Kalinda rolled her eyes. "I won’t carry anything down, Master." The sarcasm dripped from Kalinda. “You act as if a pregnant lady can’t lift more than a single piece of paper.”
Dom scowled. "You've just earned yourself an extra spanking. Shall we go for two?"
"No, Master." She lowered her head and sounded contrite, but as soon as Dom turned his back, her head lifted and she stuck her tongue out at him. Around the room, the rest of the subs chuckled.
"God, one of these days she's gonna get herself into more trouble than she knows how to get out of." Jude looked over at Mason. "Well at least, we have an equal amount of men to women for subs tonight. You don't know how many of these things that I've gone to, that Micah and I have ended up being the only male subs there."
"Aw, it's character building." Grim accepted the tray from Kalinda, his mouth watering at the small finger sandwiches arranged on the tray. "God, I hope they let us eat something before the party gets into full swing. I just got back in at two o'clock this afternoon and airplane food sucks."
Kalinda smiled. "We're going to have a light repast, before Olivia and her subs’ demonstration. Nothing heavy enough to come back up during one of the dares."
Grim's stomach rumbled on cue. "That's good to know."
"Alright, peeps. We've only got eight minutes left to get this grub downstairs and serve our Masters and Mistresses." Kalinda became a whirlwind as Shauna and Tanya stepped back into the room, wearing the same abbreviated outfit as Analise.
Part XXIV: Let the Games Begin
Carefully carrying the tray down the steps, Analise followed her Sir. It wasn't easy in heels, but she managed to do it without tripping. Behind her, she could hear the other two girls, Tanya and Shauna giggling. It amazed her how open each girl seemed with their sexuality. Especially considering how young they were. They couldn't have been much older than herself. In the brief time they'd had while finishing the prep, both girls had introduced themselves. She'd been surprised to find out that Shauna was Lena's younger sister. With her ebony locks and mocha skin, she didn't much look like Lena at all - at least not until she looked into her eyes. She had the same vivid blue eyes her sister had and they were just as full of life and mischief as Lena's.
"Relax, girl." Shauna whispered as they entered a huge room spanning the length of the basement. This basement was nothing like the dark damp cellar back on the farm. With its wall to wall carpeting and crème colored walls it was like stepping into another world. Glancing around the room, Analise wet her lips. Okay, she recognized some of the equipment, like the pillory and the St. Andrews cross. These were the normal types of dungeon furniture. Their hosts were lucky to have this room, she decided as they came to a stop, where the Dominants were all lounging in bean bag chairs, of all things.
"Well it looks like our refreshments have arrived." A tall blond, the one from the picture upstairs stood. "For those who don't know me, I'm Master Josh. Tonight it is Master Dom’s and my pleasure to have you in our home. Most of you know each other, but to make things move more quickly, as you circulate through the Dominants please introduce yourself to the Doms you're not familiar with. Also I want you to end with your own Dominant, so you too may eat. Each Dom will be taking extra to feed his or her's sub. For the two unattached subs, Master Jamison has offered to prepare your plate and has been made aware of your preferences." He nodded towards Kalinda, signaling it was time to start the service. "If you will, subs? I believe we have a room full of hungry people."
Taking a deep breath, she held her tray containing a selection of meat, cheese, and crackers steady as she approached the master closest to her, who happened to be Master Josh. She wet her lips, before offering the tray to him. "Cheese, meat, or crackers, Master Josh?"
His smile crinkled his face as he took several pieces of pepperoni and sharp cheddar cheese and placed them on the small plate he held, before adding some to a larger plate for himself. "Of course. I don't mind if I do...Miss?"
"Analise, Sir. I belong to Master Liam and Grim."
He nodded. "Of course you do. I'd recognize that collar anywhere. The tooling on it is unique to your Master." He nodded to her neck. "Is this your first party?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Well I look forward to seeing your Doms put your through your paces." Josh nodded. "But I do believe you should move along, sweetheart, before Liam gets grumpy."
