Power Play [Pleasure Playground 2] (17 page)

"All right. Since this seems to mean so much to her, go ahead."

Gabe nodded. He set the punishment box on a bench and made quite a show of opening it and withdrawing a card. A hush fell across the crowd still watching everything as they all waited to see what fate had in store for her. The club manager glanced at the card without giving a hint of what it said. When she thought she might pass out from holding her breath, Gabe finally spoke.

"The chamber."

Oh shit.

The crowd roared its approval, and some even broke out in cheers. Jennifer took a deep breath and ignored the roaring of blood in her ears. She'd seen firsthand several times how utterly harsh the chamber could be. As far as she could tell, its sole purpose was to push a sub beyond all thought and into a place where they lost all inhibitions while on complete and total display. She shuddered with the image.

You can do this. You can do this. You can do this.

She had fucked up on a grand scale. For once in her life it wasn't going to be all about her. As in what can he do to her or not do to her, but what the hell could she do for him to make up for this shit storm she'd created. While he kept his expression blank, she well imagined the hurt and anger rising inside him. She'd gone out of her way to embarrass him. Even if that wasn't exactly what she'd intended. These were the consequences, and deep down she needed to bear them.

Gabe glanced at Daegan, apparently waiting his response. He nodded his head. She heaved a sigh of relief. As much as she hated the thought of the chamber, she feared him walking away from her far more. Not that she didn't deserve it at this point. When Gabe started toward her, she closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing. Old fears had no place here tonight.

He unfastened her left wrist before crossing to her other side to undo the right. He leaned in where no one could hear.

"You have a safe word, Jennifer. Don't be afraid to use it. No one is going to blame you if you safe word out of this mess."

She shook her head. “No. Please just let me get it over with.” She choked back the sobs threatening to burst free. “I have to make this right. Please let me."

Gabe thought for a moment, and she held her breath expecting him to put an end to her night.

"Very well. But if I think you're not being safe, you won't just be suspended for two weeks."

She blinked at the harsh words. “Yes, Sir,” she responded.

He pulled her off the St. Andrew's cross and turned her to face the crowd. The heat of a violent blush swept through her body for probably the first time in too many years to count. She'd been seen far more explicitly than simply standing there by thousands of people over the years, so her embarrassment now made no sense.

From the wall, Gabe retrieved a collar and leash and proceeded to fasten the thick leather around her neck. The
click
of the leash connecting to the large D ring on the front of the collar boomed in her ears.

"Follow my lead, but stay at least three paces behind me,” Gabe instructed before he started forward. When she stood rooted in place, he yanked on the chain and propelled her to move. Feeling way out of her league but knowing full well the protocols expected of her, Jennifer dropped her gaze to the floor. When she cleared the crowd in the play area, the music came to a screeching halt and a bright spotlight illuminated her. She stumbled, and hard hands grabbed her arms before she slammed into the floor.

Beautiful tanned hands, roughened from all the hard work he did remained wrapped around her biceps. She looked up into his hooded eyes. Save for the muscle tick in his jaw, he didn't look affected at all. “Be careful, love,” he whispered.

"Yes, Sir.” She looked back at the floor and watched her steps as Gabe led her around the club on full display. This little ritual was an added bonus for any sub lucky enough to get punished in the chamber. She sighed. Sarcasm, even not said aloud, had no place here. Not when she did this of her own free will. As weird as it seemed, she wanted to do this. Would do this—no matter what.

They walked the full area of the lower floor before Gabe led her back up the stairs and toward the chamber. Already the space around her had filled to double the capacity. Apparently, her impending punishment would be the highlight of the night.

Gabe stopped in front of the glass door of the chamber and waited. In mere seconds the curtains on each side parted, and the surrounding area became illuminated in a soft green glow. The chamber, as they referred to it, was simply a big glass box in one corner of the dungeon play space. When the velvet drapes parted, the other three glass sides were revealed.

Gabe threw her a one-last-chance glance before he turned back and opened the door. He detached her leash and handed it off to one of the many attendants hovering, just waiting to do someone's bidding. Another one of the items she could have pulled from the punishment box.

