With This Collar (5 page)

She rubbed three of her fingers between her legs before she held up her hand, though she looked away as she did.

“Eyes on me,” he told her.

After she complied, he ensnared her hand. Deliberately, he tasted the juices on her fingertips. Musky. Sexy.

“Oh, God,” she said. “I can’t believe you just did that.”

“We’re going to do so much more.” He dropped her hand. “I want you to play with your nipples again.”

She drew her breasts together and winced. “They’re tender,” she said when she squeezed them. “From you.”

Her nipples had hardened the moment she’d touched them. Her body was as responsive as he’d hoped. “You have no idea how beautiful you look,” he said. Inordinately pleased with her, he added, “Now ask me to touch your pussy. Tell me what you want.”

She frowned. She scowled.

“You admitted you’re a modern woman. That means you’re allowed to ask for anything you desire.”

“Touch me,” she said.

“Where?”

“My pussy. Finger my clit.”

“So eager,” he said against her ear. “I’ll do anything to satisfy you.” He slid his index finger between her slick folds. “You are turned on.”

She arched towards him, silently seeking more.

“What part turned you on the most? Is it the fact you’re mostly naked in Damien’s sunroom?” He slowly began to tease her pussy. “Or was it from the tiny taste of pain when I pulled your hair or hurt your nipples? Or the fact that my hand is between your legs while you’re shamelessly humping me?”

“I’m not!”

“You are, and I appreciate it enough to reward you for it.”

“Please…”

“I love the way you beg, little sub.”

“I’m not a sub.”

“Tonight, you are.”

“Just tonight,” she warned. She moved her hips in time with his motions. She wrapped a hand around his neck.

“You were told earlier to keep your hands at the small of your back,” he reminded her. “In future you’ll be bound. For tonight, you’ll just be punished.”

“Marcus!”

“My commands aren’t a request,” he said, ceasing his movements.

He waited the thirty seconds until she got into the appropriate position before he resumed stroking her. Then he reached behind her, securing both her wrists in one of his hands, offering a taste of what she could expect when they partnered up again.

“Oh… I want to come,” she said, sounding somewhat surprised by the admission.

“Not yet,” he told her. “Think about what I’m doing to you and how much I like to touch you. Think about anything except the powerful orgasm I’m going to give you. I’m going to slide a finger into your hot cunt.”

She rose onto her tiptoes.

He entered her, then he licked the column of her throat, biting near her collarbone.

She groaned.

He slid his finger out, then back in, adding a second.

“So good,” she murmured.

He tormented her relentlessly, feeling the slickness of her pussy. She was more aroused than he’d imagined she might be, and she delighted him.

“I want to come,” she said again, grinding her toes into the hardwood floor.

“I want to come,
Sir
,” he said. He moved his hand faster, trying to work her into a sensual frenzy. With his grip, he brought her a bit closer to him.

“I want to come, Sir,” she repeated.

“Please,” he prompted.

“Sir, I want to come.
Please.”

She was wriggling desperately, pleasing him with the scent and dampness of her arousal.

“Please? Please, please, please!”

He found her G-spot. He finger-fucked her hard. “Now,” he said.

“Oh, God!” she cried out.

“That’s a girl,” he murmured against her ear as she rode the raw carnality of her orgasm. “You’re a sexy submissive. You’ve pleased me greatly.”

For several minutes, he soothed her with his touch, his kisses. He rubbed her damp skin. When she’d stopped shuddering, he held her close, her head tucked beneath his chin. Protective feelings driving him, he moved her towards the couch. He sat and eased her onto his lap, then wrapped her in a fluffy blanket.

She stayed cocooned there longer than he thought she might.

He liked having her there, inhaling the scent of her shampoo—some sort of floral blend—and feeling her warmth next to him.

When she started to pull away, looking at the floor for her clothes, he put a hand on her skull and tipped her head back. “I’m not quite finished with you.”

“Oh?”

Damn, she was so appealing, wide-eyed, expectant, slightly apprehensive, but with a hint of a rebellion in the single word. “There’s the matter of your punishment. And because it’s your first time, I’ll allow you to choose the implement.”

