Dark Redemption

by Barron, Melinda

  “We’ll be together when you get your nipples pierced. And your pretty little clitty, too.”

  “Excuse me? I don’t think so.”

  “Oh, yes. You’re going to love it. It’ll be sweet perfection when my pierced little subbie gets collared.”

  “Yes, about that. I don’t know about wearing a collar in public.”

  “I knew you were going to be trouble from the day I met you.”

  She pulled back and stared at him. “I thought you just said I was perfection?”

  “When you learn to behave and stop making a fuss about things, yes.”

  Lucia shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t see that happening.”

  “Then I’m going to have to increase my collection of paddles. That will lead you on the path to perfection.”

  Epilogue

  Six weeks later

  Lucia inhaled sharply as Pablo tightened the rope around her waist.

  “Now, you want to make sure it’s tight, but not too tight,” Pablo said to Vince. “You don’t want to stop blood flow.”

  Vince nodded. He reached out and tugged one of the rings on Lucia’s nipples. They’d been pierced for five weeks now, and were healed enough for him to play with them so they could both enjoy them. After their foray into the mountains, Vince had not let her leave him except during work hours.

  She’d moved into his house, putting her own on the market. They’d had a private collaring ceremony and she now wore a collar at all times, leather at home, and gold during the day, to show she belong to Vince, her Viking, who now stood, watching her intently.

  “You look delicious,” he said softly. “How do you feel, Apuro?”

  “Fine, thank you, Master.”

  “Thank Master Pablo, too.” He stroked her stomach.

  “Thank you, Master Pablo.”

  “My pleasure, Lucia.”

  He stood and passed the remaining rope to Vince.

  “I’m going down to the main room. Have a good time. I’ll come back later to see how you’re doing. Remember to check and make sure things aren’t cutting blood flow.”

  “You said that already.”

  “I can’t stress it enough,” Pablo said.

  They both turned as a knock sounded on the door.

  “Come,” Vince said.

  The door opened and Master Chad walked in.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but we have a bit of a situation downstairs, and I’d like your advice, since it deals with both of you.”

  “Us?” Vince said.

  “Well, the three of you. Shasta Alvarez is downstairs, trying to bribe the desk girls into telling her what room you’re in, Vince. Seems you won’t return her calls.”

  “Damn straight I’m not going to. The trial is not for another two weeks. We’ve been ordered to keep our mouths shut so Jaymes’ lawyers don’t try to get him off on some loophole, like we talked to the press or something. And she’s press. Why did you let her in the private area, anyway?”

  “She’s a member,” Chad responded. “She might not be all that active, but she’s a member.”

  “A Domme?” Pablo asked.

  “No, she’s a sub.”

  Pablo grinned and picked up a piece of rope. “I’ll take care of her.”

  “What, you going to hogtie her until after the trial?” Vince laughed and leaned over to kiss Lucia’s neck. “You feeling fine, baby?”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “No, not that long,” Pablo said. “I’ll just reinforce the fact you can’t talk. I’m sure she’ll listen.”

  He left and Chad walked out after him, shaking his head.

  Lucia stood silently.

  “Do you like this as much as you thought you would?”

  “More.”

  He gave her a quick kiss.

  “Who do you belong to, Lucia?”

  “You, Master. You own all of me, especially my heart.”

  He ran a piece of rope over her nipple and Lucia shuddered in pleasure. “Well, in that area we’re even. Because you own mine, too.”

  The End

  Silence

  Dark Redemption - Book Four

  Chapter 1

  Pablo watched her from the top of the stairs, a small smile lighting his face. She was very sure of herself; that much was clear. Of course, she always had been.

  She hadn’t changed much in the two years since he’d seen her. He sized her up with his cop eyes. Around five feet five, one hundred and ninety pounds, curvy, with large breasts and full hips. Her black hair was cut short and her dark eyes flashed angrily.