"Of course, Sir." Moving to the next Dom, a petite Domme, she gulped. It was the Mistress from Olivia's, the one in charge of the club. "Mistress, would you like some?" She bent slightly to bring the tray within Olivia's view.
"Thank you." The woman smiled at her as she selected several pieces of food from the tray. "It’s good to see you again, Analise. Liam says you've done quite well with your training."
"I try hard, Mistress. He expects a great deal from me, but I wish to please him and Sir." Happiness flooded her at the idea of Liam praising her accomplishments to such a powerful woman.
"Which is one of the most basic needs of a true submissive." She placed her hand over Analise's. "I'm so glad you didn't let what your uncle said that night affect you."
Analise shook her head. "No, Mistress. He was being an ass."
A grin tugged at Olivia's lips. "That he was - you should never be ashamed of wanting to submit." It looked like the other woman wanted to say more, but Dom's voice interrupted Olivia, telling her to quit hogging the food, she gave a nod and moved to the next Dom. The man looked up at her, and wave of recognition washed over her. It was the same man who'd mistaken her for his submissive, when she'd first moved in. He looked a lot better and he didn't reek of booze. "Meat, cheese or crackers, Sir?"
He shook his head. "Thank you, just some cheese and crackers. Like the submissives I'm getting a plate for, I'm a vegetarian."
She nodded. "Of course." She started to move to serve Master Dom, but was stopped when the man spoke softly.
"Wait."
She paused. "Yes, Sir."
He looked up at her. "I'm sorry about how we met. I shouldn't have called you a bitch. It was a dark time for me, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. Can you forgive me?"
She gave him a small smile. "Yes. As a first impression, it wasn't the greatest but everyone makes mistakes, Sir."
A relieved look crossed his face. "Good. I wouldn't want Master Liam to rearrange my face for me. I'm Master Jamison." He held out his hand.
"Analise." She shook it, even though she wasn't sure it was appropriate. "Nice to meet you under better circumstances."
* * * *
Liam growled in his throat as Analise pulled her hand away from Jamison. Next to him, Lena smacked his knee.
"Relax, dude. He's not horning in on your territory. I would imagine he wants to apologize to her for how he acted when they met."
Narrowing his eyes as Analise made her way around to Dominic, he kept a close watch on her before replying to Lena. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, he mentioned it to me after he sobered up. So let it go. We're supposed to be having fun and you don't want Analise to think you're mad at her, do you?"
He sighed. "No, tonight is going to be hard enough on her."
"So relax. Have some good food, a little bit of downtime before we have a lot fun later." She nibbled on the carrot stick she'd gotten from Kalinda. "Don't you just love the outfits that Olivia and Josh came up with for the party? My Mason looks good enough to eat in that thong and bow-tie. The extra work outs he's been putting in at the gym have really paid off." She nudged him. "And why didn't you tell me that you got matching rings for your submissives? I didn't realize til just now that Analise is wearing the same rings as your Grim."
Forcing himself to relax, Liam laughed. "I didn't know you would’ve cared one way or the other about it."
She shot him a look. "Please. I care about Analise. She's really blossomed under you and Grim's tutelage. I just guess it's a surprise to see you moving so quickly with her."
He shrugged. "What can
I say, she's one of a kind. She kind of sneaks up on you."
She chuckled. "Yes she does.” She took a sip of her water. "So have you given any thought about what your strategy will be for the game tonight?"
He nodded. "Of course, as I imagine all the Doms here have."
By the time Analise and Grim finally made it to his side, he was deep in conversation with Lena about some of the suggestions for the game. As his submissives dropped to their knees next to him, he let out a sigh of relief, Analise hadn’t bolted yet.
Taking a small tidbit off the plate, Liam brushed it over Grim's lips. When his sub opened his mouth he gently fed him. Then it was Analise's turn as he offered her a cherry tomato. It took some doing on his part, but he managed to get both of his subs and himself fed by the time Olivia stood to announce it was time for her demonstration with Micah and Jude.
"Watch, piccola. I want you to be able to tell me how many times Mistress Olivia strikes each of her subs." He tipped her head up to look into her eyes. "There will be an award in it for you, if you get it correct."
