CONTEST WINNER THIS CHAPTER: User "CeriseAnouk" recommended the song, "I Get Off" by Halestorm for Theodore & Daphne this go around. It perfectly reflects Daphne's thoughts here. So, this chapter is dedicated to CeriseAnouk - congratulations! Lyrics for that song appear at the bottom of this chapter. Hope you'll find this song somehow and give it a listen.

This chapter revised 1, March, 2017.

CHAPTER THREE (#6): Theodore & Daphne

Daphne could feel Theo's angry stare burning into her as she headed for their private room. Her stomach twisted in response, making her feel positively ill.

The truth was she'd thrown this last round of questions because Theo had promised to give her his card this round. He did not understand that, however, and in the way of Slytherins, she was not about to volunteer such information in front of others. So, she had held her tongue on the matter, awaiting the opportunity for them to be alone before divulging all to her partner.

It was what happened between those two points that had her tied up in knots.

As she crossed over the threshold and into their room, Daphne turned and silently waited for Theo to catch up. In her mind, she repeated the lessons she had learned while in Italy the summer before, allowing the mantras to serve as a balm for her nerves:

The outer is a reflection of the inner.

A firm command and a patient hand.

Mine is the will that moves his heart.

Affecting an indifferent expression, she watched as Theo followed her into the room and shut the door behind him. Leaning his back against it, he turned a hardened gaze towards her.

Grabbing her courage, Daphne crossed to him and held out her hand for his card.

Would he really give it to her, or had those just been words said in the heat of the moment? Would he renege now that he was truly angry with her, or would he hold to his promise, despite his feelings?

She waited, anxious to see where he would go next.

Theo looked at her outstretched palm, seemed to consider the same questions she had, but then, to her relief, he lifted his arm and dropped his card into her waiting hand.

Not bothering to look at the gift he had just presented her, she instead glanced up at him, concerned by his continued silence. Confusion, frustration, and ire reflected in equal parts in his expression, and there, in the depths of his baby blues, she read the hurt she had put there, too. Obviously, Theo had seen her unwillingness to answer the game's question as a rejection of him, and if there was one thing Daphne knew about Theo, it was that he did not take such a thing well.

And why should he, really? His whole life had been one big rejection: first, by his elderly father, who had not wanted children at all, and then by his mother, who had never thought she would get pregnant so late and life and had resented her son for it. Only Slytherin house had ever really given him a sense of acceptance and belonging…but even then, there had been years when he had been outside Draco and Blaise's circle, hovering on the edges. Alone.

She would correct his misunderstanding immediately, knowing that otherwise his volatile temper could exacerbate the issue and drive a wedge between them before they had even really gotten off the ground.

"Now that we are effectively dissociated from the others, my Theo, I will deign to answer the previous Interrogations question for you," she stated, going for poised and unruffled. Inside, her heart was pounding, however. A Dom never explained themselves to their sub. Obedience was all that was required in such a relationship, at least according to her tutors on the subject. In this case, however, they had not put enough history behind them for her to demand such trust from him, and he had not the experience to understand what a good submissive should accept. That could only come with time…something they would not have if she failed to earn his trust now. "You are my answer. I would desire to have you."

Theo seemed taken aback by her forthright statement. "But…the card said you had to name three to five people."

Shaking her head, she made her intentions as clear as possible. "No others, just you. You are all I desire tonight."

For all nights.

"Y-you're serious," he said, as if he couldn't believe his fortune. "You'd want only me? W-why?"

Her heart broke a little at that.

It also made her angry at the people who should have loved him enough, for he should never have had to ask such a thing of another.

"It is not your place to question me, Theo," she replied, resuming the role of his Dominant. Knowing it would take more than a command to convince him, however, she wrapped herself in the act of the tigress on the prowl and stalked across the room towards him. With a swing in her hips, she sauntered up to him and built a cage around him of her arms. "I believe I have made my desires more than evident to you, however. I have decided I want you…every delicious inch of you. I want you in me, on me, and around me. I want to walk out of here tonight thoroughly satisfied by you, not just in the pleasure you bring me, but in that which I bring you."

Theo's eyes darkened with lust and his body trembled against her.

