by Ashe Barker, Lily Harlem, Katy Swann, Wendi Zwaduk, Lucy Felthouse, Dolly Watt
“You’ve been so bad. Very bad.” He trailed his fingers over her ass cheek. “But I don’t think this is much of a punishment.”
Excitement radiated through her. God, what was he going to do? “Thank you, Sir,” she said before he’d even done anything.
“Slow down.”
The more he touched her with the smooth object, she realized what he held. She couldn’t see the details or tell the material, but she knew he’d selected a paddle. Her cunt warmed even more and cream coated her pussy lips.
“Bad girls need punished.” He brought the paddle down on her rear end. Soft for the first two spanks, then hard. The change in pressure shocked her and the pain quickly radiated through her body. She whimpered and pulled at the silk bindings, but didn’t utter her safeword. A shiver wracked her body again.
“So good,” she murmured. “So very good.” She offered up her ass, wanting more from his magical paddle. “Thank you, Sir. More.”
“Bad, bad girl.” He smacked her with the object again, three more times.
She wobbled with each blow, tumbling closer to coming apart.
She loved the pain. The kiss of the paddle turned her on and set her free. She couldn’t breathe or think. She needed the release.
“Sir.” She pulled at the ties this time, and her knees bobbed. “I—I…”
“Need to come?” He smoothed the paddle over her abused skin. “Your poor ass is all red and so hot.” He eased up behind her and snagged his arms around her. “I’m going to let you come, but I want to fuck you so much. You dream about my hand on your ass? I dream about my cock sliding in and out of that sweet pussy.”
“Then fuck me.” Save me from my misery, she wanted to scream. She knew damn well who he was. Master E, otherwise known as Elias McDowell, the co-owner of Delight Tonight, one of the premier restaurants in town. She’d worked for him five days a week for the last year. When she hadn’t been waiting tables, she’d fantasized about this very moment—when he’d finally make love to her. He hadn’t noticed her. He hadn’t been the one to hire her or to interact with her since he’d left his post behind the bar. Still, she fantasized about the moment he’d realize she was right under his nose and ask her to be his girl.
“I can’t.” He dug his teeth into the soft skin of her shoulder where the muscle connected to her neck. “I want to.” He scraped his nails over her ass, then spanked her again with his hand.
The differing tortures over her body kicked her growing orgasm over the edge. She whimpered, then groaned and shuddered. He hadn’t told her not to come and she couldn’t have held back the climax if she’d tried. She rested her head on his shoulder and panted, then closed her eyes.
From her hairline to her toes, everything shimmered and her nerve endings frayed. She’d come to Push just to see him. She’d offered up her body in the hopes he’d see beyond the mask and want her. Half of her desires had come to fruition. She’d come at his hand.
“You’re a good girl,” he murmured and nipped her earlobe. “A very good girl who deserves better than me.” He released her arms from the ties, then kept her in his arms. He helped her across the room to one of the couches. “Sit with me a while.”
Like she could’ve said no? Her legs wouldn’t have held her up for that long. She allowed him to cradle her against his chest and pet her hair.
“I love quiet moments together.” He kissed the top of her head. “One day I’d like to find a girl like you.” He chuckled. “One day.”
She closed her eyes to keep the embarrassment at bay. She’d been right under his nose the whole time, but he refused to see her as anything besides another server—if he’d ever noticed her at all.
Sadie struggled to her feet. She wobbled on her high heels, but damn it, she was leaving. “Thank you, Sir. I’ve enjoyed our time together.”
“You’re leaving? Are you sure you’re ready?” He jumped to his feet. “Wait.”
“No, no. I’m good. Goodnight, Sir.” She forced herself to walk out of the playroom and not to stop until she stood in the foyer of the dance club. The bouncer scanned the paper bracelet she’d forgotten she wore, then handed over her car keys and purse. She slid a five-dollar bill into his hand, then fled the club.
Some experiences were better with quicker endings. She blinked back tears unsuccessfully as she drove home. Going to Push had been a good idea with horrible results.
