Inferno Punishment

"Kneel," he commanded.

Maki hesitated for only a heartbeat before her budding, helpless devotion-took over. She walked to his side and sank to her knees on the cold stone floor beside his chair. She felt small and incredibly vulnerable, her head level with his waist.

Roman went back to his breakfast as if she weren't even there. He cut a piece of spiced venison, chewed slowly, and sipped his wine, leaving Maki to kneel in silence for several minutes.

The power play was blatant, demeaning in its simplicity, yet Maki found herself watching the muscles in his jaw work, her own hunger-both for food and his attention-growing.

Halfway through his meal, he finally turned his head toward her. "Where are my manners?" he teased, his voice dripping with mock concern.

He reached out, his fingers hooking under her chin and lifting her face so she had to look up at him. "Are you hungry, pretty girl?"

Maki nodded, her face a vivid pink. "I... I am, My Lord. And still quite tired from... from your company last night."

Roman's smile widened, becoming something raw and sensual. "I imagine so. Open up."

He picked up a small, honey-glazed pastry from his plate. Maki hesitated, then parted her lips. He fed it to her slowly, his eyes locked on hers, watching the way her throat moved as she swallowed.

"Good girl," he murmured.

His actions became a slow, erotic torture. He didn't let her use her hands. He fed her bits of fruit, his fingers lingering against her lips, tracing the seam of her mouth until she was forced to take his fingertips into her mouth to get the food. He played with her tongue, his gaze intense and unyielding as she licked the residue sweetness from his fingers.

"You look so much better down there," he noted, his other hand coming up to stroke her hair. "Subservient. Obedient. It suits you."