Shades of Pleasure: Five Stories of Domination and Submission

by Tawny Taylor

  Creepy.

  She almost turned around, called it a total wash and headed home, but then she heard her name, whispered, and she instantly recognized the voice.

  She stopped, held her breath, searching the deep shadows. Where were they hiding? “Damon, you dork. Are you two trying to scare me? Quit playing.”

  There. She heard something moving. She rushed forward, eager to touch her old friends, to give them a hug and thank them for the wonderful gift. But she stopped midstride, a scream shooting up her throat, when one of the enormous black cats from their show, wearing a sparkling red collar, stalked from the shadows, its glittering eyes fixed on her.

  Absolutely terrified, she froze in place. “D-Damon, I think one of your pets is loose,” she whispered, afraid to speak louder. Oh God, that animal was huge. Those paws. Those teeth!

  And then the cat stood up on its hind legs and the scream she’d been swallowing flew from her mouth. She whirled around and slammed into one hard male body. “Trey! Ohthankgod! Help me!”

  Trey smiled as he eased her around.

  The panther was gone. Damon stood in its place, dressed head to toe in black. The top two buttons of his crisp shirt were unfastened, revealing a vee of suntanned skin and a silver charm hanging from a thick chain. The panther’s glittering red collar lay in his outstretched hand.

  Blair let loose with a huge sigh. She accepted the proffered jewelry, which up close looked more like a choker and less like an animal collar. “Thank you. But you just about scared me to death.”

  “May I?” Damon asked, pointing at the jewelry.

  “Sure.” She dropped it in his hand.

  Damon’s eyes glittered with smoldering heat as he stepped closer to fasten the choker around Blair’s neck. It felt cold and heavy against her skin, even with the little flares of heat erupting beneath the surface. “Welcome, Blair.”

  “I’m so glad to see you two. I have so many questions, like how you—”

  Damon pressed his index finger against her lips, silencing her. “Later.” His gaze meandered down her body then slowly climbed back up. The corners of his mouth lifted into a naughty, predatory smile. “You look beautiful. You’ve always been beautiful, but you’ve changed. In a very good way.”

  Her cheeks had to be as red as the fiery stones in her new choker. She nervously fingered the jewels as she met his gaze. “Thanks. But I think most of the changes haven’t been for the better. You, on the other hand, both look amazing. You really…er, filled out.” That was an understatement.

  Damon looked very pleased by her compliment. “Thank you.” He motioned toward the far corner of the warehouse, which was completely cloaked in thick black shadows. “This way.”

  “I’m not sure if I’m liking the magic thing or not. Gotta admit, it’s a little strange. Scary, even.”

  “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Trey said behind her, gently coaxing her forward with a hand pressed to the small of her back.

  Little prickles danced up her spine. She would have shivered but she stopped herself. Somehow.

  A small part of her felt like bait being coaxed into a trap for a big, hungry feline. But a bigger part knew better. These two guys had been her soul mates. And even though it had been years since they’d last seen each other, she knew they wouldn’t hurt her.

  Damon flicked his hand and poof, a dozen candles or so lit instantaneously, illuminating a table draped in white and set for three. She had to give it to them, these guys had the magic thing down pat. Another flick of the hand and the warehouse was filled with the low, sultry sounds of jazz.

  And it looked as if they’d learned a thing or two about romance since she’d last seen them too.

  “This is so nice. Do I need to ask though, where the big, scary black cat is?”

  “He’s safely put away,” Trey reassured her, giving her a not-so reassuring smile. As Trey pulled out her chair, she noticed he was wearing an identical necklace to Damon’s. The silver disk flashed when he moved, catching the flickering light of a candle.

  They both held her chair as she sat and then Trey took the seat on her left, Damon the right. Damon poured her a glass of wine. Trey lifted the covers off her plates, revealing a full dinner, complete with salad, vegetables, loaded baked potato and some kind of beef. It looked and smelled delicious, which was too bad, because with her jangly nerves and twitchy insides, she knew she wouldn’t eat much.

