by Livia Grant
The way he said that sent a rush of heat between her legs, but she didn’t get a chance to respond. Chuckling to himself, he pulled off his button-down, dropping it on top of his suit jacket before he yanked the undershirt over his head in one swoop.
Holy shit.
She was staring. She was definitely staring, but there was no way to stop. Landon Bartlett was carved perfection. Broad-chested, strong shoulders, muscular arms, and a hint of abs beneath his bulk that went all the way to the waist of his pants where a delicious ‘V’ teased what was underneath.
“Keep looking at me like that, and I’ll need to put you on your knees before we play questions and answers.” The comment jerked her gaze back to his face where a cocky smirk lingered on his lips. He knew exactly how good he looked, and she normally hated that in guys, but with him it just seemed… logical. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind he worked hard as fuck to have a body like that, and for a flash she envied his dedication. “Would you like that?”
McKenna’s brows pulled together, and he chuckled as he stepped forward and worked at the strap of the gag to remove it. As soon as he pulled the ball from behind her teeth, she worked her jaw, easing the dull ache while she swallowed the saliva that had pooled under her tongue.
“Would you?” he repeated.
Still lost, she managed a raspy, “Would I like what, sir?”
“If I put you on your knees first,” he repeated, his hand coming up under her chin so that she had no choice but to look into his eyes as he plucked at her bottom lip with his thumb. She’d expected it as some point during the night, just not… yet. But he was still half-dressed, and his body was pure temptation with that muscular ‘V’ pointing down at what he was offering, so it only took a second for curiosity to get the better of her nerves.
“Yes, sir. I would,” she whispered, reaching for his belt with her bound hands, but he pulled back with a low chuckle.
“Then I think it’s better if I make you wait.”
“But—” Her complaint was cut off when Landon slipped his thumb over her lip, pressing it against her tongue as he held her chin firmly.
“I thought you were going to be a good girl for me if I took the gag out. Have you changed your mind?”
She shook her head, and that feral smile returned.
“Good girl,” he answered in a soft rumble. Wiping his thumb across her lips, he’d probably smeared her lipstick in the process, but she didn’t care because a second later he grabbed her bound arms and pulled them over her head. “Now, stay.”
“Yes, sir.” She obeyed when he let go of her wrists and trailed his hand down her side, sliding it around her waist as he moved behind her.
Fuck. He dominated her so easily, and with a lot more confidence than many of the guys she played with for the first time, and… she liked it. Way more than she probably should with a random dom when Roulette had put them together instead of an actual choice.
There was no guarantee Landon would have chosen her on another night. Hell, they might have been at Black Light at the same time in the past and she didn’t remember him even looking at her.
Of course, if they had been at the club at the same time, she doubted she would have missed him. Big guys had always been her weakness, and there was no missing Landon Bartlett in a crowd.
“I want you to listen to me, McKenna,” he said, keeping his voice quiet. She suddenly felt the heat of his skin close to her back, and his hands found their way to the rope woven over her ribs, the left one pressing in on the bruise just enough to remind her of its presence. “I am going to hurt you tonight, but I need you to trust me that I would never hurt you like this.”
“Yes, sir,” she whispered, her arms trembling slightly as adrenaline trickled into her veins.
“That’s not good enough, McKenna. I need to hear you say it.” Landon spoke right behind her ear, the warmth of his breath sending a shiver down her spine just before he pulled her back to his chest. Skin to skin. “Do you trust me?”
That was the big question. It always was whenever she picked a play partner. BDSM was never without risk, but the DMs at Black Light had always been a safety net when she felt nervous… except that wasn’t what Landon was asking. He didn’t want to know if she felt safe at Black Light, or if she was still okay with playing tonight.
No, he wanted to know if she trusted him.
“I’m gonna need an answer to that question, McKenna, or you might as well call ‘red’ right now and join that other sub at the bar.”
