Holly had been waiting. For them.
Damn! Why hadn’t they come looking for her sooner?
Shame crept through his gut. They hadn’t looked for her because once she’d left, he’d had absolutely no clue in which direction she’d gone. For the first time in his memory, his skills had deserted him. He’d always relied on that inner tracker to direct him, to give him the extra edge. With Holly, it had failed. That failure had haunted him, and the more he worried about Holly and his inability to track her, the less faith he had in himself.
Sometimes the only reason he got up and moved through his days was the incessant pushing from Tex. The other man had dragged him out on jobs, teaching him to put up walls and run wire through new buildings for Tex’s construction firm. Along with some of the others, he’d painted walls and installed flooring. One by one, Chase’s wolves had taken their tests and earned their certifications. Men and women who’d known nothing but fighting and abuse were now contractors and artisans. When they had time off, Tex pulled them all in to work on the main lodge of the compound, bringing it back to the former glory of its heyday.
If it hadn’t been for Tex, this last year would have been hell. The irony was, he treated Hunter no differently than any of the rest of the pack. He wondered if the cowboy had any clue what a difference he’d made in so many of their lives.
They descended the stairs, and the hush of the dungeon enfolded them. The party continued upstairs, yet it was as though they’d entered a different world. Spanking benches, bondage apparatus, and sex swings filled the room. There were small theme rooms for those who wished to play in private, and a giant, suspended bed for those who wished to share. Tex paused and glanced at him over his shoulder, the shadow of a grin starting on his face.
“So many ways to punish a naughty little wolf.”
Hunter felt an answering smile begin on his own face. After so many months of not knowing, he felt lighter. Seeing Holly in her human form, healthy and clearly happy to see them? Well, that nearly made his head spin. They approached the big X-shaped frame that held Holly’s scent as well as the scent of the human she’d pleasured. Hunter clenched his jaw against an angry growl.
He’d fought his wolf for so very long, and up until tonight, he’d been certain that he’d mastered it. Obviously the creature had simply retreated. It was back in full force, eager to claim, to punish, and to romance his mate. He looked around the room, seeing through both aspects of his vision.
The wolf was repulsed by the scent of the other man and wished to leave.
The human wanted to see her bound and punished and well fucked.
Tex took the decision from him, and oddly, his usually dominant wolf didn’t object. Hunter had long been one of Chase’s betas, standing above most of the other males in the pack’s hierarchy. To his surprise, the wolf was willing to allow Tex’s animal to take the lead here in Dark Haven.
But then, he’d been looking to Tex as a teacher for some months now. Was the big, easy-going wolf actually dominant to him? He swallowed, putting that thought aside for the moment.
The three of them stood for a long moment in front of the cross. All of them scented the human’s semen though it was shrouded under the stench of cleanser. After a minute or two, Holly glanced at them from under that fringe of heavy eyelashes.
“You made him climax.” Tex no longer smiled.
Holly swallowed and then lifted her chin defiantly. What was going on in that amazing mind of hers?
“I didn’t even have to touch him.”
Then Tex gave her a wicked smile. “You’re that good, eh?” He reached out and gently stroked her cheek. “Maybe someday you’ll show me just how good you are. But not tonight.” He let his hand fall away. “How d’you think you’ll do at the other end of the whip?” He then unwound the lariat, rubbing her arms where the rope had bitten into her skin.
Hunter watched her carefully, expecting her to show anxiety or even fear. Instead she tilted her head and folded her arms over her chest. His wolf growled again in aroused pleasure. She was excited, yes, but having fun as well. When had Holly learned to play? He then remembered the hours she’d spent with Tex, playing chase and tackle on the great lawns at home.
Tex had taught her to play.
“Bend forward; hold on to the cross.” She looked at Tex with a slightly mutinous expression on her pretty face.
“Don’t make him tell you again,” Hunter murmured.
Holly glanced at him and then reluctantly complied. She leaned forward from the waist, her heart-shaped bottom tilting up temptingly. He reached out tentatively, then lightly ran a hand over her jeans. She didn’t protest, nor did he scent much fear. She was excited and maybe a tiny bit afraid. Not in a bad way, though.
“Now there’s a pretty sight.” Tex set down his bag and then squatted to open it. He rummaged around, pulling out soft ropes and a few objects Hunter didn’t recognize. Even so, he had a pretty good idea what some of the items would be used for. Holly looked over her shoulder, her eyes wide.
“So first things first. Our girl ran off without telling us…”
“Chase knew. So did Eva!”
Anger sparked through Hunter. There was nothing he could do about Chase except maybe feel relief that his alpha had a hand in this. But Eva? She’d overstepped her boundaries. Still, he was reluctantly grateful that she’d been keeping an eye on their girl.
Tex brought a big hand down on her ass in a solid, satisfying swat. She bit her lip and turned away.