She blinked.

“You were instructed to keep your hands behind your back,” he reminded her.

“But—”

“I asked if you understood the rules. You said you did.”

She did that intoxicating thing with her lower lip again. “Yes, I did.”

“I even gave you a second chance to have me bind you.”

“Marcus… I… I couldn’t help myself.”

He tipped his head to one side and saw the frantic butterfly of her pulse in her neck.

“I thought I was going to lose my balance when you pulled on my nipples so hard.”

He waited while she floundered.

“The pain was intense. I had never felt anything like it before. I… I had to hold on to you.”

“You could have said so. You could have said the word yellow and asked me to slow down. You could have asked me to tie you.”

“I could hardly think,” she protested.

“Ah. And do you think your excuses should get you out of a punishment?”

She sucked in a shallow breath.

He knew they were at a crucial moment. The way they proceeded from here would define things. She could still use a safe word to end the evening. Or she could accept her punishment along with his dominance.

He wouldn’t admit it aloud, but her answer mattered a great deal. “Well, sub?” He gathered her closer. “What will it be?”

Chapter Three

Julia’s thoughts collided.

She wanted this man, to experience everything he had to offer. And yet doing so would conflict with vows she’d made to herself.

She enjoyed what they’d just done, and she loved the way he nurtured her, kept her warm and safe. Being in his arms felt natural.

After her last relationship with an overbearing, know-everything blowhard, she’d sworn she’d only get involved with nice, pleasant, uncomplicated men. Yet here she was, sitting in the lap of a tall, broad, rugged man who claimed to be a Dominant.
Claimed?
What was she thinking? There was no claimed about it. This man
was
a Dominant. It resonated in every word and action. He expected to be obeyed, and he’d already pushed her beyond where she’d been with any other man. And, worse, she was snuggled against him, seeking his heat and taking comfort in his arms.

From the moment Lana had removed her wedding dress and knelt in front of her groom, Julia had felt as if she’d stepped into an alternate reality. She was in a stranger’s sunroom, nearly naked, while Marcus Cavendish cradled her, still wearing all his clothes, leather blazer included, and insisting she’d earned a punishment.

Damn it, he was right. He’d explicitly asked if she wanted to be bound. He’d said there would be consequences if she didn’t do as he instructed.

Even now, she knew she could use a safe word. She could dress, collect her coat and purse, and drive back to Denver. But, hell, she was still tempted to see where the rest of the evening might lead, even if that included punishment. Then she admitted the truth to herself. She wanted to stay,
especially
if the rest of the night included punishment.

The small amount of pain when he’d pulled her hair and squeezed her nipples had made her damp. The orgasm he’d given her had left her shattered. She’d never come apart so completely before. And yet he was everything she shouldn’t want in a man.

She pulled away a bit farther and angled her head so she could look at him.

He continued to regard her patiently, waiting for her permission to proceed.

Before she voiced a decision, Lana and Ben entered the sunroom. Julia wanted the floor to swallow her. With her pile of discarded clothes, it was obvious what they’d been doing.

Marcus manoeuvred them about, leaving her on the couch while he stood and moved to greet Ben.

“Jules! I’m so glad you came. And doubly glad you stayed,” Lana said.

Her smile was broad, and Julia realised Marcus had been right. Lana had taken a risk in sending a wedding invitation. She’d trusted Julia in a way she’d trusted none of their other friends

“I see you’ve met Master Marcus,” Lana said, joining her on the couch.

“I—”

“I’ve been giving Julia an introduction into our lifestyle,” Marcus said, saving her the pain of the admission.

“I’m glad you are. Thank you for taking her under your wing,” Lana said. Then she looked at Julia and added, “You look as if you’re surviving it.”

“I wish you had given me a little bit more of a warning about what to expect.”

While Marcus congratulated Ben and shook his hand, Lana said, “I’m sorry about that. I did try, but, honestly, I didn’t know what to say. I figured you would try to save me or rescue me, or at least feel obligated to try to talk me out of it. At best, I figured you’d be worried. At worst, I was afraid you wouldn’t come at all.”

