A Firm Hand: 2 (Bound to You) (24 page)

Gen cleared her throat and forced a smile. Now was not the time to talk about what she’d just overheard. One word about it and she’d break down right here in the foyer. “I’m fine. You said this party is in honor of Brian?”

“That’s what Banner said. Apparently your Dom isn’t the frequent flyer he used to be. I’m pretty sure a little redhead has everything to do with that.”

“So Brian used to come to Miami a lot then?”
He uses them like tissue, wears them out then throws them away.

“A few times a month, but that all stopped a little while ago. Look, don’t think about all that right now. He’s here with you. He’s never brought a submissive with him before. That means you’re special. Remember that, okay?”

It’s like he can’t bear to replace his only love.

“Let’s go,” Indie said, grabbing her hand. “We don’t want to be late and earn a punishment before the night’s even really started.”

They stepped into the opulent dining room. Indie gave her hand one last squeeze before releasing her. A male and female submissive were already kneeling just inside the doorway. Gen followed Indie’s example and knelt beside them on the hardwood floor. She kept her back straight with her knees spread wide, rested back on her heels and placed her open palms on her thighs as Brian had taught her. To take her mind off the new information she’d learned, she tried to get a look at her surroundings. Even with her chin raised, it was a difficult thing to do and keep her eyes downcast.

The large room was an exercise in excess. The walls were the same deep crimson the chairs had been upholstered with. Heavy gold drapes framed large windows, which gave a glimpse of the night sky beyond. The Masters and Mistress were cloistered in the far corner of the room at some sort of bar, chatting away and sipping cocktails. The whole setup eerily reminded Gen of an old Hammer horror film and she shivered.

Ignoring the ache in her knees, Gen strained for a glimpse of the other two submissives waiting with her and Indie. The young male, early twenties she guessed, was gorgeous beyond words. He had short blond hair and a body that looked as though it had been carved from wood. Not an ounce of fat on him. From the little she was able to see, the girl was waif-like with brown hair cut into a sleek bob. As still as statues, they both seemed so polished and well groomed—perfect examples of what a submissive should be. With her short black fingernails and cherry-dyed hair, Gen felt like a fraud kneeling next to them.

The toy within her suddenly buzzed to life, filling her with a strange sense of comfort. Brian’s perverse way of acknowledging her presence would have made her smile only moments ago. Now it just made her heart hurt.

He uses them like tissue, wears them out then throws them away.

She had to stop replaying that awfulness over and over or she’d never get through the night. Her best course of action was to throw herself into her submissive role with everything she had. Subspace had a way of washing away all her stresses, smoothing out the wrinkles. Tonight would be no different.

Mistress Sophia snapped her fingers, jarring Gen from her thoughts. The male submissive leaped to his feet and rushed to her side.

“So eager,” Sophia said in a smooth, even tone. “I appreciate that. I would appreciate it more if you didn’t rush. You come too quickly and I don’t get to enjoy watching you. You don’t want to deprive me of that pleasure, do you, Daniel?”

“No, Mistress.” Poor Daniel sounded horrified.

“Do it again. Slowly this time.” Sophia took a seat at the table, crossed one leg over the other and waited for him to comply.

“Yes, Mistress.” Daniel repeated his actions with a more deliberate pace and was back at Sophia’s side.

“Well done,” Sophia praised. “Now, I want you to go upstairs and retrieve my crop. I have a feeling I’ll need it tonight.”

“Yes, Mistress,” Daniel breathed.

Slowly he turned and walked from the room, each step calculated. The muscles in his thighs rippled and flexed beneath his golden skin. Sophia certainly had exquisite taste.

Gen waited patiently with the other submissives for acknowledgment or Daniel’s return, whichever came first. A small part of her was content to escape everyone’s notice. Attention from the more powerful players in the room would have only made her nervous. She still had no idea what to expect.

Thankfully the other Dominants barely glanced in her direction until Daniel made his return, carrying an expensive-looking crop with an engraved silver handle. He approached his Mistress with reverence. After she acknowledged him, he placed the crop in her open palm as if it were a delicate piece of crystal then knelt beside her chair. Sophia rested a hand on his head, gently raking her fingernails through his hair as she leaned the crop against her chair within Daniel’s sight. His gaze, full of adoration, flicked from his Mistress to her preferred tool of discipline. He looked as though he’d rather be at her feet than anywhere else in the world, promise of pain or not.

Jared called the rest of them to the table. Gen waited for Brian to take his seat then crawled over and knelt beside him. For some reason, it felt like the right thing to do. Judging by the lusty look in Brian’s eyes, it had been a wise choice.

“After that little display, I may just let you come as many times as you want tonight,” Brian murmured as he handed her a small box. “Something else for you to wear.”

Hesitantly she took it from him and looked it over. It was too flat to hold anything especially depraved, unless of course there was a pair of strict nipple clamps within. She glanced up at him, searching his face, but as usual he gave nothing away. She was almost afraid to see what was inside.

“Go on, open it.”

