by Sykes, Julia
He gave a low, satisfied growl and instantly crushed his lips to hers, kissing her in a frenzy, as though she were a drug that he couldn’t help but consume. Never taking his mouth from hers, he pushed her backwards until her back hit the hard stone wall. The roughness of it grazed her skin lightly, bringing all of her nerve endings to life. Jake shoved her dress up roughly, pulling it over her head. She was left in nothing but her skimpy panties and her low heels, which she quickly kicked off.
There was something distinctly arousing about being naked while Jake was fully clothed in his sharply cut suit. The imbalance of his power and her vulnerability sent a pleasurable shiver down her spine.
Jake’s hand was between her thighs, cupping her sex roughly, possessively. When he pulled back from her lips he was breathing hard, his eyes boring into hers.
“Tell me you need me, Mallory,” he demanded, gripping her pussy more tightly.
But his expression betrayed his anxiousness for her answer. She thought about Venice, how he had demanded her trust but hadn’t trusted her in return.
“I need to hear you say it first,” she breathed. She met his eyes warily, worried that she had treaded into territory that he wasn’t ready for.
His eyes widened, surprised at her ultimatum. He clearly wasn’t used to a submissive challenging him. But finally, looking more apprehensive than ever, he spoke: “I need you, Mallory.” His voice was rough, strained.
She smiled up at him, relieved to hear the words. “I need you too, Sir,” she admitted.
He looked stunned. He traced his thumb gently over her cheekbone, staring at her in wonder, as though he could hardly believe she was real.
“I want to explore your pain tolerance today, Mallory,” he said softly, as though he didn’t want to spook her. “Are you alright with that?”
Mallory remembered the spanking that Jake had given her in their hotel room in Venice, her first taste of BDSM. She licked her lips involuntarily and nodded.
Jake gave her a slightly cold, hard smile, the green fading from his eyes, giving way to dark, sapphire blue. The change brought out a visceral reaction in her. But his hands were gentle as they closed around her wrists, leading her to the center of the room until they were standing beside one of the strange pieces of furniture.
“This,” Jake explained in a detached voice, “is a spanking bench.” He suddenly grabbed her waist and positioned her where he wanted her, lifting her up until her knees rested on two padded extensions jutting out a few feet below the larger rectangular surface. He abruptly shoved her back between her shoulder blades, knocking her forward so that she fell onto it, the wind momentarily knocked out of her. Taking advantage of her moment of disorientation, he grabbed her wrist and pulled it in front of her, swiftly buckling a soft leather restraint around it.
“Hey!” she cried automatically in her shock. He made a grab from her other wrist, but she pulled it out of his reach.
“Mallory.” He said sharply. “Don’t resist me or this will go badly for you. This can be either a reward or a punishment. You decide. Now.”
She quelled under his hard stare, which was full of disappointment. His disapproval swayed her more effectively than his harsh words, and she meekly held out her wrist for him.
“Good girl,” he rewarded, gently stroking the inside of her wrist before buckling the cuff around it. Reflexively, Mallory gave her arms a little tug, but they barely budged; she was effectively trapped, breasts pressed almost painfully into the padded leather and ass flagrantly exposed. She felt her cheeks and her sex heating at the same time.
Jake left her for a moment, walking behind her, out of her sight. She heard a drawer opening and closing, and then his footsteps were approaching her once again. He stared down into her eyes for a moment, drawing out the tension, before pulling something from behind his back, dangling it in front of her face. Mallory’s breath hitched at the sight of it.
“Do you know what this is, Mallory?” He asked.
She may never have seen one in person, but she wasn’t completely naïve. “Flogger,” she forced out the word between rapid, shallow breaths.
“Are you frightened?” He sounded only mildly curious, as though her fear made no difference to him one way or the other; he was still going to do whatever he wanted to her. And there was nothing that she could do to stop him. She tugged again at her restraints, and her inability to shrink away from him only made her sex clench in need.
“No,” she lied.
