Beautiful Nightmare

by Bella Juarez

  He glared at her and saw what had caused his current discomfort. The evil bitch had smacked his ass with a long black crop. When he didn’t move, she grabbed him again.

  “Now that I have your attention, hear me and obey.”

  He defiantly stared at her, attempting to get his bearings. Never in a million years had he ever thought he would be in this position.

  “Aaron, you agreed to this. Are you backing down?”

  There was no way in hell he’d let her win, still, he wasn’t doing this all her way.

  “You’re not slow, pet. Move.” Her expression of pure determination and control told him she wouldn’t be the one backing down, ever. She’d never be the one bending, either. He would.

  As if reading his mind, she firmly repeated, “Get your clothes off and quit wasting my time!”

  This time, he complied and slowly stripped. She turned around and took a bottle of water out of the fridge. Getting naked while she remained clothed made him uncomfortable. Why did he have to get naked? Moving to the bench in the center of the room, he glanced around him and began rethinking his agreement to this whole thing. His senses tingled when he caught glimpses of the various devices lining the walls. He shivered when his gaze fell on the St Andrews Cross against the wall. Throwing his head back and squeezing his eyes shut, he prayed his traitorous cock coming to attention wouldn’t give him away.

  “Normally, with a sub’s first time, I don’t go to the playroom. But I’m making an exception for you. Up near the wall.” She directed him toward the cross. “Face me and lift your arms.” When he’d moved into place, she secured his hands and feet.

  Breathing a sigh of relief when she ignored his stiff rod, he tested the restraints to see how secure she’d made them. From the way the leather rubbed his wrists and ankles, there would be no escape.

  “Who knew?” she purred, grabbing his bobbing cock and stroking. “You like the cross, pet?”

  He jerked his head sharply to stare at her. Holy fuck! She’d seen his reaction to the cross and immediately exploited the weakness.

  “Being so new to all of this, my love, I’ll go easy on you this first time. I don’t want to take it too far. You’ll learn how to ride a wave of pain and pleasure, and you’ll love every second of it.”

  Heart pounding, he shook in icy fear and swallowed hard. Pain? He didn’t recall signing up for pain. She went to one of the drawers and took out a set of leather straps. What does she plan to do with those? When she returned, she knelt at his feet and shot him an evil grin.

  “What the hell is that for?” he asked nervously.

  “I’m tying up my cock and balls with this.” She leaned forward and laid a kiss on the tip of his cock.

  Tie them up? Panic tingled up his spine when she stroked his cock and separated his balls into two of the leather straps. She tightened the straps, and a twinge of pain shocked him when she began to wrap the last of the harness around his cock.

  “The hell you say! Stay away from my dick,” he roared, fighting the restraints.

  “You weren’t telling me to stay away the other day. You couldn’t wait for me to get near your dick.”

  She tightened the harness, and he sucked in a breath when the leather bit into his sensitive flesh.

  “It’s not yours anymore. It’s mine, pet.” She fixed the final strap and ran her tongue over the underside of his cock, making him clamp his eyes shut to keep silent. He’d be damned if he’d give her the satisfaction of hearing how much he enjoyed what she was doing to him. He remembered the way she’d sucked his cock and the traitorous fucker between his legs twitched at the memory.

  “I hated it! And I hate you,” he lied.

  As she worked his cock with her mouth, the twinge of pain he experienced from the straps around his dick confused him. She sucked his cock, studying him, and he struggled in desperation to hide the pleasure he experienced. The last thing he wanted to give her was another advantage over him. Knowing what an expert she could be at manipulating a weakness, he wanted to be anywhere but where he stood. Fuck!

  When they were working, her mind-reading had been a blessing. Here in this playroom, it would be his undoing. He wouldn’t be able to keep anything from her. He’d worked hard to mask his feelings, but her evil expression told him there would be no hiding from Mistress. She gave him what he wanted without his expressing it, taking him into her mouth and giving him the blowjob of his life. The leather strips dug into his flesh, his cock swelling in anticipation of its release. How could something painful feel this good? He grasped for his release and growled in frustration when it was suddenly snatched from him.

