He winked.
“You sod, you’re taking the p…” She stopped mid-sentence. She wanted to try to not swear. “You’re taking the mickey.”
“Just a bit, kitten. Sorry.” However, he didn’t look the least bit sorry.
Ross leaned over her and selected a biscuit. “However, I stand by the fact these jeans are now bloody uncomfortable.” As he straightened up, his elbow hooked in the neckline of her dressing gown, and made it gape. A slither of red showed.
She tugged it back to where it was, but she should have known Ross would have noticed and put two and two together. Doms were trained to be aware of every nuance and action, and Ross wasn’t anywhere near unobservant.
“Kitten, what have we here?” He ran his finger across her neck and along the edge of the V. His knuckles grazed her soft skin then rubbed the material. It tightened over her breasts and her sensitive nipples peaked against the silk. That friction set up a corresponding tingle in her pussy and clit. Damned if she wouldn’t be dampening the stuff if she wasn’t careful. And wet red showed up so clearly.
“Ah…” Shane bet her face was the color of the material she’d intended to keep hidden until she was ready to reveal it.
“Ah’?” Ross asked her. “As in ah-tishoo? Ah-titchoke? Or, ah, well it’s like this?”
“The latter. The joggers really did fall off me.”
Ross nodded, that was why he’d left that particular set for her to use. He chose not to mention a short, to the point email he’d had from her brothers. Something along the lines of mess her up you’re dead, help her and you’re not. He’d thought the red dress was worth a try, and he’d bet she was stunning in it.
“So why the dressing gown? Don’t you like the dress?” There was no point in skirting the issue.
“I love it, but there’s not much of it, and well, it’s one thing putting it on and pretending it’s my nightie—another prancing around in it and B all else.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m not much of an exhibitionist. Never was.”
You will be with me. Ross loved being able to show how fantastic his sub was. One of his preferred methods of making a sub fly was either by Shibari and rigging, or with a crop or flogger, and showing how she did so to whoever was around in the club. If Shane only wanted to play in private, he’d go for it, but a big chunk of who he was would be missing.
Hold on, she’s not even admitted she’s a sub, let alone said she’d sub for you or what her preferences were. It was all hypothetical, remember. All he recollected she’d admitted to was the statement she didn’t do pain, which was a pity. However, hopefully he could show her there was pain, and there was pleasure in pain. If she let him.
“We’ll see,” Ross said, noncommittally. “Mind you, it’s warm in here, and there’s only me to see you.” He tugged at the messy knot in the gown’s sash. “So there’s no need to cover up.”
To his delight she let him undo the sash, and draw the sides of the robe apart. The red silk hugged her breasts like a lover and skimmed across her belly, emphasizing her feminine curves and the shape of her pussy, to end mid-thigh. Ross didn’t try to hide himself moving his cock away from the zip teeth of his jeans. “Stand up and let me look, kitten, please.” He couched it so they had a starting point to go on from afterwards.
Shane touched her nose before she slowly stood up, without letting go of the sleeves of the dressing gown.
“Drop it, kitten.” He did inject a note of command then, and Shane blinked before she unclenched her fingers from the cuffs of the material and let it fall to the seat of the settee.
She lowered her eyes and crossed her arms over her boobs. “I feel naked. And I’m not doing anything until I’ve spoken to Jess.”
Does she think that if she says that often enough we’ll both believe it?
“Uncross your arms. You look beautiful, and nowhere near naked, kitten. That can come later.”
Shane shook her head and didn’t move her arms. “I don’t do naked, I told you. This is almost as bad. It’s practically see-through. You can make out all of me through it.”
Ross took hold of her arms and placed them by her sides. “Rubbish, though I see a hint of hair that needs removing.”
“Ross.” Shane squeaked the word and blushed the color of her dress. Her arms moved.
“Keep them there.”
“R…o…ss. Sir.” She might sound embarrassed, but her nipples were still hard against the material and she pressed her thighs together.
“I like my pussy naked,” he said. “No clothes, no pussy hair. You’ll do it one day. Or I can do it for you.”
