by Aline Hunter
As he expected, the grin became a scowl and Vaughn muttered, “Smartass,” as he vanished into the crowd.
The night was picking up and more people were entering the building. Michael had thought he’d remain in the public area for at least an hour, giving him time to mentally prepare for what he was about to do. In retrospect, when faced with the prospect of numerous conversations about Brian, Trevor, Aly and Conner, he wanted to get as far away from the regulars as possible.
“Lacey.” He bent until his mouth was against her ear. “We’re about to go upstairs. Since it’s a steep incline, I’m going to carry you.”
She nodded and he gave her one final out before there was no going back.
“If you don’t want to do this, you can remove your blindfold and say red. I won’t hold it against you. I’ll take you back to the limo and you can go home.”
When she shook her head and lifted her arms, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. He held her longer than he meant to, rocking from side to side, creating a mental snapshot of how perfectly she fit against him. Sadly the moment—no matter how fondly he looked back on it—couldn’t last forever.
He nuzzled the top of her head as he carried her from the club, hoping like hell that it wouldn’t be the final time, and walked toward the stairs.
Chapter Sixteen
This is it, Michael had said. Whatever it was, she was ready.
She’d already paraded around perfect strangers in her underwear. Even with the blindfold, she’d felt the weight of their stares. It was unnerving but Michael had remained beside her the entire time, comforting her with his touch, calming her fears.
The volume in the club had increased, telling her more people had entered the establishment. She was grateful when Michael lifted her into his arms, walked for a bit and started carrying her up the stairs he’d told her about. The sounds changed, going from casual conversations to groans and passionate cries. He continued walking for several paces, stopped and shifted her slightly as she heard a door open.
To her surprise, it sounded as if they’d returned to the area they’d just left. Several conversations were taking place, as if they were seated at a normal bar on a Saturday night instead of a BDSM club.
“I’m going to put you down. Feel for the floor.”
She did as he said and placed her feet flat on the ground. She felt him move in beside her and it sounded like he took a seat.
“Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to put on your heels, remove everything but your stockings and bend you over the bar we’re in front of.”
All night she’d tried to maintain her composure—even with the damn plug up her ass that she felt every time she moved. Sure, it hadn’t been easy, but walking around in a corset that covered most of her body made things a little easier to accept. But this? The mere mention of him stripping her naked for the entire world to see petrified her.
“You’re hesitating. Do you want to call it a night and remove the blindfold?”
Damn, damn, damn!
This wasn’t fair. She’d made it so far, only to turn and run now? She’d told Michael she wasn’t interested in getting kinky in front of others but she wasn’t quitting. Who cared if people saw her imperfections? Browsing the web showed her that submissives came in all shapes and sizes. Hell, Dominants did too. It was no different than the nudist beach in San Diego she’d been brave enough to go to on a dare from Candice. If she could face all of those people in her birthday suit, she could do the same here.
“No, Master.”
He turned her toward him and started working the snaps of the corset free. Her heart was racing, she was trembling from head to toe but she refused to back down. When cool air hit her breasts, she felt her nipples go hard.
Michael unlatched the clasps from her stockings and started pulling down her panties. As embarrassed as she was, she was also soaking wet, her underwear nothing more than a barrier to collect her juices. He took her hands, placed them on the bar and moved into place behind her. Then he lifted her feet one at a time to slide her heels on.
“What can I get you?”
The unexpected voice had her lunging backward and into Michael. He wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her close.
“Water, please.” Michael’s voice was a husky rasp against her head.
Oh dear god.
There was a bartender right in front of them, watching the entire time.
She felt a flush spread all over her body. How many other people were directly beside them or watching from tables? She couldn’t hear any close conversations but that didn’t mean anything. A crowd could be directly beside her and she wouldn’t know it.
“You can still take off your blindfold, angel,” Michael said. “You can end this here and now.”
She shook her head.
“If you want to continue, I need to hear you say it.”
Michael lifted his hands and cupped her breasts. He pinched her nipples between his fingers and tugged at the stiff beads.
“No, M-Master.” Warmth spread from her belly to her pussy. Somewhere in her family line there had to be a total harlot. Because right here, right now, she wanted his hands all over her body. She didn’t care who might see. All she could focus on was the large man pressed against her back. “Don’t stop.”
He removed his hands, leaving her quaking in her heels. “Lean across the bar.”
The counter was so cold against her breasts it made her nipples ache. She held back a wince, determined to remain quiet as people continued talking all around them. Michael’s weight settled on top of her and she felt the whisper of his breath against her face.
“I’m going to fuck you, Lacey. I’m going to take you hard and fast against the bar. When I do, I’m going to turn on the vibrator in your ass and you’re going to come for me—just for me. I’m going to make you shiver. I’m going to make you melt. I’m going to show you what you’ve needed in a man has been in front of you this whole time but you’ve been too blind to see it. By the time I’m finished you’ll be so consumed by the two of us that this entire room will disappear.”
