Blush

by Lauren Jameson

  Squeezing her eyes shut, Maddy did as she was told. The plug burned as it was worked in, in and out in increments, twisting back and forth, waking nerves that Maddy hadn’t even known she had.

  Then her muscles gave, and it was inside of her, burning her from the inside out.

  She lost track of time, conscious only of the discomfort. She whimpered as one of the men pulled on the plug, making her nerves sizzle. A hand was worked between her legs, strumming over her clit, and suddenly the burn merged with the heat of pleasure, melting her lower half with suddenly searing heat.

  “I think she’s ready for you, my friend.” At the loss of sensation, Maddy lifted her head to see Elijah walk around to the front of the bench. Bending, he caught her cheeks in his hands and pressed his lips to hers for a slow, deep kiss.

  Maddy ran her tongue over her lips as he pulled back, confused and needy all at the same time.

  “He’s a lucky man, Miss Stone.” As he ran his lips over her ear, she shuddered at the intimacy of his whisper. “He’s also a very good one. Make sure you keep that in mind.”

  Elijah stood and turned to walk away.

  “Would you like to stay and watch?”

  Maddy tensed as Alex asked his friend the question. Her search for pleasure and punishment had brought her to the club, but now she wanted to seek that pleasure with Alex alone.

  The front of Elijah’s dress slacks was tented with his arousal, and temptation crossed his face before he shook his head.

  “Thank you, but no. This, I think, needs to be between the two of you.” The other man walked away, and Maddy found herself alone once more with Alex.

  • • •

  Maddy was clearly confused and off balance, and that was exactly what Alex had been hoping to draw from her. He didn’t want her able to think, to analyze things in that busy little brain of hers.

  He just wanted her to focus on how he could make her feel.

  “I wish you could see yourself right now. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful as you, bound and helpless. The lace of your stockings makes your skin look nearly white. Your ass is plump and pale and waiting for my touch.” Alex circled the bench, checking the color of her hands and feet. They were still healthy and pink, so her circulation was good—the cuffs weren’t too tight.

  From the leather bag that Elijah had left behind, Alex drew an item that had a very small ivory handle from which cascaded ribbons of golden brown leather. It was a very small flogger—the smallest one he’d ever used, technically called a pussy whip.

  Alex held it out for Maddy to see. He expected her to question him, and he wasn’t wrong, though much of the anger had seeped from her tone.

  “What is that?” Her voice was soft, husky.

  Alex’s erection jerked in his pants in response. He wanted to sheath himself in her heat right that moment, but reminded himself that it would only be better if he waited.

  “This is a martinet, Maddy. A very small flogger.” He flicked it through the air with a small snap of his wrist, letting her see the way the strands swished. “I’m going to discipline you because I’m upset with you. Do you understand why?”

  The softness from her expression fled quickly as she stared up at him. “I’m upset with you, too. Do I get to beat you after you’re done with me?”

  Alex swallowed a chuckle. Damn, but he liked her sass, her spunk. The way she pressed her lips together, however, reminded him that they still had secrets from each other.

  Squatting in front of her, he ran a finger over her cheekbone.

  “I’ve done you wrong by not sharing with you, and I’m sorry for that.” He let the strands of the martinet dance over the exposed nape of her neck, and she shivered. “If you can find it within yourself to trust me, to share with me, then I will happily do the same.” He felt his pulse speed up as he spoke, but he knew that he was doing the right thing.

  This was a woman with whom he could share the secret of his daughter. He felt certain that Maddy would never use that knowledge against him or, heaven forbid, against Rae.

  He waited, giving Maddy an out. He watched intently as myriad expressions passed over her face, fear and guilt taking hold.

  He felt his heart sink as, reaching a conclusion, she pressed her lips tightly together and shook her head. She wasn’t ready.

  “Very well.” Tamping down his disappointment, Alex circled back to stand behind Maddy. She didn’t feel she could trust him yet. There was still hope.

