Bondage And Bureaucracy

by Rynne Raines

  Never in a million years would she have ever imagined this scenario, but God did it feel good.

  “This is such an amazing place.” Fiona lifted her eyes to Harrison’s. “You’re amazing.”

  “Glad you think so,” he replied, tucking a strand of hair over her ear. “On both accounts.”

  At the contentment in his eyes, pleasure tickled through her and she wondered what else she could do to contribute to it. She nibbled her lower lip.

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re thinking something naughty. I can see it in your eyes.”

  She leaned in and caught his earlobe between her teeth, nipped lightly, then released and whispered, “I was just thinking about what I could do to make you feel as good as I feel right now.”

  “Is that so?” Amusement underlined his gravelly tone. “You may have to get quite inventive, considering your arms are still tied behind your back.”

  Straightening, she gradually made her way down his torso until she was on her knees between his legs. She sent him a seductive smile. “For what I was thinking, I won’t need my hands, Sir.”

  “Mmm,” he murmured. “I’ve always liked the way you think.”

  “Fee?”

  Fiona froze, unsure what startled her more—that someone had approached her when she was inches away from giving a blow job or that someone had recognized her in a BDSM club. Shit. She dropped her face against Harrison’s crotch and nestled against him, pretending she didn’t hear her name.

  Harrison swore under his breath but didn’t push her away. Instead, he addressed their interloper with his usual composed manner. “You know, I’ve been a member here a long time, and I’ve never had another Dom step in on any of my subs, notably when they’ve been crouched between my legs.”

  “God. Christ. My apologies for the intrusion. Case of mistaken identity, I guess. Really sorry.”

  Even though she was moaning and carrying on like she was loving the feel of Harrison’s crotch against her face, she could hear the man’s footsteps move away from them.

  “I’m not sure if I should tell you the coast is clear, or if I should just let you carry on.” Mild amusement rang in Harrison’s voice.

  “Oh, God.” Lifting her head, Fiona groaned and frowned up at him. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what else to do. I panicked. Seemed like the best idea at the time.”

  “Ten o’clock. Near the bar. Blue checkered shirt,” he told her.

  As covertly as she could, Fiona tilted her head and glanced toward the bar. The only checkered shirt she could make out was on a man facing the opposite direction. She couldn’t see his face but he was tall and lean with broad shoulders, light brown hair. By his casual stance and attire, she determined it wasn’t anyone from the uptight social circle associated with Daniel or her father.

  “Do you know him?”

  She frowned and shook her head. “I can’t see his face. I’m not sure.”

  “He called you ‘Fee’, not Fiona.”

  “Yes. That’s what’s so strange. No one has called me ‘Fee’ since I lived on the farm…” She swung her gaze back to the bar and stared. The man turned around and from across the room, their gazed locked, the recollection immediate.

  “You do know him,” Harrison confirmed. “Who is he?”

  “John Ashwood,” she whispered.

  “How do you know him?”

  “The picture taken in the barn.” Fiona returned her stunned gaze to Harrison’s and swallowed. “He’s the one who took it.”

  Chapter Ten

  “What can I do you for tonight, handsome?” Elsa, the sultry Domme behind the bar, cocked her head and smiled.

  “Just the usual, love. Three, please.”

  Elsa’s dimples pitted in a cheeky grin as she pushed three bottles of water toward him. “My, my, sounds like someone is having a party tonight.”

  “More like an unforeseen reunion.”

  She sent him a sympathetic frown and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Enough said.”

  Harrison cracked one of the bottles then glanced back to where he’d left the long lost lovers on the sofa to chat and catch up. At this distance, he couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he could clearly make out their expressions. Happiness. Ease. Friendship. They sat closer than strangers but farther apart than lovers. That part pleased him, somewhat. Though, not enough to stop him from wanting to throttle the untimely bastard.

