by Sara Fawkes
She lifted up on her tiptoes to press against him, silently begging for more, and Alexander’s lips turned up into a smile. He loved the view from this angle, the corset strings crisscrossing Kate’s back. The cinched material had pulled her waist in nicely, flaring out over the wide hips he loved. The gorgeous red hair lay across her back and shoulders like a cape, and he reached out and gathered it into his hand. “What do you want, my submissive kitten?”
She mewled at the contact but still took a moment to reply. “Your pleasure,” she said after a brief pause, then licked her lips. “Master.”
Hearing that word coming from her lips unleashed something primal and fierce within Alexander, and thoughts about catering to their audience flew from his head. With a low growl, he jerked back on her hair as he thrust inside her again, hammering Kate’s smaller body against the padded table. There was no finesse or method, just a desperate drive to claim what was his. Kate’s normally quiet sighs rose to louder moans, her muscles fluttering around him as he pounded against her. Releasing her hair, he gripped her waist right above the hips, using it to pull her back against him repeatedly as he thrust inside her.
Rough play like this always turned him on most, and Alexander could feel his own orgasm rising to the surface. Reluctantly, he forced himself to subside, wishing to finish the scene as planned. Slowing down but not stopping his thrusts, he reached down with one hand to press the small butterfly vibrator against her clit as his other hand moved the butt plug, testing to see whether Kate was ready to accept him. She was still tight, but it was obvious the foreign sensation that had made her tense earlier was now a turn-on; Alexander thumbed the black plug again, leaving the vibrator alone, and Kate moaned and pressed back against him. Pleased with her response, Alexander gave her two slow strokes before pulling out and listened, amused, at her disappointed sigh. Kate, he’d discovered, enjoyed sex as quick as he did, but fast wasn’t what he was going after this time.
Alexander applied more lube to himself, alternately playing with the vibrator and the plug, then decided it was time. He pulled the plug out, setting it aside, then pressed his cock between her cheeks. Under his hands, Alexander felt the little redhead tense as he probed the new location. “You will take all of me,” he ordered, and began to press inside the tight ring of muscle.
KATE GRIPPED THE table, her whole body tensing. This onslaught was different—definitely as foreign and uncomfortable, but so much more than before. She gave a small cry, unsure if this was something she could handle, but Alexander didn’t relent.
“Relax,” he murmured, low enough so that only she could hear him. “You must relax your muscles.”
Easy for him to say! Behind the blindfold, Kate shut her eyes and tried to do as he said, but her body didn’t want to cooperate. It wasn’t that his actions were painful, but the sensation was so alien and outside Kate’s experience that the nervous energy kept her tight as a wire.
Fingers pressed against her core, repositioning the vibrator so it now covered more than just her clit. Despite her own misgivings, waves of pleasure began coursing through her body, colliding with and adding to the unfamiliar sensations. Kate gasped, body quaking, and she gave a small sigh of relief when Alexander was finally fully sheathed. He stayed still for a moment, his voice crooning words into Kate’s ear, but all she could focus on was the feel of him inside her, pressing her in ways she’d never imagined possible.
The first time he moved, Kate tensed again, waiting for the pain . . . that never came. Alexander pumped into her again, those large hands gripping her hips, and little pings ran through her body. Kate’s mouth opened in shock as waves rippled through her body, and she gave a startled gasp, forehead falling against the cool leather. A hand reached down between her legs, adjusting the vibrator back over her clit, and the sensations increased tenfold.
Alexander moved faster within her, and with the added friction, Kate felt her orgasm rise from the ashes. Chains above her head clinked as she strained against the cuffs, bouncing over the table as Alexander pounded into her from behind. My Master. Kate could see his face in her head, those beautiful dark eyes staring down at her, the muscles on his chest heaving as he moved inside her, and her climax teetered on the brink.
“Come for me, agapi mou,” he murmured, his hands gripping her shoulders as he leaned close, and a supernova went off within Kate’s body. At the same time, light flooded her vision as the blindfold came off, and she turned her head to see people watching her. There was no shame or mortification this time; all caring about what others besides her Master thought had been burned out of her with the orgasm. Alexander was only seconds behind her, his body stiffening as he braced himself against her lower back, body shaking as he came.