“I’m not going to let him bother me,” she said to herself, hoping to get him out of her system. She had a job to do and was supposed to report to the restaurant the next day at four. Damn it, she’d be there. No regrets.
Chapter Two
Elias stared at the door. She’d just walked out on him. What the hell? He’d given her an orgasm just from spanking. She’d allowed him to hold her after they’d finished! Didn’t that merit more than a goodbye and exit? He thought so. He folded his arms and sighed.
“You’re getting too old for this shit,” he muttered. When he turned to leave the room, he caught sight of himself in the mirror. The mask. He still wore the same black masquerade mask. Well, no wonder she didn’t trust him. He’d been wearing the mask the entire time. She hadn’t taken hers off either, but still.
“I look like freaking Zorro.” He shook his head. The club rules insisted the players all wore masks and he knew the rules, but had she walked out because he hadn’t shed his mask? Everyone who played was vetted for safety, but that didn’t make his life much easier. He wanted his girl.
He checked his watch. His restaurant, Delight Tonight, was just closing. Fine. He’d find his best friend and co-owner of the eatery there. He headed through the club in the direction of the parking lot. Along the way, he looked for his play partner for the night and her distinctive mask—brilliant white plastic with white feathers and clear rhinestones. He’d know that design anywhere. Unfortunately, he didn’t spot her.
One of the women who’d shown interest in him before S had arrived walked up to him. Her glittery dress hung on her lanky frame. Most of the guys at the club probably drooled over her. Not him. He liked women with a little more meat on their bones. He needed something pillowy beside him in bed. He wanted a girl who wasn’t afraid to eat. Plus, the wannabe model was too tall. He preferred shorter girls—just like the one he’d just played with.
“You’re alone,” the model said. She grasped his hand. “You shouldn’t be alone. It’s almost midnight.”
“Which is why I’m leaving.” He let go of her. “Goodnight.”
“You won’t take me with you? This scene is dead.” She stuck out her bottom lip. “Please?”
When the girl he’d played with had begged, he’d wanted to give in to her every desire. This woman? Not a chance. “No, darling. I’m turning in—alone.” He left her standing in the foyer, then darted across the lot to his car. The beat-up Volvo wasn’t pretty, but she got him where he needed to go. He plopped behind the wheel then headed across town to the restaurant. If anyone knew how to sort out his cocked-up love life, it was Sean.
Ten minutes later, he strolled into the bar area of Delight Tonight. The dining room had been closed off and the lighting dimmed. No customers were at the bar, but the neon was still illuminated. He tugged one of the stools away from the counter.
Sean rounded the corner, a wet pitcher in hand. “We’re closed, turkey.” He plunged the pitcher in the soapy water behind the bar, then finally looked at Elias. “Sorry. I— Weren’t you clubbing tonight?”
“That was the plan.” Elias reached over the counter and tugged a bottle of beer from the open chest of ice. “I came, I saw, I clubbed and got dumped.”
“You—what?” Sean scrubbed both hands over his face, then groaned. “And you said I had the complicated love life.”
“No, I know mine’s all fucked up.” He lifted the bottle of beer. “Open me up and I’ll explain. Hell, I needed to talk to you anyway.” When Sean popped the top on the beer, Elias glanced around the building. “Why are you out here? Where’s
the bartender?”
“Stomach flu.” Sean grinned, then rested both hands on the counter. “Him and three servers. I don’t know how Roxy managed. Between me, her and Stacey, we got through the supper rush. I wanted to call you, but your phone went to voicemail all three times.”
“You left a message?”
“You’d know if you’d looked. No, I didn’t.” Sean picked up a towel and wiped down the bar. “So talk. I told Rox I’d be home in half an hour. I’d like to see her before I die.”
“You and I are the same age, dickhead.” Sometimes Sean drove Elias crazy. But they’d been friends since school and Elias relied on his friend to be his voice of reason when the rest of the world wasn’t making sense.
“I’m listening. Cleaning up, but listening. Spill your guts.” Sean switched off the neon signs, then turned his attention to the glasses in the sink full of bubbles.
