Liars and Tigers Read online

  "Well, I can't exactly say no to Kena, can I?" Misha said sullenly, as she pulled the cub onto her lap. She stuck her finger into his mouth and started playing with his tongue and gums, telling him 'no' when he bit too hard.

  "Do you realize that you do the same thing to me as you do to that cat?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Every time I start to get too close to you and you feel uncomfortable, you tell me no."

  "I do not."

  "Yeah, you do. At least you don't flick me on the nose. I'll be right back. Wait here and no peeking."

  Misha was extending the claws of Rodin's paw when Alex returned with a very large bundle in his arms. He set it upon the table with a smile. "Go ahead, unwrap it. Be honest."

  Misha's discomfort was plastered across her face. With a slight frown, she removed the cloth covering the bronze Rodin reproduction of The Danaid. She gasped, her hands covering her mouth, seeing the artist's signature on the woman's right thigh.

  "You said Rodin was your favorite artist. I didn't know which one was your favorite piece. I looked around at different renderings from different artists and found this one. I thought it was beautiful because, well, it looks so much like you. Misha? Mish!" Alex called, as she fled into the house and slammed the house behind her. What did he do wrong?

  Chapter 8

  Misha held back her sobs until she was safe, alone in her room. How did he know? What gave me away? Who tipped him off? She thought of the statue; the beautiful graceful flow of the woman lying on the ground, her naked body raised to expose every luscious curve and every delightful crevice. Hidden in the ground was the face, and it remained unseen. Misha cried into her hands, ignoring the tapping at her door.

  Alex walked inside and placed Rodin on the floor. The cub immediately jumped on the bed, and mewed plaintively as Misha cried into her arms. Alex sat next to her and touched her shoulder.

  "Mish? What's wrong? Please talk to me."

  "Just go away! How could you do that to me?!"

  Alex leaned toward her and began to stroke her trembling back. "Do what? Give you a gift? I'm sorry, I didn't know which one you would like, so I just picked the one that reminded me of you. I didn't mean anything negative by it."

  "Are you telling me you just randomly chose one of the statues from a random artist and ordered it?" Misha demanded, glaring at him through wet, red eyes.

  Alex nodded. "Actually, yeah. That's the truth. I looked at a bunch of different ones but I kept coming back to this one. I'm sorry you hate it…"

  "Hate it? Oh my God, I don't hate it. I love it. It is one of the most intimate things that anyone has ever done for me. But, oh shit, Alex, I'm a big fat liar. You're going to lose all respect for me," Misha sniffed, placing Rodin over her shoulder.

  Alex looked confused. "I think you need to start from the beginning. And leave nothing out. I want the truth," he said firmly.

  Misha nodded shamefully and began her story…

  "Everything I shared about my parents and my upbringing was true. When I was seventeen, I ran away from home because I found out my foster mother was making plans to get me to sell myself as a professional escort."

  "She was trying to pimp you? This ultra-religious woman was flesh peddling." Alex was appalled.

  "Yeah. Just like so many of them, she was a fraud. She got the church to give her food and donations and stuff because she did such 'good deeds' by taking on kids in the system."

  "Did you report it to your social worker?"

  "No. I had the bad habit of fibbing that I developed to supplement my lonely existence. Because of that, no one would believe anything I told them by that point, and I think she was counting on that. Anyway, you might know that Pahrump is known for its whorehouses. I overheard them talking about the price a virgin would bring in the market, and realized that they were talking about me. I was terrified, and did what I do best. I ran."

  She paused to take a deep breath, afraid to look into Alex's eyes. "I hitched a ride into Las Vegas and lived on the streets, while taking every menial, piss-ant job I could to keep myself alive. I wandered into the white tiger exhibition at the Mirage and had an idea. I was depressed and suicidal, but didn't have the courage to take my own life, so I figured I would let the tigers do it for me."

  "Misha! Please tell me you are kidding!" Alex sounded angry.

