By My Side by Michele Zurlo

reveling in all the ways her scent and touch intoxicated him. She gyrated and undulated, racing her way to orgasm and taking him with her. Her head fell back, and her eyes closed. Sean watched, fascinated by his beautiful slave, and he fell completely in love. Maybe he’d been in love with her all along, but this was the first time he allowed himself the freedom to bask in it. The stakes rose. Not only did he need her to admit she couldn’t live without him, he needed to know she felt the same way about him.
     
    Those thoughts shoved to the back burner when her sheath clamped around him. White edged his vision, and he fought the urge to climax. He pressed his palms into her breasts, flattening the tissue. Her body jerked, and she pushed against him, flattening them even more. He knew her sensitized, abused nipples had to ache, and he marveled at her enjoyment of this sweet pain. She might not like the whip, but he was learning what other kinds of pain she liked. He filed this knowledge away as her rhythm faltered.
     
    “Come for me, Cella.”
     
    The impending orgasm drawing up his balls pressed him to do something, but he resisted helping her to regain the rhythm. He could have released her breasts to guide her hips, but he wanted to know how much control she wielded over her pleasure. She drew in a ragged breath and ground against him. The crude gyration pushed her over the edge. Her silky pussy pulsed, creating a vacuum that pulled at his own pleasure. She cried out, and he came with her.
     
    She slumped against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her body, holding her while they both shivered and convulsed with aftershocks. He drew his fingertips up and down her back until she settled into his embrace.
     
    Things had changed between them, irrevocably shifted, and he didn’t know the rules of their new relationship. The mild possessiveness he’d always felt toward her grew, crystallizing into something hard and unyielding. He hadn’t wanted to use her in the benefit at all, and now he found it more difficult than ever to picture following through with their plan. The idea of sharing something so intimate with spectators left a sick and prickly feeling in his stomach.
     
    However, he had promises to keep, and he could trust her to hold him to his word. Whether he wanted to do the benefit or not, she had committed herself, and she wasn’t the kind of woman who went back on her promises. He had to honor that.
     
    Didn’t he?
     
    Shaking away that thought, he kissed the top of her head. “Well done, my beautiful slave. Now go get dressed. I might like to see you naked, but I want it to be for my eyes only. Wear a skirt that stops above your knees. No underwear.”
     
    She started at his pronouncement, and he used a kiss to silence her before she could utter a word. If he tried to rationalize his declaration, she would realize the reasons for his reticence, and she would put an end to their blissful day. If he betrayed her trust by refusing to use her, he would lose her completely. Somehow he had to find the courage to push aside his desires and do the right thing.
     
    Swiping the robe from where it had fallen on the floor, he grunted. He held the robe open. After she threaded her arms through the appropriate holes, he tied the sash.
     
    “Fuller will likely stay for dinner. Whether he does or not, you will sit on my lap and feed me as you did this afternoon. Do you understand?”
     
    Her eyes widened, and he knew visions of the way she had ridden him afterward occupied her thoughts. “Do you want me to call you ‘Master’ or ‘Sean’ while he’s here?”
     
    A grin split his face so wide it ached. The way she said his name had changed, subtly altered to reflect his new role in her life. “It doesn’t matter which you use when we’re not in this dungeon.” He would use her choice of address to gauge her mood and her receptiveness. “Now go get cleaned up. I’ll expect you to sit in on