"Okay," Rhea said, stepping back to let the woman in. "I don't suppose I want to ask how it is Tee knew to call you, do I?"
"We go to the same spa and health club. I have to tell you that Tee is something else. She bends like a pretzel."
"Oh, jeez, now there's an image I want burned out of my memory. I'll never be able to look Tee in the eye again," Ace said as he joined them.
Beullah smiled. "You must be Ace. Tee told me to give you an extra hard time."
"I'm sure she did, just as I'm sure you will."
Rhea had to admit she didn't like the way Beullah was looking at Ace, like a starving woman staring at a steak.
Beullah waltzed into the living room and placed her bag on the coffee table. "Tee said she liked the two of you a lot and that you were ready to get more adventurous in your relationship, so here I am."
"Pardon?" Rhea asked.
Beullah waved her hand. "Oh, don't be bashful. I've worked with lots of couples who have gotten bored with the missionary position and are looking for new ways to spice up their sex. I had this couple once who started out normal as pie, and the next thing I knew, they had more body piercings than Marilyn Manson and Christina Aguilera combined. He really liked feeling the cat-o'-nine-tails whip across his pe--"
"TMI," Ace said quickly, cutting her off. "Way too much information for me."
Rhea agreed completely, but couldn't resist teasing him. "I don't know, Ace. That sounds like fun. Sure you don't want to give it a try?"
"Nothing painful comes near the area," he said, indicating his entire groin. "Nothing."
"Now, now," Beullah said as she unzipped her bag. "You two have to learn to trust each other. That's rule number one about being a couple. If you're to have a healthy relationship, you have to learn to express your needs and fears to each other without dread or inhibition."
So that was the story Tee was using for this. Rhea and Ace were supposed to be a couple wanting to add spice to their sex life. Nice lie. Tee could have filled them in on it first.
"Well," Rhea said wistfully, "you know how it goes. Even the hottest piece of cheese eventually goes bad. I never thought I'd get bored with Ace, but look at him...My cheddar turned into Gouda on me."
"Hey, I resent that." Ace's tone was offended. "I'm not the prude here. You're the one who walks around in shirts buttoned all the way up to your nose and pants or long skirts. You know it wouldn't hurt you to wear a miniskirt and low-cut blouse once in a while."
Rhea arched her brow at that. Ace had been paying attention to her clothes. Who knew?
"Now, now," Beullah said in a voice that held the full authority of a woman used to being in charge. "There's no need in blaming each other. Two days with me and you two will know all there is to know about how to make each other beg for your attention."
She opened her bag wider and searched through plastic bags. "You," she said to Ace. "Take off your clothes."
He went completely stiff. "Bullshit."
Beullah pulled out a whip. "Take off your clothes, slave. Now."
"No."
She snapped the whip at Ace, who caught it without flinching when it wrapped itself around his forearm. "Whips don't do it for me, baby. I'm not a lion and you're not going to tame me like one." He jerked the whip out of her hands.
Beullah looked at him with a newfound respect. She glanced over to Rhea. "You certainly have your hands full, huh?"
"You've no idea."
Beullah retrieved her whip.
"C'mon, Ace," Rhea said. "Time to play."
He growled low in his throat before he started unbuttoning his shirt.
Beullah smiled approvingly. "That's it, Rhea. You have to take charge of your slave and show him who's boss." Beullah unzipped her sweatshirt top.
Rhea's eyes bulged as she realized that beneath that average outfit, Beullah wore a leather corset that had studded metal cups that covered her breasts.
Beullah acted as if there were nothing unusual about her state of dress. "First thing you have to do, Rhea, is get used to your role as mistress. You need to be completely comfortable in this."
Beullah pulled her pants off. She wore a pair of black fishnets that were held up by bloodred ribbons. The back of the corset was a thong that left more of Beullah exposed than Rhea had ever wanted to see.
Rhea could feel herself gaping. "I could never feel comfortable in that."
"Sure you could," Beullah and Ace said at once.
"No, really," Rhea insisted. "How about a T-shirt and..." Her voice trailed off as Beullah pulled out three small plastic baggies.
