by Marlee Wray
Rory knew the guy’s concerns weren’t unfounded. Kate’s grades had dropped. And she had been unable to function while he was away. Bottom line, the relationship was a distraction for her.
“I’m on it.”
“Meaning you’ll use your influence to convince her to stay in school and on track?”
Rory nodded.
Simon leaned back, seeming to relax. “Good. I appreciate that.”
He wondered if Simon wanted to tell him to leave her alone instead. It was obvious theirs was a quiet, immaculately clean, and perfectly ordered household. The way she’d grown up explained why she kept her sweaters perfectly folded and stacked like they were on tables in a retail store and why she cleaned every surface that got a water spot. It also might explain why she was anxious and unsettled by her own chaotic urges and by life’s chaos in general. Growing up, she’d been a girl in an ivory tower. That certainly wasn’t the life she had with him.
“Your opinion matters to her too,” Rory said. “I get that I’m not who you want for her, but your putting pressure on her to break up with me stresses her out.”
“It’s nothing against you personally. It’s just that she’s worked her whole life for this, and Yale is a stepping stone to a bright future for her.”
“Understood.”
“But if you’re committed to seeing her succeed in school, then I’m satisfied. I’d already planned to stop trying to talk to her about the downside of serious relationships for a girl in college. It was clearly having the opposite effect than I’d intended. I’m not a fool, Rory. I see how things are.”
Rory doubted that. “You’re a pretty good psychologist to be able to be objective.” Rory tapped his thumb on the mug. He didn’t really feel like talking, but doing what he could to ease her dad’s concerns about him was something he would keep working on for Kate’s sake.
“Kate said you haven’t been together very long, but observing you together, I would never have guessed that,” Simon said. “Couples, the best ones, develop a rhythm in the way they interact… a sense of how to—I don’t want to say handle each other, but of what the other will want or need in times of stress and crisis, or even in the everyday. You two seem to have that. I say that because Kate’s never at ease at big gatherings. And last night I saw her smile more than I’ve ever seen her smile at an event like that. There must be something instinctive in your chemistry that allows you to interact that way after such a short time. That impresses me, Rory.”
Rory nodded. “When Kate gets worried and tangled up, I untangle her.”
“Your success at that makes you unique among her boyfriends,” Simon said with a chuckle. Then he sobered. “On and off, that can be a lot of work. Don’t hesitate to ask for a hand if you find yourself getting worn out, son.”
Rory’s brows rose. This was not at all where he thought the conversation was going. And no man had called him son for a very long time. He didn’t need it, but deep down he liked that Kate’s dad had done it.
“I appreciate that, but it doesn’t wear me out to take care of her. The opposite actually.”
“Oh?”
Rory glanced at the door, still waiting. “She trusts me. That brings us closer together. I trust her too. She never takes what I do or say the wrong way, when anyone else would. I don’t know about soulmates or believe in a lot of new age bullshit, but there’s something to us. We fit.”
The back door opened, and Kate came in, her cheeks flushed with cold. Beautiful.
“Good morning,” she said with a smile. “I fed the ducks. Did you sleep okay?” she asked, coming straight to him and giving his cheek a kiss.
“Yeah, fine.”
“Everything okay?” she asked, looking between him and her dad.
“Yeah. All good.”
Her eyes slid to her dad, who nodded his agreement.
Kate took off her coat, revealing snowy white flannel pajamas, making her look soft and kittenish. “May I have a sip of that?” she asked, nodding at his cup.
Rory slid it to her.
“We’d like to take you guys to brunch if you don’t have other plans for the morning. Our favorite café for breakfast is about fifteen minutes from here,” Simon said, standing.
“Yeah, sure,” Rory said.
“Great,” Simon said as he left the room.
“You don’t mind?” she asked.
“No. Family’s important. Speaking of that, I got a text from my sister. I usually rent a house and do a family vacation thing with them sometime over the holidays. They’re asking what the plan is.”
“What is the plan?”
“I usually rent one big house where everyone can stay together, but this time I can get a second place nearby the big house. A place for just you and me.”
She chewed on her lip. “You know what I want. Just us. Hermits.”
He smirked.
She smiled a mischievous smile. She leaned forward and whispered, “You can be rougher if there’s no one in the next room. I think that would be more fun for you too.”
“No doubt.” He cracked his knuckles, then took her hand in his and rubbed it. “I could split the difference. I could spend a few days in the big house and then move to a different place when you get there.”
“Then it’ll be me taking you away from them.”
“So?”
She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “Plus, I’d rather stay in a house with your family than get left behind for a few days.”
He nodded. “I want you with me the whole time too. We’ll stay in the big house a few days to make my family happy, but if they aren’t on their best behavior, I’ll take you out of there.”
She nodded, clearly trying to hide her disappointment.
“You trust me?”
“Always,” she whispered.
“Give me a kiss,” he said.
She leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. “I love you,” she whispered against his mouth.
“I love you too.”
“Can I—?” She drew back, hesitant.
“What, kitten?”
