Conviction (6 page)

Xander wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly while she shook in his arms.

“We are going to get her out, Little One. I promise.”

Chapter 4 - James

James slammed down the bourbon that Kai had silently placed in front of him when he stormed into the bar. Swallowing the amber liquid he immediately gestured for another. To his credit the burly bartender simply quirked an eyebrow and refilled it to the brim before moving further down the bar. A clear signal that he wouldn't be refilling it again any time soon.

Why was that stubborn, ignorant redhead getting him so wound up? Every single protective neuron in his body seemed to be firing at once. Cradling her in his arms had felt right.
Too
right. He hadn’t wanted to let her go but he knew that Xander needed to tell her things. Some of which even he hadn’t been privileged to know until Kelly had been told. He hadn’t wanted to leave her in the state she was in and only his implicit trust in his oldest friend had him able to walk out of Xander's office and shut the door behind him.

“Want to talk about it?” Kai asked startling James from his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed the large Maori move back to his end of the bar. For a man well over six foot, he moved like a damn ninja.

“Not particularly,” he grumbled back.

“Got anything to do with why Kelly didn’t show up tonight? That girl hasn’t had a sick day in the whole time she's been here. She’s pulled more extra shifts than any of the other girls combined and I heard it from
Xande
r that she wasn’t coming in. That kind of told me something was up, mate.” Kai rubbed another invisible spill on the already shiny bar top, waiting for James to either tell him to get lost or start talking.

“Don’t ask any questions, Kai. It’s not worth it." He took another long pull on his bourbon, feeling the burn lessen with each passing second. "Trust me.”

“Well, make sure you tell her that I missed her tonight, sass and all.” Kai moved off to serve another customer leaving James alone with his perturbing thoughts.

James sat back on the stool and growled into his empty shot glass. If he was planning on playing tonight he knew he couldn’t have anymore. Club rules state that all members and guests were only allowed two alcoholic beverages. He’d put the limit into place himself. Tonight he wanted to get plastered. But he'd need the bottle that Xander hid in office if he wanted anymore. As a boss he had to uphold those rules and set the right example, even if none of the staff actually knew he was their boss. For the first time in a long time he didn’t know if he would be any good to a sub tonight. Not when his head was still with Kelly. No, he would just keep an eye on things tonight and make sure nobody got out of control. At least that would keep him busy.

Looking over the where the available submissives were sitting chatting quietly he noticed Mikayla, one of the newest subs and smiled. She was a handful already. She needed a firm hand and a tender touch. It was a balance that he had only managed to get right with her recently, after scening with her at least a dozen times. Looking towards the bar he took in the Doms that were eyeing off the subs of offer. Darren was in for the night. He’d trained him as Dom for twelve months. Training twice a week at the club and one night a week in his own home. Training wasn’t just about teaching him how to read a sub and get them off, he had to teach him the psychological aspects as well. In the club they focused on what each sub enjoyed, what their limits were, and how to push them just that little bit further each time. At home they spoke about the mental side of things, for both the Dom and the sub. Sometimes the mental fuck was more important than anything a Dom could do to a sub's body.

James stood up and walked over to Darren. There was nothing like a good match making to help keep his mind off a certain red head.

“Darren, you tied up for the night?” He asked as he approached the group.

“Nope, but I’m hoping to do some tying up myself soon. You got someone in mind?” Darren wasn’t bulky or broad. His six foot frame was wiry and lanky, but he had muscles on his muscles from his physical exertion as a bricklayer. James knew that he was built, but he wasn’t sure even he could take Darren on a bad day. Luckily for him, Darren was one of the most laid back Dom’s he had ever met. He’d never seen him have a bad word today say about anyone and he was good at diffusing potentially volatile situations before they spiralled out of control. His natural laid back nature often saw him as a dungeon moderator and achieved the respect of many of Momentum's staff and patrons.

The two men walked towards the huddle of subs side by side until all talking ceased. The subs assumed their protocol positions immediately, dropping to their knees, pushing their chests out lacing their hands behind their necks. Each wore small boy-short style lace panties that curved up the crease of their ass, allowing their natural shape to entice the men and women in the room. The sheer lace half-cup bras added to their sex appeal without leaving them naked. Hell,
he
would rather see the club subs naked, but Xander had demanded that they at least be permitted a sense of modesty. By the end of the night most of them would spend more time out of their skimpy attire then in it anyway.

“Lexie, please stand up.” James asked the petite, raven haired girl to stand. He knew she was a spitfire in her submission and would enjoy watching Darren earn it. As she stood she kept her head down and linked her hands behind her, deepening her stance she spread her legs a little wider than shoulder width and then held still waiting for more instructions.

“Darren this is Lexie, Lexie this is Darren. I'd like the two of you to have a chat and see if you want to play together." James paused and turned his entire body to the girl standing before him and smirked as goose bumps rose across her bosom. "Remember Lexie, you may be a club submissive but you still have the right to say no to a Dom,
any
Dom.”

“Yes, Master James.” answered Lexie in a quiet voice but the slight sag in her arms told James that she was grateful for his thoughtfulness.

James took a small step back so that he could still over hear the conversation between the two of them without being intimidating or taking the control away from Darren.

Darren was a good Dom and James knew from watching him scene and the hand he had in training him that they would partner well. That was if Darren could control her while she tested him, as a Dom, a man and a potential long term playmate. She would test him to see if she could submit completely to him. Contrary to popular belief, submission couldn't just be achieved with anyone, there still needed to be an element of connection, something similar to attraction. Lexie needed to know that her Dom would pull her up on her natural sassiness and know that the threat of punishments or promises would be followed through. Otherwise Lexie would be the one in control of the scene rather than in a submissive role.

