Collared (Captured by the Billionaire #6)(7)
Author: Julia Sykes

“Don’t move.”  His voice was harsh, commanding.  Mallory stood still as a statue, her muscles tensed.  He grabbed her wrist, his towering height making it easy for him to reach the cuffs.  He swiftly encircled one wrist in a cuff and then the other, bucking them tightly.  A pleasurable shudder rippled through her at the feeling of being restrained, of being completely bared for him, at his mercy.  And she prayed that he would be merciful; she had no idea what he had planned.

There was a clanking sound behind her, and she felt herself being inexorably pulled upward, her body being stretched taut as she was forced onto her tiptoes.  The pulling on her wrists was a bit uncomfortable, but the cuffs were lined with soft cloth, so the feeling wasn’t unbearable.  So long as she didn’t drop back on her heels.

She jerked at the sudden contact of Jake’s gentle hand stroking down her spine.  His breath was hot on her neck as he whispered in her ear.  “I need you to prove that you trust me, and that I can trust you.  Remember your safe words, Mallory.”

Why did he keep repeating that?

There was a coolness on her skin as his warmth left her, and she shivered.  For a moment, there was nothing.  Then, a whooshing sound cut through the air.  It seemed to last an eternity before the single-tail whip flicked across her ass.  The sound of it hitting her was barely perceptible, but she hissed in a sharp breath at the sting, more intense than any spanking or even the flogger; the zap was concentrated, a small but powerful lick of pain.  Before she could fully process it, the whip whispered through the air again, and she couldn’t hold back an answering cry of pain as it made contact with her right leg.  If the pain on her ass had been intense, it was magnified threefold when it hit the sensitive skin of her upper thigh.  Despite her cries, the tail of the whip continued to relentlessly lick at her legs in an unpredictable rhythm, never falling into a discernible pattern.  Every hit was a small line of fire.

Tears began to roll down her cheeks.  Why didn’t he stop?  He had always been so in tune with her needs before.  Couldn’t he see that she had reached her limit?

“Remember your safe words, Mallory.”

She understood: he needed her to communicate with him, to tell him that she couldn’t take any more.  He had to trust her to use her safe words, and she had to trust him to stop.

“Red!”  She cried out in her moment of realization.

The hits stopped immediately, and she let out a sob of relief.  She heard the whip clatter to the floor behind her, and Jake was instantly in front of her, his arms encircling her.  He ran a gentle hand down her back.

“Good girl,” he murmured, over and over again until her sniffling ceased.

He pulled back from her after a moment, tenderly wiping the tears from her cheeks.  “Do you understand now, Mallory?”  He asked softly.  “I own your body, but you ultimately hold all of the power.”

The idea warmed her; she had never thought of it that way.  But now it was so obvious.  She nodded firmly, no longer trembling.

He smiled approvingly and then ran his hands slowly up her arms.  When they reached her wrists, he released her from her cuffs.  She stumbled a bit as she fell back onto her heels, and he caught her in his strong arms.  But rather than helping her stand upright, he gently lowered her to the floor, until she was on her knees.  He released her and stood, looking down at her with warm approval.  And she gazed up at him, totally lost in the moment; it felt so right to be at his feet, demonstrating her full submission.

Jake reached into his pocket, and her eyes locked on the object in his hand: her collar.  It was black, a thin band of leather that dipped down to a graceful point where it would rest at the hollow of her throat.  A small silver ring hung from the center.  It jangled melodically as Jake held the collar out to her, allowing her to examine it.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed as she ran tentative fingers over the sleek leather.

Jake grinned.  “Then it suits you perfectly.”

She flushed in pleasure at the compliment.

His expression turned serious, his dark blue eyes locking her in place.  “Do you agree to be my submissive, Mallory?  To obey me completely?  And to accept any pleasure or pain that I choose to give you?”

She wanted to belong to him more fiercely that she had ever wanted anything.  And now she knew that in being his collared submissive, he would belong to her as well.  “Yes,” she breathed, caught up in his intense gaze.

“Lift up your hair,” he ordered.

She gathered up her thick locks, twisting them into a ponytail and then holding her hair to the back of her head with both hands, exposing her neck.  He reached forward slowly, both of them savoring the moment as the cool leather encircled her neck.  He secured it by pushing a metal hook through a hole at the back of the collar.  Then he reached into his pocked again and pulled out something small and silver: a tiny, delicate padlock.  She was mesmerized by it, licking her lips unconsciously as it glinted in the dim light of the room.  His hands were at her nape, and there was a small, satisfying snick as the padlock locked around the metal hook, ensuring that the collar was securely fastened around her neck.  A shiver ran through her at the sound, her ni**les hardening and her cl*t throbbing.

Jake traced the line of the collar with gentle fingers, sending pleasure rippling across her skin at the contact.  He pulled his hands back from her slowly, reluctantly, before turning sharply away from her.

“Come,” he ordered simply, taking a step towards the bed.

With difficulty, Mallory scrambled to her feet.  Jake glanced back at her, his hard gaze freezing her in place.  “I didn’t say you could stand,” he reprimanded her.  “Crawl.”

Mallory’s mouth opened and closed a few times, but her flare of pride was quelled by his reproving stare, one eyebrow quirked expectantly.  Swallowing, she dropped to her hands and knees.  He turned away from her again and continued his progress across the room, expecting her to follow.  Despite the fact that this humiliating situation grated on her, she couldn’t deny the growing wetness between her legs as she crawled after him.

When she finally reached the edge of the bed, Jake roughly grabbed her by her h*ps and threw her onto the mattress.  She lay on her back, panting in need as she looked up at him.  Hastily, as though he couldn’t do it fast enough, Jake began unbuttoning his collared shirt, roughly pulling it off before unzipping his slacks.  Mallory licked her lips as she took in his glorious physique: his corded arms, the hard planes of his chest, and the dusky trail of hair leading down to his impressive cock.  When she finally met his gaze, she was startled to see that he studied her hungrily; there was a need in his eyes that answered her own.