“And I haven’t learned my lesson. Case in point? I’m up here. Civilians aren’t supposed to enter your domain during class hours. This is the second time I’ve done it in a week. You never let that shit slide.”
“True—I’ve always been adamant about enforcing the rules.”
“So what are you going to do about it? Pull down my panties, bend me over your desk, and spank my bare ass? Huh-uh. We’d end up fucking for sure. And, hot man of mine? Fucking you is always a reward, never a punishment.”
“Are you trying to piss me off or turn me on?”
Amery stood on tiptoe and murmured, “Both,” in his ear. “You know you have to punish me. I know you have to punish me. But there’s no way I’ll be on my knees in the practice room waiting for you to finish up your day to dish that punishment out.”
Ronin whirled around and, shockingly, Amery was already halfway across the room.
“This is where the challenge starts, Samurai,” she cooed sexily. “You’ll have to find me before you can exact the punishment of your choosing.”
“Find you,” he repeated.
“After the dojo closes, I’ll be somewhere in this building except for the penthouse level. I bet I know some really great nooks and crannies that you aren’t even aware of. Or maybe I’ll be plotting my escape back to my place. I’ll give you an hour to find me. If you’re unsuccessful, your bed will seem big and lonely without me in it tonight, don’t you think?”
Ronin started to stalk her. “When I do track you down? What then?”
“You’d better have a plan in place to capture me because I won’t go easy.”
“Baby, throwing down the gauntlet is what I live for. The fact that it’s you issuing the challenge?” His greedy gaze raked over her from head to toe. “Even better. But I’ll give you a warning. If you’re my prisoner? I get to do anything I want to you. Anything.”
“Guess we’ll see about that, won’t we?” Amery smiled and said, “Catch you later.”
“You can count on it.”
She slipped out of the room.
• • •
RONIN warned his instructors they needed a speedy shutdown.
He’d tied a coil of hemp rope from his gi belt. Normally he worried about the burn ratio of the size and texture of the rope against bare skin when he tied her, but not tonight. Tonight when he caught her, he’d give her a taste of the hojojutsu side of bondage. Chase, capture, and bind for the reward.
For the past two hours, since she’d issued the challenge, Ronin had created a defensive and an offensive strategy, breaking down possibilities. After her hint about sneaking off to her place, he knew she’d try to escape from the building. He wasn’t falling for her red herring warning him to search every nook and cranny of the place.
There were two exits from the building where the door lock was automatic and she wouldn’t have to rearm the system. All entrances into the building were locked after five p.m. So she’d either try to sneak out with the other dojo students leaving through the main entrance, or she’d leave by the back door.
Ronin didn’t consider it cheating that he could cover both entrances at once by watching the security camera feed, because guaranteed Amery would try to disguise herself. Still, maybe she’d be bold and not bother. He scrutinized every head for that distinctive strawberry-blond hair until the last remaining instructor killed all the lights and exited the building.
Since the students tended to congregate out on the sidewalk after class, Amery would avoid that side.
Or maybe she’d wait until they were gone, hoping he’d watch the alley while she slipped out the front.
There was no way he could prepare for every contingency.
But he really, really looked forward to the chase.
He left the security monitors for a couple of minutes to send the elevator up to the third floor. Would that flush her out?
Ten minutes after the dojo emptied, there she was exiting the back door to the alley.
Gotcha, baby.
Now his adrenaline was really pumping.
Ronin left via the front entrance and kept his footsteps light as he crossed the street to the parking garage. Another thing to factor in; Amery showed up after work, which meant she’d have to park on either of the top two levels.
So while she snuck into the structure via the back alley, probably cocky enough to ride the elevator, Ronin hauled ass, sprinting for the stairs. He stopped on the fourth level to catch his breath.
He welcomed the chill in the night air as he listened for her. Was that the ping of the elevator? He peered around the edge of the stairwell and watched as the doors opened.
No one exited.
Son of a bitch. She’d pulled the same fake elevator car ride trick that he had.
Or maybe she’s in the corner of the elevator car where you can’t see her.
Either way, when the elevator moved to the lower floor, so did Ronin.
Hurling himself down two sets of metal stairs, three stair treads at a time, tested the stability of his knee. It also played hell on his stealthy ninja attempt because Amery could hear him coming.
He reached the third level of the garage the same time the elevator doors opened and Amery stepped out. She made the mistake of stopping and looking around.