  He downed half the bottle of water, screwed back on the cap, and frowned at how warmly Fiona smiled at Ashwood. She did have the prettiest smile. After all the bullshit she had gone through with Forrester, she deserved to smile. Often. What she deserved was real, lasting happiness. Not a weekend fling.

  He sighed.

  In the beginning, the time constraint on their little arrangement hadn’t been an issue. He wanted to sleep with her because she was easy on the eyes and convenient. In exchange, he would introduce her to some of the possibilities the lifestyle offered and train her on the basics. Seemed like a fair and simple trade off. Until he made the mistake of getting to know her.

  Fiona tossed her head back, laughing at something Ashwood said, and the knot in Harrison’s gut tightened. He tried not to scowl, but it wasn’t easy.

  The more time he spent with her, the more he liked. She was genuine, warm and selfless. She stood strong in her convictions yet remained open-minded enough that she could appreciate matters from all angles. Those attributes were a rare commodity among the world of payoffs and liars, where seduction for personal gain reigned. Fiona McBride was the breath of fresh air he had been waiting for all his life.

  Perhaps their relationship didn’t have to end after the weekend…

  Scoffing, he briefly shut his eyes and shook his head.

  After everything she had been through, he couldn’t ask her to suffer through the smear campaign that Daniel would unleash upon them once word of their relationship circulated. He could try to shield her from the chaos, but he could only do so much.

  Harrison looked back toward Ashwood and Fiona and couldn’t help but notice they made a good couple. Their exchanges were comfortable and relaxed, their body language spoke of natural rhythm and harmony. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him. They had history, not to mention an obvious connection. Unfortunately, that didn’t make it sting any less. Bottom line, Ashwood could offer a future out of the spotlight and away from the political machine that seemed to have charted the course for her life thus far.

  Across the room, his gaze met with Fiona’s. She rose from the sofa and started toward him, arms unbound and flowing freely at her sides, dark wisps of fabric floating and gliding around her legs in a simple little dance. She neared and the slow smile that turned up the corners of her pretty lips sent an instant current of electricity straight to his groin. He bit back a groan. To think that mouth had been minutes away from wrapping around his cock.

  “Ashwood and his shit timing,” he muttered.

  With a submissive bow of her head, arms linked behind her back in a lovely pose, she greeted him as he’d instructed her to on the drive over. “Hello, Sir.”

  “Hello, pretty slave.”

  “You were gone so long I was beginning to wonder if they had to dig the well…Sir.” Her eyes lifted to him and he didn’t fail to notice the mischievous gleam in them.

  Sassy little rabbit.

  Although his palm itched to smack her sweet ass, he managed to restrain his urge and forced a smile. “Thought I would give the two of you some time to catch up.”

  “That was very considerate. Hard to believe out of all the places in the world and out of all the times, he shows up here.”

  No shit. “Uncanny. Almost like it’s fate.”

  She tilted her head and sent him a thoughtful look. “I thought you didn’t believe in fate.”

  “Hard to refute when it’s sitting right in front of you, wearing a big, checkered shirt.” The gleam in her eyes faded, and he realized he was being an asshole. He
grabbed the two unopened bottles off the bar. “I was going to bring these over before I left.”

  “Please. Don’t.”

  If her whispered plea wasn’t enough to nearly bring him to his knees, the pain in her eyes was. Fuck.

  “Tell me what it is you want, Fiona.”

  “I want what we agreed on. I want tonight.” She edged a step closer and the sweet smell of her hair made his dick pulse. “I know what you’re thinking, but I have no interest in revisiting my past. I’d much prefer to stay the course, with you.”

  Harrison flexed his jaw and studied her. Her eyes glistened with emotion, yet her gaze never wavered from his. She wanted this. Him. Tonight. She wanted him to be the one to lead her into a new world of exotic pleasure. Privilege and honor spread through him while a burst of male pride roared in his head.

  He cupped her cheek and stroked her face lightly with his thumb. Maybe they didn’t have a future together. Maybe they did. All he knew for certain, looking into her pretty eyes, there was no way in hell he was giving her up tonight. “Follow me.”

