by Leah Brooke
Tonight, however, he’d been distracted, his mind on a pint-size redhead, and what Royce was doing to her.
Anticipation rushed through his veins, warming him more effectively than the shot of good whiskey he’d had just before coming upstairs.
They’d closed the club just a short time ago, and in less than an hour the sun would be rising. He knew he should try to get some sleep, but also knew he wouldn’t be able to rest until he heard more about what happened this evening between Royce and Brenna. Sitting in the large room that separated his and Royce’s bedrooms, King shifted to a more comfortable position, his cock still hard from listening to his friend’s account of tonight’s encounter with Brenna.
He eyed his business partner and friend, curious about the turmoil swirling in his eyes.
“You’re too quiet. Is something about Red bothering you?”
To his surprise, Royce moved to the window and stared out, his expression closed. “No.”
King sat up. “So you didn’t tell her that we normally don’t train submissives—or that we don’t see them until the morning of the auction? You didn’t tell her that Sebastian usually prepares them and we don’t even see them until it’s time to blindfold them and lead them out?”
“No.”
“Interesting.” He sat back again, his eyes drifting once again to the large-screen television. Smiling when Brenna rolled over again, he glanced at Royce. “I’ve been thinking about her all night. The mood you’ve been in ever since you came down to the auction only makes me more curious. You said she came before you really had a chance to touch her?”
Royce crossed the room and sat on the large sofa, staring at the television screen, his bland expression not fooling King for a minute. “Not enough to give her any satisfaction. Then, she ran out.”
King found himself looking forward, very much, to the time he would be spending with Brenna later on in the day. “And now she wants to experience life as a submissive to prepare for being sold at next month’s auction?”
Royce sighed, never taking his eyes from the screen, frowning when Brenna turned again. “She’s awfully restless, isn’t she? She’ll probably be tired tomorrow. Why don’t you let me—”
“No.” King came to his feet and stretched. “You got her tonight. Tomorrow, she’s mine—something I’m looking forward to very much.”
To his surprise, Royce shot to his feet.
“Be easy with her. She’s not used to this.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, his eyes going back to the screen. “She doesn’t even know what she wants. She still can’t understand how a woman could like erotic pain. She’s never experienced it, King.” He sighed again. “It’ll probably be temporary, just until the auction. She hasn’t experienced any of this. She would have no idea what men like us would expect from her.”
King nodded, eyeing Royce thoughtfully. “Then I guess it’s up to us to show her.”
For the first time since they’d come back upstairs, Royce smiled, a slow smile filled with a combination of devious intent and something that looked remarkably like concern. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
King studied his friend, wondering if Royce realized that he was trying to convince himself not to get too attached to Brenna by reminding himself that this was only temporary.
Royce had already started to fall for her.
Suddenly, tomorrow seemed a long time away.
* * * *
Brenna’s hand shook as she signed the contract that had been on the tray with her breakfast, a contract that would be broken as soon as she used her safe word.
When Sebastian came to retrieve it along with her tray, he informed her that Master King would be arriving soon and she should be showered and ready for him.
She’d been shocked to find that sometime during the night, all of her clothing had disappeared from the room, leaving her nothing to wear except the robe she’d worn the night before.
She’d been pacing for the last fifteen minutes, nervous about King coming for her.
She would have felt more comfortable if she knew that she would be spending time with Royce. After all, she knew him a little better, while King was a virtual stranger.
She didn’t know him or what he had planned for her. She knew, though, that if she used her safe word with him, she would never be able to be with Royce again.
All night she’d thought about Royce, and remembered the need glittering in his eyes. She desperately wanted the chance to be with him again, to see if she could give back some of the pleasure he gave her.
In order to do that, she had to be strong, and endure whatever King had planned for her. She was confident in herself to a certain degree, but had serious doubts that she would ever be able to handle a man like King.
Masculine. Possessive. Wicked. Powerful.
She saw it in his eyes, felt it in his touch.
In bed, a man like King would be a force to be reckoned with, one that no woman would be able to tame.
Pacing back across the room toward the window, she gasped in surprise as the door swung open, whirling toward it. Her mouth went dry, her heart pounding nearly out of her chest.
King stood just inside her room, wearing black leather pants and boots, his wide, muscular chest bare. He looked larger than life, and easily the most threatening man she’d ever encountered in her life. His chest was huge, the muscles in it, and in the arms he crossed over it, appearing even larger without his shirt.
Filling the doorway, he oozed strength and masculinity. She’d never been with a man so frightening.
She automatically took a step back, her eyes raking over him. She nearly stumbled when she saw the short whip dangling from his belt, one with several leather strips at the end.
“Hello, Red. It appears you belong to us for the next month. Do you understand what that means?”
Shivering at the cool, gravelly tone in his voice, Brenna nodded. “I think so.”
King smiled coldly. “You’d better know so before we go any further. It means that you belong to us. We can do whatever we want to do with you, within reason. Neither Royce nor I will do anything to you from which you can’t recover. If you use your safe word, it’s over. That body belongs to us. To touch. To taste. To explore. To fuck. To punish—whenever we want, and to the extent that we want. It was all spelled out for you in the contract you signed.”
