She forced herself to eat a small breakfast and primped, plucked, shaved and oiled her body down to within an inch of her life. Next she dressed in something that she thought would be pleasing to Mr. Black, a body-hugging black tube dress. With no undergarments, of course. She picked out a pair of platforms that she only wore on special occasions – buckled booties that screamed sex. After putting a light curl in her red locks, she plastered on the reddest lipstick she could find and heavily shadowed her eyes in a smoky charcoal. When she glanced in the mirror, she looked as if she were ready for a night out clubbing and not like she was getting ready to face the firing squad. She figured if she was going down, she might as well go down looking her best.
She drove to 2500 East Grace Street with only the words of Habits by Tove Lo and Never Wanna Know by MØ in her head. She couldn’t and wouldn’t allow herself to think of anything else. When she arrived at the brownstone, she parked her car and waited for nearly ten minutes before forcing herself to go through the motions of opening the door, stepping one foot in front of the other and going inside.
The faint smell of cigarette smoke lingered in the air and she knew her punisher was already waiting for her. She stood with her back to the front door, holding onto the knob so tight that her fingers blanched from lack of blood circulation. When she heard soft music coming from upstairs, she followed it, taking each step to her doom as slowly as she could. When she reached the landing, Mr. Black was standing in the doorway of the master suite looking just as magnificent as ever and visibly relaxed. His calm expression put her at ease. He wasn’t angry and that was good.
His pupils flared under the bright light in the hallway when he saw her and his mouth parted as his hungry eyes undressed her.
“Damn, Elsa…” he paused to lick his lips. “You’ve come well prepared, but your appearance isn’t going to deter me from doing what I’m going to do.”
Affronted, she moved past him and pushed her chin out. “That wasn’t my intention. I’m fully ready to accept whatever you have planned for me.”
His body stilled and she glanced over her shoulder at him as she lay her handbag down on the bed to see an incensed expression on his face.
“You say that now, but we’ll see if you’re still feeling that way when all this is said and done. You know… I wasn’t sure you would show up.”
“Why? I told you I’m a woman of my word, despite whatever you may have been told about me or read.” She was referring to what her brother might have said and she quickly shut her mouth before she gave too much away about knowing of their conversation.
“I could never read enough about you, My Sweet Peach,” he smirked.
The pet name sounded so much better before, when he was being his true self. Or maybe this was his true self. Her confidence suddenly waned at the thought. What if he were only the game maker and nothing more? While she waited for him, wordless and motionless, she tried to transport herself back to their sensuous night.
Mr. Black moved to the other end of the room and brought the wooden chair close to her, faced it against a blank wall and gestured for her to sit. With the little bit of courage she had left, she tried her best to appear impassive as she seated herself in it. Kneeling in front of her, he pushed her legs open and skimmed his fingers up the inside of her thighs to her bare pussy, gliding his fingers into her folds.
“Better late than never, I suppose,” he commented about her lack of panties.
Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out several pieces of soft, nylon rope and Elsa’s body tensed when he began binding her ankles to the legs of the chair. Whatever he had planned that necessitated her to be tied down was a distressing thought. Suddenly her bladder contracted in sympathetic response as if remembering her earlier torture even though she had the forethought to empty it before she arrived. With both legs secured, he looked up at her and she eyed him with a calculating expression. What was going on in that head of his?
“Are you going to tickle me again?” she breathed out with furrowed brows.
His right eyebrow rose a fraction. “I never repeat the same punishment twice. What fun would that be?” he broke into a wide, open smile as he reached behind her to blindly tie her wrists together.
His hot breath touched her neck and she turned her face away from him in a desperate attempt to resist being captivated by his fiendish smile. She felt a cool chill touch her skin when he disappeared to turn the lights down and set some music.
Halcyon by Ellie Goulding began and Elsa did her best to calm her nerves. Her eyes darted around the darkened room and her pulse pounded through her veins. She could hear Mr. Black behind her fiddling with something when a whir and buzz followed as the wall in front of her lit up with the image of a sunset.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I’ve always loved sunsets in Virginia…” she barely heard him say over the music.
She heard a click and a seaside view of Virginia Beach popped up on the wall that looked almost identical to the painting she had hung on the dining room wall.
“I love what you’ve done with the house, Elsa, but it was completely unnecessary. Neither of us will be here long enough to enjoy the work you’re putting into it so save your energy. Your effort would be better spent in learning how to appropriately conduct yourself around me.”
She gritted her teeth and shifted in her seat, wrenching on the uncomfortable bindings.
The next image shook her system. It was Patrick. Her body froze and her breathing halted. It was a recent picture of him leaving work.
Click.
Patrick leaving his house, dressed in his best suit.
Click.
Patrick on a dinner date with an unfamiliar brunette.
Click.
Elsa didn’t want to see what was next and she tugged on her restraints, but was unable to stop herself from looking.
Patrick leaving the restaurant with his date.
No, she really didn’t want see where this was going. She began to curse under her breath when she felt Mr. Black’s hands on her shoulders steadying her body as she thrashed in the chair.
“Please, Mr. Black. I’ll follow your rules. You know I will…” she panted out when she heard the next click.
“Yes, I have no doubt you will,” he whispered into her ear.
Patrick fondling and kissing the brunette on his doorstep.
Elsa closed her eyes and stilled her body.
Click.
A sharp tug of her hair brought her head back.
“Open your eyes and see the man in front of you. Really see him,” his voice was deep and dusty.
She shook her head. She wouldn’t.
“Open your eyes, Elsa. Look at him,” his voice hardened. “Ten… Nine... Eight…” he began counting down.
“Please stop…” she pleaded.
“Seven... Six…” He yanked her hair harder. “Trust me when I say you don’t want me to get to zero.”
The sinister tone of his voice left no room for delay and Elsa pried her eyes open and gasped when the image of two naked and intertwined bodies brightened the wall. They were in Patrick’s bed - the same bed she had made love to him in on so many occasions.
Click.
Tears bordered her lashes and she inhaled sharply at the next image – the brunette’s legs draped over Patrick’s shoulders as he plunged into her. She blinked rapidly, her heart tearing in two at the image of her ex-lover’s sexual exploitations. She began to cry. How could one person be so cold? What kind of man thinks of a punishment like this?
Click.
“Enough, you cruel son-of-a-bitch!” she screeched and tried to stand in the chair. Victor stood and pushed the chair down and held her head face forward.
The next image of Patrick being sucked off sent a wave of nausea over her causing her to retch loudly.
“I’m going to be sick…” she whimpered, still feeling the effects of too much wine.