Submission Dance (4 page)

There was a wicked glint in his
eyes that did strange things to her body. Her heart was racing and her palms
were as damp as her panties. She was almost afraid to stand up from her seat
again for fear she might now have a damp spot on the back of her skirt.

“Would you like to dance, Marley?”
Lex asked, rising from the low slung chair. The height of her own seat put her
face almost dead even with his crotch, and there was a distinct bulge under his
zipper that she found very intriguing, but he didn’t seem to notice her
predicament.

“I’m really not much of a dancer…”
She stammered for an excuse not to get closer to him. He was too magnetic and
charming for her. She was almost afraid that if she let him pull her onto the
sparsely populated dance floor, she would turn into putty in his hands and
never find herself again.

“The music is slow, and I know
what I’m doing. Trust me to lead, and you’ll be fine.” She wasn’t sure if he
intended the double meaning behind his words or not, but her clit certainly
heard it.

Holding out his hand, he waited
for her to lay her palm against his and then he tugged her to her feet. She
swayed slightly, and he steadied her with a hand on her lower back just above
the curve of her ass. Immediately, she had to fight the urge to press herself
against his long muscular body. Certainly he already thought her an easy mark
after that steaming kiss; rubbing against him like a cat in heat wouldn’t help
her circumstance.

He led her onto the dance floor
without another word, and before she could turn to face him, he spun her around
once, and then twice, so that her balance was off and she fell into him.

With an arrogant grin on his
face, he wrapped his arms around her back, and steadied them on the curve of
her spine, but within proper distance from her ass. “Better, now just relax and
let me guide you.  That’s right, sway with me. Dancing is like making love.
It’s sensual, and there’s an exchange of power between every couple. You trust
me to lead you in the right movements, and I trust you to follow me, but at any
point you can walk away.” His hot breath whispered over her ear from above, and
her cheek brushed the smooth silk of his shirt. “You have all the control,
Marley.”

Lex continued to murmur
instructions to her, softly seducing her with his body and his innuendos. Her
breasts grew heavy and achy, and her nipples were diamond hard points that she
knew were probably poking through the thin material covering them. She tipped
her head back to look up into his deep blue eyes, and her knees grew weak at
the intense lust burning there.

“Careful. If you slip I get to
carry you off and say I swept you off your feet. That would make you my
rightful prize to do with as I pleased for the night,” he whispered.

Marley snorted out a laugh, “Is
that a party rule?”

“No, but everyone knows the black
knight steals away the princess at her first ball and seduces her.”

Her eyes went wide and she
grinned, “Are you telling me you read fairy tales Lex?”

“Sadly, yes. My ten-year-old
daughter’s personal favorite is The Little Mermaid, and I can sing every single
song along with the crab in that movie.” He almost looked proud, as though it
was a significant accomplishment, but Marley was still caught on the first part
of his explanation.

“Daughter?”

He tipped his head in
acknowledgement. “Yes. Is that a problem?”

She was quick to shake her head,
but her stomach was suddenly in a tight knot. Here she was dancing with him,
and letting him seduce her, and he was obviously a family man. She suddenly
felt all sorts of dirty, and wrong. Pushing away from him, she gave him a shaky
smile.

“Thank you for the dance, Lex. I
think it’s time for me to be going.”

~ ~ ~

Shock rippled through him. The
logical side of his brain told him to just let her go. He had no need for a
prickly sensitive woman who didn’t know the first thing about real Dominance
and submission, but his heart wasn’t quite ready to let the subject drop.

She had just spun on her heal,
when he reached out and latched onto her wrist, pulling her off her feet and
backwards into his chest. “So you’ve got something against single fathers then?
Is that what has you running, Marley?”

“Single fathers? No-I-uh…shit.”
Her muscles relaxed and she sagged against him, letting her head fall forward. “I’m
so sorry, Lex. I just assumed—”

“That I was a douche-bag with a
wife and child at home waiting for me?” He asked, his face close to hers. “I’m
not sure what kind of men you’ve been with before, but I’m not them. I have a
ten-year-old daughter, and an
ex
-wife. Ex as in
ex
tremely
unlikely to ever see her again in this lifetime. She left when Kaia was eight
weeks old, and she hasn’t even sent so much as a birthday card since. My
daughter is my life outside of my job and these parties, but she has nothing to
do with my abilities as a Dom, which is what you’re interested in, right,
Marley? You’re looking for someone who can show you a good time, and then let
you walk away without any hurt feelings afterward.”

