FrankenDom

  “Rae, are you okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” I told her with a tremulous sigh. “I just didn’t realize how hard it would be to live so far away from all of you.”

  She promised to come see me at Christmas. She was so excited, I didn’t tell her it might not be wise to book flights since I might not be here then.

  This morning, I finally watched the scene on the flash drive, and it shredded my heart to pieces. It reminded me how desperately I wanted Colin and Julian back, how hollow and lonely I was without them. I missed working with them. I missed having meals with them. I missed playing with them.

  But I just couldn’t be around them right now or I’d do or say something I might regret, and I’d have no idea what that something was until it came tumbling out of me and I couldn’t take it back.

  Ready to jump out of my skin, I went across the corridor into the punishment room and turned on the lights. Without a naked Julian or a cane-wielding Colin to bring it to life, it was back to being just a BDSM stage with a bunch of lifeless props in it. I disliked the way it smelled now—the hints of leather, antiseptic and damp stone brought the memories of Julian’s beating too vividly to life.

  Feeling as though I were trespassing, I walked slowly around the room, trailing my fingertips over the various leather-covered pieces of furniture and trying to imagine myself draped over them, or locked in one of the very sturdy-looking cages. I wasn’t successful.

  Approaching the wall with trepidation, I threaded my fingertips through the flat black tails of a flogger much like the one Master Rod had planned to use on me once upon a time. Suede, I thought, soft and fine. Would it have hurt? Probably not much, unless he swung it really hard. Would pain do it for me as completely as submitting did? Would it send me to the same place that playing kinky games with Julian and Colin did? Or did I need them to get me there?

  The rush of intense yearning startled me. I wanted to try it. I needed to see if I could reach that headspace, where everything was suddenly easy and clear, without the men I loved so much.

  “May I help you with anything, Rachel?”

  I turned to find Vince in the doorway to the mad scientist lab, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. How long had he been watching me?

  After biting my pursed lips for a moment, I told him, “Possibly.”

  Turning back to the wall, I sifted my fingers through the sparse tails of a multi-colored flogger. They were braided, and knotted near the ends. I imagined those probably hurt quite a bit, especially in the hands of a ruthless sadist.

  The tickle of desire I experienced at the idea startled me.

  Fighting the feeling I was somehow cheating on Julian and Colin, I said, “Tell me about these, Vince.”

  “All right.” He came to stand beside me, taking down each of the floggers one by one and explaining the differences between them—which were stingy, which were really stingy, which could be thuddy, and which would make me seriously consider safe-wording. As I’d suspected, the soft one was more for sensation than real pain play.

  Then we moved on to slappers, crops, paddles, and canes, which, once he started talking about them, I found even more fascinating. I was irresistibly drawn to the ones Colin had used on Julian.

  “Have you ever had any of this used on you?” I asked.

  He grinned. “All of them, some just about every day. I’m not actually a badass Dom, you know—I just play one on TV.”

  “You’re a sub?” I asked, wide-eyed.

  “To the bone. Pun intended, of course.”

  I smiled. “Well you certainly had me fooled. You’re a better actor than the real Vincent Price.”

  “I’m as real as he is, Rachel,” Vince said dryly.

  “Sorry, you know what I mean.” I tilted my head. “So do you have a Dom—or is it Domina?”

  “I do,” he said with a coy look. “He’s a mean-ass German surgeon named Dirk Hauptman.”

  “Dirk?” I blinked. “Does that mean you’re…”

  “Lovers,” he confirmed. “I’m mostly gay. He’ll fuck anyone who can’t get away.”

  “Is anything I thought I knew about you true?” I asked with wide eyes.

  “I am Julian’s personal assistant, if that makes you feel any better.”

  “Well thank God.” Then I thought of the flash drive. “So you’re the one who recorded me, huh?”

  “Does that bother you?”

  I considered it. “Actually, no. I mean, it’s not like you’d be jerking off to it or anything.”

