Thank you all for the amazing feedback.
As always, big 'thank you' to CoppertopJ for all the help. Mwah! All mistakes are still mine, because I can't help and change/add stuff in the chapter before posting it.
Many of you asked what subspace is. Here is the 'on-point-' explanation, but it's much more complex. You can google it. =)
Subspace creates a drunk or high feeling — pain is gone, problems disappear, and your current state of mind is full of joyful feelings, like an out-of-body experience.
It took Bella over an hour to create an intricate pattern of rope work across Edward's torso. She'd cuffed his spread legs (at shoulder width) to the floor of her Playroom. She'd used the spread bar behind his shoulders to tie his arms to it, and anchor the bar itself to the pulley system from her ceiling.
Bella stepped away to admire Edward covered in red ropes. The blindfold over his eyes was there to help him relax and feel as safe as he needed.
She had never seen his body so lax, not even after his most intense orgasms.
"Color?" she checked, running her hands over his ribs.
"Green, Mistress." His melted honey tone was going to be her undoing.
"You'll tell me if it's too much," she demanded.
"Yes, Mistress."
She brought the flogger, slowly circling Edward's body. He didn't move his head to follow the sound of her heels. She stopped at his side, starting the sensation play with a lick of the tails across his back.
"Ah," he breathed softly.
"Shh." Bella trailed the tails over his spine, before slapping them across his stomach. His muscles clenched, but he didn't even whimper.
Bella alternated with soft brushes of the flogger against his chest and back, until Edward was panting. His body was leaning forward, but it was kept upright only by the bolts in his ankle cuffs and the pulley hooked on the spreader bar.
Bella abandoned the flogger, trading it for the candle waiting to be lit. Edward's nostrils flared when she approached him with the now burning candle. She noticed his fingers clenching into fists.
"Color?"
"Green, Mistress."
She tipped the candle over his left pectoral. A dollop of hot wax landed on his tattoo. Edward breathed evenly, not wincing or hissing. She continued to drop wax over his chest and his lower back. When she was satisfied that he'd gotten used to the feeling, she brought over the ice cubes she'd kept in the portable cooler box.
Edward's mouth dropped when she rubbed one ice cube over his left nipple. His body leaned to the side, but she righted him. He was a panting mess by the time she stopped playing with his senses.
Bella brought over the tiny bullet vibrator, which Edward had deemed as the devil, slotting it under the rope wound around his dick.
"Don't come." She turned the device on, watching mesmerized as Edward's body swayed and his dick twitched wildly.
His jaw clenched after a while, and he started making his wounded wild animal sounds.
"You're doing wonderful. You look gorgeous dressed in my ropes."
He gasped, jerking his hips in the air, jaw slack.
"You don't want to disappoint me, do you?" Bella pressed her palm above his groin, making him gasp and try bending inward, but the pulley system prevented him from doing it. "Five minutes of that vibrator on your dick, then you can come." She moved her hand to his ass, squeezing it, before wrapping one of her hands around his straining erection. She pumped him slowly, flicking his piercing every other stroke.
When Edward's broken whimpers grew in intensity, Bella pulled the vibrator from where it was lodged on the side of his dick to press it against his Prince Albert. Edward cried out wildly, his whole body shaking.
"Come." She rubbed him through his endless orgasm, proud of him. It was the first time he'd managed to stay quiet, without begging her for his release or saying "Oh fuck" every other breath.
"You've done an amazing job. Such a good boy," she praised, working swiftly to untie him from the pulley system, before cutting the ropes across his body.
Edward collapsed to his knees, as Bella crouched to undo his ankles. Her hands shook at seeing him so vulnerable. She wrapped her arms around him, rocking them on the spot.
"Thank you, Mistress," he whispered against her breasts.
"That's why I'm here – to help you. Never be afraid to tell me what you need, Edward." She kissed his sweaty forehead. "You're the best I've ever had."
He nuzzled the top of her breasts. "Can I please you, Mistress?"
"Not tonight. This was for you. Let me draw you a bath. You can talk to me while we wash."
.
.
.