Knowing she—the middle daughter of a minor pure-blood household, and the least attractive of the children to boot—could draw such need and want from the gorgeous heir to the Nott legacy made Daphne feel powerful and beautiful. It made her believe that the mantras she regularly spoke in her head could be a reality, if she played her cards right. Most importantly, it gave her the confidence she needed to follow through with her plans.

I will own all of you, my beloved, she silently promised him. And you will own all of me.

"I would open your mind and body to the thrill of continuous, multiple orgasms without ejaculation," she continued, nodding at his confunded expression. "Oh, yes, my Theo, it is quite possible for a man to achieve such with the proper training. I have witnessed it with my own eyes." She threw him her wickedest smirk and leaned into him, so their bodies aligned just right, barely touching. "I would also teach you the intense ecstasy and intimacy of tantric sex, and the wonders of submission. In order to achieve such lofty goals, however, I must first teach you the burning ache that is nurtured under the heavy hands of patience, honesty, and restraint—three skills you fundamentally lack. It is this that holds you back from being a fantastic lover, my Theo."

She let her gaze linger on his lips while licking her own in a suggestive manner.

Theo's erection was suddenly pressing against her inner thigh.

"Would you like me to instruct you in such things, my beloved?" she whispered, and slowly brought her leg upwards, gently rubbing against his hardened length with it.

He nodded and licked his own lips. "Yes, teach me everything you know, Daphne! Teach me how to…how to…"

"Make love?" she offered.

He seemed startled by her offer at first, but then his gaze softened and the stiffness in his shoulders relaxed, as if her words had freed him in some manner.

"Yes."

Softly, on tiptoe, she leaned up and very lightly brushed her mouth against his.

"I will," she promised him, and just like that, their contract was made. "Now, I need you to say aloud that you will let me touch you anyway I wish tonight, with my hands or mouth or with toys." She stepped back and held his card out to him so he could take it back from her. He did, but his fingers shook in the trade-off. "Agree that this same proviso lasts until the end of the game, so we will not need to repeat it each round."

He nodded, seeming much more at ease now. The anger he had carried into the room with him was now gone, and in its place stood a young man ready to accept the gift of love she wanted to bestow upon him. "I allow you, Daphne Greengrass, to touch me in any way you want for the remainder of this game. I am yours to do with as you wish."

Despite the lack of magical or oratory fanfare to accompany his claim, Daphne knew that the cards would now respect Theo's declaration.

"Excellent, my Theo. Now, let us play."

He smiled like she had just offered him the moon.

As she read his card aloud for them both one more time, she could not help but think that this game had been the best idea her housemate, Draco Malfoy, had ever conceived.

DEED: Tie up your partner and paddle them lightly.

She then read her card aloud to him:

FORFEIT: Your partner gets to lick any part on your body of their choice. You cannot touch them.

Theo's eyes lit up. "Fucking awesome!" he cheered. "Your wish is my command, My Queen!" He got down on his knees before her and bent his head in supplication.

'My Queen,' he'd said, not 'Your Majesty.'

Slytherin's soul, she loved this man! She really did.

With a thought, Daphne conjured what she'd need for the paddling session to come first. She had just the right thing in mind… It appeared on a small table next to the Tantra Chair. "Stand Theo, and take your clothes off for me once more," she commanded.

"Yes, My Queen," he humbly offered and did as she had asked.

As he removed his shirt, she walked around him in a predatory circle. "Every action round, you will come to this room and immediately remove all of your clothes for me," she instructed.

"Yes, My Queen."

His belt dropped atop his shirt, even as he kicked his shoes and toed off his socks.

She walked over to the chair and stood beside it. "You will then come to this chair and sit on the smaller hump and wait for me to join you."

"Yes, My Queen. Anything you desire."

His trousers and pants hit his ankles and he stepped out of them without hesitation, and then he made his way towards her, undiminished by his nudity. Daphne's mouth watered at the sight of his hard, thick cock bobbing with every step he took towards her.

Sitting on the chair as she required, Theo kept his head down and his mouth shut.

"This will be your starting point every time we enter this room together," she told him. "Regardless of whether either one of us holds a Deeds card or a Forfeits card that round, you will always present yourself to me in this fashion, until I instruct you otherwise."

"As you will it, My Queen, I obey."

