by Dakota Trace
“Ah…angry.” She looked for the approval in his eyes, but when she didn’t immediately see it, she knew he wanted more. “I was pissed that he was sniffing around her because Caelan was meant to be Nisey’s Dom.” She pulled her legs as close to her body as the leg restraints would allow. “I was also pissed that he hadn’t pursued me in the same way when I knew he was interested. He’d…” The striking of the flogger over the outside of her thigh this time had her arching in the swing. She cried out while looking up into his eyes to see the approval and understanding she’d wanted in his gaze.
“Go on…”
She nodded to herself and realized she could do this part of it. She could give him the story. After all it was nothing more than words. It wasn’t like he was asking for her to go to Josh and demand an explanation of why he’d sent her away.
For the next hour, the playroom rang out with her cries of pleasure and her halting words retelling the story of the first time Josh had bent her over his desk and spanked her. By the time it was complete, she was sagging in the swing while her body was trembling on the edge of what she knew would be a spectacular orgasm.
“Please, Master!” She was nearly delirious with her need for release.
“You’ve done very well, slave.” Despite her need, she could see his eyes were now warm with love and pleasure. Deep inside, his praise overflowed the part of her which wanted to please him with happiness. She caught her breath when he leaned forward to whisper against her lips. “Now, I want you to come for me.” Without pulling away, he brought the flogger down directly over the soaked crotch of her jeans. Instant nirvana flooded her. She arched towards him as it engulfed her.
When it finally passed, she was vaguely aware of Dominic’s releasing her from the swing to wrap her gently in a blanket that her brother had handed him. He cradled her in his arms while slowly rocking her, offering her the soothing words she needed to recover.
Opening her eyes, she finally acknowledged Caelan’s presence. While she knew the fact that her brother had witnessed her break-down should’ve shamed her, somewhere along the way, his quiet entry into the playroom as she’d struggled to give Dominic what he’d wanted, had given her the extra support and reassurance she needed to deliver the whole truth.
When Dominic stood with her, she finally was able to mumble a soft ‘thank you’ to her brother before her Master carried her out of the playroom.
Chapter Four
The sun was just coming up in the east, when Dominic pushed open the back door to Kalinda’s apartment before lightly treaded down the stairs into the backyard. He’d seen Nisey enter the gazebo from Kalinda’s kitchen. While he hadn’t had the chance to converse with her alone, he knew that she was a likable young lady. Perfect for Caelan as a submissive, but also perfect because she was Kalinda’s best friend. He had a proposition for her which he could only hope that she didn’t shoot down.
Shielding his eyes he walked up the stone path to the gazebo. Entering the dim interior, he gave his eyes a moment to adjust before looking around for her. He found her nestled up on one of the padded benches with an embroidery hoop. He knew he shouldn’t have been surprised. After all Kalinda had told him that Nisey was a master embroiderer, but the old-fashioned hoop had taken him off guard. He didn’t even realize that they still sold those things. It reminded him of his mother sitting in her front parlor in the late evening, stitching to her heart’s content. He pushed away the flare of sadness at the thought.
“Nisey?” He kept his voice soft so he didn’t startle the young woman.
She glanced up. A smile crossed her face. “Master Dominic! You’re up early.”
He moved further into the gazebo. “Yeah, I’ve always been an early riser, but it’s just Dominic.” He sank down on the bench next to her. “May I?” he asked gesturing to the hoop she still held.
Nisey blushed before nodding and handing him the light-weight hoop. He smiled at her reassuringly while glancing down at the delicate stitches dotting the fabric. He wasn’t sure what the exact stitches were but she’d somehow knotted the thread to give the delicate rosebuds a three dimensional effect. Running his thumb over one, he was awed by her talent.
“You’re very talented. Is this for Redding’s shop?”
Nisey laughed softly before shaking her head. “No, I do this to relax.” She took the hoop back from him. “Don’t tell Kalinda about this, ‘cause I’m making her a set of throw pillows for the upstairs futon. I’m sure you know how much she loves teacup roses.”