  Smoothing his hands over the globes of her ass, he savored her startled jump. And oh, how he would enjoy doing it.

  “I’m not going to give you a set number of lashes, Maddy. You’ve got me in a mood, and I’ll stop when I’m done.” She began to tremble, but when he checked her over, he concluded that she was more aroused than scared, though there was a fair amount of trepidation as well. To send her fears fleeing, he tugged on the plug still nestled inside her tight opening, smiling wickedly when she cried out.

  “Hold on tight, babe.” Stepping back, Alex lifted his hand and brought the flogger down in the first blow.

  “Oh!” Maddy tensed and cried out, but he knew that it was more with shock than with pain. The martinet wasn’t big enough to cause much damage, even in the hands of someone inexperienced, which he definitely was not. Besides which, he intended to keep his blows light.

  He wanted her to feel a wide range of sensation, but he didn’t want to hurt her, not unless and until she decided that erotic pain was something she enjoyed.

  “What’s your safe word?” He grinned as she growled the correct word out.

  She was pissed. She was fine.

  He didn’t count in his head, simply raining a series of short, soft blows over her skin, alternating placement so that no one part of her would be too sore the next day. Her soft moans drove him forward, releasing a flood of endorphins as he admired the pretty pink hue that painted her skin as the result of his handiwork.

  Only when Maddy began panting for breath and he felt himself entering that euphoric state reached by a Dom during some encounters did he toss the flogger aside.

  He ran his hands over the skin of her bottom, the heat all the more intense under his fingers with the exaggerated senses of top space. Taking up the bottle of gel that Elijah had left behind, he poured a liberal amount over her hot skin, enjoying the way she jumped back, snuggling her ass against his rearing cock.

  “Not just yet, babe.” He worked the extra lubricant around the plug that was readying her for him. Reaching between her legs, he ran his slick fingers over her clit, working it until her body tensed and he could tell that she was on the edge.

  Perfect. He wanted her to associate pleasure and not just pain with what she was about to experience.

  “Come for me, Maddy.” Getting a firm grasp on the wide base of the plug, he pulled it out as he worked her clit with expert fingers. He felt her drawing tight as a rubber band and pushed the plug back in.

  Her cry was loud and sharp edged as the extra sensations in her ass made the rubber band of her arousal snap. He continued to work the plug in and out as he milked every bit of sensation from her clit at the same time. Her fingers clamped down around the legs of the bench, holding on as she rode out her pleasure.

  He wanted her relaxed, limp when he pushed himself inside of her.

  “Don’t move.” Undoing the buckle of his belt, Alex freed his cock from the confines of his jeans. Though he normally preferred to dress as a businessman for his visits to the club, he’d had no time when Elijah had texted him. Not caring at all for the idea of his little doe in the club without his protection, he’d asked his friend to stay with her and had left without bothering to change back into a suit.

  Denim wasn’t as forgiving as wool, and he sighed with relief when his throbbing erection was free.

  “I’ve never seen such a gorgeous ass.” He couldn’t wait to be inside of her. Sheathing himself in a condom, he applied a liberal amount of lubricant to his length and rubbed h
is hand up and down the shaft, closing his eyes at the sensation of his own hand.

  “Brace yourself, babe. This is going to be uncomfortable for a minute.” She clenched and moaned invitingly as he spoke and then again grabbed the base of the plug, wincing as he pulled it out, her body pushing back against him as he entered her, making him see stars when her heated flesh pressed against his erection.

  Their groans mingled together in the air, his with pure pleasure, Maddy’s with desperation. He knew how she felt—she wanted more, wanted to reach that same place he occupied, where the mind ceased to function and all that was left was sensation.

  Rubbing her clit with one hand and grasping her hip with the other, Alex slowly worked his way into her body, which resisted him all the way.

  “What a good girl.” His words were a murmur when, after she drew in a deep, shuddering breath, Maddy’s muscles finally gave way, and he slid in to the hilt, his balls coming to rest against the curves of her ass. His breath was ragged as he tried to keep himself in check.

