Professional Restraint

14 Gravity

Liam

Time slows as I watch Ella lose her grip and gravity takes hold. She squeaks, and I tighten my grip on the anchor rope, keeping her from hitting the ground.

"You good?" I ask, not hiding my concern.

Ella lets out a shaky breath and nods. "Yes." The ledge was only about eight feet off the ground, but the drop no doubt startled her. Thankfully, the anchor kept her about four feet off the ground, where she currently hovers.

"I'm going to let you down now, okay?" She nods in response, so I carefully let the rope out, inching her down. As her tippy toes barely brush the ground, the rope binds in her harness, halting her just short of the ground.

"Umph," she grunts as she struggles to make contact with the ground. I can't suppress my chuckle at the way she looks, half like a ballerina and half... like something else. It takes every ounce of willpower to keep my mind on track.

"Liam," she groans, flashing me an irritated pout.

"It's not me. The rope must be caught," I say, fighting a grin.

"This is not funny!" Ella grumbles, narrowing her gaze at me and clearly not believing me.

"It's not me," I say again, toying with her. Her glare falters as I drop the rope and show her my empty palms.

Ella clutches her harness like she fully expects to fall out of the sky, not the mere inches it is to the ground. "Liam," she whines in a way that makes my palms itch.

"Yes?" I reply smugly, walking towards her.

"Get me down!" She orders, earning a raised brow. The itching in my palm is getting worse and worse by the second as she glares at me.

"Ask nicely," I practically growl, unable to keep my dominance in check. She huffs stubbornly and starts to wriggle, trying to shake herself free. The way her body moves has my irritation calming right back down.

"That won't work. You need to get the tension off the rope," I say, toying with her once more.

"And how am I supposed to do that?!" she snaps defiantly.

I step closer, just an arm's length away, locking my eyes with hers. Her cheeks are flushed and breathing flustered as she stops fighting and just stares back at me.

"Take your hands, grip the rope above your head and lift yourself up," I command.

Her breathing becomes even more shallow, but she reaches up, gripping the rope with both hands and pulls as hard as she can. She shifts her hips and struggles once more to shake herself free. Frustration wells in her as she realizes she's still stuck.

I close my eyes, trying to block out the vision of her essentially bound right in front of me, but it's seared into my mind and feeds a tightening in my jeans. Her grunts and sighs aren't helping matters one bit as she strains against her bonds.

"Liam," she whines once more. I raise a brow, clenching my jaw at her sassy tone.

"Fine! Sir, can I call upon your assistance in my hour of need?" she calls out, bringing the back of her hand to her forehead. Her tone drips with sarcasm, but that breathy 'Sir' sends all the blood in me rushing south.

Fuck! Here, I thought she'd just say please.

Shaking my head to hide my reaction, I snap out of my euphoric high. "Seeing as you asked so nicely, I'd be happy to."

Her breath hitches as I slip my hand around her back, sliding up to the ring as I feel for the bind. Once I find the spot, I give the rope a sharp tug, but it's bunched too hard now. I need to get her weight off of it to get it unstuck.