He was being such a good boy, so respectfully submissive. She was going to reward him for it, she decided.

Moving to the small table, she picked up a small bottle of clear lubrication. "Stand for me, my Theo."

"Yes, My Queen."

He was on his feet in a flat second.

Pouring some of the water-based lubrication into her hands, she put the bottle back down and approached him. "Do not touch me, my Theo. Allow me to reward you for your trust thus far."

He was just beginning to reply, but then she took his cock in hand. His reply of, "Yes, My Queen" quickly transformed mid-sentence into, "Shit, yes!" At his sides, his fists clenched, and he tossed his head back, revealing the long line of his throat to her. A deep moan escaped him. "Oh, Daphne…"

Hearing Theo call out to her in such lusty tones made Daphne shiver from head to toe. Her body went tight with need, her heart pounded. She guided her hot, greedy hands all over his thick, hard expanse, working every inch of him, and then she cupped his bollocks and played with those, too.

When he was straining and began pumping his hips rhythmically in time with her hand in an unspoken demand that she finish him, Daphne pulled away. In doing so, she was establishing to him that a good submissive never coerced anything from their Dom, including the need for release. Their pleasure belonged to the Dom alone, and it was she who decided when a sub could have fulfillment.

Of course, a good Dom also understood a sub's desires and attempted to give them what they needed, when they needed it. The relationship was a two-way street, with the power dynamic eventually, after a long time and much work, flipping on its head once the sub and Dom had reached that level of perfected harmony with one another's needs. In the end, it was the Dom who became the sub's love slave.

Trust was at the centre of it all, though, and its guiding hands were patience and honesty.

These were the lessons Daphne wanted Theo to learn. Unfortunately, it would have to be a crash course tonight, since they were out of time now that the end of school was here, and her future was already established elsewhere…

Theo let out a grunt of displeasure at her withdrawal, but to her satisfaction, he bit back on any complaint. It seemed he was learning, after all. She gave him a kiss on the cheek in reward, and then commanded him to bend over the larger hump of the Tantra chair and stick his hind in the air. As he did so, she reached for the paddle lying across the table. It was a small, flat board covered with smooth, black leather on both sides.

"I am going to change up the rules of the card, my Theo," she informed him. "Instead of tying you up and spanking you without purpose, I am going to allow you a certain freedom of choice. I will ask you ten personal questions. If you choose to answer any of them, you must do so honestly and completely. For every question you answer, I will caress your shaft two times. For every question you refuse to answer, however, I will spank you five times with this paddle in my hand." She showed it to him. "Do you agree to play with me like this, Theo?"

He nodded. "Yes, My Queen. Hell, yes!"

"Excellent," Daphne purred next to his ear, leaning her head down to reward him with another tiny kiss to his cheek. "Then let us begin. Question one: what is your middle name?"

Daphne already knew this answer, but was testing his veracity.

"Darek."

He had told the truth, so Daphne gently moved her hand around his waist and softly stroked his length up and down twice. He groaned and his cock twitched in her hand, but she let him go immediately, not wanting him to get too close to the point of no return.

"Question two: with how many girls have you experimented sexually, in sum total?"

"Um, do you mean how many people have I had sex with, or do the ones I only kissed and touched a bit count, too?" he asked.

Daphne became annoyed that there had to be a distinction. Just how many girls had Theo touched in such a manner? "All of the above," she decided.

"Uh, well…"

She roll-tapped her nails over the paddle's handle as she waited for him to count it up, repeating the mantras in her head to try to tone down the jealous whispers in her head.

"Ten. No, wait, eleven. But, uh, most of them were just fooling around. You know, snogging, getting a feel, getting head, that kind of thing. I've only had sex with a few girls."

Daphne swiped her hand over him two more times and as she did so, she nuzzled the hairline at the nape of his neck, making him shiver. "Eleven people," she cooed. "My, you have been busy making the rounds, have you not?"

Did that sound too bitchy?

She took her hand off of him fast and fought back the green-eyed demon that was riding her hard. He must not know yet that she harbored such deep feelings for him, or the dynamics between them would change, and that could ruin everything.

Steeling her voice, she continued. "Question three: in what position did you take the first girl with whom you had sex?"

