by Sophie Stern
“You cooked,” he said.
“I did. Do you like pasta?”
“It’s my favorite,” he admitted. It had always been a comfort food for him as a kid. Now, as an adult, he still loved downing a bowl of spaghetti, sauce, and meatballs as quickly as he could. There was nothing as delicious, no food more tasty.
Barbara had forever been on diets that didn’t allow for pasta. He’d survived by cooking for himself when he was alone at the house, but it hadn’t been the same. He liked sharing food, sharing meals. He liked that Renee actually ate food.
He liked that she had cooked for him.
She was a strong Domme and a sweet sub and he wanted all of her, everything she had to offer.
“I aim to please,” she said. She kissed him on the nose and he grinned. He couldn’t hold back the smile; then he followed her into the house. It was a small home on one of the main streets, but it was hers, and it showed. The entire place was decorated in bright, vivid colors. The living room was bright red. The kitchen was turquoise. He liked it.
The two of them sat at the table and they began to eat their food in silence. Renee started to talk about her day and she asked about his, but he couldn’t focus on that. He had to know. He had to ask her.
“Be mine,” he said. He blurted it out. He should have planned the moment better, should have made it sweet. He should have gotten her a ring or a collar or something to show just how serious he was about what he was saying to her.
He meant every word.
“Be my mate,” he repeated when she was silent. “I know it’s crazy,” he began, but she cut him off with a single word.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes.”
Dean jumped to his feet, ran around the table, and pulled her up into him.
“Say it again.”
“Yes, I’ll be yours.”
He kissed her, then carried her to the kitchen counter and set her down on it. He pushed her legs apart with his knee and he saw that she wasn’t wearing panties.
Renee just shrugged.
“I thought we might…you know,” she whispered.
“Say it,” he said.
“I thought you might want to fuck me before tonight,” she admitted. “So I dressed up for you. Or rather, I suppose, I dressed down.”
He pulled his cock out and thrust into her. There was no time to be slow or gentle. Not right now. Not this time.
She’d said “yes.”
It was crazy, but his heart wanted what it wanted. All of him wanted Renee. He wasn’t sure how they’d make it work, but somehow, they’d figure it out. He was going to be on Dragon Isle working. They could see each other every day. They could play together at the club. They could build a life here. They could be together here.
They could have everything they’d ever wanted.
What he wanted more than anything else was her.
Renee.
His darling.
They came at the same time, happy and tired and satisfied. Then he slowly lowered her back down to the floor. Her bare feet landed on the linoleum and she smiled at him.
“You’re a constant source of surprise, Dragon Master,” she whispered.
“You, too, firecracker. You, too.”
They went back to the table and continued eating their food. It was still warm, still good, but now it tasted even better.
Dean thought he’d never find love again, thought he’d never have a chance at giving or receiving love, but he’d been wrong. He’d been so wrong. Renee had been an unplanned, but pleasant surprise, and he knew that this was different than his previous relationships.
He’d never had the word “mate” enter his head. He’d never even thought true mates existed, but somehow, the dragon inside of him knew. Even if he wasn’t ready to admit it to himself, his dragon knew. His inner beast knew hers. He knew they were a match.
They were fated to be together.
Destined.
And today was the first day of the rest of his life.
Dean took another bite of his spaghetti and smiled.
It was going to be a damn good life.
13
As soon as Renee stepped foot into The Dungeon, she knew something was wrong. Dean had left right after dinner to set up for his class and she had stayed behind to take a long bath before she came to the mansion.
The flight over had been therapeutic and relaxing, comfortable, but once she landed and shifted, she knew something wasn’t right.
Renee dressed in one of the locker rooms Anthony had designed for the members of the club. She could sense anxiety and stress in the main room, but she wanted to be dressed before she dealt with it. There were showers, bathtubs, actual lockers, vanities, and clothing racks in the room, but she barely noticed as she dressed.
Renee focused on getting her corset on, pulling her hair back into a tight bun, and tightening her boots. A pair of black leather booty shorts completed her outfit, and then she was ready.
She marched into the main club in full Domme mode. This was why she’d taken the bath and flown the long way to the mansion. She needed time to mentally adjust to topping a sub again. She needed time to move her mindset from submission to dominance.
Renee thought she was ready.
Dean was standing in the center of the room speaking with Anthony. His hands were on his hips. He looked tense. She marched over to them and Anthony turned when he saw her. Dean was still talking.
“I’m not sure how I’ll be able to teach without a submissive,” he said. “I understand things happen, but most of the exercises I was going to show tonight require a sub to help.”
Anthony was silent as he listened to Dean. He looked thoughtful, pensive.
Renee placed her hand on Dean’s shoulder. Was it her imagination, or did some of the tension dissipate?
“What’s wrong?” She asked.
“Jasmine called in sick,” Anthony explained. “She ate something bad at lunch and is throwing up now. She can’t sub for Dean tonight. He’s trying to figure out what he’s going to do.”
