by Ivy Nelson
“Jesus Bradley. You’ve never talked to me like this before.”
“You’ve never needed it before now.”
“How the fuck do you know what I need?”
Still holding onto her arm, he led her to a couch and pushed her gently down on it. “Sit. Why are you being so defensive?”
“He’s over there with another woman and she’s naked.”
“You saw him for ten seconds. You don’t know what he was doing. You need to give him a chance. Stop being a coward Adara, you’ve run away too many times. I know you’re stronger than that.”
“Thank you Bradley. I think I can take this from here.”
Adara whirled around to see Michael standing behind the couch.
“Come on Angel, I think we need to talk.”
###
Michael held his hand out to Adara, hoping she would accept it. She eyed him warily but slipped her hand into his. He tugged her back into the dungeon and over to the bar area.
“Drink?”
“Yes please.” She fidgeted and looked everywhere but him as she answered. After settling her at a table in the corner, he got them both glasses of whiskey.
“Sounds like Bradley was giving you the what-for,” he said when he returned.
“Something like that.” Her fingers closed around the glass and she rolled it in her hands.
He sighed. She was still closed off.
“It’s not what you think, Angel.”
“I don’t know what to think anymore. I thought you wanted to talk. Work things out. Then I come here and find you with another woman and she’s naked.”
“If you had bothered to watch for more than five seconds before jumping to conclusions, you would know I wasn’t doing anything sexual with her. I was showing her Mistress some knife play techniques because she was interested but Leah knew nothing about it.” He did his best to keep his voice even and kind despite his irritation.
Then he watched her face contort as she remembered Leah approaching them the last time they were here together.
“Well. I feel like an ass now.”
“So let’s talk. I’m sorry for how I handled things when you first got home. I really am. I was angry and scared and I reacted to those things in ways I shouldn’t have.”
“I didn’t handle it well either. And. You were right and had every right to be angry with me.”
“So where do we go from here? Because I’m dying without you Adara. I’ve fallen in love with you.”
“I don’t know. Honestly I don’t but I want to work things out with you. I need people in my corner because I’m struggling to get past what happened. I probably need a therapist.”
“If that’s what you need, we’ll get you one. I’ll go too if you need me to.” He tried to ignore the fact that she didn’t respond to his declaration of love.
She shook her head. “I think I need to do this on my own.”
“I’m OK with that. What about all this?” He waved his hand around the club. He needed to know where they stood as a power exchange couple. It wasn’t a deal breaker but it would certainly change how he approached their relationship.
“I’m here tonight aren’t I?”
“That’s cute, but that’s not exactly an answer, Angel.”
“No. It’s not. I’m not sure what to tell you. I liked where we were headed before shit hit the fan. I enjoy the places you take me. I enjoy the things we do together but I’m not going to be at your beck and call and I’m not going to reshape my life to fit your rules.”
“Have I given you any reason to think I want those things? I’m not asking you to reshape your life, nor do I need you at my beck and call. What I’m asking for is clearly defined roles and I’m asking you to play this game with me. But you have to trust me. You have to trust that I have your best interests at heart and I have to trust you to have mine at heart too. I have to be able to trust that you’re going to do as I ask and if you can’t do as I ask, you’re going to come to me so we can have a conversation about it.”
“Be honest, if I had told you I wanted to go meet my brother, what would you have said?”
“I would have told you not to. But if you had insisted, I would have come with you.”
“And you think you could have stopped him from drugging my coffee?” Adara asked, one eyebrow raised.
“No, but I could have stopped him from following you to the bathroom.”
“Fair point.” She took a deep breath. “So, do we just pick up where we left off?”
“I don’t know about that. I think we need a clean slate don’t you? I think we need to reclaim what was taken from us by you being kidnapped and nearly killed. It make take some time, it may take some work but we can do it.”
“I don’t want a collar.”
“That’s fine. We can talk about it some other time if you decide you’re ready. I don’t need to put a collar on you to make you mine, Angel.”
She blushed, and he felt a moment of pride. Glad to know he still affected her that way.
“OK. So what now? How do we wipe the slate clean?”
“Fire.”
“Fire?”
“It’s not as scary as it sounds.”
Her expression told him she wasn’t convinced.
“It’s symbolic. Fire is cleansing and letting me play with you that way is a sign of trust, wouldn’t you agree? It’s completely up to you though, Angel.”
“No knives. I’m not ready for knives.”
He laughed. “No knives.”
“OK. I’m in.”
“Good girl. Let’s go.”
“What? You mean now?”
Her voice sounded strained, and he chuckled.
“I can’t think of a better time.”
In the main dungeon space, he found a massage table for them to play on. When he turned to face her, she looked nervous, so he gripped her face in his hands and kissed her hard. “Try to relax, Angel. Let me center you. Close your eyes.”
In the dimly lit dungeon, he watched as her eyes drifted closed, and he let his hands glide down her arms, stopping to rest at her waist. When he felt her relax under his touch, he pressed a soft kiss to her neck.
“Kneel,” he whispered when she was fully relaxed. “I need to go get a couple of things but I’m not going far.”
