Dark Perception: The Corde Noire Series Read online

  Nathan’s eyes took in every inch of her pale skin, round hips, and small, firm breasts. “Come here,” he seductively purred.

  Melinda happily sashayed toward the bed, but before she could recline on the yellow bedspread, he pulled her into his arms and hungrily covered her mouth with a kiss.

  The embers of passion that had been smoldering in her belly flashed into an all-consuming flame. Her skin tingled as his fingers fondled every inch of her. She tugged at the buttons on his white shirt, desperate to touch him.

  Sensing her hunger, Nathan shrugged the shirt from his shoulders. Melinda’s hands explored the carved muscles in his chest, tickled his ripped abs, and then crept lower to the zipper on his trousers.

  “You’re in very good shape, Mr. Cole.”

  Nathan guided her hands to his cock. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

  He nipped her neck when she stroked his erection, and before she could get his pants over his hips, Nathan positioned her beneath him. After wiggling out of his pants and briefs, he threw them to the floor.

  Eager to get her hands on her favorite part of the man, Melinda grasped his round, tight ass. As if responding to her, he ran his fingertips over her folds and then flicked her clit.

  Melinda groaned when he dipped his fingers into her.

  “I love how wet you feel,” he murmured to her. “I can’t wait to be inside you.”

  “Then why aren’t you?” she moaned.

  He slowly began to move his fingers in and out. “Because I have something else in mind.”

  Melinda cried out as his fingers picked up speed, hurtling her toward climax. She remembered how it had been with Josh, the feelings of inadequacy as she tried to excite him. There was none of that with Nathan. She was being driven by pure lust, and the insecurities of her youth melted away as her impending orgasm grew more insistent.

  “Oh, God, Nathan,” she mumbled against him as waves of pleasure pulsed within her.

  “Are you going to come, Melinda?”

  “Yes,” she gasped, clawing at his shoulders.

  He yanked his fingers from her wet flesh.

  “What are you doing?” She sat up on her elbows, confused. Did I do something wrong?

  His face was unusually serene, something Melinda found disconcerting. “Ask my permission to come.”

  “What?”

  He ran one finger along her wet folds, causing her insides to tighten with anticipation. “Beg me … beg me to make you come.”

  His voice was emotionless and cold. Melinda was unsure of how to proceed. No one had done this to her before.

  He pinched her clit. “Beg me.”

  Flinching, Melinda warily stared into his eyes. “Make me come, Nathan.”

  His fingers slipped inside her. “Say it like you mean it.”

  Her body was responding to his slightest touch. Her apprehension receded as he stirred her desire once more. She was so close; she would fall apart if he didn’t take her over the edge.

  “Please,” she whimpered. “Make me come.”

  “From now on, Melinda, only I can satisfy you.” He rubbed his thumb over her clit as his fingers eased in and out.

  Nathan was unlike any other man she had known. Josh was nothing more than an eager schoolboy next to his experienced hands. When she finally let go, Melinda rocked back her head and screamed.

  Nathan kissed her cheek. “That’s what I like to hear.”

  Still drunk with satisfaction, Melinda was rolled on to her stomach while Nathan positioned her hands above her head.

  “What are you doing?”

  “You really have a lovely ass.” He kissed her left butt cheek.

  Sitting astride her thighs, he pinned her to the bed. When she tried to raise her head, he shoved her back down.

  “No. Don’t move. Stay perfectly still.”

  She trembled with anticipation as he brushed his fingers over her folds. He spread her knees apart. The ache to have him inside her made Melinda bite down on the bedspread.

  There was the tear of a package behind her, and a few seconds later, he entered her. The force of his penetration made Melinda gasp as he went as deep as he could. She wanted to raise her hips, but his weight made it difficult for her to move or even breathe. Slowly, he pulled out and then thrust even harder than before.

  Melinda groaned as Nathan repeated his unhurried rhythm. His leisurely pace was driving her mad.

  “Faster,” she cried out.

  Nathan slapped her ass.

  Her eyes flew open. What was that for?

  “You never tell me what to do, Melinda. You’ll soon learn that I’m the Master here.”

  He purposefully slowed down. Melinda wanted to cry out with frustration as she shuddered with need.

  He pounded into her once more and then stilled. “I’m going to take my time with you.”

  Melinda wanted to bring his exquisite torture to an end, but she could not move beneath him. All she could do was lie there and let him do as he pleased.

  As he continued his snail-like pace, the tingle in her loins climbed higher, and Melinda wanted desperately to push against his hips to quickly bring on her orgasm. As her desperation grew, she lost all sense of the world around her. The only thing Melinda could feel was him driving into her with deep, slow thrusts. Her body crept closer toward climax and the increasing tension in her muscles began to burn.

  “Please, Nathan.”

  But he never said a word; he kept on with his merciless assault.

  When the tide of her release finally took over, it was like nothing she had ever known. Her body bucked and she screamed with such abandon, she didn’t recognize her own voice. The pulsations went on and on, lasting for what seemed like an eternity. When she finally opened her eyes, she could hear Nathan breathing hard against her back as he lay motionless on top of her.

