by Livia Grant
‘Please, God. Please give me a chance to see if I can trust Markus as a Dom the same way I trust his best friend.’
e
Lukus is quite pleased with himself as he heads up to his loft. He’s amazed with the speed at which Brianna is learning to bend to the rules of the D/s lifestyle. She’s so different from so many of the subs that pass through The Punishment Pit each night. She’s doing a fine job of walking the tightrope of staying true to her core self while exploring her natural submissive side. Markus is one lucky bastard. He’s going to have so much fun training her properly.
‘That sassy little mouth of hers is going to get her into some interesting punishments to be sure.’
She isn’t the only one with a sassy mouth. It’s not lost on Lukus that for about the last half of Brianna’s punishment, it had actually been her best friend’s curvy body he’d been imagining strapped down to the spanking bench. A wave of desire to see Tiffany spread wide for him - vulnerable, submissive and whimpering just like Brianna - washes over him. His cock is already as hard as steel and the memory of Tiffany’s earlier untrained submission has his next planned stop - his master bathroom to jack off.
‘There’s no way I’m going to make it through tonight’s festivities without embarrassing myself if I don’t give myself some relief. How pathetic that I need to masturbate twice in one day? It’s gotta be a new fucking record for me.’
He knows he needs to push all thoughts of Tiffany down for now. He’ll have to wait to think about her tomorrow, or next week. Maybe later he can explore whether Tiffany might hold the key to what’s been eluding him. But not tonight. Until this Markus crap is wrapped up, he can’t lose focus. He doesn’t have the luxury of the time it will take to properly contemplate the possibilities she might bring to his life right now.
He hasn’t even finished his thought when he rounds the corner of his great room to look up and find Tiffany standing at the stove in his gourmet kitchen, looking exactly like she belongs there. The unexpected scene nearly knocks him on his ass. She’s gathered her long, gently curly blonde hair into a messy, and very sexy, up-do with wisps of tendrils spilling down to frame her face. Her close fitting wrap-around dress is showcasing her curvy body, making him want to bend her over the kitchen counter and slam his cock into her again and again until they’re both spent.
‘Probably not the best way to get on her good side, sport, considering you’ve known her for only a few hours.’
Tiffany looks up as he approaches. A tentative smile lights up her face. He’s not exactly sure how he feels that all traces of her earlier flustered embarrassment appears to have evaporated. The person standing in front of him is no giddy teenager that just got caught in her undies. No. She’s all woman. He hates that he doesn’t know her well enough to detect if she’s intentionally flaunting her newfound confidence as a challenge, or if he’s just witnessing her natural demeanor. Either way, it’s sexy as hell and has the unwanted effect of making him feel like a giddy teenager.
‘Get a grip, Mitchell. Doms don’t normally get knocked on their ass by fully clothed sub wanna-be’s simply making them dinner. But God damn, I want this woman. Markus… focus on Markus.’
“Oh good, you’re back. I hope you don’t mind, but I was starving and Brianna told me before she left with you that she was hungry too. I was bored while you were gone and decided to get up and forage for something. I found some hamburger in the freezer and the fixings to make spaghetti and a salad. I figured everyone would want to eat something soon. Hope you like pasta.”
Her assertive confidence is foreign to Lukus and while his first instinct is to lash out for daring to make herself at home in his kitchen without prior permission or orders from him, he quickly pushes the urge down. He recognizes a foreign feeling of surprised contentment as he watches her maneuvering around his loft as if she’s lived here for years. He doesn’t even have time to comment before she continues on.
“I have to tell you. You have a dream kitchen, Lukus. I’ve always loved to cook, but recently fell into a rut where it just wasn’t as much fun, especially just cooking for myself. I walked into this space and it just screamed to me to cook something. Do you like to cook too?”
Such a simple question, but Lukus’ finds himself too tongue-tied to answer. When he stands there silently watching her as he tries to make sense of the rush of emotions he feels just having her there.
Tiffany chuckles. “I didn’t think it was that hard of a question. Want me to make it multiple choice for you?” She delivers the taunt with just the right amount of charm and sass to pull it off.
