He took her hand. “I guess the question you have to ask yourself is, are you willing to surrender your body, heart and soul to another person? That person would literally hold your life in his hands. If you were willing to trust me with that kind of total power exchange, I promise I would cherish and honor that gift, Ruby—the gift of your submission. If we do try this thing, we would agree in advance on limits and boundaries, and your safeword would still be sacrosanct.”
Ruby pulled the robe tighter around herself. Her mouth had gone dry and her heart tap-danced in her chest. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath in an effort to calm herself down.
“I don’t know,” she finally replied. “I want it, or at least, I think I do, but it also scares me.”
“A little fear can be a good thing,” Evan said, his voice husky. He brought his hand again to her throat, and though she knew he was doing this to arouse her, that didn’t stop it from working. Heat washed over her face, starting at her throat and moving upward to the roots of her hair.
“I-I…” she stammered.
All at once, Evan withdrew his hand and rose from the couch. He looked so hot standing with only a towel around his waist, with his sexy tattoos and rippling muscles. She wanted to eat him up.
He rubbed his face and ran a hand through his hair. “Hey, I’m sorry,” he said ruefully. “I’m rushing you. I’m pushing buttons to get the answers I want and that’s not cool.” He held out his hand, and she took it, allowing him to pull her upright.
“We don’t have to decide this now,” he continued. “Maybe we need a break. I should probably get going.”
“No,” she said abruptly, his sudden withdrawal allowing her to acknowledge what was in her heart.
“No?” he said, lifting his eyebrows.
“I mean yes,” she blurted, flustered but determined. “Yes, I think—no, I know I want to try it.”
“You want to try what, exactly? Help me be sure I understand what you’re saying, Ruby.”
“I want to try being your 24/7 submissive sex slave,” she said, barely believing the words were coming out of her mouth. A rush of exhilaration shot through her body. She wanted to leap into the air and dance around the room, though she forced herself to remain still. “I don’t know for how long, or if I can even do this, but I want to try, Evan. I want you to bring my darkest fantasy to life.”
“Yes,” he breathed softly, his eyes glittering. “That’s what I want, too.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, applying pressure so that she sank down to her knees before him.
He placed a hand on her head, like a priest offering a benediction. His voice was soft but authoritative as he said, “From this moment until we decide otherwise, you belong completely and unequivocally to me. I own your body, your will, your obedience and your submission. You will abdicate complete control of every aspect of your life to me. You will not eat, sleep, pee, dress, orgasm or touch yourself sexually without my express permission. I will bind you, whip you, spank you, choke you and use your body as it pleases me. I will push every erotic boundary you possess. The word ‘no’ will not exist in your vocabulary. You will be my slave in every sense of the word. Do you understand?”
Ruby had forgotten how to breathe. He’d reached down into that dark, secret core of her fantasies and pulled out its heart, which he now held, bloody and pulsing, in his hand.
“Yes, Sir,” she finally managed, her voice tremulous, her heart beating wildly against her ribs.
Evan held out his hands and pulled her upright. As he wrapped her in a firm embrace, she tried to get control of her whirling thoughts. Was she really going to do this? Was she out of her mind? Maybe that was a good thing—to get out of your own head for a while. He had offered her the chance to seize another wild adventure in a life lived on the edge. One more leap into the unknown, one more thrill to be explored to the fullest.
As if sensing her turmoil, Evan let her go and looked down into her eyes, his expression gentle. “Trust me, Ruby,” he said softly. “Trust us.”
“Yes,” she breathed. “Yes, Sir.”
Together, they cleaned the tub and water play area and hung the Shibari rope to dry. Then they dressed and went upstairs. They found Allie and Liam in the kitchen, sharing a glass of red wine. “Hey kids,” Allie said with a knowing grin. “Decided to come up for air?”
Liam eyed Ruby, apparently noting her still-wet hair. “Enjoyed a little water play, hmm?”
“We did, indeed,” Evan replied. “We hung the Shibari ropes to dry on the towel rack. I hope that’s okay.”
Evan raised his eyebrows, but said only, “Sure, that’s perfect.”
“Thanks very much for the use of the dungeon,” Evan added.
“Yes, thanks to you both,” Ruby said. Her gaze strayed to the kitchen wall clock. “Oh, man. The cats. I have to get home. They’re probably freaking out, being neglected for so long. They missed their afternoon walk.”
“Cats?” Liam said, clearly perplexed.
“Very special cats,” Allie explained.
“Royal cats,” Evan added with a laugh. “Listen, I hate to run out like this, but I have to handle something for BDSM Connections and then”—he fixed Ruby with a meaningful stare—“I have an appointment with a certain sexy sub girl.”
“Well, listen, don’t be a stranger, Evan,” Liam said.
Allie stood and moved toward Ruby, giving her a hug. “Thanks for the help. We got a good start today.” Leaning closer, she whispered, “I want a full report when you get home. Call me.”
“I will.” Ruby smiled.
The couple walked them to the front door, with everyone again exchanging hugs, or, in the case of the guys, handshakes.