  “Tell us,” Damon said, looking over the rim of his wineglass, “where have you been since you moved away? What have you been doing?”

  “I’m not saying a word until you tell me first,” she challenged, giving both of them a devious grin. “How’d you two end up with this gig? Magicians?”

  “Illusionists,” Trey corrected. “We decided the priesthood wasn’t for us.”

  “You were going to become priests?” Blair asked, her gaze shifting back and forth between her two charming, handsome hosts.

  They both nodded.

  “It sounded like a good idea at first,” Damon said as he lifted a forkful of potato to his mouth. “Free meals. Peace and quiet. Stability.”

  Now she could understand where they were coming from. None of those things had come easily to any of them, Blair included, as they’d been growing up. Instead, their lives had been full of screaming voices, chaos, instability and the kind of gut-burning hunger that few people in the United States could relate to.

  “But there was one big problem,” Trey added, his eyes sparkling with humor. “Neither of us believes in God.”

  She couldn’t help chuckling. “Yeah, I guess that would be a problem.”

  “So instead we decided we’d be illusionists,” Damon said.

  “A logical choice,” she said, laughing. “There’s gotta be lots of stability and peace with this career.”

  The guys joined her, and the sound of their laughter echoed through the huge warehouse.

  Sobering, she sipped some wine. “It’s so great to see you. I can’t tell you how many times I wondered where you were, what you were doing.”

  Damon reached for her hand, resting his on top of hers. “Same here. It took us a long time to find you.”

  “But you did. You looked for me. You found me.”

  “We couldn’t stop until we did.”

  Their gazes tangled, and the same sizzling chemistry they’d shared when they were younger zinged through the air and buzzed through Blair’s body. It was as if the years had rolled back and they’d just said goodbye yesterday.

  A hot tear slipped from the corner of Blair’s eye and dribbled down the side of her nose. Damon thumbed it away and Trey leaned closer, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders.

  Damon’s index finger traced her upper lip. “Tell me you’ve been okay all this time, because it was killing me that we weren’t there to take care of you.”

  “Once I left home it was okay. I’m doing okay. Renting a house in a pretty good neighborhood from a friend’s brother—got a great deal since he’s out of the country for a few years with the military—and I have a job that doesn’t involve taking off my clothes or schlepping food to customers. Considering everything, that’s pretty impressive. Right?” She lifted her right arm, threading her fingers through Trey’s, and leaned into his bulk, grateful for his strength and warmth. It had been a long time since she’d been held by a man. And even longer since she’d been held by a man she cared this much about.

  It was magical. She just hoped this magic wouldn’t prove to be all an illusion, fleeting and phony.

  Damon nodded. “It’s very impressive, what you’ve accomplished.” His expression changed. “Are you happy, Blair?”

  “Happy?” She considered her current situation, the okay-but-not-great job, and the okay car that ran more days than not, and the okay house she rented in the okay part of town. Considering the start she’d had, her life was damn good, even if she hadn’t been in a relationship with a man in years. Hadn’t had sex for even more because of
a very severe and persistent case of guilt she couldn’t shake, no matter how hard she tried. She’d long known there was something missing but hadn’t known what to do to change it. “I’m content most days. Some days, though, I want more.”

  “More what?” Damon asked, leaning closer.

  “More…living. More special, memorable moments.” She traced each of the three curved lines on his pendant, briefly wondering if the design had any special meaning. “Most of my minutes, hours, days, weeks, are the kind I don’t want to remember. They’re just blah, nothing special. But at least they aren’t the kind I have to force myself to forget either.”

  Damon’s gaze shot to the side, to Trey.

  “Why?” she asked. “What are you thinking? Why did you bring me here?”

  “We want to give you some special, memorable moments,” Trey answered, tightening his hold on her hand. The oddest sensation, a bizarre blend of hot and cold, swept through her body. His thumb stroked across her palm, sending the slightest quiver of heat up her arm. “Will you let us?”

  “I guess that depends. How long can you stay?”