Finally finding his voice, he answers. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary, Miss Smarty-Pants. I actually do like to cook. Can’t say I’m exactly professional chef material, but I think I can hold my own.”
“I thought so. You have a pretty nicely stocked pantry. I checked a few expiration dates and everything looks fresh, so I assumed you must do some amount of cooking at home. I know women who’d kill for this kitchen.”
Lukus decides to dish it back. “Hopefully you aren’t one of them. I’m not armed at the moment.”
“Cute.” And then, before his very eyes, he sees Tiff’s entire demeanor change over to fear. “Wait. Where is Brianna? Is she okay?”
Lukus is used to seeing fear in a submissive’s eyes. It’s a key ingredient of the attraction to the D/s lifestyle for him - that feeling of power he commands when he walks into a room. He’s worked hard to learn how to push subs just over the line into the fear zone that gets their hearts racing while stopping short of actually overwhelming them with a level of fear where it’s no longer fun. He’s very good at what he does. So why does the fear in this woman’s eyes make him uncomfortable?
“Brianna is fine, Tiffany. I promised you she would be.”
The relief on her face is palpable. “Sorry. I didn’t mean… I’m just so used to Jake hurting her… I mean…”
Lukus can feel the control exchange between them as he watches her get increasingly flustered, her assertiveness eroding. He’s stunned that he genuinely wants to stop her from freefalling back into her more submissive mode, at least for now. Only then does he realize just how much he’s been enjoying the witty banter with the confident Tiffany.
“Tiff, don’t sweat it. I’ve learned enough about Jake in the last twenty-four hours to know he’s a complete prick who belongs in jail. Please, don’t judge every Dom - strikes that - don’t judge me with the same standard you judge him with. I know you don’t know shit about me, but know this. I take my responsibility as a Dom very seriously. I would never terrorize a sub like Jake does. It makes me sick we could even be lumped into the same category by anyone… especially by you or Brianna.”
“I’m sorry. I owe you an apology, Lukus. You’re right that I barely know you at all, but I’ve learned one thing about you already.” Lukus is relieved to see a shy smile cross her lips. “Okay, maybe two things.”
“And what, may I ask is that?”
“You do take your responsibility as a Dom very seriously. I couldn’t believe Brianna when she was telling me all of the things you’ve done to punish her. And yet, in spite of it all she said she still somehow trusts you. I thought she was crazy, like maybe you had brainwashed her or something. But I think I’m beginning to understand why she feels that way because… well… I sort of feel that way, too.”
Lukus registers how very pleased he is with her answer. “And? You said you learned two things.”
He can see the indecision about how to answer fluttering across her beautiful face. He’s struck by the desire to close the few feet between them to take her in his arms and kiss her. The desire only gets stronger when she teases him with a growing grin. “I learned you drive like a Nascar driver. It’s a miracle we both survived the trip into the city.” The playful twinkle in her eye as she teases him is intoxicating for the Dom and he’s just ready to say, “Fuck it” and snatch her to him when he hears the elevator arrivin
g and the voices of Derek, Rachel and Brianna as they prepare to join them.
He’s forced to settle for delivering a devilish grin. “Driving isn’t all I do dangerously, baby. I can see you’re enjoying playing in the shark tank with me.” Lukus’ flirting is meant to test her, to see just how far she’ll go before she backs down. He’s pleasantly surprised when she meets his hard stare without so much as a flinch.
“Oh, I’m a pretty good swimmer. I think I can hold my own in the shark tank with you, Lukus.” Tiffany gets the last word with her flirty answer. Her eyes are dancing with mischief as the others join them. He can detect her pleasure at going another round with the Dom and, once again, coming away with an unscathed ass.
Lukus glances up and is happy Derek thought to put the girls in robes before coming up to the loft. Stepping away from her, Lukus takes a seat at the massive island directly across from the stove where Tiffany will be resuming her food prep. He watches with interest as Tiffany goes to hug Brianna. The friends have an exchange he’s not able to hear.
Derek heads to the fridge. “Hey, man. You want a beer? I hope you don’t mind, but I could really use a drink.”
