Blood

by Ivy Nelson

  Holly thought about it. “So, you wouldn’t treat a house sub who didn’t have that kink that way?”

  Elijah shook his head. “Never. I mean, we do have rules, and if a house sub breaks them, we will scold them or even punish them but the punishments never fall outside of a subs limits and they always fit within whatever goals and parameters have been set at the beginning of the submissive’s training.”

  “Are there male house subs?”

  “Yep. Several. You met one last time, Simon, who gave us a ride in the golf cart.”

  “I didn’t notice any female Doms on the board.”

  “Not yet. We offered spots to a couple who didn’t want it, but there are some female House Doms who train house subs as well.”

  “Thank you for rescuing me from myself. I guess house submissive really wasn’t the program for me. I thought it would be you who trained me, and it would be like being your submissive. I didn’t fully realize others would be involved.”

  Elijah smiled. “As we add more D/s to our dynamic, I’ll absolutely train you, but for now, we’re just exploring.”

  “Thank you for being patient with me. I feel like I have to be such a disappointment.”

  Elijah’s eyebrows shot up and he frowned. “What do you mean? You’re the opposite of a disappointment. You delight me in every way. Stop disparaging yourself.”

  “I just mean you’re used to women with experience.”

  “Stop,” He said harshly. “Right now. Don’t go down that path. It leads to madness. I’m with you. I want you. That’s all you need to worry about.”

  “Yes, Sir,” Holly said with a smile.

  Elijah gave her a wicked grin. “I like it when you call me Sir.”

  “I know. Can I do it in the office now?”

  “Absolutely not. Unless you want me dragging you away from your desk to fuck you five times a day, that is.”

  Holly grinned. “I’ll have to keep that in mind, Mr. Barrett, Sir.”

  Elijah rolled on top of her and tickled until she was squealing and writhing beneath him. Despite the turmoil in their lives, Holly felt lighthearted and at peace.

  When he stopped tickling, his eyes glazed over with heated desire and he devoured her mouth. Soon, he was sliding on a condom and pushing his way inside of her. Together, they fell into the oblivion of pleasured bliss.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Holly stared at the letter in her hand, as she waited outside Elijah’s office for him to finish a phone call. They wanted her to give a deposition? What happened to dropping the lawsuit? She was half tempted to call Grant and give him a piece of her mind, but she had promised Elijah she would stay away from him and her father.

  The door opened and Elijah grinned down at her. “Come in, Miss Sutton.”

  Holly followed him in and shoved the letter at him before he could pull her in for a kiss. “I thought your attorney said it would get thrown out before it got this far.” She set her bag on the floor next to his door and followed him to the seating area.

  “He thought so too, baby. But he hasn’t gotten a court date yet to get a ruling on the motion to dismiss. We’ll comply with the depositions for now but it’s not going to go anywhere.”

  Holly frowned and chewed at her lip. “Has Jax found anything yet?”

  Elijah shook his head. “Patience, baby. It’s only been a few days. I’ve got him put up in a hotel on that side of town, and he’ll work as fast as he can.”

  “I really just want to call Grant. See if I can get him to talk to me.”

  Elijah shook his head. “No. That’s a bad idea.”

  Holly held up her hands. “I know. I know. I promised. I’ll be good. I’m just telling you what I want to do.”

  “What’s my schedule like tonight, baby?”

  “You’ve got dinner with that software company you’re trying to buy, and you’re supposed to do drinks with a potential new partner on the London deal.”

  “Cancel drinks. If they can’t do tomorrow night, then set up a lunch or a breakfast or something. Then I want you to go home and relax until I get there.”

  Holly eyed him quizzically. “You never cancel meetings.”

  Elijah gave her a seductive grin. “I was thinking you might like to continue your kinky education.”

  Holly gave him a slow grin. “Definitely.”

  “Then what are you still doing here? Go cancel my meeting and then get home. I expect to find you waiting in my bedroom at seven tonight.”