Jake gripped her hair, pulling her head back to an almost painful degree. “Don’t lie to me, sub. And address me properly. Are you frightened?”
“Yes, Sir,” she gasped, her throat constricted.
He released her hair immediately, and her head fell forward, her cheek coming to rest against the bench.
Jake stepped out of her line of sight again, stopping to stand just behind her. She lay there, panting for a moment, tensing as she anticipated the pain.
Her only warning was a whooshing sound as the tails of the flogger sang through the air before slapping down on her upper back. The length of them thudded on her skin before drawing backwards, leaving a stinging line on her back. Before she could process the pain, it came back down on her, falling diagonally across where the first blow had struck, forming a wide, stinging X shape. Mallory hissed in pain, but she tried her best to absorb it. The thudding hits continued. Although they increased in intensity, her skin began to become desensitized, and the blows became less painful, leaving only a glowing warmth on her back.
But then Jake shifted the angle of the flogger, only allowing the tips of the tails to lash against her. The sting doubled in intensity, bringing back the pain and making her cry out in shock. The X pattern of hits travelled down her back, kissing the skin that hadn’t yet become desensitized. Mallory understood then that Jake had just been warming up, allowing her to become accustomed to the lash. But now he was testing her, seeing how much she could take. She was determined to meet his challenge, and she gritted her teeth against the cries that threatened to escape her with every blow.
Jake must have noticed her resistance, for he seemed determined to break it, to force her to yield to him. The tips of the flogger’s tails suddenly came down on her where the curve of her ass met her thighs. Mallory had no idea how sensitive her skin was there until the first hit landed. Her cry was so loud it was nearly a scream. She heard Jake chuckle in satisfaction at her capitulation. He gave her one more there, reinforcing his dominance over her body and mind. She let out an involuntary sob, and she considered using her safe word.
But Jake was totally attuned to her reactions, and he immediately gave her a reprieve, moving the flogger back to her ass cheeks rather than her tender thighs. The hits continued in a steady rhythm now, lulling her with their hypnotic consistency. The pain was fading, giving way to pleasure as each blow sent a rush of heat shooting to her pussy. Her eyes rolled back in her head in bliss, riding the high as the pleasure spread from her sex to her mind, causing her thoughts to disappear, all contemplation of resistance leaving her. There was only Jake and the erotic sensations pervading her body.
Her cries had ceased and her breathing had turned deep and even. Mallory was so caught up in her world of bliss that she barely noticed when the blows stopped. She felt her panties being pulled down her thighs, fully exposing her sex.
Jake grunted, and she was suddenly speared by his cock. Her eyes popped open in surprise at the intrusion, but her shock quickly faded as she was drowned in bliss when he hit her g-spot. Her orgasm rocked through her, the pleasure that had been building in her exploding outward.
Jake leaned forward and grabbed her hair, twisting the length of it around his hand, pulling her head back roughly as he rode her. His hand cracked down on her ass as he took her hard and fast. His pace increased as his cock fully hardened within her. It twitched as he spilled his seed into her with a howl of pleasure.
“Mallory!” He groaned her name as he came. He collapsed
atop her, breathing hard and stroking her hair.
“Good girl,” he breathed out as he gasped to catch his breath.
Mallory glowed at the words, not at all demeaned by them.
Chapter 3
The rest of Mallory’s week passed by in a haze of bliss. She was coming to love Jake’s kinky dungeon, where they had played every night after he finished work. He wanted to spend every minute of the day with her, but Mallory insisted that he attend to his work. As she got to know him better, she realized that he loved what he did. Cleary Corporation dominated the oil market, and at first Mallory imagined Jake to be an evil tycoon for being in the oil business. But apparently a large sector of their business funded research for clean energy, trying to be the cutting edge leader in the new industry when oil inevitably fell into disuse. Furthermore, Jake was personally responsible for several philanthropic projects around the world. Mallory was thrilled to learn that a large part of these charitable funds went towards building schools in third world countries, something that she cared about deeply. When her keen interest became apparent, Jake promised to take her to Haiti to visit the schools there. He was obviously pleased at her excitement, as well as surprised that she didn’t insist on going somewhere lavish like Paris instead.
