The Twelve Vitali Ch. 21

"She looks peaceful," Cats whispered into the silence, awestruck by the calmness and serenity of his photographs.

"She dreams of being a butterfly once the cocoon is removed and flying away," he said in a soft voice, enjoying the memory and the concept of the piece.

"That's almost poetic," Cat smiled, looking up at him and realising there was far more to this man than she had ever realised. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but found herself not wanting to ruin the moment with facts and statistics, so to speak, but she understood the patience and care he must have taken to create this. To wait for the perfect day, the perfect moment, the perfect model, all to come together for this. She can't even imagine how he managed to get her to that exact position with no sign of scaffold or hoist, perhaps he had others there on the day to help him.

"What is it called again?" she asked. "The proper term, not what Matt calls it."

"The more common word in English speaking countries is Shibari, and I use that most often when speaking to people, but Kinbaku is the preferred term for what I do. My title would not be Master, but Bakushi, were I with my friends who also practise the art form," he said in a quiet voice to match hers.

"You bind men as well?" she asked, coming to stand before yet another screen.

"I have done, yes," he smiled. "You have to admit he looks particularly attractive in rope," he pointed to the man who seemed to strain against the web of ropes holding him immobile. The straining man stared at a woman who appeared to be wearing almost a dress made of rope and impossibly high shoes as she stood before him. "At first glance his desire is clear, and though we cannot see her face, we assume she is beautiful, and it is she that he desires, but look closer."

Ricco illuminated the screen from behind with the flick of a switch, making the dark background to the two figures less so and revealing what her initial viewing of the screen didn't pick up. Beside the woman, a black suit and longish black hair told of a tall man standing in the shadows. Looking at the figures now, they both turned towards the shadowy figure, and the desire she thought she saw on the man's face didn't seem as lustful as it once had.

"Would you like me to tell you the story of this?" Ricco asked, switching off the backlight. "We could be here all night if I told you each story," he chuckled.

"Without the light, the shadow person remains now, like once seen he can't be unseen. He is malevolent, isn't he?" she asked. Everything in the picture told her that now.

"We all have darkness within us. He is facing his, as well as the rewards and consequences of letting it loose," Ricco nodded and pressed his fingertips to the screen.

"That looks like a dress almost, the rope," she indicated the woman.

"It is, though the term I would use would be karada," he explained patiently. "Come," he guided Cat to a panel beside a large landscaped screen and presented her with a woman in a karada.

"It's beautiful," Cat said softly as she gazed at the image. "Does it take long to create something like this?" she asked.

"Hours," he chuckled, "Though I have improved with practise since then, and I am not as fastidious when it is not for display. Even still, it can take hours." He guided her to the far wall with a hand on the small of her back and opened a large sliding door to reveal a room with glass walls that displayed the night sky and a view of the surrounding neighbourhoods.

Cat walked slowly and carefully, afraid to disturb the silence and serenity of the space. A fountain came to life and began to tinkle melodically as she took in what she assumed to be a Zen garden. She had seen miniature models in stores and had always found them interesting, in a kitschy way.

"This is amazing," she said softly, turning back to look at him. "It's a shame you told Sebastian you weren't planning on making me part of the artwork up here," she teased.

"Plans can change, he'd be the first to understand that," Ricco said carefully, unsure if he wanted to use her here when his need was still so urgent and raw. He wanted to spend hours with her here one day creating the perfect moment in time for her and him, and, if he was honest, for Matteo even more so.

"Where do you keep all your rope?" she asked and tilted her head coyly.

Ricco could feel every nerve in his being strain toward her. He stalked toward her and took her in his arms, kissing her roughly, deeply, passionately showing her what a dangerous game she was playing with a man like him. "You're playing a very dangerous game, brat!" he growled at her. "This is a room for quiet meditation and art, not what you're making me feel right now!" his growl got darker and huskier.

"Oh," she said, disappointment lacing her voice. What happened between them the night before had stayed in her mind and slightly bruised ass all day, and she had thought they would revisit his love of rope again tonight. She was more than a little aroused being here in this space and viewing his art.

