by Avery Gale
She rolled her eyes at him—she honest to God rolled her eyes. Granted he had been teasing her, but rolling your eyes at a Dom was never a good plan and she’d just done it to both of them and inside a BDSM club during what was awfully close to a scene. Jace knew Gage would have seen it and was likely as incredulous as he was. When Gage quickly moved her arms so that he’d shackled her wrists in one of his hands behind her back, Jace did the same with her ankles.
Gage pressed his lips so close to her ear that Jace didn’t doubt Holly could feel his breath like a warm breeze pushing over the shell with each word he spoke. “Holly, rolling your eyes at us just earned you a punishment for a couple of reasons. First of all, even though Master Jace was teasing you, he and I are both still Doms. Rolling your eyes at Doms is never a good idea. Also, you are inside a BDSM club. I don’t know exactly what you know about the lifestyle, but there are some fairly well-established guidelines that are followed and you’re about to get a small taste of it.”
Jace watched as several emotions passed over Holly’s face. First he’d seen frustration, then fear which had quickly morphed into arousal. Jace slid his free hand up the inside of her thigh and began teasing her through the lace of her panties. The scrap of fabric might be covering her pussy, but the rasp of his fingers pushing it over her sensitive labia was quickly pushing her right to the edge. “Keep in mind there are several types of punishments, my pet. Since this is your first offense, we’re going to be a bit creative, but the next time you roll your eyes at a Dom, we’ll have your bare ass over a spanking bench and glowing bright red before you can blink. Now spread your legs and lean back against Master Gage’s arm.” He released one of her ankles so that she could comply and she slowly moved her legs apart, but just barely. “Further, don’t be shy now, pet. You’ve earned this punishment and you’ll take it with dignity and grace, and you’ll be grateful the club isn’t in full operation tonight or we’d be doing this up on the stage for everyone to see.”
Jace knew he’d just reminded Holly that they weren’t in a private setting and that they would be clearly visible to anyone rounding the corner. Bringing her attention back to him, he added, “Your only job is to do as you’re told, pet. Let us worry about who sees you. You can trust that we’ll never do anything to hurt you and we’ll always give you exactly what you need.” It went unsaid that what she needed and what she wanted would often not be even remotely the same, but that was a discussion they’d have another time.
* * * *
Holly’s head was spinning so quickly she was worried she might actually lose her balance and fall from Gage’s lap. The minute they’d mentioned punishing her, her entire body had gone on high alert. Oh, she wasn’t afraid of them, quite the opposite in fact. She wouldn’t admit it to them, but she was actually something of an adrenaline junkie. Holly had discovered at a fairly young age that her sexual gratification and an edge of some type were tied together in ways she’d never been able to understand or explain. And despite the fact that she’d been writing about it for years, she’d rarely actually experienced it.
She worried that once these two experienced Doms found out just how little personal exposure she’d had to their world, they’d decide there were too many better choices available and she’d be yesterday’s news before she knew what hit her. That realization solidified her commitment to seizing the moment so she slid her legs apart as far as she could without falling off Gage’s lap. When he lifted his leg so that it rested on the table in front of the loveseat he’d settled them on, she realized he was making sure she wasn’t in danger of sliding out of his hold.
“Sweetheart, spread your legs further apart. Don’t worry, I’m not going to let you fall. You’ll always be safe in our care.” When she looked up into his eyes, it was clear that he’d meant every word he’d spoken, but she wasn’t sure he realized how easily she could be hurt by them both. She’d been hiding out working as an administrative assistant for her Aunt Daphne for several months, even though no one at McGregor Holdings, except Ian, had any idea they were related. Daphne, according to Holly’s mother, had always been a force of nature and Holly had known working for her would be anything but a cake walk. But Holly had thrown herself into the work and had been pleased when her ultra-organized aunt had quickly recognized they were kindred work spirits.