"Yes, Master." Her lips parted as he released her chin.
Then he threaded his fingers through Grim's curls. "As for you, my naughty boy, I want you to close your eyes and imagine what Mistress Olivia is doing to her submissives. Before the night is over you will tell not only me but also the rest of the group, where your imagination takes you. Understand?"
Grim whispered a soft agreement. "Yes, Master." Liam didn't have to check to know that his sub had closed his eyes.
As Olivia was joined by her subs in the center of the room, he relaxed back against the bean bag chair.
"Present." Olivia's command was soft but firm. Immediately both Micah and Jude dropped to their knees on either side of her legs. "Tonight Master Dom has asked I demonstrate for the newbies what being in a triad is like. Around us you've probably noticed that nearly all of us here are in a committed relationship, and they are in groupings of three. This was done deliberately. I've had the pleasure of calling these two beautiful men as mine for the past two years. In my case it's a dynamic of two male subs to one female dominant. In the case of our hosts, it's two dominant males to one female submissive. Couplings can come in any variety of pairings. But in the end it doesn't matter, if it's two doms, one submissive, two subs and one Master, or even a combination of a Dom, sub, and switch. We're here to explore all the possibilities of a true BDSM relationship and how it can be fluid but structured at the same time. It's all in the hands of the people involved in the relationship." Olivia lightly tapped Jude's shoulder. "And that's the point which tonight my subs are going to prove. Because instead of my hand on the flogger, it will be one of my subs. One which I've trained to pleasure his partner. Please rise, pet."
As Jude rose, Liam wanted to get up and kiss Olivia. She'd actually tailored her demonstration to show the possibilities of having one of her subs take control of the other, closely mimicking their own special dynamic. With her head pressed against his knee and her fingers plucking lightly at the hair on his leg, he could tell Analise was paying attention to the scene unfolding in front of them.
"Choose your flogger, pet. You know from watching me which one Micah enjoys." She nodded to the small black toy bag tucked next to the beanbag chair she'd vacated. Within moments, Jude was back, presenting the flogger to his mistress for inspection.
"Very good, pet." She handed the flogger back to Jude, before crouching down next to Micah. "Are you ready, sub? Do you trust my judgment in giving you over to pet?"
"Yes, Mistress." His voice was firm as he looked up into Olivia's face.
"Good. Go to the cross."
Liam felt the quick exhale of her breath against his calf. "Shhh, watch, Analise and see the trust it takes on Micah's part to give over to his Mistress's wishes."
"Yes, Master." Her fingers curled around him.
Within a few minutes, Jude had Micah secured to the cross and was again standing next to his Mistress warming up his arm. Analise seemed fascinated with the motions Jude was making.
"Proper warming up for the person wielding the flogger is important, Analise. A Dom can injure himself just as much as his sub, if he skips this step."
"I understand, Master." She whispered as the first strike hit Micah's right shoulder. The pleasure in Micah's groan was as familiar to Liam as breathing. Micah truly loved a good flogging. While Olivia continued to praise Jude and Micah, Liam had never been prouder of Analise as she softly counted off the strokes. This was a good sign. If she'd come this far without protest, hopefully she'd be able to come a bit further.
* * * *
Analise shifted a bit, trying to ease the slight ache in her knees as Jude and Olivia administered aftercare to a silently crying Micah. But even as concern for the sub grew inside her, Liam lightly petted her hair and spoke.
"Those are tears of release, piccola. He's known to cry during a flogging. They are similar to tears of joy women have at the birth of a child, or the tears you shed when the couple in one of your books over comes everything and manages to stay together."
She nibbled on her lip as his words sank in. They made perfect sense. But part of the demonstration nagged at her. "Can I ask a question, Master?"
"Of course." He continued to stroke her head.
"You're not going to require me to do that to Grim, are you? Because I don't think I can." The thought of hitting her Sir made her physically ill.