  Misha shook her head. "No, Alex. This is the whole, pathetic, pitiful truth. I climbed into their enclosure after everything had closed down and walked straight into their den. I didn't even hesitate, that was how little I cared about myself. But the weirdest thing happened. Instead of mauling me, they knocked me to the ground and started to groom me. I fell asleep between the pair, and the female actually wrapped her body around mine. I was discovered by the zookeeper the next morning. Both tigers took a stance between him and me, and bared their teeth at him. I can't explain it, but, for the first time in my life, I felt safe. These giant cats were actively guarding me."

  "Go on," Alex said, wondering whether or not to believe the tale.

  Misha saw the doubt in his eyes. "You don't believe me. Well, you can ask him yourself. The zookeeper's name was… is… Jack. Jack Leden."

  It was Alex's turn to be stunned into silence. He knew that Jack had recommended the girl for the position, and that they had a casual acquaintance that he'd assumed originated from her work up north.

  "Continue," he ordered.

  "Jack took pity on me and gave me a job helping with the tigers. I was there until they closed the show and sent them away to a private preserve. He talked me into starting college but I was broke. I… he doesn't even know about this." Misha started to cry again. Alex waited patiently. She finally regained her composure.

  "Vegas has lots of opportunities for girls to make some quick bucks. I knew I had a nice shape and decided I would audition for a strip joint in the older section of town, far away from where Jack lived. He was the closest thing to a parent I've ever had, and I didn't want him to be burdened by me like, like…"

  "Like your parents were?" he finished for her.

  "Yes. I was waiting in the back of the studio when I was approached by this little Italian man with the longest moustache I've ever seen. He was very nice and polite, and informed me that he was a living artist and wanted me to pose for an exhibit he was doing at Caesars. He gave me a card and promised that I would make enough money to get me through college if I was willing to give him three months of work. I couldn't refuse. Hell, I was going to try my hand at stripping, so what could be worse, right?"

  "I can imagine far worse, Misha. You poor kid…"

  "When I arrived at the exhibit, I remember just staring in shock. He called it Living Rodin. My very first pose was Le Danaid. I hid my face, naked to the world, for six hours a day, five days a week, while thousands of people photographed, painted and sculpted me. It was hard work, and very humiliating. People think that she's submitting, but she's not. She's lamenting, and the intensity of the pose is very hard to maintain. But I did it, and surprised myself. Her position is very awkward and painful, and it would take me hours to recover."

  "You posed nude?"

  "Yeah, and I am so ashamed of myself, but I saw no other way to make the money I needed to start a life, apart from being a pseudo-whore. The Danaid saved my life, but also shamed me. I sold my body to survive, and all these strangers saw parts of me that only a lover should. Carlos was so impressed with my pose, and the response, that he kept me there. And, after three months, he released me with enough money to pay for most of my college."

  Misha accepted the bottle of water that Alex offered her and took a long drink. "Jack helped me get accepted to Davis through a friend of his—"

  "I wonder if it was my dad," Alex tapped his chin. "A senator's referral is a big thing, and Dad rarely said no to anything Jack asked of him."

  "I don't know, but it worked. Carlos was thrilled for me and gave me a gift of the rest of my tuition as a going away present. His fina
l request was that I would permit him to sculpt me as The Danaid. I couldn't refuse. I owed him. His name is Carlos Mariani and you bought his piece. You bought me, Alex. That is me on that table."

  Alex was quiet, not knowing what to say. The whole story was too inconceivable to be true, but she was right about the artist's name. Finally, he took a deep breath. "Do you regret it?"

  "Not until now. I feel so ashamed. I swore I would never expose myself like that to anyone again, for any reason. Now you know how I whored myself out to get where I am. If Jack found out, he'd never speak to me again. He had hopes for me and I failed him. I became exactly what he didn't want me to be; a whore."

  "I think you know that's not true. We all do things we regret, but it's knowing the reasons why we made those decisions that helps us grow beyond the shame and humiliation of those poor choices. The fact that you rose above yours says everything to me."

  "It does?" Misha saw his tenderness as he nodded, taking her hand. This time, she didn't pull away. "How?"