This time he grabbed her hand and tugged her gently into the center of the room and in the direction of the forced-orgasm tower. Jennifer bit her lip and glanced around her. Once inside, she realized it wasn't nearly as big as it looked from the outside. Gabe turned to her, brushed the hair from her face and planted a chaste kiss on her cheek. “Have fun."

He left the room and two male attendants rushed in, one carrying leather shackles and the other a wicked sneer and an industrial-size wand vibrator. Jennifer hesitated to look beyond the two men. If she saw the intense stares of the crowd along with Daegan glaring at her, she might not be able to hold it together.

One of the men proceeded to attach the soft-as-butter leather cuffs to her wrists. “Raise you arms, sub,” he gruffly ordered.

She did while looking up at the wide bar he'd attach her to. In the meantime the second man had nudged her legs apart and wrapped leather around her ankles, attaching her to the base of the tower that served a spreader bar that would keep her legs spread wide no matter what she did. Her arms were then fastened about shoulder-width apart to the metal rod hanging down from the ceiling. Her mobility was quickly diminishing.

The T-rod attachment on the spreader bar had an insert for the vibrator which would then be locked in place against her pussy. Once the toy was in place, Jennifer would have no escape from the constant torment of the device. She could neither remove it nor move away from it for as long as the time on the countdown clock ran. Hence the torture part. She inwardly groaned at that fun thought.

The men began to pinch and fondle her nipples. The chamber was all about extreme arousal and no choice. Despite her thoughts to stay calm throughout the ordeal, a flash of heat began to build in her pussy. One man strayed to the vibrator and hovered, awaiting the signal to go.

"Fifteen minutes on the clock.” The crowd cheered, and the switch was flipped. The steady rhythmic buzz of the vibrator directly on top of her clit made Jennifer jerk against her restraints. Her eyes grew wide. Damn she'd forgotten how fucking powerful these things were. Jennifer squeezed her eyes shut against the already tantalizing sensations. She didn't have to do this, she could end it—she wanted to finish. Although the less she had to look into Daegan's eyes while she did, the better.

Teeth scraped at her nipples, sending delicious shards of pleasure straight to her pussy. The added bit of pain made it all the more impossible to resist. Her eyes rolled back in her head as the heat built unbearably high. She wiggled, trying to find a spot of relief to no avail. The contraption allowed her some movement side to side but not enough to get very far or make a damn bit of difference. A moan slipped from her mouth.

Gabe, or whoever remained in charge, must have been satisfied with her response. The men halted their attention. She whimpered—in relief or protest she wasn't sure. She peered out from hooded eyes to see that indeed the men had left her side. She lifted her head to look for Daegan, and the lights winked out. Her adrenaline spiked, a natural response to the sudden change in the scene. She pulled on the restraints over her head and only managed to ignite the fire already simmering between her legs. She cried out.

Murmurs from the crowd were all she heard, reminding her that she was still surrounded by people even though she couldn't see a damn thing.

Just as suddenly as they'd gone out, the lights came back on. She screamed. Standing not two feet in front of her was a huge, hulking man she'd never seen before. Long dark hair, chiseled jaw, brown eyes that reminded her of melted chocolate...

The quiet of the crowd fractured amid a flurry of whispers, and Daegan stood to the side, a mixture of awe and fury burning through him.

"Who—” Jennifer began to ask.

The man covered her mouth. “You do not have permission to speak, sub.” The deep tone of his voice rumbled through the room.

Jennifer clamped her mouth shut, and the stranger began to move around her. Daegan didn't know what the hell was going on, but he didn't like it. Someone, Gabe likely, had changed the game and this new person was about to lay hands on Jennifer.

He started forward, and a Dom he'd talked to a few times in the past held him back. “Her plea to do this for you was very heartfelt. Stopping the scene now could be worse than letting her finish."

Daegan didn't want to hear it. She belonged to him.

He scrubbed his hands across his face. Did she really? She'd fought him every step of the way. Tonight had been the last straw. So why was he going through this with her? Because he didn't want to get suspended for a couple of weeks? Big fucking deal.