Brenna nodded again, remembering some of the things mentioned in the contract, and not wanting to admit that she’d been too nervous and distracted to absorb all of it. Just the thought of Royce doing some of those things to her had aroused her beyond belief.
To imagine allowing King that kind of complete access terrified her.
“So, Red, I want to see what belongs to me.”
Brenna blinked. “Excuse me?”
Unfolding his arms, King came forward. “You’re hiding my property from me. I want to see it. Take off the robe.”
Glancing at the open doorway, Brenna hesitated. “All of my clothes are gone.”
King inclined his head, his eyes going hard and cold. “I know. If Royce or I want you to wear something, we’ll provide it. Otherwise, you’ll have a robe, one that you’ll remove when I tell you to.” He came forward, his long legs covering the ground between them at a speed that terrified her.
Brenna panicked and took several steps back, crying out when he grabbed the belt of the robe and tossed it aside.
Taking her chin in his strong grip, King lifted her face to his, running his thumb over her lips as though testing their softness.
“I dislike explaining myself, Red. I know you’re new to this, which is why I’m going to let this slide. Once. When I tell you to do something, I expect to be obeyed. Immediately. Take off the robe, Red, or use your safe word. Now.” Releasing her, he stepped back, his eyes narrowed as he waited.
Trembling at his touch and chilled by his cold, distant tone, Brenna swallowed heavily, nearly breathless at being so close to him.
Heat poured fr
“Hesitation and refusal to obey will earn you punishments. Is that how we have to begin?”
Brenna blinked, snapping her head up to meet his gaze again. “No. I’m sorry, I just…”
He looked pointedly at where she held the edges of her robe together before meeting her eyes again, lifting a brow expectantly.
“Well?”
Nodding again, Brenna released the tight grip she had on her robe, sucking in a sharp breath at the surge of awareness going through her when King’s gaze lowered to the skin she’d revealed.
Her stomach tightened as she shrugged the robe from her shoulders, her nipples beaded tight under his stare. Vulnerable and insecure, she wrapped her arms around herself, one over her breasts, the other hand over her mound.
King frowned in disproval. “You think hiding what belongs to me from me is allowed? Put your hands at your sides. Don’t ever try to hide yourself from me again.”
Shaking uncontrollably now, Brenna let her hands fall to her sides, standing stiffly under his intense scrutiny. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so completely defenseless and, short of using her safe word and taking a chance of never being with Royce again, there was nothing she could do about it.
The only thing she wore was the choker Royce had placed around her neck the day before. It suddenly felt tighter and heavier than ever, a sharp reminder that she’d been branded as theirs.
She’d already made the decision to explore this fantasy, and even though she was scared, the excitement and beginnings of lust bubbling through her veins wouldn’t let her quit now.
“Head up. Shoulders back. Thrust those breasts out.”
Shocked at the surge of heat and rush of moisture from her pussy, she sucked in a breath and obeyed him, her nipples so tight they ached. Pressing her thighs together, she stood as still as she could, her breathing becoming harsh as he circled behind her. Her skin burned everywhere his gaze lingered, every inch of her body coming alive with need.
He came back around, stepping back and staring at her mound. “You’ll go to the spa tomorrow and have that pussy waxed. I don’t like it hidden from me, and once you’ve been waxed, you’ll be more sensitive there.”
She remembered the feel of it from the time she’d shaved her mound a few years ago, but she couldn’t imagine what it would be like feel so bared with King and Royce.
She would love to find out, though. She met his eyes, her cheeks burning. “Okay.”
His brows went up, his brilliant gaze holding hers. “It was an order, Red, not a request. Follow me into the playroom. Royce tells me that he didn’t get a chance to finish inspecting you.”
He turned and walked away, leaving her to follow behind him, somehow knowing when she bent to retrieve the robe. “Leave the robe, Red. Move.”
Scurrying to catch up with him, Brenna couldn’t help but feel self-conscious when she stepped out into the hallway. Despite Royce’s assurance that others didn’t come to this floor, she knew Sebastian did, and nearly sagged in relief to find the hallway empty.
As she followed King to the far end, she hoped Royce would appear, knowing his presence would ease some of her anxiety, an anxiety that increased the closer they got to the heavy wood door.
She found it more difficult to keep her arms at her sides than she would have imagined, but she didn’t dare cover herself, glad that she hadn’t when they reached the room and King turned, his eyes raking over her.
He pushed the door open, gesturing for her to precede him. “Very good. You didn’t try to cover yourself. I know you wanted to. Since you’ll be naked most of the time, you’ll get a little more used to it. Not entirely, though.” His cold smile sent a shiver through her.
“We wouldn’t want that to happen. That sense of vulnerability you feel now at being naked will never completely go away. Go stand over there.” He closed the door behind him, the click of the heavy door catching making her jump.
