Bound by Consent (2 page)

“Thank you.” The door shut with a solid clunk almost before I’d spoken. I turned eagerly toward the claw-foot bath that dominated the center of the bathroom, my brain already dwelling on the luxury of soaking in hot water. That was before I glanced down at the muck still caked to my legs and feet. Yuck! I looked and smelt like a creature from the swamp, as though I’d stepped out of some horror film. No, I shook my head, I couldn’t bear to soil that pristine white enamel. It would have to be a shower instead.

Twenty minutes later, I felt human again – clean, smelling of delicate white jasmine, a large towel wrapped sarong fashion around my breasts, and my long hair knotted at the nape of my neck. I explored the large room which was divided by a high partition. One side was fitted out as a luxury bathroom, and the other side furnished with an extensive range of fitness equipment reflected in a mirrored wall.

I shivered despite the warmth coming from the radiators; something about the modernity of all this hi-tech equipment didn’t fit in with a late-seventeenth-century castle. On closer inspection, I saw that the mirrored wall was, in fact, a pair of sliding doors.

Do they lead to another room?

I knew it was none of my business to go poking around somebody’s private domain but the temptation to take a peek behind the mirror was overwhelming. I felt a bit like
Alice in Wonderland
faced with a button that read “push me.” I took a deep breath, placed one finger on the button, and the doors immediately slid apart with no more than a whisper.

Certain I was dreaming or had fallen down the proverbial rabbit hole, I stepped into a fantasy world: a windowless room with a vaulted ceiling which, I guessed by the roughness of the gray-stone walls, must form part of the tower. In the light from electric candles that flickered almost as eerily as the real thing, I drooled over the array of restraints which hung from the walls, each separated by filmy, red-silk drapes. A spanking stool and a swing stood ready for use in the middle of the room, a St. Andrews Cross set into an alcove to one side, and, the
pièce de résistance,
a black wrought-iron, four-poster bed dressed in red and black silk on a dais at the far end.

Oh joy! I could hardly believe my luck stumbling into this pleasure palace. My insides clenched as my imagination ran riot with various erotic scenarios; with the right mistress to exact punishment, this discovery could lead to a whole lot of fun.

Hold it. The sensible part of my brain took over. Tempering my excitement with some pertinent questions.

What is all this stuff doing in a remote Scottish castle?

Who apart from Cassie Stuart lives and plays here?

I fingered one of the spaghetti-string floggers lined up on the table with a host of whips, masks, and other…

“Ah, I see you discovered my playroom.”

Fuck!

Heat crawled across my cheeks at being caught in the act. I spun around clashing with Cassie’s sensual gaze. My heart fluttered in my chest as I took in the disarmingly sexy woman lounging casually against the doorframe. Although she still wore her jeans and those knee-length black and tan boots, she’d swapped the thick plaid shirt for a sleeveless vest that showed off her strong arms and firm muscles to perfection.

“I’m sorry; I...I didn’t mean to...” The words dried in my throat as Cassie dropped the handful of clothes and advanced toward me. I immediately broke eye contact and hung my head, falling easily into the familiar role of submissive, my body on fire in anticipation of the pain-pleasure combination to follow if Cassie’s demeanor delivered on its promise.

“Look at me, Bryana.” Cassie hooked one finger under my chin and forced my head up. I wrinkled my nose at the faint aroma of horses overlaid with sandalwood soap that lingered on her skin.

“Open your eyes.” Gone was the soft lilt of earlier, replaced by an authoritative tone that commanded obedience and respect.

I obeyed. What else could I do? My brain was programmed to follow orders from a Domme.

Cassie’s fingernail scored a path down my throat and into the valley between my breasts, drawing a gasp from my lips. A rush of arousal flooded my cunt with hot juices.

“You want to play?” Cassie held me hostage with her hypnotic gaze. I couldn’t breathe properly.

I nodded, mutely. There was never a question in my mind.

“Say it…
Out loud
. Tell me what you want.”

“I want to play,” I confirmed, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Do you know what you’re getting into?” There was a hint of irritation in her voice.

Do I?

Can I place my trust in a complete stranger?