Darren had experienced many bratty subs and James was sure this practice would mean Lexie shouldn't be
too
much of a challenge for him. James knew that he was attracted to the woman, after all he'd played with her a handful of times himself to see if there was more than the gentle pull they had shared. Their time had been short and unfulfilling for James, Lexie hadn't been the woman for him after all. When James had spotted Darren looking at the subs he noticed that his eyes had continually returned to the raven haired beauty. He couldn't blame him, but for James, he felt like she was missing something. Like a shock of flowing red hair and a smattering of ginger freckles.

James shook his head at where his thoughts had lead him and returned his attention to the conversation between Darren and Lexie. Darren was running his fingers softly down her cheek and James grinned when she closed her eyes and leaned her head further into his touch. James was only slightly surprised that she had entered her submissive mode this fast and had built enough trust in the short conversation with Darren to agree to play with him.

“What is your safe word, Lexie?” Darren asked softly as her eyes fluttered open and he removed his touch from her face. Her eyes slightly glassy and the pupils wide and she drew in a quivering breath before answering, her eyes never leaving Darren's face. She had probably already forgotten that James was there, he smiled at his matchmaking skills. Lexie had never accepted a Dom so fast or seemed so content.

“Envelope, Sir, my safe word is envelope.”

“Well, I don't think that would just pop out your pretty little mouth for no reason. Good choice, well done, Lexie.”

Lexie beamed at him, enjoying his approval,
needing
his approval and allowed herself to be guided to one of the public play areas, Darren's hand on the small of her back gently guiding her. She relished in the warmth that it brought her and almost whimpered when he removed it from her body.

“Do you mind if I watch, Petal?” James addressed the small sub, using his private nickname for her.

“No, Master James, I would like that very much.” James smirked as a blush rose from the swell of her breasts, rising slowly up her neck and before setting her cheeks aflame. Many of the subs cultivated crushes on Masters, after all, they exuded their domination like an expensive suit. He had played with most of them during their training but it had never extended beyond that. He hadn't had his own sub since they had opened the club. Carly’s jealousy of his interactions during sub training had meant that he had to cancel their contract, and in effect, their entire relationship had fallen apart. He had watched her pack up her things from his house and hadn't said a word to try and stop her. She had stood on her tip toes to give him a chaste kiss on the cheek and had walked out of his life. He hadn't heard from her again. His tracking ability had meant her knew where she was and had even completed a background check on her new dom, when she had decided on one. It had taken her two years from their ending to do it. He knew he'd never loved Carly, but their relationship was smooth and easy. She loved the lifestyle as much as he did, but when it had been stripped from their relationship, James had found there was no foundation. He had never been in love with her. Had he ever really been in love? He sighed to himself as he realised that if he had to ask, he already knew the answer. No. He'd never been in love.

The whoosh of a flogger brought James back to the present and he stepped out of the play area and off to one side. Even though he had been accepted to watch the scene it was courtesy to step away when not directly involved in the scene. Sometimes, when whips or longer floggers were in use, it was also a matter of safety.

Taking in the scene before him he smiled at the meticulous lashings Darren was executing across Lexie's shoulders, back, ass and legs. Secured to the St Andrews cross with leather wrist and ankle cuffs Lexie she was naked and writhing beneath each lash. Darren worked up the speed and intensity of the flogging, arousing her nerves with the thin leather straps. As the minutes passed small red marks appeared on her porcelain skin and her moans became louder.

“Lexie, I don't want you to make a sound unless you are using your safe word. You will be punished if you cannot stay quiet. Do you understand me?” Darren's tone was controlled and level, his voice flowing into Lexie like a soft breeze.

“Yes, Sir, I understand.” She took in a few deep breaths fighting to control her natural urge to cry out. Darren knew she was vocal and so by testing that control he was encouraging her submission. She wanted to please him as he wanted to reward her for each level of submission she gave.

Darren replaced the flogger with a larger one, its tassels heavier and each with a small knot in the end. James leaned against the wall to watch, knowing that this would certainly test Lexie's ability to obey Darren and stay quiet.

The flogger came down in stinging blows that rained down on her reddened skin. Her ass taking the majority of the blows. Darren controlled the intensity like a true master, watching for signs the Lexie was nearing her limit. When he flicked the flogger between her legs making the knotted tassels hit directly on her clit she snapped her head back and her arms pulled on the restraints. Her knees tried to close on the harsh encounter to her aroused core but were held open thanks to the anchor points on the cross. James raised his eyebrows at her control to not cry out or whimper. The only sound she was making was her breathing which was now coming in fast pants.

Laying the flogger down on a nearby table Darren ran his fingers over the marks on her body, relishing in each one, and made to sure pay particular attention to those marks on the plump cheeks of her ass and insides of her thighs.

“Good girl, Lexie, you have pleased me greatly and I would like to reward you for your gift to me. Would you like to be rewarded, Lexie?”

“Yes...please, Sir.” Lexie's voice was soft and airy, and James sensed that the lightest of touches would send her into climax.

“Then I shall.” Reaching around her body, Darren grasped her nipples in his fingers and squeezed and rubbed them until they were hard peaks before pulling them until she gasped. Grasping her breasts he squeezed and massaged, increasing the pressure of his body against hers. He wanted her to feel how turned on he was. He wanted to show her just how much she had pleased him.

Pulling back slightly he ran his fingers down her back delicately feathering them over her aroused skin, the other hand cupped her chin and tilted her head back. Her legs were open thanks to the restraints and he had no trouble thrusting two fingers into her dripping wetness. Her body squeezed around the intrusion and she tried to move so that he was moving inside her. He pulled out of her keeping her chin tilted and bit her ear lobe.