Licorice Whips

by Bridget Midway

  On instinct, Nikla held her breath as she allowed the slight discomfort to wash through her body, from her head down to her toes.

  “Breathe. Breathe through the pain.” Sweet held the dangling chain that connected her nipples and tugged on it.

  The motion forced her to breathe. She released a scream and pushed back against the cross.

  He released the chain and let it brush against the skin in between her breasts. The feeling of the pressure on her nipples consumed Nikla’s thoughts. Her father, her desire to own and run own business, her job, nothing entered her mind except for the clamps.

  “Yes. Green.” The pain hadn’t been too unbearable. As long as she kept her concentration, she learned to sink into the feeling.

  The pain became a part of her, like a child that she helped create and pushed through her body. Nikla closed her eyes and brushed her back against the hard wood that supported her.

  “Look at me.”

  Sweet’s demand didn’t surprise Nikla. She opened her eyes and brought the man into focus. In his large hands, he held several clothespins.

  When he approached her, Nikla raised herself higher on her toes to brace for whatever came next.

  While Sweet stared into her eyes, like an expert, he clipped one pin onto her breast beside her nipple.

  Nikla sucked air in between her teeth. She leaned her head back as she adjusted to this new sensation, this new pain. Balling her hands into fists, she prepared herself for the next pin, which Sweet affixed on the other side of her nipple.

  “Fuck!” Nikla exhaled. Her breathing became erratic, but she refused to activate her clips. She could take this.

  “Concentrate on where the clothespins are pinching you,” Sweet said as he pinned another on her other tit.

  Unable to verbally respond without cursing, Nikla nodded.

  Sweet continued pinning her skin for what seemed like hours, but had to have been a minute or so.

  “Look down.”

  Nikla opened her eyes and peered down at herself. She counted about eight clothespins jutting from her breasts, making her look like a freak, especially next to the nipple clamps.

  From looking at the pins and clamps, Nikla became overwhelmed with a strange reaction: pride. She had endured this. Sweet trusted that she could be strong enough to take this type of play.

  Sweet had retrieved a large, heavy-looking flogger. He stood a few feet in front of her. “You don’t really understand this dynamic, do you?”

  Nikla chewed on her lip as she watched Sweet swinging the flogger back and forth as though warming up for the full-on assault.

  “You’re very impressive.” He swung the flogger and allowed the heavy tails to thud against her chest and slide down her body and over the chain and pins. The impact dislodged two of the pins.

  “Oh, God!” The feeling of the impact against her chest took her breath for a moment.

  Unlike with the nipple clamps, she couldn’t settle into this intense sensation. Just as she got used to the pound on her chest and the falls pulling on the chain, Sweet inflicted another hit, and another. With each hit, one by one, the clothespins popped from her body, leaving in their wake sensitive patches of skin.

  Nikla turned her face away, thinking if she didn’t see the hit coming that she could take the impact better. Instead, the surprise startled her more.

  She didn’t want to stop Sweet. She could take this.

  Sweet landed the flogger on her a few more times, each time hitting her harder and harder. Nikla imagined her chest must be red from the impacts.

  “Shit! Yellow.” Nikla felt the sweat dripping down underneath her mask.

  She hoped Sweet didn’t think he had reduced her to tears.

  While keeping her eyes closed, she felt one of the clamps release from her nipple. She opened her eyes to see Sweet removing the torture device. With both gone, blood rushed into her nipples and inflicted a painful, stinging sensation that, had she not been held up by the restraints, would have dropped her to her knees.

  Aside from palming her breasts, Sweet offered little in relief. Then again, she didn’t want him to soften the blow. She’d sustained the treatment. The feeling almost felt like a badge of honor.

  Nikla peered down to see if she could see a mark. As she suspected, her chest had transformed into a dark crimson color. Her dark brown nipples had a distinct indentation on the sides. A line of dark, rust-colored blotches went across both breasts. She smiled.

