Page 99 of Breaking Free

“Five down from a nine,” she replied honestly. “Seeing myself like this was startling at first, but now I understand why you draw such crowds.” Her gaze dropped to the ropes enveloping her once again. “You’re very good at this. And fast.”

“It comes with practice, but these ties are very basic. My more advanced rope work can take hours, which is why we have to build up your tolerance and endurance. I have a few more additions if you’re ready to continue.”

She trembled in anticipation.Uff-da! What else did he have planned?

“Is that a yes?”

Her eyes shot to his, confused.

His lips twitched, nearing a smile. “Uff-da?”

Cheese and mice. Had she really said that out loud?

Her voice cracked in her suddenly dry throat. “I meant to say, yes, I’m ready to keep going.”

His fingers, warm and strong, slid to the back of her neck, pulling her gently toward him. “Trust me to take care of you, Piper. You’ll enjoy this if you can relax and let yourself go.”

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply several times. Funny how the ropes didn’t make it hard for her lungs to expand. After a long, last sigh, she met his gaze in the mirror once more.

“Better?”

“Much.”

“Good. Keep breathing and spread your legs. Time to show you what I have planned.”

Instead of her anxiety skyrocketing to nine once again, a surge of intense desire flooded through her. She didn’t need to be asked twice. Adjusting her stance, she widened the gap between her feet by about a foot.

“Farther,” he urged, his hand on the back of her neck applying gentle, encouraging pressure.

Piper slid her right foot another six inches to the side.

“Perfect,” he said, stopping her.

His hand glided along her jaw and down her throat, the rope-roughened callouses on his fingers heightening the stimulation of his caress. His gaze fell upon her breasts, their accelerated rise and fall matching her quickened breathing, her nipples firmer and more pronounced than ever before. In a moment of hesitation, as if contemplating his next move, he circled each one with a single fingertip.

“Every inch of you is beautiful, Piper. We’ll explore them more thoroughly after the show,” he whispered before he addressed his audience again. “The butterfly usually includes a hip harness, but I left it off to show you a basic crotch rope, also calledmatanawa.”

Piper watched his reflection as he crouched in front of her and connected a new rope to the one at her waist. He then tied a series of knots with mesmerizing speed, creating what looked like a French braid. Tristan ran it between her legs, and moving behind her, connected it to the waist rope in back.

“Amatanawacan be for purely aesthetic purposes,” he explained. “Or, by increasing the tension, for erotic stimulation.”

To demonstrate, he gave it a tug that wedged the knots along the seam of her pussy and snugly between her cheeks beforetying it off. If he hadn’t left her panties, they would be pressed tight against her clit and puckered hole, and all parts in between.

“The knots serve a dual purpose. They can also accommodate certain toys in strategic places.”

She barely suppressed a moan, tingling in the places he referred to without the augmentation of toys.

“Questions?” It wasn’t directed at her but at the crowd. As he answered several inquiries, his voice mostly a deep, soothing hum in her head, he kept a hand on her, never breaking their connection.

“Why leave her arms free?” a nasally sounding man suddenly called out.

“You must be new here,” Tristan drawled, which spurred a ripple of laughter.

“If you were paying attention,” a woman interjected impatiently, “you would have heard Master Tristan say the butterfly is a good base tie. Obviously, he isn’t done.”

“Mistress Lorraine is correct.” Tristan turned her back to the mirror. Now she faced one hundred and fifty observers, at least, standing behind the velvet rope. “Combining two or three basics gives you the look of more complex ties. It’s easier, safe, and is a time saver. For example, blending the butterfly and thematanawa, with a simple behind-the-back wrist tie, creates a stunning visual effect in half the time. Or something like the bunny, which is one of my favorites, is basic and quick, but steps it up a level. Let me show you.”

Tristan raised her arms above her head then had her bend her elbows and cross her wrists behind her neck. He wound a double length of rope around her biceps then her wrists and knotted it off. In the end, she was restrained with her elbows pointed toward the ceiling just like bunny ears.

---