Kate turned her face from the audience, taking deep breaths to calm her body. A moment later, lips pressed between her shoulder blades. Then Alexander pulled out, leaving Kate alone again, but she could still feel his presence behind her. Languid warmth spread through her, and she silently mouthed the words she was too afraid to say.
I love you.
In her head, the words weren’t so scary. In her head, they weren’t something she would have to take back. They felt right, but she wasn’t ready to say them aloud; her broken heart was still too fresh.
Her ankles were released first, then the cuffs around her wrists were removed. Kate pushed herself upright as the audience applauded and, face flushing, she gave them a little smile and wave as Alexander’s arm moved around her shoulders. Then an old familiar voice came from the sea of faces before her.
“Katie?”
ALEXANDER FELT THE little sub tense in his arms, and, immediately, his protective instincts kicked in. He scanned the crowd, searching for the one who had spoken, and saw Francesca turn to look at her own slave.
“I’m sorry, Mistress.”
Alexander heard the thin man’s words at the same time that Kate began to struggle for freedom. Kate’s desperation increased when Alexander tightened his grip, and when he let her go, she stumbled forward, grabbing her robe off the nearby chair. The shame and horror written all over her face, so different from the brief joy he’d seen when the blindfold was removed, shocked Alexander. Pulling the thick heels from her feet, she turned and fled from the stage.
“Kate,” Alexander called, striding down the stairs, but the little redhead ignored him completely, pushing open the door beside the stage with a loud crash and disappearing into the adjoining hallway. Alexander moved to follow her but was stopped by Francesca’s words.
“How do you know this girl, slave?” the Italian woman demanded.
The blond man quailed at her voice. “I’m sorry, Mistress,” he repeated over and over, dropping to his knees beside her booted heels.
“Answer me now, Teddy.” Francesca pulled at the leash to get his attention. “How do you know this girl?”
Teddy. Something clicked inside Alexander’s mind, solidifying, as the thin man flinched away at Alexander’s approach. “You are Kate’s former fiancé, aren’t you?”
Francesca’s head swiveled to Alexander, then back at the quaking slave. “Is this true?” She jerked cruelly at the leash again, pulling the man to his feet so they were face-to-face. “How long ago did you break off your engagement? Tell me now, slave!”
“One week, Mistress!”
Pain flashed across Francesca’s normally smooth face, and Alexander realized she’d actually begun to like this slave. Recovering herself quickly, she held out her hand. “You were engaged when we first met,” she stated, derision dripping from each word. “Remove your collar and leave me at once.”
Ted’s face fell at the declaration, but Alexander didn’t care. His fist was already flying through the air and landed hard on the man’s thin nose. Ted immediately collapsed to the ground, moaning.
“That’s for hurting Kate,” he growled down at the smaller man. Alexander was aware of the eyes on them, the audience still watching the show, and refrained from pummeling
the sobbing man any further. He raced out the doors, looking right and left before heading down the hall toward the lobby.
Across the wide entryway, he saw a redheaded woman in a cream robe slip into an elevator. “Kate, wait,” he called, running across the lobby, but the doors closed just before he got there. Cursing, he mashed the UP button, Kate’s dejected face all he could see in his mind.
Chapter Seven
BY THE TIME Alexander got to the top floor, Kate already had on a long T-shirt over her corset and was rummaging through her suitcase on the bed. Alexander’s heart skipped a beat at the thought of her leaving, and he quickly crossed the room, pulling her into his arms. “Little cat . . .”
“Don’t ‘little cat’ me,” Kate muttered, pushing hard at his chest.
Alexander briefly contemplated trying to hold her there but let her go instead, watching her in dismay. Tears streamed down her face, but she wouldn’t look at him, instead racing around the spacious room on a million miscellaneous errands he couldn’t keep up with. Seeing her in such obvious distress hurt Alexander more than he cared to admit. At that moment, he knew that if he used his Dom voice and tried to order her to stop, she would either start throwing things at him or leave sooner. The thought of her walking out the door . . . “Kate, we should talk about this,” he said, trying to calm her down.
