Liars and Tigers (16 page)

"She
did what? Shit. If anyone catches her, we will lose him!"

"Yeah,
I know. Do you have any idea of where she might have gone to?"

"None.
Maybe she—"

"Hold
on a second, I have a call coming in," Alex said, switching lines. He
frowned as he listened to the caller, thanked him, and then returned to Jack.
"She's in Vegas. Apparently she went to see her old artist buddy."

"What
artist buddy?"

Alex
quickly told Jack the story of how Misha had earned the money for college.
"She never told you because she was afraid you would be disgusted with
her."

"Why
would I be disgusted? Thank God I hate art. I would not want to have seen her
in that exhibit, you know, all naked and everything."

"Carlos
said that he is having her pose for him as Rodin's Iris. He had hoped her
modesty would overwhelm her fear, but it's backfired on him. I'm going to take
a trip to Vegas and catch my little Tiger in the act. I can't believe she lied
to me."

"She
feigned a trail for you to follow. She's a clever girl, but love has made her
careless. Remember, Alex, she thinks like her felids. If you want to earn her
respect, you have to behave like a tiger. She will fight you, but you have to
win at all costs. Once you do, she is yours."

"I'm
trusting you here, buddy."

"Have
I ever sent you in the wrong direction?"

"Uh,
yes, in India when we—"

"With
her! Have I ever steered you wrong with her? No answer? That means I'm right.
Go find her, Alex," Jack said. "Catch her and protect her. Do
whatever you have to, and hold onto her. Please, make my baby girl see how
loved she is."

"Jack?
Are you crying?" Alex asked, softening his voice.

"Just
a little choked up. She is the only family I have, and the closest thing to a
daughter I could ever hope for. I want the best for her, and you are the
best."

"I'm
a screw up, Jack. But she makes me feel like I'm better than I am. You have the
house key and the alarm code? I'll call you when I find her."

"Be
careful, son."

Alex
tossed his bag into the F450 pickup, skidded down the long driveway, raced
through the narrow roads and merged onto Highway 15. Las Vegas was an easy
drive, but his anxiety made the minutes tick slowly. He resisted speeding,
reasoning to himself that she would still be there in the extra twenty minutes he
might have shaved off the trip, and that it wasn't worth a ticket or an
accident. He replayed their conversation over and over in his mind, trying to
devise a way to get her to see that she was worthy of both love and a
commitment.

His
phone beeped, and he struck the Bluetooth button on his dashboard.

"Hodges
here."

"Mr.
Hodges, it's Carlos," the Italian man whispered. "Misha will be with
me in my studio behind the house. I want you to be aware that she is, well,
somewhat indisposed. In order for her to maintain the position for this sculpt,
I had to use devices to suspend her."

"Are
you saying that you have her tied up?"

"She
is not going anywhere without assistance," Carlos said.

"Excellent.
And Rodin? Is he all right?"

"The
kitten is with her. Although, he got into the plaster, and is quite white at
the moment." Carlos chuckled. "You love her, yes?"

"More
than anything. She makes my heart beat," Alex admitted.

"Good.
Make her happy. And the stripes upon her buttocks?"

"She
went into a tiger enclosure alone after being told not to. Are they bad?"

"No,
but well-deserved. I must go now. I will see you soon? Just come inside and
don't alert her."

"In
about an hour. I just got to the border. I'm going to fill up here and then be
on my way," Alex said, his mind racing.

Misha
was trapped. That could go either way for him, depending on how he approached
her. Jack had told him many times that she thought like a big cat. What would a
tiger do? Sniff out his female and take her. But there was a fine line, and
Alex was not going to cross it. So how could he do this?

The
dilemma weighed on his mind as he made the final approach into Carlos's
driveway. Alex left his belongings in his truck, and walked to the art studio
located behind the main house. He quietly opened the door, and nodded a
greeting to the artist. Carlos held his fingers to his lips.

"Misha,
my love, I must go to town and get more clay. I will be back shortly," he
said, winking at Alex.

"No!
You can't leave me tied up like this," Alex heard Misha say. "Not
alone!"

"You're
not alone."

"Alex?
Oh dear Lord, how did you find me?" Her vocal tone changed from annoyance
to frantic.

He
stepped around to where her head was supported in the suspension unit, and
pulled up a stool. "Time we talked, don't you think? And you can't run
away this time."

Misha
scowled, looking at him upside down. Carlos had placed her naked body in a full
body sling for full view. She was supported by the layer of nylon running under
the length of her back and neck, and her legs were tied securely to reveal the
focal point of Rodin's Iris, her pussy. Alex nodded with approval, observing
that her right hand was tied to her right ankle, which forced her leg to draw
up to her chest. Her left leg was left to dangle outside the harness, and blocked
by one of the suspending ropes to keep it widely splayed. Carlos had also
secured her left hand underneath her body to give the illusion of being absent
and represent the original sculpture. Out of respect for Alex, a cloth had been
draped over her pussy.

"Let
me down and we'll talk."

"No,
I like you like this. I don't like another man viewing your lady parts,
though."

"He's
an artist and this pose is classic. Please let me down."

"This
pose gives me direct access to you. Access that I could very well take
advantage of."

"You
wouldn't dare!" Misha hissed.

"First
things first." Alex moved the stool closer to her head and sat down, then
leaned back and crossed both his arms and his legs. "I want an
explanation. Why did you run away from me?"

"I'm
not saying anything until you let me out of this trap."

"At
least you see it for what it really is—except," he tapped her nose,
"the only real trap is the one in your mind. This is a holding pen. It
will keep you safe and within reach during our discussion. Answer me,
Misha."