“Help yourself. I’ll take one, sure. You guys hungry? Tiffany is making us dinner.”
Lukus tries to keep his voice neutral, but he doesn’t miss the warning look Derek throws him over his shoulder on his way to the fridge. It looks something like, “You’d better be keeping your fucking dick in your pants, man.”
Rachel is the one who answers him. “I’m starving. It really smells good in here. I can’t believe how much more I’m already eating. I dread getting fat. I hope you aren’t going to get grossed out when I start putting on weight, Daddy.”
Derek delivers a beer to Lukus before walking to his wife and taking her into his arms. “Little girl, I can’t wait. You know I’m a boob guy and you’ve already started growing in all the right places.” He boldly caresses her tender breast with one hand while holding her in a tight embrace with his other hand. “I can’t wait to feel the baby growing and moving inside you. You’ve been calling me Daddy for years. I can’t believe that soon, I really will be one.”
Chapter Seventeen
Tiffany can’t take her eyes off of the newest couple to join them. She hasn’t even officially met Rachel or Derek yet, but she’s surprised by the tenderness in the couple’s exchange, particularly since Derek looks like a menacing mercenary with his muscular build, edgy tattoos and badass attitude. Up to this point, her only impression of Rachel was a quiet, fearful submissive.
Tiff is surprised by this new, more confident and playful side of the sub. It’s especially surprising considering the fact she’s just returning from a punishment. A feeling something akin to relief passes through Tiff at she realizes her stereotypical view of submissives may be off base.
“Mmm.” Brianna walks over to her best friend. “It smells great in here, Tiff. I’m starving. What are you making?”
Nothing fancy,” she says. “Just spaghetti and a salad. I even found a chocolate brownie mix and thought about whipping that up for dessert. I could really use a chocolate fix right about now.” Lowering her voice, she leans into Brianna and asks quietly, “How are you? Was it terrible?”
Bri can’t hide the truth from her friend. “I won’t lie. It was awful. I never realized how much I depend on being able to hit my happy place to get through punishments. Still, I feel strangely comforted that I did the crime and then I did the time. Now it’s over. That part I like. And look, Derek had been so angry with Rachel, but once she’s punished, it’s like they can move past it and all is forgiven. I just pray Markus gives me another chance. I’d go through ten times as many canings if he’d just give me a chance to prove to him how much I love him and how sorry I am.”
Tiffany hugs her friend. “I’m sure he’ll come around, like Lukus said. He’s just hurting right now while it’s so fresh, but with a little bit of time, he’ll miss you and want to make it work.”
“I hope so Tiff. I honestly don’t know what I’ll do if he doesn’t. I can’t even imagine my life without him in it.”
“Don’t even try to. You can worry about that if and when you need to. Right now, just focus on getting through tonight. Did Lukus tell you what’s going to happen?”
“No, and I’m not even sure I want him to. It’s bad enough going through it, but if he tells me in advance, I’ll just get worked up and worried. I’ll tell you, though; I hate the idea of him punishing me in front of everyone at the club again. The punishment part is bad enough, but being on stage and having people witnessing my loss of control during the punishment is ten times worse.”
An involuntary shudder runs through Tiffany at her friend’s words. “I can’t even imagine it. It reminds me of how Beauty was always on display at the palace. I so wanted to hate that damn book as I read it, but I can’t deny I had to masturbate at least once a chapter. Damn, I think I creamed my panties just thinking about it.”
The girls share a naughty giggle at Tiffany’s predicament. “Well, let’s pray he doesn’t have you sitting in the audience watching me tonight. That would just be over-the-top weird.”
“No shit. I’d end up getting into trouble myself because I’d be trying to get up on stage to stop Lukus from hurting you.”
Brianna sighs. “Lukus won’t hurt me, Tiff. Not really. Even today, he stopped and gave me a chance to regroup halfway through the punishment.”
A feeling of uncertainty hits Tiffany. She leans in even closer to her best friend, making double sure not to let their conversation be overheard. “But didn’t it hurt?”