"This should fit. Tee gave me your size and told me to pick out something extra rough."
Beullah opened one bag and handed Rhea two pieces of something she would have sworn was an arm sling...for a very small child.
"Don't be bashful," Beullah said. "I'm sure Ace has seen you naked enough not to care, and you haven't got anything I don't." She looked at her speculatively. "At least I hope you don't, and even if you do, I'm sure I've seen it on someone else."
Yeah...Little did Beullah know Ace had never seen her undressed in either of their lives. But then Bender would have the same problem. She was going to have to wear this for not only a complete stranger, but a demented one at that.
Okay, Rhea, you can do this.
No, I can't.
Yes, you can. Do it.
Determined to go through with this, she started for her bedroom. At times she really, truly hated her job, and now she knew why she'd given up fieldwork to begin with.
It sucked.
"And don't forget this." Beullah handed her another red-tinted plastic bag and a smaller bag.
Rhea was too scared to even look at what it contained. Ignoring Ace, who watched her with a hot, intense stare, she crept to her room down the hallway, where she would hopefully find her courage lurking someplace.
By the time she was dressed in the tiny, shiny PVC halter top and thong bottom, Rhea had almost convinced herself that this wasn't so bad. After all, women wore less than this on beaches in Rio.
Not that much less, but somewhat less.
Of course it would help if the bottom wasn't crawling into places the good Lord never meant neoprene to touch. Rhea opened the bags to find a pair of fishnet stockings and six-inch-spike-heeled PVC boots. Oh, yeah, these looked lethal.
And poor Ace thought his padded handcuffs would be used.
"How long have you two been dating?" Beullah asked while Ace waited without his shirt on for Rhea to return.
He kept his arms folded over his chest, wondering what Rhea would look like when she came back.
"Three years," he said to Beullah's question. The first rule of lying was to stick close to the truth. Since he'd known Rhea that long, it seemed a safe guess.
"Do you love her?"
Rule number two, answer question with question and let the other person draw their own conclusions. "What's not to love?"
Beullah went to her bag and pulled out a pair of tiny leather briefs. "You know, this is what you're supposed to wear."
He curled his lip at the thought of that little thing strapped onto him. "I'd rather keep my pants on, thank you."
She clucked her tongue at him. "Aren't you more sexually adventurous than that?"
If it were only a sexual relationship, the answer would be hell no. Unfortunately, more than a relationship was at stake here. If Rhea didn't at least act as if she knew what she was doing, she'd end up killed, and since he was the one who had gotten her into this...
Expelling a disgusted breath, he grabbed the briefs from Beullah and realized brief was definitely the key word. He might as well be covering a watermelon with a Band-Aid.
Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but that's what it felt like.
Ace headed for the open door in the hallway that led to Rhea's bathroom. Ignoring the feminine pink-and-white-flowered decor, he closed the door, then pulled his shoes, socks, and pants off.
Just as he re
ached for his briefs, the door opened.
Rhea froze at the unexpected sight of Ace completely naked in her bathroom. Her heart hammering, all she could do was gape.
Hello. He was glorious!
It wasn't as if she hadn't known he'd have a great body. She did. But this...
This was heaven. He was so toned, she could see every tendon of muscle. His skin was deep tawny and inviting. Warm and delectable.
He made her mouth water.
And as she stared at him, she realized he was growing hard even before her eyes.
He cursed an instant before he grabbed a pink towel off her counter and covered himself. "Did you need something, Rhea?"
"Damned if I remember what it was now," she confessed. "I have to say, seeing you naked has totally reviled me to utter stupefaction."
He scoffed at that. "Yeah, well, I have to say, I'm enjoying the view myself."
It was time to teach this man a lesson. Rhea narrowed her eyes on him two seconds before she stepped forward and grabbed the towel he was holding. Before she could stop herself, she jerked it free.
"Hey!" Ace snapped as she danced away with it.
Laughing, she ran out of the bathroom with Ace in hot pursuit. They both skidded to a halt as they entered the living room and saw Beullah looking intimidating in her role as mistress.
