Rules And Rewards Read online

  “Yes Ray?”

  “Am I allowed to ask what you did while wearing this?”

  She laughed. “I thought of you, that’s what. Are you thinking of me now?”

  A flash of heat coursed through him at her words. “Yes, Mistress.”

  “Good boy. Lie down for me, now, and run the nightie over your chest. How does it feel?”

  He did as she asked and hummed lightly. “Nice.”

  “Can you imagine it’s my hand touching you now?”

  He wanted to reply that her touch was even softer than that of the satin, but that wasn’t what she had asked.

  “Yes, Mistress. It is you touching me.”

  The volume of her voice dropped, becoming huskier. “You’re hard, aren’t you?”

  His hips thrust up of their own accord. His mouth was dry, making it hard to speak. “Yes.”

  “Those jeans must be uncomfortable by now. Take them off for me. And take a picture for me so I’ll see how hard you are.”

  He didn’t hesitate for a second, dropping the phone onto the bed. He unbuttoned the jeans and hissed when his cock was finally freed. Raising his hips off the bed, he pushed the jeans down, then kicked them off. He could hear Mistress Red speaking on the phone and picked it up again.

  “Not yet, Mistress.” He grabbed the camera and aimed it at his cock, feeling just a little foolish. “Almost…” The camera beeped and he turned it around to look at the picture. He grimaced, then tried again from a little further away. This time, the screen displayed his entire cock and balls. That ought to please her. “Done, Mistress.”

  She hummed again. “I can’t wait to see. Touch yourself again with the nightie, Ray. Run it over your skin. Over your cock. Your balls, now. Is it still my hand caressing you?”

  He closed his eyes, focusing on the throaty words sliding in his ear and the feel of satin on his aching cock. Lost in the sensations, he almost forgot to reply.

  “Yes, Mistress.”

  “Now answer this for me. No lie. You know I’ll know if you lie. Have you wanted to touch yourself since I left?”

  He chuckled soundlessly before being able to answer. “Just about every minute of every day, Mistress.”

  “And did you do it?”

  He had never been so glad to be able to speak truthfully, and a bit of pride shone through his words. “I didn’t, Mistress.”

  “That’s my Ray,” she said, almost purring. “You’ll get your reward soon. But in the meantime I want you to come. Will you come for me, Ray? Will you stroke yourself with the nightie and imagine it’s my hand making you harder and harder?”

  He moaned, as much an answer to her words as a response to the silky touch on his flesh.

  “Just like that, yes,” she murmured. “Touch the tip for me now. Is it wet?”

  “Yes. ”

  When she spoke next, he noticed the catch in her voice, maybe because it matched his own, and wondered what she was doing, so far away from him.

  “From the very first time we played, I thought you had a beautiful cock. Always so responsive, always so hard for me…”

  He stroked himself a little faster at her words, unable to hold back the whimper that was rising in his throat.

  “Are you getting there, gorgeous?” She sounded close to panting now. “Are you ready to come for me?”

  “Yes, Mistress.”

  “Then go ahead, Ray.”

  The pent up need from the past days finally broke through. Ray grunted, his hips arching clean off the bed as he thrust into his tight fist and finally came, the strands of his semen absorbed by his Mistress’ gown. His orgasm washed over him, leaving him trembling and blank-minded.

  Shaking, he breathed into the phone, “Thank you.”

  “Oh, you’re welcome,” she murmured in his ear. “Take a last picture for me, would you? Your face this time.”

  He felt almost too languid to move, but he did as he asked. This time, he didn’t check what the picture looked like, and merely let the camera fall back to his side. Seconds passed in silence as he listened to her breathing on the other side of the world, it seemed.

  “Have you enjoyed your gifts?” she asked after a little while, her voice more even now.

  “Yes Mistress. Very much.”

  “You didn’t open the last one, did you?”

  “No, Mistress. Can I open it now?”

  She laughed at the eagerness in his voice. “As soon as we hang up, yes. But I’ll tell you what’s in it. There are a few pencils, a new drawing pad, and an empty frame.”

  “An empty frame?” he repeated, now intrigued.

  “An empty frame, yes. And when I return, I want to see a portrait inside it. A portrait of you. A really nice one. Large. Something I can put in my new house.”

  “I will try,” he said, a little apprehensive already.

  Part of him was thrilled that she wanted a picture of him in her new place. He had gone there, one evening after she had first bought the place, and she had put him to work. He had made a mess of two walls before she had realized that being good at drawing did not mean he knew one end of a paint roller from the other. Laura had teased him mercilessly about it, until he had sketched flowers and a castle on the walls of her bedroom and received a hug for his trouble. Behind the thrill, though, remained a simple fact. He had never been any good at drawing himself.

  “You’ll do more than try. You don’t want to disappoint me.”

  “No, Mistress, I don’t.”

  “Goodbye, Ray. I’ll see you in two days.”

  “Goodbye, Mistress.”

  He lay there for a while, just getting himself under control. When he had stopped shaking, he drew the nightgown over his face and breathed in her scent again. It was mixed with his now. He smiled.