He stilled. “No, that’s another thing she’s never told me.”
Setting aside the hoop, Nisey leveled her bright green eyes on him. He could tell she was riled up over his answer. “What exactly do you know about my best friend other than the fact she likes the way you fuck her?”
He chuckled at her waspish tone. “Easy there, ma petite. I know as much as Kalinda will willingly share with me. You have to understand, when we first got together, I spent most of my time trying to keep her out of trouble. She wanted to punish herself for this thing with Redding, but I couldn’t let her endanger her life. I spent the first three months after finding her at the Gilded Lily dragging her out of one club after another until she finally started coming to me first.”
Nisey paled. He was quick to sooth her. He hadn’t mentioned Kalinda’s near self-destruction to worry her friend.
“Shh, it’s in the past, she hasn’t done that in over a year.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “As far as what I do know … I know she needs a firm hand and loves to challenge a man, whether it’s sexually or even in the most of platonic of ways. I know she loves a cup of steaming Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee on cool mornings, but will willingly drink Arabica dark roast any other morning. She also loves Frank Lloyd Wright designs which is why she went to IIT for her degree in Architecture. Of course you know that she loves both you and Caelan, and desperately misses being home despite the fact that there are a lot of painful memories here.”
Nisey flushed again. “I’m sorry, Dominic, I didn’t mean to snap at you. I know Kalinda has changed since she left. I’m just protective of her. After what Josh put her through, I’d hate to have to kill you for hurting her.”
“And I’d hate to have you kill me. This trip is all about getting her to come to terms with what happened with Redding along with getting her to hopefully begin living again.”
Nisey thoughtfully chewed on her lower lip. “And what do you get out of it, Dominic? You’ve taken a lot of time and money to do this for her.”
“What if I said seeing Kalinda without those haunting shadows in her eyes was more than payment enough? You’ll soon realize I’d do almost anything to banish them, even if it means giving the woman I love back to Redding.” He gave a rough sigh before giving Nisey a rakish grin. “Not that I think that’s going to happen. Your little friend is greedy - I don’t doubt for a moment that she’d keep both me and Redding if she could, in fact I’m counting on it.”
A bubble of laughter escaped her before she grew serious. “You’re taking a serious chance here, Dominic. Kalinda and Josh have quite the history between them. He was the first man to introduce her to BDSM. Until I met you I’d have sworn he’d been the only man who could dominate Kalinda and get away with it.”
“If you saw Dominic dominating her last night, you wouldn’t doubt him.”
At the other man’s voice, Dominic looked up to see Caelan walk into the gazebo. Despite the cool morning air, he was only wearing a pair of half-buttoned jeans.
“I thought I might find you here, Dominic. Have you asked her yet?” Caelan walked over, lifted Nisey off the bench before sitting back down with her in his lap. He nuzzled the side of her neck. “I missed your warm little body next to me this morning, grá.”
Nisey squirmed on his lap before swatting at him. “Stop it, Caelan.” She turned her attention back to Dominic. “What exactly did you want to ask me?”
Standing, Dominic began to pace. “I’m in a
bit of a predicament here, Nisey. I’m pushing Kalinda hard right now and…” He stopped and looked at her in a pleading way. “I need your help.”
Nisey paled. “I can’t help you if it means forcing her to face her past with Josh, Dominic. I’m not that strong. I can’t knowingly hurt my best-friend.”
He shook his head. “I don’t like hurting her this way, Nisey, but I’m tired of her hiding from me, but that’s not what I need help with.” He sank down onto one of the other benches. “It’s just…”
“What he’s trying to ask you here, grá, is to talk to her about Shibari.” Caelan nipped at her ear. “To be more specific, he wants us to show Kalinda how erotic it is.”