Holly knew her time at McGregor was limited. Hell’s bells, she’d already been spotted by one of the actors she’d worked with and he’d been a royal pain in her ass for weeks until she had finally convinced him that she would come to him personally as soon as she was ready to return to Broadway with the completed manuscript he’d gotten a glimpse of before she’d pulled her disappearing act. No one understood the stress she’d been under until she’d broken, because no one knew everything. Working as a screenwriter and playwright under a pseudonym had been difficult enough, but then she’d done a couple of small roles as an actress and used a different name for that to protect her other two identities. When you added that to the novels she had written and that she spent a lot of her free time promoting those while she was gathering information for the next installment in the series, it probably shouldn’t have been a surprise that it had finally become too much.
The different titles and roles had eventually become a nightmare of deception and personality changes that would have made Sybil proud. Wishing she had stuck with either acting or writing was a moot point now, all she could do was hope that she had a few more weeks to enjoy the pleasure of anonymity before she was thrown headfirst back into the lion’s den.
Holly Mills would always be who she really was at her core. She’d loved her time as a writer because it allowed her to be anonymous. And hiding from the world after disastrous experiences in both boarding school and college was an easy path to follow. When it had become obvious to her that she was becoming too comfortable as a recluse, she’d accepted an invitation to act. But working as an actress had been a soul-sucking experience from hell. If she never stepped foot on a stage again it would be fine by her. Oh, it wasn’t that it was difficult work, it was just mind numbing and off-the-chart boring. At least she’d had the scripts she’d been working on to keep her busy during the ridiculous amount of downtime she’d had between scenes, but it had been crystal clear to her how many actors got so derailed from their roots and sent over the edge into various kinds of addictions. The boredom accompanied by the outrageous amounts of money and the pressure to look and act perfect all the time were bound to make even the strongest people crack eventually.
One of Holly’s biggest weaknesses had always been the fact she could let her mind out for a short little break and it wouldn’t come back until after dark…or at least that was what her father had always claimed. She’d always figured he had every right to make the observation since he was one of the most creative but distractible people she’d ever known. Sighing to herself, she thought again how much her life had changed since she’d moved out of her parents’ palatial home. Her mom had gotten increasingly more demanding and even though her dad was a nice man…and God knew he had to be to put up with her mother…Holly could see that her mother was steadily draining all the creative energy right out of him. Eventually her dad would end up being dull and boring just like her mother, and those were two traits Holly had never found attractive in a man.
Chapter 6
Gage glanced up at Jace and smiled. Jesus, Joseph, and Mary how did they get so lucky to get a woman like Callie who mentally rambled—Aloud? Oh yes, indeed, they’d been blessed for sure. Jace hadn’t moved a muscle since they’d situated her with her legs spread wide and Gage knew his friend well enough that there wasn’t any doubt it had to be killing him to have a full view of Holly’s pussy and not be fully enjoying all it had to offer. She’d said several things he’d found troubling, first of all was some reference to an actor she’d worked with having bothered her for weeks and then something about someone named Sybil.
It had been obvious the second she came back i
nto the moment because she’d gone completely rigid in his arms. Gage’s best guess was that she was wondering if she’d been speaking out loud—Oh indeed you have, sweetheart—and if so, how many of her secrets had just spilled—not nearly enough, but Master Jace and I intend to uncover each and every one.
“Well, now that you seemed to have rejoined us, sweetness, I want to tell you that from this point forward there will be consequences for your mental road trips. It’s important for many reasons that you stay with us when we’re in a scene, and don’t doubt for a moment that this is a scene. Chief among those reasons is your safety, but we’ll explain more about that as we go—suffice to say, we need to know you are processing what is happening at that moment and that you aren’t reacting to something that happened to you before or something you are worried about in the future. We’ll explore both ends of that spectrum with you because they will likely affect the way you react to scenes, but during a scene, you need to be present and accounted for. Do you understand, Holly?”