“No talking,” she all but snarled, dragging on a pair of jeans. “I don’t belong here, I never did.”
“That’s not true,” Alexander said, but his words didn’t make a dent. “Kate,” he said, exasperated, but she eluded his grasp, moving around the bed to rummage through her bag again. She began to throw things into a nearby pile, and Alexander realized that she was tossing out all the toys he got for her as well as any she had brought herself. “Kate,” he said, moving beside her, “be reasonable.”
He knew the instant she rounded on him that it was the wrong thing to say. Anger sparked from her eyes as she jabbed a finger into his breastbone. “I’m being completely reasonable,” she countered, stabbing him in the chest. “It was unreasonable for me to think I could stay here. I’m normal. Boring. Vanilla. This?” She pointed to the small pile on the floor. “Isn’t who I am. I’m the kind of person who goes on dates, not falls into bed with strangers. The kind who wants to look at wedding dresses, not leather and fetish gear.” She gave a small hiccup, anger quickly giving way to sadness between one blink and the next. “I’m nothing, nobody.”
This time it was Alexander’s turn to get angry. “You are someone to me,” he said, and when she wouldn’t look at him, he grabbed her shoulders and turned her. Desperation pulled at his consciousness when she gave him a flat, empty stare. He couldn’t allow her to leave; the very thought made him want to shake her. “Kate, I—”
“Red.”
The word washed over Alexander, and he stared down at her, stunned. “Kate . . .”
“I said, Red.”
She couldn’t meet his eyes, but she stared at his neck, face carefully blank. Frustration welled up in Alexander’s breast; no sub had ever used their safe word with him, and the rejection stung. “Very well,” he said, tamping down the bite in his voice. Putting himself in her shoes was difficult, but, for the moment at least, she needed some time. “Please call me later tonight, I would like to talk this through.”
Kate gave a small snort but didn’t reply. Part of Alexander’s brain wanted to put the little sub over his knee for defying him this way, but she had said the safe word. At this point, even touching her would betray that trust, but Alexander wanted nothing more than to pull the little redhead into his arms and apologize for not keeping her safe. She had been in his care, and he had let her down, but now was not the time to discuss this. “Soon,” he promised, hands curling from the effort not to touch her, then turned around and left the room.
This time, the elevator came quickly, and he watched the doors close, hoping for a glimpse of the redhead. When the elevator began its descent, he drew back one fist and hit the wall. The dented brass reflected back a warped image of Alexander as the elevator made its way down to the lobby.
THE SECOND ALEXANDER left her sight, Kate collapsed onto the soft bed, all her energy gone. She tried to keep herself quiet, but heaving sobs wrenched their way out of her throat. Wiping at her eyes, she stood and moved slowly to the window, leaning her head against the cool glass. The sun was setting, the Mediterranean sky lit up with gorgeous colors of pink and purple, and people milled down at the pool several stories beneath her, but Kate couldn’t drum up the energy to appreciate the view. Her heart ached, chest constricting, as if something were squeezing the very life out of her.
All she wanted to do at that moment was run after Alexander and beg him to come back, to hold her, to tell her everything was going to be all right. Except that it wasn’t, and the Dom wasn’t the kind of person who would lie to her. Kate had known from the beginning that she would have to leave; that she had refused to acknowledge that fact didn’t make it any less true. Ted’s unexpected presence at the show had been a bucket of cold water on a fledgling flame, proof of this trip’s ephemeral nature.
I don’t belong here. The admission hurt, especially at that moment, without the anger behind it. Alexander’s reaction to the safe word had been a blow; the sadness Kate saw in his eyes pierced her to the core although she’d tried desperately to hide it. Part of her had wanted him to ignore the word, to gather her into his arms and make everything all right. Alexander, however, had stayed true to his word, honoring her choice. And she was alone, and it was all her fault.
Kate’s head tipped sideways until she was looking toward the docks. The twilight sky turned the sea a beautiful mauve, and she saw the large ferry boat pull slowly into its slip as more people from the Italian mainland exited the ship. Eyes narrowing, Kate moved to the desk and grabbed up the ferry schedule, flipping it over to show that day’s date.
