It creeped me out to have him talking casually about my partners. I removed the headphones. The sound of his voice was beside me. I didn’t need to hear it through electronics. “But, but the other person will know it’s me. Even if I don’t know who it is, he will.”

“They my dear; not he. Plural not singular.” Stewart placed the blindfold over my eyes and the headphones once again on my ears. With my world dark, he continued, “You’re so hot, and you’re so right: they will know. However, you won’t. Each time we attend a function or accept an invitation to dinner, you won’t be burdened with the knowledge of the man across the table having had his dick inside of you. As you’re playing tennis at the club, you won’t be comparing the husbands of the women you see. All you’ll know is what I choose to share with you.”

As I reached for the blindfold, Stewart’s words brought my hands to a halt. “Do not remove that, Mrs. Harrington. Tonight, I want to watch as you follow my directions.”

A renegade tear escaped my lid, only to be swallowed up by the satin material. I spoke into the darkness. “Stewart, I don’t want to do this. I don’t want any part of this.”

He brushed my arms as I felt the zipper of my dress go down. “I’ll be with you every step of the way. I’ll make this as easy or as hard as I choose” His warm breath bathed my neck. “I suggest that you work toward easy: it is what I truly want.” Guiding me up toward the head of the bed, he removed my panties and spread my legs. “Tonight it’s just us. Nod if you can hear my voice.”

I nodded, for the first time fearful of the man I called my husband. What did he mean when he said that it can be as easy or hard as he chose? What would he do if I denied him this?

The mattress shifted: instinctively I knew he was gone, though his voice sounded as though he were still next to me. “You’re so fucking hot. The whole loss of sight and selective hearing can be incredibly erotic. Give into it. Give yourself over to the sound of my voice.”

I shook my head. “Please, Stewart.”

“Stop talking,” he scolded. “When we’re home, you can do and say whatever you want. But here, in this place, it’s my domain—my fantasy. You’ll do as you’re told, when you’re told. If you can’t follow the directions when they’re given, you’ll be punished. I have gags for talking out of turn. Is that what you want?”

I shook my head.

“That’s a good girl. And as you may recall, our contract contains a do-not-disclose clause. What happens in this place stays in this place. No one, not even Ms. Madison can be trusted. Nod your head if you understand.”

I nodded.

“Now, I don’t want you to embarrass me.”

What the hell? Me embarrass him?

Stewart continued, “So, at first, we’ll practice alone. Once you learn to obey, we’ll invite friends.”

My fucking choice was to not obey and get punished or obey and be fucked by others. That didn’t seem like much of a choice.

“Tonight will be very simple. You know the routine, Mrs. Harrington, work that pretty little pussy of yours and show me how wet you can get.”

My fingers obediently found my sex. There was nothing even remotely erotic about what I was doing. At home, in our bedroom, as I watched his blue eyes devour my movements, I could do what he wanted. Though my fingers obeyed, my mind was thinking about my new reality. How could I look his friends and business associates in the eye knowing that any one of them could have been inside of me? Names and faces came to mind. The way Parker Craven had looked at me the first time we met. Did he know? Would he be one of them? Why else was he so intimately involved in the writing of the contract? Business executives, politicians, who would be part of the they?

I gasped as the mattress shifted and Stewart’s fingers plunged deep into my core.

“What the hell? You’re fucking dry as a bone. Come on, darling, you’re normally so wet.” His thumb took over what I’d been doing. “Listen to the sound of my voice. Don’t listen to the thoughts in your pretty little head. Listen to me. We’re going to work to make you comfortable here. That’s it. Think about my cock. If I’m going to let you get all wet and let you come, you’re going to do the same for me. Reach out those pretty little hands. My cock is right in front of you.”

I did as he said, touching his torso. I could tell that he was now kneeling over me. His fingers stopped moving inside of me as I felt him reach past my head. Was he holding the headboard?

“Open your mouth, baby. I’m going to give you a surprise for being a good girl.”

I’d given him head many times, but he’d never come in my mouth, always pulling out and splashing my chest or stomach. I tasted the tartness of his pre-come as he glided his cock deeper into my mouth.

“When we’re here, you’re my whore. Remember that.” He pumped in and out of my mouth. “And good little whores swallow.” My scalp screamed as he fisted my hair, limiting my ability to move or pull away. “You don’t want to disappoint.”

My chest hurt. Not from the weight of his body over mine, but from his words. How could this be real?

MY HANDS GRASPED the cool wrought-iron spindles while Fatal Lullaby played in my ears. The familiar tune gave consistency to my darkened world, providing reassurance as my mind searched for answers. Perhaps I should’ve been questioning my current situation, but I didn’t. I’d been here too many times. My thoughts concentrated on Brody’s bombshell. I hadn’t been able to meet with him yesterday after he’d sprung the news of Stewart’s will. I’d visited the Harrington Society distribution facility as I planned, but then Stewart awakened, and I was summoned home.