Rhea didn't protest Ace's taking the towel back and wrapping it quickly around his hips.
"I'll get you later for that," he whispered before he vanished back into the bathroom.
"Good, good, good," Beullah said. "You should play with your slave. Torment him until he knows who the boss is."
Yeah, but in this relationship, Rhea wasn't sure she was any more his boss than he was hers. It seemed to be a mutual game of one-upmanship.
Beullah handed her a cat-o'-nine-tails that was made out of velvet and feathers. It looked more like a cat toy than something designed for sexual stimulation.
Ace returned with the towel wrapped around his hips.
Beullah frowned at him. "Did the briefs not fit?"
"Not in my opinion."
Before either of them could move, Beullah whipped the towel free of his hips to expose the leather briefs.
Rhea burst out laughing.
"Hey!" Ace snapped. "Galaxina, I didn't laugh at you."
"I'm so sorry. That just doesn't look right." And it didn't. Something was profoundly wrong with a man as tough as Ace Krux wearing what amounted to a leather Speedo.
"Who is Galaxina?" Beullah asked.
Rhea struggled to subdue her laughter. "A very cheesy sci-fi movie with Dorothy Stratten."
Beullah humphed, then dropped the towel. "Now we need to set a few ground rules. One, there should always be a safe word that the slave uses to let the master or mistress know when he or she has had enough. I think today we will use Pinocchio."
Amusement flashed across Ace's face. "Pinocchio? The boy made of...wood?"
Rhea rolled her eyes at him.
Beullah gave him a censoring glare. "You have something against Pinocchio, slave?"
"Well, no." He gave Rhea a playful look. "I just think it's an interesting choice."
"Okay, then," Beullah continued. "Just say Pinocchio to let Rhea know when she's hit you too hard. Remember, this is for fun and for arousal. The point of this isn't to actually hurt each other."
"Thank you, Lord," Ace said in a relieved tone. "Can I start this whole thing by saying Pinocchio now so that I can get dressed again?"
Rhea rolled her eyes at him.
Beullah looked around the living room. "Now Mistress Rhea, where should we tie up your slave?"
Rhea grinned wickedly with a thought. "The front yard for the neighbors to see?"
"Like hell."
Beullah laughed. "You two certainly have the relationship, don't you? All right, children. We'll start simple. The bedroom."
Ace didn't miss a beat. "Pinocchio."
Rhea put her hands on her hips. "Ace, c'mon, play nice."
Unready to face the Hun with the whip, Ace crossed his arms over his chest and followed Beullah and Rhea to the bedroom in back. He paused in the doorway as he took in the white and pink perfection of Rhea's domain. It was innately feminine.
Better still it was innately Rhea, right down to the soft, sweet scent of her perfume that hovered in the air.
His body stirred instantly and it was all he could do not to close his eyes and just inhale the seductive scent.
"We bought these last night." Rhea handed Beullah the bag full of their toys.
Beullah scoffed at them, "Those are for amateurs."
Ace scoffed back, "Consider me an amateur."
As he reached for the velvet-lined handcuffs, Beullah pulled them away. "You are a very bad slave." She handed the whip to Rhea. "Punish him."
Rhea burst out laughing. "I don't think I can do this. I really don't. I'm just not dominatrix material."
"You have to get into the mind-set. Close your eyes."
Rhea looked at Ace. "Cover me if she makes a weird move?"
"You got it."
Rhea closed her eyes as Beullah came up behind her. "Now picture yourself as the ultimate goddess. You have to embrace your inner womanhood and know that you rule the world."
Rhea could see herself as empress of the universe.
"Imagine men lining up to do your every bidding. You have the power to make them want you. To need you. To do anything to get your approval."
A woman could cozy up to that idea.
"Now open your eyes."
She did and Beullah handed her the whip.
"Now make him serve you!"
Rhea stiffened her spine. "Get on your knees, Ace."
"Pinocchio."
"There is no Pinocchio for you!" Rhea cracked the whip, which would have been more effective had it been made of something other than velvet and feathers.