He paused, seemed to consider an appropriate response. "I didn't take her. She took me the first time, her on top, riding me. After that, we fucked like rabbits all over the place in a variety of positions."

Ah, that explained why he was enjoying the idea of being submissive once more. A person's first sexual encounter was said to set the tone for their preferences in the bedroom throughout most of their lives.

His hips bucked as she stroked his prick again in reward. She moved slowly this time, taking a few moments to acquaint herself with this part of his anatomy. Having yearned for years to see and touch him just like this, now here he was in the palm of her hand, literally, just as she had always fantasized, and she was breathless with the need to take him into her mouth and taste his perfection. The thick, silken flesh was slicked with his pre-cum, and the head of him was engorged with blood and straining against her fingers. He was beautifully shaped and incredibly responsive, and she was dying to feel him inside her in every way.

Moving her hand away took an effort of supreme will on her part.

Theo actually growled low in his throat as their eyes met and he read her desires. The desperate sound made her smile.

"Question four," she said, putting them both back on track. "What sexual positions have you attempted?"

He tilted his head and his eyes grew distant as he sifted through his memories. "The only time a girl rode me was my first time. I usually prefer me on top, or having her from behind on her knees. I've done it once where she was bent over at the waist and I was standing up, fucking her from behind, and another time we were both standing up against a wall, her back to my chest. That's it, though."

Interesting. He had allowed no other woman to ride him, despite secretly enjoying being dominated by a female partner. Daphne wondered the reason, even as her fingers tightened around his cock once more and guided him towards ecstasy.

"Gods, Daphne, I need to fuck you!" he panted. "Please, please!"

Daphne stroked a gentle hand up his spine and massaged the back of his head, scratching her nails against his scalp. "Patience, my Theo. The more you want it, the sweeter it will be." She bent over and pressed a kiss to his temple, before stepping back once more, returning them both to the game. "Question five: have you ever had sex with a man, or ejaculated to the fantasy of such a thing?"

Here, Theo stalled, and Daphne felt an odd, sinking feeling in her stomach that told her she might have stepped on the Exploding Snap this time; perhaps she should not want to know the answer to this one.

Theo sighed with resignation. "Paddle me."

Well, that clearly settled the matter, did it not? Theo either knew the touch of a man or had touched himself to the idea a time or two. From what she knew of him and recalled of his reaction to Blaise's revelation of his bi-sexuality, she began to suspect that the two of them had done more than simply share a dorm room.

Not that such a thing turned her off. Daphne had seen two men together before, as well as a threesome involving two men and a woman. It had been educational, to say the least. Not to mention highly erotic.

Despite that, the fact was Theo had not answered the question. Although Daphne loathed having to punish him for that refusal, she also knew that in this type of game, following through with promises was important to assuring that the players both understood and reinforced the boundaries. Deviation could irreconcilably damage the trust of Dom/sub that she was nurturing if she didn't follow through. Therefore, gritting her teeth and steeling her nerves, she raised the paddle, recalling what she'd learned about proper striking technique.

"Very well. Five strikes."

Each full, measured hit against Theo's flesh was loud in the quiet room, and accompanied by him exhaling hard through his nose, rather than crying out in pain. It would seem that he either had a high tolerance for such abuse, or he had been the victim of such in the past. Perhaps one of his former lovers had spanked him a time or two? Or had it been done under more nefarious circumstances?

By the fifth hard smack, Theo grunted softly, but that was all the complaint he made.

Relieved that the chastisement was over for the moment, there was silence between them for a few minutes as Daphne properly let the punishment sink in. Theo's bum was rosy, but she restrained her impulse to rub a soothing apology over it, knowing that to do so would undermine the message she'd had to impart. This was a contest of dominance, after all.

When she felt it was appropriate to move on, Daphne asked her next query: "Question six: if I were to fulfill your greatest wish here tonight, what would it be?"

Her partner's face turned the same sunrise colour as his arse. "Um… You sure you want to know this?"

"Of course," she stated, suddenly curious to know just how far he would take this one. "Tell me your deepest, most secret fantasy."

He looked up at her as she came around the chair to face him, and in his eyes, she saw a darkness she hadn't expected.