She glanced away. “I, um, wanted to ask something. We’re trying to smooth things over, right? With your family?”
He nodded.
“The club is kind of a family too? It is for a lot of people?” Her gaze slid back to his face to gauge his reaction.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Could I volunteer to help Master J with his rope-tying workshop? Some of the other girls have volunteered, but he wanted someone with bigger breasts.”
Rory nodded. “Yeah, go ahead.”
“Really?”
“Really.” J was a Shibari expert. Rory wouldn’t mind learning more rope bondage, and he especially wouldn’t mind seeing Kate tied up. The thought of that stiffened his cock as much as her asking his permission had.
She smiled and hopped up. “I’ll text right now. Thank you, Sir,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome. When that’s done, take a shower and get ready. Let’s get brunch out of the way, so we can have some time to ourselves.”
She nodded, all smiles now, which hit him the way it always did. Right through the heart.
I must be getting soft, he thought. Everywhere but my cock.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The music was some hardcore rock from before they were born. Shay lowered the volume so J’s low voice could be heard. He talked about knots and then demonstrated how to tie them.
Kate stood perfectly still except for her shivering. Rory could tell that she was nervous, but that she was also determined to be a good little submissive model for the demonstration.
“She’s got such a gorgeous body. Glad you agreed to let him use her for this,” Shay said.
Rory nodded, enjoying the way the ropes coiled around her naked body as J placed them and pulled them taut. She closed her eyes and her lips parted as her breasts were constricted within the bindings.
“Damn,” Rory murmured, trying to pay attent
ion to the technique, but distracted by how hard his cock was.
J strode over. “I’d like to hang her from one of the installations.”
“Yeah, do it,” Rory said enthusiastically.
“Give me a hand,” J said.
Rory joined him in the center of the group. As soon as he was close to her, Kate tried to lean into him.
“No,” he said, holding her in place by her arm and stepping back. “You’re here to be seen. Stay still,” he ordered.
She immediately straightened, but her eyes were downcast. She was well into the zone.
“You’re doing well, Kate,” J said. To the group he said, “Suspension is the epitome of control and allows us to admire our work from every angle.”
Rory lifted Kate and carried her to the web of ropes. He raised her higher, and J secured a hook through the ropes crisscrossed over her back. Rory lowered her slowly until she was hanging from the rope harness. Her tits, now reddish purple and deliciously swollen, were the lowest part of her.
J stepped up and illustrated how to bind the wrists to the ankles.
“I call this installation the spider web. And now we’ve got a pretty little bug trapped in it,” J said approvingly. “Come closer to have a look and then go ahead and practice.”
Rory’s thumb brushed Kate’s nipple and he bent forward so her hair brushed his face. “You’re trapped.”
“It hurts,” she whispered in a ragged breath.
“I’m sure it does,” he said, tracing a line along the rope’s course over her belly. “But it’s so fucking hot.”
* * *
Kate whimpered, feeling torn between discomfort and arousal.
Master Rory’s lust made her desperate to feel him inside her. Being suspended in midair in tight bindings was sexy, but also painful and she wanted more than his voice and the air touching her. She wanted his hands, his body. Master J was good at the binding part, just rough enough to excite her. But whenever Master Rory bound her, it was with the looming threat of rough sex to come.
She twisted, causing her body to sway. She whimpered again.
“Master Rory, please,” she whispered.
“Please what?”
“Please…?”
“If you want a reward, be a good slave.”
The rough tone shot through her, creaming her pussy and making her pant. She was helpless and his. Nothing else mattered.
The murmurs of other voices buzzed around her. Fingers brushed her skin while exploring the rope. Her heart thumped harder and faster.
She tried to be good, to make them proud. But throbbing and burning gave way to numbness and more. Finally she couldn’t hang slack, she had to plead and struggle, tears dripping.
Master Rory’s thumb rubbed her damp face, and then he lifted her off the hook. He set her face down over a bolster.
“J, loosen these up. Not off, just less tight.”
Moments later, blood flowed back to her feet and she wailed. He rubbed her feet, which made her struggle harder.
“Be still,” he commanded. “What’s too tight?”
“Everything!”
“Hey,” he said sternly. “Concentrate. What’s too tight?”
She panted and shook her head. “Nothing. It’s stinging! I ache.”
“That’s the price,” he murmured. “Of being a pretty doll.” He walked around and lowered his zipper. He took his cock out. “You know what to do.”
She opened her mouth. The moment he glided in, instinct took over.
“That’s it,” he said with a low groan. After several moments, he pulled out and circled around. His fingers teased her clit until she writhed. Then he shoved into her, deep enough to rock her forward, her head dangling toward the floor again.
Master Rory grabbed the ropes on her arms, using them as leverage as he pounded into her.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Please, yes.”
Being wound in the ropes and ruthlessly used was such an aphrodisiac. Tears merged with begging him for more. He paused, slapping her ass several times, then spanking it for several excruciating moments. The heat and the pain burrowed into her ass and pussy.
