That he hadn't hesitated to pick those floggers was exciting. I wondered what harder whips he knew how to use when I saw the strength in his forearms.
“I can't fuck you here, can I?”
“Unfortunately, no, Sir. Club security will kick us out.”
But I held my breath all the same when his hand moved under my skirt. He kissed me and quickly stroked his thumb over my clit. “Frustrating for you, then. I'll start slow. You'll show me when you want more.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“You like these floggers?”
I couldn't make myself kiss the handle, but I did brush my lips over his hand.
“If you need to safeword, make sure you say it loudly. I want to hear you.”
“Yes, Sir.” I breathed my nerves away and prepared myself for pain.
He stood so I could see him test the lighter flogger on his arm. I dropped another few levels into submission because he had, hard. The dull pink marks left on his skin by the tails filled in by the time he switched to the second flogger. Three hits with that and his forearm was bright pink. Judging by how warm his eyes became, he knew it was the hard pain I wanted.
The wrist restraints were cold before the leather warmed against my skin. Quinn tightened the ropes that raised and lowered the restraints, securing them so I could barely move my arms. I appreciated that he left me a little space to struggle. He straightened my skirt and unzipped the back of my dress. The straps formed a collar around my neck that kept it from falling, so only my back was exposed to the room.
Quinn was taking off his belt? “I'll be behind you or next to you, never anywhere else in the club. I like knowing these marks won't fade for a while.”
I smiled at him, happier with the temporary collar than I wanted to admit. The belt end fell between my breasts and trailed down to the middle of my stomach. It was his, as I was when he had me submit for him. I forgot about the people around us when he stepped back.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes. Thank you for pain, Sir.”
Several flashes of dark, yet bright light exploded in my head. The tails thudded against my skin, warming the back of my thighs and different parts of my ass. I rested my cheek against the side of my arm as my body adjusted to the high pain levels. He swung the tails back and forth, striking my upper sides quickly, then overhanded so the tails slashed downward. My skin felt warm wherever he hit, left more sensitive as blood rushed to the surface.
He went from the right side of my back to the left side, starting low on my legs before he worked his way upwards. I lost track of where the ends struck when pain commanded all of my attention. It crawled through me, swiftly growing in intensity. How much it hurt made me laugh before I relaxed into the harsher stinging sensations. Harder, faster until I panted... then he let the ends hit more slowly, so they slid down over the back of my thighs. The pain burned, filling me with dark, powerful energy. When it rose further than I could follow, subspace waited to pull me under.
So close... I breathed out until there was no air left in my lungs. It didn't hurt enough. It was challenging, yet not to the point where I had to fight panic.
“That was the red one,” Quinn said, standing behind me again. “I know you liked it.”
I resisted the urge to rub my back over his chest. The soft scratchiness of his jacket would feel so good against my skin, the silky softness of his shirt... But he smoothed the pain away with his hands and helped subspace swell closer.
“Are you happy with red marks? For now.”
I tipped my head back and smiled at him. “Yes, Sir. Thank you very much.”
“You're welcome.” I went warm with submission when he kissed my forehead. “I'm not done yet.”
He started and it hurt. The initial pain dimmed as I fell into subspace. I knew the flogger was hitting me, yet only the barest hint of pain registered when the ends struck. There was a cloud of white, of darkness, of staticky nothingness in my mind. I drifted, feeling my knees lock to keep me standing. The sensations were new, a throbbing that was both cold and hot when the tails smacked against my ass. I felt how fast my pulse was racing, how hot the entire back of my body had become. He slowed down, but had the flogger's tails hit me harder. I gave myself over to the pain, detached from the parts of my body that wouldn't be hit.
Two voices filtered through different layers of subspace. The rushing of blood in my ears slowly faded, but my mind was sluggish. I recognized Quinn's immediately.
“-- not the best time.”
