by Grant, Livia
When they approached Markus’s Audi, Brianna moved to open the passenger seat door. Markus stopped her, opening the backseat door instead, and barking a sharp order. “Both of you in. Now.”
Tiff and Bri exchanged a worried look as Bri’s eyes widened when she realized her husband wouldn’t let her sit in the front seat with him. As soon as he slammed the door closed, Brianna reached out to hold onto Tiff’s hand for dear life. She quickly whispered before Markus got in.
“I’m so sorry. This is my fault. You didn’t want to come. I promise I’ll tell Lukus that.”
Tiffany didn’t get a chance to reply, she was too afraid to talk once Markus was seated behind the wheel. He put his Bluetooth headpiece on and started moving the car while he made a call. She knew who he was calling. It didn’t make it any easier.
“Hey. I have them in the car with me. They’re safe.” Markus stopped to listen.
“They were on the dance floor. I had their purses in my hand, with their keys, ID and phones—without them knowing I was there.” He stopped to listen again.
“Got it. Do you want to talk to her?” For the first time since they’d started moving Markus looked into the rearview mirror, his intense gaze boring into Tiffany as he listened to Lukus shouting so loudly, she was able to hear it. She may not have been able to make out words, but that was irrelevant. He was furious.
“Fine. Meet you there.” As he hung up, the anger in Markus’s eyes softened. He looked on her with pity. It was the final straw.
Tiff couldn’t stop the tears from coming if she’d tried. Brianna let go of her hand and hugged her tightly. The friends spent the rest of the drive to the Lamberts’ holding on to each other until Markus pulled into the garage, closing the garage door behind them.
Markus finally broke the ominous silence. “Into the great room. And not a single word.”
The women scrambled out of the back seat as he held the door open. Among her many other regrets of the night, Tiff was suddenly self-conscious about how short her miniskirt was and how high her heels were. She could feel Markus’s hot gaze inspecting her risqué outfit and was sure her choice was going to make things worse with Lukus. She didn’t have time to worry for long, because once they weaved through the large kitchen to the great room, Markus took the lead, marching them to a seating nook cut in the corner of the room.
Tiffany was confused until he grabbed his wife’s hand, pulling her roughly to the first corner. He was anything but gentle as he pushed Bri forward until her forehead was pressing against the corner. Acting like a police officer frisking a suspect, he kicked her legs apart until they were spread shoulder-width a few feet from the wall, forcing more weight on her forehead. He then grasped Bri’s arms, pulling them against her back, arranging them in such a way that each hand was clasping the opposite forearm, forcing her chest forward against the unforgiving wall.
He leaned in to talk against her ear. The intimacy of his touch was in direct contrast with the bite of his words. “Do. Not. Move. A. Fucking. Hair.” When Brianna remained in silent shock, her husband delivered three fast and hard swats to her covered ass. “What do you have to say?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Markus didn’t have to tell Tiffany to follow him when he moved eight feet across to the other corner of the nook. Knowing what was about to happen should have made it easier for her. It didn’t. The shame of being stood in a corner like a naughty child combined with the pressing guilt she felt delivered her to a level of submission she’d never achieved before. It was getting real now. Lukus had punished her more than once, but each time she suspected he was going easy on her. Breaking her in. Training her by trying different implements, and never pushing past her comfort zone.
Once he had Tiff in the same vulnerable position, Markus leaned in and spoke softly in her ear. “You only have a few minutes before he gets here. It’s time for you to decide if this lifestyle really is for you, because if you agree you want to stay, the rubber is gonna hit the road tonight. Your training time is over. The taking-it-slow games are finished. Tonight will be as real as it’s gonna get with Lukus. Use this corner time to decide once and for all what you want. If you choose to leave, I’ll back you up, but know that that’ll be the end of your relationship. If you stay, you’re agreeing to submit to your Dom. I don’t need to tell you what that means.”
