plea for more contact. he reared back, his left hand between my shoulder blades, his hips still pressed against mine. i sighed when he tugged my panties down to expose my ass. he reached between us to trace his fingers between my cheeks. i thrust back, urging him lower to the swollen bud of my clit, begging him to finish me. it didn't take long. he rubbed my clit gently with his fingers while the palm of his hand shifted the plug inside me. i came within moments, in hard, jerking motions, involving my entire body. after, he helped me to the floor and told me to sleep.

chapter eighteen

i opened my eyes and stared into the semi-darkness, unwilling to move in the event caleb planned to torture me further upon my waking. my sleep had been awkward. my wrists were shackled to a tightly-laced leather corset. it was difficult to breathe or lift my arms more than a few inches in front of me. i was also made to sleep on the floor - it was padded with bedding, but not anywhere near as comfortable as a bed.

i thought about the morning. after caleb had made his somewhat violent use of my mouth, which strangely enough had me both wanting and hating him, he denied me the measure of solace he'd up until now always given me after such ordeals - affection. i had to admit, it really hurt my feelings. despite everything he'd put me through, he'd never made me feel cheap. even in the beginning, when he'd been even more of a calloused bastard, he'd managed to allay my fear and anxiety when he was done with me - i feared those days were gone.

not since i told him i loved him.

playing the day over in my mind did little to urge me into waking, but i couldn't sleep anymore. not only had i slept most of the day, but my stomach begged for something to eat. then, as if on cue, the door opened and caleb strode into the room. my heart instantly sped up and skipped a beat as i took in the sight of him in a tuxedo. his thick and gorgeous blond hair, often worn in a style of organized dishevelment, was now combed away from his face. the intensity of his blue eyes at once felt like both a punch to the stomach and a soft, hungering caress.

he seemed endlessly calm as he approached me. i remembered myself and looked away. he knelt next to me. i let out a sigh i didn't realize i'd held when he reached out and traced my chin with his long smooth fingers. he cupped my chin and tingles spread throughout my body. i shivered in spite of myself. he turned my face toward his, and i could no longer resist looking into his eyes.

"did you sleep well, kitten?" he asked so softly, i ached.

"yes, master," i whispered.

"good. it's time to go downstairs and introduce you to the rest of the guests."

my stomach twisted, though at this point it had less to do with my hunger and more with my anxiety. i said nothing, and didn't resist when he helped me to my feet. as i stood only inches away from him, his smell once again surrounded me. for a moment, i couldn't help but close my eyes and imagine a situation different than this one - one where i could just be myself, and he would adore me for it. he smoothed my hair back, unraveling the snags formed in my sleep and working them through quickly and deftly.

"there," he said, more to himself, than to me, "that looks a lot better."

an awkward silence fell between us. i kept my eyes focused on the cleanly pressed shirt in front of me. he sighed, and i couldn't help but notice it was the kind of sigh someone let out when they were preparing themselves to do something difficult. i knew it had to do with rafiq, somehow, but i couldn't ask him. i couldn't accept my fate just yet. i had to hope the caleb i had grown to love was thriving inside the version of caleb in front of me. hope was all i had left.

with no further ado, he turned me around and swept the bulk of my hair over my left shoulder. my entire body shivered. i heard him pull something from his pocket. i tensed when i felt the smooth band of leather circle my throat.

"it's not the same collar you wore before. i like this one much better. it's softer, and it won't dig into you," he whispered.

were my hands free i might have reached up to touch the loop attached to the front, but they weren't free - like me, they were bound by circumstance.

"i want you to know," he said matter-of-factly, "there's going to be a lot of people downstairs. these people are important acquaintances of mine. i expect you to behave. do exactly as i say, keep your eyes lowered, and it should be an enjoyable evening for the both of us. understood?"

i swallowed thickly and managed to whisper, "yes, master."

"turn around," he said. "i have a little something to ensure your obedience." as i turned, i couldn't help but meet his eyes. he pulled me close, holding me in place by way of his hand at the small of my back. his other hand cupped my breast just inside my corset. he put his mouth on my nipple and sucked.

i couldn't hold in a powerful sigh. i was wet, but his affection was to be short lived. just as soon as his mouth released me, firm pressure took hold of my nipple. while i swooned, he repeated the perfunctory process on my other breast and then stood back to admire his work.

i looked down at my br**sts through a haze of tears to notice the delicate clamps adorning my ni**les. a thin gold chain joined them and led directly into caleb's hand. as i took stock of my predicament i couldn't help looking up at caleb with a pleading expression. he tugged gently, as if to say my pleading was meaningless. my body stiffened and a jolt of pain and sensation drilled down through my belly ending between my legs. the plug in my ass moved, exaggerating the sensation. in midstream, the pain changed to something pulsating, something near pleasure. like a puppet, my body relaxed as caleb released the tension.

"are we clear on the rules of obedience?" caleb asked, and then not waiting for my answer he continued, "this is a test of sorts, kitten. don't disappoint me." he turned his back to me. "follow behind on my left, keep your eyes lowered and there should be no need to test the sensitivity of your ni**les."

"yes, master," i replied, not able to keep the tremor from my voice. tears clung to my lashes and my body quaked, but i followed caleb as directed.

we walked the pace of a parade. a slight murmur of low voices reached the top of the stairway. candlelight from the room below glimmered across the marble stairs, lighting our descent in living color. the warm glow eased some of my quaking, along with caleb's care of the chain joining us together.

at the bottom of the stairway, felipe greeted caleb, "good to have you join us my friend. i see you have your lovely kitten in tow. everyone is looking forward to seeing her."

"felipe," caleb acknowledged. i couldn't help but notice caleb didn't sound too pleased.

our eyes met over caleb's shoulder, but he did not let on about my disobedience. in fact, he winked at me. we were sharing yet another moment, unbeknownst to my master. i flushed deeply.

"i thought you should know the boy is here with mr. b tonight and will be part of the evening's entertainment," felipe added in a whisper loud enough for me to hear. the statement had a mocking edge, as if he were poking fun at caleb. i didn't like it.

"interesting," caleb replied, simple and abrupt. caleb lifted his head and scanned the small gathering of people. instinctually, i scanned the room as well, and promptly received a continuous tug of shooting pain through my ni**les for the effort.

"eyes down," caleb said over his shoulder to me, his voice riddled with undisguised anger.

"yes, master," i said in a jagged whisper. i wanted to scream from the pain torturing my ni**les, but the tension on the chain lessened, and my breath spun out in a heavy sigh of relief.

caleb moved past felipe. i followed, fearful of the damn chain he held. we stepped off the marble stairway onto carpet and crossed the room. the soft touch of the plush carpeting massaged the bottom of my stocking feet.

"well, look what the cat dragged in," came a man's southern drawl, followed by a low whistle. "she's a beauty. i'd love to test-drive her, especially if she handles anything like this one felipe gave my wife to try." the man moved back for caleb to look.

i dared raise my eyes only a bit, my head still bent toward the floor. from the corner of my eye i saw a boy near my age standing on his knees. he was perhaps the most beautifully handsome boy i'd ever seen. still, i could not shake the notion i knew him somehow. he raised his dark blue eyes, just enough to connect with mine. my breath caught and my eyes opened wide.