Blake, Abby - Maya's Masters [Viper's Dungeon 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (8 page)

“Don’t worry, sugar, we won’t be using this room for anything other than talking,” Cam said in a reassuring voice. It was quite possibly also a warning to Derek not to push his luck. Thankfully he was in total agreement on that one.

Cam was eyeing a chair with a hole cut in the seat. It was usually used for male subs, and just the thought of the type of pain that could be inflicted to such a vulnerable part of a man’s body made Derek’s eyes water. Judging by Cam’s reaction, he understood enough about torture methods to know what at least some of the equipment was for. He also looked slightly disturbed, confirming in Derek’s mind that they were thinking the same way.

Hard-core sadism and masochism weren’t for the faint of heart. Yes, it filled a need for like-minded people, but Derek sure as hell wasn’t one of them.

“Tell me about your last sexual experience,” Derek said to Maya. She blinked, perhaps shocked at such an intrusive order, or maybe at his forceful tone.

“Real or imagined?” Maya asked with an impish grin. Her attitude threw him off guard for a moment, and he fought to hide his smile. The woman truly was something.

“Both,” Cam said before Derek could answer.

“Why?”

“Quit stalling and answer the question.”

“I’m not stalling.”

Derek glanced at Cam and realized he wore a wide smile.

“I’m predicting,” Cam said with humor in his voice, “that this is one sub who will spend a lot of time with a very sore bottom.”

“You could be right,” Derek said, giving up on trying to control his grin. “Perhaps that is something we should see to when we get back to Maya’s place.”

Maya’s smile faltered, but it didn’t hide the way her eyes darkened or how her breathing quickened. She might be a little apprehensive about a spanking, but she was also very interested.

“When was the last time you had sex, Maya?”

She reddened, the blush creeping up her neck and coloring her cheeks. She dipped her head, but Derek leaned over to lift her face with his fingers. “I…um…about two years ago…I…” She blew out a deep breath, seemingly annoyed at herself. When she spoke again, her words seemed more like the woman he knew. “About two years ago I tried the whole one-night stand thing. It didn’t go well.”

“You ended up feeling lonelier than you did before.” Cam’s words were quiet, but it was obvious that he saw into the woman’s heart, perhaps even shared her experience in some way. Ironically it also had the added effect of pulling Derek’s own dissatisfaction into sharp focus. Had his faltering concentration flogging subs on the St. Andrew’s Cross been because he wanted a sub of his own? Until this moment, he would have said no, but seeing Maya in his world, feeling the unexpected companionship with Cam, changed his answer.

“What about fantasies?” Derek struggled to ask. His own fantasies were starting to spin through his head. Ironically they were based less on sexual experience and more in matters of the heart. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to rein in his thoughts and concentrate on Maya.

“You tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine,” Maya said with a cheeky smile. Yes, this was one sub who would spend a lot of time having her bottom smacked. He could hardly wait.

Half expecting Cam to punch him in the head, Derek described the fantasy he’d had earlier in the main room. He was almost too scared to look sideways at the other man. Kinky ménage sex might be fairly common in his world, but he had no idea how the cocky Navy SEAL might interpret that fantasy.

Maya was breathing so hard it looked like she was going to hyperventilate, and Derek was already regretting oversharing when Cam’s deep laugh reached his ears.

“That was not something I was expecting.” He stepped closer to Maya and placed his big hand against her cheek. “We don’t have to make any decisions today, sugar.”

She glanced at Derek, her blush rising once more. “Would it sound bad if I said I thought the same thing while we were watching that threesome?”

“Not at all, sugar,” Cam said with a grin. “I think the three of us are probably thinking along the same lines.” The happy smile Maya gave them both damn near took Derek’s breath away. “But I think we should take things slowly,” Cam added. “None of us want to wake up in the morning with regrets, and this place sure has a way of skewing a person’s normal thinking.”

Derek nodded. Cam’s observation was very true, and was the reason why Derek had encouraged Maya to tick the “observer only” box of the agreement. Inside the club’s atmosphere many people found the courage to try things they’d always wanted, but it also had the added effect of making out-of-character decisions seem more rational than they really were. New members—especially new subs—were always advised to go slowly. Viper had even considered making the first three visits “observation only” in the membership agreement after an incident with a new sub. She’d willingly participated in an orgy, gone home to later regret her actions, and had called in the police claiming rape. Fortunately for all involved, the Dom of one of the participants had secretly filmed that particular orgy. Viper had been furious about the breech in privacy, yet thankfully, once the young woman had seen the footage, she’d withdrawn the complaint.

“So back to fantasies,” Derek said, noting that Maya seemed more comfortable with the conversation now that they all seemed to be thinking along the same lines. “Any deep, dark longings we should know about?” Maya smiled, but just shrugged. “Anal sex?” She dipped her gaze to the floor, but nodded very slightly. “Bondage?”

“Maybe,” she answered glancing over at Cam. “But only with you two…for now at least.”

“So that’s a no to exhibition?” She nodded her head in agreement.

“I’ll also add,” Cam said, shifting a little uncomfortably against the bench, “no golden showers, blood play, scat play, and pretty much everything else that goes on in this room.”

Maya glanced around the room as if seeing it for the first time. Her eyes finally settled on the chair with a hole in the seat and a metal vice underneath it. When she realized what was likely to be tortured by such equipment, she seemed to pale just a little.

Derek leaned over, helped her off the bench, and pressed her between him and Cam.

“Does Viper bring Bianca in here?” she asked a little shakily.