"It's been basically the same one for the last couple of months, ever since I watched you reading in the common room one afternoon. I kidnap you from your bed in the middle of night. I tie you up using magic, and Silence you, so you can't scream. I drag you back to my room at my family's home. See, I've got this ceiling to floor mirror in there, and I tie you up in front of it. You're crying, mouthing pleas for me to let you go, but I can't. I want you too much."

He licked his lips, as if just speaking the fantasy was making him hungry, and the expression on his face made Daphne's body clench, partly in fear and partly in arousal.

"I remove the Silencing spell, but I gag you instead. I want to hear your moans. I cut your clothes off you slowly, using a careful Slicing Hex, and when you're naked for me, I make you watch in the mirror as I drop to my knees and eat your pussy out. I make you come over and over again just like that, until your legs are shaking and you're trying to talk around the gag, begging me to stop because you're too sensitive."

Daphne glanced down and noticed he'd gone iron hard and was trying to find some relief by rubbing against the chair. He left a sticky trail of pre-cum all over its soft leather hide.

"I circle around behind you, pry your legs apart, and make you watch in the mirror as I fuck you then. I use you hard, and when I come, it's a lot. It drips out of you when I pull out. After, I leave you like that and go about my business. I ignore you, and that forces you to look at yourself in the mirror. You see your cunt and thighs are wet from your orgasms and my seed. You see the evidence of what I can do to you, remember how I can make you feel, and the longer you stare, the more you become aroused. Finally, when I know you're dying for another go, I come back and I remove the gag. I ask you if you want me then, and you say, 'yes'. I cut you down, remove the bonds, and we fuck right there, in front of the mirror again. This time, you want it just as much as I do. We watch together, and you let me fill you with come over and over again until we're both too tired to go on. After, we just lay there in each other's arms, looking in the mirror at each other. We both know we've met our match."

Daphne tightened her grip on the paddle to keep her fingers from moving towards her pussy to rub herself some relief from the pulsing ache that had suddenly taken root there.

"So what do you think, My Queen?" He gave her a dark smile. "Do you like my fantasy? Or does it frighten you?"

Yes, it frightened her, but not the kidnapping, not the bondage, not even the sex part. It scared her because at the end of his fantasy, what he wanted from her was a long-term relationship, and they only had tonight. He would have never agreed to such a thing with her if he knew what awaited her after graduation…

Clearing her throat, Daphne decided that the best way to handle Theo's question was not to answer it. Instead, she asked one of her own.

"Question seven: how would you describe me, Theo? How do you see me?"

Theo's disappointment was palpable. His expression shifted, and the darkness retreated, but his letdown was there in his face. Clearly, he had expected her to reveal a bit of her soul to him, as he was baring himself to her…but that was not the way Dom/sub relationships worked, and she was still Slytherin underneath it all as well. Daphne's instincts in both positions told her that revealing too much to him now would tip the delicate balance of power out of her favour. It would give him the impression that he could question her as he liked, and then from there, it would be a short hop and a jump to disobedience.

They did not have time for such games. Tonight was all they had, and if she was to be the first to show him what love was all about—self-sacrifice and giving, not taking—she had to be the one in charge. Theo was too desperate and selfish to get them there on his own.

"Please answer the question or request I paddle you," she added when he had still not replied.

"You wanna know what I think of you? I like a challenge, and you give it…in spades," he finally admitted. "How do I see you? You're like…like one of Draco's fancy birthday cakes, with all those layers. On the outside, everything looks sweet and makes your mouth water, but you don't know what you're gonna get until you take a bite. When you do, it doesn't matter what it's made of because you get addicted right away. After that, you don't worry about the next layer, because you want it so much that you'd risk anything to have it. It could be poison and you wouldn't care. Still, you trust it's not, because…it's too pretty a thing and too bloody delicious to kill you. You hope." His gaze followed the line of her body, and there was a bit of returning heat in it. "That's who you are to me, what you've become, Daphne. You scare and thrill me in equal parts."

Daphne was floored by Theo's insightful and deep metaphorical exploration of her character. And it was the most honest she had ever known a Slytherin wizard to be. Usually, they were all innuendo and sleight-of-hand, but not her Theo. He was ambitious for affection, not for power.

Rewarding him for such a lovely compliment seemed the least she could do.

"Merlin almighty," Theo gasped, as she stroked slowly over his hard length, "your hands are quickly becoming my other favorite part of you, My Queen!"

