Page 6 of Silver

Daphne

* * *

I shuffle toward him, my nerves making me tremble. What the hell is he planning?

He pats the mattress. “Face the bed, bend over, and plant your hands on the comforter,” he orders as if he just told me to comb my hair, brush my teeth, and go potty.

“What?”

“You heard me. Don’t make me repeat myself.” He pats the mattress again.

I feel compelled to obey him for reasons I can’t explain. Earlier, he threatened to spank me. Is that what he’s going to do? It seems so unlikely. I barely know him. He’s just a random math tutor I go to because he’s sexy, and I’m drawn back to the math lab every few days, hoping to get a glimpse of him.

But I’m not in the lab now. I’m in his house, in his room, wearing nothing but his T-shirt.

And he’s so intense and serious. It’s hard to tell what he’s thinking.

As I set my hands on the mattress, the enormous shirt hangs down, leaving me naked and exposed.

Silver sets one of his huge hands on the small of my back. “Has anyone ever spanked you, Daphne?”

“No.” I shudder. Why am I letting him dominate me like this? It’s not as though I have to. I don’t even have to be here. I should probably break this spell, tell him to go fuck himself, and get out of his house.

But I can’t bring myself to do anything but obey him. I’m too intrigued. My curiosity is piqued. It’s like I stepped into the pages of a kinky erotic romance. I read them. I even use them as inspiration to masturbate now that I’ve learned how to get myself off. But people don’t act out the things that happen in those books.

I flinch when his other hand comes to the back of my thigh, and my breath hitches because his fingers are inches from my sex.

“Spread your feet wider, Daphne,” he commands.

I purse my lips, grateful he can’t see my face right now. Does he have any idea how wet I am? It’s so irrational. He’s given no indication he’s interested in me sexually. This is all very clinical. Very Daddyish.

“You made very poor choices tonight, Daphne. You had no business going to that strip club for any reason. It was dark and late. You could have been attacked in the parking lot. A patron could have touched you inappropriately. A dozen worse things could have happened. Do you realize that?”

I swallow. I think he’s overreacting. He might be right, but the club isn’t some seedy dive where women get assaulted or abducted. It’s just outside of Darkwell. I would have heard if there’d been problems.

His words are eerily familiar, too. I’ve been reprimanded like this before. He’s bringing back memories of that night. The terror I experienced at the hands of my unknown assailant.

I’ve worked hard not to think about that night again. That man. The entire event. I can shove it deep down during most of the time when I’m awake, but it haunts me at night in my dreams when I have no control over my subconscious.

Shaking memories of that horror out of my head, I force myself back to the here and now. This is Silver. He’s a PhD student who works in the math lab. He’s not going to assault and murder me in his house. Hell, his sister lives here.

“The correct response is Yes, Sir,” Silver demands when I don’t answer him.

Trying not to squirm, I lick my lips. “Yes, Sir,” I whisper. Hearing those words coming from my lips does something to me. Something dark and dirty.

I never thought in a million years I’d be in a position where I’d actually call a man Sir. That sort of thing belongs in my books. I’m not a submissive in a dark romance novel. I’m a college student with a housing issue. It’s hard to separate the two right now.

“You used poor judgment tonight and made bad choices, didn’t you, Daphne?”

“Yes, Sir,” I murmur. The honorific comes easier the second time, which scares me. I don’t want to turn my free will over to this man. It’s a dangerous, slippery slope. I don’t even know what his intentions are. I’m beyond confused by his words and actions.

Yet, I can’t stop myself. I’m inside a strange cyclone, getting tossed around faster and faster, unable to get out.

“A hard spanking will absolve you of your transgressions so you can shake off the night and move on.”

His words are so strange. Almost biblical. Is this some religious thing for him? The only word he didn’t use was sin. Does he think I was committing a sin or something by planning to strip for money? If so, what the hell was he doing there? Wouldn’t it also be a sin for him to watch?

Silver is turning out to be a very warped individual. I’m a bit scared now. When I glance at the bedroom door, I’m reminded that fleeing isn’t an option. I’m locked in here. I don’t have a clue what he did with those keys. If I wanted to run, I wouldn’t even make it five feet.