"All of this area that you see and beyond used to be an attic storage space. My Uncle allowed me to renovate it for my own use in exchange for teaching a series of classes to his trainers," he moved behind her and guided her quite forcefully back into the original room and the right side. "I have a series of little-used rooms that mean I can stay here overnight when necessary, or if I wish to escape the world. Very few people know about this place."

Cat looked curiously as a wall slid away, and she could see a small bedroom and adjoining bathroom created in the same Japanese style. She listened to his explanations as once again he guided her across the room to the opposite side and slid another wall panel away. Cat took in the dark space, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dim light. Large solid beams of dark wood dominated the room. They were studded with large metal discs, and, while the rice paper screens ran around the top half of the walls, its framing was the same heavy dark wood rather than the lighter bamboo. The dim golden glow from behind the wooden framed screens seemed somehow duller and was the only light illuminating the space. Cat quivered and looked up at the now silent Ricco.

"Whenever there is light there is shadow," he murmured close to her ear and kissed her neck. His hands worked gently but with purpose as he rained light kisses and touches on each new part of her body as it was exposed while he undressed her. Eventually, she stood naked and panting in the centre of the room. Ricco retrieved a stool from the corner of the room and positioned her beneath the main beam in the dark ceiling before allowing her to sit.

Ricco had said nothing from the time they entered this space. He would, as he said, display her in all her glory in the other rooms and in nature itself, but his need outweighed the patience needed for his art, yet he wanted to give her the experiences she deserved with him. Torn, he stalked away from her, gathering some well used and pliable coils of rope, dropping them at her feet. He took a large breath and began uncoiling a length of rope, feeling the familiar texture and weight in his hands and allowing his mind to appreciate the beauty of the woman before him for a moment, deciding how he would bind her tonight.

Cat watched as Ricco threaded a rope through an almost invisible eye bolt and brought it down behind her shoulders until it was perfectly proportioned in half before tying it off at the bolt. As she looked up, she could see a row of the black eyebolts along the long dark wood beam. He moved behind her and ran his hands down the length of her arms, slowly lifting them until she held them out from her sides at shoulder height. His lips touched the back of her neck in a soft kiss before he moved away again, only to return with a piece of bamboo which he laid against the back of her neck. He encouraged her to twist her arms so she could curl her fingers up and over the long piece of bamboo that reached from one hand to the other.

Despite his raging need, Ricco slowly and carefully laced the rope around her arms to her wrists in a network of diamond patterned rope, tying the rope off in an ornamental knot near her hand so she could let go of the bamboo rod she held in place for him. One half of the original rope was used on each arm, and Cat hung like a puppet from the first eyebolt in the ceiling when he had completed the second knot. The stool still supported her weight, but her upper body was securely bound, with the bamboo distributing the weight between the four points of suspension about a meter and a half above the floor level.

The kiss Ricco gave her was deep and passionate as he held her safely on the stool. He enjoyed her momentary struggle against the binding holding her arms before she realised she couldn't touch him in return, and he smiled as he withdrew, his fingers grazing down her cheek and neck tenderly. He took another rope, passing it through the far eye bolt and tying it off before moving to retrieve the second piece of bamboo of similar length. He bound her lower legs and ankles similarly to her arms, the bamboo keeping her legs in a wide-open position but not tying it off to the eyebolt yet.

Ricco worked as quickly as he dared to place the rope around her hips, lower back, beneath and above her breasts before repositioning her on the stool to balance precariously between her supporting arms and the stool wedged beneath her hips. He was careful with his knot work, making it intricate and beautiful, but also designing it to keep her safe and secure as well as comfortable.

"Just breathe," he whispered in her ear and kissed her softly. He moved to finish the bindings and lift her from the supporting stool, her legs doubling as the bamboo rested on the back of her upper thighs. The four eyelets held her body suspended in mid-air, and he moved around to cup her face, giving her head support as his lips took hers again. They were both breathing heavily from the teasing arousal the ropes gave them, and he smiled.

"One more rope, beautiful," he murmured and felt his cock jerk as he heard her answering soft purr. It was the first sound she had uttered since he began, and it sounded so sexy at that moment that he almost lost all restraint. Taking a short rope, he tied her hair back into a long ponytail before plaiting it with the rope and eventually tying it off in an eyelet to keep her head supported.