And then she knew what he wanted, what he planned.
He was going to have sex with her in front of God and everyone.
What was wrong with her? She knew she should say no, scream for mercy and rip off the blindfold. No self-respecting person would do such a thing. Even as the voice cautioned she was about to do something she could never take back, another voice reminded her that Michael had promised he would never do anything to embarrass her.
Which was right and which was wrong? She didn’t know, and she didn’t have time to decide.
“Do you want to take off the blindfold now? Have you had enough?”
Had she had enough? Almost. What he was about to do wasn’t something she fantasized about, forcing her to step over an invisible line she didn’t want to cross. Yet there was something in Michael’s voice, as if he expected her to remove the blindfold shielding her view of the room. She wouldn’t do it, no matter how guilty or remorseful she might feel after the fact.
“No, Master.” She didn’t stammer, her decision made. If she wanted Michael, she had to give him what he asked for.
No more doubt.
No more insecurity.
Only trust.
She heard the distinct rip of a zipper being undone, followed by the crisp sounds of a foil wrapper being opened. If she was going to remove her blindfold and cry uncle, the time was now. Instead she wrapped her hands around the edge of the counter, waited as the head of Michael’s cock slid against her pussy and moaned when he began filling her inch by slow inch. The plug in her ass made the fit all the tighter, allowing her to feel his entire width pressing against her vaginal walls.
When he was fully sheathed, he ran his hand along her back, giving her time to become accustomed to the sensation. Then he retreated and returned. Slow and steady. His rhythm unhurried and intentional. She bit her lip t
o keep from crying out his name, arching her back. Her breasts slid against the bar top, sending tendrils of electricity from her nipples to her core.
“You’re so beautiful,” Michael whispered and nipped her shoulder. “And now you’re mine.” He thrust into her hard. “All.” He withdrew and drove into her again. “Fucking.” He repeated the motion, so determined that she felt a slight give in her cervix. “Mine.”
A low click was the only warning she got before the plug in her rectum started vibrating. It was too much stimulus, too much overload as Michael continued pounding into her. She lifted her head, pushed back into his thrusts and screamed as she shattered.
“Michael!”
He was everywhere but nowhere. She could feel him but she couldn’t see him. Her pussy clenched and released his cock, spasming as the intensity of her orgasm had dots swimming before her eyes.
“I’m here, darlin’.” His arm looped around her waist and he wrapped a hand around her shoulder. “I’ve got you.”
He continued moving, faster and faster. His hands protected her from the wood as he rolled his hips, plunging into her so violently that her breasts swayed back and forth. She wrapped her hand around his wrist, digging her fingernails into his skin. That only seemed to fuel him further.
“I want you to come one more time, angel. Come with me.”
She whimpered when his fingers stroked her clit, rubbing in a fast, frantic motion. He didn’t stop thrusting, keeping up the pace until she was right there with him. Her muscles coiled, her skin started to grow warm and she felt the steady building in her belly. Like before, there was no warning. A climax seared her like an open flame, tingling and spreading through her torso before moving outward. Michael was right behind her, groaning in her ear as her pussy milked him, continuing to move even as his cock pulsed inside her and went still.
The arm holding her was the only reason she didn’t flop across the counter. She was panting, struggling to breathe. Nothing had ever been like this, and nothing ever would again. Her reserved nature tried to claw to life but she suffocated it quickly. Later she might regret being so brazen. Tonight she did what Michael asked of her.
It wasn’t until she was breathing normally that she realized all the conversations had stopped. She froze, going utterly still beneath the man who had her trapped against the counter.
Was everyone watching? Was there going to be a round of applause?
She got her answer when the blindfold slid down her face and fell on the counter, allowing her to see for the first time in hours. They were resting against a bar. Mirrors lined the wall, allowing her to see Michael’s bare ass and her very naked body. Booths and tables were scattered around with cushions on the floor next to them.
She paused in amazement, struggling to believe what she was seeing.
The only thing watching them was the lifelike dummy bartender standing a few feet in front of her. There were speakers mounted into each corner of the room and a tiny circular button just in front of her.
She pressed the small nodule and heard the same voice that startled her earlier. “What can I get you?”
What the hell?
“I told you’d I’d never do anything to embarrass or hurt you,” Michael said, exhaling against her back. “I would never do anything you didn’t want.”
“What is this place?” She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “Where are we?”
“This is a room for people who want to explore exhibitionism. If a Dom has a submissive who is excited by the prospect of playing in public he can bring her here, invite experienced couples to watch and control the environment.”
It couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible. There had been people here when Michael stripped her clothing away and fucked her silly. If they’d been alone, some inner part of her would have recognized it. She would have known that it was only the two of them.
Wouldn’t she?
“No one else was ever here?”
“No.” His hair caressed the area between her shoulders and she felt his lips brushing the middle of her spine.
