RequiredSurrender (23 page)

“We’ll deal with this after we deal with the first issue at
hand.” He let go of her hair and spun her around in his arms to face the
Sybian. “You’re going to get back on this. Only this time? You’re doing it the
hard way.”

“Can I—?”

“No.”

With Jo, it was clear he had to work fast and firm. When he
gave her room to think and react, she did both badly. Damn, he was getting
soft…no, he was soft with her. Only her. Any other sub, let alone a slave,
who’d slapped him would have found her ass paddled until it was bright red.
After which, she’d be forever banned from his company or service. With her? All
he wanted to do was get inside her and pound into her until they both forgot
what had happened.

This made him seethe. Not at her, but at himself. He was
better than that. He had to be otherwise they’d never make it and this was
their only chance. No emotion.

He let go of her and she stumbled forward. He didn’t wait
for her to catch her balance. “Over here.”

She put up no resistance, which was good. Maybe she’d seen
the light. He knew from personal experience that staring into hell was the best
time for a life-altering epiphany and God, he hoped she’d had one because right
now there was no telling where this was going to lead if she didn’t.

“Step over and straddle.” So far so good. She was quiet and
behaving while he positioned her with the Sybian directly between her calves.
Hm. Not even a peep when he unwound the rope she’d been so curious about
yesterday. Eerie silence even as the looped handle swung in a pendulum motion
above her.

He took a lobster clasp out of his pocket and opened it.
“Put your wrists together. There.” He engaged the lock and double-checked that
her wrist cuffs were secured and connected. Stepping behind her, he said, “I’m
going to lift this.” In one smooth flick he unhooked the springs that held the
saddle in place and slowly pulled it up. Past her calves, knees… “Take hold of
the rope and use that to balance. Good, now spread your thighs a little wider
and come up on tip-toe.”

It took her a moment with her hands secured together, but
when she grasped the rope she didn’t rise up as he’d told her to. “Jo.” He
silently counted. Thankfully she didn’t let him get to five. “Better,” he said
as she rolled up on her toes. He kept an eye on the level of the saddle. Just a
little…

She hissed in a breath.

“That’s the head of the dildo. It’s barely inside you.
Positioned more for guidance than penetration.” He snapped the spring closed on
the customized wooden horse so it would hold its elevated height and stood back
while he admired his handiwork.

“I’m not getting on this thing again.”

“You are, but this time when you ride it, it will be because
you eased down on it. I will have nothing to do with it.” He saw her frowning
and sighed. “Talk to me.”

“I’m sorry I slapped you.”

“You know how I feel about that word and the watered-down
concept behind it. Besides if I were you, I wouldn’t waste my chance to air my
concerns on something that’s going to be dealt with later.”

She licked her lips. “You know…you know I won’t be able to
stay on my toes forever. This isn’t fair. I’ll have to ride the stupid—”

“Jo.”

“T-the thing eventually. How is this you not having anything
to do with it? You’re making me do it for Christ’s sake.”

Ted checked his watch. He gauged it would take her about
five minutes before her legs gave out, and another four or five before her arms
let her down and she was forced to go for a ride. This first time, because he
was sure it wasn’t going to be her last, he’d planned on doing some reading
while he waited for her to give in. Initially, he’d had no intention of picking
up the flogger or any other instruments for that matter to use on her, but
after what she’d just done and how she was trying to blame him for her current
predicament he figured it was time for another lesson.

He walked over to the stool and collected the flogger. She
was too busy staring straight ahead. No doubt channeling all her stubbornness
in for focus so she could beat the world record of her imaginary
holding-off-riding-the-saddle competition she had going on in her head.

“I had thought to do some light reading while you were
maintaining your balance and trying not to defy me, but since you’re set on
blaming me for your current situation I don’t think you deserve that kind of a
break today.”

“What are you, McDonald’s?”

Damn she was a piece of work.

He flicked the tails of the flogger against her bare ass
like a horse twitching off flies. Not hard, but hard enough to get her worried.
She was so stunned she almost let go of the rope. Fortunately she caught
herself in time.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” She swung in an arc, straining to
see behind her.

