by Dakota Trace
It could’ve been politeness but she’d seen the need flare in his eyes as the phrase “Yes, Mistress” had passed those sensual lips. She’d been in the lifestyle a long time and had perfected her observation skills. She could spot a true submissive from a hundred yards away. It was in the way they reacted when a Dom entered the room, the way they lowered their eyes and stilled as if waiting for their next order. Well, he could’ve been checking me out but I don’t think so. He submitted very easily once I brought out the Dom voice. Unlike a lot of untrained subs he was quite confident when it came to talking about his business. Then he even got up the nerve to ask me about the lifestyle.
Her cheeks heated with desire when she thought about how their conversation ended…
…Jude handed her a folder with the options he’d just discussed with her in detail. “I’ve written down all my suggestions. You have a wonderful place here, Mistress Olivia, I’d hate to see some asshole try to take it away from you.”
“Thank you for your suggestions, pet. I’ll look these over and get back to you tomorrow about what I want to do.”
He nodded before gathering up the loose papers on her desk. He paused after he was done. He seemed to be contemplating something. She waited for him to speak, but as the silence grew she knew he needed a gentle nudge.
“It’s obvious, pet, you want to ask me something.”
“I was wondering, what draws people to your club?”
She toyed with a pen on her desk. “Don’t you mean what draws men here?”
“Well, no. I was wondering about the submissives. What draws them to let another beat them – dominate them?”
She stroked her hand up and down the pen before answering his question with one of her own. “What drew you to my club, pet?”
He shifted a bit uncomfortably. “Well, I came to give you a bid.”
She slowly shook her head. “I don’t believe that. You could’ve had your partner…the one who normally does the bidding, come.”
He gave her a small smile. “Well, there is a bit of curiosity.”
“Go on.” She leaned forward.
“I’ve never been inside a BDSM club before, Mistress Olivia. Any person would be curious to see the inside of Olivia’s.” He glanced at the clock nervously.
“Not everyone.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Don’t kid yourself. There are tons of people who are curious and want to see the inside of Olivia’s. With its exclusivity, it puts your club at the height of intrigue in most people’s imaginations and you know it.”
“Bet me.” She deliberately pitched her voice low.
His Adam’s apple moved up and down rapidly, “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Bring the next woman you see to the club tomorrow night. I’ll let Carlos know to expect you. Convince her to come inside and introduce her to me and I’ll give you and your guest a free pass for the rest of the month.”
His eyes widened. She knew she had him then. What she was offering was tempting, as a month-long pass to Olivia’s was quite expensive. “And if I lose?”
“Then I get your luscious body to do with as I see fit for two hours.”
His breathing increased. “Would there be pain involved?”
“Only of the best kind.” She smiled when his nostrils flared and she saw his cock press against the fly of his pants. Oh yes, Mr. Jude Larson was submissive and she was just the Domme to awaken him.”So do we have a bet, pet?”
He nodded, “Yes, Mistress Olivia, we do.”
Knock – knock. Jerked out of her thoughts, Olivia looked up. In the open doorway, Micah stood naked, his erection pointing directly away from his body being held in place with a slender cock ring.
She licked her lips as her pussy flooded. “Come here, slave.” She hooked a leg over the arm of her chair and when Micah was kneeling at her feet, she fingered the whip on her desk. “Eat me.”
A low groan escaped the sub, but rather soon it was her turn to moan as his tongue thrust between her pussy lips.
Chapter One
Two Months Later
“Hey Carlos, is Mistress Olivia in?” Jude Larson stopped by the thick Hispanic bouncer manning the door of Olivia’s, a popular but exclusive BDSM club. He tossed his keys, phone and wallet into the small plastic container on the counter before standing still. With hands that would’ve done any MP proud, the man patted him down. Satisfaction surged through him to see physical proof of Olivia taking his advice to heart. After all, that’s what she hired my company for. Especially after the fiasco that happened a week ago. I never would’ve guessed when I told Olivia her club was safe that an undercover sting would occur here. I’m glad she’s okay even if it put off my punishment.
