The next time she slipped her fingers between his legs, she just played with his balls. Rolling them, tugging on them, squeezing them, teasing them with a featherlight touch. Yeah, his dick had gotten hard. Mess with the berries and the twig wants in on the action. But again she left him hanging.

The fourth go-around was exactly like the first.

At that point it took every ounce of his control not to just walk to the bathroom and take care of matters himself. The whipping with the switch hadn’t been that bad. A few hard swats on his ass would be worth it if he could alleviate this ache.

The fifth time she touched him, he let his head fall back against the cushion in total defeat.

Then her lips were on his ear. “This time I’ll let you pick if you want to come or not.”

“And if I choose to come, what happens then?”

“Neither of us will have the satisfaction of knowing how long you could’ve lasted.”

Of course she was challenging him. “I won’t come.”

“Good man. Watch my hand jacking you. See how hot it looks.”

He lifted his head and peeled his eyes open. His cock was an angry red, the head nearly purple. And her hand looked delicate wrapped around his girth.

She pumped his meat in her tight fist faster and faster. Again her soft lips brushed his ear, sending goose bumps down the left side of his body. “You tell me when to stop. But don’t flinch, my beautiful sub. Let me get you right to the very edge, where you’re balancing on one foot and windmilling your arms to keep from plunging over . . . and then pull back.”

Christ. He held out until that moment right before his balls lifted and he said hoarsely, “Stop. Just stop.”

Once again her fingers became a cock ring.

Maybe he had a sense of accomplishment when she murmured, “I’m impressed.”

Knox tried to level his breathing. And while he did that, he tried to get his cock to stand down.

She patted his leg and resumed crunching popcorn as if she weren’t turning him inside out.

“It makes me wet,” she said nonchalantly, “seeing you with such iron control, knowing you’re doing it for me because I asked.”

He growled at her admission and grabbed a handful of hair at the back of her head to get at her mouth. Taking the kiss, the contact he needed. Besides, what worse punishment could she give him?

Shiori allowed the kiss, but when she lightly bit down on his tongue, he backed off.

The next time her hand crept between his legs, he didn’t bother to try to keep his body from reacting to her touch.

“How are you liking your reward?”

“This doesn’t exactly feel like a reward, Mistress.”

“It will.” She blew in his ear, and he felt it all the way in his balls. “Relax and let all your tension go.”

“I’m trying.”

She smacked his leg. “Loosen up.”

Knox inhaled a deep breath and focused on the tension leaving his body the same time as the air in his lungs.

That’s when a strange sense of peace flowed through him. He felt her hand working him and the tightness in his balls. He wanted that rush of release, ached for it, but he trusted her to get him there.

“That’s what I wanted, Knox.”

He might’ve offered her a dreamy smile.

“Come for me, lover. Come now.”

The orgasm was like an out-of-body experience. He’d never come so hard, for so long. Wave after wave rolled through him, tossing him about a sea of pleasure so intense for a split second he wondered if he were dreaming. His seed was scorching hot on his skin. His balls just kept shooting out stream after stream. He shuddered. He yelled, but no sound came out.

When she finally stopped pumping his shaft, he curled his hand over hers and said, “Just a little more. Please.”

As he helped her bring him down, she whispered, “You were magnificent.”

He grunted, and she caught the sound in her mouth. Shiori kissed him with tenderness and care. Running her free hand over his face and neck and chest, letting him know this wasn’t a fantasy; it was real.

Knox didn’t know how much time passed before he opened his eyes. But the first thing he saw was her beautiful face.

He had the overwhelming urge to drop to his knees. But it warred with his overwhelming urge to run. To get far away from this woman and the absolute surrender she demanded. It scared the fuck out of him, anyone having that kind of power over him.

“Don’t.” She kissed him again.

“Don’t what?”

“Ruin this for yourself by thinking too hard.”