For her birthday, Bella allowed Edward to select one toy of his choice and bring her another earth-shattering orgasm. He chose a string of beads, which left Bella shivering in aftershocks long after they left the Playroom.
The following day, Edward had been right to envision a shit show at the airport security because of his metal. Bella refused to allow the security man to take Edward in that room without her, and when he kept insisting that she didn't have to be there, Bella said what she rarely showed in public, explaining that she was Edward's Mistress. The security man's eyes had gotten so big, she expected them to fall out.
Their first stop was New York City. After checking in at the hotel Tia had booked, they went for a walk in Central Park. All Bella could think during their walk was how she should have been more careful with their accommodations, but Tia wouldn't have understood why they needed two separate rooms, or at least a suite. The double bed in their otherwise spacious room was big enough for them not to touch, but Bella could imagine them gravitating toward the middle of it.
Her stomach muscles clenched in desire and anticipation of sharing a bed with Edward.
They had dinner at the hotel's restaurant, while Bella looked over her schedule. She had three big bookstores where she'd go for signing and chats with her fans. She told Edward that he was free to do anything he wanted while she was busy.
When they got ready for bed that night, Edward stood at the foot of the bed, staring at her intently. Bella patted the spot next to her.
"Come here. I don't bite."
He gulped thickly, crawling up the bed, and claiming the farthest spot from her as his. He was on the edge, almost falling over.
"In the next city, we're upgrading to a suite, so you'll have a space of your own. I understand this is not something you're used to. Believe me, I'm not used to sharing the bed, either."
Edward nodded stiffly. "I could take the floor."
"Don't be absurd. Since we agreed not to play during this trip, consider this just two friends sharing a bed," she offered, barely believing her own words.
Bella was so wound up about having him there, so close, yet out of reach. Gradually, they both relaxed enough to fall asleep, on either side of the bed.
She shouldn't have worried about touching each other during the night. When she opened her eyes in the morning, Edward wasn't even in bed anymore. She spotted him sitting in the stuffed chair by the window, staring at her with an unreadable expression.
"Morning," she croaked, stretching. The blanket was kicked at her feet and she could feel the cool air of the room on her bare legs.
"Good morning," he replied quietly, still staring at her.
"What's wrong? Didn't you get any sleep?" He looked tired, and it made her wonder if sharing the bed was the cause of it.
"Maybe you should have warned me that you talk in your sleep, Lady Isabella."
Bella tugged the pillow over her face. "Fuck." She'd forgotten about her sleep talking, because her father had been the last person to complain about it, considering she hadn't slept next to anyone else ever since. Though, during the flights from Chicago to Seattle and back, Jake had mentioned it a couple of times. He'd called it cute, and Bella had threatened to cut off his balls. They never mentioned it again.
"What did I say?" she finally asked, dragging the pillow away and looking at Edward.
"You don't really want to be on this tour, do you?" he asked gently.
"It's a tedious job. I'd rather be home and write the next book, than sit in that chair and sign endless amounts of books. But I like meeting fans. It's the highlight of this torture, to hear them praising your work."
By the time Bella was ready to go for her appointment, Edward was in bed at her insistence. He needed his sleep.
Bella wished Tia would have been able to tag along, but she had to stay back and wait for Benjamin, who was returning for his Visa and getting everything ready to have their siblings moved to the States.
Their days in New York turned out to be like dates between new lovers, where they discovered hidden likes and dislikes from each other. During their last evening in the city, while they had dinner at the restaurant, Bella felt like they were a couple like any other around them. But then, she was reminded about their relationship when Edward waited for her to order for them. When he didn't talk back to her like the man at the table behind them, or when he didn't crowd her, groping her in that public place like she could see some sleaze doing with his date several feet away, the difference was obvious.
After New York, came Miami, where they stayed only two days. Bella didn't even bother to upgrade their room.
The bookstore holding her event was next to a tattoo parlor, and Bella shouldn't have been surprised when Edward asked if he could go there. Bella warned him about not returning with new ink before talking to her about it.
When the event wrapped up and she was done talking to the last lingering fans, she went inside the tattoo parlor. Edward was on the sofa, looking through catalogues. The artist, a young woman with green hair, was hovering over his shoulder pointing out different designs.