"Why do you want this, little sub?” The hulking stranger wrapped his hand around the back of her slim neck and pushed her forward.

She gasped at the slight movement. “Because I broke club rules tonight, Sir."

He smacked her ass. “That's not what I meant and you know it. Look at your Dom and tell him why you want this,” he ordered.

Daegan spotted the tear before it slid down her cheek. “Because I was a stupid fool."

The Dom chuckled, his hand moving to her breast. Much more of this, and Daegan feared he'd explode. He never should have allowed her to go through with this.

"What else?"

The question startled him. Who the hell was this man, and why was he dragging this out?

She began to tremble. “I may not understand love, but I want to learn.” She turned and looked at him, her body shaking under the onslaught of the vibrations. “And I want my Master to teach me."

For a second Daegan's world tilted. She'd called him Master. Not Sir. Not by his name. He sucked in a breath.

"Stop.” The word came out before he had time to think about it.

Gabe stepped forward. “Daegan, you can't—"

"The fuck I can't. She's mine, and I'm taking her home.” Over Gabe's shoulder he saw her shoulders slump in relief.

"About fucking time."

Daegan nailed Gabe with a sharp look. “What did you say?"

"You heard me.” He patted him on the shoulder. “Go collect your sub and take her home. I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

Annoyed by the smirk on his friend's face, Daegan moved to Jennifer and unhooked the bindings holding her arms upright while the other man moved to unhook the spreader bar and the attached toy. Freed, she slumped into his arms. “It's okay, love. I've got you.” He wanted to simply hold her and help her through whatever tumultuous emotions ran through her, but first he needed to get her out of here.

One of the free assistants came running up with a blanket, and Daegan bundled his contrary sub in the soft fabric. She burrowed against his chest, a move that pierced directly through his heart. He worried how easily she could have been broken if he'd let the punishment continue. Despite her profession and bravado, she simply wasn't ready for that experience.

He made his way through the throngs of people amid more than a few curious stares and whispers. Outside at his car, Daegan opened the rear door and climbed in without letting go of Jennifer. As much as she needed the comfort, so did he.

After a few minutes of silence, Jennifer pulled back and looked up at him. “I'm so sorry."

"For what?” He didn't know where to begin with the things that had gone wrong.

"I'm a total fuckup."

He reached over and pushed the hair out of her eyes. “Fuckup might be a little strong. But you do have some issues with opening up. You keep things so bottled up it's bound to cause problems."

"I tried to tell you..."

"And I didn't listen. Is that what you're saying?” he sighed. His temper flared. “You made a choice to come here. I think I got the message loud and clear, Jennifer."

"This is exactly why I stick so rigidly to a routine. Work, exercise, meals, and sleep. Every fucking time I step outside those parameters, things go to shit. I'm not cut out for anything else."

"Stop. This self-indulgent woe-is-me thinking is exactly what got you into trouble tonight. You think I don't know what's best for you? Really?"

"I don't even know what's best for me right now, how can you?"

White-hot anger flooded through him. What she fucking needed was the spanking of her life. He grabbed her around the waist and flipped her over. The blanket fell away, leaving her naked and vulnerable on his lap. Good.

"I have never met a sub who needed frequent and regular centering more than you do.” He delivered the first blow dead center on her right cheek. The smack of his hand hitting flesh pumped satisfaction through his body. She jerked against him but didn't try to squirm away or protest.

"When your life veers off course, you panic. Somewhere along the way, you've discovered that a painful flogging can clear your mind. What you don't yet understand is that the indifference afterward has a lingering effect. That kind of impersonal approach isn't a long-term solution.” He delivered another hard, stinging blow. The first sob tore through her. He spanked her again, setting up a rough and steady rhythm across the fleshy skin of her bottom and the tops of her thighs. Pink turned to red, and he imagined the heat burning through her by now.

After a few minutes, he paused to check her breathing and caress the inflamed skin of her cheeks. Her sobs grew rougher, and the wet tears seeped into his pants.