  “What makes you think that?” he asked with a slight smile. “I’ll jerk off to just about anything, and power exchange does it for me no matter who’s topping whom. Frankly, Rachel, watching Dirk turn you on while he scared the shit out of you was off-the-rails hot, and your submission to Julian was something I felt privileged to witness. I’m hoping you’ll give me a copy of that night. You have my word it will never wind up on the internet.”

  My heart squeezed uncomfortably. “I’ll think about it.”

  “So what are you really here for, Rachel McBride?” he asked with a penetrating look. “What do you need?”

  I glanced up at the wall. “Have you ever used these on anyone?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes. As a masochist, I have no problem dispensing pain to those who enjoy it.” His eyes narrowed a bit. “Julian isn’t much for whips but I’m sure Colin would be more than happy to administer your first flogging.”

  “He might,” I said, though I wasn’t so certain after his ordeal with Julian. “But this is something I think I need to experience on my own. Without them.”

  “They might not agree.”

  “They’re not in any position to agree or disagree,” I said flatly, refusing to feel guilty. “I need this. My head is buzzing with all these conflicting voices, and I just can’t seem to relax or focus on anything.”

  “You need to feel more centered?”

  I sighed. “That’s it exactly.”

  Vince regarded me silently for a moment. “I’ll have to talk to Dirk first. I assume you want to do this fairly soon?”

  “Now wouldn’t be too soon for me. I’m going out of my mind.”

  “Not necessarily the proper headspace for agreeing to your maiden beating,” he pointed out.

  “It’s the only headspace I’ve got at the moment. Please,” I added.

  He pulled out his cell phone and called Dirk, explaining briefly what I wanted and then listened for a couple of minutes while I vibrated with tension. Finally he hung up. “Dirk said it was okay but to wait for him. He’ll be here in twenty minutes.”

  Finally I relaxed. “That’s fine.”

  “He’d do it all, if you’d rather. He’s a hell of a lot more experienced than I am.”

  Something in me balked. “I’d rather have you,” I said quickly.

  Vince smiled. “Excellent. It’s about damn time I got off the sidelines.”

  * * * * *

  “Are you certain this is what you want, Rachel?” Dirk asked, standing before me with his arms crossed. He still looked forbidding, but knowing he was Vince’s lover reassured me somehow. Fun, easy-to-talk-to Vince wouldn’t sleep with anyone too cruel, right?

  Ignoring a little niggle of guilt, I said, “I’m positive.”

  “All right then, pick out everything you want to try and bring it to me.”

  I picked out a couple of floggers, including the one with the knots in it, a leather paddle, a slapper, and the two dreadful canes.

  Vince shook his head. “I won’t use the canes on you. I haven’t had enough experience and I don’t think you’re ready.”

  “One from each would probably be enough,” I said. “I just need to know what they’re like.”

  “I’ll handle those,” Dirk said.

  “Fine.” I looked around a little self-consciously. “Do I need to be naked?”

  “Naked is best if you want to get a true feel for all of these, but you can leave your socks on
if you want to,” Vince said, plucking yet another flogger off the wall. “And I’d suggest that you be bound. If you’re going to fly, that’s probably the only way you’ll get there.”

  I undressed quickly, and then at the last second, took my socks off, too—I felt more conspicuous with them on. My good girl and my bad girl were singing a bad idea duet, but I shut them down. If I didn’t, I’d never have any clarity.

  Vince wasted no time cuffing my wrists into a large metal frame and drawing them up with a rope pulley until there was just a little play. When I asked why the frame instead of one of the crosses, he explained, “Since you want to try so many different implements, it’s best for me to have access to both sides.”

  That made me bite my lip. My sensitive nipples still hadn’t forgotten their introduction to the violet wand.

