He's insane, I thought. Or maybe I am, for following him down here.

Languidly, he ran his fingers down my arms, bringing my goosebumps to a stiff point. He caressed my shoulders, then stroked down my dress, following the line between the valley of my breasts.

The combination of silken clothing, and his firm touch, sent a jolt into my pussy.

What was that about? I'm in god damn danger, I can't be getting turned on over this!

Easily, he traced my sides, embracing the curve of my hips and chuckling. Onyx moved around me, but when I tried to follow him with my eyes, he grabbed the back of my head, twisting it back. "Don't look at me," he growled.

Panic morphed into feral anger. Gritting my teeth, I acted before I thought it through. One leg kicked out, catching him in the hip. "Untie me! Let me go! I don't want to do this anymore!"

Swirling fingers in my hair, he yanked my neck into an arch. I could barely see his face. "You can't hold still, and you can't be quiet. This isn't a very good start for you, little slave."

Swallowing, I said, "Fuck you, I'm not a slave."

"No?" His laughter surprised me. He released me, but it was brief. I didn't know what he held, only that something firm was being shoved between my teeth, a strap fixed behind my head. The rubber flavor tainted my tongue.

Noise rose in my gullet, but the gag muffled me.

He'd actually gagged me!

Without my voice, I'd been robbed of the last bit of control I had. No, I thought quickly. I have one more thing left.

I had my mind.

Onyx couldn't control that.

Coming around, he folded his arms and faced me. "You think you're not a slave, that you're not meant to kneel and please your Master." He chuckled, a noise that stroked my inner thighs as good as his hand could have. "I'll have fun proving you wrong."

Bending down, he caught my ankles. Easily, he spread them wide, fixing them inside two straps bolted to the floor.

Oh god, oh god!

My chest was threatening to split open from the tremor in my lungs. I thought I'd been too deep before, but now, I knew what deep really meant.

"I'm going to break you," he whispered, circling behind me.

His voice coerced a wave of excitement. No! Control yourself!

I had to; it was all I could do.

Determined to bury the lust, I stared at the far wall, but it was torture of another kind, because I could see the exit. Once more, I tugged at the ropes, knowing it was hopeless. I'm trapped, what will he do to me?

Hands moved down my back, then further, cupping my ass cheeks, fondling them lightly. My shout was a mere mumble behind the gag. I started to writhe, shaking in my bonds.

He slapped my ass, the noise cutting the air. The pain traveled in a burst through my flesh, down to my toes.

"Clearly, you have trouble obeying. Let's fix that."

Wondering how he meant to 'fix' me, I flooded with worry.

And also with something else.

My whole core was electric. It burned inside of me, making my breathing heavier.

Don't give in to this, I demanded.

But with what he had planned... nothing I did would make a difference.

He'd said he was going to break me.

And he meant it.

Onyx crouched, gripping the hem of my dress to hike it up to my waist. The firm globes of my ass, clad tightly in black panties and red from the slap, were exposed to his eyes.

Knowing he could see so much, I struggled to get free, humiliated by being displayed.

"Hold still," he grunted, "Or this will be much worse."

Biting into the gag, I squeezed my fists above my head.

His hand made a path down the back of my thigh, feeling my tight muscles. They were straining, resisting the urge to fight. One whole palm cupped my ass cheek, gently testing how pliant it was. "Lovely," he murmured, inhaling slowly as if to calm himself.

I felt a confusing thrill, pleased that he found my body appealing.

Onyx stepped back, leaving me alone.

Where is he going?

His touch was gone, disappointment in its wake. My flesh was betraying me. I was losing the last bit of control I had. Even now, I was aching for him.

When he returned, it wasn't with the sweet caress of before. Utilizing his strong muscles, the body I so admired, he slapped me on the ass savagely.

"Mmf!" I groaned, the pain just barely worse than the indignity. Again, he brought his palm down, filling the air with thunder.

I was rattled, I had no idea how to handle this. He's actually spanking me!

"Slaves who don't follow directions need to be punished. You must understand what you'll face if you try to resist, my dear." Lightly, he traced his fingers over my crimson skin, making me wince.

As he kept at it, the welts began to tingle.

It was like my skin was waking up, the sharpness melting into heightened strokes. Intrigued, and enjoying it in contrast to the slaps, I shut my eyes. Why is that so nice?

His hands brushed lower, catching the smooth inner part of my thigh. It was a quick contact, leaving soon enough, but it made my pussy twitch.

Shivering, my body embraced the sudden pleasure after the torture. The skin on my ass was pulsing as the blood spread back where it belonged, and my cunt seemed to follow the rhythm with a sympathetic beat of its own.

Abruptly, Onyx halted his ministrations, leaving me unprepared for another round of spanking. This time, angry tears welled up. I want him to stop! I jerked in the ropes, wishing I could will him with my wet eyes.

Through the red bursts of pain, I noticed how quickly I'd broken down. Was I so weak?

His fingers wrenched in my gag, pulling it from my sore jaw. Against my temple, he growled. "Promise me you won't disobey." He gripped my raw cheeks, giving a hard squeeze.

Gasping, my tongue was sluggish-speaking was a chore. This is it, I can tell him what I think of all this.

