Playtime is Over (Red Velvet Rope)

by Nadia Aidan

  “You underestimate her and in doing so, you see her the way you want to see her, but not as she really is. I agree that no, she does not exhibit pure Domme tendencies, but she does revel in her power over another. I suspected she was a switch, now I know for sure, which is something I know she didn’t even realize, and obviously you didn’t either.”

  Josh’s eyes narrowed. “And you got all that from what? Her human resources application?”

  “Her eyes,” Erik replied, ignoring Josh’s smug retort. “When she came here she was haunted, sad, broken.”

  Erik jerked his head toward the television. “Now look at her. She is alive, vibrant, nothing like the woman I met just a few weeks ago. When I looked at her, I knew what she was, and I knew she would thrive given the right sub and the right circumstances.”

  Erik could not have wounded him greater had he shoved a knife into his heart. He’d been the one to break Sonya, to put that sad, haunted look in her eyes, the same one he’d glimpsed beneath the fury the night she’d ended their affair. He swallowed the knot of shame welling in his throat. Only after she’d left had he realized just how important she was to him, just how much she meant to him. But worse than that, he hated that a stranger had seen what he hadn’t, had discovered something that he should have known about Sonya long ago if only he’d been paying closer attention to her needs, and not just his own.

  He wanted a chance to explain to her why he’d done what he’d done, why he’d failed to see the truth that had been staring him in the face all along.

  Did he love her? He could not say.

  Did he deserve her? Not in the least.

  But he just wanted the opportunity to set things right, if she would only let him.

  “You, Joshua Diaz, missed out, and now The Sanctuary has a new Mistress, one who I can promise you will soon be in high demand here.”

  Jealousy hummed through him, low and steady, causing the muscle in his jaw to twitch violently. He did not wish for Sonya, Mistress Anya, to be demanded by anyone, nor by any man who would eagerly do her bidding, who would beg for the honor of pleasing her, as that sub had done just minutes before.

  He studied Erik, his quiet anger starting to simmer, but in no way dissipating.

  “You’re trying to make me jealous.”

  Erik shrugged, but his eyes revealed the truth. He was up to something, and Joshua had a feeling Seth had his hand in this as well.

  “Believe me, if I wanted to make you jealous, I would have been far more blatant about it. After all, I have long been drawn to mocha-creamed beauties with golden eyes and raven hair.”

  The image of Cassandra suddenly materialized before Joshua. She’d been Erik’s last sub, the only one he’d ever maintained a long-term relationship with, until she’d abruptly ended things. Her skin was darker, her eyes a rare but strikingly beautiful topaz hue, but Erik was right. There had been an allure to Cassandra that clung to her, taunting all the Masters who’d had the pleasure of meeting her, the same magnetic allure Sonya possessed.

  “Stay away from her,” Joshua growled, earning a grin from Erik.

  “Who Sonya chooses is for her to decide, especially now, since you no longer can lay claim to her.”

  Another feral sound rumbled out of him, but Joshua held his tongue, because Erik was right. He no longer had any claim to her, but he planned to change that, starting now.

  With purposeful strides, Joshua crossed the room to leave. “I want an audience with her, tomorrow.”

  Erik’s brows lifted but he remained quiet.

  “You will present me to her tomorrow night—”

  “It will cost you.”

  Joshua glared at him. “I don’t care how much it costs. Tomorrow you will present me to her, no excuses.”

  * * * * *

  After her session with David, Sonya left the club, with only a message from Erik saying he would call her later.

  That had been over two hours ago, yet she still waited patiently, with a combination of trepidation and anticipation humming through her until she’d forced herself to take a bath in order to relax.

  The snug fit of leather hugging her body had long ago been removed, and she ran her sudsy hands across her smooth skin. The warm water from the bath helped ease the tension that still kept her wound tight, and with a soft sigh, she finally relaxed long enough to close her eyes and rest her head against the porcelain tub.

  In her quest to pleasure David, Sonya had neither sought nor claimed pleasure for herself. Alone now, with silence as her only companion, she allowed her hands to roam the expanse of her silken skin. Every place where her fingers touched, her body tingled, tiny flutters of pleasure dancing along her flesh.

  Her hands trailed across her thighs, her belly until they gently cupped her breasts. A moan filtered past her lips as she massaged the supple flesh, her body now quivering. She’d never imagined she could know such heightened arousal from watching another climax, knowing she was the one solely responsible for fulfilling his desires. The power of such knowledge was greater than realizing a man found pleasure because he was attracted to her, or because she pleased him with her mouth, her hands, even her pussy. Sonya was beginning to understand the sexual gratification a Domme experienced in knowing a man had not once laid eyes upon her, his hands had never touched her and yet she’d brought him to the pinnacle of completion.

  One hand slipped from her breast to settle between her thighs and she shuddered when her finger brushed across the tiny nub of her clit. She replayed the scene from earlier while stroking her clit harder. With his identity hidden beneath a mask, she had not glimpsed his face, so now she fought to imagine the harsh, handsome angles of his features. But after several minutes, and her waning arousal, she let out a cry of frustration.

