To Love and Obey (Boundaries) (13 page)

Chrissie then took two small round trays and placed four of the full, thin-stemmed, glasses on each.

“Now,” said Adam, with a deadly look on his face, “let’s see if we can make you laugh again.” He turned to Rachel and Dawn and handed them a tray each. “You will each rest a tray on your head and hold it in place with both hands.”

He then turned and walked off, leaving Rachel wondering what the hell he was up to now. Then she found out.

“Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention for a moment please?”

Uh-oh. The music had been silenced and Adam was speaking over the sound system.

“The two lovely subbies at the bar need a lesson in controlling themselves, so we thought we’d use them as toys in a little game for our amusement. We’d like to invite you to use the feathers on the bar to tickle them. You may tickle any part of their bodies which is exposed.”

Thank goodness she was wearing a thong, thought Rachel, and glanced quickly over at Dawn to check what she was wearing. She too, wore a tiny thong which would protect her modesty.

“Their job is to remain still and not spill any of the water they’re holding over their heads. After thirty minutes, whichever sub has spilt the most, loses.”

Rachel was just wondering what would happen to the loser, when Adam continued.

“The loser gets to spend an hour in the cage suspended over the dance floor.”

The cage? No way! The cage was… Well, it was just that—a cage. She’d seen Doms lock their subs in it as punishment—well, she’d assumed it was for punishment. The naked sub would then be hoisted up over the dance floor, high enough that everyone could see them, but not so high as to make them inconspicuous. It seemed like a very public and humiliating penalty for misbehaving, and Rachel had resolved never to risk finding out if that was indeed the case.

She held tightly onto her tray and silently thanked God for her secret weapon. She wasn’t ticklish. The only place she might be vulnerable was her pussy but, as that was out of bounds, she’d be fine.

Adam inspected them both, pushing Rachel’s legs a little farther apart. She felt open, exposed and, oddly enough, excited. Bring it on.

The first person to have a go was Luke, who had been watching by the bar. “Hold still, sub,” he said, and winked at her. He picked up a long feather and slowly ran it down her stomach, sending little ripples of sensation through her body. She shivered slightly, but remained still.

Dawn on the other hand, was already giggling as a Domme tickled her under the arms, and when Rachel heard water splashing on the tray, she knew Dawn wouldn’t last long. This was going to be easy.

The next couple of Doms tried their hardest to make her move. One circled the feather around her nipple, which felt delicious, and the other ran it up the inside her right thigh, which made her moan slightly, but still she didn’t move.

Dawn was having real problems though. She gave a little squeal as a feather tickled her behind her knee, and, as she struggled to keep her balance, one of the glasses actually toppled over on the tray, sending a spray of water over the poor sub.

Rachel knew she had this in the bag. She hid a smile of smug self-assurance until she glanced back at Dawn, who now looked absolutely mortified, and the smugness drained right out of her. What had she been thinking? It was her fault they were in this predicament. It really wasn’t fair to let Dawn suffer the consequences when it had been herself who had started it all by making Dawn laugh in the first place.

She hated the thought of going in that cage, but it had been her stupid defiance that had gotten them in trouble, so it was only right that she should be the one to pay. She swallowed the lump of fear that had formed in her throat, and made her decision.

Her next persecutor picked up the feather and softly tickled her under her chin. At just the right moment, she let out a little giggle. The Dom seemed encouraged by this reaction and teased her neck a little more persistently. Rachel giggled some more before letting out a little squeal. The feather reached round behind her ear and made the delicate skin tingle. The Dom must have thought he’d struck the jackpot when she screamed and dropped the whole tray, sending water cascading across the floor. Well, she couldn’t risk Dawn having spilt more than her, so the only way to make sure she lost, was to drop the whole bloody tray.

Dawn stared at her with a mixture of horror, pity and relief. Rachel made sure she looked suitably dismayed and stared, wide-eyed, at the Dom with the feather still in his hand.

The bastard grinned at her and said, “I’ll look forward to watching you in the cage later.”

She flushed. She knew exactly what he meant. She was only too well aware that she would be completely naked in there, and as she would be suspended in the air the revelers below would get a good eyeful of her private bits through the bars she’d be sitting on.