Derek was almost glad for the question as it gave him a chance to explain where he and his friends drew the line. “No, Viper has never brought Bianca into this room. For Viper, and for me, Domination is about caring for our subs and playing sensual games that are mutually satisfying. No one in our circle of friends enjoys torturing a sub for their own enjoyment.” He glanced at the relief on Cam’s face and felt the need to add, “That’s not to say that some Doms and subs don’t enjoy the more extreme scenes. Many visit this club because Viper offers excellent supervision and as safe an environment as possible. They get to immerse themselves in the moment, knowing that someone will step in if things get out of hand.”

Maya was biting her lip. He’d known her long enough to recognize that as a sign of her wondering if she should ask the question on her mind or not. “What is it, baby?”

“Can we…um…get out of this room? I’m ninety-nine point nine percent certain I’m not into the extremes either.”

Derek smiled at her choice to leave a small possibility. Occasionally, once becoming aware of the BDSM lifestyle, some subs and Doms found their needs growing. BDSM was often misunderstood in the wider community, but when people opened themselves to the possibilities and stopped feeling like they were strange compared to others, many found true happiness for the first time.

Of course many found tragedy too. Viper’s Dungeon was considered the safest in the entire state, and Viper made it his personal mission to look out for every submissive in and out of the club. But other clubs didn’t have the same safety protocols, and some of the stories a few of the members had shared of their experiences elsewhere were truly frightening.

“Okay,” Derek said, stepping back and letting Cam guide her out the door, “what would you like to look at next?”

* * * *

Maya was very glad for the support, physically and emotionally, both men provided. Some of the scenes had been very intense and she’d watched, fascinated as the submissives enjoyed every moment. But some other scenes had been confusing, upsetting, stomach turning, and everything in between. And even after all that, she had a feeling that Derek had shielded her and Cam from the stuff he himself found unnerving.

She’d felt Derek tense up as they observed one particular scene, and it wasn’t until the dungeon monitor stepped in and spoke to the Dom that she’d understood the reason why. The submissive’s hands had been bound too tightly. With a ball gag in her mouth and her fingers not working properly she hadn’t been able to ask her Dom to stop. The Dom had looked annoyed at the dungeon monitor’s interference, but he’d held his sub as she cried and, at least outwardly, seemed to do all of the right things. Maya hadn’t missed the silent communication that seemed to go on between Derek and the other monitor, and wasn’t surprised when Derek maneuvered them over to a sitting area far away from the scenes and asked them to wait for him. She watched him head over to where Viper stood monitoring a scene and hoped they were discussing the Dom who hadn’t seemed very concerned for his sub’s welfare.

Cam sat down beside her, his arm over her shoulders in an obvious signal to others that they were together. She was grateful for his instincts. She’d been sized up by one too many scary-looking men and women tonight. Almost all of them wore leather, many with tattoos or piercings, some of which looked truly painful. Maya silently conceded that if they were aiming for intimidating, most had achieved their goal. Thankfully, Cam and Derek’s presence had kept them at a distance, but she could just imagine how overwhelming it would be for a single woman to explore this world on her own—orange observer’s bracelet or not.

“It’s like falling down the rabbit hole, isn’t it?”

Maya nodded at Cam’s observation. It was exactly like stepping into a foreign world full of colorful characters, stranger sights, and even stranger rules, but it was also intriguing, surprising, and frightening. The scariest part was that she’d learned more about herself in a single night than she’d ever expected.

“What about you?” she asked Cam. “Can you see yourself living a life like this?”

“Until tonight, I would have confidently said no, but this visit was different. I’ve only been here a few times, but I’d never really understood the appeal until I imagined it being you and me.” He laughed quietly, shook his head and added, “And maybe Derek.”

She raised an eyebrow knowing exactly how he would take it.

“Don’t even go there, sugar. Derek doesn’t swing that way any more than I do. I can guarantee you that anything the three of us do together
you
will be the one in the middle.”

She shivered at the promise in his words. She’d been a little concerned about Cam’s reaction to Derek’s description of his fantasy, but he’d surprised them both by admitting his willingness to participate.

“Ready to go home?” Derek asked as he took a seat on the other side of Maya.

“Yes,” Cam answered for them both.

The walk home was nearly as nerve-racking as the one to the club. But instead of being nervous about what she might see, this time her body buzzed with arousal. Despite the fact that she’d only really gotten to know these men over the past few days, she felt closer to them than she’d felt to anyone else in her entire life. And of course, after everything they’d talked about in the torture room she couldn’t deny that she wanted both men in her bed. Fortunately, they seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

Not that it distracted them from their mission to keep her safe. True to recent form, Cam held her in the foyer of her restaurant while Derek checked upstairs and down for signs of intruders.

“All clear,” he said as he came into the area with a wide smile. “Pick a safe word.”

“A–A safe word?” Hell, she knew what a safe word was, but it was what his request represented that had her thoughts all jumbled.

“What’s wrong with ‘stop’ or ‘don’t’ or even ‘no?’” Cam asked. He was probably aware of what a safe word was also, but he seemed very curious as to why it was necessary.

“Basically,” Derek said as he leaned against the doorjamb casually, “most people use those words as an automatic response. In a scene a sub can use them reflexively even when she doesn’t really mean them. By adding a safe word Maya can send us a very clear signal that she is in pain or feeling overwhelmed.”

“What happens if I use my safe word?”

“Everything stops,” Derek said. But then he must have realized her reason for the question because he added, “Then we’ll discuss between the three of us what went wrong and decide if we want to continue.” He pointed a finger at her and the tone of his voice changed, becoming much deeper and much more commanding. “Don’t ever hesitate to use your safe word. Subs who refuse to use their safe word risk grievous injury. If you are in serious pain, confused, upset, or just want time out, you say your safe word. Got it?”