“No!” She jolted in his grip, but he held on firmly, which was frustrating when she wanted to be able to look him in the eye.
“Then answer me. Now.”
Closing her eyes tight against the crowd of people, she tried to tune out everything around her. The sounds of other participants starting their scenes again, the buzz of conversation, the smack of some implement hitting skin. She pushed all of that away and remembered the way he’d kept people in the crowd from hitting her as they’d moved through, and just how angry he’d become when he thought someone had really hurt her. None of that was for show. No one would have thought twice if he hadn’t done those things, no one would have judged him, which meant that she already knew the answer.
“I trust you, sir.”
“Again,” he growled, planting a warm kiss just below her ear.
“I trust you.”
“Good girl.” The heady buzz of his words against her skin had her leaning back on his chest, but he pulled back a second later to land a sharp spank on her ass, jolting her hips forward and making the rope rub between her legs. “Did I say you could drop your arms?”
Shit. Lifting her arms high again, she soaked in the heat of the swat and shook her head. “No, sir. Sorry, sir.”
“That’s better, and I know just the thing to help you hold position for me,” he replied, and she could hear the smile in his voice as cold metal brushed her hand. Tilting her head back, she saw him push the shiny metal hook through the braided rope binding her forearms together. “Reduce the slack just a bit.”
“Tell me when,” Weston replied, and she wondered how long he’d been standing at the edge of the platform watching them. Not like he’s the only one.
“Stop,” Landon ordered, his voice full dominant as he cupped her ass where he’d landed what she knew was a light swat from someone as strong as him. “Your heels comfortably on the floor, McKenna?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. If your fingers start to tingle or anything, I want you to say ‘yellow,’ understand?” He moved away from her again, and she was relieved when he finally stepped in front of her so she could see him.
Nodding, she confirmed it again. “Yes, sir.”
“I do like the way you say that.” A smile tugged at his lips as he reached up and took the tie out of his hair. Dirty blond hair fell down to his shoulders, instantly turning him into something wild. Feral.
And hot as fuck.
“See? You’re not the only one that gets attention for their hair, McKenna.” Pushing his fingers into it, he loosened it from his scalp, making it look even wilder before he dropped his hands to his belt buckle. “Ready to play our game?”
Her mouth was dry, bone dry, and she couldn’t take her eyes off the belt as pulled it free with a skin-tingling pop! of leather. Still, she somehow managed a hushed, “Yes, sir.”
“Good. I’m going to ask questions and depending on your answers — or lack of answers — I’m either going to use this…” Landon folded the belt in half and held it up. “Or that.”
McKenna followed the direction his other hand pointed, her eyes landing on a Hitachi that was already plugged into an outlet on the platform.
Oh God.
“Any questions before we start?” he asked, that cocky grin lingering on his face as he waited.
“No, sir.” She’d tried to make it sound calm, confident, brazen, like how she’d deliver a line as Macy, but she wasn’t sure if it came across that way
.
It probably hadn’t.
“Good. Then let’s begin with a taste of what happens if you misbehave.” Landon stalked to her side, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away even as he brought his arm back, all those muscles shifting under his skin just before he brought the belt down across her ass.
“Fuck!” she shouted as a brilliant stroke of fire burst to life on her backside, the rope adding its own fiery friction over her most sensitive places. Yanking on the hook holding her arms above her head, McKenna shifted from foot to foot, whining through gritted teeth until the heat finally began to spread out. He hadn’t held back on that stroke at all, and she couldn’t remember the last time anyone had swatted her that hard. Worse, every twist and wiggle of her hips only made the coarse rope rub her from clit to ass.
I am so screwed.
“I think you get the point,” he added, dark laughter woven in with his words.
You think? She managed to keep the snarky comment to herself as he stepped in front of her again, blatantly looking her over from head to toe like some kind of wild man getting ready to lay claim to her. Which, if she were honest with herself, was a serious turn-on.