She shook her head. “Oh, blimey, Ross, don’t get your hopes up. Ah, how embarrassing, talking about my muff. Sheesh. Seriously, I might not get any further than this. This is a biggie for me. It’s been long skirts and oversized baggy jumpers these last few years. I will tell you why, soon, hopefully.”
Her toes scrunched up in the deep pile of the carpet until the shiny pink nail varnish he’d noticed couldn’t be seen anymore. “But not yet.”
He understood he’d get no more information. Therefore he’d move them forward in a different way.
“All right. Are you ready for a look around? Bearing in mind there’s only us here and no one else will see you.”
He held his breath.
Very slowly, she nodded. “Yes, Sir.”
Chapter Five
Oh, Lord, what have I committed myself to? Nothing except to look around. I had to call him Sir. It would be disrespectful not to, especially as he’s showing me the club. But what if he thinks it means I’ll sub? Because I don’t know and, oh, fuck, I want to go home.
“Kitten, I can see your thoughts rushing through you like a whirlwind. Slow down. We’re walking through a closed club—no more, no less. Then we’ll come back up here for dinner, and for the rest of the evening, I’ll defer to you and your desire.”
“No Domming?” She couldn’t believe he’d agree to that. He showed he was a Dom in everything he said and did. It was an integral part of him, whether he knew it or not.
“No Domming,” he agreed, to Shane’s surprise. “Unless you say, Ross, please be a Dom to me. Okay?”
“More likelihood of a snowball surviving in hell than that.” As he’d been so accommodating, Shane decided she could meet him half way. “But I will call you Sir until we get back here.”
“That’s a good enough start for me.” Ross smiled and tilted his head downwards until he could kiss the nape of her neck. His fresh, minty breath swirled around her and filled her senses. The nip and suck was so slight she wondered if she’d dreamt it. Then he lifted his lips. “One day, kitten, I’ll bite you and leave my mark.”
“Not where it shows you won’t,” Shane said in as firm a tone as she could manage. Damned if the thought didn’t make her wet and her clit throb. “I hate hickeys.”
“You won’t when I give one to you. That first light nip, the deep pull as I suck, the final bite and the throbbing. Plus the knowledge I’ve marked you as mine as surely as if I’ve whipped your arse.” He lifted his head and winked. “Barefoot and bare arsed. Perfect.”
Damned if that wink doesn’t make me wet and go all gooey, every time.
“Hypothetically speaking, of course.”
“Oh, of course,” Shane said. She was beginning to hate that word—hypothetically.
“If we ever get together to play, I warn you it will be full on, Dom and sub—and more.”
There’s more? Shane could no more stop the red, rosy hue suffusing her than she could have swam with a crocodile.
He laughed. “Come on. Let’s go.”
Ross took her arm and cuddled her into his side as he urged her out of the room and away from the direction of the lift. His other hand rested firmly on her buttocks, and she had an idea his pinkie teased the entrance to her arse. Surely he wouldn’t? Not here and now? He made no mention of how he held her as they moved together, and Shane decided to just enjoy the feeling of unity.
The warmth of his body was more than welcome. Embraced as she was, she felt safe and cherished and it hit her that the intensity of her emotions was unexpected. Why did the simple act of being cuddled as she walked matter so much? Shane hadn’t got a clue, but she wasn’t going to dismiss her feelings out of hand. They pleased her.
“I thought we were going to the club?”
“We are, but not by the lift. That takes us to the wrong place. Hold on a sec.” It was another fingerprint recognition pad. “We had these put in a while back when someone broke in. That was a doozy of a time. It ended okay, and one of our Doms and his sub are together because of it, but it was worrying. Still is, in one way, because not all the mystery was solved.”
“You didn’t catch the intruder?” Shane was interested. She loved a mystery—as long as it didn’t involve her. She’d had enough problems in her past to not want any more. “Or they wouldn’t spill the beans?”
“Nah, well, not quite. We caught an intruder, who was a goody, and missed catching the white van man—or woman—who was a baddy. No beans were hurt in the process.”
