I couldn't talk. The ropes were still digging into me, never letting up. They didn't care that I'd just come; they had me in their grasp, and they were unrelenting. "Help," I whispered pitifully as a new wave of hot pleasure strangled me. "Fuck, take them off, I can't... I..."

"Can't what? Handle more?" Laughing, he kissed my cheek. "I think you can. I've seen it."

Blood pounded in my ears. The room swam, and I rolled my hips like a stripper on a stage. I was coming again before I could prepare, the ropes forcing me without caring what I wanted.

Sobbing, I threw my head back. "Fuck! I-this-aah!" Colors blurred, I was a wet, convulsing mess. My world centered in on my pussy, the heat there burning through my consciousness.

could do nothing but come, even when I was sure it was too much.

Then, with one final, blurry look at my reflection...

I felt nothing more.

- Chapter Seventeen -.

Naomi.

Blackness choked me under.

It had arrived suddenly, stealing all sensation from me as I floated along. I only realized I'd passed out when I saw I was sitting naked on the floor.

Confused, I lifted my head, my returning senses telling me how sore I was. Around me, there was warmth; a pair of arms, holding me against a solid chest. Seth's forehead rested on the side of my skull, his legs stretching on either side of me.

"Seth?" I asked, shaking the cotton from my brain.

"Naomi. I'm... sorry."

I was sure I'd heard him wrong. Not just the apology.

He'd called me Naomi.

Not Ms. Starling.

Not even Opal.

What had happened while I was unconscious?

His presence was smothering me; I was slick with old sweat and in no state to make sense of anything. Twisting, I tried to get him to look me in the eye. "You're sorry for what, punishing me?"

Seth met my stare, turmoil in his rich blue irises. "No. I loved every moment of that."

Hugging myself, I grazed a mild mark across my chest from the ropes. It would fade, I could tell he'd tied me up with care. If he isn't apologizing for doing this, then... I needed to understand what he was trying to say. "What do you have to be sorry for?"

"Days ago," he said gently. "Upstairs, the night I lashed out and banished you. I'm sorry for all of that."

Am I dreaming? Or just going nuts? "You don't need to apologize. It made sense for you to be so angry." Finally given a chance to explain everything, I pushed on. "But what I did was an accident! I never meant to cause so much trouble."

"It was no accident. What you did was deliberate. Breaking the rules, going through that door... You changed everything." He adjusted me in his lap. His eyes were as molten as silver, coating my soul.

I shivered violently. "You told me I almost ruined everything."

Scowling, he shook his head side to side. "I was a fool, scared of losing the world I'd built for myself. Furious that I was falling for a woman who could expose me entirely."

Falling for me.

The rest of his tirade sank in. "I wouldn't!" Leaning up, my forehead touched his chin. "I would never tell anyone what goes on down here, Seth. I really wouldn't. All of it... it means everything to me, too."

It's true. My body was pulsating. Everything was pulsating. Becoming Opal, it gave me an opportunity at a new life. A new existence.

And I want it back.

Hesitating, studying the curve of his mouth, I dropped my voice. "You mean everything to me, Master Onyx."

Saying that name was like invoking a demon.

Crushing his lips to mine, he shoved me against the floor. Seth trapped me, held me in place so he could remind me of all the things about him that I needed.

The kiss was long, it had my lungs screaming. When he finally pulled away, air was rasping through his clenched teeth. The gleam in his eyes, I knew it was reflected in mine. "You mean that, don't you?" he whispered.

"Of course, I could never lie to you!"

His smile was indulgent, it soon became a sneer. "No. You couldn't."

Seth lacked the slow, cool collection he'd wielded in the past. Here, with my feelings so naked, he was ravenous.

His fingers clawed into my hair, capturing me securely. Teeth clamped on my earlobe, then rubbed down my silky throat. Everything he did made me groan, everything he was drove me wild.

Scrabbling to hold onto his back, I knew my brain was turning into pudding.

Pushing his chest against mine, Seth breathed in my scent. Hearing his greedy moan, it had my eyes rolling in my skull.

My hair was a tangle, falling across my breasts. I reached out, wanting to undo his shirt buttons. Instead, he straddled me and sat up, doing the job himself.

I didn't mind. He was much better, much more quick, than I would have been.

Seth crouched, rubbing his smooth chest over mine. I was still so sensitive from earlier, his minuscule movements had me whimpering.

Wrapping his lips around one firm nipple, he suckled me, my knees grinding together. Each tug at my breast made the walls of my pussy thrum, like they were connected by invisible threads.

He pet my areola, lazy circles that made me breathe faster. "Your body is so easy to read," he whispered. Blowing cool air on the slickness of my damp nipple, he chuckled at my sharp gasp. "I love it, really."

He... loves it?

Hooking his arms around my thighs, Seth lifted me until my ass was in the air, my slit inches from his lips. Staring straight into my face, he inhaled my scent loudly. Seeing the lust cross his expression, it cranked my arousal.