She removed the lid and her heart skipped a beat.
A collar.
She almost closed the box and thrust it back at him. Instead she ran a finger along the smooth metal. The piece was a circlet of thin stainless steel about a quarter of an inch thick. She had to look hard to find the seams. They were nearly invisible. She wanted to cry. Elegant and understated, it was something she’d have chosen for herself. He knew her so well.

“I thought it was about time you had one.” He picked it up and opened it. The two halves were attached with a hinge. He clasped it around her neck then locked it in back with a small hex key. He tilted her chin, exposing her throat. “Perfect.”

She had no idea she could feel this happy and this nauseated at once. Yes, she’d been thinking about wearing his collar, but not like this. Intuition told her the meaning was not the same for him. To her, the collar was about love and deep commitment as well as ownership. She didn’t have that with Brian. Judging by what she’d overheard earlier, she’d never have that with him.

She had no choice but to accept it and smile. What else could she do? Rejecting him in front of his friends wasn’t an option. Wearing it from here on out wasn’t something she was sure she could do either. That was a lie too big for her to swallow.

Just get through tonight. You can think about what to do later.

“Thank you, Sir,” she managed just above a whisper. “It’s beautiful.”

The dinner went by in a blur. Brian fed her bits of cheese and fruit from his fingers, occasionally giving her sips from his wineglass. Indie giggled through the meal as Banner playfully teased and fed her. Kitten, Jared’s wisp of a slave, ate from an ornate bowl on the floor like a cat, purring and rubbing against Jared’s leg as he all but ignored her. Daniel was by far the most pampered of the submissives. Sophia stroked and praised him often in between giving him morsels of filet mignon.

Conversation about business and other interests floated above her as the Dominants ate. It provoked an almost tangible separation between what was happening at table level and those seated on the floor, which Gen supposed was the point. Jared was a king holding court and the submissives were just lowly subordinates there for entertainment and pleasure.

Despite the strange dynamic, Brian was good to her. He even rested her head on his thigh toward the end of the meal and stroked her hair. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting everything else fade away. Next thing she knew, Brian was gently shaking her. Confused and sleepy, she lifted her head to find Brian smirking at her. She must have dozed off.

“Are we boring you, little Genevieve?” Brian asked.

Jared’s booming laugh echoed through the room. “Fell asleep on you, did she?”

Kitten shot Gen a smug look from under the table.

Gen’s cheeks warmed as she turned toward Brian and hid her face long enough to rub the sleep from her eyes. Just great. Some submissive she was.

“Well, I say we liven things up and take this to the den,” Jared said as he stood. He clipped a leash to Kitten’s collar and led her from the room. On all fours, she crawled behind him, giving everyone in the room an eyeful of her ass and bare pussy. Gen barely refrained from rolling her eyes.

The rest of the Dominants followed suit, leading the submissives across the hall to a large masculine room Gen thought was a bit too spacious to be considered a den. Sophia perched on a button-upholstered chaise lounge and pointed to the floor. Dropping to his hands and knees in front of her, Daniel made a very attractive footstool. Sophia propped her feet on his back and rested the crop directly across his ass. A familiar sight, well, other than the spiked heels digging into Daniel’s back.

Banner grabbed an oversized throw pillow from the stack in the corner and plopped it down in front of the sofa. He sat on the heavy, carved piece of furniture while Indie settled on the floor and rested against him without any instruction. They made a quaint, if kinky, picture and Gen had the impression she’d just gotten a glimpse of something the two of them did often. They seemed so comfortable together, so natural. Gen wished she had that kind of ease with Brian.

Kitten promptly climbed up on an ottoman, assuming a very feline pose, and glared at them as if daring someone to say something.

Jared jerked her leash, startling the girl. “Off the furniture. You know better than that.”

With a hiss, Kitten took her time getting down. Apparently she took her cat role very seriously. Turning away from her Master, she curled up on the floor.

“I don’t think so, Kitten.” Jared unclipped her leash, walked over to a pet crate in the corner and held the door open. “In you go.”

She looked at him with wide, pleading eyes and meowed.

“Now, before I decide you aren’t well behaved enough for this little party and send you away.”

Shoulders hunched and head down, Kitten crawled inside the crate. Jared closed the door behind her and latched it.

Sophia laughed. “Cats. If you don’t take them in hand, they tend to think you serve them rather than the other way around.”

Jared sighed as he took a seat in the wingback chair near the fireplace. “You worry about your toy and leave my slaves to me.”

“Of course,
Master
Jared.” The frost on her words was enough to make Gen shiver.

Brian, seemingly oblivious to the little drama playing out before them, sat in the chair across from Jared and motioned for Gen to sit at his feet between his legs. She complied, curling around one of his calves and rested her head on his thigh once more.

“So,” Brian said, “what do you think we should do with Genevieve tonight?”

Jared gave him a wicked grin. “Have you whipped her yet?”

Gen tensed.

Brian seemed to notice her unease and caressed his fingers across her cheek as if to tell her she was safe. “The single tail is not my forte as you well know.”

“Does she take pain well?” Sophia asked.

“Better than most,” Brian replied.

Oh Brian. What are you saying?
She was awful at taking pain. She screamed and cried and squirmed. Granted, her threshold had increased in the last few months, but it was nothing to brag about.