Shadow

Daniel sighed as he saw his reflection in his car's side mirror. The amber street lights lent a splash of artificial and momentary colour to an otherwise pale complexion against the surrounding darkness and desolate feeling of the dead industrial zone. It was late to be going anywhere, but Clara had insisted to him enough that he was scared she would plead or cry at any further resistance. He could never bear to hear her upset and the joyful ringing of her voice when he agreed to go brought an involuntary smile to his face. Still, as he drove, he puzzled, tried unsuccessfully to think of a reason for the time of day, and eventually decided to put it out of his mind.

He blotted out his doubts with the roar of the engine and the harsh distorted guitars playing through the stereo. The warm humid summer wind blew through the open windows, sending the mop of white-blond hair on Daniel's head flying in a chaotic flurry. As he cleared the industrial zone, the rushing air from passing cars seemed to blend with his music. Together they crashed like violent waves over the shores of his consciousness with an ominous and mysterious fury, sending shivers through him of random emotions and sensations that flashed out of view before he could truly feel or understand them.

Finally, the chaos subsided and a and cheerful anticipation overcame his doubts as he parked outside Clara's apartment block. The building looked out of place among the grey boxes of blocks that surrounded it; its ornate white pillars, thick rendered walls and double glazed windows gave it a stark, unearthly air of mystique. As Daniel climbed the stairs and knocked on the door, a smile swept over his face. His knocks echoed uneasily through the dimly lit hallway, followed by complete silence for a few seconds.

As Clara opened the door, she already wore a warm smile matching his, belying the dim lighting both from the hallway and from inside her apartment. Nevertheless, even without much light, Daniel could see Clara as he remembered her. She was short, shapely but not skinny, with long, wavy brown hair, and wearing one of her polkadot dresses; this time, it was blue with white dots. She had barely ushered him in and closed the door before kissing him soundly on the lips.

"I've really missed you," she said, resting her hands on his hips and smiling up at him.

"I've missed you too."

She moved her hands to his arm and gently squeezed. "You've been working out."

Clara had been encouraging him to exercise; he had complied, and now appeared evidently fit and healthy, and somewhat muscular, if not athletic.

"Well, I'm glad you like the whole me getting exercise thing."

"I just want you to be happy. It'll help you feel better too," she said, pinching his cheek and wrapping an arm around his back as she walked toward the black leather sofa. Every piece of furniture in the room was black or glass-coated, the latter of which reflected the flickerings of moonlight that shone through the open French doors leading to the balcony. The sofa, and everything else in the room, felt very slightly damp from the thick humid tropical air, and the breeze seemed to have died down, leaving a sticky sticky stillness as they sat together on the sofa.

"You're really sweet," floated Daniel's compliment through the viscous, slow-moving air.

Clara smiled and chuckled slightly, looking down and to the side briefly.

"What've you been doing?", enquired Daniel, a little hesitantly.

"Not that much," she replied, and with a chuckle, "and not enough to get buffed up like you. No, I see people, I watch TV, and I knit. It's the same old me."

Those few seemingly innocent words, "I see people", carried a special meaning and sent an unwelcome spark of pain through Daniel. Clara recognised it before he could choke it back and wrapped an arm around his neck, stroking his hair backwards.

"This is me, sweetie. You know me," she said, smiling just a little eerily. "And you know I can't be other than who I am."

This he did, though other than that there was at least one other man in her life, the rest remained a mystery to him. He did know that somehow, without working, she could afford an expensive apartment, furniture, appliances, jewelery and clothes. Over time, he had lost any inclination to ask what she gave in return, although at this point a phrase echoed inside his head, "You're not the only one". The thought of another man taking her from him never quite reached the surface of his consciousness, but lurked in the background like a distant cyclone; its threat was forever imminent, its whirlwinds and crackling thunder looming on the threshold of every sense, circling, but never approaching. Yet on the threshold, there was no way to tell what its shape was--to tell who, or what, exactly, was the driving force in Clara's life that she steadfastly refused to reveal.

He sighed. "I just don't want to think about it."

"Then don't," said Clara, kissing him on the cheek. "You know that no matter what else I do, I love you, and you're really special to me."