I’d never thought twice about playing with a total stranger in a club, but this was a very different situation; here there would be no dungeon monitors on hand to protect me if the play got out of control. Common sense said I ought to call a halt now, while I still could. I opened my mouth to tell Cassie that I’d changed my mind. Then hysterical laugher bubbled up in my throat. Who was I kidding? This had gone way past the point of no return. Even though she had yet to do anything specific, Cassie had somehow turned me into a jabbering wreck begging for release from the torment raging within both mind and body.

“Yes…”

“Do you have a safe word?”

Oh God! A safe word…
An ice-cold shower of reality doused the flames of desire in an instant.

Where is my common sense?

I stepped back, distancing myself from Cassie, practically gagging on the nausea rising in my throat. Furious that I’d let myself get carried away on a raft of sexual fantasies and ignored every single rule on safety, something I never, ever, did.

Nobody knew my whereabouts, there wasn’t anybody to tell now and yet, I’d almost given a total stranger permission to tie me up and render me helpless, at the mercy of any pervert who might frequent this dungeon of dark desires.

“F...Fennel…My safe word is fennel.”

“Fennel… Right.” Cassie nodded. “Mine is piper. Now that we’ve got the essentials out of the way, are you game to carry on?”

“I...I’m…” I balked at giving my consent; although the fact that Cassie had checked for a safe word did allay some of my fears.

“In case you’re wondering...” Cassie edged forward like a tiger on the prowl while her intense feline gaze betrayed her own hunger as she closed the gap between us. “It’s just you and me, lover, so you’re quite safe here – or as safe as you want to be.”

“Yeah, right…” I waved my hand around the dungeon. “Do you honestly expect me to believe you have all this stuff set up for your own amusement or on the off chance that you might pick up a stranded motorist who’s into both women and kink?” I wasn’t totally stupid, or naïve. This quantity and quality of equipment pointed toward a professional setup and that meant more people. I didn’t fancy being the victim of a gangbang or a porno film – not that I’d seen any sign of cameras but it stood to reason there were some around to catch the action.

“On the contrary.” Cassie’s laugh echoed off the walls. “All this is legit. I host regular house parties for the initiated and sometimes rent the entire castle out to very special clients who require total anonymity for their rich and famous guests. It helps pay for the upkeep and provides me with some fun as well.”

“Really…” My gaze swept away from Cassie to skim the dungeon; my mouth dried as I pictured the fun and games that went on in here. So maybe she was telling the truth and it was just the two of us. Could I take the chance?

“Don’t sound so surprised. From the look of excitement on your face when I found you exploring, I’d say you’re pretty familiar with every bit of equipment on display.”

“Yes, but…” In truth I was only really familiar a small number of the items. I’d seen a few more pieces in use at Out of Bounds, the BDSM club where Esmée hung out and to which she had introduced me, but only at a distance. My experience may be limited but my interest in the lifestyle wasn’t.

“But nothing.” Cassie sidled closer. Why don’t you admit you can’t wait to submit to me? It’s written on your face…in your eyes.”

Is it?

Could Cassie really see beyond my nagging doubt, to the smoldering desire for satisfaction? Weeks of neglect by Esmée had left me a frustrated wreck. Was the discovery of her betrayal reason enough to seek solace in the arms of another? Or entrust my safety to a complete stranger?

I scanned Cassie’s face searching for reassurance, maybe something in her eyes that spoke of caring or trust. I found nothing, yet my hunger drove me forward.

As if drawn by an invisible elastic thread to the gorgeous butch in front of me, I closed the remaining distance until I felt Cassie’s breath on my face. Our eyes met and locked in a heart-stopping moment of total oneness. Heat crawled up my neck and flooded my cheeks, and the air hissed out of my lungs cleansing me of all doubts and fears. I took one pace back, and then lowered my gaze in acknowledgement of my submissive role.

Cassie needed no further invitation. With a flick of her wrist, she stripped the towel from my body, tossed it aside, and then paced back and forth. I squirmed under the intense scrutiny, unused to standing totally naked before my Mistress, yet turned on by the sensual heat of her gaze. A new experience for me since Esmée had adopted a totally different approach to domination. Juices flooded my pussy and began to trickle down my thighs.

