As they sipped, they made small talk about Allie’s flight, her jewelry business, Matt and Bonnie’s experience in the BDSM scene and Liam’s work as a grant writer. He had been so focused on their D/s connection he hadn’t really paid sufficient attention to Allie’s professional life. Listening now as Bonnie and Matt drew her out, Liam was impressed not only with Allie’s artistic talent, but with her obvious business acumen and quick mind. Allie spoke easily with his friends, who both seemed to accept her immediately and completely. While deeply grateful that the three people he valued most in this world were getting along so well, Liam was eager to have Allie once more fully to himself.
True to their word, after only about twenty minutes, Bonnie touched Matt’s arm and they communicated telepathically in the way people who had been together a long time sometimes did. They rose of one accord and Matt said, “We have to be going.” He grinned, adding, “I’d tell you two to behave, but that wouldn’t be any fun, would it?”
“None at all,” Liam agreed with a grin as he lightly squeezed Allie’s smooth, bare thigh.
Allie and he walked the couple to the door. Bonnie gave Allie another sisterly hug and whispered something in Allie’s ear that made her smile.
Matt leaned close to Liam and said softly, “I know we pulled a fast one with all our behind-the-scenes interfering, but you know it’s because we love you, right?”
“I do know,” Liam said soberly. “And thank you for doing it. Thanks for taking that risk for me.”
“You’re more than welcome,” Matt replied. “You’ve taken the first step. Now just keep moving forward, okay? Give her, and more importantly, yourself, a chance.”
~*~
When the front door closed behind Matt and Bonnie, Liam put his arm around Allie and led her back into the living room. “It’s time, sub girl. Take off those clothes and kneel as I instructed you earlier, hands behind your head.” Something in Liam’s countenance and demeanor had changed, a subtle but real shift into a dominant mode to which the submissive in Allie instantly responded.
“Yes, Sir Liam.” Allie crouched beside the large sofa and ran her hand beneath it. She found and pulled out a large, flat cushion covered in pale blue silk. She positioned herself on the cushion and lifted her arms, lacing her fingers behind her neck. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, embracing the sense of peace that settled over her in this submissive pose.
Sir Liam sat on the sofa directly in front of her. Leaning forward, he stroked her cheek lightly with two fingers. “From this moment forward, you belong to me. We’ve talked a lot online and on the phone about what you’re seeking in a D/s relationship, but I want to make sure we both fully understand the parameters of the next few days as we explore this together. I know what you want, or at least I know what you’ve said you want. You are seeking an intense, hardcore masochistic experience and complete submission within the context of an erotic exchange of power. Do I have that right?”
“You do, Sir,” Allie whispered, his words buzzing like electric currents over her skin and sending eddies of nervous excitement through her gut.
Sir Liam nodded. “Good. I want that, too. I want to take you to the edge. I want to explore your boundaries, and then take you past them, just a little. In order to do this, it is absolutely essential that we have open communication every step of the way. While I will call the shots and handle your submissive training as I see fit, I need to fully understand your reactions, your needs, your desires. I need your input, and most importantly, I need your honesty. There should be no secrets between us within the context of our D/s exploration.”
Secrets.
But there are always secrets, aren’t there?
Was a lie of omission still a lie?
“Allie?” Sir Liam was regarding her quizzically, his penetrating gaze suddenly unnerving.
She looked down, saying nothing.
“What is it, sub Allie?” Sir Liam persisted. He placed his index finger beneath her chin, forcing her to look up. “What’s going on in your head? Do you have a problem with something I said? If so, let’s talk it through.”
Allie shook her head. “No. No, it’s—nothing, Sir.”
He regarded her a moment longer, as if willing her to say more. Though, thankfully, he didn’t press. Finally, he glanced at his watch, which had an old-fashioned oval-shaped face on a worn black leather band. “You may lower your arms now. Put your hands behind your back.”
Glad for the distraction, Allie let her arms fall and reached behind her back to clasp her hands together, aware of how this forced her breasts to jut forward. Sir Liam moved his gaze slowly over her body. Her nipples tingled beneath his scrutiny, her cunt gently throbbing.