Daniel turned and looked at Clara with a mixture of affection and discomfort.

"You know it's different with you," she said to him, massaging his scalp through his hair, then pulling his forehead to her lips and kissing it slowly. Her sweet perfume seeped through the small space between them and bound with his affections to smother his discomfort.

"I love you too," he murmured, sliding his fingertips down one side of her neck. She let out a breath and the hint of a moan, and his look of discomfort melted away. Seeing she had overcome his hesitation, her infectious smile grew across her face.

"Kiss me. I want to feel you."

Not needing any further invitation, he wrapped his arms around her waist and easily pulled her close, kissing her hard, sucking biting on her lip. She melted into his arms, held him close and kissed back. Taken by the aggressive overtones of his embrace, she dug her fingertips into his back and held him tightly, her fingernails pressing through the thin fabric of his shirt.

Sliding his arms up her back, slowly, while kissing her, he began to unzip her dress; she smiled at him through his kiss, and bit his lip harder as she kissed back. He breathed a little harder in anticipation as her dress fall away, holding her tightly, feeling her soft, supple, smooth skin. She always felt perfect to him, and he could feel the tension flow out of her as he held her, kissing her.

Clara pulled away gently, and smiling, stepped out of her dress, which fell to the floor without a sound. Daniel had rarely known her to wear underwear, and this night was no exception; with her dress fallen away, her nude body shone at him in the reflection of the moonlight. A warm tropical breeze ruffled through her hair; the light reflected from her cheeks and her breasts, and together with her hand, beckoned to him. Feeling a surging mixture of lust, frustration and affection, he stood. Sensing his need, she reached for his jeans, unbuckling, unfastening and unzipping them in a single, smooth, well-practised reflex that brought them to his knees in seconds. A sharp breath and a shiver forced itself out of him.

"Mmmm... getting hard already," she said as she smiled playfully at him, taking his hardening cock in her hand and stroking it gently. Her joyful laughter echoed discordantly over him as his body followed her lead. He traced her curves downward from her shoulders with each hand, pausing to squeeze her breasts gently, dragging a moan from her lips. As his cock grew hard for her, she licked her lips at him and looked him in the eye.

"Tell me."

She always wanted to be told, and telling him was the beginning and the first part of his catharsis.

"Get down on your knees and suck my cock."

In a single, fluid, graceful movement, she fell to her knees in front of him and plunged his cock deeply into her throat. He let out a loud, uncontrolled moan, feeling the sudden rush of pleasure, and struggled to breathe to hold himself together. Clara slowly pulled her mouth away and smiled up at him sweetly.

"You know I love it when you tell me," pealed a girlish voice from her lips.

"But now you have to remind me," she said, stroking his cock gently in one hand and giggling a little, "did you want more?"

Baring his teeth slightly, the strained reply came out.

"I want you... to keep... sucking my cock."

"Ooo-ooh..." mocked Clara, still stroking him slowly. "But do I wanna? That's the question."

"I want you to be a good... fucking... girl, and suck my cock."

"Mmmm... that's what I like to hear," she said, pausing to grin coyly at him, as if she were going to ask him to repeat himself, then slowly moved and took the head of his cock in her mouth, bobbing her head slowly up and down and stroking him at once, slowly, a playful look in her eye. He moaned and breathed heavily, then took her head in both hands and pulled her onto him, forcing her to take him deeper and faster. The playful look remained; not for a moment did she show even a glimmer of surprise.

Clara loved feeling Daniel lose his inhibitions and give in to his lust; the gagging in her throat was a small price to pay for knowing that she could break through the layers of restraint and politeness and reach the true animal nature she knew no-one else could. She sucked harder on his cock as she felt him beginning to shudder and moan, desperate for release, bringing him closer and closer to the edge. Just as she could feel him beginning to lose control, she suddenly pulled back and away from him.

She grinned at his disappointed face, pulled away and stood, still holding his cock in one hand, stroking slowly.

"Nuh-uh. Not letting that happen just yet."

Daniel took several deep breaths, feeling his frustration develop into the aggressive lust she loved to feel from him.