  Sweet returned to the wall and removed something that looked like a dowel rod. He came back to her and stood off to the side. With a swift motion, he smacked the stick against her thighs. The intense pain shifted her focus to the sensation he’d given her legs.

  He brought the cane up higher and spanked it against her upper thighs. “What are you thinking?”

  “How—how—how good this would feel on my ass.”

  Nikla didn’t know if Sweet wanted to prove her wrong or right, but he continued slapping the cane against different areas of her thighs. He stood directly in front of her. He tapped the cane between her thighs, moving up to her pussy, but not touching it.

  Nikla lowered herself as much as she could with her wrists bound to the top of the cross.

  Sweet stopped the spanking to regard her for a moment. He went back to the wall, returned the one cane to the wall, and instead grabbed two thinner canes. He held the canes like long drumsticks. Like a drummer, he gave her alternating taps over her breasts, circling her nipple, and hitting all sides of her tit.

  Nikla leaned her head back and took the pain that she wanted, that she needed. Juices flowed from the apex of her thighs. She couldn’t imagine what else he could do to her that would top this moment.

  Sweet continued the drumming down her body. He tapped the thin canes over her heated thighs, ignited them again.

  “Oh, you’re killing me.” Nikla leaned her head back. She noticed that the drumming stopped.

  She brought her head back up and looked at Sweet.

  “Did you want me to stop?” he asked as he held the two canes in one hand.

  Nikla shook her head. “No, Sir.”

  “And this is why there are safe words.” He placed the canes on a counter.

  Sweet opened a drawer and pulled a box from it. He opened it and pulled out something that looked like a silver egg. He outfitted it with a couple of batteries, then he twisted it.

  Nikla heard the distinctive buzzing right away. It reminded her of her trusty vibrator.

  When Sweet turned around, she saw him holding the egg. He approached her. Once he stood next to her, he fisted her hair.

  Nikla could deal with her sore scalp as long as Sweet kept playing with her.

  “Open your legs.”

  With her ankles bound, Nikla opened her legs as much as she could and squatted down to give Sweet room to work. He brought his hand down and slipped the battery-operated device over her protruding clit.

  Nikla squeezed her eyes shut. The vibration shook her body, but in particular, her clitoris.

  “Use your fucking safe words now,” Sweet demanded.

  “Green. Green, Sir.” Nikla kept her eyes closed as she gyrated her hips over the naughty egg.

  Sweet tortured her by circling the device over her sensitive nub until Nikla thought she would come. Knowing Sweet, he wouldn’t want her to come yet. When he slipped the device inside of her, she nearly broke.

  “Yellow!” Nikla tried clamping her legs together to get the vibrating toy inside of her.

  “You don’t like it, Sugar Baby?”

  Nikla, still with her eyes closed, heard Sweet moving away from her. “I love it. I love it, Sir.”

  “Why did you say ‘yellow’? You want me to slow it down?”

  She heard his voice closer to her again. Nikla nodded, then remembered Sweet’s demands. “Yes. I want to come so badly right now.”

  “And you know I don’t want you coming yet, right?” His voice dipped down lower.

 
“Yes, Sir.”

  Sweet started drumming the thin canes over her arms, down to her breasts, and over her stomach. He did nothing to adjust the speed or intensity of the silver egg still lodged in her pussy.

  Sweet’s tapping migrated down to her thighs again. When he reached her vagina, he used one cane and gave her a swift swat against her throbbing clit.

  The sensation left her feeling like something exploded behind her eyes. In well-spaced out hits, Sweet continued hitting her clit with the thin cane until Nikla felt her stomach tighten. Her knees trembled. She knew he had to have seen the happy tears running down her eyes and over her cheeks.

  “Green! Green!”

  “Don’t come.”

  Before Sweet could get out the order, Nikla felt her body constrict as the orgasm took over her. She held her breath as every muscle tensed. When she felt Sweet reach between her legs and pinch her clit, she couldn’t hold back the scream.

  “Sir,” she said on an exhale. “Sir. Sir. Master Sweet.”

  Sweet approached her. “What is it?”