“Speak when you’re spoken to, sub.” He ran his hand over the place he’d spanked.
“So, Hunter. Our girl ran away without telling us and left us to worry all this time. What do you think her punishment should be?”
Hunter looked from Tex to Holly and back. Her bottom still swayed temptingly, and the entire scenario became crystal clear. Holly and Tex were playing. There might be a sharp, sexual edge to this sort of play, but it drew him as powerfully as it drew his wolf. His arousal surged. There was only one answer.
“Holly needs a spanking. One swat for every month she stayed away from us.” He glanced at Tex, glad to see he’d answered correctly.
“Ten swats, eh? And five more for running us around town, plus another five for talking back just now.” Tex stepped up next to her and gave Holly a searching look. “Twenty swats, Holly. Bare hand to bare ass.”
He nodded, and without comment, Holly stepped back from the cross and waited for one of them to lead the way. Tex stood, briefly debating between an A-frame apparatus and a spanking bench that reminded Hunter of a padded sawhorse. After a moment, he gestured to the bench.
“You need restraints, or you want to tough this out?”
Hunter had to admire the subtle insight he practiced on Holly. She’d spent plenty of time in restraints throughout her life. Personally, Hunter would have preferred her over his knees, but that might be too much intimacy for her.
“Bare hands?” she asked. Tex nodded. “I can deal. Master.” She reached down to unbuckle her belt. The jeans slipped down, revealing a pair of plain black cotton panties. Not a thong…panties.
Slowly she stepped out of her underwear and climbed up onto the bench. She lowered herself onto it and gripped the hanging leather cuffs. Tex’s big hand stroked, raised, and then he paused.
“Holly, what’s your safe word?”
“Safe word.” She frowned for a moment as though confused. “My subs always have their own.”
“How ’bout ‘bacon’?”
“Bacon?” Hunter and Holly sounded equally surprised.
“Holly always steals the bacon off my plate. And to slow things down, ‘eggs.’”
She turned around and looked at him in amazement. “Only you, Tex—Master Tex.” She turned back and rested her forehead against the padded bench. Her shoulders quaked as she laughed quietly.
“Hunter, if she says her safe word, everything stops. Period. If she says ‘eggs,’ that means you need to give her a brea
k.”
Hunter nodded.
“And darlin’, if you’re good to go, it’s…”
“Toast.” She looked at him in mock solemnity.
“Sure. Why not. ‘Toast’ means she’s good to go.”
Hunter nodded in agreement. He swallowed and glanced around the room, noticing that people watched from the perimeter. He stood a bit taller. He wondered if these were Holly’s friends or maybe even her playmates. He wanted them to see. He wanted them to see that she was theirs.
“You ready, Holly?” Tex raised a hand over her bottom.
“I’ll start with the first ten. You count them off.”
She took a deep breath.
“Toast.”
Chapter Five
At first it didn’t hurt. Besides, Holly was no stranger to pain. She flinched slightly at the first strike and forced herself to relax. As she did so, heat began to spread, as did an insidious sting. The second blow stung more.
“Count, Holly.” Tex’s voice was hushed and intent. He smacked her ass a third time.
“Three…” Her voice was not only rough and low, but breathless as well.
“Nope. That was one.”
“No, it was the thir—Ow!”
“You didn’t count, and now you’re sassing me again. Count from one.”
The next slap came down, and she growled. “One.”
Hunter laughed. He laughed! If she hadn’t been so preoccupied with keeping track of Tex’s hand on her bottom, she’d have been shocked. What was more, every time his hand came down, her arousal came up. If she hadn’t been experiencing it, she’d never have believed it. By the time she reached the count of ten, her skin was hot, her face was flushed, and her cunt felt disconcertingly wet.
She knew some people got off on pain; she’d administered more than one spanking herself. But still, she was a top—a domme. Yes, it was the nature of her wolf to submit to its mates, but she—Holly—should be terrified at the loss of control. She wasn’t. As she finished Tex’s count, Hunter smoothly moved in.
To her relief, his first blow was tentative, almost gentle.
“No, not like that. Here… Feel this.” She heard the sound of skin on skin and knew Tex demonstrated, most likely on Hunter’s arm. She rested her head on the bench again, glad for the moment’s respite. All too soon it ended with a sharp, stinging blow.
“Twelve!” she shrieked. “Yow!”
“Was that too hard?”
“Did she say her safe word?” She supposed Hunter must have shaken his head in response, because another blow came down, as hard as the one before. When she finally reached twenty, hands came down on her skin, stroking and soothing. She took a breath of relief.
“For such a tough little she-wolf, you sure make a hell of a lot of noise.”
Holly almost shot him a dirty look, then pulled it back at the last minute. Tex was more than capable of punishing her, and right now, Holly needed a break.