He held up the leather instrument, and when he saw her
staring at him, he pretended to examine the steel studs on the handle as if
they were the most beautiful things in the world, and said, “
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Sarcasm followed by guttersnipe language. Not. Very. Smart.” He punctuated
those last three words by sharply slapping the numerous strips of the
flat-braided leather tresses, against his thigh.

“I wish I were dumb because then I wouldn’t know what’s
coming.”

“You think you know?” She was shivering nearly hard enough
to qualify for a shake. He waited for her to face the wall again and then he
closed in on her. “Tell me,” he whispered

“You’re going to flog me until I… bleeeeed.”

He smiled against her hair, rubbing his jaw through the
silken stands as he breathed in her scent. Mmm…Macintosh apples. “Such the
drama queen.” He found skin and skated his stubble-roughened chin over it. “Why
don’t you just ease that beautiful pussy down and take a ride. Give me the
words I want and I may even lighten your punishment for slapping me.”

He doubted she even knew she was tilting her head so he
could get to her throat. Yeah, he liked to think this small surrender was
subconscious.

“I won’t say those words.” He gave her neck a nip, a sharp
bite, and purposely dragged the tails of the flogger up and down her right
thigh. “Oh God. I’ll say everything else. I promise…Master.”

Now he reached around and let those leather strands caress
the front of her thigh, her hip, belly, navel and left breast.

“Please…”

Ever-so-slightly he tapped the ponytail against her. Over
and over, soft but consistent until she stopped shaking. “It’s not so bad,
see?”

She nodded and licked her lips. He loved when she did this
because he recognized the body language for what it was. An effort to
concentrate. Her calves were most likely burning by now. Damn was she stubborn.
He bit her neck again as he increased the intensity of the tapping, while the
leather tendrils banged against her from chest to hip. Her moan was like a direct
stroke up his hardened cock. The way her breasts trembled under the pats jacked
his adrenaline.

“Focus on the rhythm. See how steady it is. Imagine it’s the
waves in an ocean kissing dock pilings. Breaking over them.” This time he
angled the woven handle up and forced the tail to spread before it landed on
her.

The widened impact caused her to groan, and the sound
fissured right through him, but when he saw her fully erect nipples he couldn’t
help himself. He flexed into her to grind and nearly knocked her off balance.
She quickly adjusted, managing to recover.

Impressive. “You’re doing so well. So good.” He drew the
leather braids down. Over her stomach, navel and lower across her mound until
the bent edge of where the handle met the fringe rested on the top of her slit.
“Easy.” He gently moved it from side to side to open her and wedge it in.
“Easy.”

“Ahhhh.”

“Feels good, I know.” He pressed it forward. Pushing it
against her clit and the bundle of nerves there. “So simple,” he whispered
against her ear, “just relax. Wouldn’t it feel good to come off your tip-toes?
To bring your arms down so they didn’t ache? Just imagine that dildo sliding
all the way into you. Filling you. Stretching your wet pussy as it opens all
your tight little muscles. I love to bury myself in you deep. Real deep.”

He tilted his head to examine her reaction. Oh she had it
bad. Her eyes were closed, and those little tremors were back, along with a
fine sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead. One quick check down and he
knew he had her. A glance at the leather confirmed her forehead wasn’t the only
thing glistening. He pressed the end back against her and she hissed in a
breath.

“No coming, Jo, remember you have to give me the words. You
want to give me the words, don’t you?”

“N-no.” She panted.

She was losing the battle, didn’t she know? Her head fell
back and he could see her arms were straining doing the work of holding up her
weight.

“Sit down on it and let yourself come. It will be okay. I
promise. All you have to do is give me the words. When you do,” he swirled the
ponytail in circles against her slick flesh, “all this ends for you and I’ll be
happy.”

“Please…I’ll s-say everything, anything else. Oh God, stop
doing that or I’ll—”

He sank his free hand in her hair and fisted it, pulling
back to peer down into her face. “Look at me.” When she did, he ordered,
“Control yourself.”

“I-I’m t-trying, but you n-need to stop touching an-and
talking.” She openly panted then and he purposely burst her bubble.