  She could not imagine his face, and even if she could, her traitorous body only seemed to shiver with anticipation when she imagined another.

  Joshua.

  His image was met with the searing fire of anger, melding with the serrated edge of pain that threatened to tear her apart. Feelings she’d staunchly tried to stem welled up inside her. Like many times before, she could have succumbed to the crushing weight of anger and pain, yet in this space, alone with her arousal thrumming a steady, pounding staccato through her needy body, her desire overwhelmed everything else.

  The pink folds of her pussy were soft and delicate beneath her hands as she teased her flesh, sliding her fingers through the cream that leaked from her core. A soft sigh slipped past her lips as arousal coiled hotter and tighter in her belly.

  For a flickering moment she wondered how Joshua would react if he knew what she’d done tonight—masquerading as a Domme, and succeeding in her role. She’d pleasured another submissive and fooled Erik, a Dom who hadn’t recognized her submissive nature. Joshua would be furious, he’d be shocked.

  Pretty much in all other areas of her life she was fiery and ballsy, but she could admit that when it came to Joshua and sexual matters between them, she’d always deferred to him. He probably considered her a bit of a pushover, he certainly would never imagine she’d taken on the role of a Mistress and commanded another. She still wasn’t entirely sure if she was a switch. What she was certain of, however, was that she’d enjoyed every moment of tonight and she was eager to do it again.

  She was eager to make another man submit before her, to make him beg for his pleasure. She was eager to make Joshua submit to her, make him beg for her to pleasure him.

  Sonya started at the notion. She had no idea where the thought had sprung from, but beyond shocking her, she did not mistake the distinct rush of warmth now flooding her pussy.

  Joshua submitting before her?

  Her mind conjured him on his knees, with his wrists bound, pleasuring her with his lips, his tongue, and all at her command.

  The image was intoxicating, and Sonya clenched her eyes tighter as she strummed her clit harder and faster. Hot juices now poured from her weeping cunt, molten fire raging from h
er belly up her spine until it fanned out to every corner of her body. Her impending climax began to wind through her and she arched up from the tub, water sloshing over the sides.

  Her body raged like a wildfire as she fantasized about Josh licking the lips of her cunt, his tongue probing in and out while she gripped the back of his head, holding him there, forcing him to please her, to submit to her will. A cry slipped past her parted lips at the same time her orgasm slammed into her rocking body.

  She imagined she exploded into tiny pieces of multicolored confetti as fireworks went off behind her shut eyelids. Pleasure stormed through her, laying waste to the last of her control as her pussy poured forth the evidence of her desire.

  It was a long while before she was capable of breathing normally. And the sexual tension that filled her body right after orgasm had only just begun to ease from her taut frame, when the shrill sound of the phone ringing snapped her out of her euphoric haze.

  She shot up out of the tub, heedless of her naked, wet state. Entering her bedroom by the fourth ring, she grabbed the cordless off her bed and answered.

  “Hello.” She sounded breathless, her voice unsteady, and the caller must have noticed because they hesitated for longer than usual on the other end.

  “Hello, may I speak with Sonya Montoya please?”

  The deep, masculine voice was familiar. “Speaking.”

  “Hi, Sonya, this is Erik. I wanted to call you before it was too late. Do you have a moment?”

  She smiled against the receiver. “Hi, Erik. Sure. What’s going on?”

  “Well, I wanted to talk to you about tonight, and a proposition that has arisen in light of your performance this evening…”

  Chapter Four

  The Sanctuary was very different from The Red Velvet Rope. The Red Velvet Rope was a place of seduction. The Sanctuary paid homage to the act of submission—and Joshua had never been on the other side before.

  Naked and bound, his arms were cuffed to the headboard of the red satin bed, while his ankles were wrapped in leather buckles and secured to the chains that rested at the foot of the bed.

  A man used to calling the shots, to having his every command heeded, these unchartered waters made his gut knot with dread.

  He was apprehensive of the unknown, and of what Sonya would do to him when she entered and discovered he was her submissive for the evening, and for the next four nights after that.

  A small grin curved his lips, although he did not see much humor in his situation. He’d put himself at her mercy, knowing she could exact the full measure of her wrath upon him and there would be nothing he could do to stop her.

  He’d taken every measure of power as a submissive, and given it all to her. No video cameras. He’d refused a safe word and the security guards were instructed to open the door on her command alone.

  Joshua was completely at her mercy, and for some odd reason, that pleased him. He’d never given his power over to another, and after this experience, he doubted he ever would again, except with Sonya—only for Sonya.

  She meant more to him than he was capable of voicing, yet he wanted her to know his feelings ran deeper than sexual attraction.

  For all intents and purposes, he was putting his life into her hands and saying he trusted her completely to safeguard it. That had to mean something. He just hoped Sonya realized that.

  His gaze had been riveted on the bondage objects and tools of discipline hanging from the wall, but at the sound of footsteps he turned his attention to the door, and with his heart pounding wildly in his chest in anticipation of who and what was to come, he waited…

  * * * * *

  It was déjà vu.