“Am I really that judgemental?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. It’s just hard for outsiders to comprehend the complexity of this lifestyle. If the situation had been reversed, I’m not sure I would have understood. Anyway, I’m glad you and Master Marcus have hit it off.”

“I am a bit overwhelmed, honestly.”

“I’m sure you are. I was, too, when I first met Ben. I had no idea he was into BDSM, and it took me a long time to accept it, and then embrace it.”

“You obviously have.”

“Ben has been understanding and wonderful. This completes me.” Lana nodded. “I’m happier than I ever knew possible. Ben is my partner in all ways. I found things in this relationship that I didn’t know had been missing.”

“Like what?”

“The sense of security that comes from talking about the most intimate of things. Ben doesn’t let me off the hook for anything.”

“Does he punish you?” Julia asked, oddly fixated on that.

“Yes. That doesn’t happen often, though. We talk about a lot of things, and we agree to the rules in our relationship beforehand. Everything is negotiated and discussed. If I choose to break the rules, that’s my choice. He doesn’t arbitrarily decide I’ve misbehaved and mete out a beating.” She shot a quick glance towards where the men were standing, as if making sure they were involved in their own conversation before whispering, “And sometimes I misbehave on purpose.”

“Seriously?”

“It’s called being a brat. Ben will sometimes indulge me, but occasionally I have to listen to a lecture about asking for what I want.” She rolled her eyes. “And those times, I get sent to bed without an orgasm.”

“He’s a beast,” Julia teased.

“It really is a worse punishment than getting a spanking and getting it over with.” She sighed. “There are many aspects to a physical relationship with a Dom. Some don’t include punishments. Some Doms and subs aren’t into that at all, they’re more into servitude. Some people are into masochism and sadism. Still others get off on just being tied up, like rope bondage. There’s a whole art to it, I’m told. Frankly I don’t have the patience for that. I don’t know. Some people like to just have occasional scenes, and, other than that, they have a regular relationship, you know, like Annie and Sam.”

Annie was one of their friends who shared kinky stories at happy hour. Maybe at the next gathering, Julia would actually have stuff to share.

“I don’t really talk much about this with friends in the vanilla world, but Ben and I have a twenty-four seven relationship. It is the relationship, not ancillary to it. We have some sort of physical interaction every day. I love getting spankings—I get off on them. Since I met Ben, I have dozens of orgasms. It feels as if I could write articles for magazines now.” She glanced over at her new husband. Even though his back was to them, Lana smiled.

Julia had never had that experience with a man, even in the mad-rush early days of a relationship. If only for an evening, she’d like to be that happy. She’d spent her life working hard, setting goals and working feverishly towards them. Her entire life was a to-do list. She was restless and dissatisfied. Or had been, until this evening. Now she was still restless, but she wasn’t dissatisfied.

“We’ll talk more about it when I get back. Honestly, though, I’m not sure where Master Marcus stands on all this. But I do know he’s very open to discussions.”

“He believes in having his orders followed and giving punishments if they’re not.”

“Oh.” Lana studied her. “You’ve learnt that already?”

When Julia didn’t answer, Lana turned a bit so they could talk a little more privately and said, “I trust Master Marcus implicitly. He and Ben have been friends for years. But, more than that, I scened with him a few months ago.”

Julia didn’t know what to say.

“He wields a mean tawse. It’s not something my master typically uses.”

Obviously noting the way she narrowed her eyes in confusion, Lana went on, “It’s not unusual for some Doms to have a particular implement they prefer to use. Master Marcus makes his own tawses. He told me you have to be very deliberate with how you use it. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really listening at that point. I just wanted to feel it, not hear about it.” Lana made a show of rolling her eyes, after first checking that neither man could see her. “It’s something to do with how you hold it and how you swing it. All I know is he’s very strong, and he pays a lot of attention to where he stands and how long he takes. He’s… I don’t know the best word. Maybe controlled.”

“Ben let this happen?”

“He was there the whole time,” Lana said, fanning herself. “And the sex we had that night when we got home and he saw how red my ass was from a spanking another man had given me? Holy hell, was it hot.”