Chapter Thirteen

 

 

 

Claire placed the rope bundle in the hand Matt stretched out toward her. His eyes stayed steady on hers. “Are you sure?” he asked.

Claire nodded, then jumped as he tossed the rope to her side. Seeing that he kept hold of one end, she noticed it unraveled the way he had thrown it.

“I’m going to talk you through things. Okay, Claire? I’ll tell you what I’m doing and why, and you’ll need to tell me if something hurts, goes numb or doesn’t feel right.” Matt ran the rope through his fingers, back and forth, until he had the center of the long length doubled over in his hand.

Claire nodded. “Um, I mean, yes, Sir?” She shrugged, and Matt chortled.

“You don’t have to call me that, Claire.” He pinched her chin between his finger and thumb, bringing her gaze up to his. He placed a gentle, chaste kiss on her lips. “It’s just you and me, okay? Claire and Matty. I’m just going to tie you up a little bit.”

Claire nodded, smiling with relief at his teasing tone, and he wrapped his hands around her waist. When he returned them to the front, he had left rope in their place. He repeated the action smoothly and Claire looked down, trying to follow his fingers as he flipped the ends around and through, pulling a knot tight.

“This is a very basic tie, Claire. A single column tie won’t tighten down around you, but it will help support your center as I take you up. Okay?” He stretched up, threading the remaining ends through the ring above them, but leaving them loose as he talked. “Flying can be really tiring, and I don’t want you to hurt anything if we get that far.” He looked down at her again, with a smile. “Take your shoes off then don’t move. Okay?” After she nodded at him, he bent to grasp another bundle of the same rich blue rope.

“How many are you going to use?” Claire asked, as she kicked the pumps out of the way.

He lifted a shoulder and, almost offhandedly, replied, “I’m not sure yet.” Noting the shadow of doubt Claire felt cross her features, Matt lifted a hand to cradle her cheek. “We’ll play it by ear and stop when you need to, so I’m not sure how many we’ll use.”

Relief blossomed in her. “Okay. That makes sense.” She watched Matt repeat the throwing motion to unwind the tied bundle.

“I’m going to tie a chest harness now, Claire. I’ll do it quickly, but you’ll feel a little constricted.” His gaze dropped. “And I can tell you, this is going to make your breasts look amazing.” She gasped at his observation, but his hands were already moving to pull hers behind her. He stood behind her now, and the rope circled her wrists as each of her hands gripped the opposite elbow. His arms again came around her, the rope trailing around her upper arms and her chest. His fingers slid under the rope, smoothing it before it pulled tight.

Claire observed how quickly he was working. “You’ve done this a lot.”

She heard the smile in his voice as he responded. “That didn’t sound like a question.” His arms again circled hers in the same position, bringing the rope around in the opposite direction.

“Just noticing. If I were to guess, I’d say you’re good at this because you’ve done it a lot.” He pulled the rope tight, though not uncomfortably so, and worked behind her still. Another rope came out of the bag, tossed to unwrap as the ones before. The next pass circled her above her elbows and at her rib cage, then passed the other way in the same spot.

“I’ve practiced,” he explained. “They have classes here, sometimes with experienced instructors who teach how to do things safely. Some of it I’ve even practiced on myself when I can.”

Claire giggled. “You tied yourself up?”

“Not exactly.” He passed his fingers under the rope straps at her arms. “Are these pinching you at all? Does anything feel painful?” Matt asked softly from behind her.

Claire shook her head.

Then Matt slid his fingers into the grip of one of her hands. “Squeeze as tight as you can, okay?”

She gave a brief squeeze, surprised when he chuckled.

“Wimp,” he goaded.

With a scowl, she grasped his fingers tightly and squeezed until she felt his knuckles crack.

He laughed again as she released him. “Any numbness in your fingers?” he asked.

“No.” She pouted at him, belatedly realizing why he had asked her to squeeze.

“Good.” He continued tying, still standing behind her. “I’m putting the final touches in now to make sure the rope stays where it should. It’ll tighten a little, but as long as we’re doing it right, it shouldn’t hurt.” Claire felt his fingers push between her body and bound arm, running a loop of rope through each upper and lower point. When he finished, Claire felt the tug as he ran the end through the ring over her head. “You’re going to feel pressure now, Claire. I’m going to tie this one much tighter.” He did so and Claire waited for the restricting feeling to grow uncomfortable as she felt him pull her up onto her toes. Before it did, Matt was back in front of her, his gaze intent on hers.

“How do you feel, Claire?”

Claire took a moment for a mental inventory. The rope was tight, but like the embrace of a lover. As she moved she could feel it rubbing over her, but the shirt she wore muted the roughness of it. “I’m good. It feels okay.”

Matt slid his fingers into the rope that squeezed around her arm. “There are nerves here in the arm that can constrict and cause damage, so I’ll do this occasionally to ensure they’re allowed the necessary alignment.” He repeated the gesture on the other side and corrected the ropes when they twisted together. “Now,” he started. “This tie will hold your weight and you can test it, okay? Lift your feet. Bend your knees and just lift them up.”