"I
don't know," she grumbled.

"You
don't know why you ran? I think you can to better than that. Hello,
Rodin," Alex said, and the cub rubbed against his leg. "We will talk
about you in a minute, kitty. But first your mommy has some explaining to
do."

"You
want to marry me."

"I
love you and yes, I want to marry you. What is so terrible about that?"

"Marriage
is a trap. It's designed to force two people to be in the same cage for the
rest of their lives. There is no freedom to explore, no room to hunt. Animals
rarely breed in captivity, and you want me to be one of those animals."

"First,
let me preface this by saying that you might think like a felid, but you are a
human being. Marriage, at least in my mind, is there to protect you and your
interests. I don't know what kind of freedom you are referring to, since we
both know you have not made a habit of being promiscuous, and that you are
comfortable committing to a job." Alex stayed calm as he stroked the
tiger. Rodin purred, and jumped onto his lap for more. "Second, I am not
asking you to breed. I already have two kids whom I love to death, and who I
can't see as often as I like. You would be a great stepmother to them, but I am
not asking you to bear one of your own."

"It's
still a trap. Like everything else you put me through."

"You
respect traps, Misha. You, in fact, expected one. That in itself is setting a
trap of your own. You wanted me just as badly as I wanted you. Do I have to
just take what I want to make you believe that I love you?"

"Maybe
you do! Maybe," she struggled to look at him, "you need to prove how
much you want me by taking away my choices."

"So
you admit, you do want me in full control. I knew you were a natural
submissive, but I had no idea to what degree," Alex said, reaching over
and running his fingers along her neck. "Do you love me, Misha?"

"Yes,
damn it."

"How
much?"

"Too
much, okay? Enough to risk losing Rodin if I got caught with him," Misha's
voice caught in her throat. "Enough to risk another ass blistering."

"You
needed to run to see if I would actually hunt you down and claim you, didn't
you?"

"Damn
you, Alex."

"Answer
me. I want to hear you say it."

"Really?
Is this necessary?"

"Not
only necessary, it is vital. And the least you can do for the worry you put me
through."

"Very
well," Misha sighed, "If I say it, will you let me go?"

"Never.
I am taking what is mine and keeping her." Alex smiled. "And if you
meant, will I let you down from there? No. Not until I am done with you."

"You're
right. I needed to know you cared enough to come after me. I have these stupid
abandonment issues, okay?" she said, bitterly.

"They
aren't stupid. Your parents abandoned you at a casino, your foster mother was
going to abandon you to a pimp, your first cat family was sent away, and you
lost your first job. Jack forced you to go away to college. Your history is
filled with the loss of relationships, one after another. Except now,"
Alex stood and looked down at her face, "you have me. I am not going
anywhere, nor am I going to allow you to run away in fear of that
happening."

"How
did you find me? I sent you on a false trail."

"I'm
just as resourceful as you are, young lady. It is about time you learn
that."

"What
are you doing?" Misha yelped as he walked around to her spread legs, his warm
hand not once leaving her skin. Goosebumps rose on her as he grazed her inner
thigh and removed the cloth that was hiding her treasures.

"I'm
surveying my prize," Alex said, gently running his fingertip down her
moist slit.

"Don't
do that. You know I'm a… you know!"

"I
know you're a virgin, which is why we are going to make this happen nice and
slow," Alex crooned, adding his left hand to stroke the inside of her
thigh. "I am going to pluck this flower today, and show you that I am not
afraid to take my tigress as my own."

"You
are going to rape me? Oh my God, no!" Misha struggled uselessly against
the bonds.

"Rape
implies taking you without your consent. You will not only be consenting, but I
will have you begging," Alex said huskily, lowering his mouth to her
widely spread, exposed pussy. Misha trembled as he blew warm air over the pink
lips and between her bottom cheeks. A shiver traveled along the length of her
body.

"I
won't allow it," she coughed out, after an uninvited moan passed her lips.

"I
don't see how you can stop me," Alex ran his tongue over her clit,
"or that you really want to."

"Fuck…"
Misha whispered, as his tongue pressed eagerly against her little nub.

"That
will happen when you beg me for it, Tiger. This sling is rather handy. I think
I might get one for us to use at home."

"I'm
not ever getting in one of these again," Misha said breathlessly, tensing
as he sucked gently on her swollen clit.

"You'll
do as you're told, little girl," Alex grinned, nibbling on her inner thigh
while his fingers caressed her wetness. "Stop being so stubborn."

"I
have to be stubborn," Misha arched her back, gasping at the feel of his
finger penetrating her body. "I'm not an easy catch."

"That's
for certain. But well worth the pursuit." Alex carefully inserted two
fingers inside her. He was not taken aback by the absence of a hymen, knowing
that her physical activity had likely torn it years ago, but her tightness
intrigued him. Slowly, he stretched her hot walls, listening for her reaction.

Misha
began to hum, muffled growls of pleasure rumbling deep in her throat. The sound
of her sharp intakes of air aroused him and corresponded with the slow, gentle
plunge of his fingers. He studied her convulsing pussy, the soft, pink muscles
opening and closing in response to her body's hunger to be mounted.

"Not
yet, my girl," Alex said, as his mouth tasted every inch of her inner
thighs and the delicate creases around her womanhood.

"Alex,"
Misha moaned. "What are you doing to me? I feel so… so helpless."

"Being
helpless feels good too, doesn't it my love?"

"Mmm,
yes."

"Would
you like more?" Alex asked, bringing his hands across the plain of her
stomach and stopping on the outside of her straining breasts.