  From his vantage point, Pablo could see why she was angry. No matter how many times Shasta Alvarez tried to press money into the desk clerk’s hand, the clerk refused to take it, shaking her head and keeping her hands placed firmly over the ledger that showed which Dom was in which room at Jaguars.

  When her bribery didn’t work, Shasta tried to sweet talk her way into the information she wanted. When that failed, she swung back to angry. He had to admire her tactics. She wasn’t giving up; of course, most reporters didn’t. He remembered the woman was there to try and cause trouble for Vince and Lucia, to try and get them to ignore a judge’s gag order and talk to her about their knowledge of Dustin Jaymes.

  She could get them, and inadvertently him, into a great deal of trouble. That meant she had to be stopped. He knew exactly how to distract her.

  Making a mental note to tell Chad the clerk needed a raise, Pablo leisurely walked down the stairs, focusing on Shasta, hoping she would feel his gaze and look up. When he was almost to the bottom, it worked. She glanced his way, looked back at the clerk, then jerked her head back to Pablo as understanding dawned.

  He’d topped her before. He could tell from the look in her eyes she remembered every moment of it. But she still wasn’t going to be distracted. She licked her lips as he walked closer and he could tell it was determination, and not lust, that caused the action.

  She was here to get a story, and if she couldn’t find the source she wanted, Pablo would do. He’d been at Jaymes’ arrest, too. He was on the witness list.

  “I understand you’re down here causing trouble.”

  “Trouble? I’m not causing any trouble, Master Pablo. I’m simply…”

  “Trying to bribe a clerk into telling you where to find a certain Dom and his sub. Sorry to disappoint you, but they’re a bit tied up at the moment.”

  I know that because I’m the one who tied her up, giving her Dom a lesson.

  “I’m not trying to bribe anyone, Sir.”

  “So I suppose that money is for your dues? You are a member, right?”

  “You know I am. Sir.” The last word was added in haste. “How else would I have made it this far?”

  He looked at the money and raised his eyebrows.

  “Are you now a member of the Jaguars’ police force?” Heavy sarcasm fueled her voice.

  Pablo shook his head.

  “Did you come down here to give me an interview? The people have a right to know what’s going on.”

  “And I have the right to follow a judge’s order to keep my mouth shut, as do Vince and Lucia. You’ll just have to live with it.”

  He swallowed a smile as he watched her work things out in her mind, trying to figure out a way to get him to talk.

  “Why don’t we go find someplace quiet? There are some private booths in the bar. I could ask questions, but you don’t have to answer. A nod or a shake of your head could tell me what I want to know. You could be an unnamed source. The judge would never know.”

  Pablo shook his head. “Why don’t we just go upstairs, little sub?”

  She pulled back from him as if he’d slapped her. “Because I don’t trade sex for stories.”

  He took a step closer. “Now, how am I supposed to think you could interpret nods and shakes when you get something so simple so very wrong? I never said anything about sex. I just said let’s go upstairs. The last time I topped you, we didn’t have sex,
did we?”

  She had the good sense to look abashed. She smiled and moved toward him until they were millimeters apart.

  “Did they send you down here? Are you going to take me to Vince and Lucia? Will the three of you talk to me? No one has to know. I can protect all of you as a source. I’d rather go to jail than reveal a source.”

  Pablo stared at her, waiting for her to say something else. But she didn’t. She just looked at him with wide brown eyes and twirled her pen between her fingers.

  “How do I know we could trust you? You used to be a reporter for the Tribune. Now, you’re not. Where do you work?”

  Indecision crossed her face and he knew she was trying to decide whether or not to tell him the truth. Finally, she sighed.

  “I’m freelancing. This is a huge story, and I’ll be fair to you, I promise.”

  “Yes, it is huge.”

  He stared at her, waiting for her to make the next move. The fact that she didn’t jump at his invitation reminded Pablo she was smart and didn’t go feet first into things. He knew she’d been burned before, both personally and professionally, and that’s what caused her reticence, despite the fact she wanted this story so bad she would bribe people to get information.

