Kayla Temple was a mystery, one Gage had been dying to solve. She dropped into the scene from out of thin air two years ago and took up residence at both the police station and later the club, Extreme. He knew because he too had returned to Vegas two years ago. They’d started work in the police academy division within the same month.
He reached for her other hand and walked backward into the cove where the St. Andrew’s cross had been vacated. The room had three sides, intentionally leaving the fourth open to viewers.
When he reached the cross, he leaned against it and lifted Kayla’s chin again. This woman had a story. “You sure about this? You seem awfully reluctant.”
“I’m sure, Sir. It’s just been a while.”
“Okay. Safe word?”
“Red, Sir.”
“Good. Use it. Yellow if you need me to slow down.”
“Yes, Sir.”
He released her hands and trailed his fingers up her arms, noticing the goose bumps that rose in his wake. “Can I remove your dress, Kayla? I don’t like to flog through clothes. I need to see my results as I go along to ensure I’m not hitting too hard or too soft.”
“Um, yes.” She flinched, a tiny jerk another Dom might not have noticed.
So, nudity is an issue for her. Noted. Besides not having seen her pussy, he also hadn’t seen her nipples. She dressed to fit in at the club, but she never removed all her clothes. At least not that Gage had been present for.
He circled behind her, keeping both hands on her skin at all times. He’d never seen her this nervous. He’d spanked her twice, and she hadn’t been so unsettled. He lifted the bottom hem of her loose skirt and pushed it up her body, intentionally keeping his palms on her skin to graze over the contours of her hips, the dip in her stomach, and then the swell of the sides of her breasts.
She lifted her arms when he nudged her biceps.
He whisked the thin, silky, black material over her head and gripped it with one hand. Smooth, pale, unblemished skin. With his free hand he stroked one finger down her spine. This was the most of her he’d ever seen. And she still wore a matching black lace thong and bra. He wouldn’t push his luck with those last items of clothing, assuming she would balk at removing them.
Gage draped the dress over the back of a nearby chair and set his palms on Kayla’s hips to guide her to the padded area at the base of the cross. “Reach up and grab the ropes, baby.” He couldn’t seem to release her, and he smoothed his palms up her body again as she followed his instructions.
She shivered, making him smile. Her hesitation was palpable.
“You okay, Kayla?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Something about the way she fell into the role and called him Sir didn’t ring quite right. He’d dominated many women over the last two years since he’d joined Extreme. Most referred to him as Sir. But coming from Kayla, it sounded forced. Awkward. Untrue. Not that she wasn’t submissive. It was just the way she said the word Sir that didn’t suit her.
He shook the idea away and caressed his hands up her arms, barely stroking the sides of her breasts on the way by. When he reached her hands, he wrapped his around them. “Hold on to the loops. Don’t let go.”
“Okay, Sir.”
Finally, he released her, reluctantly. He’d dreamed of doing this with her for months. How had he gotten so lucky? He stepped back and picked up the softest flogger he owned from his bag. Her skin was so pale, and he had no intention of doing anything to change that. He wanted his marks to last hours, not days. Whenever he flogged someone for the first time, he took extra care. But with Kayla he was more cautious, in part due to her obvious nervousness and in part due to his desire to make this the first of many experiences with her.
She might think she was asking for a one-night scene, but Gage had other ideas. His cock had other ideas. The shaft was stiff and tight inside his jeans. If he didn’t think she would run, he would undo the button and give himself some breathing room. But Kayla hadn’t asked him for anything sexual. She’d asked for a flogging.
If he wanted things to go further, he was going to have to give the performance of a lifetime.
And Kayla seemed as though she might be receptive to the idea. After all, she’d come to him—again. And her nervousness was obvious, though it may have had more to do with the requested flogging than any actual desire to have something more with Gage.
He stepped closer, trailing the ends of the flogger up her spine and across her shoulders, watching as she shivered again. He leaned close to her face. “Spread your legs farther, baby.”