“What about me?” Renee asked.
“What do you mean?” Dean looked confused.
“I could sub for you before I play with Ava. We have plenty of time.”
Renee had come early to go over a few things and to hang out before her performance. She didn’t actually have to do any topping until about an hour after Dean’s class ended. It gave her plenty of time to help him if he wanted her.
She could be his submissive for the class.
She could do this for him.
“It’s not a bad idea,” Anthony agreed.
“Are you sure you’d be willing to do that?” Dean asked. “What about your headspace? Would you be able to switch back so quickly?”
Instead of answering him with words, Renee stepped forward and kissed him on the mouth. Anthony didn’t blush or look away. He owned a sex club. Nothing could shock, embarrass, or surprise him.
When she stopped kissing, she unlaced her corset and handed it to Dean. She slipped off her shorts. Then she took off each of her boots. She unpinned her bun and handed everything over. Soon she was standing barefoot and naked in front of him. Her hair was down and wild.
“Let me help you, Dragon Master,” she whispered, and he sucked in a breath.
“Damn, brother,” Anthony slapped Dean on the back. “She’s a keeper.”
She smiled demurely because she wanted that. She wanted him to keep her. She wanted to be his mate. She felt it, too, and the fact that he had asked her to be his had meant the world to her. She would do anything for Dean. She would cross any mountain, any river, any obstacle.
Tonight she would put up her Domme shoes, at least for a little while, and she would play with her man.
Tonight she would fly.
***
The class began on time.
Renee looked at the other couples from her place by Dean’s feet. She was kneeling naked on a small cushion he’d provided for her
and she was comfortable, at ease. The other submissives kept sneaking nervous glances at her. She could practically read their minds.
Am I going to have to be naked?
Will I have to be on a cushion?
Can’t she at least have a robe or something?
They didn’t understand the calmness that came from submission. Not yet. They would, though. They would understand soon, if she and Dean did their jobs right.
Three of the couples knew their roles. The men were the dominant partners and the women were the submissives, but the fourth couple was struggling and it was obvious as to why.
The woman was the dominant partner and neither of them wanted to admit it.
“There’s nothing wrong with submission,” Dean said to the man. “Many men submit and many women dominate. It’s perfectly acceptable. Each couple is so different that it’s important to figure out what works for the two of you.”
“I never really thought of myself like that,” the woman admitted. “You know…being in charge in the bedroom.”
“It’s not even all about being in charge,” Dean said. “That’s a part of it, but most of dominance means figuring out what your submissive’s needs are and learning to meet those needs.”
They talked for a few more minutes. The man still seemed a little uncomfortable, but eventually he calmed. Dean had a way of doing that to people. He had a way of calming them down, of helping them forget their problems and issues.
“My submissive for the evening, Renee, is actually a switch,” Dean said. “Who can tell me what that means?”
One of the women raised a hand. When Dean called on her, she smiled.
“It means she can play either role. She can top someone or she can bottom for someone. She doesn’t necessarily fit into just one position when it comes to playing.”
“That’s right. Someone who is a switch can top or bottom, but more than that, they need to. Just as some of you have the need to submit and some of you have the need to dominate, people like Renee have the need to do both. There are times when she needs to be in charge and times when she finds it more freeing to give up control to someone else. This is just another example of how BDSM looks different in each and every relationship.”
Dean kept talking, and Renee’s heart swelled as she thought of the way his voice changed a little when he spoke of her.
Pride.
She thought he felt pride for her.
That was nice. It was a good feeling. It was good for someone to feel something for her. She loved the way Dean made her feel, loved the way he was proud of her. She was proud of him, too. He’d overcome a lot to tell her how he felt about her. She knew it hadn’t been easy for him to say they were mates.
She felt it too, but that didn’t make it easier.
Love was never clean or simple, no matter how old you got, no matter how experienced you were.
As the class progressed, Dean went over basic knot-tying and how to watch your submissive for signs of distress. He talked about what a Dominant partner should require from a submissive and what a Dom should never ask for.
He talked, and he demonstrated on Renee, and by the time the class was about to end, she was so wet and turned on, she thought she might explode.
Dean thought so, too, and he rewarded her with an orgasm.
She wasn’t embarrassed when she came in front of the class. The Doms and subs all looked surprised and a little excited to watch her climax for their little group.
“One of the most important things you need to remember is to always reward your partner,” Dean said, kissing her forehead as the last trembles of her orgasm faded away. “Always.”
He snuggled her then, and she was caught-off guard once more by how she always felt so safe with him. She always felt so whole, complete.
She always felt like Dean was going to take care of her, watch over her, protect her.
And Renee rather thought it was the most wonderful feeling in the world.
14
She stood in the center of the stage with a small brunette submissive.
They were back to the beginning.
This was where he’d first seen Renee. This was where he’d first seen her smile. This was where he’d first seen her completely lose herself in the moment.
This was it.