  After a few minutes of silence, she nodded.

  “You will take me upstairs to see them?”

  Pablo calculated how long they’d been talking. He was sure Vince and Lucia had already slipped out Chad’s private entrance, so he could probably let her go upstairs and find nothing but an empty room. Still, Shasta had always intrigued him. A trip upstairs could prove fun, and very interesting.

  “Sure, I’ll take you upstairs.”

  “To talk with you, Vince, and Lucia, right?”

  “I can’t promise you that. But I do know where they’re at.” They either moved to a new room to continue playing, or they’re out the back door, probably roaring down the road on Vince’s Harley.

  “Take me upstairs.”

  Pablo nodded and turned to the desk clerk.

  “Sub Shasta and I will take room seven, if it’s available.”

  “It is, Master Pablo.” She blinked her eyes twice and nodded when he mouthed the words, “They gone?” at her.

  He turned to Shasta and held out his hands toward the stairs.

  “After you.”

  Indecision crossed her face, and then she nodded.

  Yes, Pablo thought, this could prove to be very interesting.

  * * *

  At the door to room seven, Shasta paused. This could turn out to be one of the smartest things she’d ever done, or the dumbest. She knew Pablo Acosta’ reputation. Her former Master had given her to him one night for a bondage session. A short one, true, but still a bondage session. He’d been gentle and kind, and very, very dominant. He was a no-nonsense Dom who never let a situation spiral out of control. He was always on top of things. Always.

  He reached around her and pushed open the door. She walked inside, keeping her purse close to her instead of placing it on the table in the antechamber. She walked through the curtain, hoping to find Vince and Lucia.

  The room was empty, which disappointed but didn’t surprise her.

  “They’re not here, are they?”

  “They were. They might still be. But they’re not going to talk to you.”

  “You lured me up here under false pretenses. I should tell Chad. That’s against club rules.”

  “Go right ahead. Trying to bribe someone is against the rules too, and I never mentioned anything about a scene. I just asked if you wanted to come upstairs, and you said yes.”

  “With the condition I talk with the three of you.”

  “There were no conditions.”

  She reached into her purse and took out a tape recorder. She hit the record button and held it toward Pablo.

  “Tell me about the day Vince arrested Dustin Jaymes.”

  “No comment.”

  “Did he really threaten to kill you?”

  “No comment.”

  “Is your hair green?”

  “No comment.”

  She flipped the recorder off in anger.

  “I can protect you as a source.”

  His smile made her knees go weak. He wasn’t handsome in the classical sense. She guessed him to be around five feet ten, maybe two hundred pounds, with broad shoulders and a massive chest. His dark hair was cut short and there were little flecks of green in his deep brown eyes.

  She swallowed hard. “You don’t believe me?”

  “What I believe is a judge told me to keep my mouth shut. He can put me in jail. You can’t.”

  He walked toward the wall of bondage equipment, trailing his fingers over ropes and handcuffs.

  “Since we’re here, why don’t we play? Just a little bit.”

  She shook her head violently. “I told you, I don’t trade sex for a story.”

  “I don’t plan on giving you a story, and I wasn’t proposing sex, so there shouldn’t be a problem. However, I could give you a great orgasm. Would you like that, Sub Shasta? As I recall, you liked the one I gave you the last time I topped you.”

  Her breasts rose and fell rapidly as he selected two pairs of handcuffs from the wall. He moved to another wall and attached them to rings. Shasta imagined herself stretched between the rings as Pablo wrapped rope around her breasts, around her waist, and threaded it down through her pussy.

