The Ribbon Test (Part One)

I roll my eyes as he loops the ribbon around my wrists. This is so dumb.

“I don’t even see the point of this,” I mutter, wiggling my fingers behind my back. “I could win this with my eyes closed.”

He gives me that look—the one that makes my stomach twist, the one that usually means I’m about to regret mouthing off. His hands move to my waist, sliding beneath the hem of my shirt, his touch featherlight. Teasing. Infuriatingly slow.

“Could you?” he muses, tilting his head. His fingers skim higher, ghosting over my ribs, just enough to make my breath hitch. “Then this should be easy for you.”

It should be. It’s a stupid game. All I have to do is sit here, hands bound, and not move. Not reach for him. Not need to.

And yet…

His lips brush against the side of my throat, warm and deliberate. A shiver runs down my spine, but I clench my fists behind me, determined. I will not lose to him.

Then, he chuckles—low, knowing—and bites down just hard enough to make me gasp.

Oh, fuck.

I press my thighs together, willing myself to stay still. His hands trail down, down, slipping between my legs, but not touching where I need him to. My pulse pounds. He’s just barely out of reach, deliberately avoiding where I want him most.

“I thought this would be easy for you,” he taunts, his voice dripping with amusement.

I glare at him through my lashes, breathing hard. “I’m fine,” I lie.

He hums, unconvinced, before suddenly leaning in—his mouth hovering just over mine. Close enough that I can feel his breath, but not close enough to kiss him.

It’s unbearable.

I need to touch him. Need to grab his shirt, to yank him down, to make him do something.

My fingers twitch behind my back.

He smirks like he can feel my restraint slipping. “Go on, Baby Girl. I dare you.”

I break.

I lunge forward, twisting against the ribbon, trying to close the space between us—

His hands grip my hips in an instant, shoving me back down onto my knees. He’s smiling, but it’s not kind.

“Tsk, tsk,” he murmurs, shaking his head. “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”

Shit.

I swallow hard, heat pooling between my thighs as his fingers tighten against my skin.

I already know—I’m in trouble now…