“Yes, she’s in her office.” The man stepped back. “Personally though, I think she needed to take more time off than a week. Undercover cop or not, Raphael rang Olivia’s bell but good. I know he didn’t have a choice but she ended up with a damn concussion. He’s lucky I was gone taking Bryan back to the hospital. I’d have torn him limb from limb if I’d been here.”
Jude nodded. “You and me both, Carlos. It took all my control not to go after him when I busted into the playroom and saw her dangling from the wall unconscious.” He retrieved his items, methodically returning them to their places before stepping across the threshold. “I’ll find my way.”
Carlos nodded as he returned to his position. Shaking with a mixture of dread and anticipation Jude made his way down the long hallway leading towards Olivia’s office. Even as he knew he’d fucked up and was going to be punished, his body had other ideas. His strong attraction to Olivia confounded him. I’m not submissive but it’s as if my damn cock thinks it’s been invited to an orgy instead being called on the floor for my own stupidity.
Stopping in front of the closed door, he took a deep breath and remembered the letter which had been delivered at the beginning of the week. He was to appear before Olivia tonight as any other slave who’d broken one of her rules would. Toeing off his tennis shoes, he kicked them under the small mahogany stand next to the door. Reaching behind his neck, he grabbed a handful of the long sleeved tee-shirt he’d worn in difference to the cool autumn night. He didn’t bother to fold it as he dropped it on the top of the stand. Unsnapped, his faded jeans were open enough to reveal the top of his dark boxer briefs. He took a deep breath, knowing he should be thankful that she’d allowed him to keep the underwear. They covered the worst of the scarring on his inner thigh and hip. Looking over his shoulder, he unzipped and let the jeans fall to the floor. Calmly folding the jeans was probably the hardest thing he’d ever done.
Hard-on straining against the cotton barrier of his boxers, he gave one sharp knock before lowering himself awkwardly to kneel in front of her door. His bad leg and right arm protested as he clumsily assumed the position she’d told him by bracing his arms behind his back. If he hadn’t been so aware of his vulnerability, he would’ve laughed at the idea that a mere wisp of woman had affected him more than his hard-ass Chief Warrant Officer in the Rangers had.
Minutes dragged on. Keeping his head lowered was a struggle when the door finally opened, as he fought with himself to keep from looking up. He bit the inside of his lip to resist the urge. Her instructions had been explicit and he wasn’t going to chance pissing her off more than she already was. His aching cock wanted her and if this is what he needed to do then he would. He ignored the small part of him that was intrigued by the idea of punishment. Finally he felt the barest of brushes of her fingers over his bowed head.
“What’s your purpose tonight, slave?” The unemotional tone of her voice along with the generic ‘slave’ had his heart beating hard with panic.
“I…” he tried to remember the words he was supposed to use to ask for forgiveness. Their formalness on paper had seemed absurd and if Jackson would’ve seen the paper he’d have given Jude a hard time. “I need…ah…” Dammit, not I…slave…it’s slave. He gave a nervous cough. “…this slave is p
resenting himself for…ah hell.” Frustrated he finally broke protocol and looked up at her. He devoured her with his eyes. The bruising which had been apparent last week was fading. He could see the light discolorations under her artful application of make-up. The dark circles under her eyes bothered him almost as much as the detachment he found in their dark grey depths. It was as if she were contemplating what to have for dinner rather than the fact he was kneeling before her clad only in his briefs.
“Dammit, just punish me and get it over with.” Even to his own ears he heard the lack of command. Instead it felt as if he were pleading for her to punish him. He swallowed when her hand fell to the handle of the whip resting at her hip. He shifted his weight as unease flared. He tried to remember why he’d agreed to let her punish him. Oh, yeah, it’s either this or she’ll never let me darken her doorstep again and there goes my chance of getting in her bed.