Tiffany knew Markus was trying to help, but his words settled over her like a blanket of dread. She already suspected tonight would be her most severe punishment to date, but Markus’s words shocked her.
Was he trying to convince her to leave? Did he think she didn’t have what it took to live a BDSM lifestyle? If so, he was not the only one. She’d asked herself that same question every day since meeting Lukus. Never had it been harder to answer than tonight. She wished she could call a time-out. Take time to think things through. Time to talk with Brianna. Time for Lukus to cool down.
The sound of a car pulling into the driveway announced that her time was up.
Oh God, please help me. I know without a doubt I love him. I just don’t know if that’s enough.
Chapter Eight
Lukus
Lukus pulled his BMW into the Lamberts’ driveway, next to Tiffany’s sedan. After making the hair-raising drive from the city in record time, he took a few seconds to calm himself before going inside. The few hours he’d thought Tiffany might have been in danger—the target of a sadistic asshole—were the worst hours of his life. Derek would call it ‘losing his shit.’ Lukus preferred to call it ‘weak.’
It’s not right that another person should have this kind of power over me. I should be in control. If not of her, at least of my own fucking emotions.
Being brought to his knees by a submissive woman made it worse. If that were all Tiffany was to him, it’d be easy. He’d walk away in a heartbeat. Knowing he could no more walk away than cut off his right arm told him just how deep his emotions were running.
He felt like a coward sitting in his car after midnight in his best friend’s driveway, but he was scared shitless to go inside and face the woman at the center of the internal tornado he was fighting to control. He took a deep, calming breath and sorted through the shower of fears raining down on him.
Were she any other sub he used to see with any regularity, he’d load her into the car, drive to The Punishment Pit, and drag her center stage to make sure she understood, painfully and clearly, how displeased he was. He rejected the idea immediately. The thought of publicly punishing Tiffany was abhorrent to him. What they had together was special—intimate. Any punishment she’d earned would be delivered in private. Still, he knew he’d have to steel his heart to do what needed to be done.
Now that Tiff was safe, his fear was transferring from her personal safety to their future as a couple. With regret, he acknowledged there was more than a small chance he’d leave this house as alone as he’d arrived tonight. He was about to solidify their relationship—or hammer a nail in it. He’d change it if he could, but he was a Dom at his core. He’d proven he could bend, but there were some lines he wouldn’t cross.
I can’t put up with blatant disobedience. She put herself in danger. There’s no sweeping her poor decisions under the rug. I can’t be a pussy. I have to make this a punishment she’ll never forget.
He ran a security company and had acquired many enemies. He wasn’t always going to have time to explain his orders. He needed to know he could trust Tiffany to obey him. Knowing that punishing her was the right thing to do didn’t make it easier. There was a real possibility she could tell him to fuck off.
A truth most people didn’t understand was that strong D/s relationships always came down to consent. In the end, Lukus knew he was powerless. He knew what he needed to do, so their fate was now in Tiffany’s hands. Without her consent, it was game over. He wasn’t a big gambler, but knowing how new she was to the BDSM lifestyle, he put their odds of making it through the next few intense hours as a couple at 50/50.
Taking another deep breath, he exited the car, taking long, determined strides up the walk. Markus opened the door before he got there. Lukus hesitated as the two men communicated silently their joint relief at how the situation had played out since separating at the airport. He moved past Markus, desperate to see Tiffany. He could think of only one thing: he needed to hold her.
“Tiffany!” He was almost running by the time he hit the great room.
The sight of her pressed into the corner like a naughty sub stirred confusing feelings. When she turned to peek at him, her vulnerability cut him. His breath caught at the sight of her tear-stained face and mussed hair. Her lips quivered, and all Lukus could think of was kissing them until they were tender. Her name escaped in a groan as he rushed towards her. “Aw, Tiff.”
She broke her pose to rush into his arms. He squeezed her so tight she groaned under the pressure. She reciprocated, holding onto him as if her life depended on never letting go. Through her sobs, he heard words that turned him cold.
