Puppet On A String (7 page)

      
The man’s face broke into a smile, seeing her statement as an act of surrender. Perhaps it was. “I’d have you bring yourself over here so I can show you off properly to my friend. I promise you, he won’t bite.”

      
“Yes, sir.”

      
Ashamed and self-conscious both, Shelby moved gingerly toward the handsome Mr. Jones.

      
“Turn around,” the stranger ordered, his voice had dropped to that masculine tone of command that was so easy for her to respond to.

      
Shelby
hastened to please him, but more importantly to please Mr. Darcy, to whom she seemed irrevocably bound. Oh, never had she dreamed that her life would come to this! How could she, given her youth, desire something so extreme as slavery? Yet, at the moment, nothing seemed more natural to her than to be the object of these men’s scrutiny, her very soul judged worthy or not worthy of their time and attention. Wasn’t this what a slave would do for her master?

      
Shelby
seemed to be following a path that had been unfolding over the past few weeks. In addition to the sex, there had been scolding lectures, and corporal punishment for mistakes she’d made in her job. At every turn she hastened to please the man, no matter what awful thing he did to her. But such a paradox. Those awful things were exactly what she seemed to live for. At night, when she went home, she’d play back her interactions with Mr. Darcy, letting them work through her imagination, finding them powerful aphrodisiacs that would send her trembling into bed where she brought herself to overwhelming orgasms.

      
And now, as the handsome Mr. Jones ran his hand over her punished ass and reached deep between her legs in order to pinch her sensitive labia, she felt something new in her continuing sexual awakening. She felt like no more than an object, depersonalized, deprived of her humanity, indeed, Mr. Darcy’s sex slave! A shudder of desire pierced her in the gut. Such humiliation, but such an awesome sense that this was so very right for her – and so
ungodly
arousing to her sexual body.

      
“May I?” Mr. Jones asked.

      
“She’s yours to use. I’m sure my little minx will give your cock a good work out.”

      
“And what kind of beating will she take?”

      
“Find out for yourself,” Darcy answered. “The whips are in my bottom drawer.”

      
Another beating!
Her ass was still so very sore from the rough spanking she’d just endured. She’d never hold on! Never! But that was exactly what she’d attempt to do.

      
For the second time in one afternoon,
Shelby
found herself over her employer’s ebony desk. This time, she was whipped with a vicious leather tawse with falls that cut like knife blades. The dozen strikes cut pitilessly into her already sore skin. At least the thrashing was delivered quickly; and the horny Mr. Jones dispensed with further punishment in order to plunge his cock where Mr. Darcy’s cock had just been. As he forcefully moved inside
Shelby
’s pussy, he reached around her torso to pinch her nipples. She learned that day that even handsome men can be demented sadists.

      
Once the man shot his seed inside her and he withdrew, Mr. Darcy stepped in and bound her hands behind her back. Then picking up the tawse, he whipped her ass, going over the territory that had already been ruthlessly punished. When he finally stopped, he said, speaking to Mr. Jones, not her, “The skin is about to break. I prefer not to leave that kind of damage. It takes too long to heal.”

      
Shelby
didn’t hear what the man said in reply, but she heard what her owner said next:

      
“I’ll pierce her cunt lips with rings tomorrow to mark her more permanently as my property.”

      
Another shudder of fear and thrill tripped through her body. A moment later, she heard his next command:

      
“Kneel with your back to me.”

      
At first, she didn’t understand what he wanted; a blur of emotions kept her from thinking clearly and he had to repeat himself.

      
“
Shelby
, on your knees now.”

      
This was completely new territory in their relationship, taking her places she’d seen only in her dreams; a command that made her quake, her frayed nerves rendering her almost unable to respond

      
She trembled, as scared as she’d ever been.

      
“Now open your blouse,” he said.

      
Her eyes were brimming with tears as she unbuttoned her blouse down to her waist. He’d never demanded that she bare her body for him. Oh, her ass had been bared for him plenty of times, but in her mind that was much different. This was so intimate, so personal, a very different kind of exposure. Not only that but in front of a complete stranger as well – her humiliation couldn’t have been greater. She was glad that her back was facing the two men so that she didn’t have to meet their gaze.

      
“Now the bra,” he said.

      
The bra!

      
Tears began streaming from her eyes as she realized how far the man might go – he might have her naked, right there in his office! After some hesitation,
Shelby
finally reached back, unhooked her lacy bra, and set her breasts free. Her entire body rushed with a depraved erotic thrill. Though she tried to hold back her feelings, this sudden surge of energy was too powerful to ignore.

      
“Not a word from you now,” he said. “Not a whimper, not a sound.”

      
She trembled waiting, biting her lip, her hands clinging to the sides of her skirt. Her torment was worse not knowing what was going to happen next. Then suddenly, a strong cut from Mr. Darcy’s tawse lashed across her back. She lunged forward, gulping for air.

      
“Straighten up!” She instantly obeyed.

      
The strikes came on ruthlessly from that point, maybe a dozen, maybe twenty, the number was lost in the savage sensations. Never had she experienced such pain, but by force of will, she managed to suppress her urge to scream, knowing how much this would displease him.

      
“This is what a slave will do for her owner. Obey without question. Offer up their body for their owner’s pleasure, whether it is their owner’s pleasure to use them sexually or inflict pain. A slave gives without question,
Shelby
, without hesitation, holding back their own hurt. Do you understand that?”

      
“Yes, sir,” she said, fighting back her desire to cry.