  "Yes. I guess the best way to explain is to compare it to our animals. Let's say Kena had a litter and was overly protective of it. I put my hand in to touch the puppies and I get bitten. Whose fault is that?"

  "Yours, you big dummy," Misha forced a smile.

  "True. Do I have a right to be angry with her?"

  "No. You violated her boundaries and probably ignored her warning. It was a stupid move."

  "Precisely. I touched the puppies because Kena's warnings meant nothing to me until that minute. I did what I wanted to do, without considering her reaction. I have to take responsibility and accept that being bitten was a consequence of my own stupidity. If I learn that, then I am capable of making better choices in the future, and avoiding a nasty bite."

  "That makes sense."

  "You and I are so alike in so many ways. Let's promise not to lie to each other, okay?"

  "I'll try. Please don't tell him."

  "I won't say a word. Since we're being up front about things, I need to tell you the other reason I chose that piece," Alex said, clearing his throat uncomfortably. Misha waited. He looked at her. "It's how I could see you. How I wanted you. How I… desire you."

  She blushed. "Naked and hidden, with my face in the ground?"

  "No, submitting to me."

  Misha pulled back, clutching the tiger cub. Rodin hissed and she relaxed her hold. She was trembling. "I don't submit to anyone," she choked out gruffly.

  "But you want to. You want the safety of being able to release all your fears and doubts without worrying that you'll be left alone. You can't deny it. I see it in your eyes every time you are backed into a corner. I hear it in your voice when we play."

  Shocked by his words, Misha shook her head. "That is so untrue. I don't want to rely on anybody for anything."

  "Why do you deny yourself the very thing you desire? I've been at this for a long time. I can sense the submissive as easily as a lion senses his mate in season."

  "You're a psycho. Go away," Misha suddenly sparked, her self-preservation and suspicious nature taking over.

  "Even the tigress submits to her mate. She puts up a bit of a fuss, but he knows it is what she wants. Why are you denying this, Misha?"

  "I will not be anyone's doormat. Not yours, not Jack's, not anybody's!"

  "This need has nothing to do with being a doormat. It doesn't mean you're weak. None of us can do it alone. Look at Rodin. Full grown, he will be able to take on an opponent and win. But now, he needs love, nurturing, and direction. Misha, you are so much like him. Let me give to you what you are giving to him."

  "I told you, I do not need anyone. Are you deaf?"

  Alex stood to look down at her from his six foot one frame. "No. I'm not deaf, but neither am I buying this lie you have told yourself. For once in your life you are going to let someone care about you without calling the shots. You are going to let me take care of you! You are going to see that this wall you have erected around yourself is hurting you, not saving you. You are going to let me be a real part of your life."

  "Fuck you, Alex. I never invited you into my life, and I'm sure as hell not going to let you take over because you think I am weak. Get out of here!" she yelled, throwing the closest thing she could reach straight at him. Jack had warned Alex of her deadly aim, but he wasn't prepared for the alarm clock to hit him square in the jaw, cutting his lip.

  Slowly, he lifted the back of his hand to the injured area and brought it down, seeing blood. "Seriously, Misha? You could have broken a tooth, or blinded me."

  "I'm sorry! Just go away," Misha cried.

  Alex shook his head. "No, that is the problem. You aren't sorry. I have done everything I can to make you feel welcome and cared for. I have been honest and considerate toward you. What have I done to deserve this treatment other than tell you how I feel?"

  "You're a pervert. You lured me here for this and used Rodin as bait."

  "I'm a not a pervert by any means. Yeah, I like to play in the darker realm of sex, and believe in a chain of command within my home life, but I am as normal as you are."

  "You are a fucking pervert," Misha hissed again. "A vile, despicable son of a…"

  Alex stood still and looked down at her, his eyes dark. "I have been more than tolerant with your tantrums, but I've heard enough from you. I demand an apology right now. I don't deserve this horrendous treatment."

  "Screw yourself, Alex. If it wasn't for Rodin, I would be packing up and leaving this very minute."