It had all been a trick. From the moment they’d entered this room it had only been her and Michael, no one else. She should have felt duped. The knowledge that none of it had been real should have made her as angry as hell.
So why didn’t it?
Because he asked you to give him your trust and he proved he wouldn’t break it.
Michael never said he would take her against the bar while people watched. He never insinuated he would fuck her in front of God and everyone. Those were her own insecurities, her own doubts. Each time she’d hesitated, he’d offered her the easy way out. There was nothing but total honesty on his part.
The truth wasn’t easy to take but it was necessary. The point Michael so desperately wanted to make was far more important than the D/s trust and honesty code. From the moment they’d entered into a relationship he’d always been open with her. When the cards were down and he needed her support, she’d taken that honesty and crushed it, treating him as if he didn’t deserve any kind of credit. She questioned him time and again, despite the numerous things he had done to prove his loyalty.
It was so obvious now. So clear. She knew how far he’d go for her. He just needed to know how far she was willing to go for him.
“It was just a test?” she whispered, stunned by the realization.
“I’d say it was more than that.”
“Did I pass?”
He pulled free of her body, turned her around and pulled her into his arms. “We both did.”
Then he kissed her, and she knew he’d been asking for her trust because he’d never take advantage of something so important to him. Michael was the man she’d always wanted, standing right before her, but it took her being blind to the world to finally see.
Sagging against him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and knew this time she would never let go. He made her shiver. He made her melt. And as promised, when he finished, everything but the two of them disappeared.
Epilogue
Candice parked her car in front of Lacey’s house and took a deep breath. She didn’t want to go inside and have dinner with her best friend and her brand-spanking-new fiancée, but if she wanted to remain a part of Lacey’s life she was going to have to make some adjustments.
She looked at herself in the rearview mirror, smoothing her hair. “This entire situation is fucked up.”
All right, maybe that was taking it too far. She was happy for Lacey. She’d managed to find a man who treated her right and had her best interests at heart. Mike doted on her friend in a way that made her as jealous as it did nauseous. The courtship had been fast—too fast to most in their small town—but their affection and love appeared genuine. They were like newlyweds already, sharing secret whispers, exchanging knowing looks.
Not to mention they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
The trouble was, watching the two of them together made her yearn for something she didn’t understand. She didn’t want a relationship. She wasn’t interested in putting her heart on the line in order to establish one. It was best to keep things on a strictly sexual level when it came to men. She enjoyed what they offered, she gave them what they needed in turn and both parties walked away happy.
So why did that suddenly sound so callous to her? As if she were mistreating the men she made arrangements with who were eager to accept her no-strings-attached policy?
“You can lie to the world but don’t lie to yourself,” she told her reflection, studying her face. “You know exactly why it bothers you so much.”
Brady fucking Stone.
Either God was trying to send her a message or she had shitty timing, because everywhere she went she bumped into the man. She’d seen him at the grocery store, when she was staking out the local pet store to do a story on a puppy mill and then again when she’d met with Brian Laing and Trevor Carmack at Rolo’s Café to discuss the whereabouts of a woman who’d left thei
r home weeks ago and never returned.
She righted the mirror and sighed. That last visit had turned out to be far more than she anticipated. When she explained she needed assistance from the Plainview Police Department, which would have information she couldn’t gather on her own, they told her it was no problem and Brady showed up. Brian and Trevor were quick to point out how useful Candice and Brady could be to each other. She could question the people who phoned in with anonymous tips while Brady could screen the information against what he had in the database at work. It was a match made in heaven that totally wasn’t.
Faced with paying her rent or saying no, she’d decided to take the job and investigate the whereabouts of one Alyssa McIntyre. Unfortunately, that meant she could no longer avoid Brady’s calls or tell him to leave her alone. This was business, after all, and she was a professional.
“Keep lying to yourself,” she murmured and reached for her purse. “Maybe you’ll start to believe it.”
She climbed from her car, adjusted her shirt and tugged her purse over her shoulder. Lacey’s windows were open, so she could see inside. Michael had Lacey pressed against a wall, kissing her hard, and his hand was between her legs. They didn’t seem to notice or care she was coming up the walkway.
Candice’s libido kicked into gear and she realized soon she’d have to make a trip to Atlanta and release some pent-up tension. That had to be the problem. The last time she’d had sex was when she’d tied Brady’s beautiful body to the bed, teased him mercilessly and ridden him so hard she’d thought the headboard might break. The entire time she’d used his arms as leverage, keeping her hands balanced on his bulging biceps. As he’d strained his prominent muscles, she’d thought the rope, the clasp on the cuff or the latch on the wall was going to splinter and fall apart.
Heat spread from her tummy to her pussy. Not only was Brady tall and broad, so was his cock. It had only taken minutes for her to come, screaming, which didn’t happen very often. It was probably the loudest and most vocal she’d allowed herself to be with a submissive.