“Please, Lukus, don’t hate me. I know I disappointed you, but I won’t be able to take it if you tell me you hate me. I can take anything but that. I’m so sorry. I promise you, I didn’t know it was that big of a deal.”
His mind reeled. How could she not have known how he felt about her?
Maybe because you’ve never told her, sport. Not clearly. Fix it, asshole.
She launched into a new wave of apologies before he stifled her, capturing her trembling lips in a passionate kiss. He’d taken her by surprise, forcing his tongue deep to tangle with her own. She tasted like mint and vodka. He crushed her body against his own as he let their shared passion run wild, and felt her legs failing to support her. By the time he ended the kiss, she was lying boneless in his arms. She didn’t know it, but she’d just subconsciously demonstrated her surrender to his authority over her body.
He weaved his fingers through her long, blonde hair, yanking her head back, forcing her to look up into his eyes. He was relieved to see the fear gone from her gaze.
“Are you listening to me, Tiffany?”
Her voice was small. “Yes, Sir.”
“That’s good, because I have something important to say, and I’d hate for you to miss it. Although, I do plan on saying it often.” He saw her confusion and couldn’t stop his grin. “Don’t you ever ask me again if I hate you. That insults me, and it insults what we have together. People who hate each other don’t share kisses like we just shared. Got it?”
She managed to nod slowly. It looked like she was trying to make sense of his cryptic words. He decided to help her.
“I thought something bad had happened to you, baby. I’ve spent hours in hell, beating myself up for not keeping you safe—for not leading you better, so you knew how important it was for you to obey me today. My brain has run amok with a million what-ifs, and you know what? Not once did I think about hating you. On the contrary, you know what I realized today?”
She still didn’t seem to trust her voice, opting to slowly shake her head instead.
“Today is the day I realized that, for the first time in my thirty-four years, I’m totally in love. I honestly wasn’t sure it could happen to me, but it has. So, hate? Never, baby. I love you, Tiffany O’Sullivan.”
Her tears were back. “Oh God, I’ve loved you for weeks, Lukus, but I was too afraid to say it. I thought it would freak you out,” she sobbed.
Lukus chuckled. “Before today, it might have. But not anymore. All I could think about was keeping you safe, and how I was going to feel if something bad happened to you, and that I hadn’t even told you how I felt.”
“But I don’t understand why we were in danger in the first place. Why didn’t you just tell me what was going on?”
He heard her challenge and lowered his grip to her neck, squeezing hard enough to ensure he had her attention. “I have a lot of enemies, baby. I run two businesses, and both require me to occasionally knock heads with dangerous people I have no intention of exposing you to. I will explain things to you when I can, but know this; I expect to be obeyed without question when you’re given a clear order. Not every order will be life or death, but it’s not your job to decide when to obey and when not to.” Her pupils flared in recognition of his authority; her challenge was replaced with submission under his dominant stare.
Lukus added commandingly, “I hope you’ve noticed that I’m trying hard to compromise and consult with you on decisions, Tiff. Trust me when I say I’ve never done that with a woman before. I love your sass. Your intelligence. But here’s the deal: you’ve told me you want me as your Dom. More importantly, we agreed I’m your HoH. That means I have final say on the rules. You follow them, or there are consequences. Were my instructions about staying home and locked in the house unclear?”
He saw the spark in her eye. She was tempted to argue, but fought it down. “No, Sir. Your instructions were clear,” she whispered.
“So tell me: what’s going to happen next?”
It was a good thing he was holding her tightly because he felt her shaking again. In the past, the fear on a sub’s face had helped feed his Dominant ego. Tonight, the fear on the face of the woman he loved filled him with dread.
Be strong.
“I’m waiting,” he continued. “What do you think I should do?” He waited patiently for her to say the words.
“You’re going to punish me for disobeying you.”
“That’s right. I think we’ve both been dreading this night.”