  The smile faded again when he realized what she had said. Two days. That didn’t leave him much time to do what he had never been able to do successfully in years of trying. He was rather good at portraits, but he had never been able to draw his own and be satisfied with it.

  With a sigh, he pulled the nightie away from his face and fumbled on the bed for the camera. He held it above his face and took several shots of himself smiling, frowning, even sticking out his tongue. When he looked at them, they all seemed stiff to him, forced. He wouldn’t pull anything good out of this. The only one that was halfway good, maybe, was the shot of his blissful face, but he didn’t think that was what she had had in mind when asking for his portrait.

  Grinding his teeth, he reached over the side of the bed and beneath it. When he opened the last package, he found inside, as she had promised, an empty frame, a new drawing pad and a few pencils. Picking up the pad and a pencil, he flipped it open to the first page. Now if he could only figure out where to start…

  * * * *

  Getting out of the car, Grace winced. After six days of almost non-stop walking, her feet were killing her, and the high heels she had on did not help in the least. Still, the trip had been worth it. More stars had been shining in Laura’s eyes when she had put her to bed tonight than were hanging in the sky above her now.

  She tightened her raincoat’s belt at her waist; the night air was fresh, and she wasn’t wearing much beneath the coat. Starting to walk toward the building, she pulled out her cell phone and hit the first preset number. The tone only rang twice before Ray picked up.

  “Good evening, Ray. Is my gift ready?”

  She entered the building even as he grasped for an answer.

  “I… I’m sorry, not yet, Mistress.”

  She frowned at that. She hadn’t expected him to disappoint her. “What a shame. You were doing so well. Why didn’t you finish my drawing?”

  Keeping a hand on the railway, she started up the staircase. Hopefully, the five flights of steps and the eternally out of order elevator would soon be a thing of the past.

  “Maybe I disobeyed for more than this silly drawing,” he replied, sullen.

  Although taken aback, she didn’t
break her stride and kept going up. For a few moments, she let silence hang between them, heavy and reproachful.

  “You haven’t answered my question,” she said at last, her voice colder now. “Not only that, you’re being rude to me. Is that what you’re trying to do? Give me a reason to punish you so that I’ll forget about the drawing? Don’t you know me better than that by now?”

  She had reached his landing. Keeping the phone at her ear, she knocked.

  “I’m sorry, Mistress,” he murmured into the phone before opening the door.

  She stepped inside, flipping her phone shut, and he imitated her as he slunk down to his knees. He placed the phone on the floor next to him and immediately pulled his arms behind him, crossing his wrists at the small of his back. His eyes remained downcast, as was proper until he was given permission to look at her. Even with his game on the phone, Grace couldn’t help smiling. His posture was always perfect, but it was the tension at the back of his neck that pleased her, that beginning of expectation that told her just how much her presence here, in front of him, was affecting him.

  Briskly, she took off her raincoat and threw it over the back of the nearest armchair. She pushed away her smile before turning back to Ray. Running her fingers through his hair, she lightly pulled his head back so she could see his face. He looked a little worried, and if that was possible, relieved at the same time. She had missed him, she thought as she watched him in silence, more so than she would have thought. More than she would care to admit aloud, especially after he had purposefully tried to anger her. One day, maybe, she would tell him, along with a few other things she hadn’t been able to put into words so far. She wondered, though, if he had missed her as much as she had missed him.

  When her eyes had had their fill of his face, she gently tugged on his hair twice, the signal for him to stand. She watched his eyes as he did; they were burning with gold.

  Yes, she thought, he had missed her a lot, too.

  “Show me the drawing, then,” she said, trying to sound stern despite the smile that wanted to pull at her lips, “so that I can decide how much you need to be punished.”

  He gave a small bow and said, “In the bedroom, Mistress.”

  “Lead the way.”

  She followed him, watching the stiffness of his back, wondering what he would think of her surprise for him. Even if he hadn’t completed the drawing, he had still earned his reward. She couldn’t wait to ask him, and see his reaction.

  She sat on the edge of the bed as he walked to the desk, and waited for him to bring the drawing pad to her. He knelt down in front of her and opened the pad to the first page before presenting it to her. She took it quickly, hoping he wouldn’t notice her slightly trembling hands. His face was there, more detailed than in any of his drawings she had seen, beautiful and rich yet half obscured by her own face. Their barely parted lips were just millimeters apart. With his open eyes and her closed ones, it was hard to tell whether they were about to kiss or just ending a kiss. There was such tenderness rising from these few pencils lines that her throat tightened. She had to push the words out to be able to speak.

  “It’s beautiful. Not what I asked for, but beautiful.”

  She closed the notepad and carefully placed it by her side on the bed. Then, leaning toward Ray, she cupped his face in both her hands and detailed his features.

  “Maybe…” She chided herself for her hesitation and started again. “Maybe I should have you in my house rather than just a portrait.”

  His eyes widened in shock.

  “Would you want to?” she continued. “It might be a bit strange to live with a S.E. and a child, but it would be nice, too.”