  ****

  A match scratched. Oil ignited in flame. A golden hue rippled across polished wood floors, up dark paneled walls, and over antique furnishings to where Fiona stood near the door.

  “Where are we?” she asked.

  “A private room,” Harrison answered. “Where we won’t be disturbed.”

  She liked that idea.

  As Harrison lit several more sconces, she swept an awestruck gaze over the room, trying to take it all in. A four-poster bed and rugged stone fireplace gave the room a refined luxury feel while some of the other items simply screamed erotic.

  She ventured further into the room, stopping first at a large, wooden X that came with its own set of iron restraints. She trailed her fingers along the smooth, polished wood, and a flutter tickled in her stomach. The placement of the restraints alone drew a vivid picture of a woman’s arms and legs extended away from her body, leaving her exposed and vulnerable for whatever her captor’s desires may be.

  A stretching rack and a stock added a medieval sense, but none of those extraordinary and provocative devices held her attention like the small, simplistic spanking horse at the foot of the bed.

  With its smooth leather padding and contoured knee braces, it looked innocent enough. Fiona knew better. Judging by the location of the restraints and the length of the horse, it would leave a woman’s mouth, pussy, and ass more accessible and vulnerable than the other three devices. She shuddered with excitement.

  The soft hiss of gas through a pipe drew her attention to the fireplace a mere second before the stone mouth filled with low flames. Harrison reached above the mantel and adjusted the fire to a medium height, and then came to join her near the bed.

  “Take your clothes off.”

  She inclined her head in acknowledgment and reached behind her for the end of the tie to her top. One generous pull unraveled the wrapped fabric concealing her breasts while a few short shoves brought the skirt down to her feet. Silently, she stepped out from the gather of fabric around her ankles then adapted a submissive stance.

  He slid his hands inside his slack pockets and merely watched her with those intense eyes. Her skin warmed with his scrutiny. Days ago, when he stood and analyzed every detail of her nude body in his brazenly open manner, like she was his property, she had squirmed and shied away. This time, she savored the feel of his eyes skimming over her face, lingering on her breasts, then traveling all the way to her toes and back up again. Belonging to him was the sweetest feeling she’d ever experienced.

  “Do you remember your safeword?”

  Her pulse kicked up a notch but she managed a level tone. “Yes, but I’ve never had to use it before.”

  “We’ve never done a scene like this one before.”

  She inhaled a deep breath through her nostrils and exhaled. “So you weren’t kidding about hitting me.”

  “I don’t hit,” he corrected and tipped her chin up with two fingers. “But, you can expect some pain with your pleasure tonight.”

  When she fell silent, he stroked his thumb lightly along her chin and asked, “Are you afraid of me hurting you?”

  “No.” She closed her eyes. “That’s not what I’m afraid of.”

  “Then what?”

  “I’m afraid…I’m afraid I’ll like it.” Her eyes reopened and she locked gazes with him. “And if I do, that will mean I’m crazy.”

  He looked at her for a long time with understanding and compassion that put her more at ease.

  “It took me a long time to realize that in this life none of the labels really matter. What matters is finding someone who complements your needs. The other half of the coin. Trying to rebel against your desires, living a lie and being miserable in doing so, that’s what I call crazy.” He clenched a hand in her long hair and tugged her up until her mouth was inches from his. “Suffering for me won’t make you crazy. It will make you my deepest and darkest fantasy come to life and will put you at serious risk of being locked up here as my sweet little slave for a very, very long time.”

  She wanted to tell him that was perfectly fine by her, but before she could, he captured her mouth in a slow, devastating kiss that left her reeling and short of air. Suddenly she was off her feet and in his arms.

  “My cock is going to feel so good between these pretty lips.” He brushed his mouth over hers one last time and set her down next to the spanking horse. “Wait here.”