“So, it’s like this. I met this girl tonight. Well, no, she’s a woman and what a woman. Damn. We played and it was heaven. I kid you not—it was heaven.”
“And?” Sean’s eyebrows rose. He strolled over to the main doors and engaged the locks. “Speaking of Push, take off the mask. I know it’s you, but you’re not in the club.”
“Sorry.” He tugged the bit of plastic from his face, then blinked. “Her thing is spanking. When I went to Push tonight, I didn’t go with the intention of having sex. Really. If I’m in the playrooms, I’m there to play without intercourse.”
Sean dowsed the lights in the foyer. “Because of Pam?”
Elias winced. He hadn’t even thought about his ex-girlfriend, but she’d been the reason he’d given up mixing sex and BDSM. “Yeah.” The woman had managed to rip his heart out in one swoop, then had stomped on his soul with her high-heeled shoes.
“And this girl…makes you think otherwise? After one session together?” Sean resumed his position behind the bar. He wiped down the highball glasses on the towel, then put everything away. “Yes?”
“She does.” He downed half the beer, then smacked his lips. “I forgot my boundaries when I was with her. It’s nuts. I don’t want to just be her Dom. I want to be with her. All the way.” He didn’t think about being celibate or wanting to remain friends. He wanted the whole hot and heavy situation.
“Sounds awful.” Sean rolled his eyes. “Horrible.”
“Don’t be droll,” Elias snapped. But only Sean could talk to him that way. Sean knew him better than anyone.
“Sounds like a terrible problem to have. Someone wants you to move on past that trashy ex you had and to start over. Gee. Don’t do it.” Sean rolled his eyes again, then arranged the damp towels on the drying rack behind the bar. “I need to get out of here. I’m not bartending material.”
“No, you’re not.” Elias left his stool, then rounded the bar. “What’s left to finish?”
“Washing the rest of the beer glasses, then locking up the coolers.” Sean plunged more glasses into the sudsy water. “Now about your problem. You like this girl. She gets your rocks off and knows how to tweak your kinky fancy. Why aren’t you seeking her out beyond Push?”
“That’s the thing. She had to show up on Mask Night.”
“Every night at Push is Masquerade night now.”
“True, but still. I’ve only played with her once, but she’s under my skin. That’s not me. I don’t move that fast.” Elias shook his head, then rearranged the beer bottles in the icy cooler. “This one’s good. I’ll lock it up.”
“Thanks, but you do realize you’re watching way too much sci-fi. Under your skin? Good Lord. Next thing I know you’ll be telling me she’s got a mental connection with you.” Sean rinsed the glasses, then placed each on a towel. “Want me and Rox to come along? We haven’t been to Push in…more than a year. At least since we got together.”
“This is something I have to do alone, but I’m telling you, this girl is the real deal.” He dried the glasses. Once he’d put the glasses away, Elias locked the other two beer coolers. “You think I should go for her, though?”
“What I think and what you’re going to do are two different things. You obsess and plan way more than I do. I know what I want and I take it.”
“Unless your shyness gets in the way,” Elias interjected.
“True. I’m glad you helped me out with Roxy, but the point I’m trying to make is that sometimes you need to think less and act more. If you like this woman, you need to ignore the shit with Pam because that’s in the past, and move forward. Tell this girl you like her.” Sean wadded up the towel. “I’m done. I’m going home.”
“Me, too.” He followed his friend through the restaurant to the employee entrance. He fished through his pockets for his keys while Sean locked the door.
“Or better yet, you could try to date a woman that’s not at the club. What about one of the servers? I know, I don’t usually encourage staff dating, but this is different. You should have girls hanging from you.” Sean twirled his car keys in his hand. “Ready?”
“I am. See you tomorrow afternoon and we’ll do the books.” Elias waved as his friend walked toward his Camaro. He’d always envied Sean. Whereas he’d been the loud, happy, friendly type, Sean knew how to play his cards close to his vest. He hardly talked unless he knew someone very well and always looked like he wanted to rip someone in half.
