Free Safe Word by Christie Grey Page A

him.  “That was so uncalled for!”
    “Was it?” he replied, his tone suggesting he disagreed.  “Are you ready to move on?”
    “Will there be any more tickling?” she asked him suspiciously.
    He shrugged, unwilling to give a definitive answer.  “That’s for me to decide,” he reminded her.  “But for what it’s worth, I have other ideas for you.  Tickling isn’t really my thing, although judging by your reaction it might make a good punishment for you,” he teased.
    “You’re going to punish me?” she asked incredulously.
    “Only if you’re bad...or if the mood strikes me,” he replied.  “Now close your eyes.”
    Melody shut her eyes and listened closely.  She heard the strike of a match and a moment later, she smelled the sweet, faintly cinnamon aroma of a candle burning.  Then she heard Zane’s footsteps on the hardwood as he walked out of the bedroom.  She thought she could hear him in the kitchen but she wasn’t certain.  She strained her ears for clues, but to no avail.
    When Zane came back into the master bedroom, she couldn’t resist her curiosity a moment longer.  Almost without realizing she was doing it, Melody cracked an eye open and peeked to see what was going on.
    She was startled to find that Zane was standing right above her not doing a thing – except starting at her.  And he didn’t look pleased.
    “That was your first test,” he told her matter-of-factly.  “I told you to shut your eyes and you disobeyed.  You’ve earned one punishment for that, though since you’re new to this I will go easy on you...this time.  But don’t get used to it.  If I catch you disobeying again, you can be sure your punishment will be more severe.”
    “Sorry,” Melody mumbled, feeling like a little kid being scolded for being naughty.  Then her eyes widened as Zane picked up the scarf and brought it up to her face.  “What are you going to do with that?!”
    “You ask a lot of questions, don’t you?” he chuckled.  “You’ve proven I can’t trust you not to peek when your eyes are supposed to be shut.  So I’m going to blindfold you.”
    Melody wasn’t quite sure what to make of that.  The prospect of having her sight taken away, even only temporarily, didn’t thrill her.  All of this was already so foreign to her, and she was already tied up so that her hands were of no use to her.  Not being able to see was going to make her that much more vulnerable, and she didn’t know how to feel about it.
    But she didn’t have a choice in the matter.  Zane was in charge.
    As Zane tied the scarf into place over her eyes, darkness set in.  Now all Melody had to rely on was her sense of hearing, along with a few other occasional clues as to what was happening.  She felt the mattress move and knew that Zane had sat down next to her again.  Then she felt his touch, feather light and gentle, as he stroked a fingertip across her bare belly.
    “You asked me to teach you about what I’m into,” he said softly, his voice hoarse with desire.  “And believe me I can’t wait to teach you, to show you, to mold you.  Demonstrating is so much more effective than words,” he chuckled.  “I have a feeling you might be surprised about some of the things I’m interested in.  Maybe you will even be shocked.”
    “Tell me,” she pleaded.  “Stop teasing!”
    “Oh, but I love to tease,” Zane replied pleasantly.  “You’ll find out all about that soon enough.  But if you really want to know, then I suppose I can give you a hint or two about some of the many things I love to do.”
    “Yes!” Melody was unable to conceal her eagerness.  “Please give me a hint!”
    His fingers were still stroking her naked flesh, tracing along her navel before moving down to the tender flesh of her inner thighs.  Melody was straining against her bonds again although this time it was for a completely different reason. 
    She wished Zane would just hurry up and take her