  “I’ve never known it could be like that.”

  He moved a ringlet of red hair aside and kissed her cheek. “I like hearing that.” He rolled off her and settled on the bed. “I will like training you.”

  She turned to him. “Training me? What do you mean?”

  He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. “I can show you many ways to attain pleasure, but you have to give yourself to me … completely. Allow me to be your Master and follow my direction in all things.”

  “I thought I already did that.”

  “Not quite. What I’m asking for is a little more involved.”

  She sat up, intrigued. “Which means what exactly?”

  He rolled over on his back. “What have your other relationships been like? Have any of the men you’ve been with ever tried to tell you to be a certain way with them? Act a certain way? Do things they wanted?”

  She shook her head, blushing. “No. All the men I dated were … more interested in my gift than me.”

  His smile was not what Melinda had expected. He seemed like a child on Christmas morning, antsy to play with a new toy. Nathan shifted over to his side and rested his head on his hand.

  “I would like for you to allow me to take over your life. I will protect you, feed you, take care of you, and be everything you need. But you will have to listen to me, Melinda. Do as I say, be what I want, and not argue. Submit to my will and I promise … you will enjoy it.”

  She drew up her legs, considering his proposition.

  He sat up next to her, carefully observing her reaction. “What do you say? Do you want to give it a try?”

  For some reason, the idea of handing herself over to Nathan excited her. She had never had such a relationship with any man. Giving into a man had always been exhilarating, but this was something different.

  “What if I don’t like what you do?” she finally questioned.

  He drew circles on her shoulder with his forefinger. “Then you can tell me to stop. If you don’t like what we do, I won’t force you. Just tell me to stop.”

  It all seemed pretty straightforward to Melinda. “I guess if it
’s something you want … I’m willing to give it a try.”

  His hand went to her left breast, his thumb grazing her nipple. “Think of me as your teacher. You want to please your teacher, right? So you must strive to do everything you can to follow my instructions.” Nathan roughly pulled her to him. “Do you understand?”

  “I understand.”

  He tapped his finger against the tip of her nose. “I understand, Sir. To play the game you must call me Sir.”

  She slyly smiled. “Yes … Sir.”

  “I definitely like the sound of that.”

  Nathan kissed her again while pushing her to the bed. His hand opened her legs, and his fingers once again awakened that tantalizing tingle in her groin.

  A curtain of contentment settled over Melinda. She had finally found it. The one thing she had always been looking for … someone to take away all of her cares. As she gave herself to him again, an unsettling vision popped into her mind.

  The white mist from the storage room floated into her bedroom and hovered over her bed. When she looked into the mist, she saw green eyes staring back at her. Then the eyes grew wide with fear as a voice screamed inside her head.

  Run!

  Chapter 13

  Bright light from the sitting room window filtered across the bedroom and landed on Melinda’s bed. She watched as the streams of light cascaded across the yellow sheets as Nathan slept beside her. The morning light helped chase away the unsettling image of the entity with the green eyes. As she heard that eerie voice repeating in her head, she shivered.

  “How long have you been awake?” Nathan mumbled, reaching for her.

  “Most of the night.”

  “What is it?” His fingers caressed her right shoulder. “Are you having second thoughts … about us?”

  “No, it’s not that.” She hesitated, debating if she should even bring up the topic. “I saw that ghost again. The one in my storage room,” she finally told him.

  Nathan sat up. “What did you see?”

  “It was in my bedroom, and this time I saw its eyes. It had green eyes, like mine. It was more threatening this time. Like it’s getting closer or something.” She ran her hand over his chest. “Probably doesn’t help that every time I come home I find the door to the storage room open. No matter how many times I shut it, I still find it open later on. It’s starting to creep me out.”

  “Might just be the handle.” He patted her hand. “I’ll tell Marv to put a deadbolt on that door. I’m sure that will stop it from coming open.”

  “What if that doesn’t work?”

  “I can tell Marv to reprogram the intercom system so there is a direct line between my place and yours. That way you can call me in case you see the ghost. Then I’ll run over and slay it for you.”

  She settled against him, giggling. “It’s not a dragon.”

  The past vision she had seen of giggling naked in his arms as the sun rose through her bedroom windows came to mind. Melinda wanted to hug herself. She loved that sense of wonder the actualization of a vision always gave her. Those aha moments never got old.

  “There’s something I want you to have.” Nathan tossed the covers aside.

  Melinda waited as he climbed from the bed and went to his tuxedo pants on the floor. He hunted through the pockets and when he returned to her side, Nathan let a small piece of black cord dangle from his hand.

  “I want you to wear this, day and night,” he instructed, holding the black cord up to her. “You’re never to take it off.”

  Melinda stroked the silky black rope. At the end was a clasp made of gold. “Why do you want me to wear this?”

  “It’s a collar, a symbol of your commitment to me.”

  “A collar? Is that necessary?”

  He sat her up and placed the cord around her neck. “It’s what a man like me does when he takes on a woman who has submitted to him.”

  He secured the tight collar. For Melinda, it felt too snug and would be a constant reminder of why it was there.

  “So what kind of man are you?”