  His lips worked soundlessly for a second. A slither of ice formed in Grace’s stomach, and she shivered. In her imagination, he hadn’t struggled so much to find a response. Her hands dropped away from his face, and she forced them to her sides so she wouldn’t wrap her arms around herself

  “Mistress…” he said at last, hesitating with each word, “what about Laura’s father? Aren’t you afraid he might make difficulties?”

  She shrugged. “Let him just try.”

  For just a second, a flicker of something that resembled panic crossed his face. Grace’s spirit plummeted. She had been so sure…

  “Sunshine,” she said quietly.

  Ray looked at her, not bothering to hide his surprise. It was the first time either of them had ever broken a scene by uttering a safeword. She watched him stand and rake his fingers through his hair, looking thoroughly confused.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because I want to know what’s really going on in your head. Not what you think I want to hear. I don’t want to force you to live with me. Either you want to or you don’t. I just thought…”

  She looked around. The décor was innocuous enough, but in the past weeks it had started to grate on her.

  “He paid for this place,” she said, more quietly now. She didn’t pronounce his Sire’s name; he would know whom she was referring to. “Every time I come here, it feels like his shadow is looming over us. I thought it might be the same for you.”

  Without a word, he lay down on the bed, his hands beneath his head. She turned her body toward him to see him better. He closed his eyes, and something tightened in Grace’s chest. She hated when he tried to shut her out. If they had still been playing, she would have reprimanded him for it. As things stood, all she could do was ask, “Talk to me, Ray.”

  A few seconds passed until he finally took a deep breath and opened his eyes to look at her.

  “From the moment I was turned until a few months ago, I lived with someone. And I liked it. I liked knowing someone… cared enough about me to keep me close. I liked… no, I needed it more than I would have imagined. When Keller left town, he left me behind like I was no more than a piece of furniture. I don’t like living alone, but…”

  He stopped. A muscle ticked in his jaw. In a blinding flash of awareness, Grace understood what he was afraid to say aloud. She finished for him.

  “But you’d rather live alone than risk moving with me and have me tire of you.”

  He grimaced, apologetic. “Something like that, yes.”

  Reaching over, she trailed her fingers over his cheek, nose, and lips. He kissed her fingertips when they touched his mouth, and she smiled.

  “I could promise it’ll never happen,” she murmured. “But I can’t know that. No one can know that. Not humans, not vamps, not regular couples, and not us. You have centuries in front of you. You can’t spend them being afraid you’ll be hurt again.”

  They watched each other in silence, and Grace could only wonder if anything she had said would make a difference. She could, of course, demand that he move in with her, but why would she? She had only meant to show him how much she cared and trusted him, how much she was learning to love him.

  After a long moment had trickled by, he sat up then climbed off the bed before sliding to his knees at her feet again.

  “Ray?” she said, afraid to hope.

  “Yes, Mistress, I would be honored to live with you.”

  She smiled and leaned down to seal the decision with a kiss.

  “Now, then,” she said when she pulled back again. “You didn’t finish my drawing. I think that deserves a punishment.”

  The End

  About the Author:

  Kallysten’s most exciting accomplishment to date was to cross a few thousand miles and an ocean to pursue (and catch!) the love of her life. She has been writing for fifteen years, and always enjoyed sharing her stories and listening to the readers' reactions. After playing with science fiction, short stories and poetry, she is now trying her hand, heart and words at paranormal romance novels.

  To see her other stories, including free short stories and sample chapters, visit http://original.kallysten.net

  Also available from Kallysten:

  Carte Blanche

  When a lobbyist opposed to vampires’ rig
hts is found drained of her blood, Special Enforcer Grace Alkins investigates the woman’s connection to a local BDSM club and its vampire customers. It has been a long time since Grace played on this particular scene, but old habits return easily when she puts on the attire of Mistress Red.

  On her first undercover visit at the club, however, she finds herself tricked into playing a scene with Ray, a submissive whose Master left town abruptly. The Dominant in her enjoys the opportunity – while the Special Enforcer is shocked to realize Ray is a vampire, and possibly a suspect for the murder she investigates.

  Will Grace manage to keep a cool head and find the killer when every new meeting with Ray cranks up the heat a little more?

  CheckMate

  Lilia is a vampire; Vincent hunts vampires. They’ve each sworn to kill the other, and have battled many times without either of them winning. But when a spell gone wrong links them through bonds of shared blood and sex, the game stops abruptly and with no clear winner.

  Trying to stay alive, they learn to guard each other's back against old and new enemies alike. The game takes a new turn as the memories of what they shared under the spell become too hard to ignore and they succumb to lust - or could it be more than that?

  Out of the Box 7

  Her last encounter with Anando left Virginia with questions she barely knows how to voice. She enjoyed being the focus of two men’s attentions, but Leo’s need to obtain permission from his lover to be with her puzzles her.

  Why would anyone choose to place themselves so completely in someone else’s power, she asks Anando. His hands-on demonstration answers her question – along with a few more she did not dare ask.

 

 

  Kallysten, Rules And Rewards

 

 

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