Shane snorted. His sense of humor was as wacky as hers. “That’s as clear as mud,” she said as they entered yet another corridor and Ross swiped yet another pad.
“Hold on.” Something he’d said rang a bell and she stopped dead and dragged Ross to a standstill. “White van?”
“Yeah, ba…er, bandits. Why?”
“I nearly got run off the road by a white van on my way here. Say around ten minutes before I turned into your drive. On the windy, crappy apology for a lane I used to get here from the main road. Why don’t they just call it unsealed and be done with it. All this uneven surface rubbish is so misleading.”
“Not if you live here,” Ross said. “It is uneven.”
“Hmm, if you say so. It was covered with snow, so I couldn’t tell.”
“The van?” Ross prompted her.
“The van. It came out of it like a bat out of hell, swerved in the slushy snow and drove off like crazy. Mind you, I didn’t see if it was a man or a woman driving. To be honest, I was more concerned with staying on the road and not getting close up and personal with the ditch or later on, your gatepost.”
“Are you okay?” Ross took her chin in his hand and tilted her head so she looked him in the eyes.
Shane nodded. “Yeah, I just used all those words you hate.”
“Thank God. Nevertheless, we’ll still tell our local cops when we get the chance. No point in rushing to do it now, any traces will be well obliterated. I guess there’s no use asking if you saw the number plate or if it had anything written on the side?”
“Nope, not at all. Though…” Shane concentrated. “I can’t swear to it, but I think one of the headlights was out. I was more concerned with saving my arse. Not that that’s a lot of help, eh? Easily replaced.” She shrugged. “The headlight, not my arse. That is irreplaceable.”
“Sure is.” Ross patted her rear and pinched it. “Perfect.”
“Damn it though, I am sorry I’m no more use. Why did someone want to break in?”
“Hey, no worries to the rest, you did more than most people could, I reckon. The break in was sort of official. No don’t ask. I can’t tell you, it’s all police confidentiality and such like. I’ll ring Ailsa and tell her what you told me. She’ll be interested to hear it.”
“Ailsa?” The surge of white hot jealousy annoyed Shane. Just because he said the name with such affection didn’t mean anything other than…well, affection. Did it?
“A friend in the force, who is the partner of another friend.” The way he couched his words was as big a giveaway as if he’d said friends in the lifestyle. Shane didn’t comment. After all, she knew about privacy and discretion.
“However,” Ross said. “The white van we’re still worried about. There’s been stuff moved around the estate, cottages used for something or other and lots of digging.”
“Dead bodies? Buried treasure?”
“Ropes and barbed wire. Puzzling.”
Shane laughed. “Well the barbed wire is not to my taste at all, and I’m not keen on ropes, but each to their own. Why bury it though? Don’t you have lockers?”
Ross pinched her chin. “Trust you to say what I reckon some of the local police thought.”
“Only some? You have kinky police?”
“Well, why not. Kink doesn’t have an agenda of who is and who isn’t.”
This Ailsa maybe?
Shane would love to know who was and who wasn’t, but it wasn’t something you ever asked. She accepted she was just nosy. She needed to curtail that propensity. Look where it had gotten her with Pete.
“Okay, this is our control room.” Ross ushered her into a rectangular room, with a bank of angled windows on one side plus a row of security screens and telephones on another. “We can oversee everything from here. Even if someone chooses a private room, they sign up to security cameras from here. Security—and the knowledge you’re safe from being sued or arrested—is paramount.”
“One reason for scening here and not at home?” To Shane’s annoyance, her voice wavered.
Ross gave her a sharp look. “In some cases, yes. Especially in a new relationship. Although a lot of our members have been together for a long time, they still enjoy scening here. And socializing as well. It’s not all whips and wax.”
He switched on one of the screens. “See how we can look without being intrusive? It’s all safety first.” The screen lit up with a view of what looked like the lounge area.
“What if the Dom ignores his sub’s safe word?” Shane had to ask.
Ross gave her another of those looks that seemed to sear into her soul. “He’ll never Dom again anywhere we know of. Safe words are sacrosanct.”