When she finally spoke, his body tightened with pleasure. Her raspy intonation was like pure crushed velvet rubbing against his skin. “Topping from the bottom is not allowed, slave. I am in charge here. I make the demands, not you.” She lifted the whip from her hip to trail its handle over his shoulder. “I should send you away for trying to take control. Is that what you want?” She gave him a brittle smile.
He shook his head, the same panic racing through him he’d felt almost two weeks ago. The fateful night he’d walked in on something, totally misunderstood the situation, lost his cool and blown it with her. “No, Mistress.”
She studied him for a moment. “Then why did you come, Jude? From your words alone you’ve told me you’re not submissive, so why are you here – kneeling before me?”
He grunted and shrugged his massive shoulders. “Damned if I know, Olivia.”
Pain flared from his shoulder blade. She’d used the handle of her whip to tap him A sharp breath escaped him when heat replaced the sting. He could feel his cock leaking against the fabric of his underwear, confusing him all the more.
“That’s not an answer.” Her voice was still firm but there seemed to be a tone of understanding in it.
“Sorry, Mistress. I don’t know why I’m here, other than I’m attracted to you. I just know I needed to see you again. Would you be willing to go out on a date with me and leave all of this…” He gestured with his head to their surroundings. “…for a night of mutual enjoyment?” Even as he asked he knew she wouldn’t. She was for dark clubs featuring intense pain and pleasure, not romantic candlelight with soft caresses. He’d known after speaking with several others at the club, Olivia would never pursue a relationship outside the club. It was more than her business - it was her soul. So she had casual relationships with some of the subs who were members, but she’d never dated a vanilla man. Probably correctly assuming the man would never understand her need to dominate.
A bitter laugh floated down. “I don’t date. Ever.”
“Then there’s your answer, Mistress. I’m here because I knew you wouldn’t see me outside the club.”
“And why is that so important to you, Jude? I should be nothing more than another client. All along, you’ve denied your submissive nature despite the way I’ve seen you watch the Doms with their subs. That alone should’ve kept you from darkening my doorstep.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m willing to play this game with you if it allows me to spend time in your company.”
“So you’re going to let me punish you simply so you can spend time with me in hopes of getting into my bed? Even knowing I don’t date vanilla men? Are you suicidal?” He glanced up at her, his eyes tracing over the familiar corset she wore paired with leggings. He’d begun to think of it as her uniform.
“Not that I’m aware of, Mistress.” He gave her a crooked grin. “Perhaps I’m not as vanilla as I thought.”
“And now you’re going to go through with this punishment, one you’ve claimed you don’t entirely understand?”
He nodded. “I broke the rules and deserve to be punished.” He gave her a mocking smile. “It’s not as if you can do worse than my Chief Warrant Officer in the Rangers.”
She stiffened. “Fine.” She moved around him. “Follow me.”
Scrambling off his knees, Jude hurried after her. His normally calm breathing was coming faster as she entered through a door further down the hall. There was no hesitation as he entered the room. Although his eyes immediately found the St. Andrew’s cross. Is she going to tie me to that? Memories of seeing her standing in front of the cross and whipping Bryan Sterling, the CEO of Sterling Foods filled him.
He hadn’t understood at the time. Bryan was a true submissive and had been sent by his Master, who had just woken up from a coma, to be punished. Nor had he understood that the reason Rai had done it was the same reason that Bryan had obeyed. Their love for one another had been the catalyst. Letting Bryan’s guilt about the accident go unattended would’ve had it festering like an untreated wound in the jungle. It would’ve killed their relationship.
As if knowing what he was thinking, she spoke. “You’re not in need, nor are you ready for the cross yet. I only bind my slaves to the cross as a treat which is worked up to by my slaves. Only those who have proved themselves to be quite…” she paused giving him a look of contempt. “…obedient find themselves attached to my cross.”