“No! Yes. I don’t know really. I
just know that I won’t let myself be taken advantage of. When you said you had
a daughter I assumed that also meant you had a wife. I’m sorry if my assumption
hurt your feelings. Now, if you’ll let me go, I’d like to collect my purse and
get home.”

Lex wasn’t sure whether to laugh
or turn her over his knee for her attitude. Knowing full well that he would
just be causing an unnecessary scene if he tried to punish a newbie in the
middle of the dance floor, he released her enough to turn her around so that he
could see her face.

“Stop being childish. You made a
mistake, let it go. You don’t know me from a stranger on the street, so I can’t
blame you for making the wrong assumption. I did the same thing when I asked
you about that silly book. I don’t want to run you away from the party just
because you’re embarrassed.”

Marley’s eyes narrowed, and her
brow wrinkled. “Fine. I’ll stay, but I think we’re finished dancing.”

Lex laughed loudly, drawing the
attention of several of the party attendees. “Oh princess, we’re certainly not
finished dancing just yet.”

“Are all Dom’s so arrogant?” she
asked rudely, making him grin even wider at the put out look on her face.

“Most of them. It comes with the
job. We have to make sure our subs don’t run the show, and knowing we’re strong
enough to earn their submission is half the battle,” he said tugging her
tighter to his chest as they swayed to the music. They were barely moving now,
just rocking with each other more than anything. He loved the way she fit
snuggly against his body, like they were carved from the same block of wood.

“What’s the second half?”

Lex frowned at her, “What?”

“You said that’s half the battle.
So what’s the second half?” The genuine curiosity on her face was heartwarming,
and he couldn’t stop himself from pressing a kiss to her forward.

“Proving it to them.” He met her
gaze as she considered his words.

“So the submissive still has to
be earned in a way. They don’t just have a lineup and draw names from a hat for
the night?” Her brown eyes were wide as she spoke, and it took him a minute to
realize she was serious.

“What?”

“I read that in a book once. At
the parties everyone gathered in a room, subs on one side, and Dom’s on the
other. They just paired off and had sex with strangers—”

“No, princess. No one will just
assign you to a random Dominant. Good lord, what have you been reading that had
you believing…” his words drifted off, and he sighed when she stiffened again.

“Well I’m sorry, but I’ve had to
read what’s available, and search online for more info. It’s not like there are
a lot of ‘how to’ sites for BDSM. You know I went on this one website called
something like ‘I need a collar’, and I had over a hundred messages from
strange men in less than an hour. All of them wanted naked pictures of me, and
wanted to know what perversions I prefer,” she said, shrugging her shoulders in
frustration.

“That’s what you get for seeking
a partner online.”

“It’s not like I can just ask
everyone I know if they happen to know a single man who likes to spank his
dates.” She tossed back. Her temper made her positively radiant, and he craved
her even more knowing that she wasn’t a pushover.

Chuckling, Lex continued to sway
them together, but he let his hands slip lower on her spine to rest on the
curve of her ass. “I like to do a lot more than spank my dates, and I can’t
even begin to understand the world of online BDSM. It’s insane to me that
anyone would consider having sex with a faceless name on a screen.”

“We can’t all be pillars in the
kink community,” she grumbled. “I think you’ve answered enough of my questions
now. Thank you for the dance. I’m going to go finish looking around now that
dinner is over.”

Lex let her go this time,
watching as she scurried away looking even more beautiful than she had before. Guilt
ate at his gut once she was gone from his line of sight. Perhaps he had pushed
her a bit harder than he planned, but she reacted so strongly to the news of
his daughter, and was so naïve about her dating life that it got to him. It
wasn’t often someone was able to ruffle his feathers, but Marley seemed to be
an expert.