When she released him, he actually whimpered.

"Do not fret, my Theo. You will have your release soon," she whispered in his ear. "And you still have your card to perform, as you will recall." Pulling back once more, she continued her interrogation. "Question eight: have you ever been in love?"

Theo answered without hesitation. "No."

Strangely, this revelation brought Daphne great relief, as that meant she would not be competing tonight with the ghost of another woman for Theo's affections.

Pressing close to him from the side, she leaned her mouth towards his ear as her fingers very slowly and with increased pressure jerked him off twice. "You are doing well, my beloved. I appreciate you being so direct with me. It is…oddly arousing."

Theo groaned, turning so they were pressed together cheek-to-cheek and began rubbing against her like a cat seeking affection. "I find I don't want to lie to you, My Queen."

"I appreciate that, my Theo. Please continue."

His smile was enchanting. "Yes, My Queen."

She gave his prick an extra swipe in reward, eliciting from him a pleasure-filled gasp. Then, she took her hand away and stepped back, twirling the paddle's handle back and forth in her other palm. "Question nine: have you ever sexually taken a person against their will?"

She assumed the answer would be negative, but one never knew what lay in the deepest, darkest hearts of others.

"NO!" her partner shouted, seemingly shocked that she would ask such a thing. "No, I wouldn't!"

She believed him, for there had been none of the telltale signs of a lie in his facial features. That, at least, was a relief. Consensual violence was acceptable, but non-consensual was one of the unforgivable sins against a woman.

"Question ten," she began, preparing herself for the one question that had burned in her mind for years. "How old were you when you lost your virginity and to whom did you give it?"

She had always wondered this fact, but had never been able to discern the truth of it. She believed it had to have been someone outside of Hogwarts, for the rumours around the castle had made it clear that he had seemed rather proficient.

To her surprise, Theo stalled in his reply. "I… Daphne, I don't want to answer this one. You'll be very angry with me if I tell you. You won't understand."

She rested the paddle against his bottom in silent warning as to the consequences should he choose not to reply, but did not attempt to further persuade him, as this was an issue of Theo learning to open up, not to force such compliance from him. She already knew some of the things he'd done to other girls this last year, so why would the secret of his first initiation into adulthood change her mind about him that much? Would it destroy her feelings for him?

"If you wish, you may explain it so I will understand," she tried for a compromise. "I promise to listen and will reserve judgment for after you have finished your tale."

Theo hung his head and let out a deep, resigned breath. "Bloody hell, just…just paddle me instead."

Daphne was truly taken aback by his unwillingness to discuss this subject. Was it really that bad a secret? "You would truly take a punishment instead? I do not understand. It has been my experience that many men enjoy the bragging rights of their initial sexual conquest."

Theo looked at her over his shoulder. "Not in this case. I'd rather you hurt me than I hurt you."

She measured his sincerity, believed it to be true, and considered her options.

There were none. She had established the rules of this little game, and now she had to live with that choice. She was going to have to spank him again…and the one burning question she had had for years would remain unsatisfied.

Inside her head, Daphne let out a string of expletives.

She followed it up with a round of her mantras.

"I apologize for attempting to persuade you, when clearly you were not comfortable with the discussion," she said, once she had regained control of her anger. "This is your secret to keep. I understand and respect that, Theo." She held the paddle up and touched his hind with it. "Unfortunately, you did not answer, so I must punish you now."

Theo nodded, accepting her sentence without complaint, and he waited for his punishment to commence. His beautiful body tensed up once more in anticipation of the pain to come. I will make this up to you, my beloved, she promised, and proceeded to hit the paddle against his flesh five times.

Having been on the receiving end of this particularly unpleasant circumstance herself, Daphne knew that the initial blow felt like someone was taking a bite out of your fleshy parts, but that it faded rather quickly. It was the heat it left behind that took some getting used to.

Theo finally made a noise on the last strike, a groan of pain, and she immediately dropped the paddle and used her cool hands to soothe his nettled skin.

"Do not move. Allow me to ease your pain."

Theo did as she bade with an automatic, "Yes, My Queen."

Daphne mentally summoned a chilled washcloth and placed it upon his burning flesh. He jerked a bit as the temperature differences shocked his system at first, but then eased down as she used the extremely soft, damp cloth to massage away his hurt.