  “Fucking cock tease!” he spat at her.

  “Be quiet or I’ll gag you, darling.”

  Stepping back, she admired her handiwork, “You need to get used to the feeling of being restrained. I’m going to love putting you in a chastity device.”

  “What? Fuck you! Get me out of this shit!” He let loose a string of curses.

  She ignored him and went to one of the drawers on the other side of the room. He went silent when she returned with a red ball with black straps tied to either side.

  “What the hell are you doing with that thing?”

  “If you want out, say your safe word, pet.”

  The tone she used pissed him off. She seemed to be laughing at him, and her mocking renewed the fight in him.

  “Fuck you! Get me out of this shit! Now!”

  “Open.” She put it close to his lips.

  He clenched his jaw, and she narrowed her eyes. The sudden sting to his chest made him drop his jaw, and he realized she’d achieved her goal with terrifying expertise.

  “Ow!” he roared.

  To get his mouth open, she’d taken the flappy tip of the crop and slapped one of his nipples, causing a stinging sensation the likes of which he’d never known. Before he could get his mouth closed, she’d wedged the ball in his mouth and the strap over his head. Even though his nipple hurt, the sting made his cock even harder. The harness around his shaft dug in when his cock swelled and a low hum in his body electrified his senses. To his dismay, the pain had turned into pleasure. He hadn’t realized he’d closed his eyes until she tightened the strap of the gag and they flew open again.

  “You’re getting a glazed look already, pet,” she said in a sensual voice.

  Lightly biting his chin, she raised her crop between his legs. When she ran the crop over his tender sac, he closed his eyes and swore he could feel every one of the fine ridges in the leather wrapped around the crop. He groaned when she moved up to his hypersensitive cock and teased it with the tip of the malicious stick. He sensed his cock dribbling uncontrollably—if she passed the damn crop over his dick again, he’d explode.

  “Pay attention, pet. Since you’re gagged, you can’t say your safe word, so you need to hold up two fingers if you’ve had enough. If you don’t, I won’t know. Nod your head if you understand.”

  Closing his eyes in acquiescence, he nodded. There would be no escape, and she left him with no alternative but to trust and surrender himself to her. In the recesses of his mind, he understood she’d already won and really did care about him.

  At once, so much of him came into sharp clarity. He recalled how much he counted on talking with her daily while he was in Afghanistan. The noise of constant shelling, explosions, and gunfire never stopped. How many times had he wished he had a pause button to turn off the endless sounds of death and destruction all around him? His talks with her faded the noise into the background and reminded him there was a normal, more civilized world waiting beyond this hellhole. His connection with her had become deep and this moment of complete surrender to her validated everything she’d become to him.

  Even though they’d mostly discussed business, she’d been his lifeline in the hellish nightmare of war. He opened his eyes. It’ll be all right, trust me. Even though she hadn’t spoken, he could hear her loud and clear. They’d reached an understanding. Her loving
brown eyes conveyed a sense of security and a deep love she’d shone through her devotion to his business and success. She didn’t have to work that hard and stay behind with him after everyone had left for the day. He realized he had been blind not to see it before now. Breathing a sigh of relief, he knew he’d be safe no matter what happened. He nodded his surrender and relaxed.

  Smack…she’d struck his left nipple. He cried out, biting down on the ball. While sharp, crisp slaps rained down on his nipples, his cock jumped and swelled. Trying to twist his body away from the searing pain, he found the bindings of the cross held him firm and made escape impossible. Awareness of all that seemed to be happening at once slammed him. The pleasure of the harness she’d tied around his cock, increasing the pressure on his sensitive balls, made him tense.

  It confused him. Pleasure. Pain. Which was it?