There was no way he was going to
let another Dominant find her and claim her tonight. He needed to convince her
that their clash of tempers was actually a good sign. It meant there was
passion between them, and he could only imagine the sparks they would light
once he earned her submission.

Adjusting his hard cock behind
his zipper, he collected his empty plate and her forgotten water bottle, and
returned them to the dining room before setting off in search of the flitting
butterfly he planned to catch this evening.

Chapter 3

M
arley made her way into a bathroom where she
promptly locked the door behind her and slid to the floor. Tears burned her
eyelids, and guilt ate at her gut.

Well done, Marley Lynne. You’ve
likely just screwed up your one chance at finding an experienced Dom to teach
you.

She forced herself to breathe in
through her nose and out through her mouth until the nausea faded. Killian had
warned her to keep her distance for the evening until she learned the lay of
the land, but she hadn’t listened, and now she’d offended Lex and screwed
herself.

Then again, she’d had no way of
knowing that Lex was a single father. Hell, he could have been an axe murderer
for all she knew.
He still could be
, a little voice whispered in her
head,
but he is one helluva fine axe murderer if he is.

Groaning, she forced herself to
her feet. If she left now, she would always wonder, and she knew that she would
never regain her courage to visit again. It was important that she invest
herself in this experience wholly and really try to learn. Even if that meant she
had to face Lex again.

What you really need to do is
find Killian and ask him for direction
. Filled with a renewed sense of
determination, she used the facilities, splashed cold water on her face, and
then opened the door to a whole new world once again.

This time, her journey down the
hallway of hedonism was less shocking and more sensual. She looked at each
particular scene with newly-opened eyes, and a greater respect for the
individuals currently living their lives in the open for strangers to see.

As she made her way down the
corridor, she was shocked to find the green-eyed Domme from earlier in one of
the rooms. Not only was she there, but she was fully focused on the scene she
was in. The man Marley had spoken with earlier, Foster, hung from a hook by his
cuffed wrists, and the Domme was using a wooden paddle on his ass. Fascinated
by the pleasure on her new friend’s face, Marley stepped closer to the open
doorway of the bedroom to watch, staying just outside the door. She wasn’t sure
if she was allowed to actually go inside or not, but as she approached she
could see four or five people lining the walls of the spacious bedroom,
indulging their voyeuristic desires.

Foster had a ball gag in his
mouth, and clamps on his nipples and balls, but if his hard cock was any
indication he was enjoying himself. The sound of the paddle thumping against
his skin was odd to her ears, but she couldn’t deny its appeal. More appealing
was their obvious focus on the scene they were participating in. A quick peek
through the doorway found about a dozen people lining the walls of the room
watching their play. Marley shivered as Foster let out a grunt of pleasure when
his Domme gave him a hard slap to his thigh with the paddle.

“The paddle she’s using is
specifically for pleasurable spanking. It’s made of Ash, which is an extremely
hard wood, and it has holes drilled through it that add to the sting on his
skin. If you were to look closely at it, it is engraved with her name, so that
every time she paddles him she is marking him as her property.” Lex’s deep
voice vibrated in her ear as he spoke against it, and she shivered again. His
tone was low enough that the people around them would only hear a murmur of
sound but no words. The heat of his body at her back, and their height
difference made her feel dainty and delicate in the curve of his body. “That intrigues
you, doesn’t it, princess?”

She nodded, and when he remained
silent, she forced herself to speak, “Yes.”

The one word was apparently
spoken too loudly, because several people glanced their way, and even Mistress
Ana tossed a glare her direction. Flushing with embarrassment, she didn’t argue
when Lex tugged her away from the open door and a few feet down the hallway
where they wouldn’t be interrupting.

“Tell me, Marley, why do you want
to be subjugated and treated like property?”

Her temper flared briefly at his
description, and she realized that he was likely trying to push her buttons
after her temper tantrum a few minutes ago. She should still be upset with him,
and avoiding him, but she found herself answering his question breathlessly. “I
don’t wish to be treated harshly. I’m intrigued, as you so eloquently put it,
about the freedom of giving up control. I wonder if it’s as good as it sounds
to let someone else take the reins and lead while I follow.” She made a move as
if to go back to her viewing spot, but his next words froze her in her tracks.

