The Keyholder

by Claire Thompson

  When she finally paused for a breath, Jack said in a deliberately casual tone, “You know, the new semester starts soon. I just happen to have an application to the Tisch School handy. It’s not too late to apply. With the portfolio you’ve been amassing, I’m telling you, you’d be a shoo-in.”

  Eva glanced up sharply, though Jack could swear her eyes were twinkling. She giggled suddenly, and then covered her mouth with her hand.

  “What?” Jack demanded with a smile. “You’ve been looking like the cat who ate the canary all night. What’s going on, young lady? Do I have to spank you to get a straight answer?”

  “Ooooh,” Eva replied with a saucy grin. “That might be just the thing.”

  Jack hit his forehead in mock exasperation. “I should know better than to think you’d see that as a punishment. Maybe I should have said I won’t spank you if you don’t tell me what’s up.”

  “Well, since I don’t want to not be spanked”—Eva reached underneath her seat cushion and held up an envelope—”I guess I’ll ‘fess up. I got this today. Want to see it?”

  Confused but intrigued, Jack accepted the envelope. He saw the return address and his heart skipped a beat. He slipped out the single sheet of paper and read, his eyes widening with each word. Leaping from his seat, he gave a whoop of delight.

  Eva jumped up too, clapping her hands, and Jack caught her in his arms. Lifting her, he twirled her around and then danced his way to the sofa. Collapsing back into the cushions, he pulled Eva onto his lap.

  “When the heck did you even apply?” he queried. “A full scholarship? Oh my god, you amazing, wonderful woman!”

  “I didn’t want to say anything until I heard back from them. I just got the letter this afternoon. I’ve been bursting to tell you. I wanted to wait for the right moment.”

  “Congratulations, Eva. I’m so very proud of you.”

  “Thank you, Jack,” Eva said, her voice cracking with sudden emotion. “I really, truly could not have done it without you.”

  “Sure you could have,” Jack replied. “But I’m glad you didn’t.”

  ~*~

  Eva nestled against Jack’s chest and smiled. She had been so excited to tell him about her scholarship and was gratified at his encouraging and supportive response. So, this is what love is, she thought happily.

  She was drifting in a contented peace in Jack’s embrace when he shifted behind her, his arms falling away. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and applied a gentle but firm pressure. Though he hadn’t said a word, the sudden shift in the mood was palpable. It was as if the air had thickened with crackling electricity, like the atmosphere just before a summer storm. Eva’s entire body pinged with anticipation, though she didn’t yet know what her Master intended.

  “About that spanking,” Jack murmured in a low growl.

  “Oh,” she breathed, recalling their earlier playful banter on the topic.

  Jack tightened his grip on her neck and pushed her gently but firmly from the couch to the floor. She started to kneel up as a matter of course, but he stopped her with a shake of his head. “Strip and then lie on your back right there on the floor. Keep your hands at your sides and arch your hips up so your ass is off the ground. Spread your knees as wide as you can and hold that position. I’m going to spank that sweet, hot little cunt of yours. You will do your best to maintain your position throughout the session.”

  Eva, who had already stood and was stripping off her shirt and jeans, asked in a breathless voice, “What happens if I move out of position?”

  “You’ll be punished, of course,” Master Jack replied, though his eyes were twinkling.

  Naked, Eva lay back on the hardwood floor, which was cool against her bare skin. Jack stood, a throw pillow from the sofa in his hands. “Use that under your head,” he instructed as he slipped it into place. He watched as Eva positioned her feet flat on the floor and lifted the lower half of her body. A current of air ghosted over her bared cunt and, though she trusted Jack more than anyone she had ever known in her life, she couldn’t stop the faint heat of embarrassment that moved over her face and chest at the splayed exposure of her position.

  Jack, meanwhile, had removed his clothing as well. The sight of his strong, lean body distracted her. There was a drop of pre-come on the tip of his hard cock, and her pussy throbbed in anticipation.

  Naked, Jack crouched in front of her. “Beautiful,” he murmured, his eyes hooding with lust as he stared at her arched, exposed body. He shifted his hot gaze from between her legs to her face. “Are you ready, sub Eva? Are you willing to suffer for me?”