  The simple device looked more daunting up close than it had across the room, and her heart raced quicker. The restraints weren’t made of Velcro but thick, leather straps and faded metal fasteners. There were two knobs and numerous slits in the wood that looked like they were used to secure added buckles or straps. Maybe those were for girls who liked to squirm. She trembled.

  Harrison returned and set several items beside them on the bed. He helped her up onto the horse, positioning her belly down across the padded leather center brace. With her arms, legs, and breasts on opposite sides of the horse, she immediately felt exposed and her temperature was rising.

  “I need to know you remember the safeword I gave you our first time together.” He stretched her arms down and expertly locked them into the straps and circled back to start on her legs. “If you need to stop at any time, that’s the word you’ll use. Say it once now.”

  “Red.”

  “If your mouth is in use and you’re in distress, you’ll hold your fingers up like this.” He held up his middle and index fingers in the fashion of two peace signs. Easy enough to remember. She followed suit and he nodded.

  Once he had her secured, he reached for a spool of what looked like twine from the bed and snapped off two generous lengths. Fiona swallowed.

  “W—what’s that for?”

  “To help remind you not to move. You’ve squirmed enough for one day.” He tweaked her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers until they swelled and elongated, and he tied the first length of twine around one of the throbbing nubs. Fiona hissed and briefly closed her eyes. It wasn’t overly painful, but it didn’t tickle, either. He secured the line around one of the strange black knobs near her wrist and gave her opposite nipple the exact same treatment. Once finished, he slowly turned the knobs until the twine tightened and tugged her nipples.

  “Oh God,” she whispered. Her taut peaks pulsated under the extra tension. A buzz of excitement zipped through her as she realized wriggling even the slightest amount would only add to her sensual torment.

  “Worse than the clips in my office?” he asked.

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Good.” He gave both lines a light flick and she whimpered. “If I recall, you still did plenty of squirming in my office.”

  Unable to argue, she remained silent and as still as she possibly could in order to keep the twine from tugging further.

  He went to the bed and grabbed the remainder of his haul from the corner closet, setting it on a table nearby. She eyed
the pink rubber ball gag and memories of the last time she’d been gagged surfaced. The photo in the barn. She’d been young then, uninhibited and wild. John had been adventurous and unencumbered, but on his best day, he never possessed Harrison’s intensity. The kind of intensity that allowed him to control her body with a single look or whisper. The type that frightened yet enthralled and aroused.

  “Open.”

  She parted her lips. He fit the ball inside her mouth and fastened the strap snugly behind her head. He cupped her face, tilting it up to him. The muscle in his jaw worked a little more busily than she had seen before, pleasing her on a strange level. He was always so composed and untouchable it seemed. Not now. Not the way his eyes darkened and seared into hers.

  He traced the pad of his thumb around the circle of her mouth then kissed her forehead.

  “Beautiful,” he murmured, and her eyes instinctively closed from the warm praise. “I could easily pull up a chair and simply watch you like this for the rest of the evening.”

  Fiona whimpered and earned his perfect smile.

  “No? Not a good idea?” He stroked his palm down the length of her back and her nerve endings sparked alive. “You’re right. I’d much rather fuck this pretty cunt than look at it.”

  He pushed two fingers inside her soaked pussy and Fiona choked on a moan. Her toes curled and her clit throbbed. God yes. She needed to be filled. Anything would do right about now. His fingers. His tongue. His thick cock. When he withdrew his fingers all too soon, she couldn’t help but sob. She heard him softly laugh, and she realized her night of sweet torment was just beginning.

  Harrison bit back a grin. Ten years earlier, he probably would’ve given in to that cute little whimper and fucked her, but he wasn’t the same man he was ten years ago. He was more disciplined now. He had learned that instant gratification was very rarely the most satisfying.

  He grabbed the lube off the table and generously coated two fingers. She could whimper all she liked, but she wouldn’t rush him, not tonight. He parted her ass cheeks and began stroking his fingers around her little hole. Immediately, the muscles throughout her back rippled and undulated as she strained to keep still. When he finally felt her body relax, he pushed a single finger inside.