Page 46 of Hiss and Tell
“Sebastian, please, I can’t hold back much longer—”
“You will. Because I’m going to tell you exactly what I’m going to do to you.” My voice becomes hypnotic, commanding. “When I finally get you alone, I’m going to strip you slowly. I’m going to map every inch of your skin with my mouth while my snakes hold you exactly where I want you.”
“Oh God…”
“I’m going to taste you until you scream my name. Until you forget every other man who’s ever touched you. Until the only thing you know is my mouth, my hands, my claim on you.”
“Yes, yes, please—”
“Now,” I command, my own release crashing over me. “Come for me now.”
Her cry of release echoes through the phone, raw and broken and absolutely perfect. I spill across my fist with a groan, her name torn from my lips as pleasure whites out my vision.
We lie here in the aftermath, listening to the rapid cadence of our breathing.
“I’m limp. I came so hard I can’t move.”
“Yes. Too much pleasure,” I finish. “But not nearly enough.”
“I had no idea you could be so…” she trails off, but I can hear the smile in her voice.
“Commanding? Possessive?” I chuckle, feeling more relaxed than I have in days. “You bring out the Gorgon in me.”
“I like it,” she admits softly. “I like seeing all of you. Even the parts that aren’t entirely human.”
“Soon,” I promise, my voice gentle now, but no less certain. “Soon I’m going to show you exactly what it means to be claimed by a Gorgon.”
“I can’t wait,” she whispers.
“Neither can I.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Aspen
A few days have passed since Sebastian shared his research with me, and I’ve spent every spare moment thinking about it. Just as I’m going down the rabbit hole pondering the ritual, my phone buzzes with an email.
It’s from Mr. Radcliffe:You blew us away in the interview. We’ve written up a contract, which is attached. Welcome to the Radcliffe & Associates family! We’re excited to begin our partnership.
I can hardly believe it. The Radcliffe contract is officially mine. This means I can finally quit the market stand and focus on building Aspenly Yours into the business I’ve always dreamed of.
After texting Sebastian with the good news and promising Milo chocolate chip pancakes this weekend to celebrate, I return to my deep thoughts about Sebastian’s research. But more than his research, I can’t stop thinking about what happened after. The way he kissed me as though I was the only thing that mattered in the world. The feel of his hands on my body, the controlled power in his touch, the way his snakes fed off our desire like they were extensions of his very soul.
And our outrageous phone call? It’s replayed in my mind on an endless loop. His voice dropping to those commanding frequencies that made my entire body respond with helpless want. The way he took control, told me exactly what to do, reduced me to nothing but sensation and need.
I’ve never experienced anything like that—that complete surrender to someone else’s will, that delicious loss of control. The way he could make me beg with just his voice, make me desperate with nothing but words whispered through the phone.
And now I have to face him in person, knowing exactly what he sounds like when he comes, knowing how he can command my body even from miles away.
The prescription bottle sits on my bathroom counter, a daily reminder of my current reality. But for the first time in years, it doesn’t feel like a prison sentence.
“Mama, you’ve been smiley all week,” Milo observes as we walk toward the library for storytime. “Are you excited about something?”
“Just happy, Bug. Today’s storytime!” I know that talking about the library will redirect his too-perceptive questions.
“Do you think he’ll make sparkly dinosaurs again?”
“I think Mr. Sebastian will create whatever makes you happiest.”