“The breathing doesn’t help when you’re horny. Remember the
night with the ropes? You couldn’t hold on then, just like you can’t hold on
now. Mmm…I can almost feel my cock sliding into your hot, wet—”

“Ooh, please…”

“Pussy. I’m imagining that night on the stairs when you rode
my dick until you screamed. Do you remember how it felt? How deep I was inside
you? I remember.” He let out a breath in her ear and watched with interest how
she quivered. “I recall how your pussy fisted me like a vise. I love that. I
love filling and stretching you until you beg me to stop.” She moved. It was
only a tiny shift down, but it was enough for him to latch on to. “That’s
right. Slide down. Come on.” He let go of her hair and took the flogger away
from her clit, stepping back.

“My arms…are tired.”

“Yes, I know. Make it easy.” He walked behind her and
dragged the braids over her ass, letting them fall like dominoes off her
cheeks. “It’s not so hard. Your pussy aches to be filled. It’s only three small
words I want from you. Only—”

“No.”

“No?” She sounded stronger than he thought possible. Maybe
he’d been wrong about her threshold. Or misjudged her stubbornness. He couldn’t
let her remain like this much longer. He looked down at the flogger and made a
judgment call. “All right, so be it. Let me give you something else to focus
on.”

He gathered her hair and pushed it over one of her
shoulders, making sure all the strands were out of the way. Twirling the
flogger in a windmill fashion, he relaxed his wrist and let it build up speed.
When it virtually sung he moved it closer to her so she could feel the heavy
breeze and hear the bee-like buzz. “Do you feel that? Can you hear it? Jo.”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes Master.”

He slowed it down before he went to work on her. With
precision he hit the surface of her ass squarely, starting at the top left-hand
corner of her left butt cheek and dragged it down on an angle to the bottom
right-hand corner. Without pausing, he did the same to the right side of her
ass. Then back to the left. He repeated this for five strokes each before he
increased the impact. Now that she was warmed up, he was going to make sure she
felt this next set.

He ran the flat of his palm from the top of her spine to the
bottom. “How are you doing? Good?” He traced the curve of her ass with his
index finger and watched as her muscles jumped. “I think we need to check and
make sure you’re doing okay.”

It was mean and really not fair, given that she was putting
up such a valiant effort, but he couldn’t afford to lose even one battle with
her until she did for him without question. With that in mind, he crowded her.
Only this time it was his hand instead of the flogger that came around and
slipped between her legs. He checked to make sure she was still properly
positioned, and then he used his bent knuckles to torture her. The heat coming
off her ass was spectacular. Almost as hot as the liquid heat he found between
her legs.

“Oh Jo, don’t you want to relax? Don’t you want your pussy
filled with that nasty pulsating thing until you come?”

“I c-can’t.”

“Do you want me to give you more focus? Can you take it?”

“Better that than,” she swallowed, “your hands on me.”

“You can’t escape it.”

“I need t-to try.”

“All right then.” He stepped back and rolled his shoulders.
He needed to concentrate so that he could dole out measured strokes. Harder
than before, but the same otherwise. He didn’t want to scare her and he found
consistency would go a long way in gaining her trust. “It will be the same as
before only slightly harder. Don’t tense up.” As he said this he reached out
and drew his palm in a crazy-eight motion over her ass. Amazed at how soft the
hot surface was. And when she pushed back seeking more of his touch he gave her
two light spanks.

“That’s my girl. Beg for my attention with your body. That
will always win you points with me. Now…” He tested the weight of the flogger
in his hand and balanced it. Once he had a good grip he stepped back and began.

She made a little sound each time the flogger landed. A tiny
gasp of surprise that turned into a groan that fed something inside him. The
want to hear it more drove him and although he only intended to do two stokes
each, he continued with the steady strikes. Loving the way she arched her back
without moving her ass. She was perfection in this position, firing a desire to
use, claim and tame her so strongly in him that he knew he needed to be
careful. Measured. Two more strikes and then he lightly brushed the tail in an
exaggerated S on her back. From her right shoulder to her left hip before he
reversed the motion. When she stopped twitching he halted with the cool-down
and examined her. Her burnished skin turned to a stunning pink from his efforts
and seemed to beg for more, but she wasn’t ready and this wasn’t the time to
push her endurance in that way. But shit, the two luscious globes glowing that
pretty pink color captivated the hell out of him.