Gage had been slowly running his fingers from her temple down through her long dark hair enjoying the feel of the silken strands as they slid through his fingers. He could feel her body shift from the muscle tension that accompanies fear and worry to the tension that accompanies sexual arousal. The shift was subtle, but it had been unmistakable. He’d seen it before with exceptionally bright women or he might not have recognized it.
“Now, we are planning to play with you a bit before I seat you on my aching cock, but I think you’ll be waiting a bit for that release your body is going to be craving as soon as Master Jace begins working his magic between your lovely thighs.” The smell of her arousal hit him like a blast and when he saw Jace’s smile, he knew his friend was enjoying the intoxicating aroma as well. Gage knew Jace would be able to push Holly to the edge with just a few well-placed strokes, and he also knew she wasn’t going to be able to hold back her release even though he was going to command her to do just that. Holding off an orgasm was a learned skill and usually took many years to perfect. Many women struggled to reach their release, so it was counterintuitive for them to step away from it willingly.
Licking the shell of her ear before he pulled the lobe between his teeth and sucked on it with a pressure he wanted her to realize was the beginning of his dominance over her, he spoke against her warm skin, “Don’t come until one of us gives you permission to do so, sweetheart. If you do, you’re going to be turned over my knee and spanked. Do you understand my instruction?” When she didn’t respond immediately he added, “Make sure you speak your answers—immediately and in complete honesty, always. Oh, and lying by omission is still lying, sweetness.”
Her soft gasp went straight to his cock which was already straining for release from its denim prison. But it was her whispered, “Yes, I understand…please touch me.” That nearly sent him over the edge. Jesus, he hadn’t lost control since he’d been in high school. How the hell had this untrained sub gotten under his skin so quickly? What was it about her that seemed to speak directly to his soul? Was the fragility he sensed beneath the surface real or imagined? Giving himself a mental shake, he refocused his attention on the women in his arms. Seeing the almost imperceptible nod from Jace, Gage turned Holly’s face to his own and ran his tongue over her lips in a soft caress. When she opened to him, he dove in with unrestrained enthusiasm, exploring all the hidden places and mentally noting each and every reaction.
When Holly moved her hands to his face he moved both of them behind her back and shackled both of her small wrists easily with one hand. He wanted to shout for joy when her entire body arched toward him as she responded to the bondage. Oh, you like being restrained don’t you little one? Master Jace and I are going to love exploring that with you. Just as the thought ran through his mind, Gage heard Jace’s growl. “Oh, I do believe you like being restrained, don’t you pet? We’ll be happy to show you all the ways we can use bondage so that your lovely body is ours to do with as we please. You’ll be at our mercy, baby, will you enjoy that?”
Gage pulled back from the kiss so that she could answer Jace’s question, but from her dazed look, he wasn’t sure she was going to be able to focus enough to form words. He was surprised when she closed her eyes and moaned her assent. “Open your eyes. Don’t ever hide from us. There will be times we’ll blindfold you to minimize your distractions or to help you focus your attention on the sensations we’re creating, but until we do, you’ll keep your eyes open so we can see all of those lovely shades of green as they change with the emotions racing through you, sweet sub.”
* * * *
Jace Garrett wasn’t sure he’d ever seen anything that aroused him as much as Holly Mills arching her back in response to Gage clamping his hand around her delicate wrists. Jace had worried when he’d seen Gage remove her fingers from his hair and move them behind her back that perhaps his friend was pushing Holly too fast. Gage was one of the strictest Doms Jace had ever known. The man’s style of Dominance was a total contrast to the laid-back Texan persona that most people saw. They still hadn’t gotten the answer they’d originally been after, but somehow, Jace had the idea it was all going to come out in the next few minutes.
Jace had rarely seen more than a spark of interest in his friend’s eyes when it came to a submissive they were playing with. Oh, that didn’t mean the man wasn’t totally focused on the task at hand, because Gage was an incredibly intuitive Dom. But because Gage was so intuitive, he knew within the first few moments of a scene whether or not it was going to work. What surprised Jace was that Callie was the only other women he’d ever seen Gage react so strongly to. Even more surprising was the fact that Jace also sensed there were many similarities between the two women. It was almost as if they were light and dark mirror images of one another.