Adam took her arm firmly and led her away from the bar, a deep frown creasing his brow. When they were out of hearing, he growled, “Why did you do that?”

“Do what?”

Adam took her chin firmly in his hand and glared at her. “You dropped that tray on purpose. Why?”

“Er…”

“If you were so keen to try the cage,” he continued, “you could have just asked.”

“No. I don’t want to go in there,” cried Rachel. “I hate the thought of being caged like an animal.”

Adam released her chin and crossed his arms. His eyes burned into hers as he studied her. “So, why?”

Damn him. Couldn’t she have any secrets without him knowing about them? She scowled and crossed her arms to match his. “Dawn was losing, but I was the one who started it all, and it seemed pretty unfair for Dawn to be punished for something that was my fault.”

Adam continued staring at her for a moment, then his face suddenly softened as he smiled. “You old softie,” he said affectionately, and drew her into his arms. “That was very honorable of you. Stupid, but honorable.”

“I know. I’m sorry about earlier,” she said, pulling slightly away and looking up into his face. “I don’t know what came over me.”

Adam’s face clearly showed he wasn’t happy, and her heart sank. She’d let him down.

“I asked you to observe protocol tonight, and instead you behaved like an insolent child. I’m disappointed in you, Rachel. I want you to spend the time in the cage thinking about what your submission means to you, and how you’ve displeased me.”

Rachel’s face burned with shame. “Yes, Sir. I’m really sorry.”

He led her back to the bar, nodded at Dawn and Mandy, then stood back and surveyed Rachel silently. Finally, he spoke, “Remove the thong.”

The blood heated in Rachel’s cheeks as she looked around the crowded bar. With gritted teeth, she slowly eased the thong down her legs and stepped out of it, leaving her completely naked. The crowd murmured appreciatively and Rachel raised her chin in a vain attempt to show she wasn’t bothered.

Without a word, she stepped into the cage and sat down on the cold, hard bars. Adam closed the door and locked it. “Are you all right?” he asked, quietly.

She nodded, not sure what to say at that moment.

“Use your safe word if you panic, or feel unsafe in any way, and I’ll get you down straight away. Okay?” His eyes searched hers for any sign that she couldn’t cope with this, but she’d be damned if she’d show any weakness, so she stared back, with a small smile to let him know she was fine.

Slowly, the cage was hoisted up and, when it was finally still, she looked down between the bars to find a sea of eyes looking up at her. God, this was so embarrassing. Don’t look down, she told herself and fixed her eyes on the fire escape lights instead.

Once she’d gotten used to the height and confinement of the cage, she tried to disassociate herself with the voices below. She tried to think of something pleasant to distract her, but all she could think about was Adam’s disappointment in her behavior. She’d blatantly defied his wishes and, not only that, she’d gotten another sub in trouble as well. What had he meant when he’d said he wanted her to spend her time in the cage thinking about her submission? Was he so pissed off with her that he had doubts about their relationship?

She tried to think about it rationally. She knew Adam loved her, and she knew he didn’t want her to be more than a sexual submissive, so she was pretty sure their relationship was solid. That helped. It occurred to her then how far she’d come by not assuming he was about to dump her.

But that didn’t change the fact that she had displeased him. She felt truly awful about that. Then she realized that he thought she was more concerned by the fact that she was being punished than by the fact that she’d displeased him. But he was wrong, she was gutted that she’d let him down.

She desperately wanted to tell him how sorry she was. She understood now why he had been so angry with her. She’d shown no regard, or respect, for his wishes and had insulted something which was very important to him. He’d specifically asked her to observe protocol tonight, and he wouldn’t have done that if he hadn’t had a good reason.

She needed to talk to him, to tell him how sorry she was, beg him to forgive her, if necessary, but she had lost all sense of time and had no idea how long she had left in the cage. There was no way she was going to disappoint him even more by asking to come down though, so she remained silent, sitting in her exposed confinement with her guilt punishing her as she knew she deserved.

Suddenly, a voice snapped her back to the present. “Rachel, are you all right?” It was Adam.

“Yes, Sir,” she called back.