  “Yes, Sir,” she breathed, a gush of desire melting her from the inside out.

  He started lightly, a gentle, steady slap against her pussy. It stung a little, but wasn’t anything she couldn’t easily tolerate. After a minute, though, the slaps intensified to smacks. Eva began to breathe rapidly as she struggled to handle the pain.

  Oh, stop, stop, stop, stop!

  She knew if she could just get through the initial pain, she might ascend into the pure heaven that awaited her, a heaven only Master Jack could give her.

  “Yes,” her lover said, his voice deep and soothing as he continued to smack her wet, swollen cunt. “That’s it. You’re nearly there, I can feel it. Let go. Hold nothing back from me. Give me it all. Everything you have.”

  His stroke changed just slightly, the smack still hard as ever, but now his fingers were doing a kind of sensual glide over her hard clit at the start of each slap, the result an explosion of pleasure followed instantly by searing pain. Her silent protests evaporated, leaving behind only sizzling lust and aching need.

  Don’t stop, don’t stop, oh, don’t ever stop!

  Her cunt was on fire, every nerve ending screaming in a confusion of pleasure and pain. She was panting, her body sheened with sweat, her muscles burning with exertion. She teetered on the brink of collapse or orgasm. Her lips parted as she tried to form the words to beg him to stop, or to never stop.

  At that moment his blistering palm fell away. He leaned over her and pushed her gently onto the floor with his body until he lay fully over her. She groaned as the head of his cock slid between her legs. Her labia stung from the spanking and her clit, though hard as a marble, burned.

  Jack pushed himself slowly but steadily into her wet, willing heat. He pulled her against him until he was buried to the hilt. She began to tremble as he moved inside her. The pleasure was immediate and intense, obliterating the tender, stinging pain of a moment before.

  She climaxed again and again and again as he thrust inside her, his mouth locked on hers, his hands cupping her ass. Finally, with a single cry, he exploded and then collapsed, his masculine weight heavy on top of her. She could feel his heart pounding like a captured bird between their breastbones.

  They lay still, the sweat cooling on their bodies, their limbs entwined, their breathing slowing and easing as they drifted together in a shared post-orgasmic fog.

  Finally Jack lifted himself onto his arms. Eva opened her eyes. He was smiling down at her, a devilish glint in his eyes. “That was just a warm-up for tonight when we go to the dungeon,” he informed her.

  “A warm-up?” she squeaked, the fog quickly burning away.

  “Haven’t you always said you want to be paddled?”

  “I guess it’s true what they say, right?” Eva said, trying for a light, playful tone, though her heart was thumping.

  “What’s that?”

  “Watch out what you wish for,” she replied with a nervous laugh. “You just might get it.”

  Chapter 17

  “Welcome to the first gathering of the keyholders since Ben and I took over. Though not everyone could make it, we’re truly delighted to see those of you who could. Tonight should be great fun, and the term keyholder will take on a whole new meaning.” Jessica smiled fondly at her sub. He stood a good foot taller than she, and weighed easily a hundred pounds more, but there was no question who was in contro
l in the relationship, which suited them both fine.

  Nora had been surprised but delighted when Jessica Dade announced she and Ben were interested in accepting the position as Master Keyholders and becoming full-time, live-in caretakers of Hawthorne Dungeon. “I’ve been scaling back my law practice for a while now,” she’d explained. “With all the kids grown and gone, our place in Larchmont is just too big. Since Ben retired, we already spend most of our evenings here anyway. I have a lot of ideas for how to expand the business side of things, while still maintaining the intimate atmosphere for us core keyholders. Ben’s a fantastic handyman and his favorite hobby is building inventive BDSM play equipment. Really, it was a no-brainer. I’m simply glad everyone else agreed.”

  The dominant keyholders there that evening, in addition to Jessica, included Charles, Harry, Jack, Sarah and William. They were seated in folding chairs facing the stage, really just a raised platform set against a wall of the main dungeon. Their subs were kneeling on cushions beside their feet. Charles was idly stroking Nora’s hair. Eva was resting her head on Jack’s knee.