Elias climbed behind the wheel of the Volvo, then drove the three miles to his condo complex. Along the way, he mulled over his friend’s words. Sean knew how to get right to the point without wasting a bunch of effort. The fact that he’d gotten Sean to open up that much was a testament to their friendship.
Sean was right. He needed to get out of the past and move forward. His ex-girlfriend came to mind. Pam was all he’d thought he’d ever want—beautiful, curvy and happy to play the submissive role… Until she’d revealed she’d been living a lie. He could still hear her confession.
‘I can’t be with you. I’m not myself when I’m with you.’
He’d asked who she wanted to be and where he’d failed her.
Pam had frowned, pinching her blonde eyebrows tight together. Her dark eyes had blazed and her sugary sweet tone had changed to venom in an instant. “I want to be the one on top. I hate being spanked. I hate being punished. You think because you’re a man you can do that. Bullshit.”
“What brought on the change? We were happy,” he’d said. He’d been on his knees when he’d spoken to her.
“You were happy. I wasn’t,” she’d sneered. “While you’ve been off running that shithole restaurant with Sean ‘I Don’t Talk To Anyone’ Malkin, I’ve bettered myself. I bow to no one, but I want you to bow to me.”
Her answer had been so over the top, but he understood exactly what she’d meant. She’d wanted to be the Dominant. Whichever role they played, he really hadn’t cared, but she’d come across nasty about the reversal.
“Sean and I are business partners. So what? We have to be together. But you and I are more. Come on. Don’t do this.” He hadn’t been completely sure at the time, but he’d had a pretty good idea she was on the verge of leaving him.
“Speaking of bowing, I want out. I can’t do this. I need to be free to decide who and what I want to do.” She’d tossed the engagement ring at him, then walked away.
He hadn’t heard from her since that day. She’d broken his heart and made him second-guess trusting anyone.
He pulled into his driveway and parked in the garage. Fuck it. He was tired of living in the shadow of their former relationship. If she didn’t want him, then he’d find someone who would. Maybe his mystery girl.
He walked into his condo and a bone-deep weariness washed over him. Hell. He hadn’t realized he was so tired. He flopped on the bed, still in his clothes, and closed his eyes. Instead of dreams of Pam, a vision of the girl from the club came to mind.
She stood before him in nothing but a nylon dress with holes cut out for her tits. Her wrists were bound in a length of red silk and affixed to a rin
g above her head. Her nipples beaded. The mask obscured the top half of her face. In a dream, she could be anyone he wanted.
“That’s a pretty sight.” He walked around her, drinking in the outline of her body in the thin black material. “Just enough to tease me, but covered, too.” He hiked the bottom of the dress up to reveal her naked ass. “Better.”
“Yes, Sir.” She laced her fingers together. “Do you like what you see?”
“I do.” He stopped in front of her. “But you need some color.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Safeword?” He picked up a heart-shaped paddle, red leather with white stitching. The leather would produce a lot of sound, but not much sting. Not at first, anyway.
“Bolt.” She fixed her gaze on his. “I don’t need to use it.”
“Bad girl.”
“I am, Sir.” She closed her eyes. “My pussy’s wet for you. I’ve dreamed of your hands on my body and you getting me off.”
He groaned. “I will.” Elias turned her around. “This sweet little ass isn’t red enough for me.” He brought his hand down on her butt. The crack resounded in the room, and a bright pink handprint formed on her skin.
“Thank you, Sir. May I have another? I’ve been awful.” She spread her feet. “Bad.”
“I’m sure.” He trailed his fingers over her abused skin then scraped her ass with his nails. “I suppose you want to be fucked, too?”
Before she could answer, he smacked her ass with the paddle, three times on the left ass cheek and twice on the right. S yelped and swayed on her feet, but didn’t beg for mercy.
“What do you say?” He used the paddle again, this time in the middle of her ass.
“Thank you, Sir.” She shivered. “Feels so good, Sir.”
“Does it?” He smoothed the leather over her butt, alternating the rough blows with a softer touch. Her head lolled on her shoulders and she moaned. He slid the handle of the paddle between her legs. Her pussy juices glittered on the thick leather end. “You are wet for me.”