“I'll be quick-- to tell her--” I focused, trying to see the person in my head that matched his voice. Samuel? I felt his energy drift over my skin and immediately wished I hadn't sought it out. “--Clara, to be a submissive.”
Quinn continued giving me pain, barely paying him any attention. Subspace beckoned, waiting to take me back under, but I couldn't let it. Not until I knew what Sam wanted, if he wanted anything other than to interrupt a heavy pain session.
“You'll have her find me later?”
“She's the one you should be speaking with. I'll tell her you came by.”
“I've got a few minutes for observation. Mind if I watch, sideline?”
“It's your club.” I felt shivers run through my body, hearing the controlled aggression in his tone. “She's free to find you when we're done.”
Quinn swung the flogger, having me feel the figure-eight motion as air drifting over my back. Then the ends came closer and struck my flesh. I pulled myself higher and pressed my body against the white column. The pain continued to rise, writhing, then clawing at me inside. When it broke, I snapped out of subspace and felt everything with no shields to protect me from the intensity. I pressed my mouth against my arm to hold back the scream that would have followed. Why didn't I feel him anymore? Submission sought the warmth of his dominance, something I couldn't find in a crowded club. Was he annoyed that I hadn't shown appreciation?The flogger hit three times, all in the same place. It took all of my willpower not to flinch out of position. Pain made me gasp, unable to follow how far down it hurt.
“Thank you, Sir!”
There was a long pause. I eased back down so my heels touched the floor. My eyes were closed when he struck the pillar. The hiss of the flogger's tails sounded painful. It vibrated gently against my fingertips. I fought strong waves of panic, fear beating against submission as I forced myself to stay in position. Was he going to hit me that hard?
“Relax, Clara.” He let the lighter tails trail down over my back.
Feeling them strike longwise against my thighs made me jump. I heard myself moan and bit my lip. The stinging was incredible!
“Please-!”
“What?” Quinn asked, his voice sharp. “Do you want more?”
I couldn't answer. Pressing my chest against the column had made my nipples slide over the smooth inside of my dress. A rush of pleasure took me by surprise and numbed the pain I felt. Quinn hesitated, but the flogger's ends struck my skin. I stayed quiet for the next six very, very hard hits.
“Yes, Sir!” I groaned, repeating myself to make sure he heard me. “Please yes, Sir?”
It took me a second to realize that he had switched floggers. The harder tails made me writhe. I would be happy to have his bruises. They'd remind me of his skill with a flogger and how much I wanted him to touch me-! Slashes of pain drifted through my head. I stopped being able to control how my body reacted.
“-- still want more?”
“Yes, please,” I said immediately, remembering his lesson from before. “Thank you, Sir!”
His long pause gave me time to relax again. I felt the shorter ends of his lighter flogger wrap around my right side, then slowly slide away. I pulled myself higher and brought my shoulders together when he hit my legs. The last cool places on my thighs warmed, then where my thighs met the curve of my ass. My skin felt tight and I realized how little there was left to my pain threshold. Fear became adrenaline when the ends hit my right leg. Yes, I could take more.
Wanted more... I saw red and white flashes behind my eyelids. Red, I remembered, that's why it was my safeword.
'Not yet,' my masochistic side snarled, kept asleep for far too long. Quinn changed floggers again. The adrenaline-fueled frenzy drifted back into more stable submission. Subspace pulled me under again. I was lost to the way my body jumped, having no way to stop it. All I could do was stay upright, not fight the restraints, and gratefully absorb pain that suddenly felt like warm licks of pleasure.
“You took that so incredibly well...”
I moaned when he roughly pulled my head back. He didn't move when I kissed the side of his neck, my cheek resting against his shoulder. Quinn had taken his suit shirt off, the white undershirt soft against my chest. How much time had I lost, absorbing pain? The walls and doors I'd built around my submissive side were demolished. But my need for pain, finally, felt completely sated.