“Okay, then,” he said. “It’s early days, yet. But I want you to promise me you’ll feel free to speak at any time if something doesn’t feel right, or if you’re afraid, or you need something you aren’t getting, or you can’t handle something I’m asking of you. That isn’t to say I’ll necessarily stop what I’m doing, but I need to hear what you are experiencing. I need to take your feelings, your desires and your fears into consideration as I develop your submissive regimen over the next few days. Being a sub does not mean being a passive recipient of whatever I decide to mete out. I want a dynamic relationship with a thinking, actively involved submissive, is that clear? Are we on the same page, Allie? Will you promise to remain open with me?”
“Yes,” Allie affirmed, tucking that one niggling secret back into its hidey hole. “I promise.”
Sir Liam stood. “Good. The first thing I want to do this morning is to assess both your sexual reactions to stimulus and explore further your tolerance for erotic pain. I think some nice cunt torture should fit both bills, hmm?”
“Oooh,” Allie breathed. “Yes, Sir.”
At the basement stairs, Sir Liam again indicated Allie should go first. She turned at the bottom to watch him as he swung down the stairs with a dancer’s grace, the walking cane tucked somehow beneath one of his arms, his muscles bulging as he used the bannisters for support. She almost said something aloud about how impressive he looked, but sensed he might not appreciate it.
He led her to a high leather spanking bench set on steel legs, knee rests running along both sides. “I want you to lie on your back on the bondage horse,” Sir Liam said. “I’m going to tie you down with your legs spread wide so you won’t be tempted to accidentally move while I’m torturing you. Place your feet flat on the leg rests and then lift your hips so I can slide a wedge under your ass. I want full access to that beautiful cunt of yours.”
Her heart beating fast, Allie climbed onto the horse and settled herself on it as instructed. Sir Liam moved out of her line of sight, returning a moment later with a padded wedge, which he pushed beneath her raised bottom.
Allie sighed with pleasure as Sir Liam tethered her wrists over her head against the front end of the horse. How she adored being bound—it was at once exhilarating and soothing. Her breath quickened as he placed leather straps over her body—one just beneath her breasts, one across her hips and one over each thigh to keep her from closing her legs. He worked quietly and efficiently, his touch gentle but sure as he secured the straps with clips he attached to the O-rings along the perimeter of the bench.
“Can you move?” he queried, his eyes glittering with undisguised lust and power. He was shirtless, but still in his jeans, his feet bare.
Allie tried to close her legs. She pulled against the straps that held her arms over her head. She attempted to twist free of bonds that held her down. She couldn’t move an inch. “No, Sir,” she said, her heart pounding in her ears. Though she trusted Sir Liam intrinsically, she couldn’t stop the shiver of genuine fear that coursed through her body at the realization she was completely at his mercy, naked, bound and offered up to him for whatever he chose to do to her.
There was a free-standing rack beside the bench that held dozens of canes of varying lengths and thicknesses, along with single tail whips, flo
ggers and paddles. Sir Liam selected a small, thick cane about half an inch in diameter. On closer inspection, Allie saw it was actually a bundle of thin wooden skewers, banded together at either end with red string.
“Simple, but quite effective,” Sir Liam said, his smile cruel. He drew the sharp points of the bound skewers along her thigh and stomach. “Are you afraid, sub Allie?” he murmured in a low, sensual voice.
Allie sucked in a sudden, sharp breath, her heart jolting with fear. “Yes,” she hissed. “I’m afraid of canes. I know I didn’t put that on the hard limits, but I’ve—I’ve never let anyone use one on me before, Sir. They seem so brutal.” An image of the flayed, bloody back of a man in Singapore she’d once seen in an article about corporal punishment planted itself firmly in her mind’s eye.
“Improperly handled, they can be,” Sir Liam agreed. “Luckily for you, I know what I’m doing.” Apparently taking pity on her, he added in a gentler tone, “It’s okay, sub Allie. This is different than an actual caning on your ass. Cunt canings require more delicate torture, and I’m fully aware of that, trust me.”
“Yes, Sir Liam,” Allie whispered. She did trust him, and in spite of her fear, perhaps partially because of it, she wanted to experience what he was offering. Nevertheless, an involuntary shudder moved through her body at the thought of a cunt caning. “But I’m still afraid, Sir.”