“But how would you always know?” Shane persisted. “They’re down there and you’re up here. You can’t always see the signs, can you?” A horrid familiar sick feeling crept over her, and she swallowed the bile that threatened to appear. She’d thought she was past it. How wrong could you be?
“Come hell or high water, kitten, I’m going to get to the bottom of what puts that look into your eyes. Hold on.” He flicked another switch. The screen changed from the lounge with its plush seats, to show a room with a St, Andrew’s cross and a spanking bench, plus a bed a bit like a masseur’s chair and several cupboards. Hanging from the ceiling were hooks and D rings and a vertical metal bar. Shane did her best not to ogle or let her instant arousal show. The more she saw and learned, the more Poisonous Pete the Plonker retreated. Now, once she saw Jess, the past would hopefully be well dead and buried.
“Well?” Ross asked her. “You haven’t run away screaming yet.”
“No, not yet,” Shane agreed. “But…”
“Stay here and watch the monitor. I won’t be long.” He pushed a chair under her bum, dropped a swift kiss on the top of her head and left the room at a jog.
Unable to settle, Shane stood up and wandered around looking at the consoles and at a series of photos on the walls. Several depicted a couple, who were obviously well into a scene. She peered closely and stared at the expression on the woman’s face. It was serene, calm and she seemed totally at ease and happy with her position, rigged in an intricate harness of knots and ties, suspended several feet above the ground. Even her hair was tied. It was something Shane had often wondered about, but never experienced. After Pete, she hadn’t thought she’d ever want to. The Dom who stood beside the lady exuded confidence and total command, and he bent his head and, Shane surmised, asked the sub a question.
Something about the way he stood rang a bell. She moved her attention from the woman to the Dom. As she thought, it was Ross. The jealousy that filled her came as a surprise.
I want him to do that to me. She thought about it as she made her way back to the original screen Ross had asked her to stop by and sat down again. The screen showed the door opening and closing, then Ross appeared in the room. He tur
ned and looked up toward where the camera must be sited.
“Hello, kitten. I’m hoping you can hear me. If you can, press the switch in the console, marked ‘speak’ and say so.”
Shane looked along the row of switches, found the one she wanted and pressed it. “I can hear you.”
“So if I had a poor innocent little subbie strapped down on here”—he stroked the soft top of the spanking bench—“or rigged up and swinging.” He set one of the metal rings moving. “And ignored her shouting, or”—he lowered his voice—“whispering red or whatever, would it be ignored? Bearing in mind the control room is monitored all the time by two people, as well as a dungeon master in each room. We take safe, sane and consensual very seriously, kitten, as do all sensible clubs and Doms. Heard enough?”
“Yes, Sir, and thank you. I feel silly now.”
“Kitten.” His voice was harsh, and Shane flinched. Had she annoyed him so much?
“Never ever feel silly for being safety conscious. It’s not thinking ahead and paying attention to your safety that’s silly. Stay there. I’ll be back in a minute.”
He left the dungeon and sure enough, within a minute the control room door opened and Ross walked in.
“Ready for a wander now?”
It didn’t occur to her that she was about to do something she never ever thought she’d do again. Shane stood up, walked toward Ross and dropped to her knees. Very deliberately she put her hands behind her back and bent her head to look at the floor by his bare feet. She remembered from years before that he hated shoes and kicked them off at every opportunity.
“Yes, please, Sir.”
He tugged her hair so she looked up at him. “That, kitten, is a lovely sight. I hope I’ll see more of it, but for now, welcome to my world.”
Chapter Six
As he looked down at Shane, something indefinable filled Ross’s mind. It wasn’t just seeing a woman he wanted on her knees as a sub, but also the total trust in her expression that gladdened him. Even as a child, her solemn expression and need to know everything had fascinated him. For a brief second, the difference in their ages worried him. Was twelve years too much? In reality, why should it be? As long as he could get the image of baby snatching and dirty old men out of his mind… She was well over the age of consent now, and until he’d seen her again he hadn’t thought of her as anything except Troy and Jase’s younger, pesky, nosy sister.
Secrets Dispatched Page 5