CHAPTER 1 - IT'S A SET-UP

After the whirlwind of activity from my birthday party, it's quiet in my old Victorian house. The only sound is our breathing and the rapid thundering of my pulse in my ears. With all my visiting fictional characters pitching in, except myself and Loki as he kept me on the couch, the food was put away, dishes loaded into the dishwasher, and counters wiped in less than five minutes. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm naked on Loki's lap, my body humming and sticky from the sex with Matt, James, and Thor only minutes before, it would be hard to believe everyone had been here celebrating my thirty-sixth birthday.

But they've all departed now. Back to their story universes to resume their true lives until the next visit. Chased away by Loki's refusal to let me go now that I've surrendered in our battle of wills. Still, I challenged the Black Prince's dominance, and while he regained control by directing who I fucked and how, his eyes simmer with the dark promise of retribution. I'll be paying for my bratty behaviour. God, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Rising, Loki carries me up the stairs, taking his time. He's in no hurry even as I squirm in anticipation. His leather pants and black tunic feel rough against my naked, sensitized skin. Too long has he teased me tonight. I want the layers between us gone. Damn, but I want to touch him, to run my hands and mouth over the curves and ridges of firm lean muscle. Rubbing my face against his neck, I nuzzle into his citrus, wood and leather scent. It's been too long since I've had that intoxicating male scent surrounding me, but this isn't enough. Not even close. I want his warmth pressing down on me, his scent all over me. Goddamn it... two months... two very long months.

Finally reaching the top of the stairs and entering my bedroom, I expect him to pin me to my bed, maybe even tie me to it. My heartbeat races, anticipation a taste in my tongue.

Instead, he sets me on my feet in the middle of the room, away from the bed. Away from all the furniture.

What. The. Fuck?

"Hold your arms up above your head." Pure masculine dominance infuses his tone. He expects to be obeyed. After all, who would be foolish enough to ignore Asgard's deadliest warrior and strongest mage? Okay, I would, but then, I'm his writer. Our battles are ones of wit and will, not weapons. Well, unless you count the prodigious sword he wields between his legs or his mastery of the sensual arts. Dangerous to challenge a sex god. "You remember your safe word?"

"Red," I confirm as I lift my arms up for him. So... bondage. I'm good with bondage. Well, at least with Loki, the only person I've allowed, I've trusted to tie me up. He's never failed to drive me wild with pleasure every time he's tied me up. But there's nothing to tie me to on the plain white ceiling, edged by white crown moulding. Although, now that I'm looking at it, is that a water stain by the window? Damn it. I'll need to check the shingles as the recent storms off the lake must have blown a few off. If I have a leak, I don't want it getting worse.

A rolling wave of black seidhr ripples over my arms and up to the ceiling, distracting me from my mental home repair list. When it disappears, my wrists are cuffed and attached to a heavy black link chain hanging down from my ceiling. I can't lower my hands even as far as my head. Bending down, he attaches a bar to each ankle that he then slides open, spreading to its widest extent. I can't close my legs. Loki stands back up with a black leather flogger in his hand. An honest to god flogger. Holy shit. He's only every used his hand on me before. He uses the flogger to caress both of my legs, slowly sliding the leather strips up from my inner ankle to the tops of my thighs. It's cool to the touch. My abdominal muscles quiver in scared excitement.

"You have been a very bad girl. Do you know what happens to little writers that deliberately taunt the God of Mischief?" Loki's voice has dropped into that low dangerous purr. My pulse races as I try to keep him in sight, but I lose track when he stalks behind me.

"They get fucked hard?" My words emerge in a breathless rush. It's hard to get a deep breath with my hands over my head.

He snarls, a low threatening sound. Even as it makes my pulse race in a combination of fear and arousal, my core clenches in reaction.

"Do you think you deserve to get fucked hard? You have other men's cum dripping down your legs from fucking them in front of me." Possessive rage underlies every sharply bitten-out word.

"Yes?" It comes out as barely a whisper before there's an odd whoosh sound.

Slap.

I jolt, sucking in a sharp gasp as the first lash of the flogger lands on my ass.

Whoosh-slap. Whoosh-slap.

Twice more in rapid succession, Loki hits both cheeks. Each one is a bright sting that immediately shifts to a feeling of warmth in my skin. He hit harder with his hand last time when he had me tied to my hammock. These lashes have less actual impact, but fuck, they're still effective.