He unhooked the restraints around my wrists. I looked into his eyes, pleading for everything else, all at once. Part of me knew there were people around and that we were at Rack's, yet... I didn't care. Couldn't care, with his cock pressed hard against my thigh.
“Can you feel how red your skin is?”
“Yes. Yes, thank you, Sir.” The entire back of my body and a few places along my sides throbbed with heat. He felt me shivering and slowly moved his hands over my shoulders.
“I want to fuck you so hard...”
Quinn laid his hands flat on the pillar. I shuddered when he touched my back again, but the cold was instantly soothing. I heard moaning, gasping, pain and pleasure sounds drifting around me. When I breathed in, I smelled leather and Quinn's cologne. Pain beat through the back of my body, coiling deep inside of me. The self-control he kept seeped in and reinforced mine.
“Sit down with me for a few minutes before we go. Can you walk?”
“Of course, Sir.”
He smoothed my hair back, grinning before he let me down. “Of course.”
It took more concentration than I expected, placing one foot in front of the other as he guided me to a double sofa seat. He sat sideways, his back straight in the corner of the couch, having me lay in front of him. I slumped against him, my eyes closed as I smoothed my fingers over his chest.
“You're still in subspace?”
“Not as much, Sir. Did I embarrass you, stumbling around?”
“No. There was no stumbling.” I felt him lean his head back. “You can take so much more pain than I hoped you could.”
“It pleased you, Sir?”
“If we weren't here...”
“You nearly reached the last of my endurance, toward the end,” I admitted.
“Did I? How long were you in subspace?”
“For a while, I think. How long did you have me there?”
“An hour or so. I really like that you can take so much pain.”
I liked that he knew so much about submissive aftercare, the time a sub was soothed back to reality by their Dom. Quinn always checked for marks after a pain session, made sure I wasn't hungry or thirsty. He started to slowly massage my shoulders, helping me float on the pleasure I'd felt from pain.
“After a harder session like that, do you sub-drop? Do you get tired...depressed-?”
“If I'm alone after, I get really tired and sleep. With you, I've wanted more pain, Sir.”
“Those are good things to know.”
“I didn't tell you the entire truth before,” I heard myself say. “If it's a really intense pain session, I can get a little depressed after. Sometimes. Waiting to take more pain seems intolerable... It's like sub frenzy. I've learned to control it.”
“You can call me if that happens. You know that, right?”
Pride stopped strangling me. “Yes. Thank you. It really doesn't happen very often.”
“I'm sure it doesn't,” he grinned warmly. And then he sighed. “Before I forget and we leave, the club manager stopped by for you.”
“I'm sorry he interrupted, Sir.” I hated that his eyes were cold, that I felt his dominance slipping away.
“It's all right. That wasn't your fault.”
“Do you want a water? I need to drink something. I'll find him after and take care of things now?”
“You recover fast, too.”
“Thank you, Sir.” I impulsively leaned up and kissed his cheek. “You're not thirsty?”
“Not for water. What I really want is a cigarette. Meet me outside?”
“I will, really soon.”
I paid for a bottle of water, holding it against my face for the cold. It was warm in the club. I understood why Quinn wanted some air, and to smoke. It had been-
“I could count that as your second interview. You passed, by the way.”
The realization had been there, but I hadn't grasped what it meant to me until I looked around the club. Samuel was still talking, there were Tops and club submissives engaged in pain-play around us, but the emptiness roared... gone when I moved and felt the marks Quinn left. How I had submitted for him wasn't how I'd submit for a club Top.
“Did you bring that guy so I'd offer more?”
“That guy?” I stared at him, knowing that my eyes were angry. Traces of submission remained to keep me from saying what I wanted to say. … nope. “Did you see the type of floggers he was using when you interrupted?”
“I asked your Dom if he wouldn't mind talking. He-”
“He clearly did.”
“Not that I saw.” Samuel grinned. “You 'switch' fast. I can offer you more, doing a session as both Domme and sub, and a bonus if you can inflict pain like you take it.”