When she felt he was in less discomfort, she instructed him to stand up and take a step back, so there was some space for her to squeeze between his body and the larger hump on the chair. As she passed the table, she grabbed the lubricant once more, and finally positioned herself in front of him.

Theo's erection was only at half-mast now, his pain taking away from his arousal. She rubbed some of the non-greasy substance onto her hands again and then setting it aside, she gently took his beautiful cock in her hands and stroked him back to life.

"Hands at your sides," she commanded in a soft voice. "Allow me to provide you release."

"Yes, My Queen."

Running her slick fingers over him, she took him in a firm grip and began stroking up and down. Within moments, the head of his cock had swelled, turning an aroused shade of purple-red as it filled with blood, and all along the sides, small veins appeared, creating friction as she moved over them. Theo moaned in pleasure and his eye lashes fluttered.

"Control your need, my Theo. Deep breath in, and back out," she coaxed him when his chest began working harder. "Enjoy this. Pleasure is a journey, not a race."

Theo's body quaked under her caressing hands as he struggled to do as she bade. She could feel how he fought his natural inclinations off, putting all his mental effort into experiencing this new, different technique, all to please her.

His skin grew hot and his expression pained as she stroked him with a steady, rhythmic hand.

"Daphne," he warned in a panicked voice, staring at the floor with a mortified expression on his face. "I…I can't…"

She stopped and pressed her thumb to the base of his cock.

"Theo, look at me."

Hesitantly, he did as she asked.

"Keep your eyes on me. Do not look away. Match my breathing to your own."

He did, and a few minutes passed that way, with him slowly regaining control. He'd deflated a bit in her hand, but their breaths were in synch when she began stroking him again.

"Stay in the moment with me," she whispered. "Not in the fantasy in your head. Become aware of my every breath, of how the light looks reflected in my eyes, of the way my pulse beats against my throat. Be aware of how my pleasuring you affects me, not you."

He took a deep breath…and in that second, she knew that it clicked for him. His eyes widened with sudden enlightenment.

"I've served once before," he admitted as she began gently stroking him again. "I mean, I thought it was serving, but I know now it wasn't that. I was just…pretending to submit while waiting for my turn. I wasn't on my knees for them. I was there for me. What you're doing, though, it isn't about that at all, is it?"

"No, my Theo, it is not," she agreed. "And I am pleased that you have discerned that lesson so quickly." She cupped his heavy sac and rolled it in her fingers, making him tremble against her. "What we do in this room to each other is not about taking—not by either of us. It is about giving. It is about setting each other free, finding that our own pleasure comes in service to each other."

Theo bent his mouth to her ear and whispered, "Tell me how I may do that, My Queen. Teach me."

"I am," she told him, and proceeded to stroke him until he was on the edge and ready to spill all over her hand. "Come now, my Theo. Let go and give us both the pleasure of witnessing you doing so."

With a cry of her name, Theo tossed his head back and thrust his hips upwards. His body tensed and released as his climax splashed in waves across his skin, saturating the dark trail of hair that led from his bellybutton downwards.

"For you," he said, as he came down from his high, shivering from head to toe. "I come for you."

"Yes, my Theo." With a non-verbal spell, Daphne magicked away the mess upon his quivering muscles, and then took her beloved in her arms and guided him down onto the Tantra Chair. He lay back against the middle hump, naked and sated and a little sweaty. "And I give you that euphoria, because I care for you."

He stared at her for a long while in silence, eyes heavy lidded with satiation, but sparkling with deeper thoughts.

"We haven't performed your card yet," he finally told her.

Daphne met his eye, noted the naughty gleam in it.

"Do you wish to taste me?" she asked.

His gaze dropped to her hips and his lips quirked as he fought a triumphant smirk. "If that is your wish, My Queen."

His impertinence made her laugh. "You have learned your lesson a bit too well, it seems." Conjuring a towel, she wiped her hands of his sticky residue and then leaned against the Tantra chair's larger hump. Skimming her dress up and over her waist, she presented her body for his use. "Come, lick my cunt, Theo. Please your Mistress and earn her favour."