  Memories of her experience with Pablo flooded her mind. She hated to think that two years later she could still remember the smell of his aftershave as he’d leaned over her and bound her hands, wrapped the ropes around her breasts, and tugged on her nipples. It had been the only real sexual contact they’d had that night, but it had fueled her fantasies for some time after that. Thomas had known, and it had made him angry. He’d told her that, although he’d wanted to see her bound, he hadn’t wanted her to lust after the Dom who was doing it. She had lusted after Pablo, and truthfully, still did. But she had been Thomas’ sub, and it had been good. For a while. She forced the memory of Thomas out of her mind. He’d been from Pittsburgh, and his job had taken him back. They’d both agreed that it would be best if she stayed in Santa Fe. He’d been her last Dom, and that had been two years ago, right before her fall from grace.

  She’d been excited at her first meeting with the famous Pablo, and she could admit now that she’d wanted to have sex with him, but Thomas had refused. Lisa, another sub, had told her about sex with Pablo, how explosive and intense it was, how his pierced cock felt sliding in and out of her body.

  She looked down, and he cocked his head at her.

  “What?”

  “Is it really pierced?”

  His eyes widened with mischief. “Is what pierced?”

  “Your cock.”

  “Would you like to see it?”

  Focus, Shasta, focus! You’re not here for this. Maybe, just maybe she could sneak out, lock him in the room, and knock on doors until she found Vince and Lucia. She’d been nice and tried calling, but they wouldn’t return calls or take hers, so she’d resorted to coming here, where she knew they played, hoping they would be relaxed and more in the mood to talk. Instead, she’d found Pablo.

  “Well?”

  “What?”

  “You didn’t answer my question. Would you like to see my cock?”

  Oh, fuck yes. I’d like to see it sliding into my mouth, and other places.

  “Yes, but, that’s not why…”

  “Come over here. No pain. Just pleasure. Submit to me tonight.”

  Shasta was tempted, oh so tempted. She wanted to build on their first experience together, and she could use the release, that was for sure. But, that wasn’t why she’d come here, and if she submitted to him tonight it would feel too much like compromising her journalistic morals, like she was trying to trade sex for his cooperation. She might have fallen in her career, but she hadn’t fallen that far.

  She knew that if she just left, he would let her. No Dom in
Jaguars was into forcing a sub into submitting. But she wouldn’t have time to search for Vince and Lucia.

  He turned his back to her, his hand still wrapped around the ring from which the handcuff hung. She had to get away from him, give herself time to search for her sources. She bit her lip as an idea formed. She knew it would end up badly for her, but she really had no choice. And he was going to be so pissed at her.

  I’m sorry. Please forgive me.

  She walked toward him and caressed his hand.

  “Good girl. I think you and I might have some fun together.”

  She clicked the manacle over his wrist and locked it into place. The sound echoed in the quiet room.

  He pulled against the chain, and laughed deeply. He turned toward her. He was smiling, but he wasn’t happy.

  “You shouldn’t have done that. You’ve gone from being a good girl to a bad girl. I’m going to have to punish you.”

  She backed away from him. “This story is too important to me, and you’re not going to talk. Tell me where I can find the other two.”

  “Unlock me.” His voice was steely. “The key’s over on the wall.”

  She shook her head and moved to the door. “I just need the time to search for them. I’m sorry.”

  “Shasta.” The anger in his voice was clear. “Don’t leave me here like this. I will find you, and you’ll pay, I promise.”

  She hurried through the curtain as he yelled her name again. His deep, “Fuck!” and the rattle of the handcuffs sounded ominous as she stood in the antechamber and tried to catch her breath.

  Oh my God… I just chained Pablo Acosta to a wall.

  She would have little time, she knew. She was sure he had a cell phone in his pocket and was probably dialing it right now. The idea that had seemed so smart seconds ago now seemed so stupid. Why hadn’t she thought of a cell phone, or of what would happen when he was loose? Oh Lord, what had she done?

  Shasta hurried into the hall, wondering which door to try. Would she be banned for this? She hadn’t played in a while, true, but she always loved it when she did. But she was pretty sure that handcuffing a Dom to the wall was breaking the rules, unless he’d given her his permission. She heard Pablo yell again and turned toward the inner part of the club. Master Chad was coming toward her, a frown on his face.