“Okay, question one.”
Fuck.
Chapter 5
Landon
The way McKenna’s skin turned bright red, reflecting a perfect outline of the belt on her ass, had him struggling to remember exactly what his plan had been when he’d thought it up.
From the moment she’d spun shibari he’d started thinking about the more twisted ways he’d seen rope used, and Weston had done a badass job getting McKenna tied up. Now, he was finally able to play with her, to listen to the sweet little whines she made… and he couldn’t remember what the fuck he’d wanted to ask about in the first place.
“Do I get to try out the Hitachi too, sir?”
So much sass.
“No. You have to earn the Hitachi with answers.” Winking at her, he tapped his palm with the belt, trying to look intimidating while he walked around the edge of the platform to give himself some time to remember the entire goal of this little Q&A game. It was when he looked at her sweet ass again that he remembered, but he wanted to be able to see her face for this one. “Ready?”
“And waiting,” she sassed again, and he quickly snapped the belt across her ass. Her groan, combined with the way she writhed on that rope pressed so tight against her pussy, almost distracted him again, but he stayed focused.
“I asked you earlier why anal is on your limits list and you decided to run off instead of answer me.” Grinning, he stopped in front of her and rested the loop of the belt on his shoulder. “Time to tell me the truth. Are you just afraid to try it, or did you have a bad experience?”
McKenna’s entire body tensed as her gaze dropped to the platform under her feet, before skirting the faces of the people around them. It was clear the question made her uncomfortable and judging by the flush turning the tops of her breasts a rosy pink, he could tell the idea of answering in front of so many people was embarrassing her.
Normally he’d swat a submissive stalling for time and demand she answer, but since he still wasn’t sure exactly what the fuck had her so skittish about anal… he decided to be merciful.
Somewhat.
Stepping close, he caught her chin and forced her to look up at him. McKenna’s lips were pressed thin, eyebrows pulled together to create a matching pair of wrinkles between them. This wasn’t defiance, it was something else, and he hoped it wasn’t what he was thinking, or he might have to beat a man to death. Lowering his voice, he spoke so only she could hear. “Did someone hurt you, McKenna?”
She tried to turn out of his touch, but he adjusted his grip to hold her face still, squeezing her jaw firmly when she clenched her eyes tight.
“Open. Now.”
“Sir, please…” she begged, and her voice was sweet and soft, but as much as he liked it, he couldn’t give in. With this reaction he had to know what the fuck was going on with having anal on her list before they took another step forward in the scene.
“Yes or no, McKenna,” he pressed, probably coming across a lot harsher than he meant to, but he knew that there was no way ‘anal’ had become an issue while she was acting. “Answer me, did someone hurt you?”
Her eyes closed again, but when her breath shuddered on an inhale, he kept his mouth shut and waited. A moment later she spoke almost too quiet to hear. “Not the way you’re thinking. Sir.”
“So… bad experience?” Just fucking tell me. Landon’s temper was fraying at the edges, his other hand gripping the belt buckle hard enough to make his palm ache, but he maintained control. The idea of someone hurting this vibrant, smart-mouthed, redhead made him want to cave someone’s face in, no matter what the fucking story was. “Answer me… or say ‘red.’ Up to you.”
That snapped her eyes open again, and there was fire back in her gaze.
“What do you choose?”
“That’s not fair,” she growled, definitely pissed off now, but he’d never liked a submissive without a backbone.
“Since when does power exchange have to be fair?” he asked, letting his lips curve into a smile as he softened his grip on her jaw. “You signed up to be a submissive for Roulette. Now you’re my sub for the night, and I can promise you that I very rarely play fair, sweetheart.”
Leaning down, he brushed a light kiss on her cheek, and he could have sworn she almost turned to meet his lips with hers, but he didn’t go for it. Instead, he leaned his forehead against hers, locking eyes with her so she’d know he was serious.