Running his tongue over my swollen lips, the man lapped at me like he was parched for water. Each stroke made me cry out, my fingers digging into the floor.

Soft lips circled my pulsing clit, embracing it in luscious pleasure. I was sure I couldn't take any more. My flesh was tender from the bondage.

When he suddenly dipped his elegant fingers deep into my clenching tunnel, he showed me he knew better. Wriggling inside of me, Seth held me tight as I gyrated with wild passion.

My cunt rippled over his thrusting fingers. His face, when he smiled at me, was drenched. Oh god, my heart might explode!

The wetness was audible, his fingers slipping free. For a moment, I felt the aching pain of emptiness. Seth was fast, removing his belt and pants without issue.

Leaning down, he kissed me roughly. I tasted my own sweetness on his tongue. The plump tip of his cock was warm, the only warning he was about to shove himself deep into my eager pussy.

I braced myself, vibrating with desire for him to fill me.

Seth brushed his nose to mine, speaking soft, insistent. "Do you need me to fuck you?"

"I-yes, of course!" I was having trouble focusing.

"Then," he said, bending to whisper into my ear, "I need you to do something for me."

My mouth was dry, sticky. "Anything, just tell me!"

"Agree to be mine." His cock slid along my slippery lips. "Agree to come back, to finish the mural... and to never break my rules again." The more he talked, the greater my pussy ached. "Or, my sweet Opal, I will not fuck you. I will not give you the cock you so desperately need. What will it be?"

I looked at him squarely, my lips smiling upwards at one corner. I could see the confusion welling in his gaze. He needed an answer. "That's all? You didn't need to bribe me to get that. It's what I wanted all along, Master Onyx."

His consternation melted, transformed into a thing of gluttony. Holding my shoulders, he pressed me into the floor, driving his entire length into me in one fierce stroke.

It was the answer we had both wanted.

I squealed, thrusting to meet him. The sound of our carnal dance filled the room, wet and desperate. His teeth found my throat, my nails dug into his sides. Whatever sharpness the pain delivered was muted by the delightful throes of heat rising in our centers.

I'm so close, so god damn close.

My insides were grasping at his swelling cock, locking him in place. But I wasn't strong enough to hold him. Tensing, the pressure mounting to a peak, I groaned openly while the orgasm took control.

Inside, I felt him thickening. Above, his breathing was heavy with exertion. He's going to come, too! Realizing how near his release was, my desire soared. Is he going to do it inside of me?

He hadn't before, but it would be hard for him to pull out in time.

Roiling with anticipation, hot with a taboo desire, I wrapped my thighs around his lower back. If he'd debated yanking free, my position made it impossible.

Burying himself to the hilt, Seth grunted into the crook of my neck. His skin was white-fire, his cock thickening.

Rivulets of his essence poured inside my hungry pussy. It set me off again, the orgasm slamming into me, stealing my breath. Each muscle was a single spasm that never seemed to end.

What gift did this man have, that he could always give me such pure bliss?

Together we laid there, panting on the soaked floor.

Lifting his head, Seth watched me, a finger trailing my collar bone. "Did you mean for me to finish inside of you?"

My grin was sly. "In the heat of everything, it just felt right."

Wrinkling his brow, Seth chuckled. "You really do love risks."

I couldn't deny that. Everything that had drawn me to Seth had been risky.

"When you agreed to be mine," he asked. "You meant that?"

His question stunned me. How could he even wonder about my sincerity?

Crushing my lips to his for a short second, I snuggled closer. "Of course I meant it. I meant every word. I'm yours, Seth. Master Onyx. Whatever you want me to call you, I don't care. I... I love you," I admitted.

Seth froze, his stare unmoving, targeting me.

My face went tomato red. Why did I say that? What if he doesn't...

Those thoughts became ash as he rolled me on top of him, still buried deep inside of me. His kiss could have stolen the last breath from my lungs, left me a husk, and I wouldn't have minded. "Naomi, I love you, too. I never thought I would say those words, but I mean them."

Radiant, I said no more, only wanting to taste his mouth. The mouth that had been both cruel and kind, the mouth that had banished me...

The mouth that had brought me home.

I'm his. Truly his.

I desired nothing more.

- Chapter Eighteen -.

Seth.

I stood in the shadows, my hands folded at my waist.

Though I'd watched many slaves get collared, I'd never performed the act myself. There were candles on stands, gentle music, and people lined up in rows patiently. It reminded me of a twisted wedding, but that imagery had me smiling.

"I still don't know why you're doing this," Helm whispered beside me. "I've never seen you collar anyone. Why now, and why her, of all people?"

His bitterness wasn't surprising. Helm had a taste for rebellion, and I knew he'd seen the same fire in Naomi that I had. Unlike me, though, he wanted to snuff her flames out. Few Masters were as fierce as him.

I'd have banned him from my club, but the girls never complained. If they didn't mind has rough touch, who was I to judge?