      
Despite the pain, the fear, and her profound humiliation there was something far deeper at work here. Completely bewildering to her was the weird satisfaction she gained becoming Mr. Darcy’s slave. Yet, it also felt so right, as if she were destined for slavery, fated to be the property of a man. Mr. Darcy had been right when they first met, that he knew her better than she knew herself.

      
Once she’d been used for sex and soundly thrashed, her owner suddenly returned to his initial command of her. “I believe we started today with my wanting to see you come by your own hand. Do you recall that?”

      
“Yes, sir.”
Oh, please don’t make me do that!

      
“Well then, stand up and turn around.”

      
She could barely move to her feet, her legs were shaking so fiercely that she could hardly maintain her balance. And once she managed to turn around, she felt the men’s eyes focus directly on her bared breasts.

      
She turned her face away in shame.

      
“She has a fine body,” Mr. Jones commented, a haughty arrogance in that pronouncement.

      
“Indeed,” Mr. Darcy agreed. “You should be proud of what you have,
Shelby
. Look at me.”

      
She could just barely meet his gaze. A nervous hand brushed away a lock of hair, revealing more clearly the blush that turned her cheeks pink.

      
“You will survive this,
Shelby
,” he assured her. “I know that Mr. Jones and I will both enjoy your performance. Raise your skirt, come on now. Play with yourself until you come. We want to see your face when the orgasm peaks inside your body. Nothing could be more profound for a man than to witness that.”

      
Her intense humiliation seemed to have the same arousing effect on her as pain and punishment and forced sex. All objections seemed to fall away, and she raised her skirt, moving her slim fingers between her outer labia until they finally reached her sex bud. She gently rubbed the sensitive tissue, finding the sensuous waves of pleasure igniting almost instantly.

      
“Look at me,” her owner ordered. By then, there was not a second’s hesitation.
Shelby
’s eyes came to rest on Darcy’s craggy face. Though her embarrassment knew no bounds, this act of submission was a pleasure all its own. To stare into the man’s eyes and know that he’d taken control of her made her humble. That fact that their fate together was irrevocably sealed and she belonged to him made her feel safe. That he owned her every thought and action turned her body hot with lust. With a suddenness that nearly knocked her off her feet, the fiery sensations centering in her clitoris burst outward and consumed her in a spasming climax. She moaned, as her wet pussy ground against her hand, then with back arched she gave up a silent cry.

      
As the spasms finally died off,
Shelby
slumped to the floor, feeling as if she’d been laid bare, the very darkness of her soul exposed for what it was. She could have used his assurance in that vulnerable moment. Just the touch of his hand, a kind word, a kiss on the cheek.

      
“She seems to be an adaptable little creature, I’m sure quite serviceable,” she heard Mr. Jones speak first. “The youthful blush on those rosy cheeks will certainly attract some fans.”

      
“Exactly what I was thinking,” Mr. Darcy replied, then to her directly: “So,
Shelby
, I think you’ve shown me all I need to see for now. You can go back to work. Mr. Jones and I have business to discuss, and I’m sure you have much to do.”

      
Her heart reached out to him, tugging him toward her with a look of utter longing.

      
“Sir, please—”

      
“I said back to your desk,
Shelby
. You have reports waiting there to be typed. You’ll be here all night if you don’t get started now. Let’s hope your ass is still smarting from the punishment. If not, maybe you need more motivation.”

      
“Oh, no, sir!” She picked herself up off the floor, then quickly buttoned her blouse and swiped her bra from the floor. “I’m sure I have enough motivation,” she said. “I’ll get started right away.”

      
Tucking her wild emotions back in place, she exited the office door and dove enthusiastically into the projects on her desk.

There were so many interruptions that afternoon that
Shelby
had to work through dinner to complete the files on her desk. Mr. Darcy had left with Mr. Jones at seven, giving her clear instructions that she was not to leave until she finished. At nearly
nine o’clock
, when he returned to the office alone, she had still not completed the complicated contract he’d left for her.

      
She looked up on hearing him enter, “I’m sorry, sir. I still have a few more pages to do…” Bleary-eyed, she returned to her typing without finishing her statement.

      
“
Shelby
.” The quiet timbre of his voice jerked her immediately from her task.

      
“Sir?” She looked up.

      
His eyes were strangely soft now, almost luminescent in the glow from the office lights. The effect was curiously soothing. By comparison, the computer screen practically burned her eyes.

      
“Close the file and come with me.”

      
“Sir?”

      
“Close the file, and come with me,” he repeated.

      
“Yes, sir, certainly.” Her breath was suddenly shallow, her heart racing fast. It did so often in the man’s presence, but this time there was something very different about his order. It didn’t seem like an order at all but kindness. She moved from her desk where he reached out with his hand and took hers, leading her through his office door and into the private apartment, which was accessed through a secret door in the rosewood paneling. She’d known for weeks that the apartment was there. Darcy had told her so, though she’d never seen it, nor had she known exactly what he used it for.

      
His plan was almost obvious from the beginning, though she dared not assume that being allowed into this inner sanctuary would actually mean what she hoped it would. Excited beyond words, she shivered nervously in her high heeled shoes waiting for the big secret to be revealed. After Mr. Darcy tripped the unseen lock and the sliding panel was pulled aside,
Shelby
gazed in electrified wonder at the vast space that opened up before her. The cozy sitting room, the glittering bar and the enormous bed along the far wall were almost more titillation than her sex-hungry body could withstand.