A lot had changed in just a few days. Less than a week. A lot had changed and he’d changed, too.
He didn’t feel so dark, so lost.
He didn’t feel so damn tired.
Renee had a spark in her that was so bright he thought he might go blind. She lit up any room she walked into. She made him feel a thousand feet tall. She made him feel like he could do anything.
And wasn’t that what love was?
Wasn’t that the whole point of the damn thing?
Wasn’t that what you were supposed to feel?
You were supposed to feel like you could do anything as long as your partner was there with you. You were supposed to feel like you could conquer the world, defeat any obstacle, scale any wall. You were supposed to feel like you could accomplish anything you put your mind to as long as your lover believed in you.
He got that with Renee.
He felt that.
Renee glided across the stage. Her hair was back once more in a tight bun. Her corset pushed her breasts up and out, and he wanted to lick them, suck them. He wanted to play with them. They bounced with each step she took.
Renee looked fucking fierce.
Beautiful.
Perfect.
Her lips moved as she spoke to her submissive. Renee had changed her makeup after the class. Her eyes were dark and her lips were bright red. Her white teeth glittered against the color and he couldn’t look away.
He had to see this.
She moved across the stage swiftly. She tied her submissive to a pole in the center of the stage. She had planned it. He could tell. This was exactly the scene she had worked through the other day, the day she was sipping whiskey alone.
Renee spoke loudly, clearly enough for the room to hear, and Dean was swept away. She positioned her submissive facing the pole. Her body was perpendicular to the audience, and she turned her face toward them.
As Renee moved behind her to begin spanking her, Dean bit his tongue. His cock was hard, straining against his pants, and he knew he was going to need a release after this. He knew who Renee was, knew what she was, but seeing her in action was gorgeous.
She spanked the sub.
She used her hand, then a flogger, and she wielded it beautifully. Soon her submissive had tears streaming down her face, but it didn’t seem to be too much to handle. Renee was able to gauge how much the girl wanted, needed, could take.
And she kept going.
Soon the woman’s body was a beautiful shade of crimson, and Renee untied her.
She brought her to a spanking bench and tied her to that. Dean noticed the way Renee licked Ava’s ear, whispered to her. He saw the way she slid her hands over the woman’s delicate breasts.
They looked good together, beautiful.
They looked sweet.
Renee ran her hands over Ava’s skin. There was a crowd watching and Dean took a minute to look at the dragons and humans who had gathered. Anthony was in the back. His submissive, Audrey, was sandwiched between him and Gabriel. They were both touching her, but Audrey’s eyes were glued to the stage.
There were about 20 other people. Some of them were in couples and some of them were just watching on their own. A few of the women were gripping their breasts. A few of the men were rubbing their cocks as they watched.
Renee had a mesmerizing affect on the crowd. They were quiet, almost completely silent. Occasionally, someone would groan or hiss as something particularly sexy happened, but for the most part, each person just watched her move.
They watched her glide.
Dean loved it.
It was incredible to see her have this impact on people. It was unbelievable to see how
everyone liked her performance.
He thought Renee was going to continue to spank and flog Ava, but she didn’t. Instead, she pulled out a toy and slid it between Ava’s legs. It was a big, plastic cock, and Ava’s eyes widened at the intrusion. She didn’t complain, though. She took what her mistress wanted to give her.
She took it for Renee.
She took it because she knew Renee had her best interest at heart.
Renee thrust the dildo in and out of Ava’s body. Ava was helpless to do anything but simply accept it. She couldn’t do anything but feel, and soon she closed her eyes.
“Eyes open,” Renee said firmly, and Ava opened them again. She looked out at the crowd, at the faces watching her, and Dean swore she blushed a little. Still, she seemed to like the attention, seemed to like the way their eyes were all on her.
Then Renee reached out and pinched Ava’s nipples. Ava was already groaning, but her moans became louder as Renee played with her body.
Dean couldn’t handle the scene anymore.
He wanted to be up there on stage with them, wanted to touch Renee while she touched Ava. He wanted to be behind her, helping her, supporting her. He wanted to make her come just as much as Renee wanted Ava to come.
Renee ran her nails down Ava’s back, then played with her nipples some more. Then she scratched her back again. Then nipples. Back and forth she went, teasing every part of Ava’s body until it was too much.
She played with her until Ava came apart.
She screamed when she came.
The crowd was silent.
Dean watched Renee.
She didn’t remove the toy until Ava was completely done coming, then she set it to the side and helped Ava to her feet. The crowd cheered as she nodded to them and helped Ava down off the stage. The two of them made their way over to a couch where Renee would administer aftercare.
They would talk about the scene, they would snuggle, they would kiss. Aftercare, Dean taught his students, was just as important as what happened during the scene.
You couldn’t make a sub come and then simply walk away. For men and women alike, doing a scene could be incredibly emotional. It should be emotional. It should be intimate and exciting, but that sort of intensity required a gentle recovery period.