“Then I don’t get it. If we both dread it, why—”
Lukus lifted his fingers to her lips to shush her. “Stop. This is part of the deal, baby. Let me ask you a question. Are you even sorry you disobeyed me, or are you just saying it because you don’t want to be punished? Think about your answer carefully.”
He saw emotions dancing across her face, and was relieved when she settled on looking guilty. “I really am sorry I didn’t listen to you. I didn’t even have any fun because I felt so guilty the whole time we were there,” she admitted.
“I was hoping that would be your answer. Let me be clear. You’re going to hate every single second of your punishment tonight. I’m going to make sure of it, because I’ll be damned if you’re ever going to put me through that hell again, do you hear me? In fact, you’re going to hate this punishment for many days. I’m gonna make sure you think of me each and every time you sit down for a long time.” She was still trembling as he continued. “But there is some good news.”
“I highly doubt that.”
There was his sassy Tiff, right on schedule. He fought the urge to smile.
“Careful. The good news is that when your punishment is over tomorrow night, it’s over. You’ll be forgiven, and you should never feel guilty about tonight ever again.”
“That’s good, I guess. Wait... You said tomorrow night.”
“Yep. Small infractions earn small punishments. Broken rules around safety will always earn at least twenty-four hours of punishment time with me,” he told her.
“But… I mean… I have to work tomorrow.”
“No problem. I have a plan. If I were you, I’d be on my feet as much as possible tomorrow.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but caught herself before saying something that would make her situation worse. He waited for her submissive, “Yes, Sir.”
His eyes remained locked with Tiffany’s as he talked to his best friend. “Markus, we didn’t discuss this, but I figure if the girls want to get into trouble together, maybe they should be punished together. What do you say to Tiffany and I helping you and Brianna break in your dungeon tonight?”
It was obvious Tiffany hated the idea, which was the main reason he’d suggested it. The more he did to make the next few hours of her life miserable, the better his chances of never having to repeat the lesson.
Markus stood next to Brianna, who was still obediently keeping her nose in the corner—which was impressive considering all of the commotion g
oing on around her. He answered as he tenderly stroked his wife’s ass. “That’s an excellent suggestion. I’m not sure whose idea it was to leave the house, but it doesn’t really matter. It’s time you ladies learn how lucky you are to have each other, which means you also need to watch out for each other. If one of you has a bad idea, I expect the other to talk you both out of making the mistake.”
Brianna breaking her silence with a full confession surprised Lukus. “This is totally my fault,” she admitted. “Tiffany didn’t want to go, but I made her. I knew how to push her buttons to get her to say yes.”
Markus said exactly what Lukus had been thinking. “Well, it was pretty brave of you to take responsibility, considering what’s at stake. Then again, you wouldn’t be taking the blame in hopes of getting a few extra pain-induced orgasms, would you?”
Lukus eyed him squeezing her ass before Markus burst her bubble.
“Because you will not have one single orgasm for the next twenty-four hours. Is that clear, Brianna?”
“Yes, Master.”
Lukus hid his smile from Tiffany at Bri’s dejected tone of voice. “Is that true, Tiff?” he said. “Did Brianna make you go out?”
She looked tempted to let her friend take the blame, but he was testing her. He knew Tiffany didn’t do anything unless she’d agreed to it. He was going to be disappointed in her if she let her best friend take the fall alone.
“No, Sir. It was her idea, but she never could have made me go unless I agreed.”
Markus pulled his wife away from the wall to look down into her eyes. “Brianna, take Tiffany to the dungeon. Both of you prepare yourself for your punishment. They may be our guests, but it’s our dungeon. That means she’ll follow our rules. Do you understand?”
Lukus wasn’t sure what Markus was talking about, but the uneasy look on Brianna’s face as she glanced at Tiffany with a look chock-full of embarrassment and guilt had him more than curious. She quietly agreed. “Yes, Sir. Come on, Tiff.”