When Gage had pulled Holly into a scorching kiss, Jace had been so absorbed in watching the hot scene playing out, he’d nearly forgotten what was right in front of him. Looking down at Holly’s pussy glistening with the evidence of her arousal had made him want to shed his pants and good sense and just shove his aching cock as deep as he could in her warm, wet folds. Stroking his large fingers over the swollen petals framing her opening was akin to pressing into warm honey. Each movement he made seemed to elicit a deeper response until she was wiggling and pressing into his touch, and he could hear the slurping sounds of his fingers as they fucked her with slow, deliberate strokes.
Watching her body flush bright pink with arousal and smelling her as her silky cream ran over his hand, Jace realized that for the first time in years he was battling to maintain his own control. Feeling perspiration beading on his forehead he knew they either had to wrap this up and rejoin to the party or move to one of the private rooms. And even though he’d like nothing more than to feel her naked body pressed against his bare chest as her pussy walls squeezed his cock with the same fervor that it was using to clench his fingers, now wasn’t the time or the place. That sort of full-on fucking was going to have to wait a bit.
When Gage broke the kiss, Jace reached up with this free hand and slid his palm around the base of her neck pulling her up until her forehead was resting against his own. Seeing her eyes go wide when she noticed his cock already jutting proudly from his pants, sheathed and ready, he was pleased to see her pupils dilate with desire. Oh, no my sweet little sub, you know you are mine, don’t you. You were mine from the moment you ran into my chest in Ian’s office. The moment I touched you, I owned you.
Jace pulled her over his lap. “Ride me, pet. Take me into your sweet body.” Her inner tissues were swollen with her arousal and that combined with the fact she obviously hadn’t had sex in a long time made her very tight. When he finally sank in deep, he felt her rotate her hips abrading her clit with the hair above his root. The rotation of her hips nearly sent him over the edge and he’d barely begun. Pushing his hands under her dress he placed them on either side of her hips and used them to help her lift herself up and down his length. Knowing he
wouldn’t last long, he rotated his own hips so that the next stroke pressed against the soft spot at the front of her channel that he knew would send her over quickly. Just as he felt the first flutters of her orgasm he commanded her release, “Come for us, pet.” As she drew in a bracing breath, Gage reached from behind her, pinching her peaked nipples and Jace sealed his lips over hers and caught her scream. Her juices flowed over him and her pussy clamped down on his cock with contractions that seemed as though they were almost synchronized in their timing and intensity. God almighty, fucking her was a dream come true. She was responsive and her submission was bone-deep, but he knew her sharp mind was going to ensure that they earned each and every bit of her heart.
Seeing her release wash over her expression he knew the exact moment the first wave crested, so he used two fingers to pinch her pulsing clit and send her over again. He kept his mouth over hers and was grateful for Gage’s arms holding her still so that he could contain her passion-filled cries. He knew they would have been bouncing off the rock walls of the vast natural cavern that housed Club Isola. He could hardly wait to hear each and every sound she made in orgasm, he just wasn’t of the mind to share it during his best friend and boss’s wedding reception. He let his own release rocket up out of him and that sent her over a third time, and the deep moan that he was sure must have come from her soul was the sweetest thing he’d ever heard.
Feeling Holly slowly deflate he finally broke the kiss and heard her gasping for air even as he was struggling to catch his own breath because he wasn’t sure that she hadn’t sucked every last bit of oxygen right out of his lungs. Looking into the emerald-green eyes that were now awash with unshed tears, Jace smiled at her because he was sure the tears were a reaction to the intensity of the emotion rather than sadness. But he’d never been one to assume he was foolproof at reading a woman’s emotions, so he kissed her on the tip of her nose and asked, “Are those tears of joy or sadness, pet?”