A low gasp came from Nisey before she focused on Dominic. “But Kalinda doesn’t get into the bondage like that…”
Dominic nodded. “I know. She’s never expressed any interest in it, yet it’s something that I am going to want to do with her if she accepts my collar. So far I’ve been restraining myself from approaching her about it. Instead I’ve been focusing on her needs for the flogger and pain she must have to function normally.” He rubbed the back of his neck before giving them both a rueful smile. “Don’t get me wrong, warming her backside is erotic as hell, but…I just need more. So far I’ve managed to resist the temptation, or go to one of the clubs I occasionally work for and tie up a willing sub, but I’d much rather it be her.”
“You’ve been going to the clubs and having subs pay you to tie them up?” Amusement filled her face.
He nodded shortly then crossed his arms. “I don’t see what’s so humorous about it. It satisfies my need without putting undue stress on Kalinda.”
“You and Josh are two of kind. Both of you are going to another for what Kalinda would willingly give you - if you would simply ask her.”
Caelan chuckled. “That’s what I first thought when he approached me about it.”
“Excuse me?” Dominic looked from Nisey to Caelan, not quite understanding.
“You go to a club in L.A. to tie women up while Josh goes to Olivia’s to flog and whip submissives. Both of you are being too considerate to Kalinda. She’s not a mind reader. Have you ever broached the subject to her? Does she know of your little fetish?”
“Yes. I mentioned it to her once when we were discussing her limits. I mentioned I’d practiced the art.”
Nisey crossed her arms over her chest. “But I’ll bet you never asked her if she’d be willing to let you practice on her, did you?”
Dominic thought back to that discussion and frowned. He’d had to be less forceful with her when they’d discussed limits. She’d been so on edge he hadn’t felt comfortable pushing her at that time when she’d said she’d never had it done to her. He’d been afraid she’d run again.
“Not exactly.” Dom’s face was filled with chagrin.
Nisey gave a ‘harrumph’ and stood. “You men can be dense creatures. I’ll talk to her about it. I’ll even invite her to watch Caelan and me, if she wants, but I offer no guarantees.” She turned back to Caelan her teeth worrying her lower lip before addressing him. “I’m not out of line here am I, Máister? You don’t have a problem with your sister watching you drive me crazy with those blasted ropes, do you?” While her words were sassy, her demeanor towards Caelan was submissive.
Caelan arched an eyebrow towards her and gazed pointedly at the floor. Nisey gave a mock sigh but quickly knelt next to his feet. Assuming the position of submission she normally used when asking for favors from her Master, she waited for his answer.
“Repeat the request, slave.”
“Can your sister and her Master watch as you bind me, Máister?”
Dominic watched as Caelan winked at him before answering her. “Of course, sclábhaí.”
Nisey glanced up. “Are you sure, Máister?”
A gentle smile crossed Caelan’s face. “Of course! If I can handle watching my sister climax under the flogger, then I assure you I can handle her watching me send you into sub-space and then several climaxes.”
Nodding, Nisey looked over her shoulder at Dominic. “I’ll give Kalinda a call to see if she’ll join me for lunch.” She turned back to Caelan. “May I be released to get ready for work, Máister?”
“Of course.”
As Nisey moved to leave the gazebo, Caelan stopped her. “Don’t forget to put the balls in before you leave. I’ll be checking.”
She nodded and was almost out the door, when he stopped her one more time. “But Nisey - no coming allowed.”
A quick jerk of her head was the only response he needed as she scurried back into the house.
Dominic straightened. “You, Caelan, are evil. Do you honestly expect her not to climax with the pressure of shifting BenWa balls driving her crazy all day?”
Caelan’s eyes twinkled. “Yes. She got off light. The last time I used them to punish her she had to walk around for a whole weekend with them in.”
“And she didn’t come?” Awe filled Dominic’s face.
“Oh she came. I think she burst my ear drums with her screams when I finally relented.”