“But even though I don’t play fair… I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Yeah?” she asked, her voice breathy, which his dick apparently really liked because it quickly swelled against the front of his slacks.
“Yeah, but you gotta answer my question. Whatever it is, I won’t use it against you,” he said, and he meant it. A limit was a limit, and he had no plans in crossing it. He just needed her to believe that. “You said you trusted me, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then answer me.” Leaning back enough to see her full face, he bit down on the urge to say anything else. This was her choice, and she either trusted him with the answer, or she didn’t really trust him at all… which meant they couldn’t play together. It would suck. It would suck a whole fucking bunch, but the last thing he wanted to do was cross a line just because he didn’t know it was there.
“It was a bad experience with an ex,” she whispered, barely audible at all, and he poured the sudden rush of anger into the grip on his belt, ignoring the dull pain from the buckle.
“Okay…” Don’t lose your shit. Do not lose your shit. “He force you?”
“Not really, it was just—”
“Don’t fucking lie to me, McKenna,” he snapped, dropping his hold on her jaw so he wouldn’t hurt her. Instead, he switched his hand to the back of her neck, fingers moving into her hair so she couldn’t look away again. Deep breath. Stay calm. “I want the truth so I don’t trip any triggers tonight.”
“Fine. He— I mean we had—” She sighed and took a slow breath back in. “We’d talked about it, tried a couple of things, and I’d said maybe. Then one night he just… did it. It hurt, I bled, and I kicked him out.” The words were short, clipped, and her jaw was clenched so tight now he was worried she’d break a tooth, but he wanted to do a hell of a lot more than that to whatever idiot had decided to just shove his dick up her ass. Fucking idiot didn’t even talk about it before he did it. Didn’t take the time to warm her up. Didn’t try to make it good for her at all. That bastard probably just wanted to say he’d done it, and now he’d ruined it for her forever.
Forcing a deep breath, he dragged his fingers back and forth over her scalp, easing the place he’d pulled. “Thank you for telling me, McKenna. I guess there’s no chance you’ll give me his name and address?”
Her face twisted up for a moment, and then she let
out a laugh. “What? No!”
“You sure?” he asked again as he stepped away, draping the belt over his shoulder so he could scoop up the Hitachi.
“Absolutely not.”
“I bet I could convince you.” Flashing a grin, he looked down at the Hitachi and turned it to low, catching a glimpse of the buckle imprint on his palm. “But first, here’s your reward.”
“What? Oh my— fuck!” McKenna arched her back, her arms straining against the hook in the ceiling as he wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her flush to the vibrating head of the magic wand.
“I’m curious, this still feel good with the rope?” he asked, but she was too busy wiggling her hips and whining to answer him. He just couldn’t tell if she was trying to get closer or farther away. Either way, she looked and felt damn good squirming against him. “Come on, beautiful. I know you’ve used one of these before. Better or not with that rope rubbing against your sweet cunt.”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, I don’t know!” she shouted before whining loudly. Landon just chuckled, maneuvering the head of the wand between her thighs to try and find the right spot to get her going. When she tensed up and started babbling, he knew he’d found it.
“Seems like you like it.”
“Make her come!” a man shouted from the edge of the platform, but Landon didn’t see who, he just knew he wasn’t taking direction from some jackass who only came here to watch.
“Nah.” Pulling the Hitachi away, he grinned when McKenna’s eyes opened again, her mouth slack with shock that he’d stopped. “Gotta earn the chance to come, sweetheart.”
“But I told you the truth!” she argued, and he let her go to grab the belt again.
“Which is why you got some time with the wand instead of my belt.” Setting the Hitachi back down, he didn’t miss the way the lights made the head of the wand shine. His little redhead was getting nice and wet, and she still had plenty of fire. Folding the belt in half again, he smacked it against his palm, and the satisfying pop of the leather had her closing her mouth fast. “Speaking of… I think you forgot something while you were complaining.”