  “I like the sounds of that. I’ll see you at home… Sir.” She quickly opened the door and stepped out before he could respond.

  At exactly seven that evening, she walked into his bedroom and looked around, unsure of what to do now. Thankfully, he didn’t keep her waiting very long. He walked in five minutes later.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” he said, his eyes clouded with lust. “Are you ready to have some fun?”

  Holly nodded slowly.

  “Good girl. Strip then. You should be naked for me more often,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “I could say the same thing about you,” she said with a saucy grin as her fingers found the button on the jeans she’d changed into when she got home.

  When she was naked, he led her to the bed and pulled out a bundle of ropes. The strands of silky twine caressed her skin as he ran the bundle down her arm, letting her get the feel of the material. “You’ve never been bound before, have you?”

  “No, Sir,” she said as she felt her nipples harden.

  “Just remember you can say red, or even just Elijah let me out, at any time, OK?”

  Holly nodded. “I know. I’m ready.”

  Elijah helped her onto the bed and arranged her on her stomach the way he wanted her. “I’m not going to bind you just yet, but you’re not allowed to move. You move and the first toy I use on you will be a paddle on this perfect ass of yours.”

  Holly sucked in a breath as his hand gripped one of her ass cheeks. ‘Yes, Sir.” Her voice was husky with arousal.

  The duvet at the foot of the bed came to rest over her, confusing Holly until he said, “I might be a minute gathering my toys. Don’t want you to get cold before we start the fun.” She lay there with her eyes closed listening to him move around. If she hadn’t been so turned on, she might have fallen asleep.

  “Still awake,” he whispered in her ear, causing her to jump.

  “Barely,” she mumbled.

  Elijah chuckled. “We’ll wake you up.” The coverlet was jerked away, and Holly’s skin pebbled with goosebumps as the cool air of the room washed over her.

  “I’m going to tie you down now. Just your hands this time.”

  Holly nodded and let him take each of her wrists and attach them to the bedposts with red silk rope. When he was satisfied with her bonds, he took his time admiring her body with gentle touches. After what felt like an eternity he said, “How does it feel, knowing you’re mine to do with as I please?” His voice had taken on that dark, dominant tone she’d grown to love.

  “I like it,” she whispered.

  His hand rested on the small of her back. “If I slid my hand between your legs, would your pussy be nice and wet for me?”

  His words made her throb and she nodded.

  He gave her bottom a sharp smack. “Answer out loud.”

  “Yes, Sir. Soaked,” she forced herself to say. Hearing Elijah talk dirty was one thing but doing it herself made her nervous.

  Elijah chuckled. “Good girl. Let’s get started then.”

  Something tickled her back, and Holly bucked against her restraints.

  “Easy,” he crooned. “It’s a flogger.”

  The soft material left her back briefly followed by a swish as the flogger landed on her back. Not hard, but not the tickling sensation of before either. The flogger fell again, a little harder this time. It had a thud to it and Holly let out a groan. It felt nice on her upper back.

  “Let’s ramp it up a bit,” he said in a quiet voice. The
swoosh of the flogger was louder this time and the leather strips fell harder on her back. The thwack it made was loud, but it wasn’t painful.

  “A flogger like this isn’t usually painful. It can be if you put it in a sadist’s hands, but it’s more for warming up the skin for other things,” he explained as he struck her again. Warming her up was definitely happening. Heat radiated from her back as the flogger rose and fell multiple times. After several strokes to her back, he surprised her by moving to her bottom and the backs of her upper thighs. There, the flogger had a bit more of a bite, but the pain was not unbearable or even unpleasant. She let out a soft moan as the flogger fell again.

  “I think we can say you like floggers,” he teased, as he laid the implement down and cupped one warmed ass cheek.

  Holly nodded eagerly and Elijah’s hand trailed between her legs, nudging them apart until he was able to cup her pussy.