That’s when she saw Ronin.
That’s when she started to run.
Oh, I really gotcha now, baby.
Even though half a garage length separated them, Ronin kicked his stride into sprint stage and grabbed her from behind about ten feet from her car.
He had to give her credit; she didn’t scream, but she did try to employ some of the self-defense tactics he’d taught her.
Tried and failed—but tried nonetheless.
He pushed her against the closest vehicle, keeping her wrists together as he freed the short length of rope and quickly tied her hands. Then he put his mouth to her ear. “Don’t scream.”
“What are you going to do to me?”
“Punish you.”
“But I didn’t do anything wrong!”
“Then why did you run?”
“Because I was scared.”
Ronin spun her back around and wrapped his hand around the front of her throat. “You claim that you didn’t do anything wrong, but I got you dead to rights. You confessed to breaking my rules at the dojo. Blatant violations result in punishment as your Sensei sees fit. Do you understand?”
That hot little pink tongue of hers darted out and licked her lips—a sure sign of her arousal. His cock was already hard—hell, he’d been semihard since she’d sauntered into his office and challenged him.
“I said, Do you understand?” he repeated.
“Uh, yeah.”
Ronin got nose to nose with her. “The correct answer is yes, sir; yes, Sensei; or yes, Master Black. Uh, yeah is not one of them.”
“Yes, Master Black. I understand.” She pulled back from him and tossed her head. “Now, can we get on with it?”
“Such a sassy mouth.” Ronin crowded her until she didn’t have anyplace to go and her back bowed over the car’s trunk. He traced the seam of her mouth with his tongue and then brushed whisper-soft kisses across her pouty lips. “I’m torn between gagging you and keeping your jaw hinged open so I can use your mouth however I want.”
Amery’s eyes widened. “What do you plan on doing to me?”
“Punishing you. But, baby, I will make sure the punishment fits the crime.” He kissed her with brutal possession.
She pressed her chest to his, trying to get closer, and ravaged his mouth with equal ferocity.
Ronin slid his palm to the nape of her neck and pulled her upright as he continued to kiss her. Then he ripped his mouth free. “I’m taking you back to the dojo. I’m not sure if this garage has working surveillance cameras, so I can’t do the full restraint here. Don’t try to escape.”
“And what if I do?”
“Escape?”
She nodded.
Ronin laughed. “Won’t happen. But if you even try? Punishment is double. And for you that means double the amount of rope and twice the time I’d keep you bound. Let’s go.” He kept his hand wrapped around her binding as he steered her toward the elevator.
As soon as they were in the elevator, Amery said, “Is that a length of rope in your pocket, or are you just happy to capture me?”
Although inside he was laughing at the boldness that reminded him of the first night they’d met, he didn’t crack a smile. “Gag it is.”
Amery cranked her head around to glare at him.
“Keep it up and you’ll just add to your punishment.”
She immediately faced forward with a huff.
Once they were almost out of the parking garage, she said, “May I ask you a question, sir?”
“Yes. Doesn’t mean I’ll answer.”
“How did you find me so fast?”
“Secret ninja stealth tricks.” He helped her over the concrete embankment and stopped. “Did you really think you had a chance of getting away from me?”
“Yes.”
Ronin kissed the back of her head. “I love that you’re an optimist.” He directed her to the back door.
She didn’t speak until they were in his private elevator. “Why aren’t you meting out my punishment in the dojo, since that’s where my alleged infractions occurred?”
“Because there are cameras everywhere, and I didn’t think you’d want anyone seeing you bound, punished, and fucked.”
“That’s how you knew where I’d gone! You just watched the camera feed. That’s cheating.”
“No, a modern-day samurai uses every technological edge to gain the advantage. Besides, even without the visual assistance, I’d guessed correctly in which way you’d attempt to escape.”
“So I was screwed either way.”
Ronin rubbed his lips over the shell of her ear. “You like being screwed by me.”
“Not fair.”
He pulled her hair to the side to access her neck. “Should I mete out your punishment in the practice room? Or the bedroom?”
“Why are you letting me choose?”
“I’m not. Just musing aloud.”
“I hate it when you’re cryptic like this.”
“Practice room it is,” he said, leading her inside. “In front of the mirror.” Ronin pointed to the camera on the bench. “I’ll make sure to get a few photos in.”