  “Closer.” When Nikla felt his face next to hers, she said, “Fuck me. Please.”

  This time when Sweet growled, Nikla didn’t feel his sexual frustration like she had experienced. He sounded more frustrated than anything else. Didn’t he know what he’d just done to her, how that made her feel?

  Sweet removed the toy and threw it on the counter. Nikla released a long exhale and leaned her face against one of her outstretched arms.

  “I’m going to let you be alone for a bit. I’ll be right back.” He squeezed, then patted her backside.

  Damn. Nikla didn’t want Sweet to go. She definitely didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts. She just hoped that Sweet didn’t leave so he could figure out how to stop this arrangement altogether.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sweet nearly ran to the bar area. This time he needed an ice water for himself. He wanted to fuck Nikla. He had been imagining it while he disciplined her. He had only been halfway through the scene when she broke it by coming then begging to be fucked.

  “Damn!” Sweet downed the water and demanded another. He needed something to douse his overheated nature.

  Sweet felt a hand on his shoulder. Hoping Leaf hadn’t made a return trip, he slowed in responding. After finishing his second water, he pivoted and found someone else he didn’t want to talk to right now.

  “Hawk. Aren’t you here with Song Sparrow?” Sweet started to walk back to his play room.

  “I was watching you on camera.” Masaun followed him. “Your form looked good. Looks like you’re back in the swing of things, so to speak.”

  “Don’t you have better things to do than–”

  “Watch out for my baby brother? No. Besides Kindle, you’re the most important thing in my life.” Masaun put his hand on Sweet’s back and guided him to another room.

  Sweet knew exactly where he had him going. Masaun opened the door to the security office and ushered him inside.

  “I don’t have time for this. I have a submissive to get back to.” Sweet searched the cameras and stopped when he spotted Nikla still bound to the cross alone.

  He hadn’t meant to leave her by herself. He wanted to cradle her in his arms and do the aftercare that she deserved. He couldn’t do that with still feeling like he wanted to take her sexually.

  “The audio is incredible in this security feed.” Masaun strolled in front of the wall of video screens showing off scenes of men dominating women, women making men submit, and unsure people strolling around the premises. The gawkers pissed Sweet off the most.

  “Is she the same one from the other day?” Masaun asked.

  “What do you mean?” Sweet shrugged but he knew what Masaun meant.

  “Don’t be cute.” His brother stood in front of him, nose to nose. “Is that the one you fucked in the office?”

  Sweet waited a beat before he answered. “I thought you were happy I had moved on. Isn’t that what you told me? Glad to see you getting over Melinda.”

  Masaun shook his head. “I don’t want to see you get hurt again and spiral down even further.”

  “What if she’s the one?”

  Masaun sighed. “You wouldn’t ask me that question if she was.” He moved in closer to Sweet so that the other staff in the office reviewing the monitors wouldn’t hear him. “Does she know your real name?”

  Sweet blinked.

  “If she doesn’t, I don’t think she’ll last.”

  “Fuck you.” Sweet stormed out of the office and headed back to Nikla, his Sugar Baby.

  He hadn’t shared his real name with Melinda either until she needed to know it. That meant nothing to him. Masaun had no right to even bring that up. Sweet couldn’t help but think that he had a point. Hell, when he saw Masaun coming down the hall when Sweet had been with Nikla earlier, he took her to the meeting room to get her out of view.

  Masaun still didn’t know the woman who had kept Sweet awake at night and consumed his thoughts during the day had been the lone protester.

  If Masaun had met her and saw her passion, he would understand how Sweet could be so enamored with her.

  Before Sweet got back into the room, he spotted a woman coming down the hall. Wearing a see-through lace nightie and nothing else, Sweet had to applaud the zaftig woman for wearing an outfit like that. Once he got to the doorway, he recognized her.

  “Leaf? What are you doing here?” he asked as he blocked the doorway with his body.

  “I liked what we did before. I wanted to try it again.” She moved closer to him. “I was hoping I would see you here.”