"Don't you wanna punish me for being a bad girl and teasing you?"

Clara turned around and bent over slightly, wiggling her butt at him, looking over her shoulder with a taunting smile.

"Spank me and you get to fuck me!"

Just as he raised his hand, she leapt from her pose and ran across the room, giggling uncontrollably. After stepping out of his jeans, he belatedly gave chase; she ran behind the sofa, then leapt over it; he followed. Finally he caught her nude body in his arms and held her in the doorway to her bedroom, letting his hard cock press against her butt as she wriggled in vain, trying to free herself. As he kissed one side of her neck, sucking and biting a little, her struggles ebbed and melted away. She moaned softly at him and let him push her backwards, step by step as he kissed her, kissing back voraciously and digging into his back with her fingernails.

As she reached the bed, instead of letting Daniel push her backwards, still facing him, Clara suddenly yanked herself free and leapt onto the bed. She perched herself on all fours facing the window at the head end and wiggled her butt at him playfully. Although he could see her only dimly in the darkness, her mischevious grin as she turned her head to him was unmistakeable.

"Did I do something wrong?", she teased in her girlish voice.

Daniel shivered in frustration and desire as Clara giggled and continued her taunts.

"Am I frustrating you too much?"

It was at that moment that two pieces of rope caught his eye. They were draped around the middle of the bed frame at the head end of the bed.

"Want me to sit still?"

Even as she had said it he had stepped over and was taking her by the arms and tying her to the bed frame in a frenzy. She struggled against him, laughing, but he easily overcame her attempts to break free and tied both of her arms to the bed frame. Her struggles subsided and she lay tied, face down, quietly yearning in anticipation. Without a word, he moved onto the bed, and holding her down with one arm, raised the other, then brought his outstretched palm down forcefully onto one side of her butt. A yelp of pain escaped her lips as she struggled again. Before switching sides, he squeezed her sensitised skin under his fingers, pulling upwards with his fingertips. She moaned and cried out as the sensations ricocheted through her, as he switched from one side of her butt to the other.

As Daniel continued, spanking harder each time, Clara's struggles turned to shivers and convulsions, and the redness in her skin intensified. Soon he began to stroke his hard cock with one hand as he spanked her with the other. The thrill of gaining control over her sent a rush of energy through him. As the onslaught continued, she began to let out a piteous moan at each impact, wriggling and convulsing; he knew she was nearing her tolerance, but was pushing her limits as she had pushed his. She dug her face into the pillow as the intense pain and wetness between her legs brought with it the purgation she needed, shattering the tension in her muscles and obliterating every troublesome thought. Finally she raised her head a little, and spoke softly and calmly, almost whispering, free of spite.

"I don't think I can take much more... Please let me have you now."

"What was that? I don't think I heard you," said Daniel in a hitherto unheard deeper, threatening tone, landing his palm on her butt once more.

"Please... please fuck me," slipped the words from her lips, just a little louder.

Daniel moved as if to raise his hand once more, then stopped, and smiled at her as she turned her head to him, whimpering. He moved behind her, pulling her legs apart and her butt upwards from underneath, avoiding for the moment the blistering bright red skin on which he had just inflicted his anger. He rubbed his cock across her pussy lips, teasingly and grinned at her, his expression still laced with the anger he had felt towards her. As she began to wriggle slightly and moan a little in frustration, he ran his fingers across the reddened skin on her butt, forcing a gasp and a shiver from her.

The minutes he spent teasing her defeated body seemed like an eternity to her. The shockwaves of the pain he had sent through her had somehow sent her spiralling into a place where there was no concept of time, and no world around her except him. The rope holding her wrists to the bed frame and his intimidating form over her were no longer necessary to hold her in her state of submission; her own mind had decided her fate for her. It was as this feeling seeped through her that suddenly, or so it seemed, he shifted and she felt him thrust his cock deeply inside her pussy. The feeling awoke her enough from her stupor to moan loudly at him and push her butt back onto him.

