Chapter 21

Ryker

I'm in fucking trouble. With Tara in my lap, my dick is hard as a rock, but my hands want to pummel something. Tara's incredibly easy to read, even with her back turned to me, and whoever was on that phone call meant something to her.

They also made her frightened.

While she talked about designer clothing and Sunday brunch, my mind raced with arguments about whether or not I should pry.

She's just a Butterfly.

She's a temporary toy.

She's only a member of the club.

Those facts aren't what has me head-fucked though. It's that I can't stop worrying about her.

What's her life like outside of my club? Who was that man I threatened yesterday? Why did Tara's entire body go from languid to stiff with just the mention of brunch? Who is her family and how do they treat her? Who is her fucking boss and why is he sending her out to make undercover deals on shitty properties in the middle of the night?

This is a major problem. I shouldn't give a shit about Tara or her life outside the Monarch. Once someone steps out of my club, they're no longer my responsibility. And Tara will be out of here at the end of the month and who knows if she'll ever come back.

I don't like the way it makes me feel.

"Stand up." I tap her thigh.

"Yes, Sir." Tara's only wearing my button-down shirt from yesterday. The front is completely open to reveal her beautiful breasts, hard nipples, and perfect pussy.

I rub my forefinger across my lips. It smells like her cunt.

It's making me crave another a taste of her again and that's a rarity. I usually eat a woman out to get her to leave me alone. Just like I used to do it so they'd give me money for my bills. But Tara? She's quickly becoming an indulgence.

I get it now.

The reason my men like to be Doms for the Butterfly.

Before, I could never understand why they looked forward to being with the same woman for so long. I don't have long-term girlfriends. The few lovers I bring to my bed are brief and serve a very specific purpose.

Tara meets every qualification for being a lover of mine, except she's starting to get under my skin. I stayed up and watched her sleep again last night. I jerked off into her dress again, too. Once I couldn't stand not having her attention, I woke her up, eating her pussy, because I could not, for the life of me, wait another moment to taste her.

She's lucky I didn't give into my desires and fuck her while she slept.

"Sit on the desk and put your feet here." I tap the armrests of my chair.

Her eyes widen a fraction before she does as she's told. Tara playfully spreads her legs for me, a wry smile extends across her sweet face. This woman runs hot and cold, just like I do. Aggressive one minute, shy the next. Scared, then brave. It's an act that took me years to perfect just so I could keep my inner peace and protect myself. To see her with the same traits makes me want to save her. Protect her.

"You have a beautiful pussy." I watch her closely. "Are you still sore?"

"Not at all."

"Good." Leaning forward to run my nose along her wet, swollen lips, I love how she melts for me. "I want to play with you, Butterfly."

Her body language has changed again. Gone is the tension from her back and shoulders. She's already panting at the mere promise of being played with like a little fuck toy.

Perfection.

I pull her off the desk, making her follow me out of my office, down the hall, up the elevator, and to a special room that's always booked solid at least six months out.

One of the many perks a Butterfly gets is an all-access pass to every room in the club. Since they live here for a month, and the club is only open in the evenings, she can have all the fun she wants with the club"s many amenities.

Her eyes widen in shock when we step inside.

"Holy shit, Ry… Sir."

I let the mistake slide. Honestly, I want to hear her call me Ryker again, but in order to maintain our dynamic, that's not happening. Striding to the center of the room, I pat the cushioned leather bench that's the main attraction. "Hop on."

Tara lights up. "What are you going to do to me?" She looks too excited to care what my answer might be.

"I'm going to play, Butterfly." Sauntering over to the wall of various ropes, I pluck two off a shelf. "If you'll let me."

"Yes, please. Sir."

"Have you experienced Shibari before?"

"No."

"Would you like to?"

"Yes. Please." She tucks her hair behind her ear. "Sir."

"We'll start slow and simple." I escort her over to the bench. I don't ever take on a newbie, but Tara's been an exception to every fucking rule I have, it seems. Honestly, I'm a little excited to see how she handles being tied up for me. "This particular rope is made of jute. It's soft and easy to tie and untie." I let her feel the threads. "May I bind your torso?"

She swallows hard and smiles. "Yes."

"Get naked for me, Butterfly."

"Tara," she says softly. "Please call me Tara."

I shouldn't give her what she wants, but… fuck it. Getting up close and personal with her, I say, "Take my shirt off your body, Tara."

Using her real name instead of calling her Butterfly makes this connection between us in jeopardy of getting stronger. But I can't deny that my heart skips a beat when I see the effect it has on her. I understand wholeheartedly because my body reacts the same way when she calls me Ryker.

Have I mentioned how much danger I'm in with this woman?

She gets naked and pulls her hair up into a low ponytail, securing it with a hairband from her wrist. "Shouldn't we negotiate some things first?"

Yes. But I'm sick of making deals with her. "I've watched you closely since you stepped foot in my club, Miss Reed."

Her mouth drops a little.

"I see you go from room to room, always watching, never participating. You linger in the places where sex is… intense."

"You mean brutal."

"Subjective." I flash her a stiff smile. Did she think I was brutal when I fucked her until she blacked out yesterday? Maybe. But that's not what I'd call it. "Did you like what I did to you yesterday, Tara?"

She relaxes a little. "Yes."

"How much did you enjoy it?" I lean down and kiss her collarbone.

She sucks in a breath before answering. "Probably too much."

"You like being used."

"Yes," she whispers.

"You like being in a position where you can unravel."

She gulps and looks down at her feet. "Yes. I think."

Tipping her chin with the bundle of rope in my hand, I make her look at me. "You think, or you know?"

"I…" She bites her bottom lip. "I've never experienced it before yesterday. But I loved it. I want it again."

Fuck me sideways. She's too perfect for her own good. Before I confess shit I shouldn't, my mind scrambles to keep control of the situation. "You like being fucked like an animal, Tara?"

"I like being fucked by you, Sir." Her eyebrow lifts as she looks down at the rope. "Are you going to tie me down and do it again?"

God, do I want to. "Something like that."

Unraveling the rope, I get down to business and set the scene. "I want to put you in a quick release compression corset. You can easily get out of it if the sensations are too much for you."

She smiles. "Okay."

"Then I'm going to make you lie on this bench and eat your pussy."

Her smile grows bigger. "Okay."

"After you come three times, I'm going to use that." I point at a piece of machinery. "And fuck you with it."

Her smile crumbles. "A machine?"

"Yes."

The blood rushes out of her face.

"If you don't want to, just say so. And know that you can change your mind at any point." Cupping her chin to make sure I have her full attention, I remind her what's most important here. "You're in control. Always. Just call red if you want to stop and it all ends."

"Why do you want to fuck me with a machine?"

"Because I think you're going to like it, Butterfly." And she's going to like what I'll do to her while the machine is on, too. "What do you say, Yes or No?"