She complied, separating her thighs slightly. Not as much as he’d like, but it was something.
He leaned over her shoulder to watch her chest rise and fall, his cheek next to hers, his gaze landing on her breasts. The nipples were hidden under the edge of the lace, but the creamy white skin swelling from the top made him lick his lips. For someone as petite as Kayla, she had full breasts. “Relax. How many times have you seen me flog someone?”
“Several, Sir.”
“Have I ever hurt the sub?”
“No, Sir.”
“And I won’t hurt you either. Never.” He turned to face her. Her lower lip was between her teeth, and she nodded. “Kayla?”
“Yes, Sir?”
“You don’t have to do this. You look like you’d rather run from the room. If you aren’t ready…”
“No. I’m ready. I want this.” Her words fell out from between her lips fast. She twisted her head to look at him. “I’m good.”
“Okay.” He stepped back. “I’ll start at the top and work my way down. You’ll use your safe word if you need to.”
“Yes, Sir.”
He lifted the flogger and flicked his wrist, letting it land across her shoulder blades.
Kayla jerked, dipping one shoulder forward and setting her forehead against the wood of the cross.
Gage snapped his wrist again, crisscrossing the second line over the first. He immediately stepped into her space and smoothed two fingers down first one pink line and then the other. Perfect. Not as hard as he normally flogged a submissive, but hard enough for Kayla’s sensitive skin. Not only was she clearly out of practice, but her skin was thinner than some people’s. If he hit her too hard, the welts would last longer than he preferred.
Kayla’s shoulders lowered as he took the time to trace his lines.
He waited for her breathing to resume a normal pace, and then he took a step back and flicked the leather through the air again, this time beneath the first two marks.
Kayla flinched, but only a small whimper escaped her lips.
He watched her reaction closely, deciding she could take more. He lowered the flogger to her smooth butt and swatted her two times across the center of her cheeks.
Kayla jerked forward. She released her hold on the rope with her right hand and whipped it behind her to cover her ass.
Gage took one quick step to reach her. “Baby, you can’t do that. It’s not safe. I need to know you’ll leave your hands above your head so I don’t accidentally hit them.” He grabbed her wrist and lifted it back onto the cross. “If you let go of the rope again, I’ll secure your hands. Understand?”
Kayla sucked in a sharp breath. She nodded. Gage was usually a good judge of where his submissive was in her mind, but he doubted himself for a moment. Was she turned on by his words? Or frightened?
Two more strikes across her ass, and he paused again to set his palm flat on one of her butt cheeks, squeezing the pink welt and massaging the sting. “Good girl. Can you take more?”
“Yes, Sir. Please.” Her voice wavered. She didn’t look at him.
He released her ass and stepped back. The next line landed at the junction of her ass and her thighs.
Kayla squealed and let go of both ropes to reach for her thighs.
Gage dropped the flogger on the mat behind her, grasped both wrists with his hands, and lifted her arms high above her head. He released one wrist an
d tugged the other toward the rope, slipping the loop over her hand and then grabbing a separate loose section of rope to wrap around her wrist. The moment he tightened the knot enough to secure her, she screamed.
“No. Stop. Stop stop stop.” She tugged at her hand. “I can’t. Stop… Red…” Her body bucked as she pulled harder on the hand now attached firmly to the cross. She reached with her other hand and plucked at the rope, attempting to dislodge herself. Her entire frame stiffened as she rose on tiptoes and fought for freedom. She screamed again in frustration…no…fear.
Gage did the first thing he could think of. It came naturally. He flattened himself against her back, pressing her jerking frame into the cross. He pushed one leg between both of hers to get closer, his back completely enveloping hers, one hand wrapped around her under her breasts, the other reaching up to circle her flailing free wrist. “Shh. Baby… Kayla…”
She still squirmed, but her screams settled into moans of frustration. Her breathing came heavy and irregular.