  “Only a couple of weeks,” Damon answered.

  Her heart dropped to her toes.

  A couple of weeks. A couple meant two. That was only fourteen days at the most. How would she say goodbye after spending two weeks with her guys?

  How would she say goodbye after spending an hour?

  She couldn’t.

  “I understand,” she said, nodding. “I want to make the most of the time then. I’ll spend every moment I’m not at work with you.”

  Damon’s smile was more a pained expression than a gleeful one. “We were hoping you’d say that. Every minute is precious, which is why I can’t wait another second to do this…” He leaned closer, brushed his mouth over hers, and she swore the world stopped spinning for a split second. The universe stopped whirling and all the galaxies crashed together, creating a mighty explosion in her head.

  Oh God, how long had she been waiting for this moment?

  Eager to deepen the kiss, she released Trey’s hand and looped her arms around Damon’s neck. Turning in her chair to face Damon, she pulled until her chest was flattened against his. She parted her lips, inviting him inside with a moan. But he didn’t accept her invitation. Instead, he sprinkled torturously soft kisses over her mouth.

  She could see some things had not changed. “You tease,” she murmured against his mouth.

  “You love me anyway,” he whispered between kisses.

  Did he have that right!

  Trey decided right then was a grand time to skim his hands around her sides and lean into her back. She was now wedged snugly between the two sexiest, most amazing men in the universe, and she never wanted to leave. She gave a little mewl against Damon’s mouth, wishing her skirt wasn’t so snug around her thighs. For the first time in fifteen years a pounding heat was slowly gathering strength between her legs and she was in the perfect position to grind away that ache against Damon’s legs. If only she could part her legs.

  She knew it was just a matter of time before they were naked, their slick bodies gliding over one another. In a way, she’d known it since she’d taken her first look at them. She felt the heat in their gazes. Saw the desperate wanting they were trying so hard to hide.

  She wasn’t afraid or struggling too much with that awful, nagging guilt.

  “Damon,” she murmured, tightening her hold on his neck. “Please.”

  “Soon, sweetheart.” Leaning back, he gently unclasped her hands and lowered her arms. “Forgive me,” he whispered, looking as dazed and breathless as she felt.

  “Forgive you for what? For kissing me? Or stopping?” She shifted her weight back, once again letting Trey’s bulk support her as she sat sideways in her chair, facing Damon. They all knew where this was heading. Why fight it? If she wasn’t, after so much time had passed since she’d had sex, why should they?

  “There’s one more thing we want you to know before you decide whether you want to spend the next couple of weeks with us.”

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s easier to just show you.” Standing, Damon offered her a hand. She kicked off her shoes, knowing she was too shaken and wobbly to walk in them, and followed Damon around a towering stack of crates. Trey fell into step beside her, taking her free hand.

  They stopped in front of a collection of bondage furniture, set up in a corner of the warehouse that had been obviously set up as a bondage dungeon.

  Bondage? This couldn’t be a joke. She had no idea how to react, what to say. Taken totally by surprise, and nearly numb from the shock, she just stood there, her gaze wandering from one end of the room to the other.

  Most of the furniture was freakish. Ugly. Scary. But the room itself wasn’t ugly at all. On long lengths of wire strung along the walls hung swathes of red crimson fabric, from the ceiling to the floor. And the concrete floor had been covered in a plush red carpet. It was like fluffy cotton balls under her feet. So soft, impossibly soft. In one corner of the makeshift dungeon stood an enormous bed with an unusual canopy frame draped in even more translucent fabric. The lightweight draperies fluttered on a fragrant breeze.

  The room was exploding with sensual textures and scents and colors, drawing her in, beckoning her like a siren’s song, despite the scary bondage stuff. The ubersoft carpet under her feet. The scent of her favorite flowers in the air—lilacs. The soft music playing from hidden speakers.

  This would be the place where a lifetime of special moments could be experienced, even if she wasn’t exactly sure what all that bondage stuff was. All that mattered were Trey and Damon, she reminded herself.

