Master of the Opera, Act 3: Phantom Serenade by Jeffe Kennedy Read Free Book Online Page A

Her face heated. It was foolish to be shy after all they’d done, but it seemed . . . impertinent somehow, to inquire about his sexual release.
    “I received so much from you, Christine. More than I’d hoped. It’s enough for now. A wise man sips of the nectar, lest he become drunk with it.”
    She nodded, not really understanding. But that could be because her thoughts were still goo.
    “You will return at the same time tomorrow night.” He sounded more stern on this repetition, a demand for her willing obedience that made her still sensitive nipples harden against the silk and her throbbing sex to simmer with increased heat. She rubbed her bottom against her heels, savoring the pain. With a rush, she became aware that she still wore the cuffs and collar, which meant she must do whatever he asked.
    “Yes, Master,” she agreed, reveling in the pliancy of submission. A thought niggled at her, though, something from the daylight world of calendars and appointments. “I’ll try,” she added, trying to remember what it might be.
    He lifted her chin, his eyes serious. “If you fail, you will be punished.”
    Heart thudding, she swallowed the sudden dryness in her mouth. “Didn’t that happen already?”
    Under the mask, he smiled, his carved lips curving with a certain remorselessness. “No. Tonight’s whipping was a spice. A first lesson for you. A test, if you will.”
    “How did I do?”
    “You were spectacular, my love. You respond to the kiss of the whip as ardently as to the most erotic touch of my mouth.”
    She shifted, rubbing her wet thighs together. Surely he wasn’t really done with her for the night. She needed more than this.
    “Stop that,” he chided. “Spread your knees so you don’t stimulate yourself. You may adjust the robe as necessary.”
    He didn’t release his grip on her chin, so she had to do it by feel, opening her thighs and making sure the drape of the fabric covered her belly. Cool air hit her slick and swollen folds, a little moan escaping her.
    “We are embarking on a journey together—one that requires intense discipline from both of us. If you fail to do what I ask of you, punishment is necessary. Do you understand?”
    “Yes, Master.” With her knees spread at his order and his collar around her throat, she did understand, to the core of her being. She trembled with the truth of it.
    He smiled, warm now, loving, and brushed a thumb over her lower lip. “Now go to the mantel and bring me the silver key sitting there.”
    She did, aware of his gaze on her, and brought him the key. One by one, he unlocked her ankles and wrists, not touching her more than necessary. Kneeling for a third time, she felt the collar slide away, leaving her curiously bereft.
    He set it aside with the cuffs, all in a gleaming pile next to his glass of wine, and kissed her on the forehead.
    “Now do as you will.”
     
    It felt odd to put on her pants, sweatshirt, and sneakers again. So prosaic, the trappings of her daily life, compared to the lush and exotic world the Master claimed as his.
    He led her out a different way this time, letting her out a door she hadn’t known existed but that opened near where she’d hidden her car. It didn’t surprise her that he knew where she’d left it—or that he didn’t cross the threshold of the doorway. He vanished, as always, back into the depths, saying nothing more about the next night. Those demands were for when she belonged to him, and he’d released her to follow her own will again. She understood that much. And discovered her will to be something different than she’d known it to be. Being free to do exactly as she wished gave her power. Flexing with it, she stood alone in the night, under the vast and shatteringly lovely canopy of stars.
    She stood there for a while, soaking in the sensation of being dwarfed by the expanse of the sky. Her new self stretched along the interior surface of her skin, coursing along the nerves that sang with