  "Whether you like it or not, I have grown to truly care about you. I think I might even be falling in love with you, despite this bitter, sharp tongue of yours. Because I do care," he took a single step toward her, "it is about time that you, my sweet Tiger, learn a valuable lesson. I don't put up with hissy fits, having anyone throw objects at me, or refusing to apologize properly for their actions."

  "I am out of here," Misha hissed, getting up from the bed and stomping toward the door. A low growl escaped Alex's throat as he grabbed her arm. Effortlessly, he swung her across his lap and yanked her pants down to expose her pale, milky round bottom, framed by a tiny black thong.

  "No more of this behavior. Liars and Tigers will be bared, and thoroughly spanked in this enclosure," Alex stated, sending the flat of his hand harshly against the soft, unmarred mound of her right cheek.

  Misha shrieked. "Oh My! Stop! It hurts!" she yelled, as his work-hardened hand delivered another painful smack to her left cheek. "Rodin! Save me!" The tiger cub merely yawned and watched, his tail twitching.

  "You like being a Tiger? There are plenty of stripes to be had where these come from. Lie to me again, or throw something at me, and the stripes will be delivered by my belt or a switch," Alex lectured calmly as his hand cracked along the center of her posterior, making her yell out again to stop. "This will not only mark your beautiful little ass, but will mark the beginning of a new relationship. I'm claiming you, Tiger. Playtime is over. I've tracked you down and will make you mine. The hunt is finished. You need me as much as I need you, and you will admit it right here and now."

  "You can't force me to say anything, you bastard!" Misha howled.

  "I can force you to admit the truth. I see how you look at me. Even if you don't want me, there is no excuse for this horrid behavior. Not anymore."

  Determined to prove how serious he was, Alex began a full-fledged assault upon Misha's nether cheeks and upper thighs, his fingers leaving trails of crimson marks and blazing heat along her delicate flesh. Misha recoiled, writhed and attempted every means of escape, but he was much too strong for her. Spank after spank sent waves of pain through her body, and she fought desperately against giving in to his lesson.

  "You will submit, my dear Misha. Let yourself go and be free," Alex ordered, focusing his attention on that sweet, soft place at the very bottom of her cheeks, promising remembrance of this event every time she tried to sit for the next few days.

  "I will NEVER… submit, to you… or anyone," Mis
ha bellowed, feeling her body betray her as her eyes released another downpour of tears. "I don't need anybody. Not ever…"

  "Let go, damn it!" Alex commanded, quickening his rhythm and force.

  Misha screamed "No," then broke into a low, guttural sob. Alex landed four more spanks to her thighs as she laid limply across his strong, muscular lap. He rested his hand upon the shiny, deep red globes, stroking the thrashed skin and feeling the searing heat rising from her bruised and tender bottom.

  Misha sobbed pitifully into the legs of his jeans, gripping his calf like it was an anchor that would keep her from losing herself in the ocean of excruciating agony. Alex surveyed his work. He had been thorough. As Misha trusted her instincts about gaining the trust of frightened animals, Alex trusted his own as well. Indeed, his hunt was over and now it was time to start taming his little Tiger.

  Ever so gently, he lifted her to sit on his lap, with his arms wrapped securely around her bare waist. Misha was as aware of her half-naked body as she was the fiery burn that radiated from the top of her bottom to the middle of her thighs. Unable to resist his hold, she yielded to his strength and leaned into his chest. Her sniffling turned to hiccups as he gently dried her tears and rocked her in his arms, just as she had rocked the infant tiger so many times.

  "What are you thinking, baby?" he asked quietly, as he felt her snuggle closer to him.

  "I don't want to talk about it."

  "This silence is going to stop this instant. I can't allow you to continue to hurt yourself this way. Now tell me what you are thinking. Just mind your manners."

  "Fine! It feels good to be held like this, okay? No one has ever done this to me before. Not even Jack."

  "Spanked you or held you?"

  "Either one," Misha admitted in a tiny whisper. "Jack sees me like I'm a sweet, naughty child, but he never stepped up and did anything about it. And he is not a cuddler."

  "Jack loves you as much as he would his own daughter. And I agree," Alex kissed her head and squeezed her shoulders, "cuddling is not his thing."