Ace felt completely ridiculous as he did what she ordered. But then she had to get used to this. Her life would depend on her being able to convince Bender that she was a dominatrix.
What was a little damaged ego if it saved her life?
"Now grab his hair and pull his head back."
Rhea complied.
Ace stared up at her dark, sinister glare.
It lasted about three seconds before she burst out laughing. She rubbed his head where her hand had been gripping his hair. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"No," he said honestly.
"Dominate him, Rhea!"
The problem was Rhea didn't want to dominate him. In truth, she wanted to kiss him as she stared at him looking up at her. She knew this had to be humiliating for him and yet he was going along with it.
For her.
"It's okay, Rhea," he said charitably. "Think of all the times I've pissed you off and you wanted to choke the life out of me."
Strange, as he knelt there, she couldn't think of a single instance. More as if they were all an amalgam, but no one incident stood out as being all that heinous.
"This isn't about violence," Beullah said as she watched them. "It's about trust. You don't want to hurt him, Rhea, you want to pleasure him. You have to learn what his pressure points are and learn to pull back just before you really do hurt him." Beullah took the whip and showed her how to wield it.
Rhea practiced for a few minutes until she got the wrist action down that would enable her to slap the velvet and feathers against him until they made a popping sound.
"Now make him crawl into the bed."
Yeah, right.
"Jump up, Baby Judy, jump up," Rhea said, using the reference from her favorite Hawaiian Pups song. "Get on the bed."
But as Ace climbed up her comforter, all she could focus on was the glorious sight of his lean, hard body. She watched the muscles working in his back and legs as he positioned himself on her bed.
Yeah, now that was something a woman had dreams about.
"Let your fantasies go wild," Beullah whispered in her ear.
>
The only problem was, Rhea doubted seriously that the chubby arm's dealer would ever look that good in leather Speedos.
Ace, on the other hand...
That butt begged for a nip. All too well she could imagine peeling that leather abomination off that delectable flesh with her teeth. Exploring every inch of the man that it concealed with her fingers...
Her mouth.
Beullah handed her a pair of leather manacles. "Now tie him up."
Rhea approached the bed. "Turn over, slave."
Ace wasn't sure what to think as he obeyed. A foreign part of him found Rhea's commanding tone a bit sexy. The comfortable part of him rebelled at her orders.
Luckily he had enough sense to keep playing.
Rhea grabbed his hand and secured it to her bedpost. Her hair fell against his palm as she buckled him in. She had to have the softest hair he'd ever felt, and instead of that damned whip, he wished she'd climb over him and tease him with a beating from her hair.
She walked to the other side of the bed and buckled his other hand.
Ace tried for a quick grope, only to have Rhea give him a menacing frown before she had him all buckled in and unable to get up.
That was something that made him extremely nervous. "I have a question."
"Slaves don't have questions," Beullah snapped.
"Well, this one does. In case some catastrophic event occurs and you two drop dead, is there any way for me to get out of this on my own?"
Rhea laughed. "No, babe, so you better pray nothing happens to us."
"I can see the tabloid headlines now," he muttered.
Beullah clucked her tongue. "Maybe we should gag him."
Before Rhea could say no, Beullah pulled out this strange contraption with a bright orange ball in the center.
Rhea shook her head at it. "Oh, that just looks cruel."
Beullah swung it back and forth by a leather chord as she studied Ace. "You sure you don't want to try it?"
Ace snorted. "No way that's going into my mouth until I see something legal saying it's been thoroughly sterilized and detoxed."
Rhea agreed with that, not to mention she couldn't get Bender to talk if he was wearing a gag. "I think we'll pass on that."
Her face disappointed, Beullah put it back in her bag. Then over the next two hours, she went about explaining the psychology and toys of dominance to Rhea, whose head felt as if it were going to explode from information overload.
Just before lunch, Beullah decided to call it a day.
"I'll just head on back home," she said to Rhea. "And let the two of you practice in private for a while. It'll take you a little time to get really comfortable. Just remember, baby steps. Tomorrow I'll bring some of the more interesting toys."
Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down Page 5