“... No thanks.”
“Look, I'm sorry I interrupted you. The two of you. I asked if he minded, and-”
“Yeah.... thank you, but-”
“Wait, wait a minute.” I stared at his hand, not needing to meet his eyes before he moved it from my shoulder. “I really am sorry.”
“No one was hurt.” I shrugged and let it go. He seemed sincere. Finally. “Working for you probably won't end well, I know that now. Don't you?”
“We host, if you and your Dom ever want to do a public demonstration, solo-”
“One day, maybe,” I nodded, wanting to be outside already.
“You've still got my card?”
“Yup.”
We shook hands and I breathed easier, making my way toward the Exit sign. When an arm wrapped around my waist, I knew it was Quinn. All annoyance faded away as I melted into him. “Hi! You're done smoking, Sir?”
“You were a little out-of-it before. I wanted to make sure you were okay. Did he offend you or say something-?”
“Samuel apologizes for interrupting. All he wanted was to offer me a bonus for working at the club. I declined his offer entirely, so-”
“There are perks, I guess, to-- Did you say you declined the-”
“Yes. I won't be working here.” The press of bodies around us was stifling. “Air would be good. Do you still want a cigarette?”
“And a drink. There's that bar across the street.”
“Whatever pleases you, Sir.” I grinned, running my nails down his back. “A margarita could be really good. Something with fruit.”
“I'm thinking rum. Whiskey. Something bracing. I want my head to clear a little.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I'm good. How are you?”
“I'm good, too.”
He seemed preoccupied, his gestures automatic as he opened the first bar door for me.
“Thank you for all the pain you gave me. You use the whips really-” I wanted to sink down through the floor when I heard how quiet it was inside, traffic sounds kept out by the thick-paned glass windows.
“You're welcome.”
“Do you think they heard us?” I whispered, opening the entry door that would take us into the bar.
“Probably not. The club was a lot louder.”
But I saw a few people turn to watch us after we walked past. He rested his arm on
the back of my chair, sitting so no one could see me from the front. “I thought you were going to take the employment offer. What made you change your mind about Rack's?”
“I don't want anyone else to leave marks or give me pain. I should have known it would bother you. I'm sorry if-”
“It really didn't- I mean, it didn't bother me.”
“Then, I'm sorry it took me so long to decide.”
The bartender took our drink orders. Alcohol didn't appeal anymore, I stuck with water. Quinn ordered a double of whiskey.
He sighed slowly, his gaze intense when I looked at him. “I don't want anyone else to give you pain. I'm glad you decided not to work there.”
“So, um... Does that mean you're really my Dominant now?”
“... I wasn't before?”
“Of course, Sir.” I leaned against him for a moment. “I'm sorry.”
He laughed quietly. “Good answer, baby. I want to give you more pain, but I really shouldn't tonight. We'll see. I want to see the damage when we get back.”
“It hurt really good, no matter what it looks like, Sir.”
He moved his hand to my thigh. I felt warm with submission, knowing he was resisting the urge to squeeze or pinch.
“I'm going to find the Men's Room. If you want anything to eat, have them prepare it to go.” I grinned, seeing the dark dominance in his eyes. “I'm going to punish you if you do more than get the bill for me.”
- Chapter 12 -
~ Wait and Bleed ~
“Don't drink alone. I hear it's not healthy,” I heard a male voice say, from my left.
“I've heard that, too, Abe,” a second man replied.
They had been sitting toward the front of the bar when we entered. A narrow-chested, skinny man hung back nervously, a few steps away from his taller, tubby friend. Abe wasn't shy, inching closer and closer, forcing me to give him my attention. The logo on his baseball cap advertised for a strip club. I could see grimy fingerprints on the side. Tufts of graying, still partially blond hair stuck out around the cinch at the back.
Charming.
I moved Quinn's double brandy back to where it had been. I didn't know how he could drink it, straight-faced. “Flattering as this is, I'm not-”
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