I could call him a monster.

I could scream until my throat was bloody.

Onyx stroked his palms over my tender flesh, reminding me of what he could do to me.

Both good... and bad.

Like a shoddy dam, I broke. "Please, no more. I'll do what you say!"

"Promise me correctly," he admonished, dragging his nails over the pink marks shaped like his own hands on my milky skin.

Correctly, what does he mean?

Then I realized.

Ashamed by the words I had to speak, I pressed on desperately. "Master, I won't disobey! I promise I'll listen to you, so please..."

Chuckling, he let my dress fall back down, the silk cool on my sweltering body. "And the breaking begins. Alright, since you begged so pretty, I'll stop. Remember this, though," he said, moving around to stand before me.

Carefully, he lifted my head, gently brushing the tears off of my face. He was so close we could have kissed. "I was being very kind. This was the most gentle of punishments. Next time, I will not be so patient. Do you understand, Opal?"

My heart pounded, body confused by the storm of sensations. I was hot as an ember all over, his touch and his words acted like oxygen to make me glow. "Yes," I breathed out in a rush. "I understand, Master. Thank you."

"Good girl." He smiled, and dammit, my ripple of delight was because I had pleased him again. Onyx was winning this game. It wasn't fair, he had more practice. He knew what to do, and I was just learning that my own body could betray me.

"Now, let's start over," he purred. His hands, agile as a thief's, untied the ropes above.

I grimaced at how tight my shoulders were, but I lowered my arms to my sides in relief. Onyx considered me, his hands folding behind his back. "Undress for me. This time, don't resist, I'd hate to think you learned nothing from what I showed you just now."

Yes, that's right. I couldn't get naked when asked, and so he did all of this.

Again, my chance to run had arrived.

Onyx was fast, but if I made it clear I wasn't playing around, he'd have to let me leave. Right? Wasn't this a game, dark as it was? No one could really be a slave, it wasn't possible.

Just a game...

My ass throbbed, but as I shifted, I realized my thighs were slick. His spanking had hurt, but there was no denying how excited it had made me.

He's dangerous! I need to run!

Peering at his confident smile, I hesitated.

And that was enough.

Taking a long, deep breath to steel my nerves, I reached for the clasp on my dress. I released the strings, the luscious gown falling down like rain. It pooled around my feet, leaving me standing before the masked man in only my lingerie.

No, I'm also masked. I can be brave about this if I consider that he doesn't know who I am. We're protected by being anonymous.

It didn't help entirely, but it was enough to keep my courage strong so I didn't cover myself and try to bolt.

Onyx tilted his head, eyeing me like I was a piece of art. That moment tickled me, reminding me of Seth-how he would watch me paint. I didn't want to compare the two men, but they were similar, weren't they?

For the first time, I felt a flash of guilt. Was this wrong of me? Doing this with Onyx? I'd been fawning over Seth for days. Was I so fickle?

"Turn for me," he commanded. Lifting my head, I did as he said. "I admit, you're very beautiful. But I think you look even better covered in my marks."

My face flushed to my hairline. I glanced back at him, having trouble meeting his eyes.

Does he really think I'm beautiful?

"Now, hold still," he said, stepping forward. I could smell him; it was a strong scent, like honey and olive oil. It made my head swim. I shut my eyes with a sigh.

His fingers came, gloved tips feeling my shoulders, sliding down and around to unclasp my bra. Knowing what was about to happen, my tendons stretched, on the verge of snapping. I was worried I might hit him again, just on instinct.

Relax. Don't be so scared, I told myself.

In the dim light, my breasts were revealed. His proximity had turned their tips firm. My dusky nipples were sensitive in the air, I inhaled on reflex.

"Lovely," he laughed. "I'm so pleased I picked you."

I smiled helplessly, opening my eyes to watch him. Even with the mask, it was obvious he was studying every inch of me. His hands made a quick path down my torso, curling in the edges of my panties. I wondered if he could hear my heart, the blood in my ears was close to deafening.

He's going to see all of me. Will he notice how turned on I am?

I quivered as he began deliberately sliding the garment down. As the panties pulled past my hips, exposing my soft strip of light curls, they stuck to my lower lips from how damp I had become.

Onyx grinned at the vision of my black panties coated in my juices. He tugged them to the floor. "Did you enjoy being punished that much? Were you disobeying on purpose?"

"No," I gasped, covering my mouth. "No, I wasn't, really!"

"Shh," he whispered, wickedly amused. Firmly, he grabbed my thighs. "This is just a sign of your nature, being submissive is something you obviously enjoy. I told you... you're a slave."

He can't be right. I'm not... I was never like this before.

He was so close to my most private of places, I couldn't pretend I didn't want him to explore further.

A gloved finger traced along the edge of my pussy. I groaned, body flooding with anticipation. Oh god, keep going, please just touch me!

Onyx placed his thumbs on either side of my folds, spreading me gently, revealing my slick pinkness. "You're perfect, Opal. A true jewel."

Whimpering, my nails formed half-moons in my palms. Carefully, I eased my fists away, folding my arms over my chest. Hugging myself, I watched Onyx as he knelt at my feet with his smirk so near my clit.