At their cars, Evan said, “I just need to stop by the warehouse and take care of a few things for Bob. Then I’ll swing by the bed-and-breakfast and pack some things. I’ll grab a bite along the way. So, I’ll see you in about two, two and a half hours. Does that work for you?”
“Sure.” The dark spell Evan had woven over her had loosened its hold, though prickles of anticipation still bubbled in her gut. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. “See you soon.”
Back at the house, she parked and went out the garage door, pushing the code into the keypad beside it to close it. She walked to the front door and reached into the mailbox beside it for the daily delivery. As she entered the house, two beautiful, glaring cats greeted her, their tails waving high with indignation.
“Okay, okay,” she said with a laugh as she set the day’s mail on top of the growing pile on the side table beside the front door. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to take you on your walk.” She bent down to stroke them. “Let’s get a snack and then off we go, I promise.”
She took her phone with her on the walk, eager to reconnect with Allie and tell her the astonishing news. “There you are,” Allie said when the call connected. “What happened down in the dungeon? Did you use the water wall? Isn’t it awesome? There was definitely something hot simmering between the two of you. Liam and I both felt it.”
Ruby shared the intense water immersion experience, and they compared notes on the subject for a while.
“What?” Allie finally said, somehow reading Ruby’s mind. “There’s something you’re not telling me. What is it? Is everything okay?”
“I honestly have no idea,” Ruby blurted. “Or, no, that’s not exactly true. Evan’s heading back over in a while. We’ve agreed to, that is, I’ve agreed to… Well, it’s really crazy, but…”
“What? What is it, sweetie?
“Okay. I’ll just tell you, and then you can tell me I’m insane.” She confided in Allie about the 24/7 Master/slave arrangement they’d made, not quite believing as she said it aloud that she’d agreed to it.
But when she was done, far from admonishing her for signing up for something crazy, Allie squealed with delight. “Oh, Ruby, that’s so hot! You’re going to love it. I’m Liam’s full time slave girl, even if it doesn’t look like it f
rom the outside. I mean,” she rushed on, “he doesn’t tell me when to pee or eat or that kind of stuff, but I most definitely belong to him. He calls the shots in everything to do with our love life, and I absolutely adore it.”
“I know you do,” Ruby said, stopping with the cats so they could inspect a dead toad at their leisure. “But I’m not like you. I’m a free—”
“A free spirit. Yes, I know,” Allie said with a laugh. “But you’re also nothing if not adventurous. This has got to be the adventure of a lifetime. There’s something incredibly freeing about giving yourself over completely to someone else, Ruby. You’ll see—it’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced. And anyway,” she added, “it’s not like you’re signing some seven-year servitude contract or something. You guys agreed to try it for a day or two, right? You can do anything for a day or two, surely?”
“You’re right, of course. Thanks for talking me down off the ledge,” Ruby said. “When I get past the noise in my head, I’m actually super turned-on by the idea. It’s my darkest fantasy, and he wants to bring it to life.”
“I love it,” Allie said. “Just remember, I’m going to need a full accounting, so take notes.”
“Uh huh,” Ruby said with a laugh. “I’ll just post a video on YouTube, why don’t I?”
“Even better,” Allie teased back.
When Ruby got back to the house, she led the cats to the back door since they always liked to stop at the laundry room litter box after a walk. They were apparently too ladylike to relieve themselves out in public, and she couldn’t blame them.
The cats taken care of, Ruby handled a few emails and turned on the TV in the living room. She was antsy and couldn’t pay attention to what she was watching. Instead, she put on some music to do a little yoga, which always calmed her down. After about forty minutes of stretching and exercising, she had worked up a sweat.
It was already nearly seven—where the hell was he? She was too wound up for a proper meal. She grabbed an apple from the dwindling bowl in the kitchen and took it with her, eating as she climbed the stairs.
She decided to shower and fix her hair, which had dried into a tangled mess after the water play. As she washed and groomed, her mind drifted to Evan—to all the things they’d done so far, and all the things they were going to do…
As she dried off after the shower, her clit throbbed, begging to be stroked. She pressed her thighs together in an effort to relieve the ache, but that just made it worse. The Master/slave dynamic wouldn’t really start until Evan showed up, right? A quickie orgasm would at least take the edge off.
Returning to the bedroom, she lay on the bed. Closing her eyes, she slipped a hand between her legs. She sighed with pleasure as Evan rose in her mind’s eye, a long, curling whip in his hands…
~*~
His obligations satisfied for BDSM Connections, Evan returned to the bed-and-breakfast to pack a few things. He let the hostess know he might not be back for a few days, but to keep his room for him.
This was definitely not his usual MO—to basically move in with someone he’d known for only a few days. But it wasn’t like that, he reassured himself. They were conducting an experiment, and it wouldn’t work if they didn’t commit to it 24/7.
Though he’d never harbored any particular Master/slave fantasies himself, her strong, visceral reactions as they’d talked about its potential had excited him deep in his dominant core.
He only hoped he could make it work for her. While her complete erotic servitude was definitely a hot concept, he didn’t really have the first idea of how to be a so-called Master.