He nodded curtly, knowing she wasn’t saying anything he hadn’t heard before. His Chief Warrant Officer had repeated it often. “Staff Sergeant Larson, why can’t you just follow orders for once? Why do you have to constantly buck the system?”
She motioned him towards the flat bench which resembled a sawhorse. When he was within touching distance, she stopped him. “This is your last chance to leave, pet. Either you give yourself over to me for punishment now or walk away, but if you leave, remember, you’ll not be allowed back inside of Olivia’s. I cannot have people disregarding the rules.”
His heart leapt a bit when he finally heard her utter the familiar endearment. He couldn’t believe how relieved he was to hear it. It means I still have a chance to win her over.
“I’m not walking away, Mistress.”
She nodded before drawing herself up to her diminutive height. “Over the bench, face down.”
Obeying, he laid down on his stomach after rearranging his half-hard cock. He jerked a bit when his skin came into contact with the cool leather. Closing his eyes, he tried to ignore the sound of her moving around him. First one arm was restrained by the leather cuffs hanging off the side of the bench before she repeated it with his other arm.
She straightened up next to him. “Do I need to restrain your legs?” Her voice was soft but firm. “Or will you behave?”
“I won’t kick, Mistress.” He licked his lips.
“Good. Now do you remember your safe word from last time?”
He thought he’d spurt right then and there at the memory of her soft hands stroking over his bare skin. She hadn’t cared about the scars covering his body. When he’d lost his bet with her, he’d expected this. Punishment. Instead she’d given him pleasure along with stark commands. She’d taken control of his pleasure and in turn driven him so crazy, that as soon as he’d left the club, he’d gone to his car and jacked off – a first for him. Not even in his fumbling teen days had he ever let a woman get him so hot he hadn’t been able to control his body. Nor had he allowed a woman to tease him in such a way without delivering the obvious conclusion. “Yes, Mistress. Hershey’s.”
“Good. Now, tell me why you’re being punished.”
He gritted his teeth before answering. “I interrupted a scene between Mistress and another sub.”
“That’s right. Why did you do that?”
“I thought the slave was being hurt. He said he was hurting and I assumed he was talking about physical pain.” Jude pressed his head down on the leather padding of the bench.
“And now?”
“After talking with Master Gabriel, I realized his pain was emotional, not physical as I had assume
d. I hadn’t thought he might be exchanging one pain for another.” Even as he repeated the words the other man had given him, Jude wasn’t sure if he believed it. How can one pain replace another? At best it’s just a distraction.
“So you’re here to atone for interrupting a scene between a consenting slave and the Domme of his choice?”
He gave a curt nod before remembering he was supposed to actually answer. “Yes, Mistress.”
“By signing the release form when we first met, I could’ve demanded my right to dole out punishment right then and there for your infraction, slave. If I hadn’t been more concerned about Bryan’s state of mind, I more than likely would’ve.” Her voice floated further away and he heard the sounds of a cupboard or drawer being opened. From his position he couldn’t see exactly what she was doing.
“There’s a reason I have those rules in place, Jude. They’re not only safeguards for my patrons, but also for my club as a whole. I don’t take them lightly and I will not allow you to. Whether you finally decide to accept your submissive nature or not, they do apply to you when you’re on the premises.”
“Yes, Mistress.” He kept his head down, just wishing she’d punish him. The longer he lay restrained the more vulnerable he felt. He was starting to doubt the wisdom of his choice.
Her resigned exhale had him tensing. “For your infraction, you’ll receive ten swats with the paddle.”
An unconscious sigh of relief passed his lips. So she wasn’t going to use her wicked looking whip on his hide today. Behind him there were a few more rustling sounds.
“Count off, slave.” Her command hit his ears just before the sting of a wooden paddle came down on his left ass cheek. He’d observed scenes enough to know the protocol.
“One, Mistress.” He exhaled the words through the resulting sting. The next sting didn’t take him by surprise but the answering stir in his cock did. God what a perverted bastard I am. This is punishment!”