The Director's Cut Read Free Page B

talk.
    “Look at your phone,” he says. “I’ve sent you an app. You need to let it download.”
    I pull the phone away from my ear and see that a message has arrived. It contains no words. Only a link.
    I click it, and a download screen loads up. It ’s for a phone app titled ‘X’, which gives nothing away.
    X what?
    I press the phone back to my ear.
    “What does the X stand for?” I ask.
    “Go up to the bedroom. ”
    “So bossy , Mr Berkeley,” I tease. “You can hardly come by and spank me if I don’t obey.”
    I’m pushing my luck, I know, but I feel a little thrill of power that he can’t get to me. Even if he wanted to.
    “We’ll see about that,” growls James. “Don’t test me , Isabella. Or I may risk seeing you in the newspapers, just to come over to your chalet and spank you. Hard.”
    Oh. I feel a little burst of desire. Is he serious? It’s impossible to tell.
    I begin walking up the stairs.
    “Are you doing as you’re told?”
    “I’m going upstairs,” I admit, “if that’s what you mean.”
    “Be very careful, Ms Green,” he says. “You have no idea what I have planned for you tomorrow. Any disobedience now will go hard with you later.”
    “Well lucky for me, then,” I reply, “I have chosen to favour you with obedience. For now, at least.”
    By now I’ve reached the bedroom door, and I cross the threshold.
    “Are you in the bedroom?”
    “Yes.”
    “Good.”
    Since the Lipstick Stalker got into my bedroom, James thoughtfully moved me to another chalet. It’s almost identical to the first. And the bedroom is a cosy mix of bare boards, rugs, and decadent bed furnishings.
    “Get on the bed,” says James.
    I hesitate.
    “Now,” he adds, as though reading my mind.
    Uncertain ly, I seat myself on the bed, propped upright against the various fur and suede cushions.
    “Look at your phone,” he says. “Has the app downloaded?”
    I check the screen. There is a new app – a red square, labelled as X.
    “What is it?” I ask.
    “You’ll find out. Click it open.”
    I press to open the app, but to my disappointment, nothing happens.
    “Nothing happened,” I report. “I don’t think it’s working.”
    “Oh, it’s working,” comes a dark chuckle from the other end. “I just haven’t decided to use it yet.”
    Oh. What does it do? I’m dying to know. But well aware he’s not going to tell me.
    “You may open the package,” adds James, after a moment.
    Staring at the small parcel in my hands, I pull away the brown paper. Inside is a box finished in a beautiful matt black. It looks about the right size to hold a necklace. But I’m guessing it’s not jewellery inside.
    Slowly, I prise off the lid.
    The contents are unexpected. Fitted into the satin interior is a U-shaped loop of deep purple. It looks like it could be a piece of high-tech equipment.
    “What is it?” The words are out before I can help myself.
    “Take it out,” says James, his voice rolling smoothly.
    Carefully, I prise the item from its neat housing. I can feel now that it’s made of soft silicone. And on closer inspection, there’s something far too luxurious about it to be for technological purposes.
    “Can you guess what it is?” asks James. I can hear the amusement in his voice.
    Carefully, I turn the U-shape in my hand. It’s heavy, expensively so, but not large. And the U-shape is slim. Each side bulges slightly at the end, as though either side were the stem of a flower with a bloom on top.
    “No,” I say, after a moment. “I have absolutely no idea.”
    “Oh come now, Isabella,” says James. “You must have some idea what I would send you a gift for.”
    Of course I do . I feel a little twist in my groin. I may not know the exact purpose of this item. But I have a good idea of its general application.
    “It’s a sex toy,” I guess.
    “Very good,” says James. “Although toy might be under-valuing it a little. I plan on making some very serious use of this particular