  Fighting against the restraints, craving release from his physical discomfort, he realized it didn’t hurt as much as he’d believed. Linking the discomfort of grueling military training to his situation, he remembered they’d fucked with his head more than his body in order to make him mentally and physically stronger.

  This is a big mindfuck.

  “Stop fighting me.” She smacked his abdomen.

  Once he understood the tactic, he gave in to the pain and relaxed. The flesh surrounding his nipples grew heavy and hot as she alternated her strikes, but it was too much too soon, and it overwhelmed him. Just when he thought he’d have to use his signal for her to stop, she lightly brushed the underside of his cock, and he suddenly found himself flying, riding a wave of unspeakable pleasure. The most intense orgasm he’d ever had erupted while delicious pain licked his body and intensified the apex he reached. His cries guttural, he experienced a state of being he’d never known existed.

  He floated back to reality, her hand stroking him to completion, and she’d stopped her strikes with the crop. Thankful she’d tied him down, he went limp, aware there would be no way he could stand on his own.

  She released the gag, and he flexed his sore jaw while she unshackled his ankles and hands. Marching through the desert, carrying an eighty-pound rucksack and a weapon all day hadn’t drained him quite like she had in a matter of minutes. His legs buckling slightly, he moved away from the cross, but she caught him and helped him to the bathroom and into a hot bath. She handed him a bottle of water and he drank it down. The soothing warmth of the bath deepened his relaxed state, and his eyes fluttered closed.

  “Aaron? Did you eat anything tonight?”

  He shook his head, loving hearing his name from her lips, and forced his heavy eyelids open. Glancing around the steamy space, he realized she’d left him alone, and panic raced through him. What the hell has she done to me? Why would being left alone make him feel frightened and abandoned?

  Hearing her voice in the next room eased his tension. He couldn’t make out what she’d been saying, but it comforted him to know she was still there. He needed her close to him, wrapping her arms around him and reassuring him he wasn’t crazy despite the extraordinary way he felt.

  Chapter Six

  Tasha completed her order for room service and paused a moment after she’d hung up the phone. She took a deep breath and calmed herself before checking on Aaron. The splashing indicated he’d become fully awake and aware of his surroundings. Their play session had been just as intense for her as for him. How responsive he’d been, and how quickly he’d been able to achieve sub-space.

  Recalling his massive muscular body bound to the St. Andrews Cross sent a tremor through her. Every nerve in her body had tingled while he’d stood there, helpless to do anything but take what she gave him, his cock sliding in and out of her mouth. His eyes had reflected his acceptance of his submission. She could do anything to this man, and he’d let her. The swift, heady realization had almost taken her out of her body to another dimension. They had a deep, unspoken connection, and, for the first time, she’d allowed her instincts to take over. She didn’t have to think about her strikes or gauge his condition; it had been right and perfect.

  In sync, just looking at him showed her the exact moment to brush his cock and send him over the edge. And she’d achieved something she’d only read about, Dom-space. She squirmed, fighting the desire to touch herself and gain her own release, overwhelmed by the feeling of power at his unconditional surrender.

  He’d handled his first taste of her true nature better than she’d ever dreamed. But his quick transition into sub-space made her aware she had to watch him closely to ensure his safety. The transition into Dom-space for her had been fast, and she had to watch herself when they played. Together, they’d have to learn how to control themselves and not get carried away so quickly.

  “Tasha?”

  When she glanced behind her, he stood at the entrance of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. His bronze muscular shoulders and arms gleamed with moisture from the water he’d been soaking in. Steadying herself to take her power back, she suppressed the urge to run to him and lick it off.

  “Is something wrong?” he asked.

  She’d been away from him too long and needed to get herself under control. His vulnerable state required careful handling. Once they’d eased into their roles, his awareness would help him move confidently through this initial phase of his letdown. Right now, he needed her reassurance and strength.

  “There’s nothing wrong, darling. I ordered some food.” She went toward him.

