“I think it was the comment about the tree,” Jack responded, quickly locating spots and storing what they’d bought. “Our girl has a Christmas Fetish.”
“Huh…” Dane considered this and finished with what he could do in the kitchen before glancing toward the large, mostly empty living area. “So how come we never thought about it before?”
“Don’t care?” Jack answered. “Guess we’ll have to find out later.”
Chapter Eight
Hayley had stood before the mirror in her bedroom for ten minutes before stripping and thumbing through things in her closet. She folded the shimmering red dress and put it into her pack. But she sure as hell couldn’t drive in the thing.
She found a couple tank tops and layered them before shimmying into the old, one size too small skirt. She’d grown a few inches since the skirt had seen the outside world. But she figured it would work fine in the club. It stopped just barely past legal and she was tugging it over her underwear as she walked to the car.
And it was a festive red and green plaid with gold stripes. Perfect for the season. She cast one last look at her little tree before taking her pack and leaving the house.
She’d bound her hair into a high riding ponytail and it bobbed in the darkness as she went to the entrance of the club. A bright smile was beamed and she told them who she was there for. The man wrote her name on a clipboard and wrapped a paper band on her wrist, then he wrote the time on it and the names of Jack and Dane.
The sparkling green heels she wore clicked on the tiles and a shiver ran through her as she crossed into the reception area. She held up her wrist, uncertain of what she should do. Her gaze shot to the clock and she sighed. She still had five minutes.
“They’re already inside,” the young woman at the desk told her, gesturing to the thick curtain blocking the public from the inside.
“Thank you.”
A warm spiral began in her chest and spread out as she stepped through the curtain. Into another world, she thought briefly, the soft, chanting music a sign of the early hour. Later, it would thump and vary from one large space to the other. She swallowed the lump in her throat, straightened her shoulders and hitched her pack onto one of them before striding toward the bar.
****
Dane nudged his elbow into Jack’s side, two pairs of eyes watching her approach.
“We evidently weren’t very clear,” Jack said quietly.
Dane’s gaze wandered to her feet. “I guess not.”
They saw the hesitancy in her approach once she knew they were there. She gazed around, aware of people watching her. Dane held up a hand when he caught sight of Jude approaching along the bar to see if she wanted anything. Jude backed off and returned to watch mode.
Jack held up a hand, one finger raised when Hayley opened her mouth to speak.
“It might be best if you said nothing at the moment, Hayley,” he said softly. “Put your pack on the stool here and go to the supply area behind us and get one of the thick cushions to kneel on.”
Hayley swallowed and set the pack down. “Yes, Sirs,” she answered and continued past them to the wall.
“The look in her eyes says confusion,” Dane commented. “Not defiance.”
“Which means she forgot what she was told or has an explanation she believes exempts her,” Jack exhaled slowly. “So we’ll go cautiously.”
“She’s punctual.”
“She’s not punctual if she’s not dressed the way we told her.” Jack waited as she carried the large pillow and stood in front of them. “Place it on the floor, Hayley, between us and then look up here.”
Dane turned slightly, his arms crossed over his chest. He was leaning on one of the bar stools, his right leg stretched out and the other bent.
“We seem to have a severe communication issue, Hayley,” he began, his tone patient and eyes flat. He shook his head when she started to speak. “We haven’t given you permission to speak yet. When we do, I strongly suggest you think very carefully about your responses.”
Full lips closed and she nodded nervously.
“I see three infractions to the instructions you were given, Hayley,” Jack picked up smoothly. “So I’m going to ask that you explain what I see and see if you agree with what’s wrong and what’s put us in a bad mood right off the bat.”
“Wrong?” Hayley swallowed, her gaze skittering uncomfortably from one to the other. “With me? With…my clothing? I couldn’t drive in that dress!” Her voice came out low and genuinely filled with dismay. “I have it in my pack. I was going to go to the changing area.”