She vehemently shook her head.
“Tough shit. I will have pictures of this if for no other reason than to remind you who is in charge.” He wrapped his fingers around her jaw. “They are for our eyes only. I can promise you that.”
Amery nodded.
“Do. Not. Move.” He retreated to his supply drawer and pulled out the things he’d need. Standing behind her again, he gathered her hair on top of her head and secured it with an elastic tie. “Pity this sexy dress got torn in our scuffle.” He tugged the pocket flap and it ripped, leaving a large tear that exposed her bra.
Her mouth hung open.
Then Ronin did the same thing to the other side, but with more force. The lace hem ripped easily, and he let it hang drunkenly above her knee. The side seam had more give than he expected, so when he rent the two pieces apart, the split almost reached Amery’s armpit.
She still hadn’t torn her gaze away from the image in the mirror, so Ronin faced her forward.
He unhooked the rope bundle from his belt. “You will be bound like a criminal in the hojojutsu style. This binding requires several sections of rope wound around your neck. The most important thing for you to remember? This is a punishment binding. It won’t be comfortable. And if you move your neck?” Ronin traced the cord in her throat. “It will hurt. It will leave marks because this rope has a high burn rate.”
A couple of beats passed before she babbled, “I don’t want to be punished. I made the whole thing up about breaking the dojo rules.”
“No, you didn’t. I double-checked.” He bestowed a lingering kiss on her mouth. “You issue a challenge, and it won’t go unanswered. And I need a challenge like I need air. So thank you for giving me exactly what I needed.”
That softened some of the panic in her eyes.
Ronin held up the rope and folded it in half. “I’ll need to rebind your hands. Do I need to issue another warning about what will happen to you if you attempt to escape?”
“No, sir.”
“Clasp your elbows behind your back.” He secured her wrists, leaving the tails long enough to attach to the back binding. He stepped in front of her and folded another section of rope in half. “Open your mouth.”
Amery blinked at him and shook her head.
“I’ll ask one more time. You were warned that gagging you was a consequence, and you chose to ignore my warning. Now, open your mouth, or I will fashion the chopsticks gag, where your tongue is pressed between two chopsticks and the ropes from the gag are tied tightly at the base of your skull.”
She parted her lips.
“Smart choice.” Ronin slipped the rope between her lips and tied a square knot at the nape of her neck. That would allow him to attach the gag to the main binding.
“Normally I don’t give a play-by-play, but since this is new and you can’t speak”—he tugged at the gag—“I’ll tell you what I’m doing. This is nijyuu-hishi nawa—a double diamond samurai tie. It looks precisely as it sounds. Hojojutsu binds are meant to be done quickly with a minimum amount of rope.”
Ronin started with the double neck wrap and split the two sections, tying a knot at the top, pulling the rope down and straight across her arm. He wrapped beneath the arm on both sides and then added another knot at the base of her spine above where her hands were tied. He wound another section midway between her shoulder and elbow. Back up to the knot at the top, he tied another knot below it and crossed to her opposite arm and then down to her wrist binding.
“Done.” Keeping his eyes on hers in the mirror, he used his first two fingers to trace the double diamond, wishing he had her naked. But the power of the binding was such that Amery shuddered anyway.
He picked up the camera and shot several rearview photos. Full length. Close up. Then, since the staged resistance looked so real, he snapped a couple of photos of that. Before he set the camera down, he said, “Struggle to get out of the bindings.”
She thrashed and twisted, but the bindings held.
He snapped a few shots. “Stop.”
When Ronin moved in front of Amery, her gaze fell to the floor.
He crouched, forcing her attention. He slipped his hands beneath her dress until he reached the crotch of her panties. Hooking a finger between her cunt—her wet cunt—and the silky fabric, he yanked hard until her underwear was around her ankles. “Kick them off.”
Ronin grabbed the box holding his surprise and dropped to his knees in front of her.
Amery’s eyes went big. Her response was garbled by the ropes in her mouth.
“What’s this? It’s called a lotus blossom. Similar to the butterfly sex toy in that it has a remote control. But the petals contour more to the curve of your sex.” The straps were thin, and with the way Amery flailed around, he’d have to readjust them.
Once he had the lotus blossom situated, he turned the vibrator on.
“Oomgld! Wtrooglooee?”
“Ever heard of orgasm torture?”
She shook her head wildly.