The more time that they spent together, the more Mallory saw the real Jake, and the less often his cocky mask appeared. She hoped that the memories of his ex, Jennifer, were fading as he got to know her. Although they had only known each other for a short time, when she looked into his eyes it was clear that he cared about her as deeply as she cared for him. She realized that her initial assessment of him as an entitled douchebag couldn’t be further from the truth; he was sweet, caring, and charitable. And dominant in the bedroom.
Mallory’s nipples hardened just thinking about their sexual encounters. As much as she tried to challenge him at every turn, she found herself giving way to his every command as he skillfully manipulated her body, perfectly in tune with her needs.
But then Friday morning came, and Jake said something that filled her with terror unlike any fear she ever experienced in his dungeon: “We’re hosting a ball tonight,” he said casually over breakfast. “I want you to be my date.”
Mallory almost choked on her eggs. “What kind of ball?” She asked warily after she finished coughing. She knew that she wasn’t ready to handle another fetish ball, not after what had happened in Venice. A shudder ran through her as she remembered the horned man trapping her, making her skin crawl. And Jake’s anger, his betrayal. She so wasn’t ready to go through anything like that again. Especially not when everything was going so perfectly between them now.
Jake took her hand in his reassuringly, tracing little circular patterns on her palm, calming her. “It’s a benefit ball, to raise money for new textbooks in the schools we’ve built in Africa. I arranged it because I thought it would make you happy.”
Mallory’s jaw dropped. He had put together a swanky ball just to please her? Some men gave you flowers; Jake Cleary gave you your dreams.
But her stomach was still twisting uncomfortably. The last time she had been to a ball at Jake’s house, she had been serving champagne to the elegant guests. She had been nervous enough then; she could hardly imagine how uncomfortable she would be at such a glitzy function. Her parents had taught her good manners, but she was sure she would stick out like a sore thumb amongst the refined elite at the soirée.
Jake was looking at her anxiously, clearly disconcerted by her pause. “Mallory? Are you okay?” He asked, his brow furrowed. “I can call it off if you don’t want it.”
“No!” Mallory assured him quickly. “No, I don’t want you to do that. It’s just… I’m nervous, Jake,” she admitted, her cheeks coloring.
He gave her hand a little squeeze. “There’s no need to be nervous, Mallory,” he told her earnestly. “Everyone will love you. Who could help it?”
Mallory had to stifle a little gasp. Had he just insinuated what she thought he had? Was he falling for her as hard as she was falling for him? She almost didn’t dare think it. Whoa, girl, you’re getting way ahead of yourself. What, would she be planning their wedding next? Only crazy girls planned their weddings after knowing a guy for a week. And I’m not crazy, she assured herself.
“Of course I’ll come,” she said after a pregnant pause.
Jake grinned. “Excellent. My mother will be thrilled to meet you.”
Mallory’s stomach dropped.
That evening, Mallory was in Jake’s lavish bedroom, and he was watching her put on her makeup in the mirror.
“You don’t need that, you know,” he told her earnestly from where he sat on his enormous bed.
Mallory rolled her eyes at him before she could stop herself.
“Don’t think I didn’t see that, sub,” he warned. “And don’t think that I’ll forget about it, either. You’ll pay later.” He looked far too pleased at the prospect.
“Oh, darn,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes again, goading him. To be honest, she looked forward to a good beating now.
Jake just gave her a sly smile. “Oh, little sub, you are playing with fire. You haven’t had a real punishment yet. I enjoy discipline, but I don’t think you will like it all that much; if you enjoy it, then I’m not doing it right.”
Mallory swallowed at his predatory gaze, and she dropped her own eyes. “Sorry, Sir,” she mumbled.
Jake was suddenly behind her where she sat in a chair before the vanity. He placed both hands on either side of her jaw, forcing her head up so that she met his eye in the mirror. “You’re forgiven,” he said. “But don’t think that half-assed apology gets you off the hook. I’m going to thoroughly enjoy this evening.” His grin was wolfish, and she shivered.