  Sweet maintained his spot and glared at Leaf. “I’m here with someone else.”

  Leaf shrank back. “Oh. Lucky woman.” She shrugged. “My loss.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find a Dom who you can connect with.” He took a step back into the room to signal that he wanted the conversation to end.

  “Yeah. I don’t know if anyone else can whip me like you did. It was great. You made me feel special.”

  Sweet heard some rustling behind him before he heard the panic clips engage. Damn.

  “Have fun tonight.” Sweet turned his back on Leaf and concentrated on Nikla, who now had herself down from the cross. “I didn’t tell you to get down.”

  Nikla removed the cuffs from her wrists and threw them on the floor. “You said I decide. I choose. I’m ready to go home now. I need my coat.” She took off the mask and tossed it aside as well.

  “I’ve been in the Lifestyle a long, long time. You don’t think you’re the only one I’ve played with, do you?”

  Nikla slipped on her panties, then put on her bra. “Of course not. To hear that after what happened to me tonight, it made it feel less special, like I was part of some big assembly line of submissives you’ve trained in the past. I felt used.” She shook her head. “I never want to feel that way. Ever.” She started to go by him and Sweet stopped her.

  “Wait.”

  “Just let me by. I’ll find my coat.”

  “Hey!” Sweet didn’t want to raise his voice, but he had to get this stubborn woman to stop.

  Nikla halted her movements and gazed up at him.

  “When I play with someone, I try to make them feel special. Right now, you’re the only one I’m playing with. I’d like to keep it that way.”

  Nikla regarded him for a moment like she wanted to believe him.

  “Wait here. I’ll get your coat and we’ll go.” Sweet turned her head back so that she could look him in his eyes. “You have nothing to feel jealous about.”

  She chuckled and took a step back from him. “My last boyfriend cheated on me. I know we’re not dating. Hell, I don’t know what it is that we’re doing, which scares me to death. But if you’re interested in playing or disciplining or whatever it is you call it with anyone else, tell me now so that I don’t go in this head first and break my neck. I’m tired of putting myself out there. I’m just so tired.”

/>   Nikla put her hand to her bowed head.

  Sweet helped her to the chair and sat her down. He picked up the water she’d brought to the room and placed it in both of her hands. “Drink this. Don’t move. I’ll get your coat and we’ll go.”

  Nikla nodded and took a sip of the water. As Sweet stormed down the hallway, anger built inside of him. What kind of idiot would cheat on a woman so sexy, so passionate as Nikla? He wanted to find that guy and wring his fucking neck. Then again, he had to thank the asshole because if he hadn’t fucked up, Sweet wouldn’t be with Nikla now.

  Sweet grabbed Nikla’s coat from behind the bar area. He dropped another hundred in Juicy’s tip jar to keep the surly woman happy. Then he headed back to the room. When he got there, he found Nikla sitting up and looking more serene than when he’d left her.

  “Sorry for freaking out on you earlier.” She stood.

  Sweet helped her on with her coat. “Come on. Let me take you home.”

  With his hand on the small of her back, he walked her out of the club and to his truck. Once he got her inside and helped her with her seatbelt, he jumped in on the driver’s side, and drove her home.

  Nikla remained eerily quiet the entire ride back. The silence made Sweet wonder what went through her head. Was she now second guessing this arrangement? Did she want to stop training as a submissive?

  When Sweet got to her apartment, he parked his truck and got out. When he got to Nikla’s side, he opened her door. Instead of letting her walk out of the truck, he picked her up in his arms.

  “Sweet! What are you doing? I can walk.”

  Sweet kicked the door closed with his foot and carried her to her door. “Yeah. And I can carry you.” When he got to her front door, he told her to unlock it.

  Nikla did. When he got her inside, he continued holding her as she disabled her alarm and locked the door.

  Sweet carried his precious parcel to the living room. There he sat on the couch with her in his arms. With one arm still around her shoulders, he used his free hand to remove her shoes. He would leave her coat on for now. With that off, he wouldn’t be able to control himself.