He gradually began to thrust harder into her, pulling her butt back as he thrust forward. As he thrust harder, it was not long before he felt her quivering around him, and then her pussy clamping down hard on him as she let out a long, loud cry of pleasure. He moaned and breathed harder as he continued to thrust against her as she squeezed tightly around him, letting her feel the waves of her climax surging through her body.

As her climax began to ebb away from her, he pushed her down almost flat on the bed and thrust downward into her, feeling her tightening again. Her whimpering and moaning at this encouraged him as he slammed down into her, hitting her reddened butt with each thrust. No longer holding back his aggression, Daniel's moans began to sound like low growls as he pounded her harder and harder. As her next climax came to her, he again held back his own with ease, allowing the waves of pleasure that overcame her to wash over him. It was not enough to make her come over and over again; he wanted to break her, to make her feel the echoes of his presence.

The sensation of feeling her muscles stiffen around him, shuddering finally in pain, was the only reward he would accept. Clara's own endurance tested him, and when she realised his goal, she began to twist against him and writhe with theatrical flare. The response was swift; Daniel landed his palm on her butt as he thrust into her, then to her throat, causing her to gasp painfully for air. She writhed and stopped momentarily before trying again, and finally stopping as another wave of pleasure overcame her, just as she could feel her body aching and groaning and buckling under his relentless assault.

As he pounded harder into her in anger, and he released his grip on her throat that was her latest punishment, she began to whimper and cry out in pain, and find the remains of her voice.

"Please stop soon, you're really hurting me."

He smiled, slowing down for a moment.

"You know what comes next?"

"Mmhmm," she said softly, letting a little smile spread over her face.

"I know you want it."

He took several deep breaths and then began hammering his cock into her even harder and faster than before, over and over, moaning, hearing her yelp and moan and cry out. Finally he allowed the climax to burst through him, letting out a visceral, almost inhuman noise as his hard cock throbbed intensely, sending streams of his passion, anger and lust through her and purging him of his pain. When he slowed and pulled back, it was with an incomparable sense of relief. As she felt his cock leave him, she slumped flat onto the bed, letting out an unprovoked convulsion and a whimper every few seconds. After a few minutes, he untied her wrists, allowing her to walk free; instead, she hid them under her body for a second, then curled into a foetal position, still convulsing.

Daniel paused for a second to catch his breath, then pulled himself to his feet; he looked at Clara's beaten, whimpering form on the bed, blew her a kiss and smiled. She struggled to raise her head, trying as best she could to hold back the pain from her expression. She managed a brief smile for him just as he turned and walked out of the room; as he left, she instantly slumped back onto the bed, shivered and howled piteously in pain as she clenched her eyelids together as tightly as she could. As a few tears that felt like acid tore their way through her eyelids and dropped silently onto the sheets, she smiled within herself; for her, the pain, intense as it was, would subside.

Moments later, as the many tiny streams of hot, almost scalding water from the shower head splashed over his body, Daniel could still hear the occasional muffled whimper from the next room. While his outward appearance was almost indifferent, the sobs of distress seemed to echo through him. Finding some resonance below the threshold of his consciousness in which a some aspect of him suffered like a beaten and abused child, the pain infected his conscious mind and gnawed at him. Yet the suffering within both of them had become so integrated, so entwined with their feelings for one another that neither could imagine the other without them.

As Daniel, now red from the shower stream, finally began to scrub himself, Clara walked into the room, apparently having recovered. She walked over to the bathroom mirror opposite the shower, and wrote several letters on the misted-up bathroom mirror:

"Love you sweetheart."

She turned to the shower, smiled, blew him a kiss, then walked out, closing the door behind her with a flourish that looked only a little forced. As he stepped out of the shower and began to dry himself, the breeze blowing through the open bathroom window sent a shiver through him. The note vanished from the mirror as he contemplated it, leaving him with only the pale reflection of him wrapped in one of Clara's black, fluffy towels. There was not a splash of colour in the entire bathroom; the tiles were white, and the silver rails and taps shone eerily in the cold fluorescent glow from overhead. As Daniel paused and listened. The trees, veiled in darkness beyond the window, rustled softly as the cold night wind howled around them. No human sound could be heard. After a few minutes, Daniel hung the towel on the rail and left the bathroom in search of Clara.