Claire hesitated. “Are you sure? I won’t fall?”

Matt stepped close, his body aligning with hers. “I’m sure, Claire. Would I let you fall?”

Claire could see a fire burning in Matt’s eyes, calling to the one that coursed through her at his nearness. She recalled what he’d said, that the trust she gave him now was one of the reasons he did this. She lifted one foot off the ground then slowly scooched her other foot back, from ball to tiptoes until she lifted it completely.

The ropes creaked faintly as her weight settled and she hung from the harness he’d wound around her. The grip of the bindings tightened slightly, increasing her feeling of being held tightly by him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing into the suspension.

“You can stand now,” Matt said in her ear, and he cupped her elbows in his palms until she found her footing. Claire leaned back into him, even when her feet were steadily under her again. “Would you like more?” he inquired.

She nodded, feeling her hair rubbing against his shoulder as she did. He drew out another bundle of rope then bent to the floor. He worked his hand around her ankle, and she could track his movements to know it was the same tie as the one that was around her waist. He grabbed yet another bundle and repeated the action on the other side. Standing and drawing the tail of one rope up with him, Matt warned her, “Be ready. I’m going to pull up one of your legs.” He did so, slowly, so to ensure she had her balance. Tying the end to the ring alongside the other knots, he stepped in close beside her. “Move your leg. Try bending it, rotating it. Feel how the rope allows you to have so much freedom, even though you’re bound.”

Claire followed his instruction, bending her knee to draw her foot in, then extending it. She rotated her hip, realizing she could spread her leg to the side and even backward. Through the exploration, she could feel Matt’s hand just below the rope under her breasts. She wondered if he could feel how hard her heart was beating with his palm placed that low on her torso.

“Leave it there,” he directed. Claire extended her foot behind her, feeling her body start to pitch forward as he bent to retrieve the other rope’s end.

“Do you trust me?” he breathed.

“Yes,” she answered immediately, rewarded by his throaty growl. He lifted her foot, putting her weight forward into the harness as he extended her other leg behind her and tied it. Claire gasped with her face to the floor, realizing there was nothing between her and the surface but ropes and Matt. She couldn’t see it, but she felt his hands skim up the backs of her legs and they parted as he stepped between her thighs. She felt his hand grip the columns of rope as the other curved over her hip.

“I could fuck you this way,” he commented lightly. His voice seemed raw, but the words sounded casual to her ears. He replaced the hand on her solar plexus, grinding himself against her. His hand pressed the back of her knee, making her bend them and letting him pull her body up vertical. “Your whole body is available for me like this.” His free hand covered one breast, giving a light squeeze through the material. Releasing that, he grasped the rope that bound her left ankle and he gently used it to guide her foot to the front, spreading her thighs even wider, so she sunk into the stretch. The strain got to be too much and Claire attempted to pull her legs together. They moved easily, shockingly so, and she was able to settle in a position like kneeling two feet off the ground. Matt stepped away and simply let her move. Claire kept her gaze intent on him as she let her legs move slowly—extending, bending, lifting and spreading. The connection between them got to be even hotter as she leaned back in the tie and spread her legs forward, wide, facing him.

He was quick to step back in, cupping his hands over her ass and lifting her into his hips. She could feel the hardness of him through the layers of clothes they still wore. Their lips met, tongues sliding against one another’s.

Claire felt a sudden pinch on her arm. Breaking away, she cringed. “I think down, please.”

Matt ran his fingers under the ropes at her arms again, alleviating the sharp sensation. He released her legs first, lowering them slowly, but keeping them from supporting her weight too heavily. The harness was undone from the ring, but she remained suspended with his grip on the rope.

“I’m going to lower you to the floor, Claire. It’s safer than giving weight to legs that might go pins and needles and make you fall. Just go with it, okay?”

She nodded and felt him release the rope slowly, like belaying in rope climbing. She let her legs fold under her until she laid on the floor. Only then did he remove the ropes completely from the ring. He made quick work of the knots at her ankles and behind her back, pulling the rope gently from where it had squeezed her limbs tightly. He rubbed his large hands down her arms and a blanket appeared mysteriously.

Claire looked up at the people that had gathered around them. Sitting nearby were friends and strangers in various states of undress. She blushed and hid her face. Matt put his arms around her and it felt as safe as the grasp of the ropes.

“You did so well,” he whispered. “You looked perfect.”

Claire snuggled into his embrace to the sound of scattered applause, appreciation for the skillful show from their spectators. The sounds of people leaving filtered in as Claire began to shiver, thankful for the blanket he’d covered her with.

She didn’t know how long they sat, but Claire began to feel drowsy. She lifted her head, watching Matt bend to press his lips to hers. “Come home with me?” he whispered.

She nodded, needing the night to not end just yet.