She sank to her knees, and he watched her for a moment. She appeared to be doing a deep breathing exercise. When he reached his toy bag, he pulled out the silver case that housed his fire play equipment. Fire was a beautiful form of trust based play. It wasn’t generally painful, but it did require a great deal of care and trust. Tonight he hoped to solidify their bond through fire.
Back at the massage table, Adara was still kneeling, her eyes closed. When he placed the case on the massage table, she lifted her head.
“Before we start, I need to say something.”
“Go ahead, Angel.” He bent one leg intent on lowering himself to the floor but she stopped him and stood.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him an intense stare. Finally she leaned her face up for a kiss. Michael lowered his face to hers until their foreheads touched and he brushed his lips gently across hers.
“I love you too,” she whispered.
Chapter 25
Adara squealed when Michael lifted her off her feet and spun her around. “Oh Angel, you don’t know how happy it makes me to hear you say that.” “You threw me off when you said it earlier. But I’m crazy about you Michael. I want this
life with you.” His lips met hers and she groaned as he kissed her hard and deep. When he broke the kiss, something shifted in his demeanor and she knew their scene had started.
“Strip,” he commanded.
Her eyes went wide. She hadn’t expected him to ask her to do that here. It made her nervous, but she lifted the hem of her shirt anyway. This was one of those boundaries she was ready for him to push. With slow movements, she removed her shirt, pants, bra, and panties. Watching h
is eyes heat with lust and desire as her clothes came off gave her a thrill of satisfaction. Not to mention her own feelings of desire and need.
She watched as he opened the silver case.
“You’ve seen fire play before and you know it’s completely safe. But it still takes trust,” he said as he began pulling items from his case. When the final item as laid out, he handed her a hair elastic. “I need you to pull your hair up off your neck please. I’m sure you would prefer I didn’t catch your hair on fire.” He winked as she took the tie and began putting her hair on top of her head.
When her hair was up off her neck, he guided her to the table and had her lay face down. His hands moved up and down her body, stopping at the curve of her ass for a gentle squeeze that made her giggle.
“Quiet,” he said, giving the same ass cheek a smack.
“Sorry Sir,” she said, trying not to laugh again. This was supposed to be a serious moment between them and here she was laughing.
“This won’t hurt, but it will be warm. I need you perfectly still.”
Then, she felt something cool and wet on her back. I thought he said this would be warm she mused. Then she felt the heat. And nearly jumped off the table.
“Still, Angel.” A damp cloth followed the trail of warmth. “How was that?”
“Holy shit. I was on fire.” Adara said. The low rumble of his laugh made her raise her head to look at him.
“But did it feel OK?” She nodded.
“It felt nice. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Good. Let’s do it one more time this way, then I’m going to flip you over.”
Once again, the cooling sensation of something damp, not a rag, moved up her back followed by intense heat and the smell of something singed.
“What’s burning?” she asked suddenly worried about her hair.
“Just the fine hairs on your body, Angel. It’s normal. Don’t worry. You’re still safe,” he crooned.
Then he helped her sit up. His mouth was on hers as soon as she was upright, his hands fisting into her hair as he kissed her hard.
“Lay back,” he said when he pulled his mouth from hers. With her arms at her sides, she lay flat on the table, feeling more vulnerable than she had on her stomach. His hands roamed her body again, starting at her legs and moving up. Every caress deepened her desire for him and calmed her nerves. Then his fingers danced across her pussy and she moaned. With his thumb, he put pressure on her clit and rubbed in gentle circles.
“You make the best noises when I touch you like this,” he said near her ear, the pressure continuing to build. “Shall I make you come for me before we continue, Angel?”
“Please,” she whimpered when she felt one finger slip inside of her.
His teeth grazed her ear. “I think you can do better than that.” One more finger entered her slick opening.
With a gasp she pleaded with him again, “Please let me come Sir.” The pressure increased and a third finger found its way inside of her.
“Oh, good girl. Come for me now, Angel.”
And she did. The orgasm ripped through her and she closed her legs around his hand. With his free hand, he nudged them open again and worked her to a second orgasm. Which had her panting and begging for him to stop. An instant later, his hands were gone.
“Let’s continue, I want you to watch me this time, Angel.” He waited for her to come down from her orgasm high, and then he lifted a wand of some kind from a bowl of liquid and ran it up her belly. Then, he lit a second wand and touched it to the stripe of liquid on her skin. Her eyes grew wide as the flame raced from the bottom of her stomach to the top just below her breasts.
“Woah,” she whispered as he doused the flame with a damp cloth.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” he asked staring down at her. Then he was tracing a line up her stomach again. The rush she felt as the flame made its way up her body again was almost equal to the orgasm that had just ran through her—almost.
“That’s so cool, and sexy.”
“Isn’t it though? Just like you.” A sensual smile warmed his face. “Again?”
“Yes please.”
This time, he traced a shape on her belly and she watched, mesmerized as the flames danced into the shape of a heart for a brief moment before he doused them with his rag.
“Can I try?”
“You want to set me on fire?” he asked.
“Maybe?”