  “So wet for me. I approve,” he said, dragging his fingers through her folds.

  When his hand left her, he said, “Stingy, or soft? Your choice.”

  “Stingy,” she said, surprising them both.

  Elijah took his time picking the next toy. He seemed to enjoy drawing things out, teasing her.

  Something landed on her ass and sent a sharp sting through her skin. “Ouch,” she squealed.

  Elijah chuckled. “Just remember, you picked it.”

  The stinging had already subsided into a dull burn that almost felt nice.

  “Again?” he asked.

  Holly nodded hesitantly and once again a sharp sting landed on her ass. This time, she was more prepared for it and there was no squeal. After three more smacks of the small plastic paddle, Holly yelled, “Stop,” as she jerked against the ropes.

  Elijah tossed the paddle aside and sat next to her, stroking her back. “Is that a stop everything or stop the paddle?”

  “Just the paddle,” she said on shaky breaths.

  He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her back. “Your skin takes marks quite well. It’s a fun canvas.”

  She listened as he rummaged for something else.

  “Let’s try this next,” he said more to himself than her.

  After trying multiple toys on her back and ass, he paused and turned her over to lay on her back before he continued trying out toys.

  By the time he’d worked his way through his collection, they learned that she enjoyed several kinds of floggers and paddles, but canes were a hard no. Belts she wasn’t sure about so Elijah declared them off limits unless she broke his cardinal rules.

  “There’s one more thing I’ve been dying to try since I met you. After that, I’m going to fuck you until you can’t think straight,” he growled as he climbed onto the bed and straddled her.

  He held up a chain that had something on either end.

  “Nipple clamps,” she murmured.

  Elijah grinned and nodded. Pinching the first clamp open, he bent over and tugged at her right nipple. Holly sucked in a breath as she felt a new flood of moisture gather between her legs. The clamp settled into place with a sharp bite and Holly whimpered.

  “What’s wrong, baby?” he asked in a teasing voice as he placed the other clamp on her left nipple. Then he ran his hands down her torso as he climbed off the bed and picked up a lightweight flogger. “Just gonna warm you up a little,” he said.

  The flogger fell very gently on her stomach and over her breasts. Holly felt herself getting heady and relaxed.

  “Spread your legs wide for me.”

  Holly complied until the flogger fell on her pussy, and she clamped them shut again.

  “No.” Elijah’s tone was sharp and his eyes commanding. “You don’t close your legs to me. Spread them.”

  Holly hesitantly spread her legs a little and the flogger fell hard on her upper thigh. “Wider,” he ordered. “Or do I need to tie your legs down too?”

  Holly shook her head and opened her legs wide, groaning as her nipples tightened in their clamps.

  The flogger fell gently over her slick folds twice before Elijah dropped it and turned to pick up something else. It was a small rubber flogger she hadn’t felt yet. The implement was ten inches long including the handle. Elijah climbed onto the bed and knelt between her legs. To her horror, he put his hand at the top of her pussy and used his fingers to spread her wide, exposing her clit to the cool air. She struggled against him, trying to close her legs.

  “Calm down, baby. This is going to feel good if you just trust me.”

  Holly didn’t believe him, but his voice soothed her, and she did her best to relax. He picked up the mini flogger again and began flicking it over her clit. It didn’t take long for her to believe him. It felt incredible, and she knew it wouldn’t be long before an orgasm overtook her.

  “No coming,” he murmured as he continued his pleasurable assault on her clit.

  “I’m close,” she whimpered.

  Elijah grinned and dropped the flogger. “Time for the grand finale then.”

  He hopped off the bed and retrieved a chain similar to the one between the clamps on her nipples, only it had a single clamp instead of two.”

  “Surely not,” Holly said with wide eyes.

  Elijah chuckled. “Most definitely. Trust me,” he urged.