Bri leans in closer with her answer. “God, yes. It hurt like hell.” Tiff can see Brianna remembering it as she reaches back with both hands to rub her sore ass through the soft robe. Curious, Tiff is tempted to ask her friend to show her what her butt looks like after a dozen cane lashes but she stops herself, afraid the sight might cause her to run screaming from the building.
‘If I had half a brain cell left, I’d have left long ago. Every minute I spend here, my ass gets closer to the fire.’
“Then I don’t get it, Bri. Help me understand. Why do you like it so much?”
“I don’t really like it. I don’t know that I can explain it.” Bri thinks for a minute before continuing on. “Sometimes I just need to turn over control. Like today. It helped that he tied me down. Being immobile just sort of takes whatever happens out of my hands. I guess that’s a big part of what I like. I love the feeling when I finally submit. It’s liberating in a strange way.”
Tiffany is quiet as she contemplates Bri’s response. Before she can ask another question, she feels Lukus’ strong hands grip her hips from behind as he steps close. He’s barely brushing his muscular chest against her back, but the slight contact causes her to shudder. She feels Lukus’ lips brushing intimately against her ear as he leans close to whisper to her.
“Baby, you left dinner unattended on the stove. I was nice enough to turn it off for you this time, since I’m pretty sure you’re not prepared for the stiff punishment I’d be forced to dish out if you tried to burn down my loft. Very naughty.”
‘Oh my freaking God. Now I know I totally just creamed my panties.’
Tiffany knows she should feel threatened by his words, but right this minute, all she really wants to do is turn around, throw her arms around his neck and beg him to take her right there on the damn kitchen counter.
Forcing herself to stay calm, she thanks him… calmly. “Thank you, Lukus. That was very nice of you.”
Speaking a bit louder, he answers her. “Yes, it was nice if I do say so myself.”
Tiff risks taking a quick peek over her shoulder and her eyes meet the playful gaze of the Dom. The humor found there relaxes her enough to catch her breath right up to the point where he takes a half-step away from her and smacks her ass with this open palm.
“Now get back in there and finish up. I’m starving.”
She reflexively
spins around, ready to give him a piece of her mind, but the words die on her lips as his eyes hungrily scan her body. Tiffany can’t miss the change in his breathing as he focuses on her cleavage, and she’s having trouble catching her own breath. It only gets worse when she boldly allows her own eyes to drift lower, taking in the large protrusion jutting out from his jeans.
A low moan actually escapes from Tiffany. Before she can even feel embarrassed, Lukus responds with his own low groan. It sounds like he’s in pain and Tiff smiles when she realizes he most likely is in pain with that hard-on squashed into those tight, sexy jeans all day.
‘Shit. Forget about creamed panties. I’m soaked now. I’m so screwed.’
With a light giggle, Brianna steps closer to the distracted couple, clearing her throat in an attempt to get their attention. “Lukus, I would really love to take a shower. If you don’t mind, can I please use your bathroom?”
Without taking his eyes off Tiffany, he answers her distractedly. “Sure. Whatever.”
Brianna looks back and forth between her two friends several times, before chuckling, “Have fun you two,” she calls as she heads to the bathroom. “Don’t get so distracted you burn dinner.”
Tiffany finally snaps out of her Lukus-induced trance just in time for Derek and Rachel to announce their departure, too. “Hey. We’re going go get cleaned up in the guest room. We’ll be back out in a little bit.”
Tiffany glances up in time to see Derek scooping his wife up in his arms to romantically carry her to the guest room. He stops on the way out of the room to have a word with Lukus. Tiffany can’t hear the conversation, only Derek’s reply. “Sure thing. I’ll take care of that right after I take care of Rachel.”
Lukus laughs a knowing laugh. “Jesus Christ. You two fuck more than anyone else I know. Have fun. Just don’t forget to take care of that before we need to head downstairs after dinner.”
Tiffany isn’t used to people discussing their intention to have sex so blatantly in front of her. She was on the edge before, but only now does she realize her pussy is actually throbbing. Lucky for her, her head is stronger than her wayward girly parts. Before Lukus can close the distance between them again, she quickly sidesteps, heading back to the stove to relight the gas burners.