I held my breath when Cassie finally stopped pacing and approached the table. I watched, fascinated as she began to sort through the whips and floggers, taking her time, humming a quiet tune as if she was alone in her own world.

What instrument of delicious torture would she choose?

After what seemed an agonizingly long wait, Cassie finally selected the very same red spaghetti-string flogger that I had handled earlier. The satisfying zing-thwack which echoed around the dungeon when she tested it against wood turned my legs to jelly.

“I think we’ll start there.” Cassie waved the flogger in the direction of the stool. “Face down. No…Wait!”

Already halfway to my destination, I stopped with my heart in my mouth. I turned around slowly, waiting, expectant, anticipating the exhilarating lash of leather thongs against my bare skin.

“Put these on.”

My slow reaction meant I barely managed to catch the set of nipple clamps and beaded mask that Cassie tossed in my direction. I took my time clipping the clover clamps onto my nipples, the heavy connecting chain hung almost to my waist and gave a satisfying tug as I moved. And once I’d pulled the mask over my face, I was relieved to discover I could still see, albeit through very thin slits that severely limited my field of vision. Being in total darkness was the one thing I feared above all else. Esmée had loved to test my devotion to the limit with sensory deprivation.

I stepped forward on unsteady legs, lowered myself into the restraints at the front of the stool, and then slid my body across the curved top with my arms stretched out above my head so that my wrists rested in the open manacles.

Other than my ragged breathing, not a sound broke the silence.

When Cassie clicked the thigh restraints shut locking me into the stool, I reveled in that special moment, the subtle rise in tension and a promise of the erotic pleasures to come if I could hold out long enough. As though she’d read my mind, Cassie adjusted the angle of the supports forcing my legs wider apart. Cool air caressed my moist heat like a lover’s kiss and cranked my arousal up a further notch. In desperation, I pressed my mound hard against the stool and wriggled my ass.

“Stop that. You will wait until I give you permission to come.” A sharp crack rent the air, and an exquisite pain seared my ass. I jerked in reaction, and the nipple clamps bit into my flesh, firecrackers exploding throughout my body. They’d barely ceased when Cassie snapped the wrist manacles shut completing my entrapment.

Oh, it felt so good.

Until this moment, I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed the thrill and satisfaction I got from being shackled, flogged, and fucked senseless by a hard mistress. Esmée’s supposedly heavy workload, or more likely her blossoming affair with that sly bitch, Marisa, had kept us away from the club for all of three months so I had a lot of time to make up for. My heartbeat raced out of control as the rush of blood pumped through my veins and hot juices scalded my throbbing crotch.

Cassie strutted around the stool; her soft leather boots making little sound on the oak floor. With each circuit, she teased the flogger across my skin: up my legs and down my back, across my ass so the strands licked at my slit like a tongue and got slicker with my juices at each sensuous stroke. I grew even hotter and wetter; my excitement and anticipation rose to a fever pitch until I hovered on the brink of the forbidden orgasm. And when Cassie thrust a hard dildo deep into my slick pussy, I came apart.

My eager muscles claimed the cold steel with a vice-like grip. I thrashed against the restraints and the stool as wave after wave of electric sensation drove me higher and further until I plunged over the precipice into a place I’d never been before – floating weightless in space, enveloped in bright rainbow lights with the crash of waves pounding a distant shore filling my ears. I fought to prolong the ecstasy, to stay forever in this perfect world, but the colors and sounds faded all too soon leaving me slumped over the stool, my breathing ragged, and my body twitching with aftershocks.

“I didn’t give you permission to come, bitch!” Cassie said, voicing her displeasure. She did a couple of circuits around the stool, flicking the flogger against her boot, making me wait to discover my fate. “Now I shall have to punish you, and then we’ll start over again, from the beginning.”

Bring it on. I heard the whoosh a split second before the flogger connected with my ass. I screamed, bucking, as the dying pulses of my orgasm were rejuvenated, raising me to fresh heights of pleasure.

Oh God! This felt so good. I relaxed, allowing the waves of incredible sensation to flow through my body.