“Then you should have called us. You should have confided your concerns and asked for a ride,” Dane said. He saw the answer immediately on her features. She hadn’t considered it an option. She was independent and unaccustomed to asking for help. Worse, she was very unaccustomed to receiving the help.
“You don’t believe the change to our instructions required a conversation, Hayley?” Jack straightened and walked around her, his hand out and smacking hard on her ass when she would have turned to follow his movements. “No one said to move, Hayley. Hands behind your back, head up and feet apart. Which brings us to your feet.”
“I can’t drive without shoes…Sir…” another sharper swat made her jump. “Sirs!”
“And our comment about heels? Do you remember that or do you want us to believe you have a faulty memory?” Dane continued to study her expressions. To make it work, they needed to get inside and take control of something she wasn’t used to surrendering. Wasn’t used to even thinking about surrendering.
“I remember, Sirs, I’m sorry. I didn’t think…just walking from the parking lot to here…I thought that would be alright. It’s almost Christmas! I wanted to look festive for a little bit…just a little…”
“Take the shoes off, Hayley,” Dane ordered, his head shaking when she’d done as instructed. “And you didn’t have time for a pedicure.”
“That makes it four,” Jack exhaled patiently. “Did you have dinner?”
Hayley opened her mouth and immediately closed it when Jack shook his head.
“The answer’s on your face, Hayley,” Dane supplied calmly. “So the last thing we have to ask about is your hair. Do you remember what we told you we wanted?”
Her hand began to rise from her side and then fell back when Jack’s fingers circled her wrist and lowered it. She closed her eyes, pale brown lashes thick against the slightly tanned skin.
“Kneel on the pillow, Hayley. Face the bar. Hands behind your back, head down and remain silent for now,” Jack ordered coldly. “We need to decide if you’re truly interested in this path you’ve begun.”
“Yes, Sirs,” she whispered and did as he told her, her shoulders stiff as she knelt and waited.
When the familiar voice broke into the silence around them, Dane had to give her credit for not moving a muscle.
“Hayley?” Bailey had come through the entrance, Gabe close behind and halting her approach with a hand that firmly gripped the high riding red ponytail. “Oww!”
“What do you see, sub?” Gabe demanded sternly, not loosening his grip and lifting slightly until he was sure he had her full attention.
“I…she’s with…with Master’s Dane and Jack,” Bailey began carefully.
“And you’re interrupting,” Gabe told her.
“But…but if she’s in trouble, it’s my fault for not…then I didn’t train her or…or give her the right information…” A little yelp left her lips when the hand tightened. “Sirs, I’m sorry for interrupting.”
“So you’d take away her responsibility for her own choices, Bailey?” Jack asked casually. He almost let the grin free as he watched the wide eyes go from Hayley to them and back again before she shook her head.
“No, Sirs,” she whispered. “I’m sorry, Sirs.”
“Later, gentlemen,” Gabe said politely, lowering his hand and taking Bailey’s palm, leading them through the room.
Hayley had struggled to remain not only silent, but unmoving during the brief exchange. It was so difficult to remember all the things, all the right protocols and behaviors for each thing that might happen.
She messed up.
She let her nerves and who knows what else inside her head to confuse her. She’d lost track of the rules. And she needed their rules. A loud scream was ripped from her lips when a hand wrapped around her hair and pulled.
“Focus is only one thing we have to work on with our sub, Jack.” Dane had his hand wrapped several times around the long ponytail. He stood at her side, bent over and speaking clearly into her ear. “Where did you go, sub?”
“I…I was thinking I’d let my nerves interfere with what I was instructed.”
Jack met the look Dane gave him with a half shrug. She answered honestly, he was sure of that.
“And how do we counter your nerves, Hayley?” Dane prodded.
“I have to work harder.”
“And we have to be more clear with our instructions,” Jack said quietly. “It didn’t occur to us that driving in the fetwear might be uncomfortable for you. Releasing your inner sub here in the club is one thing…on the highways and roads…a bit different. Yes, Hayley, Dom’s make mistakes, too.”