  He’d never felt anything so good, so right, as the insanely tight heat of her ass locked around his impossibly hard cock. The stockings she had worn, wrapped just below her ass cheeks, added an extra layer of snugness that felt like a little bit of heaven.

  “Okay?” He listened to make sure she was still breathing regularly, waited for her nod. “Hold on.”

  Sliding back, he again worked his way inside of her. Fuck, but he wasn’t going to last long. She felt too good, too right.

  Slide out, work in. Again and then again. He tried to be gentle, knowing she’d never done this before. His hand gripped her hip harder as he tried to keep his strokes even.

  “Fuck.” He wasn’t going to last much longer. He began to again work his fingers over her clit, determined to pull one last orgasm from her before he lost himself in her body.

  When he felt her muscles again start to flutter, he slid two of his fingers inside her dripping cunt. He hilted himself inside of her, jerking in and out in tiny strokes as his fingers worked inside, pressing against the thin membrane that separated her cunt from her ass.

  He could feel his cock moving with those fingers and knew how intense it must have felt for Maddy.

  This time she came with an excited scream, making the flesh that held his cock impossibly tighter. One more thrust and he was lost, his orgasm starting at the base of his spine and shooting through his entire groin so hard that he shouted.

  It was a long moment before he again became aware of his surroundings. In his peripheral vision, he saw that several club goers had gathered to watch the scene. He didn’t deny them the pleasure, but as always, he felt exposed as he pulled from Maddy’s body and drew the condom up and off of his cock.

  She winced as he pulled free from her body. He knew that she would be sore for days, and he liked knowing that she would remember him, remember this every time she moved.

  “Here.” Elijah moved forward, holding out a soft, warm blanket.

  Alex shook his head. “I’ll need to ask that one more favor of you, my friend.”

  Elijah eyed him, his expression unreadable, before nodding.

  Standing to the side, Elijah watched as Alex knelt and released Maddy’s chains, then pulled her stockings back up over her tender flesh. Scooping her limp, exhausted form into his arms, he carried her to Elijah, who wrapped her in a blanket and held her close.

  “Alex?” Those big doe eyes blinked at him sleepily, and Alex felt her tugging at his heart strings. He wanted to gather her close, to hold her in his arms.

  But he had a point to make. He’d decided to trust her, but she hadn’t done the same for him, not yet.

  “Elijah is going to take care of you until you’re ready to go home.” The betrayal in her eyes made him feel like a first-class shit, but he just didn’t know how else to get through to the stubborn woman.

  Leaning forward, he pressed a soft kiss to her lips, then tapped a finger on her locket. She looked up at him warily, and he knew he’d made his point.

  Even knowing that, it killed him to turn around, to walk away, leaving her in the arms of another man, even if that man was one of his closest friends.

  She needed to learn to trust him, because without trust, what they had was worth nothing.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Maddy winced as she bent to gather dishes from a table. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since she and Alex had been at the club, and if anything, her bottom was more sore today than it had been the day before.

  Carrying the dishes back to the kitchen, Maddy ground her teeth together with frustration. She still couldn’t quite believe that Alex had left her in the care of another man, even if that man was someone he trusted. And she chastised herself for wanting more of Alex’s ministrations with a kind of desperate longing she’d never known before.

  When he’d tapped his finger on her locket, she’d gotten his meaning loud and clear. She needed to open up to him—no more secrets.

  Damn it, why couldn’t he just understand? She was ashamed. No matter what Dr. Gill said, no matter what Nathan said, she would always feel guilty for the accident that had killed her sister. She would always be ashamed that, somehow, she was the one who had cheated death.

  She would rather die herself than see the disgust she knew she deserved on Alex’s face.

  And yet . . . unless she was very much mistaken, he had decided to trust her. Tit for tat.

  Could she be brave enough? Or had all of her courage died in the car wreck with Erin?