  Vince cuffed my feet far enough apart on the cool stone floor that I felt vulnerable but not physically uncomfortable and then rubbed my back reassuringly. It was different, being nude while he and Dirk were both dressed, especially knowing they were a couple. The awareness that nobody was waiting to get it on with me took the edge off, and not necessarily in a good way.

  Standing where I could see him, Vince stretched his arms and shoulders and took a few minutes to swing the flogger he’d picked up through the air. “This one’s deerskin. Makes a better warm-up. Floggers work best on the upper body in an upright position, especially since I’m taller and you’re not wearing fuck-me heels.”

  “Gotcha.”

  “Ready?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “Dirk will keep an eye on you to make sure you don’t fly off too far to safe-word.”

  Rather than hitting me, he dragged the flogger across my skin, trailing it over my shoulders and arms, letting the tails trickle over me like water. At his instruction, I’d gone back across the hall and put my hair up in a clip while we waited for Dirk, and now the feel of the cool leather sliding over the nape of my neck gave me chills.

  Then the tails sprayed across my back, and though it didn’t really hurt, I jumped at the sound.

  “This one’s bark is much worse than its bite.” He started with very light brushstrokes on my back, working in a slow, steady rhythm that I found distinctly enjoyable. When he put a little more strength into the blows, painting warmth across my shoulders and back, I sighed, closing my eyes and sagging into the cuffs just a bit. If it were Colin behind me, doing this to me, I’d be in heaven.

  Then the tails snapped around my ribs and I gasped at the sting.

  “That was just an example of why you want to be careful not to let the tails wrap around,” Vince said.

  He moved around to the front. “Reach up and grab the frame.”

  When I complied, he teased the tender skin of my underarms, making me jump and giggle until the skin began to heat. When he moved down, I bit my lip, trying not to moan as the soft tails repeatedly licked over my nipples. It was embarrassing to realize I was very wet already. When had that happened?

  Vince hummed thoughtfully, maintaining a smooth, even rhythm. “You have lovely breasts, Rachel. Dirk’s got a big hard-on for you right now.”

  He’ll fuck anyone who can’t get away. “Uh…”

  “Actually, it’s for you and your little whip, my boy,” Dirk drawled. “I should let you top pretty girls more often. Why aren’t you naked? Rachel should have a thing of beauty to appreciate too.”

  Vince immediately set down the flogger with a happy grin and tugged his T-shirt off over his head. “I feel better naked.”

  “I guess so,” I murmured, flushing when he bared his stiff cock.

  His grin broadened. “Told you power exchange does it for me no matter who’s playing.”

  Well that put a little edge back into the event.

  He switched to the flat, narrow slapper, tapping me at random spots, giving me just a little bit of sting. That was fine until he aimed it at my clit. Then I jumped, hissing at the burn.

  “Vince!”

  “Rachel!” he teased.

  “You’re gay!”

  “We’re both naked, I’ve got evil toys and you can’t get away,” he said. “I’m not supposed to play with your fun girl parts?”

  “No!”

  “Too bad. Safe-word if you can’t take it.” He did it again, and I swore, trying in vain to pull my knees together. If he kept that up, I might embarrass myself completely.

  “That will be enough of that,” Dirk said severely. “If anyone gets to play with her defenseless little cunt, it’s me.”

  “You never let me have any fun,” Vince complained without heat. He traded the slapper for the spare, knotted flogger. “This one’s got quite a bit more bite but I’ll go easy on you. Try to relax,” he added when I braced myself. “Bite can be very good when you’re sufficiently warmed up.”

  He returned to my back and shoulders, waiting a few second in between strikes to let the sting roll through me. It wasn’t long before I began to move in my restraints, biting my lip and dancing a little after each blow.

  “A little different sensation, isn’t it?”

  I blew out a breath. “Just a little.”

  When he moved around to my front again, he showed me yet another flogger, one with flatter, wider tails and more of them. “Getting more into thud here,” he warned.