What the hell happened? He had no idea, but for now, all he could do was reassure her.
Gradually her jerking motions switched to trembling.
He held her tighter, his lips landing on her ear. “I’ve got you. You’re okay. Shh… Relax.” He couldn’t undo her hand yet. He didn’t have a free limb to work with. “Deep breaths. Baby, you’re okay now. It’s over.” He loosened his grip on her wrist, gauging whether or not she could remain calm if he released her.
Her shoulders relaxed, her hand went limp, and she let out a long exhale. “I’m sorry.” Her words were barely audible.
“Shh,” he soothed again, his lips so close to her ear she shivered. His cock had been hard since she approached him. Now it was painfully erect against her naked ass, begging for attention it wouldn’t get tonight. He didn’t dare move for fear he would bring attention to his plight.
He felt like an ass for experiencing such a reaction while she was clearly freaking the fuck out. But her body… Shit. She was so fucking sexy. He’d been gritting his teeth watching her pale skin pinken under his attentions. His stiff cock wasn’t something he could immediately stop when she lost it. “Talk to me, Kayla. I need to know what happened so I don’t do the same thing again. No reason to be sorry. I’m the one who should be sorry. I scared you. I just need to know what scared you.”
She still said nothing.
He lowered her hand to set her fingers on the wood section of the cross at the level of her head. And then he could finally stroke her cheek. He gently nudged her face toward his. He ducked his forehead to set against hers, wanting to hold her as close as possible. “Better?”
He almost missed her subtle nod.
“Good.” He smiled. “I’m gonna untie your hand. Hold still.” He watched her face for signs of stress. Seeing no immediate distress, he released the grip he had on her chest and lifted both hands to untie her wrist.
The second he freed her, she exhaled and then inhaled deeply again.
He wasn’t ready to release her body, and besides, she wasn’t either. Instead he ran his palms down her arms and threaded his fingers with hers, pressing them into the smooth wood of the frame at both sides of her face. “Concentrate on breathing.” He breathed with her, giving her time to calm down.
Finally, she took a breath and spoke again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” She stopped.
“It’s okay. You’re entitled to wig out. It happens.” He attempted to chuckle, but it came out garbled. “Talk to me,” he repeated.
When she pushed against him, he had no choice but to step back and release her.
Instead of meeting his gaze and providing him with the answers to a dozen questions swimming around in his head, she turned away from him, grabbed her dress, and fled the scene.
He stood there staring after her, shocked. What the hell just happened?
What made her freak out? Why did she ask to be flogged in the first place? And why did she ask him to do it?
He watched her retreating back, knowing there would be no answers to his questions. At least not tonight.
Chapter Two
Kayla nearly ran from the cove to the locker room. She shimmied into her dress the minute she stepped inside and leaned against the wall, thankful there were no other women currently around.
Deep breaths. If she’d been asthmatic, someone would mistake her gasps for an attack.
God. What the hell have I done?
She couldn’t imagine what Gage must be thinking.
Ugh.
She’d thought she was ready. She’d believed she could withstand a flogging, find release from it even. It had been so long since she’d entered into a deep enough subspace to really let go.
And this was her fault. She couldn’t blame Gage. He’d been fantastic—before, during, and after her little meltdown. She asked the right man to do the job, and then she singlehandedly fucked it up. How the hell was she going to face him again?
Someone entered the locker room. A woman she didn’t know smiled at her and kept walking to another row of lockers.
Kayla shoved off the wall, headed for her own locker, removed her bag, and trudged toward the entrance. She took a deep breath, said a quick prayer that Gage wouldn’t be standing outside the door, and opened it slowly.
Relief. He was nowhere in sight. She easily slinked toward the front entrance and into the night. She assumed she must have held her breath on the way to her car, because as soon as she sat, she felt light-headed. Her hand shook as she put the key in the ignition. Why? She was safely ensconced in her nice reliable Camry.