 “So you want a babysitter?”

Her body stiffened as she whirled
to face him. Meeting his eyes steadily she glared at him. “No,
Sir
.”
Even she could hear the sass in her tone, “I want a
man
. I’m tired of dating
boys
who want a woman to cook and clean for them, and take care of them,
but they aren’t capable of taking the lead. I want a man who can be gentle—or
hard—because he knows I like it both ways. Someday I want someone who
will appreciate me caring for him, but isn’t afraid to wash his own laundry.
Who will indulge in fantasy with me, because it makes us both happy, but who
can also live a normal life and enjoy Chinese take-out on the couch after work.
But tonight, all I want is to learn more about myself, and believe me, I damn
sure
don’t
want a babysitter.”

Spinning on her heel with the
intention of storming away again, she yelped when he jerked her back by her
hair, and then quickly released her, before his arms were wrapping her tightly
to his chest. “Easy there, little warrior. I had to make sure you were here for
the right reasons. I don’t want to be in a 24/7 babysitting position. I don’t
even want to own a slave. I just want a woman who can submit to me because she
knows that I control her pleasure. You’ve got a bratty side, and it both pisses
me off and turns me on. All I can think about is getting you over my lap and
spanking that pretty round ass of yours until it’s bright, fuckably red.”

Marley was pretty sure that her
eyes were the size of the bangle bracelets on her wrist, and her mouth opened
and closed a few times as she struggled to let go of her tantrum and absorb his
words. It was almost as if he read her mind. Her imagination was running wild
with images of lying across his knees and begging him to put his hands on her.
Oh yes, she wanted that. Even if they seemed to keep rubbing each other wrong
with their words, something about their chemistry was completely and
devastatingly right.

“Now that we have that out of the
way, why don’t we return to enjoy the show? Where my little sister is just
warming Foster up for the main event.”

“Your sister?” she asked with a
shocked look.

“Yes, Analise and I share a few
bits of our DNA, but that’s not a discussion for right now. I spoke with her
earlier and she’s got a special treat for her sub tonight that I think you’ll
enjoy watching.”

He walked her back to the
doorway, and then carefully turned her to face the scene again, pulling her
back flush against his chest, and resting his fingertips over her hips. The
connection felt like a branding, and she crossed her arms over her breasts to
hide the way her nipples responded.

There was a murmuring in the
crowd as Mistress Ana switched from a paddle to a flogger, and moved around her
partner’s body to land the blows on his flanks. His head dropped back and he
moaned loudly around the ball gag, his cock twitching in response to every lash.

Marley couldn’t help but admire
the way the lean man’s muscles flexed and his skin gleamed with sweat. He was
clearly enjoying himself, and yet he was obviously in pain. The juxtaposition
of the scene was exactly what she wanted to explore for herself. Perhaps
tonight she would finally learn by experience rather than from a book.

Ana spoke softly to another man
who’d been observing from nearby. He was significantly shorter than Foster, but
magnificently well-built. His chiseled physique reminded her of the body
builders she saw competing on television, but when he dropped to his knees in
front of Foster, all thoughts of TV went out of her brain. Marley couldn’t have
torn her eyes away from the scene in front of her if she wanted to. As she
watched, the second submissive began purposefully sucking Foster’s rock-hard
cock, and by the flexing tension of his muscles, the sub was doing a damn fine
job.

“You see, Foster has bisexual
fantasies, but he’s never been allowed to experience them, because Ana doesn’t
like to share her subs. He’s also had a thing for Wyatt since they met last
year. To my knowledge, Wyatt has never been with another man, but he’s wanted
Ana to be his Mistress for so long that he’s willing to accept Foster to have
her. Have you ever seen a straight man suck cock, Marley?” Lex asked harshly.

Her body was trembling, as she
processed his words, and shook her head. It was mind-blowingly erotic to know
that Wyatt was giving his first blow job, and Foster was experiencing his first
man.

“It doesn’t happen often around
here. Most men are too skittish to expose that part of their sexuality.
Especially in an environment like this where so many Alpha males have to live
in peaceful accord,” he continued, “Do you see how much pleasure he’s
receiving? Even as his Mistress pounds on his tender back with a flogger, he
begs her for more.”

