Lucy could easily see how the word "port" might be used with some frequency in this study, and she nodded in acquiescence when he declined its use as a safe word.  Her lips curved up in a secret smile as she thought of another, more suitable word.  "Chrysanthemum, then," she responded.  She'd not forget this one; Katie's mother was enamored with the flower, and it had provided hours of laughter between the two girls, who both found it unfathomably ugly.  And here she was, contemplating the lack of beauty in a flower, here, in this study under these circumstances – that was rather unfathomable in itself.<br/><br/>She stood nude before a man, drinking from an expensive goblet of rich port wine, and it felt decadent and sinful.  His words and touches were just as decadent and sinful, and Lucy knew that this was a night she'd never forget.   She gasped when he touched her intimately, sliding his hand to the curls at the juncture of her legs and then a finger to rub at her most secret spot.  It was a place she touched too, some nights when she was alone and her body felt like it was on fire.<br/><br/>He moved his hand away and continued his perusal of her nakedness, smacking her bottom.  She gripped her glass tighter, taking a deep sip of her third port instead of answering his question.  Her nipples stood proud, jutting from her breasts and announcing her arousal so that there could be no doubt.  She could feel wicked wetness between her legs, and she shifted, hissing as sensitive flesh was pressed upon.  She yearned for more already, and they had barely started.<br/><br/>She felt a chill when he moved away, going to stand by a wall.  The fire burning in the hearth did not do as much as he did to heat her body.  "Take some time to look around Lucy, to refamiliarize yourself with the room, both what it looks like, and where things are," he ordered, and she did as he asked, puzzled as to why.  She was already familiar with the layout of the room, having explored it in some darkness when she was snooping the night before.<br/><br/>He came back, and he carried with him a scrap of smooth green material.  Lucy had never before worn such finery on any part of her body, although she'd handled the expensive imported fabric many times when she'd dressed Katie.  She looked at him in askance, and nodded as he explained.  "Because I am going to deprive you of one of your senses now, to heighten the others."  She had never heard of such a thing, but she would go wherever this man led her.<br/><br/>He wrapped the silk around her head until it covered her eyes, instructing her to use her other senses to explore her surroundings.  She could hear his words, and when she listened closely, she could tell where he was because of his breathing.  The fire crackled.  A wild owl hooted outside, and she imagined him flying over the gardens.<br/><br/>She knew that the couch was behind her, to her left.  Neared to her was his large, masculine desk.  On her right was his armoire, the one she'd been caught pilfering through.  The one that had started her down this path.  She reached up and took a step forward, at first tentative, and felt for the wood.  It made her nervous, knowing that she was nude and that Lord Covington watched her.  But then she remembered the hunger in his gaze when he looked at her body, and she stood straighter.  She knew this room, had explored it only the night before.  She knew where things were.<br/><br/>Two more steps forward, this time much more sure, got her to her goal.  She felt smooth wood and gripped the handle, pulling the door open.  Her lips curved into a smile.  Ah, soundless.  How clever of him to keep the hinges well-oiled.<br/><br/>This time, as she reached, her hands moved slower.  She did not know the inside of this, but she remembered how she'd gotten to his secrets the night before.  Ah, yes, here.  She slid the latch to the right and slid the drawer open.  A hard stick, a flap of leather at the end.  No, this was the riding crop she'd found last night.  Here, this was what she sought.  Looser leather, with many strips hanging from a handle.  She wished to see what this was used for.  Pulling it from its hidden compartment, she slid the drawer closed.<br/><br/>Turning away, she wondered where he was.  Across the room?  Near where they'd been?  She could hear him no longer, and she bit her lip, her brow furrowing as she listened for him.  No, she couldn’t tell where he was.  No matter, though.  He’d made her instructions clear.<br/><br/>The journey across the room took a bit of time as she worked to remember where obstacles might be.    With a soft thud, her shins hit the sofa, and she was reminded that she did not have layers of petticoats protecting her.  Once she arrived where she needed to be, she stood a moment, contemplating.  On her back or her belly?<br/><br/>It was almost as if her arse twitched in anticipation.  She wished to feel these strips of leather, this mixture of promised pleasure mingling with pain, and she laid down on the couch on her belly, the contraption held in her hand tightly.