She glanced out the rearview mirror, found the parking lot clear, and backed out. It wasn’t until she was halfway home that she truly breathed free. What did she think would happen? That Gage would follow her into the locker room, outside, or even down the street? Screaming at her?
Words from the past slammed into her, making her eyes water and blurring her vision. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand so she could see the road for the last few blocks until she reached her house. Don’t fall apart until you get inside.
She stopped at her mailbox and emptied the contents onto the seat next to her on autopilot. It was what she did every day. When she pulled into her garage, she shut the garage door behind her before getting out of the car. She shuffled through her mail on the way upstairs to the main floor, cursing at the contents. Leave it to fate to turn a miserable evening into something more heinous. She tossed the mail on the floor in the kitchen as though it were diseased and made the climb to the next floor, the bedroom level of her condo. Dropping her bag, she kicked off her heels and collapsed onto her bed. She stared at the ceiling. “Fuck.”
She hadn’t missed Gage’s hard length pressing into her butt. In fact, a part of her longed to see it. She needed to shake that notion free. No way would seeing his cock be a good plan. Seeing would lead to touching, tasting, and…mounting. None of those were good ideas. If she couldn’t withstand a simple flogging without balking, not to mention how wigged out she got from the restraints, how the hell was she going to fuck someone?
“Fuck,” she repeated.
Gage was surely pissed. Right? She pictured his face. He hadn’t looked anything except concerned. His brow had been furrowed with worry, and he never once mentioned the hard-on he pressed into her ass.
She winced, words from her past flooding her mind. “You fucking cock tease… You did this, bitch… Don’t blame me… If you intend to be a cock tease, be prepared to suck…”
Tears filled Kayla’s eyes, and she was finally in a safe enough place to let them fall freely. She rolled onto her side and curled into a ball, her fingers fisting around a corner of her pillow.
Would she ever be normal again? No, probably not. There was no way to erase the past. The memories were stuck with her for life. That fucking asshole had scarred her in ways she would never overcome.
Gage is different. You know it.
He had backed off an
d let her go. Why? She wouldn’t have believed a man capable of such behavior after she inadvertently rubbed against his dick and made him hard. She was always so careful not to get a man turned on. But Gage… He wasn’t like other men. She hadn’t done it intentionally. It seemed he’d managed it all on his own. But was she to blame? Intellectually she knew that was all crap, but history forced her to think back on the entire episode to make sure she hadn’t encouraged him in some way.
Not that it mattered. She’d never needed to encourage Simon in any way for him to scream at her and blame her for his stiff dick.
But Gage had gone one step further. The man apologized to her. That wasn’t something she could wrap her head around. He’d taken the blame.
Simon never took the blame for anything, his fault or not. Everything was always her fault. She didn’t even have to be present to ruin his day.
Kayla took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She uncurled enough to pull a blanket over her and tuck her pillow under her head. She was safe. She’d been safe for two years. Simon could never hurt her again, and she’d be damned if she let anyone else take his place.
»»•««
Gage dropped his workout bag on the floor next to his locker and plopped onto the bench at the gym.
“Rough night?” Rider finished tying his shoe and smirked.
“You could say that.”
“Kayla Temple?”
“Yeah.” Gage shifted his gaze to his locker, opened it, and stuffed his bag into the tiny space.
“I heard you did a scene with her and it didn’t go so well.”
“That sums it up.”
“What happened?”
“Hell if I know.” Gage ran a hand through his hair. “She asked me to flog her—”
“Flog her? I’ve never seen her do a scene like that.”
“Yeah, me neither. But she asked.” Gage turned toward Rider. His heart beat faster thinking about last night. He hadn’t slept well, and he was going to get his ass kicked in the ring today. “I swear I took it slow and easy. I was leery. And she was fine, at first. I think I’m a pretty good judge of a woman’s mental state. Or I thought I was.”
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