PETALS AND THORNS Read Online Free

Indeed the tight sleeves pressed into her skin all the way to her fingertips, ending in a point, almost like gloves. Or mittens, since her fingers and thumbs pressed together. She couldn't bend her arms all that well, for that matter.
    Instead of answering, the pink light appeared and bobbed before her, clearly anxious to lead her downstairs.
    “You don't understand. I can't dine like this. I can't even grasp a fork.”
    The light bobbed urgently, even as the clock chimed nine o'clock.
    Amarantha thought again about not going downstairs at all, but her father's tear-filled eyes flashed through her mind. She would have given her life for his.
    Playing the Beast's games was hardly worse than death.

    16

    She followed her pink guide through the magnificent house. Lit by candles and torches, wood gleaming and red roses spilling out of vases in every nook, the house seemed more welcoming. She just hadn't seen it before.
    The Beast awaited her in a parlor. He stood before a roaring fire, wearing a black satin cloak, the folds of the hood, as always, deeply shadowing his face.
    “Amarantha, you look lovely tonight. How fare you? Are your chambers suitable?”
    A bit taken aback by his solicitous tone, Amarantha paused. “My chambers are more than suitable. I… Thank you for thinking of my wishes.”
    The Beast inclined his head. “Anything you wish for, just ask.”
    Amarantha held up her brocade-confined hands. “I'd like a proper gown.”
    He chuckled. “In this, you will indulge me. That gown suits my purposes.”
    “It will make it most difficult for me to dine, my lord.”
    “I shall be delighted to assist you. Shall we? Unless you'd prefer a glass of wine before dinner.”
    She shook her head and slipped her muffled hand through his arm.
    “The gown suits you.”
    Amarantha felt sure he studied her bosom. She glanced down and saw what she had thought a modest drape of satin now rode low over her pushed-up breasts.
    The cloth barely clung to her nipples, which stood out, turgid and sensitive. With her hands confined, she couldn't adjust the gown either. The rules of this particular game were becoming more and more clear.
    “I might as well be naked still,” she remarked.
    “Oh no, my dear.” The Beast chuckled as they entered a formal dining room.
    Two places waited, one at the head of the long table and another to the right of it.
    Dishes laden with food filled the center of the table. “While you are most lovely naked, there is a certain enticement to a gown that shows your flesh in glimpses.

    17

    Besides, there are specific rules I must follow also. Anticipation, you'll find, is a sweet sauce.”
    “Perhaps for you,” she returned.
    “We shall see.” The Beast pulled out her chair with a gallant bow. Amarantha sat gingerly, careful not to pitch the gown under her so that the bodice wouldn't drop farther. Uncertain what to do with her hands, she let them rest in her lap.
    Indeed, the stiff sleeves wouldn't allow her much else. The Beast sat at the head of the table. He filled her wineglass and began serving her from the various platters, always politely inquiring as to her tastes. Amarantha noticed that the dishes she didn't care for immediately vanished. Probably never to appear again.
    “You won't eat?” she asked.
    “Doing so would require that I remove my hood. Also, I do not dine…neatly.”
    The Beast's voice carried a bit of wistfulness. “It is nothing to subject a lovely young woman to. In anticipation, I dined earlier. Wine?” He held the glass of deepest red to her lips so she might sip from it and taste the smoke and spice.
    “And yet you subject me to this indignity. I'm not allowed to feed myself.”
    “You may feed yourself at other times. For our first meal together, I prefer this.”
    The Beast held a forkful of beef to her lips, and Amarantha had to lean forward a bit to clasp her lips around it. The delicious juices of the meat ran hot down her throat. The Beast murmured in