He’d felt the slight jolt to her body when he admitted their error.
“It might sound a bit off, Hayley.” Dane released her hair, taking the thick coated band from the pale honey colored strands. “But we’re not perfect. We’re as new to you, as you are to us. A learning curve is to be expected, more so for you, than us. But your focus is different than the learning and adherence to instructions. Maybe we should write things down for you.”
“Yes, Sirs,” she answered immediately.
“Stand up,” Jack ordered and took a step back, waiting with his hands shoved into the pockets of a pair of well-worn jeans. She hadn’t changed her position much, simply climbed limberly to her feet and stood staring down at the floor. “Take off your clothes.”
Now that garnered immediate attention, her head up and vision sweeping around from one to the other, taking in the others milling around the room. Dane immediately had a hand full of hair and lifted. Her attention gulped in with a loud yelp.
“Nothing was said about looking. Nothing was said about hesitation. Remove the clothing, Hayley.” Dane waited the barest of seconds, the snap of a familiar knife winking into their line of sight. He saw the immediate flair of uncertainty in her stare. “Jack doesn’t mind helping. And these don’t exactly look new, so we won’t even feel regret at the decision.”
Her hands rose, shaking a little and tugging the pair of tank tops from the band of her skirt. Only then did his hand release her, standing back just enough for her to wiggle and pull them over her head. He took them from her and tossed them to the pack on the other bar stool without taking his eyes off her.
She reached behind her and opened the button, the zipper readily parting until she could push the skirt over her hips. A slight, very slight wiggle and it tumbled to the floor.
“Face the bar,” Dane ordered. “Lift your feet and let me get this out of the way.” He bent and lifted the mini-skirt, sending it to join the tops on her pack.
“She does get points for the underwear,” Jack murmured, taking in the slices of red lace and nylon that framed her breasts and barely covered her pussy.
“We didn’t buy those,” Dane said with an approving nod. “She obviously has a few things in her wardrobe that are acceptable.” His laugh was low when her shoulders stiffened a little more. “I think our sub is a little disturbed at the conversation.”
“Our sub needs to learn her place,” Jack said flatly. “Put the pillow back on the shelf, Hayley.”
“Yes, Sirs,” she answered immediately, retrieving the pillow and hurrying off toward the wall unit.
“We need a good solid hour or two of service,” Dane said quietly, watching Hayley walk with her head down and hands before her, twisting nervously.
“Constant,” Jack agreed with a nod. “Forcing focus and protocols. I’ll go have a talk with the people we know and pass the word.”
“With or without clothing?”
“The outfit in her bag. Whichever one it is…no underwear,” Jack declared and turned to make the rounds of people they knew and let them know what was planned.
Chapter Nine
Dane raised a brow as Hayley returned, caution and trepidation in every step. She continued to look at the floor, but that had given her a clear view of Jack striding off. She looked up just enough to meet his gaze and then stopped moving as she stood in front of him.
“May I speak, please, Sir?”
“Speak.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll try harder, I promise you, I will.”
“We expect that, Hayley. Take off your underwear,” he said simply, setting her clothing on the bar and opening the pack. He found the silky mix of latex and leather in the store bag, the tags still in place. He took it out, had a knife in his hand and the tags off within seconds. He dropped them into the pack and exhaled slowly when she hadn’t moved. He met the stunned look, her hands still twisting before her. “A problem, Hayley?”
“Here? Just…”
“Here. Now. When your Dom gives an order, you obey unless you intend to use your safe word,” he said flatly, holding her gaze sternly. “You marked your sheet stating the public nudity was not a problem for you. Are you continuing with our arrangement? Because if you are, this is going to be a very long training night, Hayley. Strip.”
“Yes, Sir,” she answered instantly. Her eyes closed and she hooked her thumbs in the sides of her panties. She took them to the floor and stepped out of them before reaching behind her with one hand and opening the snaps on her bra. It slid down her arms and she placed them both in his open hand.