According to the slip of paper, she had less than half an hour before the ship left again, the last trip for the night. The ferry offered the only escape from the island; from there, she could catch a ride to the airport and book the quickest ticket home. It would cost her extra, but still well within her budget.
I have to go, or I might never leave.
Kate dashed at her leaky eyes, sorrow seeping through her bones, then began gathering up her clothes and toiletries. There was no rhyme or reason to her packing; she jammed everything into her suitcase, making herself ignore the pile of clothes and toys on the floor beside the bed. When she finally took off the white-and-red corset, however, she couldn’t bear to leave it behind; even with the memories attached, she couldn’t give up one of the best pieces of clothing she’d ever worn.
By the time she was done, the suitcase had lost half its original weight and managed to close. Kate took one last look at her suite before closing the door behind her.
The ride down to the lobby took forever, and Kate prayed she wouldn’t be noticed by anyone. People milled around the open area, but thankfully there wasn’t anyone she recognized. She knew it was cowardly to cut and run this way, but there would be no escape if she stayed much longer. Already, her heart was crying out to be with Alexander again, and that couldn’t be. Miserable, she headed quickly to the front desk. “I’d like to check out please,” she said, handing over her room key to the clerk.
“Miss Swansea?” a woman’s voice asked, and Kate turned to see Francesca moving toward her. The older Domme had a small frown on her face, which deepened as she surveyed the suitcase beside the redhead. “Leaving so soon?”
Kate’s jaw worked soundlessly, mortification flushing her skin. “I’m so sorry, Mistress,” she squeaked, then bit her lip. “For everything.”
The Italian woman shook her head. “Teddy’s actions are not your fault,” Francesca stated firmly. “I do not abide lies or adultery and so have broken it off with him. A regrettable incident, to be sure.” Francesca gave Kate a piercing look. “Does Alexander know what you are doing now?�
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“No, and please don’t tell him,” Kate pled. “I . . . I don’t belong here, this isn’t me.”
“Rubbish,” Francesca stated, cutting off Kate. “I saw your performance, and I know Alexander. The man is head over heels for you; surely, you can see this?”
Kate stared at the older woman, speechless. That couldn’t be true; what did Kate have that would attract such a perfect man? She wasn’t about to call the tall woman a liar, but the woman’s statement almost broke Kate’s resolve. “I need to go,” she murmured, tears running down her face again. She grabbed the room receipt from the clerk and hurried toward the exit. “I’m so sorry.”
Francesca called her name again as Kate pulled the suitcase past the Domme, but this time Kate forced herself to ignore the other woman. It was better this way, she told herself; she’d just gotten out of one relationship that didn’t work, and she respected Alexander too much to let him be a rebound.
Kate brushed the tears out of her eyes with the heel of her hand as she exited the main doors of the resort. Each step felt like her feet were full of lead, but she forced herself to take the path leading down to the docks and her escape.
“PILAR, PLEASE REMEMBER to use less water when you mop the floors. I do not want my guests to break any bones merely by walking.”
“Yes, Señor Stavros,” the Spanish woman said, nodding quickly, and Alexander shook his head, continuing down the hallway. This was the third time he’d warned the maintenance staff of this same problem, different people each time, and it was past time to take it up to Mancusi himself. While the elusive owner of the resort didn’t make the hotel his permanent home, now was certainly not the time to take the matter up with him. Alexander was on edge; it had taken a lot for him not to snap at Pilar for his own near slip on the wet ground, but his anger wasn’t directed at the older woman.
He’d failed to keep Kate safe, and that fact ate at his soul. There had been anger in her eyes up in the room, but even he could see the pain and anguish she’d kept bottled inside. Why hadn’t he bothered checking to see if her ex-fiancé had arrived as well? Not only had this hurt Kate, but he had seen the pain in his best friend’s eyes when she realized a sub she’d come to care for had lied about his own relationship status. While Francesca hadn’t said much about her newest sub, there had been a fondness there that told him she genuinely cared for this one, and he knew she was hurting over the betrayal.