Removing the stool, Ricco walked around her, stroking her bound and immobilised body. She was perfect, and the fact that she hadn't spoken at all without him having to request silence pleased him enormously. To someone who knew nothing of Shibari, it might appear that she was being tortured, but he could tell by the suppleness and lack of tension in her muscles that she was comfortable, despite her position. The position and height were purposeful, in that she was at the perfect height for the desire and need he felt and was barely holding in check.

"Would you like to see how beautiful you are?" he asked softly, picking up an old-style Polaroid camera from a hidden nook.

"Please," she whispered in a soft purr, finding herself unable to nod her head. She listened to the click and whir of the camera and the slapping of photographs against the floor below her as they were left to dry. She whined softly, trying to move her head to look down, and he finally took pity on her and moved to crouch before her, picking up each photo and shaking it so that the image on the instant film dried and became clearer before he turned them to her. The dim photo in the dim light of the room showed her little, but she knew eventually she would see what Ricco saw and why this aroused him beyond other kinks. She would need to remember to ask him after the painful pleasure she knew he would give her in full measure now.

"What I wouldn't give to have Matt here now," Ricco said, surprising her, and she gasped, her eyes opening wide. "I would love to see how you move and strain against the ropes when being fucked to orgasm over and over again. I imagine you are already close to orgasm," his hand glided over her breasts as he said it, his fingers gripping her nipples and pulling them, making her whimper and try to bring her shoulders forward without any success. "So good," he smiled, twisting the swollen pink buds to hear her whimper grow louder into a mewling cry that made her eyes glassy. "If I weren't going to fuck you, I would have placed knotted ropes between your legs to give you the relief you crave right now, but, as I didn't..." he stood and stroked his hand down her side, enjoying the touch and feel of her swaddled in the rope.

Stepping behind her, he pushed her knees further apart and adjusted the ropes to lift the bamboo rod holding her feet apart further up so it moved to rest higher on her body, allowing him full access to her pussy and a small amount of discomfort as her body bowed to his manipulation. Her answering whimpering sung to him as his hand smoothed over her ass, smacking it hard to make her sing louder for him. His hand drifted down to tease her pussy, his fingers rubbing and seeking out her clit as he used his free hand to remove his pants and underwear.

Cat felt her thighs quiver already with the barest touch from him as he stroked her legs and adjusted the ropes. The smack, when it came, surprised her, and she cried out, not from pain, but the absolute need she had for him. Her body was immobile, and even the minuscule movements she managed to make were so unsatisfactory that her whimpers and mewls were loud in response to his teasing fingers. The difference in texture and pressure made her realise that he had replaced his fingers and was rubbing his hot hard cock over her wet pussy, and the quivers in her legs became intensified so that her body shook in need as she climbed even higher toward the climax she knew would blow her mind.

Ricco massaged her ass with both hands gripping the firm flesh as he moved slowly forward, impaling her with his cock. She was shaking and mewling loudly, and he had barely managed to get half of his cock into her tightness. He smacked her again and thrust forward as her body made a slight bucking movement, and he groaned loudly as she took him all and began easing out of her slowly. He listened to her moan as he withdrew completely, her body sagging slightly before he thrust into her hard, burying himself to the hilt, making her cry out.

Cat was beside herself as he played with her, varying the depth and thrust and timing of his fucking. She was so close to falling over the edge, yet he held her on the precipice time and again. Another smack and his large hands kneaded her soft flesh before he finally lost his methodical tortuous mojo and began to slam into her, fucking her hard and deep without any holding back. She felt her body stiffen in the ropes that cocooned her as she came almost violently, a high pitched keening spilling from her open mouth.

The sound filling the room drove him harder, and he sank into her pulsing pussy, allowing himself the same pleasure he had denied himself all day. He came for what seemed an eternity before staggering back and falling onto a large cushion on the floor. He watched her jerk and spasm as she continued to orgasm in little waves of pleasure brought on by her position and state of mind. She was beautiful, and he had no doubt that she was his as much as Matteo's.