  Sonya wore the same attire that hugged her figure so tightly that the leather made soft swishing sounds every time her thighs rubbed together. Her feet were clad in the same knee-high platform boots and with each step she took the heavy clicking reverberated all the way down the hallway.

  And just like the night before she followed Erik toward the room where tonight’s sub waited.

  “You remember the rules?” Erik questioned when he came to a stop just beyond the doorway leading into the same room she’d been in last night.

  She nodded. This evening’s sub had provided specific instructions, all of them odd.

  “No safe word, and regardless of his demands the guards will only unlock the door upon my command.” She glanced at the two burly men who stood watch outside the door. With their muscular arms folded across barreled chests, they stared straight ahead as if she and Erik did not exist.

  “There also will be no video cameras,” Erik added. “And he is not wearing a mask. Are you certain you are fine with that?”

  Many of the subs who came to The Sanctuary, particularly the men, preferred that their identities remain anonymous to their Dommes. She understood their need for discretion. Many of them were wealthy, powerful businessmen who were justified in wanting to ensure others were not privy to what went on in their private lives. She could respect that.

  “It’s fine. Is that all?” she asked Erik when she tried to enter the room, but he remained rooted in his position before the door.

  “He has requested five sessions, but he is adamant that he will not submit full payment until all five are completed.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “That’s not your typical policy.” With the lifestyle, and in this business, especially with those new to it, there was a tendency for some to renege after a session—that was why payment was always taken up front.

  “I know,” he admitted with an almost sheepish smile. “But he is a close associate and I trust him.”

  That was news to Sonya. During their phone conversation last night, Erik had not mentioned he knew the sub personally—only that the man had heard of her and refused to submit to any other Domme but her.

  “I will not disappoint him then,” Sonya assured, voicing what she assumed Erik was implying—that this sub was a VIP so she’d better take care of him. She hadn’t been nervous before, but now…

  “That I know him is not important. I have faith in your instincts, that is why I hired you. I only mentioned our relationship so that you will understand why everything about this scenario is different.”

  Sonya studied Erik with shrewd eyes. He was not telling her something. She started to question him, but just as quickly as she parted her lips, he dismissed himself and turned away.

  “Good luck tonight, Sonya, and just remember there are no cameras. So whatever you do will between you and your sub. But if ever you feel uncomfortable all you need to do is ask the guards to let you out, and they will not hesitate.”

  Her gaze followed after Erik until he disappeared within the shadows of the darkened hallway. She was now convinced he was definitely hiding something.

  What was it? She had no idea, but there was only one way to find out.

  With a final glance at the two silent guards who bracketed the doorway, she twisted the doorknob and stepped inside. The sharp click that followed the shutting door signaled it was now locked.

  Everything appeared the same as the night before, the muted light of faux candlelight and the tools of bondage hanging innocently from their posts along the wall.

  She let her gaze slip across the room until finally she allowed it to settle on the object that fascinated her the most.

  Him.

  She could not see his face, only the naked contours of his body, which was spread-eagle across the red satin bed. Unlike the night before, her stride was sure this time as she crossed the room toward the bed.

  The moment she came to a stop at the end, she recognized him. A number of reactions must have coursed through her but Sonya noted none of them for she was frozen in time, in place, the shock holding her prisoner within her own body.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded when she finally recovered long enough to find her voice.

  “I needed to see you.”

  God, how the desperate rasp of his husky voice
stirred her heart. The sound of it pulled at her stomach until she was certain the organ was twisted in knots. Only Joshua had the power to affect her with just the deep, sensual sound of his voice, the effect more potent coupled with the longing in his eyes. She hadn’t expected his presence to wind her up like this, she’d never imagined seeing him again would do this to her. His power over her was still overwhelming, even though he was bound. Sonya was shocked that she even had to curl her hands into fists to stem her desire to touch his face, to caress his stubbled jaw and ease the dark circles that now shadowed the space beneath his eyes.

  “Well, you’ve seen me.” She stalked over to him and undid the restraints around one wrist, then moved to the other side of the bed and undid the other. Sonya did not stop until she’d removed all of his bindings and he was free. “And now that you have, you may leave.”

  “Sonya—”

  “Do not call me that! Do not say my name as if you care.”

  He stood so slowly that her gaze followed every twitching muscle fiber of his solid frame, until she was powerless beneath the onslaught of desire that claimed her. His hair was longer, brushing across broad shoulders, the muscles in his torso, his abdomen flexing with every step he took. She almost gasped, but forced it down at the last moment when her gaze slipped lower and she was greeted by the swelling length of his cock, arrowing straight at her and leaking with liquid arousal.

  A moan fought its way through her chest, but she swallowed that back too, even as she could not deny the effect he had on her as her nipples drew stiff and tight, her breasts suddenly heavy with arousal, as her body also wept with liquid desire until the lips of her pussy were slick and wet.

  Joshua was advancing on her, and she found herself backing away until she realized what she was doing.

  “Stop,” she demanded, halting her own retreat. He drew up short, his eyes widening until he seemed to accept her command as if he too finally realized where he was. He held out his hand, almost helplessly, until he was forced to let it drop when she didn’t so much as take an inch of a step toward him.