Heat grows, inflaming and swelling my centre. Desire sharpening, I hold my breath in anticipation as I wait for the next one.

Whoosh-slap. Whoosh-slap. Whoosh-slap. Whoosh-slap.

He alternates between ass cheeks. I find myself pushing my ass back to get closer to him. I want more. A long minute goes by with nothing and I fidget. Oh... is he waiting for my response?

"More please, Loki. I was very bad. Please punish me."

"I think you like this. You really are quite naughty, darling," he purrs. The flogger lands again, several times on each side, before something... his hand... strokes in a featherlight touch over my ass. His skin is cool on my hot flesh. The contrast tightens my nipples as a shiver ripples over my body.

He circles around to my front, twitching the flogger in his hand. My breath catches, nerves getting the better of me. Lashing out with a practiced flick of his wrist, the tails of the flogger hit my clit.

"Fuck!" I can't control the lurch as my body reacts to the sudden pain, pleasure... shit, I can't even tell.

He repeats the strike several more times until I'm squirming, cursing with each blow, trying to get some friction between my soaked thighs, before switching to flick over my breasts. Of course, the sadistic bastard is precise with his placement, hitting exactly where he wants to. It's like little bites over my nipples until the peaks are hot and achy.

My skin is on fire, burning, flushed, and trembling with a fine coating of sweat. Heaven or hell, I'm not sure.

"What am I going to do with you?" he teases.

"Please, Loki. Please give me your mouth," I whimper, craving the way his tongue soothes the pulse pounding between my thighs. I want his cock... god, do I want him inside me, but I know better than to ask. Not yet. Not until he's extracted his pound of flesh.

"Oh no... not yet, darling."

He gives me a sinful half smile and switches to flicking the flogger back over my pussy until the heat has me trying to buck against the fall of the tails. Anything. God, anything to get some relief. With the spreader bar holding my legs, I can't rub them together. Instead, each bite of the lash has me whimpering. Every inch of my skin is hyper-alert and aroused.

"You do look beautiful dancing under my whip. Such a lovely flush to your skin," he purrs sensuously, pausing for a minute to lightly trace over my hot flesh with a deliberately cool hand.

"Please, Loki. Please let me cum?"

"Oh no. Not yet. You aren't nearly as desperate as I want you to be." His voice drops back into that dark tone he uses when he's planning some form of erotic devilment. Those butterflies in my stomach come back to full flight. He attaches something on a strap to my body, between my legs and around my hips, but I can't see past his head.

A buzzing sound fills the air as the vibration starts against my clit. Shit! Oh, shit! I gasp and squirm my hips harder.

"No, please!" I can't fight the sensations that are building from the little vibe. Nor did I believe I could get wetter. It's already dripping down my thighs, but god, I was so wrong. My entire pelvis quivers with the need to cum, a tension spreading outwards beyond my control.

"If you cum, you don't get my cock tonight," he warns me with an unholy smile. His wicked green eyes are narrowed, watching me. He knows I'm going to cum. I can't hold out, especially as he flips the flogger around and teases my entrance with it.

Not enough he ignored me for two months, just showing up to watch me with Thor, then taking off again. I haven't even seen him in seven weeks. Not at all. And now, the one thing I asked him for on my birthday, one last hurrah before I tell him and the rest of my characters they can't keep jumping realities, unless they keep it platonic with me. It's too hard on my heart, my emotions, to fall for my fictional characters when they will never have a real relationship with me beyond writer and character. Why would they? I've given them their perfect match in their fictional world. I can't keep coming second best, being an afterthought.

And with his gift, the magic ring that even now adorns my finger as Thor's necklace hangs around my neck—my get-out-of-danger card—I thought he understood.

But the fucking asshole has set me up to deliberately fail. So much for birthday wishes.

Rising, it's rising and there is nothing I can do. The heat of my rage feeds the inferno within my blood, the wildfire incinerating my control.

"LOKI! I can't stop it!"

"I know."

"You goddamn bastard!" 

A/N: If you've enjoyed this snippet, please write a review on Amazon. It's currently available on REAM if you don't want to wait or you can preorder the full episode on Amazon for $0.99 USD, or keep an eye on my socials or webpage as I frequently have ebook giveaways when you can snag the download for absolutely free! 

(MOVING TO AMAZON ON MARCH 18th)