  Jessica picked up a small ceramic bowl from the side counter. “Everyone’s key is labeled and in the bowl, correct?” There were nods of assent. “I believe we all know the rules, but just to review, I will hand each dominant a key, selected at random. The sub whose key you receive will service you in the way you choose, within prescribed limits, of course. Oral homage by the sub for his or her partner of the evening is permissible, and all the subs understand and agree to this possible choice by their temporary Master or Mistress.

  “As always,” Jessica continued, “the dominants will have a chance to confer before play begins, in case there are any issues specific to your sub you need their temporary partner to be aware of. Chastity belts will remain in place during the scene, just to eliminate temptation for any dominant who might, uh, forget him or herself in the heat of the moment.” She looked pointedly at Harry, a notorious horndog.

  Harry gave an elaborate shrug of his shoulders and protested, “Who? Me?” Everyone laughed, including Harry.

  Jessica began to hand out the keys. When she gave Charles his key, he glanced down at it and then showed it to Nora. Brooke. Brooke had remained in service as a sub for hire at Hawthorne Dungeon, and was there that evening as Harry’s guest. Nora stole a sidelong glance at her.

  Brooke was by all accounts a beautiful woman. Nora firmly banished the worm of jealousy that tried to wiggle its way into her heart. Charles loved her with all his heart, and made that love abundantly clear every day of their lives. These BDSM play scenes in which they engaged with others, while sometimes challenging on an emotional level, always served to spice things up between them, and Nora wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Wait.” Jack, who sat on Charles’ other side, held out the key Jessica had just handed him. “I got our key back. Should I pick another one?”

  Jessica turned back and examined the key. “Nothing in the rules says you can’t pick your own key.” Jessica glanced at Eva. Nora observed the subtle but undeniable exchange of excited secrecy between the two of them. Jack, however, didn’t seem to notice. “As long as it’s all right with the two of you. Just the luck of the draw, you understand.”

  Jack looked down at Eva, who offered an innocent, angelic smile in return. “It suits me, Sir,” she said sweetly. Nora had to suppress her own grin. Something was definitely afoot, and clearly, Jessica was in on it.

  Once everyone had their keys, Jessica said, “Ben and I will be available to assist with any spotting or whatever is necessary. We will also be the judges in this fun but decidedly informal contest. Whichever sub we decide has done the best job of submission will be invited up to the stage with his or her partner of the evening, and may make a request of that partner, which they will have to grant.”

  She turned her attention to the kneeling submissives. “I’ll ask the subs to please take their places on the stage while their Masters and Mistress take a moment to discuss any issues that might need highlighting or negotiating for tonight’s scene.”

  Nora and the other subs rose and walked over to the low-rise stage. It took a few moments for them to arrange themselves on the platform. Eva was beside Nora, and Nora could feel the other woman’s barely contained nervous excitement, but now wasn’t the time for questions.

  She focused instead on Charles. He was in conversation with both Harry and William, and she felt the glow of being cared for move warmly through her. Whenever they played with others, Charles always made sure their play partners were very clear on Nora’s comfort level and hard limits.

  Mike, who belonged to Sarah, was on Nora’s other side, Brooke beside him. Claudia, who belonged to William, stood to Eva’s right. Like Ben, all the subs on the stage were naked, save for the chastity belts locked in place on the women, and the leather cock cage covering Mike’s cock and balls.

  Jessica approached the stage. “Everyone ready? Stand tall, at ease, arms behind your backs while you wait,” she instructed. She turned back to nod at the dominants, who approached the stage to stand in front of their designated partner for the evening.

  Harry stopped in front of Mike, and Nora had to suppress a smile at the irony of that pairing. Happily, while Harry was firmly heterosexual when choosing lovers, he was known to indulge in an occasional bit of male submissive worship when playing in the scene. Mike and Sarah were avowed bisexuals.

  William gazed up at Nora with a smile. In his late forties, William was African American, with strong, handsome features, a muscular physique, and a serious penchant for extreme bondage. Though Nora and Charles had never scened directly with Claudia and William, she liked them both. Her skin tingled at the prospect of rope and chain.