The first thing that that struck her was that every light had been turned on, illuminating the entire room, and allowing her to see items she probably would have been better off not seeing. Shelves filled with a variety of ominous-looking leather and metal contraptions that she had a feeling would be used on her at some point lined an entire wall. Tables and benches of different heights and sizes stood scattered around the room, almost each one made of leather.
Looking in the direction King pointed, Brenna gulped, her steps faltering when she saw the chains hanging from the ceiling and lying next to a bar on the floor.
She couldn’t help it. She stopped, looking at him fearfully, her mind racing.
“What are you going to do to me?”
King’s cold smile chilled her. “I’m going to beat your ass if you hesitate or question me again. Stand right here.”
It took a tremendous amount of willpower not to cover herself as she rushed to where he pointed. Painfully aware of her nakedness, she lifted her gaze to King’s in a desperate attempt to find a clue to what he was thinking, but his expression remained closed, his eyes remote and assessing.
“Very good. There’ll be no running away like you did with Royce. Frankly, I’m surprised that he allowed it. He must be getting soft.”
Brenna shivered. She couldn’t even imagine what he would do to her if he thought Royce had been soft.
“Put your hands over your head and grab the bar above you.”
The sharp demand in his voice had her scrambling to obey him. Lifting her arms, she became aware of how the movement lifted her breasts, leaving them even more vulnerable. The feel of the leather pants he wore brushing over her bare bottom made her stomach jolt and sent a fresh wave of moisture to coat her thighs.
She hadn’t expected to become so excited with King, his cool presence and hardness nothing like the way Royce had been with her yesterday.
She looked up at the bar as he wrapped something around her wrist, instinctively trying to jerk away when she saw him wrapping a strap around it.
“No. Don’t do this. I’ll be still.”
King chuckled. “No doesn’t work in this room. Just use your safe word, and you’re free to leave.”
She couldn’t do that and he knew it. Trembling, she watched helplessly while he fastened the buckles. Once he finished, she tested the bonds, her alarm growing when they didn’t give at all. “I think I hate you. Royce is much nicer.”
She had no idea what prompted her to provoke him, and wished she could call the words back, but it was too late.
King stilled and moved around to stand in front of her, his fingers closing around her nipples, pinching them until she cried out and went to her toes.
“Don’t ever try to play one of us against the other. Believe me, Royce can be just as cruel and devious as I am. Spread those legs, Red.”
Shocked at the surge of lust at the sharp pain in her nipples, Brenna had to grab the bar tighter to remain upright.
She didn’t want to admit to herself how much it excited her, and she sure as hell didn’t want him to see in case it spurred him to do something even more wicked to her.
Releasing her nipples, he knelt at her feet, running his fingers through the curls at her mound. “It’s nice to see that you’re a natural redhead, but this has to go. I want to see and feel that pussy without anything in my way.”
Trembling with need, she looked down, shaking even more when he pulled her legs wide, hooking them to either end of a bar, which he then attached to the floor.
Frightened at being put in such a completely defenseless position, she bit her lip, struggling to control her ragged breathing.
King stepped back, eyeing her critically before nodding. “Very good. Now I can inspect my property. If you speak, other than to use your safe word or answer my questions, I’ll gag you, then you won’t be able to use your safe word at all.”
“Yes. Do it.” Brenna shook, her arousal so intense she wanted to scream. “I’m not going to be able to be quiet and I don’t want to use my safe word. I’m going to mess this up. I know it. Please. Don’t let me. I want, no, I need to do this. I need to see Royce again. Please, just gag me and do whatever you want.”
King grinned, but she would swear she saw a flash of anger and hurt in his eyes.
“Interesting. You’re really worked up over having to deal with me, aren’t you? It also appears you have no idea what submitting is all about. Well. Let’s see how well you do without the gag. I think I want to hear you beg, Red.”
“Please take me.”
King’s brow went up. “Do you mean fuck you?”
“Yes. Fuck me. Please. I can’t stand any more.”
His eyes hardened, making him even more intimidating. “When I want to fuck you, Red, I’ll fuck you. I don’t need your permission, remember? You haven’t done anything to deserve my cock. You can’t be still and you can’t shut up. You’ve been so bad that I might not even let you come today.”
“I’ll do anything you want. Just don’t hurt me or let me use my safe word.”
Holding her gaze, his eyes watchful, King cupped her breasts, rolling her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers, and then just as quickly, released them, slapping the underside of her breasts.
“You’ll do anything anyway. You have no choice, Red. Have you ever had your nipples clamped?”
With her breasts on fire and the waves of heat flowing to her center, Brenna had trouble concentrating. Closing her eyes, she swallowed heavily, crying out, her eyes popping open when her nipples were pinched again.
“Answer me, Red.”
“I—uh—sort of.”
King’s brows went up. “What do you mean, sort of? Either they’ve been clamped or they haven’t.”
Brenna shuddered at the memory. “I tr–tried to g–get my b–boyfriend to be more…and I bought them, but didn’t have the nerve to ask him to use them. I p–put them on m–myself, but it hurt too much.”
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