  “I’m a Dominant, Melinda.”

  Okay, this just got interesting.

  Fondling the collar, she gazed up at him. “How long have you been a Dominant?”

  He admired the cord on her neck. “I’ve always liked being in control, but it’s just in the past few years that I’ve discovered the art.”

  “‘The art’?” Her voice oozed with sarcasm. “Is that what you call it?”

  He grinned, appearing bemused by her comment. “You should know what a Dominant is before you—”

  “I know what a Dominant is, Nathan. I may be naive, but I’m not stupid.”

  “I’ve never thought you were either of those things, Melinda.” He sat back on the bed, analyzing her. “Who told you that you were naive?”

  She rolled her eyes, fighting back a swell of emotion when a certain pair of hazel eyes came to mind. “Jack. He always said I was too innocent for my own good.”

  “Which would explain why he hovered around you like an overprotective guard dog,” he griped in a throaty rumble.

  She played with the edge of the sheet tucked around her. “That sounds like Jack.”

  Nathan moved closer, nudging the sheet below her left breast. “Have you ever been involved with a Dominant before?”

  “Living in the French Quarter, I always bumped into them. I’ve just never dated one.”

  He taunted her nipple with his thumbnail. “This isn’t dating; not like you know it. From this moment on, you’re committed to me and only me. There can be no other men.”

  Tilting her head to the side, Melinda recalled what she knew about Dominants. “I thought there was supposed to be some kind of contract signed in these things. Like in the movies.”

  “No contracts … not with me.” He eased the sheet lower, exposing both of her breasts. “I just need your commitment to give us a try. The rest we will make up as we go along.”

  “I like the idea of no contracts.” Melinda enjoyed the way his devilish eyes were scrutinizing her breasts. “Makes it seem less like selecting a wireless carrier and more like a relationship.”

  Nathan crept toward her. “I never thought of it that way.” He kissed her right breast and eased her down on the bed with him. “We need to mark our special commitment with a celebration. How ‘bout we start with brunch at Commander’s Palace?”

  “Really?” Her toes curled with excitement. “I’ve always wanted to go there.”

  His mouth teased the nape of her neck. “Then we can stop by this little designer dress shop I know and buy you some better clothes.”

  She abruptly sat up on her elbows. “What’s wrong with the clothes I’ve got?”

  “They’re too revealing,” he chided, appearing disappointed she had pulled away. “The dress you wore last night was beautiful, but I would prefer it if you showed a little less skin in the future. I want you to look classy and sophisticated.” His fingertips tantalized her forearms. “You’re mine now, and you need to look the best you can.”

  Filling with apprehension, she bit her lower lip. “But I don’t know how to look classy or sophisticated. I had to have Ellie help me pick out all of my clothes.”

  “I will pick out your clothes. I don’t want your friend dressing you anymore. Her taste leaves a lot to be desired.”

  Melinda pouted her lips. “She was trying to make me look sexy so I could seduce you.”

  “You didn’t need sexy clothes to seduce me. I’ve been fantasizing about you from the day we met.”

  She let her mouth hover inches from his. “I think you were sending me all of those sexy messages on purpose.”

  “I was,” he murmured, and bit down on her lower lip. “There is someplace special I would like to show you,” he announced, embracing her.

  “What place?”

  “I think it’s time you see what we have both been working so hard to get.” He played with a silky lock of her red hair. “Since it looks
like I’ve lost Denise’s backing, we will have to keep on working for a while longer.”

  “What will you do for funding without Denise Becnel?”

  He ran his hand through her thick hair. “Bud Moore is still interested, but he wants a lot more control over the building plans than I’m willing to give him.”

  “You should consider it. You can trust him, Nathan.”

  “I can’t trust him like I can trust you.” He gathered up her hair in his fist and tugged her head back as he bit her exposed neck. He let her hair go and was about to back away when Melinda tossed her arms around his neck, begging him to return to her.

  “Don’t stop.”

  Peering into her eyes, a cocky grin stretched across his lips. “You didn’t say the magic word.”

  She eased her body beneath him. “Please, don’t stop.”

  “Sir. Please don’t stop, Sir.” Nathan’s lips started at the black cord on her neck and worked their way down her chest and stomach. “Say it,” he demanded as his fingers thrust into her.

  Melinda threw her head back. “Please, don’t stop, Sir.”

  His darting fingers made her undulate with desire. Wrapping her long legs around his waist, she entreated him to come inside her.

  “Easy, baby,” he cooed while kissing her shoulder. “We’ve got all morning to play.”

  * * *

  After brunch at Commander’s Palace, Nathan drove her to the abandoned power plant on Market Street. When she stepped from Nathan’s Jaguar, Melinda discovered the property was a lot bigger than she had envisioned.

  The old factory and connecting office building were made from a beautiful red brick that still looked new despite the rusted metal piping, multiple broken windows, and massive amounts of graffiti covering both structures. Mammoth multi-paned windows rose from above the main entrance of the factory and were surrounded by decorative arched brickwork, while smaller windows had been placed along the plain façade of the office building. Rising from the center of the factory roof were two bricked smokestacks covered with rusted access ladders.