  I nodded, bracing myself and trying to relax as he started in on my back and shoulders again. This one wasn’t as loud as the first one but it definitely packed more of a punch, reaching under my skin and into the muscle. It was like a hot, slapping, deep tissue massage that made me gasp and moan in an embarrassingly sexual way.

  “Had enough of that?” Vince asked.

  “Just a little more, please.”

  Though I was relaxed and thoroughly aroused, I didn’t feel like I was even close to sinking the way I had with Julian and Colin. When he used an oval wood paddle on my butt, the sting sent me up onto my toes several times, laughing at the stress of it to keep from crying.

  Dirk reached over and scrubbed his smooth hand over my buttocks. “You pink up very nicely, slut.”

  Like he’d thrown the magic switch, I started to sink. God, what did it for me? Was it the word slut? His proprietary touch? His guttural accent? Or just the knowledge that he was a “mean-ass” Dom?

  Whatever it was, I responded to it in a big way. Did I want to sink with Dirk? Did I trust him enough?

  Maybe it was time to find out.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Master Dirk, will you finish me, please?”

  “It would be my pleasure, little slut. But first let’s make a slight adjustment.” He turned the crank, lowering my wrists to about waist height. Then he unhooked my cuffed ankles from the frame and tugged my hips back until I was bent over, making me feel even more exposed.

  “It’s easier to target the amusing bits this way,” he told me with an evil grin.

  For some reason I grinned too. What was I thinking?

  Vince nudged my ankles shoulder-width apart and attached a black spreader bar to the cuffs, ensuring they’d stay apart. Then he stood beside me, sliding one hand under my stomach and resting the other on my low back. “I’ll help you stay in place, okay?”

  I took a deep breath. “Okay.”

  “I think you need an intermediary step before you play with the big toys,” Dirk informed me. “The paddle you picked is all sting, no thud.”

  He went over to the wall, picked up a rounded oak paddle and showed it to me. “Good?”

  I nodded, my stomach curling just a bit in thrilled anxiety. So far nothing had hurt nearly as bad as the spanking Julian had given me, but I had a feeling that was about to change. And I wanted it. A lot.

  “Sting first, then thud. Ten of each.”

  I looked at Vince. “Did he say ten?”

  The only warning I got was the whoosh of the leather paddle flying through the air the instant before it slapped my right butt cheek. It took a second for the hot sting to ki
ck in, but when it did…

  “Yeow!” It felt like a swarm of angry ants was biting my skin from the inside.

  By the time he delivered the last two stingers along the lower edge of my butt cheeks, tears streamed down my face and Vince was actively restraining me while I laughed and swore and shifted my weight from foot to foot.

  “How did you like that, slut?” Dirk asked, stepping up to rub my butt again. This time it hurt.

  “Call the fire department,” I gasped. “My butt’s blazing.” And the sinking sensation was gone as if it had never been.

  “The surface is a very pretty shade of red,” he agreed. “Now let’s see if we can add some depth to your discomfort. Your safe words, slave?”

  “Red and yellow.”

  “Use them when you reach your limit. That’s an order. I’m going to go lightly, but I’ve no doubt you’ll show a little bruising regardless.”

  I swallowed nervously. “Yes, Sir.”

  The first three or four weren’t as bad as I expected. They startled me, then they stung, then they ached, and then a burn built inside the muscle. It seemed like he hit the same areas over and over, and at five, I started to moan and flinch, bracing myself for the next one.

  “Don’t tense your buns or they’ll bruise more,” Vince warned me, smoothing his palm over my back and hips.

  I ignored him. There was no way I could relax when I knew what was coming, and I was actually kind of excited at the idea of having marks that would last for a while. They might be the last marks I got for a long time.

  Oddly, looking forward to seeing the marks made me relax, and I took the last four or five with only a few whimpers. My butt was still on fire and felt swollen to about five times its usual size, but the end was finally in sight.

  “You have two left. The rattan first,” Dirk said.