Free Tarnished Angel by Elaine Barbieri Page A

releasing the closure. She knelt to strip his body free of the remainder of his clothes. Still on her knees, she straightened her slender back to enclose his tumescence between her palms. She kissed it lightly, her small mouth curving in a smile as his spontaneous gasp broke the silence of the room. It occurred to him that Lily was enjoying her power over him, but he was helpless against the realization.
        Slowly, with great deliberation, Lily touched him again with her lips. Harvey murmured a short protest. No, he needed to control, not be controlled. Hating himself for his weakness, he submitted to her ministrations. Ecstacy rose, began to flower, filling his mind with fragmented pictures, colors… Lily… Lily… she was
        And then the ecstacy was withdrawn. Left teetering unsated at the apex of rapture, Harvey opened his heavy eyelids to see a subtle difference in Lily's demeanor as she rose to stand before him.
        "Lily…" His voice a hoarse gasp, Harvey shook his head. "Lily, please"
        Her dark gaze holding his, Lily interrupted softly, "'Please,' Mr. Dale?"
       Hating himself, Harvey heard his voice rasp once more, "Please…"
        "You must be more explicit, Mr. Dale."
        Harvey shook his head. "You… you cannot go so far without… You must…"
        "I do not understand."
        Realizing he was shuddering, Harvey felt rage touch his helpless state. "You will not play this game!"
        "I do not know what you mean, Mr. Dale."
        Harvey shook his head, his breathing too irregular for him to continue.
        Lily's hand moved to stroke him. Harvey stifled his vocal reaction, but Lily urged softly, "Speak, Mr. Dale."
        Lily's hand was moving knowledgeably against him, and Harvey's eyes weakly closed. He heard a low, musical laugh and opened his eyes.
        "Mr. Dale, I am waiting for you to tell me how I may please you."
        Harvey's voice was grating, unfamiliar to his own ears. "Bring me ecstasy, Lily, and I will give it to you in return."
        Lily's brief hesitation was a calculated, silent threat that did not escape him even in his agitated state. When she spoke again, her voice held a coy note, "Mr. Dale, is that all you wish to tell me?"
        Harvey paused to catch his breath. "Lily… I can bear little more."
        "Yes, Mr. Dale, I know."
        She turned and moved quickly toward the broad bed in the corner of the room. She lay gracefully upon it and, turning, raised her arms to him in invitation. Her voice touched his ears in a softly sensual appeal.
        "Come to me, Mr. Dale. Come, and I will give you what you seek, and more… so much more."
        Within a moment Harvey was standing beside Lily's bed. He stared down at her naked, unblemished beauty and stifled a contemptuous laugh. But his contempt was self-directed. Oh, yes, he had taken Lily's innocence, and he had tutored her well in the ways of love… too well. In her subtle anger at being summoned with arrogance, she was demonstrating that he, who manipulated people to his own end, could be manipulated in return. The realization that his exquisite Lily did indeed possess   such a startling of measure of control over him was difficult to accept.
        For a few brief moments longer, Harvey stood drinking in Lily's naked splendor. She raised a skilled hand to stroke the back of his thigh, the curve of his buttock. His anger melted and his desire grew. Even as he lowered his body over hers, he rationalized that the control she exercised was a loving, giving control. She practiced it on him alone, and as long as it did not grow too strong…
        Harvey's body was melting into hers, and a thrill shot up his spine as Lily released soft, ecstatic sigh. Oh, yes, he would allow her to enjoy her manipulation, for he enjoyed it as well.
        Drawing back, he thrust deep within her, his elation rising at her breathless gasp. He thrust again and again. A