Sir Liam nodded soberly, his green eyes staring into her soul. “Good. Fear makes you focus, and I want you to pay attention. I’m going to start lightly, and ratchet up the intensity of the beating based on what I think you can tolerate. I want you to suffer for me but you needn’t stay silent. You are free to speak. You are free to cry out. In fact, I want you to tell me if you think it’s too much, or if you’re having a hard time. I will listen, and then I will decide whether to continue. We’re still new, however, and it’s possible I’ll misjudge. If you absolutely need it, use your safeword. But remember, that is a last resort. You say diamond, and all action ceases. Remain strong, summon all your submissive courage, and together we will push the boundaries of your masochistic longing.”
He moved to stand by Allie’s head. He touched the flat of the small cane to her lips. “Kiss it,” he ordered. “Kiss the cane I’m going to beat your cunt with.”
Allie pursed her lips into a kiss against the bamboo and tried to fill her lungs, which seemed as if they’d collapsed.
“Breathe,” Sir Liam said, watching her face. “Harness your fear, sub girl. Remember, don’t fight the pain. Embrace it.”
“Yes,” Allie whispered, his words calming her, reminding her this was where she wanted to be; where she’d dreamed of being since the moment she’d met him online. She released a long breath of surrender as Liam moved around the bench to stand beside her raised pelvis.
The cane landed lightly at first, as promised, a stinging kiss against her already swollen, moist labia. Then came a much sharper blow, the sting shooting through her like fire, igniting something hot and urgent deep in her core. “Ah!” Allie cried, jerking against her bonds. He struck her again, just as hard, and Allie’s cry segued into a scream. Sweat broke out along her upper lip and beneath her arms. She was panting, her cunt throbbing.
“Shall I continue, sub Allie?”
Allie blew out a breath. No, no, no, no, a part of her cried. Yes, yes, yes, yes, shouted another. Don’t fuck it up, Allie. You can do this!
“Yes, please, Sir,” she finally managed, her voice trembling but resolute.
With a satisfied nod, he resumed the caning, each stroke a little harder than the last until she was whimpering steadily, desperate to close her legs. “Oh god, oh god, oh god,” she chanted. “I can’t…”
“Do you need me to stop, sub Allie?” He struck harder, a searing blow that caught her clit and made her see stars.
“Yes!” she screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Ow, ow, ow, it hurts! Oh god, I can’t do it. I’m afraid.”
“Push past the fear, sub girl.” Sir Liam urged, “Don’t think about what you want right now, but what you need. Do you need this, Allie? Do you need what I’m giving you now?”
Oh, my god. That’s it.
All at once Allie understood something she hadn’t been able to articulate, even to herself. Until now, while the interaction with Sir Liam had been wonderful and intense, it had been, at least to some degree, a fantasy. She was the online sub princess, discovered by an internet Dom Charming there to sweep her off her feet.
But this went beyond that. Sir Liam wasn’t enacting a scene. He was claiming her with this caning—it was that simple. He was moving past the purely sexual allure masochism had always held for her to something deeper—something more sublime.
“Yes,” she cried, her voice hoarse. “Yes, please, Sir. I need it.”
As she said the words, something inside her, some last vestige of resistance, broke away, like a dam crumbling beneath the force of floodwaters. The pain, while still hot and immediate, submerged into dark, sweet pleasure. Allie moaned and sighed, melting against the padded leather in a pool of aching desire. Sir Liam continued to cane her tender, throbbing cunt, but it was gentler now, steadily easing until it was just a whisper of bamboo stroking the tender folds.
She opened her eyes when something touched her lips. It was the cane. She kissed it and it was withdrawn. Her eyes fluttered shut and she drifted, her spirit somewhere outside her body, a deep, pervasive peace settling over her like a warm blanket.
“Beautiful,” she heard Sir Liam say from somewhere far away.
She opened her eyes again as Sir Liam gathered her into his arms. She hadn’t been aware when he’d released the leather bonds that held her down. Her pussy still throbbed, the rest of her body limp and utterly relaxed.
