Amery’s head had fallen back. Her lips were parted, and Ronin saw she’d drifted into the floaty headspace of a bondage high and she’d been there awhile.
He lost all track of time when he had ropes in his hands and inches of pliant flesh waiting to be tied and touched. He secured the last of the rope around her left foot and tucked the remainder underneath the wrap, which caused her whole body to jerk and him to smile; he’d forgotten her feet were ticklish.
Ronin made some last-minute adjustments before he cupped Amery’s face in his hands.
“You humble me with your beauty.” He kissed her—another first in a demo—and it wasn’t a gentle tease or a quick peck, but a kiss full of the passion she brought out in him.
When she wiggled her body, as if reaching for him, he broke the seal of their mouths and jerked on the rigging, lifting her higher off the floor. Then Ronin spun her slowly around and around, showing the rope work on the backside.
Amery’s hair flowed out as if she were underwater.
Time for the finale.
He twisted the free rope dangling from the second chain through the back of the gauntlet binding her feet.
Then he clicked off the overhead lights and the black lights came on.
A collective gasp echoed in the room as the neon green glow- in-the-dark rope he used on Amery outlined her body in luminescence, creating the effect of a mermaid.
He pulled on the second rigging, raising her feet to hip level so it appeared she was swimming. The bindings on her feet created the effect of a mermaid’s split tail. The way her hands were raised above her head looked as if she were swimming to the surface.
The woman was absolutely f**king stunning. An ethereal, mythical creature come to life. The diamond pattern gave the appearance of scales, and the cinched binding at her waist divided her body. The swishing motion of her hair added to the illusion of a mermaid in motion.
Applause broke out and startled him. Ronin was so mesmerized by her that he’d forgotten for a moment they weren’t alone.
And suddenly he wished they were. He wanted to marvel at this bound woman who owned him body, heart, and soul.
He didn’t want club members touching her or asking questions or breaking this spell. He allowed himself another long look at her. This wasn’t about anyone else but them; he wouldn’t treat this any differently than if they were in the practice room when he finished the binding. He held on to her as he lowered the rigging. Once he had her unhooked, he brought them both to the floor.
She sighed and remained pliant no matter how he manipulated her body.
Ronin left the black lights on as he cradled her in his arms. First thing he did was slip off the blindfold. He kissed her as he unwrapped her wrists.
She blinked at him, and then her gaze drifted to the glowing rope crisscrossing her body. She smiled at him with that sweet quirk on her lips.
Next he unfastened the ties around her feet. “How’s your circulation?”
“A little tingly but good.”
As Ronin slipped the knotted ends of rope free from the tucks and ties, he let the rope zigzag across her skin.
Amery trembled and arched. Then on the next pass, she would try to move away.
So he took his time unbinding her. Touching and kissing to his heart’s content. He hadn’t even noticed that they’d brought the lights up halfway until he pulled back away from her mouth after another drugging kiss. “Baby. I love you.”
“I know.”
Then he swept her up into his arms and carried her out the side door, striding down the hallway.
Inside their private room, Ronin set her on her feet only long enough to wrap a blanket around her. Then he picked her up again and settled them on the couch.
The first noise she made was a laugh. “Glow-in-the-dark shibari ropes, Master Black? You are certainly full of surprises.”
He pressed his lips into her hair. “I’ve never used them before.”
“Why not?”
“They seemed a little . . . stage showish.”
“At least you didn’t play the theme song from The Little Mermaid while you were binding me.”
That made Ronin laugh. “You must be down from your bondage high if you’re cracking jokes.”
Amery twisted to look at him. “I’m fine. Were you worried I’d be weepy and shaky afterward or something?”
“I honestly didn’t know how you’d react.”
“And?”
“And you reacted perfectly.” Ronin took her mouth in a kiss that was a lazy exploration.
After he ended the kiss, Amery murmured, “Unwrap me so I can touch you.”
“You can touch me all you want when we get back to the penthouse. But not here in the club.”
“Because that’s the way you’ve always done it?”
He stared into her eyes. The blue so deep and pure it was easy to get lost in them.
“Ronin? Are you okay?”
“Sorry. I’m great. My mind just traveled off track for a bit.”
“To where?”
“To how lucky I am that you’re in my life.”
She pressed her face into his neck. “I’m glad I didn’t do something weird and embarrass you.”
Ronin kissed the top of her head. “If you decide you don’t want to do a demo again, I’m fine with that.”
“Really?” Amery tipped her head back and looked at him. “Why?”
He wondered how honest he could be with her.
Or maybe it was how honest he could be with himself.
He tried to arrange his thoughts into some semblance of coherency.
“Sweetheart, talk to me. Don’t hold back how you feel—even if you think it’s something I might not like.”
“That’s the thing. It doesn’t have anything to do with you. Or your initial fear of being publicly bound.”
“Then what?”
“It’s been a while since I’ve done a demo with a woman I’m involved with. Now that I know what real love feels like, I realized I’ve never done a demo with a woman I love. When we’re in the practice room or anywhere we’re together, it feels right. Our being together like that is Zen for me. Tonight, it wasn’t . . . pure. And, baby, it didn’t have anything to do with you. What happened tonight was performance art. While that has its place, I am not a performer.” Ronin closed his eyes. “In the past few months with you? I really found the heart of what kinbaku is. It’s not about teaching others. It’s about teaching myself. It’s about creating art and beauty with love and trust. I never got that until you.”