He chuckled. “You sure this isn’t a ploy to get my shirt off?”
She giggled. “Well, that is a bonus but no, I just want to try.”
“Anything for you Angel. I trust you.”
He helped her up from the table and then removed his shirt. Then he gave her a quick lesson on how to apply the alcohol and when to damp out the flames. Nerves overtook her, and she pushed the wand back at him.
“I can’t. I don’t want to hurt you.”
His eyes went dark, and he gripped her chin. “You can Angel. You’re not going to hurt me. Trust yourself. Trust me. I’m trusting you.” Her head shook back and forth. “Are you telling me no, Angel? Do I need to make it an order?” Her eyes went wide, and she shook her head again. “Good girl. I’m going to lay down now. You’ve got the power here, Angel. Never forget that.”
Her hands trembled as she dipped one wand into the alcohol solution. “Here goes nothing,” she muttered. Then she drew a single stripe up his hard abdomen, admiring his muscular form as she did. Flicking the lighter, she lit the second wand and touched it to his belly. His eyes never left hers, even as the flames danced up his belly. With quick movements, she doused the flame with the cloth.
“Again,” he said. It was a command. This time, her movements were more sure, and she mimicked him and drew a heart with the alcohol. Emotion had a single tear dripping down her cheek as she traced the flaming heart with her rag. When the flames were out, he sat up and pulled her into an embrace. “Thank you, Angel.”
Behind them, they heard a commotion and turned to find Darci, Bradley, Peter and Carrie watching them.
“Holy shit. Adara just set Michael on fire. Can I set you on fire?” Darci asked Bradley.
Everyone laughed.
“Hi guys,” Adara said, giving a shy wave. She was all too aware that she was naked, but glad Michael was blocking most of her with his body.
“You up for visiting Angel? Or should I take you home?” Michael asked as he reached behind her to pick up her shirt off the table. She slipped it on and kissed his cheek.
“We should say hello. I need to thank Bradley. Then we can go home. I want to wake up with you in my bed again.”
The next morning, Adara woke feeling refreshed. After the club, Michael had driven them to her house where they had made love slowly before drifting off to sleep together. She took a moment to admire the sleeping man beside her before she picked up her phone. It was going to be a busy day. Bradley had several campaign events on her schedule, and tonight they were attending an event for his father. Michael was coming with her and that meant she got to see him in a tux. Which was almost as nice as seeing him naked. The thought made her grin as she scrolled through her notifications.
There was a message from Darci with the name of a therapist and another from Bradley asking her to meet him for breakfast. With a sigh, she set the phone down and made her way to the shower.
Ten minutes later, she was drying her self off when she heard Michael cursing.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, sticking her head out the bathroom door.
“I’m late. And it’s all your fault,” he said with a wink.
“Hmm. Whatever are you going to do about that?” The towel she had been holding around herself fell to the ground as she stepped into the bedroom.
Electricity pulsed between them and she watched his eyes darken with desire.
“Oh you’re a naughty girl. If I weren’t late, I would use your hairbrush on that wet, luscious ass of yours before I bent you over the bathroom counter and fucked you
.” The words made her whimper. She was running late too but now she just wanted to spend the day playing this game with him.
“But I’m very late,” he said as he zipped his slacks. Then he crossed the room and fisted his hands into her hair, tugging her face up to meet his lips up for a rough kiss. “I’m glad to have you back in bed with me. I hope you know, I intend to keep you there forever.”
“Well, that hardly seems practical. How will I ever win this election?”
He growled and landed a sharp smack on her still damp bottom. She yelped and tried to jump away but he still had one hand firmly entangled in her hair.
“Such sass. I’ll deal with you later, Angel. Don’t expect to sit comfortably tomorrow.” Need flooded her as he released her with a final kiss.
Pulling on her own clothes, she watched him button his shirt and strap on his gun. Together, they walked out of the house where they said goodbye in the driveway.
“I’m glad you plan to keep me forever,” Adara whispered as she hugged him.
In her car, shecouldn’t help but grin. What a delightful morning, and they hadn’t even had sex. It was the kind of morning she could get used to having with him. Their recent past had been too tense with danger and the unknown. It was nice to have a ‘normal’ day with him. Not that threats of spankings and a sore ass were normal, but it felt like their normal and she was ready for more of it. She hoped they could continue to build on the trust they had grown in the club last night. As her thoughts drifted there, she could feel the flames dancing on her skin again and she sighed.
At the office, they got right to work, going over the schedule for the day and the program for Steve Givens fundraiser tonight. Before she knew it, it was lunchtime. A message from Michael waited for her on her phone.
Hey Angel. I wanted to take you home and spank that naughty ass before the fund raiser tonight but I have a couple things to do. Meet me there? I’ll drive us home. Skip the panties when you’re getting dressed.
Dear god he was brazen sometimes. His words fueled her own boldness though, so she quickly typed a response.
*gasp* Sir! I’m at work. You’re making me wet. I might have to close my office door and take care of that. Her phone rang and his face filled her screen. She grinned. Good. A reaction is what she wanted. She pressed accept call.