“Thank you,” I said, and we both knew I wasn’t talking about the robe.
He smiled down at me, his dimples breathtaking in the flickering firelight.
“Is this really what you want, Isabeau? I’m not a gentle man. I never have been.”
I put a hand on my backside, feeling the sweet pain where he’d struck me, and bit my lip.
“Yes. I want this. I want you.”
I’d never been so blunt before, but Mr. Drake brought out a different side of me. A bolder version of me who admitted what she craved, who said what she felt. Even so, I don’t think I would have been able to stand it if he didn’t want me in the same way.
He gathered me in his arms and pressed a hot kiss to my lips.
“I’ve wanted you since the first day I saw you. When I called you ‘mouse,’ there was a fire in your eyes, but I could tell you longed for someone to trust. Someone to take control. But Isabeau… there’s so much more, and I need to know that you’re ready. That you do trust me, if we’re going to continue.”
I didn’t understand. What else was there? What was he keeping from me?
“I have something to show you.”
He reached into the shadows by the fireplace. I heard a mechanism click, then the grinding sound of gears shuddering to life. A small door opened in the brick, swinging inwards into blackness. Mr. Drake hit a switch inside the door, and a secret room was illuminated in soft, orange light.
My mouth dropped open. The room was huge, and looked like something out of a gothic fantasy. A huge black structure leaned against the far wall in the shape of an X, with piles of rope and chain next to it, along with various odd looking stools, benches, and what looked like a leather swing hanging from the ceiling. Dark wooden shelves displayed a variety of dildos, handcuffs and metal bars that made me shiver from head to toe just looking at them.
Another case held whips and riding crops.
“This is my dungeon. My greatest secret. I am a dom by nature, which means that my lovers must enjoy submission. Bondage. Pleasure tinged with pain.”
I gaped at the contents of the hidden room, emotions warring within me. Fear mixed with arousal as my eyes wandered over all of the devices and restraints. Could I do this? Did I want to do this? Could I be the lover that Mr. Drake needed?
“Isabeau. Do you trust me?”
I looked up into the green eyes of the man who’d just given me the greatest sex of my life, the man who made my body tingle just by looking at me, and found myself lost for words. This was a defining moment of my life, and the gravity of it stole my breath away.
Did I trust this man enough to submit?
His eyes, usually so full of confidence were darkened by doubt, and I realized he was just as afraid as I was. Afraid that I’d say ‘no.’ Afraid that I’d leave.
I took his hand in mine.
“I trust you.”
He smiled, and pulled me close.
“Then, Isabeau, I have so much to show you.”
***
To Be Continued…