“I’ve explained to everyone how you deliberately dropped the tray to save Dawn from the punishment. Everyone seems to agree that you’ve served your time.”

“Oh. Has it already been an hour?”

“No. Twenty minutes,” called Adam. “You got time off for good behavior.”

She looked down to see if he was joking. The crowd was still there, staring up at her. Then, as if by command, there was a lull in the music—now was a good a time as any, she decided. She wanted everyone to hear her apology. “Adam?” she called, clearly enough for everyone to hear.

“Yes, Rachel?”

“I’m sorry that I disappointed you. You’re right, I behaved appallingly and I can only promise never to let you down like that again. I deserve this punishment and will remain here for as long as you feel is necessary.”

She watched him take in her words, and saw with relief the smile that spread across his face before he called back.

“Thank you, Rachel, I accept your apology. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve served your punishment. There’s just one thing, though.” Adam’s voice sounded louder than before, and she realized it was because the music had stopped again. Everyone could hear what he was about to say to her. She just hoped it wasn’t too embarrassing.

“What’s that, Sir?” she called back.

“Whether I let you down or not, depends very much on your answer to my next question.”

What? Now what was he up to?

“What question is that, Sir?” she called, not entirely sure she wanted the whole freaking club to hear whatever it was he was going to make her do.

“Will you marry me?”

A deathly silence fell on the club as every member held their breath. Rachel nearly laughed, thinking he wasn’t serious. After all, who could take a proposal of marriage seriously when they were suspended in a cage above a crowd of kinksters? Naked!

“Rachel, I won’t let you down until I get the answer I want. It’s no longer a question, it’s an order—marry me.”

Rachel’s insides bubbled with happiness as his words finally hit home. Even though Adam had told her he wanted her to live with him, he’d made no mention of marriage before now.

Her heart leaped with joy as she called, “Yes, I’ll marry you, Sir. Now will you please let me down so I can show you how much I love you?”

When the cage had been lowered and the door unlocked, Adam helped Rachel out and scooped her into his arms. Before she had a chance to say anything, he kissed her with a fierce possession which nearly took her breath away. Then he reached into his pocket and the crowd let out a huge cheer as he took out a beautiful diamond solitaire ring, which he quickly slipped on her third finger.

“Does this mean we can have an engagement party?” asked Rachel, loudly enough for the crowd to hear. Adam couldn’t very well say no in front of the whole club.

“I think that deserves a spanking,” said Adam, with a good humored grin.

“You haven’t answered her question,” called someone from the crowd. “Is she gonna get a party?”

Adam laughed. “Yes, all right, we’ll have a party and you’re all invited.” As the crowd cheered again, he picked her up without another word, slung her over his shoulder and carried her down the steps to the dungeon.

Chapter Ten

Rachel smiled at the pretty, young woman sitting opposite her. “I see you’re a teacher. What makes you want to work at Boundaries, even if it is only a temporary position?”

The woman, Victoria, coughed slightly, and replied, “Well, we’ve just broken up for the six-week summer holiday and, as I’m saving up to buy a house, I thought I’d use the time to earn some extra money.”

Rachel nodded, admiring Victoria for having the gumption to take on extra work when others might be tempted to spend the time chilling out on a sun lounger.

Adam had asked her to take over this interview as he’d been called in to the office for an urgent meeting. She’d been nervous at first, but she’d liked Victoria as soon as she had shaken her hand, and soon found she was actually enjoying herself. She already knew she was going to recommend that Adam offer her the job.

“I’ll introduce you to Chrissie, the bar manager, in a minute and then she and Mr Stone will make a decision later. Is that okay?”

Victoria nodded eagerly. “Yes, of course.” She looked around the empty bar and smiled warmly at Rachel. “I’d love to work here.”

Rachel felt herself swell with pride. Even though she didn’t own Boundaries, she loved the place dearly. And she loved the owner even more.

She discreetly fingered the stunning solitaire on her ring finger and blushed as she thought back to the day, two weeks ago, when Adam had slipped it on after he’d let her out of the cage. He had taken her down to the dungeon afterwards and given her a deliciously brutal spanking, and had then fucked her hard whilst she’d been tied to a leather swing.