Sitting down on his bed, he opened his laptop and went to a few how-to websites that detailed proper Master/slave protocol and offered concrete advice for the domination of a BDSM slave. There were a ton of sites and plenty of information, some of it credible, some of it insane. He read for a while, absorbing what made sense to him and discarding the rest.
Yes, this was definitely going to be fun. Ruby’s fantasy included all the key aspects of a true Master/slave total power exchange, and Evan was excited to bring it to life for her. He was determined to stick to his guns. He wouldn’t let her get away with any misbehavior. She expected and needed to be controlled, directed and properly punished as part of her training. He wasn’t sure if he could actually pull this thing off, but he was hell-bent on trying.
Overnight and gear bag packed, he stopped at a supermarket on the way to Ruby’s place, since she didn’t seem to have all that much food in the house. He filled the cart with whatever struck his fancy, also buying a prepackaged sandwich and a can of soda for dinner, since he’d told her he’d grab a bite along the way, and it was already past seven.
Done with the shopping, he headed to her house, eating his sandwich as he drove. He thought about texting to let her know he was coming. No. It would be more fun to surprise her.
When he arrived, he pulled in the driveway and cut the engine and the lights. Grabbing his bags from the trunk, he headed up the front walk to the door. He was about to ring the bell, but on impulse tried the doorknob. To his delight, it wasn’t locked.
He entered the house, locking the door behind him. All was quiet. He dropped his duffel and gear bag at the bottom of the stairs and carried the grocery bags into the kitchen.
No Ruby.
He put away the things that needed refrigeration. Back in the front hall, he grabbed his bags and walked quietly up the stairs, in case she was napping.
He was ready to become Ruby’s Master, at least for a little while.
~*~
“What do you think you’re doing, slave?”
Startled, Ruby’s eyes flew open, and she squealed in frightened confusion. She slammed her legs closed, instinctively grabbing the quilt to cover herself. “Oh my god! What the—? Evan! You scared me to death. How did you get in?”
“The door was unlocked,” he said as he dropped his bags to the ground, his expression grim. He strode toward the bed and yanked her upright, the quilt falling away as he pulled her to her feet. “What the hell were you doing just now?”
Ruby’s face flamed with humiliation and chagrin. Who the hell did he think he was, just barging in like this? She tried to pull her arm away, but he held her fast.
“Answer the question, slave girl.” His voice was softer now, but there was steel beneath it.
She looked down, her face hot. “Well, I-I, that is, I was just…” she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. Though she knew it was a game, it sure as hell didn’t feel like one. She was both deeply embarrassed and, if she were honest, thrilled to her core.
Evan placed his hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him. “You’re already going to be punished for that infraction. Don’t compound it by failing to answer a direct question.”
Jesus, was he for real? Ruby wasn’t entirely sure what she’d expected, but it had included easing a little more slowly into this thing. But he was already in full Master mode and clearly determined to make her toe the line.
He was a head taller and fifty pounds heavier than she, all of it muscle. Though she instinctively trusted him, how well did she really know the guy? A frisson of genuine fear ricocheted through her. What if he took this thing too far? At the same time, every fiber of her being was alive with a wild, pinging energy as she embarked on this new adventure.
“What was the question, Sir?” she asked, her heart fluttering wildly in her chest.
“I asked what you were doing.”
Ruby looked away. He was really going to make her answer what was obviously a rhetorical question. She forced herself to look up at him, lifting her chin to give herself courage. “I was touching myself.”
Evan nodded. “Yet, we agreed only a few hours ago that your body belonged to me, and you were not to touch it sexually without express permission. Isn’t that right?”
Ruby blew out a breath. “Yeah. But I thought—”
“I’m not interested in what you thought right now. A
simple yes or no is all that’s required.”
“Yes,” she admitted.
“And what happens to slave girls who break the rules?”
“They get punished,” she muttered, biting back the urge to protest, to explain, to cajole.
Because he was right—if they were going to do this thing, she needed to give it her all, or else it would be nothing more than a game.
“I’m sorry, Sir,” she said sincerely. “It won’t happen again.”
“No,” he agreed, letting her go. “It won’t. Get on your knees and stay quiet while I unpack some things.”
Ruby lowered herself to the ground, her heart hammering. Evan lifted his gear bag onto the bench at the end of the bed and unzipped it. Ruby watched with widening eyes as he laid out several items, including a ball gag, some leather cuffs and a slave collar, two hanks of thin rope and what looked like two large metal wall hooks.
Finally, he sat on the edge of the bed. He looked down at her. “Before I punish you, I want to be sure you understand the parameters of our arrangement. We’ve already established that I own you, and I will use your body as it pleases me. While you are serving as my slave, you’ll wear what I choose from your wardrobe, when you wear anything at all. You’ll submit without protest or hesitation to my every command. You will address me as Sir, or Master, as you see fit. For my part, I promise to dominate and use you as befits a slave, and I promise not to harm you or endanger you in any way. Do we agree so far?”
“Yes, Sir,” she said, startled when her voice came out shaky. Jesus, he was good at this.
“Good. Now, I need to understand your hard limits—anything that is an absolute game stopper for you, or any health issues that we need to take into account.”
BDSM Connections - The Complete 4 Novel Series Page 69