Bella cleared her throat, making them look up. Edward's eyes widened, and he glanced at the clock. She had to refrain from laughing. She knew very well how it was to forget the time when you did something you liked.
"Find anything?" she asked.
He nodded shyly. "I took a few photos. I'll show you over dinner."
"Good idea. I'm starving," she admitted. These events were draining, not only because of the chaos, but because she couldn't get a long enough lunch break. She'd only had some pastries the whole day.
Edward kept his promise and showed her the pictures he'd taken once they were seated in a seafood restaurant.
"You want sleeves?" she gasped.
"I've wanted them for ages, but I never found any pattern I really liked. This is a good one, though." He tapped his phone. "And this one, too." He skipped over several pictures.
The intricate art work of sinuous curves and shapes would look amazing on his arm. Bella could already imagine it and the texture of the inked skin under her hands.
"There's not enough time for you to go back there and do it," she said quietly.
Edward surprised her by laughing. "I'm not allowing anyone else besides Tanya to touch me with a tat gun."
"Oh, of course, you have your own artist."
"Yeah, and I trust her. We've been friends since high school." Edward sipped from his water. "You can meet her when we return, if you're okay with me getting more ink, Isabella."
"I don't mind tattoos. Wasn't I clear enough about how much I love them from the beginning?" she teased.
"I don't know. You showed more interest in my piercing," he smirked, looking at her shyly through his lashes.
"There might be some spanking for your tonight," she said lightly.
Edward chewed on his lip, shifting in his seat.
"I know you need some relief. I know I do," she insisted.
Their playtime had to be postponed when they returned to the hotel room after midnight, because they'd walked on the beach after dinner, talking about Edward starting to look for a job when they returned. Bella was going to support him, because despite the fact that she hadn't heard him play the piano, she could already sense he was amazing. She'd felt his skilled fingers on her body, and they knew what they were doing.
Their next stop was Dallas, before her favorite stop in San Francisco, where they stayed for three days, and the last on the list was Seattle. Tia had insisted on that one, not knowing how close to home she was sending Bella.
Sadly, Charlie found out about it because she was a well-known author and the small towns around Seattle would be buzzing with the news.
"You planned on being so close without visiting?" he demanded on the phone.
Bella was exhausted after the long flight from San Francisco, which had gotten delayed due to a bad thunderstorm. It was late evening, and all she wanted was a hot shower and to sleep.
"I'm here for only two days," she protested.
Edward had already disappeared into the bathroom for his shower. Bella wished she could accompany him. She was wound up tighter than a coil. They had squeezed in a few hours of playtime in Dallas, where she had relied on Edward's ability to not move his hands from the headboard while she'd given him a hand job, edging him for a long time, before she'd climbed on him and found some sweet relief.
"We're coming over tomorrow. It's Saturday. Riley doesn't have school."
Bella groaned. "Did you tell him I'm so close?"
"He told me, because he saw a poster about you being in Seattle for your new book."
"Fuck," she spat.
"Poor kid said I shouldn't call you, because you were clearly busy."
"Looks like he knows me better."
"Because he's afraid to upset you so he could get whatever time you decide to offer him when you visit," Charlie snapped. "You've stopped coming as often, not like you were here a lot in the past, but you only dropped by for Christmas in the past few years."
"Guilt-tripping me much?" Bella groaned, sitting at the foot of the bed. "If you want to make the long-ass drive to Seattle, we could meet for dinner tomorrow," she said against her better judgment.
"Good. Riley will be over the moon."
She grimaced, as she told him the hotel she was in, before hanging up. Bella threw her phone on the bed and marched into the bathroom. Unfortunately, Edward was drying up and he stopped to look at her, startled.
"Order us room-service. Anything you want," she said softly, stripping and stepping into the shower stall.
She stood under the beating water, wondering how she could explain to Edward what was going on. If it had been possible, she would have never told him about Riley. He was likely to freak out, because any sane person would, after a month into their relationship when one of the parties reveals that they kept a child hidden.
I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of this chapter.
PS: There won't be an Edward pov, for those of you curious about that aspect.
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