* * * *
Glancing over her shoulder while turning the knob on the apartment door that she once shared with Kalinda, Nisey held her breath. She knew she was treading on very thin ice. If Caelan caught her up here, she’d have a warm ass for sure, but she had to see her friend. Besides how else was she supposed to ask her about lunch? Ever since the last time she’d hidden from him up in her former home, in a fit of anger at her Master, it had been declared off limits to her. Caelan hadn’t been happy when he’d come home from a short trip to Ireland to see his mother and found her gone.
At the time she’d told herself that moving out of their shared apartment was justifiable. She’d been with him for over three years but had yet to meet his mother. She hadn’t even spoken with the woman on the phone. When she’d hesitantly asked if she could go along, he’d told her firmly that she would be staying home like a good little sub.
Thoroughly dejected, she had waited for him to leave before she packed her stuff up and snuck back up to her former home. When he’d finally returned on a late flight several days later, he’d found his home dark and no Nisey waiting for him in their huge four poster bed. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out she was gone. She still cringed when she thought of how cold his voice had been when he’d finally called her cell phone after she’d spent two days of ignoring his presence in the apartment below, refusing even to speak to him. He told her if she wasn’t going to act like his slave or even have the courtesy to tell him what was wrong, then she didn’t deserve his collar and he wanted it back.
The shock factor of him taking her cherished collar had broken through her pain. She knew she’d acted childish by hiding, but his refusal to even let her talk to his esteemed mother had her feeling like she was nothing more than his dirty secret. It had led to their first and only fight. He didn’t want his mother to think he was anything like his father - a known Dom who had played the field, but had thought of nothing about leaving his wife and young son behind when his new submissive had turned up pregnant. Grant Doherty had carelessly dismissed any of the pain he caused by discarding his wife for a younger and less experienced sub. In fact he’d done the same thing to Kalinda’s mother.
According to Caelan even to this day, his mother Myrna distrusted the BDSM world, which she had once accepted with open arms. The only exception in her mind was Caelan and his mentor Alastar.
Even though she’d finally understood his reasoning, they had had a ‘knock down drag out’ fight over it. Finally she’d bluntly told him, even though she loved him, if he was going to continue to hide her from his mother, then evidently she needed to find another Master. She reasoned, even if he didn’t want his mother to know of her true position in his life, at least she should have the right to be claimed as his girl-friend. So now they had a trip scheduled for Christmas time to travel to Ireland where he wanted to introduce both Nisey and Kalinda t
o his mother.
“If you’re going to stand there all day, it’s obvious that you’re contemplating breaking one of my brother’s sacred rules, girl.” Kalinda’s voice broke her out of her reflections. With a start, Nisey realized the door knob she’d been holding onto was gone and the door was open with her best friend grinning over at her cheekily.
“No…I was just getting ready to knock.” Nisey pasted a smile on her face to cover her nerves. She was uncomfortable with the fact not only had Kalinda snuck up on her while she was woolgathering, but the idea that Caelan could wander out into the vestibule in search of her to find her in the upper hallway had her jumpy.
Kalinda leaned against the door frame. “So what brings you up here, when I know for a fact, that Caelan has declared this apartment off limits to you?”
“Well two things. I wanted to make sure you were all right. Last night sounded intense.”
Nisey watched as her friend blushed. “I’m fine. I was just a bit pissed at Dominic - but I’m fine today. So what else did you want to talk to me about?”
“I was wondering if you’d meet me for lunch. We haven’t had a girls’ day out in too many months. I’ve found this awesome little sushi restaurant just down the street from the shop. They opened up about six months ago and they have some killer California rolls. Not to mention their Philadelphia rolls are to die for. I bet they even measure up to the ones you ate out in L.A. My treat, too.”
Nisey’s heart went out to Kalinda as she watched her friend war with the idea of a free meal with her best friend versus the possibility she might run into Josh.
“I…” Kalinda started to refuse and stopped when the genuine disappointment on Nisey’s face showed. Downstairs, the door opened.
Nisey looked over her shoulder with a slightly panicked look. “Aw come on, Kalinda, agree before your brother catches me up here.”