“There will be no misunderstandings tonight, Hayley. Whatever Jack or I tell you to do, you do. Each time you hesitate or balk, you’ll earn swats.” Dane handed her the dress and leaned in to stab his fingers into her hair. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking the punishment will be either pleasurable or fun for either of us. We don’t like causing pain. We like arousing. If you want out of this arrangement, tell me now.”
“No,” she answered instantly, her head shaking. “No, Sir, I don’t. Honestly. I can’t…I can do this…it isn’t an excuse,” she said as she took the dress and quickly raised it to pull down over her head. She skimmed it down her body, pulling her hair free and letting it fall behind her. “But I was putting little things on my tree and I lost track of time and I forgot about the pedicure but I’m not sure I could get one this close to Christmas, but I would have tried.”
“Hold your hair out of the way,” Dane instructed, his hand on a collar they’d brought with them. Like most other things in their play space, it was a brilliant red with their initials on opposite sides of the large stainless steel ring in the center. He opened the buckle and moved behind her, positioning the collar and closing it comfortably. He ran a finger around the edge, making certain there was a decent space.
“Do you understand the statement I made, Hayley? If you have questions, I strongly suggest you ask them now,” Dane took her hands from her hair and lowered them to her side. He stabbed one hand through the free hanging hair and pulled until her throat was bared to him. “Questions?”
“No, Sir,” she breathed. “Do what I’m told without hesitation.”
“Tell me what you believe a sub’s purpose is,” he murmured against her skin, kissing down to the thumping pulse where he nipped her skin. He liked the little jump she offered and repeated the taste.
“Purpose? I…to…to obey during the play?”
“That sounded hesitant and uncertain. Maybe we’re missing something. We believed you knew why you wanted to be here. We believed you were after the relief and freedom that came from being a sub.”
“Maybe I made a mistake,” she said very softly. “Maybe I’m wrong and I don’t belong
here.”
“How many hours do you usually work?” Dane chuckled at the startled look on her face. “Let me rephrase that…you don’t ever turn your cell off, do you? You’re available to your patients and their owners 24/7.”
“I…well…”
“And I also bet whatever plans Hayley might have, they go by the wayside so she can serve someone else. And I bet that began with your cousins taking advantage of that nature.” Dane saw the answer in her lowered gaze. “But I also bet…that you never did anything like this for Hayley. I bet you rarely take time for Hayley…and while giving is part of your nature, a part of you needs to be refilled. A part of you needs to have all that caring and nurturing returned…and you’ve never found a way to do that before. I’d also be willing to bet you watched boyfriends walk away because they didn’t understand your drive.”
“I asked Bailey why she would want to give up her control…her independence.”
Dane remained silent, his mouth roaming along her shoulder. He nipped lightly, absorbed her shudder and licked behind her ear.
“She said she didn’t…that she actually never felt more powerful…more vital…and alive. I think I felt that way when I discovered animals…I was all of five…and followed my uncle around non-stop.”
“But now, no one offers much in the way of nurturing to Hayley, do they?”
“They never did,” she whispered honestly. “They care about me…and protected me…smothered me…”
“That’s why you went in the military,” Dane said, his gaze catching Jack’s approach. He stood up and released her hair, his fingers curling in the long strands absently. “We’ve been chatting. I want her to clearly understand what’s expected of her tonight.”
“What’s expected of her…” Jack walked slowly around her, his foot out to nudge hers slightly until she was better balanced in her stance. “Is she do what she’s told, when and how…without hesitation. What’s expected is that she make her masters proud of her presentation and behavior. You’ll keep your gaze lowered. You will be polite and speak only when spoken to, no matter what happens to you.” Jack held up the cuffs he’d picked up from their bag in the locker room. He handed one to Dane. They worked to fasten one to each of her wrists. “The better your behavior, the better your actions, the more pleased your masters will be…”
Independence: #4 Hayley Page 9