  How long had she wondered where they were?

  How long had she dreamed that someday she’d find them? Now that time had come, and it was like a gift from heaven.

  Any place Trey and Damon had been with her had always been heaven. Even the shitty dark corner under the freeway overpass years ago. This warehouse was a thousand times nicer than that.

  “Have you ever been in a dungeon like this?” Trey asked.

  “No, never.”

  “Do you know what this is?” Damon rested a hand on a piece of furniture she couldn’t name.

  “I have some general idea, but I don’t know the proper names for anything,” she said, nodding. She pointed at the piece he was touching. “I was at Sandy’s house once. She has a computer with internet, does lots of research online. She showed me pictures of stuff like that, a bondage dungeon.”

  “Then you know what these items are used for,” Damon said, sounding relieved. “Does it scare you that we have set up a dungeon?”

  “No.” She paused. That wasn’t true. “Maybe.” She sighed and tried to get a handle on the flurry of emotions pummeling her system. “Okay, scared might be the wrong word for it. I think I’m feeling more shock. Surprise. Disbelief. Confusion, even? I never in a million years would’ve guessed you’d be into this kind of thing… I don’t really know what it involves.” Unsure what to think, how to act, what to say, she met his gaze. “Should I be scared? You wouldn’t hurt me.”

  He shook his head. “Never. We love you.”

  “Then I’m not scared,” she said, trying to convince herself. “I’m just uncomfortable.” She stepped up to the thing he was touching and ran a finger down the side. It was wood, polished and smooth, coated with a slick, glossy finish.

  “We’ll go very slow,” Trey promised, his expression sincere.

  “Is this really that important to you both?”

  They nodded. Damon reached around the back of his neck, removed the chain she’d noticed earlier and handed it to her. “See the charm? That symbol is more than just a pretty design. See? It’s like a three-part version of the ying and yang.” He traced the three lines curving out from the center with his index finger.” This emblem means something to the people who wear it. It means we live a certain lifestyle. This isn’t a game to us. It isn’t a hobby. It�
�s a way of relating to each other, of communicating our feelings.” He closed her fingers around the necklace, cupping her fist in his. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. I understand if you’re having a hard time trusting us.”

  “Oh, I trust you. That’s not the issue. I believe you don’t want to hurt me.” Turning, she faced them both. “It’s just a lot to understand.” She opened her hand and stared down at the pretty silver charm. “This is a lifestyle? Really?” At their nod, she sucked in a deep breath. “Show me what this is then, what you do here. What you want from me.” Her hands trembled as she reached around her back and unzipped her skirt. It slid down, slowly at first as it slipped over her round hips and full thighs. And then it fell faster, landing in a heap at her feet. She stepped out of it, shivering at the nuclear-hot blazes she saw in Trey and Damon’s eyes.

  Something inside her had changed. Already. She felt kind of free, as if she’d just been cut loose from some kind of invisible bindings.

  A part of her wanted to shock them a little. Or maybe tell them that she could handle this, whatever it was. Let them know she wasn’t too delicate or innocent.

  It seemed they were getting the message. Both of them stripped nude and fell upon her like men who hadn’t touched a woman in decades. They yanked and pulled, stripping the rest of her clothes off within seconds. They tormented her sizzling skin with soft touches and not-so-soft ones. Kisses and licks and nibbles.

  She stood in the center of a vortex of male caresses and luscious scents and whirling sensations, her eyes closed, her body igniting one cell at a time.

  So right. So good. So…not enough.

  Her knees began to tremble, threatening to give out. She pulled Trey closer, dug her nails into the velvety skin of his upper back, and flattened herself against the rigid planes of his chest and stomach. More heat pounded through her body.

  Her head fell back, resting against Damon. His thick rod singed the soft skin of her buttocks, branding her. Succumbing to instinct, she rocked her hips back and forth, rubbing at the scorching touch of his cock, taking the heat inside. Trey’s mouth closed over hers, and he swallowed the sigh that slipped from her lips.