Theo wasted no time, slipping her panties from her legs and tossing them aside. As she leaned further back onto the chair's padded curve, he made room for his body between her split thighs and parted her lower lips with his thumbs. "You're so beautiful," he sighed with longing as he looked upon her for the first time, and leaned forward to place a small kiss on her mons. "I want to please you so much, sweetheart."

"You will," she assured him, and closed her eyes as he took his first taste of her.

Gently, his tongue met her damp flesh, delving inside.

They both moaned.

Daphne had been eaten before as part of her training, but this was one of her particularly favourite things to have done to her, and the fact that it was her Theo finally doing it to her now only made the sensations even more exquisite.

Lying fully back upon the chair's swell, she let her head tip back and imagined how sexy a picture she and Theo made in such a position. She pinched the nipple of one breast as he suckled softly upon her clit. "Ooh," she sighed in response to the lovely feeling, and Theo hummed, pleased by her response. The deep, resonating vibration shot up her body, making her shiver.

She bent her leg and placed a bare foot upon his shoulder, and he shifted to his knees and drew her closer with a hand on her hip. "Do I please you?" he whispered as he placed open-mouthed kisses to her slick, naked flesh. "Do you want me as much as I want you, My Queen?"

"Yes, yes!" she chanted as he thrust his tongue deep into her, rhythmically fucking her with it. "Oh, Theo!"

A shattered cry left her mouth as she peaked swiftly, and her thighs quaked with the force of her unexpected climax. It had come upon her faster than she had ever experienced before, and Daphne was left gasping for oxygen and a little dizzy in the aftermath.

Staring up at the white ceiling far above, she marveled at the experiences of this round. So much had changed between them, and in such a short time. He had come to understand what it was she was attempting to give them both tonight, and he had accepted her offer.

Could they sustain this emotional symmetry, however, when they had no control over the direction of the cards?

Her lover continued to enjoy his fill from between her legs, lapping slowly and gently through her folds like a great cat. His attentions were more relaxed, almost lazy as he took his time to really savour her. Daphne allowed it, until the chimes rang out, announcing the end of the round.

Without being commanded, Theo helped her back into her knickers, and from there into a sitting position. Stroking his cheek softly, she smiled at him. "That was truly wondrous, my Theo. You are quite gifted with your tongue. Thank you."

He smiled and his expression was one of deep contentment. "I'm happy to serve you, My Queen."

She helped him to redress, and then they headed for the door together, hand in hand. Before they left, he stopped her at the door. "May I kiss you now, My Queen? Just a quick kiss on the cheek, I promise."

Daphne smiled at such a charming offer. "I would like that very much, beloved."

When his lips brushed her cheek, somehow that felt more intimate and romantic a gesture than the whole last fifty minutes between them, and it left Daphne with a warm flutter in her belly. She returned the gesture, and then they wasted another few moments silently staring into each other's eyes.

Finally, Theo opened the door for them, and indicated she should go before him, as was proper. "After you, sweetheart."

Turning from him reluctantly to walk back towards the couches, Daphne felt a sweet tugging in her heart, and knew that deep inside, at just that precise moment, another piece of her soul became the property of one Theodore Nott.

TO BE CONTINUED…

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Musical Selection for this Chapter: "I Get Off" by Halestorm. Lyrics are as follows…

You don't know that I know
You watch me every night.
And I just can't resist the urge
To stand here in the light,
Your greedy eyes upon me.
And then I come undone.
I could close the curtain,
But this is too much fun.

I get off on you
Getting off on me.
Give you what you want,
But nothing is for free.
It's a give and take,
Kind of love we make.
When the line is crossed,
I get off.
I get off.

There's so much left unspoken
Between the two of us
It's so much more exciting
To look when you can't touch
You could say I'm different
Maybe I'm a freak
But I know how to twist you
To bring you to your knees

I get off on you
Getting off on me
Give you what you want
But nothing is for free
It's a give and take
Kind of love we make
When the line is crossed
I get off
I get off

What you don't know,
What you can't see,
Is what I do for you…
I do for me.

I get off on you
Getting off on me.
I give you what you want…

I get off on you
Getting off on me.
Give you what you want,
But nothing is for free.
It's a give and take,
Kind of love we make.
When the line is crossed,
I get off.
I get off.
I get off.