“They’re beautiful together,” she
whispered breathlessly.

She saw Lex nod out the corner of
her eye, “Yes, they are. I’ll be curious to see if she allows Wyatt to stay and
their two becomes a permanent three.”

“Do people do that?” she asked
turning to look at him in surprise. “Live as a threesome I mean?”

Lex’s blue eyes were lit with
amusement, and the corners of his mouth turned up. “Ah, I see you still have
much to learn. Many people live the poly lifestyle with multiple committed
partners, while others just enjoy the non-commitment of hot sex with willing
couples at these parties.”

She nodded as though she
understood, but her mind was spinning. Who were these couples—or groups—and
why had she never known anyone like that? Her body tingled everywhere Lex
touched, so it was difficult to imagine that a second person could make her
respond so strongly, but if the right person came along…
No
. She scolded
herself mentally. She wasn’t here to become a child of the sixties throwing
free love about to whoever was willing. It was important that she stay grounded
in reality and focus on learning more about her submissive side. Someday in the
future she would revisit her other fantasies, but tonight all she wanted was
for Lex to take control and teach her to submit.

No matter how much they butted
heads, she knew she would never be satisfied with walking away from him until
she’d explored this thing between them.

“One more thing, Marley,” he
spoke against her ear, his fingers digging into her waist slightly to hold her.
“You’re done running from me. It’s obvious there’s chemistry between us, so I’m
giving you one last out. If you want to play tonight, pick a safeword.”

“But I’m not sure I want to
participate tonight—” she started to argue only to be silenced by his
finger against her lips. Instinctively she darted her tongue out to taste it,
and felt him tense, his cock twitching in his slacks against her backside.

“We’ve been dancing around each
other since the moment our eyes met, princess. Don’t kid yourself, and
definitely don’t lie to me. Now, pick a safeword, or we’ll walk away friends. I’ll
never bother you again.” His voice was like a soft growl that vibrated through
her whole body, making her skin tingle, and her pussy drip.

In front of her, the Domme was standing
behind Foster, and Marley figured her fingers were fucking into his ass as he
cried out behind his ball gag, and his abs tightened.

The moment his Mistress gave him
permission, Foster let out a loud, muffled yell. He slammed his hips against
the submissive sucking his cock, unloading his semen into the man’s throat. His
body flexed and gyrated with the pure passion that rippled through him. She was
awestruck, and struggling to remember what Lex had just asked her.

“Princess? A safeword please?”
Lex tempted her with that sensual sexy tone, but she didn’t know how to
respond. She’d never even considered what her safeword might be.

“Yes.”

“Yes isn’t a safeword, Marley.”

“No, I mean yes, I’ll stay, and I
want to play with you, or you know, learn from you, but I don’t know what my
safeword is. I’ve never picked one before.”

As the Domme and the other
submissive helped release Foster’s cuffs from the hook that had been holding
him, Lex turned and led Marley away from the room and into an art nook next to
a painting and a vase full of fragrant orange flowers. People chatted nearby,
paying them no attention as they sought a moment of privacy.

“Surely you’ve considered it, princess?
You said you’ve been intrigued by BDSM for a while.” Lex narrowed his gaze on
her. He was so tall, and she was so short that they seemed an unlikely pair,
and she wondered if she should have worn high heels to this event. Then again,
as much walking as she’d done, her feet would have been killing her by now.

“Stop stalling, Marley. My cock
is aching and my skin is tingling with the need to strip your clothes off and
taste every inch of you.”

“
Starbucks
.”

“
Starbucks
? Is that the
word you’re choosing?”

“Yep. If I’m thinking about
Starbucks
then there’s no way I’m finding pleasure,” she said with a firm nod of her
head.

“Okay,
Starbucks
it is.
Let me be clear, Marley. The moment you say
Starbucks
we’re done for the
night. I’ll hold you, comfort you, and answer any questions you might have, but
the scene will be over and there will be no sexual activity between us. Do you understand?”
The look he gave her was so serious that it almost made her laugh, but she
caught herself at the last second.