His thumbs gently brushed her cheeks, his expression softening. “I got you something to wear tonight.”
Mallory stiffened. “You already bought me this dress, Jake. I really can’t accept any other gifts.” The dress truly was beautiful, a slinky silk number the deep blue color of Jake’s eyes, with a plunging neckline. It was draped gracefully in the back, revealing her entire upper back.
Jake just clucked his tongue at her. “And what makes you think that your acceptance is up for debate? I want you to wear this, Mallory, and I won’t permit your refusal; if I have to tie you down and force it upon you, I will.”
She shuddered pleasurably at the thought, but if he followed through on his threat her elaborate up-do would be ruined. Trying for petulance, she sighed. “Fine,” she said resignedly.
“Good girl,” he grinned. At first, Mallory hadn’t been sure about their D/s relationship bleeding over into their lives outside the bedroom. But she supposed they were in the bedroom right now, so it was okay. So long as he didn’t call her “sub” in front of his mother, she would be alright.
At the thought of his mother, butterflies beat against her ribcage.
But her nervousness was completely blown away by shock when Jake revealed his gift. It was a platinum necklace, meant to sit high up around her neck. It was covered in diamonds interspersed with sapphires, and it dripped down elegantly to come to a point in the hollow between her collarbones, where a final large diamond was set into the precious metal.
“Jake,” she breathed. “This is too much. I can’t accept it.”
“You can and you will,” he said firmly as he clipped the clasp together at her nape. He touched his fingers to the front of her neck, running them down from beneath her chin to the top of the necklace. When his eyes met hers in the mirror, they were a deep, dominant blue. “Until we get you a real collar,” he said, an edge of longing in his hard voice.
Mallory shivered. A collar? She was so not ready for that. She wasn’t sure that she would ever be ready for that. But she didn’t want to hurt Jake by refusing, so she kept silent. Instead, she said, “thank you,” in a small voice. “It’s beautiful.”
Jake beamed at her acceptance. “You’re welcome, Mallory.”
/>
She was relieved that he had said her name rather than “sub.” She wasn’t ready for taking that step; she wasn’t sure that she would ever be comfortable with the idea of being owned by someone else, even if it was Jake.
Shaking off her disconcerting thoughts, she painted on a smile as Jake took her arm, ready to lead her downstairs, where she could already hear music playing. She tried to force the knots in her stomach to loosen, but it seemed she was fighting a losing battle.
Her nervousness only ratcheted up a few notches when they entered the ballroom, where they were immediately greeted by an elegantly dressed, older woman. Her silver hair was cut in a simple bob, and her bone structure was refined. Her brown eyes were warm as she held out her arms to greet Mallory.
“Mallory, this is my mother,” Jake introduced. “Mother, this is Mallory Williams.”
Mallory awkwardly leaned in as his mother kissed her on both cheeks. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Miss Williams,” she said. And it sounded as though she really meant it.
“Please, call me Mallory, Mrs. Cleary,” she said, feeling more at ease.
“And you must call me Susan, dear.”
Mallory smiled, warming to the older woman already.
“Jake tells me that you’re going to start teaching History this Fall,” she said, clearly interested rather than just making small talk. “I’ve always loved the subject myself. It was what drew me to this old plantation. It took some doing, but I finally convinced Jake’s father to move South with me.”
Mallory beamed, recognizing a kindred spirit. “I’m glad you like it down here,” she said. “My family has been here forever. I absolutely adore Charleston.”
Just then, a man and woman approached them. He was young and handsome, his blonde hair carefully coifed, as impeccable as his tailored tux. Mallory recognized the woman beside him. It was the bitchy platinum blonde who had been so rude to her when she had spilled champagne all over Jake at their first fateful meeting. She clearly recognized Mallory as well, and she was looking at her as though she was something unpleasant stuck to the bottom of her shoe.