Sir Liam bent over her and slid his arms beneath her. “Put your arms around my neck,” he instructed. “I’m going to carry you to the recovery couch.”
It took all Allie’s effort to muster the strength needed to jumpstart her muscles into action as Liam lifted her into his strong arms. Again, she was aware of his uneven gait and jerking shoulders as he moved, but she was too physically spent to even think of offering to walk herself. Her bones, she was sure, had turned to jelly.
Sir Liam settled on the couch with Allie still in his arms. She came slowly to herself as he kissed her—sweet butterfly kisses on her eyelids, her cheeks, her forehead, her closed lips, her chin.
“How do you feel?” he asked, and Allie realized she’d begun to drift again in a peaceful ocean of quiet joy. She forced her eyes to open and saw he was smiling tenderly at her.
She smiled back. “I feel like heaven,” she said truthfully. “Thank you, Sir Liam. Thank you for…” She paused, at a loss at how to express the myriad feelings coursing through her at that moment. Gratitude, empowerment, joy, wild attraction…love? No, too soon. Way, way, way too soon to speak of love. “For everything,” she finished, lamely.
“Thank you, sub Allie, for trusting me so completely and so soon. I’m very impressed. You have incredible potential.”
Allie smiled up at her new lover as she savored his praise. “Thank you, Sir.”
He lifted her from his lap and set her beside him. Leaning over, Sir Liam turned to a mini refrigerator next to the couch. Opening the door, he pulled out a cold bottle of water, unscrewed the cap and handed the bottle to Allie. Allie, who hadn’t known she was thirsty, drank until it was empty.
Liam took the bottle from her and set it down on top of the small refrigerator. “Now,” he said. “We need to finish our discussion from upstairs. You will start by telling me what you withheld while you were on your knees. What is it, Allie? What is it you’re not telling me?”
Chapter 6
The dreamy, sexy look on Allie’s face vanished. She looked up sharply at Liam, her eyes widening, her teeth suddenly worrying her lower lip. “What?” she asked, a defensive tone in her words. “What do you mean?”
Letting the tone slide for the moment,
Liam said calmly, “There’s something you’re not telling me. You’re keeping something from me. Am I mistaken?” He looked into her eyes, certain he was correct, though he didn’t want to bully the answer from her. If this was going to work between them, the gift of her submission had to be voluntary. He would not wrest it from her.
Allie was silent for several long moments as she regarded him. Finally, she swallowed hard, a resolute look coming over her features. “Okay,” she said, “you’re right. I admit it. I have a secret.”
Liam waited, sudden thoughts of another man or a terminal disease flashing through his mind. He pushed these thoughts away, refusing to jump to conclusions. “Go on. You can tell me. You’re safe here.”
Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked them rapidly away. She tossed back her tousled hair from her face with a flip of her head and then blew out a long breath. “I’m broken,” she finally said.
Liam didn’t respond at once, not sure what she meant. She appeared quite intact to him, no crushed bones, no scars. She was perfection itself, as far as he could see. “I’m sorry, what?” Perhaps he had misheard.
Allie gave a small, self-conscious laugh. “Well, not literally. I have this little problem. I can’t… I don’t…” She trailed off.
“Go on,” Liam urged gently. “You can’t…”
She blew out another breath and then said in a sudden rush of words, “I can’t orgasm with a man. There. I said it.” She met his gaze head-on, something like defiance entering her expression.
Liam blinked in confusion. “What do you mean? What about last night? You were amazing. It was incredible…” He trailed off, trying to reconcile her words with his experience. It had been ideal, both of them hurtling toward climax at the same moment, the grip of her cunt muscles, her ragged breathing, her sweet, breathy sighs…
Liam looked back slowly, understanding finally dawning. “Oh, I see.”
Allie’s face crumpled, her hands clenching into fists in her lap. “So, now you know. I’m not only broken, I’m a liar. I’ve been doing it forever. I know just how to fake it. I know the sounds to make, and the way to breathe so that I actually increase my heart rate.” She barked a small, mirthless laugh. “Sometimes I’m so good I actually fool myself. Last night”—she looked up at him, her expression beseeching—“I was so close. I was right there, teetering on the edge and I really thought this was it, that it would finally happen for me.”
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