"Look at me, Analise." The command had her obeying immediately. She tipped her head up into his concerned expression. "The dynamic between Olivia and her men is different. Micah and Jude are equals, so when Olivia wanted Jude to learn how to flog Micah, it didn't disrupt their dynamic. In our case, if I asked the same of you, it would cause friction because in the BDSM dynamic, you and Grimwell are not equals. You are submissive to him, and any true submissive would be uncomfortable with the idea of striking his or her Master."
Relief flooded her. "That's good. Because I'd safeword before lifting a hand to Sir."
"As I would expect you to. But that doesn't mean you can't take part in his punishment, considering you are part of the reason why he ended up in the pickle he's in."
Analise swallowed and flushed. It was true. She'd worn the outfit Lena had suggested, one which bared her breasts. If Grim hadn't caught sight of her new rings, he wouldn't have been tempted into acting against a direct order their Master had given. "Of course, Master."
"Speaking of which, it's nearly time for Grim's punishment." He nodded to Olivia, who'd sunk into the beanbag chair, while she and Jude cradled a now smiling Micah between them.
As if on cue, Master Dom stood. "Okay, peeps, before we start our game of Truth or Pain, Master Liam has requested that we be an audience for the punishment of one of his submissives. It seems like his male submissive not only disobeyed a direct command, but compounded his error afterward by masturbating to release."
Around the room, several subs not aware of Grim's lapse earlier in the evening gasped, while a few of the other Doms shook their heads and sighed.
"But in deference to his sub's recent return from a long business trip and the temptation presented by the sub he and his Master share, Master Liam has decided to be lenient and therefore he will only give Grim eight strokes with the crop..."
As Master Dom continued to talk, Analise's mind whirled. When Master Liam had mentioned a punishment, neither he nor Grim had mentioned the fact it would be a crop. Of all the toys in her Master's arsenal, the crop scared her the most. It was too similar to what she'd seen a man use on a horse on the farm. He'd busted the horse open before her father had been able to stop him. The resulting beating of the man hadn't been pretty either, as her father had taken the crop away and used it on the fool. Now she was expected to not only watch as her Master struck her Sir with the crop, but also participate? Her stomach lurched and the food she'd just eaten threatened to come up.
As if in tune with her, Grim reached out and squeezed her hand in r
eassurance. A snap of her Master's fingers had Grim pulling away from her, and taking the long, slender crop out of Master's toy bag. She had to swallow back her protest as Grim stood. Digging her fingers into her palms, she tried to relate the actions about to happen with the patient Master who had taught her how to kneel, present, and any other number of things. Taking deep breaths as Master ordered Grim to strip off the thong, she met Liam's eyes. The steady look in them as if he half-expected her to reject what was about to happen, brought back the one other time she'd seen it. It’d been when he'd warned her before entering the home he shared with Grim that not all was what it seemed.
"Even if you don't understand it, Grim and I have a special relationship and I won't allow you to belittle the submission he gives me. Just understand, I won't ever do more than he can handle."
Part XXV: Her Acceptance
His heart was pounding and Liam had never been so nervous in all of his life. The look on Analise's face was hard to read. He had felt her stiffen against his leg as Dom had explained the punishment to the other people in the room. It was far out of her realm and he wasn't sure she would be able to accept, particularly after her one experience with the crop. If he'd been her father, he'd have done more than take the crop away from the man and punish him with it. He'd probably have gone to jail for murder, because to him a person, who abused an animal, was no better than the perverts who preyed on the innocents on-line. He didn't have the time nor patience for either.
Standing tall in front of him, wearing nothing more than the red bow tie and his piercings, Grim took his breath away. The submission his sub offered was potent, or would have been if Liam wasn't so concerned about Analise's reaction to the reality of his and Grim's relationship. It looked like Liam was going to have to have another talk with Old man Sneezeclod about the amount of out of town trips he was sending Grim on. He hadn't lied to Analise earlier. Grim’s pushing until he earned a session with the crop, was a direct result of the amount of time away from home. And as a good Dom, Liam never shied away from the task at hand, even though he wasn't happy about it.
Analise's Journey, Bundle (Doms of Chicago Serial Spin Off) Page 21