  William held out a hand to her, and Nora accepted it, climbing down from the low stage with his help. As she suspected he might, William led her to the bondage area, which contained a large yoga mat set on the floor beside a tall, doorless cupboard, in which dozens of neatly coiled hanks of rope and chain were on display, along with baskets of clips and ties.

  Nora glanced over to see Charles leading Brooke to the suspension rack, while Jack walked Eva to one of the spanking benches. “Focus on me, slave Nora,” William said in his deep, sonorous voice. He said it in a calm tone, but the rebuke was clear.

  Nora quickly turned her attention to her Master of the evening. “Yes, Sir.”

  “Charles tells me you’re very comfortable with extreme restraint. He did mention some circulation issues?”

  “I can handle most positions without a problem,” Nora replied. “I’m very limber. I do have an old shoulder injury that didn’t quite heal correctly when I was a kid. If my upper body is bound tightly for too long, my right arm tends to go numb.”

  William nodded. “Understood.” He reached for several hanks of cream-colored cotton rope from the cupboard. “Lie down on the mat. We’ll do your legs first.”

  “Yes, Sir,” Nora replied, a pleasant thrum of desire moving through her, her pussy moistening beneath the soft pink leather of her chastity belt as she lay on her side on the thick yoga mat.

  “I’ll use a frog tie on your legs. You’re familiar with the position?”

  “Yes, Sir,” Nora said.

  William crouched beside her and positioned her right leg so it was bent fully at the knee. He tied the rope just below the knee and around the lower thigh, adding a second rope just above the ankle and around the upper thigh. As he worked, he asked her how she was doing, and if it was too tight or too loose. Despite the rather clinical way in which he worked, she found, as she always did when rope was involved, the experience to be supremely erotic.

  When he was done with the first leg, he helped her roll over onto her other side. He tied the second leg as he had the first, and then lifted her into an upright kneeling position. He took a step back to inspect his handiwork.

  “Spread your legs wider,” he instructed, and Nora lifted her ass so she could comply, and then settl
ed back down again against her heels. Nice,” he said, staring down at her, his erection now evident in his loose black cotton drawstring pants. “Now the arms. We’ll do a box tie so we don’t restrict blood flow or compress any nerves the way an elbows-together position might.” The way he phrased this reminded Nora he was an orthopedic surgeon by profession.

  “Place your arms behind your back and grip each elbow with the opposite hand,” William instructed. He brought rope around her upper arms and chest, just above her breasts, knotting it at the center of her back. He tied a second piece beneath her breasts, bringing it around her arms just above the elbows. As the ropes tightened Nora was forced to arch her back and thrust her breasts forward, which made her feel at once graceful and vulnerable. Finally he bound her wrists, both to each other and to the ropes that bound her arms.

  She was completely immobilized by the binds snugged tightly around her arms, legs and upper body. William stood and stepped back, staring at her with eyes that glittered with dominant lust. “Hmm, hmm,” he said appreciatively. He brought a hand to his chin and stroked it, as if in thought. “Something’s missing.” He raised his eyebrows and said, “Aha, I know!” in such a way that led Nora to believe he’d already fully planned whatever he was going to do next.

  Reaching into the back pocket of his pants, he pulled something out and showed it to Nora. It was a pair of tweezer clamps held together with a thin red chain. Crouching again in front of Nora, he gripped her right nipple and positioned it between the tips of one pair of tweezers. He pushed the sliding adjuster ring to tighten the grip until Nora winced. “Perfect,” he announced, and then did the same thing to her left nipple. The pain in her nipples was instantly matched by a throb of masochistic pleasure in her cunt.

  William rose and faced the cupboard. He leaned into it, reaching for something at the back. He pulled out what appeared to be a black ball made of hard rubber. It was about the size of a cantaloupe with plum-sized raised bumps all over it. “Meet the vibrating sex ball,” William said with an evil grin. He set the strange ball down between Nora’s spread knees. “This is one of Claudia’s favorite toys.”