  He met her halfway and wrapped his arms around her. When she ran her hands over the tight, corded muscles in his back, he relaxed.

  “How do you feel?”

  “I’m not sure.” With his answer, he tensed again.

  She pulled away and studied him for a moment. His slack-eyed sleepiness told her his body had enjoyed their play, but he probably had trouble wrapping his mind around why he liked it so much. She took his hand, led him to the bed, and sat up against the headboard. Holding her arms out to him, she beckoned him to join her. He slid up from the foot of the bed and laid his head in her lap.

  “What are you unsure of? Did liking it scare you?”

  He tightened his grip around her legs. The silent yes reaffirmed he needed comfort and reassurance.

  “Why, darling?” She brushed his wet hair. “Why does it scare you?”

  It took him a long time to answer. Watching his muscles flex when he embraced her legs, it became obvious he had difficulty vocalizing what he felt.

  “What the hell is wrong with me to like something like that?”

  Fighting to focus—she’d never experienced a letdown this intense—she gripped onto a shred of reason and tried to formulate an explanation he could connect to quickly.

  “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’ve just discovered something new. It doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong. It’s different. Being Jews in a predominantly Christian country doesn’t make our beliefs wrong, does it?”

  “No.”

  “Then why would our private playtime be wrong if we don’t do it like everyone else?”

  Lightly running her hands over his upper back and shoulders, she marveled at the power of her man beneath the surface. His shoulders held so much responsibility and, as much as she wanted to make him feel safe, she needed his strength of character and sense of duty to give her the security and stability she longed for in return. He would love and fight for her with a ferocious passion that could be frightening and exciting all at once. She reiterated to herself, there wasn’t anything she wanted to change about him. Their passionate natures would intensify their encounters in the playroom and make it all the more satisfying for both of them.

  “Tash, I don’t hate you. I’m sorry I said that to you.”

  She giggled. “I’m sure you meant it when you said it. It’s okay. You’ll say a lot of things in the heat of the moment.”

  “I don’t hate you. I love you and have for a long time.”

  The simple statement made her go stil
l. He was in love with her? Since when? Slight panic rose in her when she felt a loss of control over this situation.

  “You’re very emotional,” she managed to say.

  “Did I misjudge you? Don’t you care about me?”

  “Of course I do. Obviously, you’ve never seen the way I stare at you.” She choked back emotional tears. Clearing her throat, she realized he hadn’t been the only one stripped of a few barriers.

  “Obviously, you’ve never notice me looking at you,” he replied. “You were always too busy talking to me about the business, when all I wanted was to figure out how to make you crazy.”

  The slight knock at the door returned her sense of control. The intensity of his gaze and the power behind sent butterflies swarming in her belly.

  “You’ve always made me crazy, darling. It started the first time I watched you roll up your sleeves.”

  He kissed her quickly. “You’ve hidden it very well.”

  They ate, sitting up in bed, and, by the time they were done, Aaron’s eyes were again heavy and his shoulders sagged. She turned on the TV to distract him while she thought and recovered with him. He slept soundly and moved only enough to slip between the sheets. Tasha changed her clothes, curled up beside him, and let his warmth comfort her. Eyes drooping, she found it amazing she’d been able to get comfortable lying beside him. At other times, she left after her sub had fallen asleep. Lying next to him and being so close to something so right eased her, letting her sleep just as soundly as Aaron.

  The slight brush against her nose stirred her awake. Opening her eyes, she saw Aaron studying her in his intense way. She remembered what he’d said about the way he looked at her and how she’d never noticed. Understanding, finally, his heated stare, she graced him with a passionate caress.

  “Good morning,” he murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes.

  “Good morning,”

  Leaning in, he kissed her, playing with her lips and exploring her mouth with his tongue. He ran his hands down her back and gripped her ass. Growling, he sucked in her lower lip. Then he moved away, and she opened her eyes, noticing him studying her again.