  “Just seated someone who asked for a table in your section.” Susannah’s statement caused Maddy’s heart to thump heavily inside her chest.

  Was Alex here?

  “Not bad-looking, but I like the other one better.” Susannah grabbed plates for her table from beneath the warmer, then scurried back off across the diner to her section, leaving Maddy with a sense of dread.

  The other one?

  Smoothing her hand over her ponytail, she made her feet carry her back out to her section. The man had his back to her, but when she saw the long dark hair, the dark suit worn stubbornly despite the heat outside, the arrogant posture, she knew.

  Anger flooded her as she crossed over to him, confronting the man with her glare.

  “Miss Stone.” Massimo Santorini smiled up at her, his expression pleasant, though she saw that he watched her with those shark eyes. “I had hoped you’d be here.”

  Maddy swallowed down the distaste. Maybe if she just served him a meal, if she didn’t antagonize him, he’d go away.

  “What can I do for you?” Her voice was sharp, clipped, and she knew that her meaning was clear. Do what you came to do; then go the hell away.

  “I’m actually here to do something for you, Miss Stone, though I will accept some coffee while I’m here.” The look he gave her made Maddy feel dirty, and she longed for a shower to scrub away the greasy sensation of his eyes on her. “I assume it’s fresh?”

  “Of course it is,” she snapped, turning his cup over with a slam. How dare he come here, to her place of work, insinuating that the venue was beneath him.

  From what she’d seen of him, he was in no position to judge anyone.

  “I’ll take two sugars. I like it sweet.” Massimo sat back as if he expected her to sweeten his coffee for him. She slid the bowl containing the packets of sugar and Splenda across the table, raising her eyebrows as she did.

  This man was nothing but a bully. She wasn’t going to let him push her around.

  “Sit, Miss Stone.” Irritation flickered over the man’s features, though he quickly smoothed it away. Massimo gestured widely with his arm, as if Maddy were a guest in his home rather than his waitress in a diner.

  “I’m working.” She could smell his aftershave, the scent spicy and strong enough to make her gag. She wanted to take several deliberate steps back, to put space between them, but didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he’d intimidated her.

 
“Don’t make this difficult. I’m here for your own good.”

  Maddy felt a sinking sensation in her stomach, knowing that whatever brought this man to her place of employment, it wasn’t going to be good. “Say what you have to say; then go.”

  Massimo chuckled, and the sound lacked all mirth. “Do you know, Miss Stone, that Alex Fraser phoned me this morning and told me that he was no longer interested in purchasing my casino?” The man watched her with an expression as intense as that of a hawk as Maddy blinked, stunned.

  Why would Alex have done that? He’d wanted that property.

  “As you can imagine, I am most displeased with this turn of events. I chose Mr. Fraser because he had done me a great disservice in the past, and he owed me.”

  Maddy furrowed her brow. As far as she knew, Alex and Massimo hadn’t known each other before the one man had approached the other with the casino deal.

  Massimo, watching her so intently that she felt naked, laughed at her confusion, the sound laced with bitterness. “Yes, your lover has secrets, as I’m sure you’re aware. This one, though . . . this one was not a secret that he tried to keep. Instead it was the result of sheer arrogance.” Massimo reached out and encircled Maddy’s wrist with his fingers. She tugged against his grasp to no avail.

  “Sit down.” Massimo spoke as if he were commanding her. This was a man who was trying his hardest to be dominant—a man who wanted to dominate her. She understood now that the trait had to come from deep within—she had no compulsion to do as this man said, no urge to please him as she did with Elijah, with Julien, and especially with Alex.

  “Take your hand off of me.” Sexually submissive or not, she didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to, not for this man, not for anyone. “I could scream and get help, but I’d much rather pour this pot of scalding coffee on your face. It’s your choice.” She waved the pot in the air, grimly satisfied when Massimo removed his hand, though his expression became openly nasty.

  “Your lover couldn’t have told you that he cuckolded me with my wife, because until two days ago, he had no idea.”