  Holly swallowed hard as he attached the chain to the middle of the nipple chain. “This one isn’t as tight as the ones on your nipples,” he assured, as he put the chain in place first. Then he spread her wide again and pinched open the clamp. Holly squeezed her eyes shut, expecting pain. Instead, she was overcome with the need to orgasm as the clamp put intense pressure on her engorged clit.

  “Please,” she begged.

  “Please what?” he asked as he sat back and admired his work.

  “Let me come. Please.”

  “Please what?” he asked again, one eyebrow raised.

  Shit. “Please, Sir. Let me come.” Her begging was frenzied to her own ears and she knew she would go over the edge even if he said no. To her relief, he did not.

  “Come for me, sweet Holly.”

  Her world exploded as the orgasm ripped through her. She lay there panting as the waves of pleasure died down and Elijah leaned in to whisper in her ear. “This is gonna hurt,” he said, taking her by surprise. There was no time to process his words because he immediately released all three clamps in quick succession.

  Holly writhed on the bed as electric shocks of pain bolted through her. Elijah gripped her hand and crooned soothing words until the pain subsided.

  “Sorry, lover. That’s the downside—or upside depending on who you ask. Coming off usually hurts more than going on.”

  Holly wanted to cup her breasts, but her arms were still bound, so she laid there exposed as the last of the pain and pleasure subsided.

  “I’m going to let you out now and then I’m going to bury my cock in you.”

  His words made her forget the dull ache in her nipples and when her hands were free, she rubbed her wrists while she watched him strip and roll a condom up his already erect penis.

  When he was fully inside her, he said, “You made me so proud tonight, baby. Make me proud again. Come for me. I want to feel your cunt squeezing my cock as I fuck you.” Then he was moving fast and hard. Holly’s second orgasm wasn’t far away. After a few hard strokes of Elijah’s cock, she cried out as she fell over the edge. Elijah soon followed and they laid together enjoying the afterglow.

  “Do you feel properly educated now?”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Elijah stood at the foot of the bed and watched Holly sleep. He’d hoped their play would put her at ease enough to drift off to sleep and it had. Now, he was dressing to step out and meet Patrick after an urgent phone call asking to get together. He scrawled a note and left it on his pillow so she wouldn’t worry if she woke up. He hoped that she would still be asleep when he returned home so he could just curl up with her.

  When he arrived at the upscale club, Patrick was already waiting
at a table. What was so urgent he wasn’t sure.

  “I got a call from Grant Sterling,” Patrick said as soon as he sat down. Elijah felt himself tense up.

  “What did he want?”

  He was expressing his concern for Holly. Says they’ve been friends for years and he doesn’t like seeing her dragged into the feud between you and Nicholas.”

  Elijah quirked an eyebrow up. “Isn’t that so sweet?”

  A busty waitress approached them and flashed Elijah her most flirtatious smile. “Good to see you again, Eli,” she said in a breathy voice. Oh Jesus. Just what he needed. It had been months since he’d been here. In fact, the last club he’d been in was the one he met Holly in. But all the servers would remember him. He tipped well and flirted often to get what he wanted. Things were different now though.

  He just gave her a tight smile and ordered a scotch.

  “So why did you drag me out here in the middle of the night?”

  “Because he knows you hired Jax.”

  Elijah’s jaw clenched. “What? How the fuck is that even possible?”

  Patrick shifted and rubbed at the back of his neck. “That’s the thing. He made it sound like he heard it from Holly.”

  “He said that?” Elijah felt his face heat at the thought that Holly might pass information to Grant Sterling.

  “Not in so many words. It was just a hint he made.”

  Elijah relaxed. “He’s just trying to goad me into firing her. The man has the hots for your sister.”

  Patrick shrugged. “Maybe. That still doesn’t explain how he already knows about Jax.”

  “You’re right.”

  The waitress came back with his drink and bent down much more than necessary to give it to him. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.”

  “I’m fine with this, Kelly. Thank you.” He kept his voice as neutral as possible.