When he started to fuck her again, she lost control, coming so hard that she shook with it. He stroked her clit to keep her coming while he thrust.
When he finally came, she bit her lip almost hard enough to draw blood.
A heavy palm rubbed her back and then he pulled out. She panted, still crying weakly as he untied the ropes. He rubbed the tread they had left behind.
“Gorgeous.” He pulled her upright.
She leaned against him, shaky but also tingling from the incredible release.
“You all right?”
“Yes.” She kept her eyes down, but turned her head, so she could see the number of people around them. Plenty. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. It was always a little overwhelming to lose control in front of the club.
“May I go and get dressed, please?” she whispered.
He stroked the marks on her bare breasts. “You can put a thong on. Nothing else.”
“It’s a little cold, Master Rory.”
“Then you can stand under the spotlight.”
Her flush deepened.
“Those rope marks and that body deserve to be seen.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
* * *
“Pretty girl,” J said, joining the others who’d come to admire Kate, who was standing under the spotlight with her arms chained over her head.
“True statement,” Rory said. “I enjoyed that workshop. And seeing her suspended in bondage, that was great.”
J nodded. “She’s a sweet little sub. Perfect body for the rope work I wanted to show. Glad you loaned her to the club for the demo.” After a beat, he added, “Now that you’re back, we’ve all had a chance to see how things are. You take good care of her.”
“Despite the punk brutality?” Rory said with a small smirk.
“Apparently,” J said mildly.
Rory chuckled and held out a hand. “No hard feelings, man. I can be an aggressive bastard when I’m after something.”
“True statement,” J said with a smile, but he shook Rory’s hand.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Outside the waves crashed on the surf, the sound carried in a salty breeze. It was so great to be somewhere warm in the middle of winter, especially since she was with Rory.
Kate looked up when he entered the enormous kitchen of the South Carolina beach house. She was so happy and relieved to see him.
“Rory, why are you here?” Stacia asked, lifting the pan of shepherd’s pie. “Kate is fine!”
Rory wrapped an arm around his sister’s shoulder and kissed her. “You’re a goddamned pain in the ass, Stash.”
“Hey! If you make me drop this I’ll kill you!”
Rory rolled his eyes, but let her go.
“Leave us alone,” Stacia said. “We’re having cocktails and girl time.”
“I’m not here for you,” he said.
Stacia put the shepherd’s pie in the oven and darted in front of Kate. “Leave her. She finally told us about her first boyfriend. Things were just getting good. He was a lot more likable than you, by the way.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Rory said, waving for Kate to come to him.
She swerved around the other women and slid into Rory’s arms. “I had three lemon drops. Alcohol,” she added.
“Yeah? Are you wasted?”
“I think so. I’m not sure.”
Rory laughed.
“I’m afraid I might…” She bit her lip and mimed unlocking her lips with a key.
He arched a brow.
“I’m afraid I might slip and say something. I said something already… can you send me to my room?” she whispered. “It’ll be safer.”
Rory turned and, with a grip on her wrist, led her toward the door.
“Do not take her. She said she would frost the cake. Everyone’s got a job,” Sta
cia said. “Kate, get back here.”
She hesitated.
Rory looked at Kate and narrowed his eyes.
“Sorry!” she whispered, falling into step with him. “I’ll frost it later, Stacia. I have to go.”
“You don’t have to do what he says,” Stacia called.
“Yes, I do,” Kate whispered under her breath. She saw the corners of Rory’s mouth curve up.
In the master bedroom, he let her wrist go and shut the door. She dropped onto the bed, looking at her hands.
“So? What did you tell them?”
“I said my first boyfriend was sweet, which some girls like, I guess.”
“That all?”
She shook her head, feeling flushed and not able to meet his eyes. “You can be sweet. You are to me sometimes.”
“And that’s what you told them?”
“No. I should have… They asked if I’d rather have someone mean than sweet. Someone mean like you. I said you’re not mean. You’re rough. There’s a difference, and I should know. I do know. Everyone got quiet and stared at me, so I knew I shouldn’t have said that.”
Rory reached back and locked the door.
“I’m sorry! My thoughts are racing and I should stay quiet, but I can’t!”
Rory sat on the bed. “Get over my lap and lift your skirt, kitten. I’m gonna show you rough.”
She swallowed and got into position.
His hand came down with steady, unmistakable force. It said he owned her and would punish her hard when it suited him.
“Oh, God,” she gasped as the layers of pain made her frantic.
When she was breathless and clenching, he stopped and squeezed her flaming cheeks.
She slid onto the floor between his knees and reached for his zipper. He pushed her hands away.
“Please?” she whispered, tears spilling over her lashes. “I want to make it up to you.”
Rory hauled his shirt off and stood. “Get up and get undressed.”
“Yes, Sir.” She jerked to her feet and stripped.
He unzipped his jeans and shoved them and his boxer briefs off.
“Get on the bed and pull your knees up.”
She obeyed. He studied her pussy, which she knew was wet for him, and then climbed on the bed. He pushed into her, pulling her arms up and over her head, covering her with his weight.