“Can you see it?”
“What?”
More movement behind her, but she didn’t bother to track them.
“She’s wet. Excited. Look, it dribbled down her thigh.”
Holly suddenly caught the scent of her own arousal. She was nearly as gratified as she was embarrassed. She moved her hands to cover her face. She felt…good. A little fuzzy. She rested her head on the padded bench and became peripherally aware of people watching. Spreading her fingers, she peeked. People who knew her…and she didn’t mind at all. Wasn’t that odd? Only a year ago she’d have been quivering in fear at the idea of so many humans. She felt a warm sensation in her belly—pride. This had been an amazing journey.
“Now, Holly, did I tell you to move?”
Crap. She shook her head.
“What was that again?”
She swallowed. “No, Master Tex.” She returned her hands to the straps and gripped them tightly. She bit her lip and then lifted her ass just a bit, knowing what she was doing to the men. She hoped her smile was hidden, because they were both still afraid to touch her. If they knew she was deliberately teasing them, she’d be in for another round of spanking.
On cue, she heard the sharp intake of breath and a muffled curse.
“Off there. Now.”
Hands on her arms steadied her; hands on her waist lifted her carefully and braced her as she caught her balance. Tex looked her over, checking her face, her eyes. Hunter gazed intently, first at Tex and then at Holly.
He was an apt student.
“Limits, Holly. Hard and soft.”
She thought for a moment and then looked up into Tex’s blue eyes. The smile was gone. “I don’t really know. I suppose I’ll know when we get there.”
“That’s not good enough.” He moved away, quickly cleaned up the area, and gathered his belongings.
“I suppose…bondage. Not right away. Maybe later.” Too many bad memories there, but eventually she’d face them head-on.
“Floggers? Single tails?”
“I’m fine with either. I can handle caning. I don’t like to hear whip cracking.” Again, too much of the past there. She’d stood for various whippings as she’d learned to be a domme, but the crack of the whip frightened her. It was a trigger. She’d heard that sound too often in the labs, knowing that one of her friends was suffering. “No humiliation. Please. Master.” She’d almost forgotten.
“Holly, you don’t have to do this. Any of it.” Hunter stepped up and looked at her intently. “But…you want to, don’t you?” He had a look of wonderment on his face.
Briefly Holly considered what she’d want from a sub at a moment like this. Slowly, carefully, she knelt in front of him, both hands behind her back. She wasn’t completely comfortable with the position of subservience, but she glanced up at Hunter and saw the nearly feral gleam in his eye. And she winked.
“Naughty girl.” Tex reached out and tweaked a lock of her hair. He then stroked her head fondly. She fought the instinct to rest her head against his leg, but then gave in to the impulse, smelling Tex and the warm fragrance of his arousal. He smelled like leather and musk and wood. She looked up at his face, gauged his reaction, and was pleased. Hunter… He wasn’t quite so happy, so she sat back on her heels and gazed up at him. After a moment, his expression softened.
Who’d have thought she could manipulate them this way? A rush of satisfaction surged through her, and she dropped her gaze to the floor. While submitting to the men was natural and comforting, her inner domme grinned at the discovery. Her wolf grinned at the idea that she’d just outflanked the men.
“Very clever.” Tex stepped away, leaving her alone on the floor. “Our little wolf has just figured out how to top from the bottom.”
Hunter looked sharply in Tex’s direction, watching as the other man set his bag on a narrow table against the wall.
“Holly, come here.”
“Yes, Master,” she murmured. Feeling a bit deflated, Holly stood before Tex while Hunter was at her back.
“Tie her wrists in front of her. Not too tight.” He tossed Hunter a length of rope. She watched carefully as Hunter looped the rope around her wrists. Tex examined it and nodded in approval. “There’s more we can do with rope, but maybe another time. Rope is kind of a hobby of mine.”
She was fully aware that he knew how to use that lariat on his hip. A little flurry of alarm ran through her at the thought of what else he could do to her with that rope. Briefly, the memory of being bound to a table broke into her thoughts. She pushed it back, returning to the moment. This was Tex, and she’d always been safe with him.
Upstairs there was a winch for suspension play. She’d never learned much about rope work herself; it made her too uneasy.
“Hunter, there’s a hook up there. Raise her arms and loop the rope over it.” He’d lowered the hook to just the proper height for Holly. She was stretched, but not uncomfortably so. If she needed to, she could slip her hands loose. Her bare feet were planted squarely on the carpeted floor. Tex was star
ting her easy, challenging her fear of being bound but giving her a path to escape if she needed it.
Slowly tension began to seep out of her, and Holly looked at Tex. His face was neutral, but she sensed that his attention was sharply focused on her. She caught his gaze, nodded briefly, and dropped hers.
“Hunter, why don’t you show me what we’ve been dying to see all evening?” Tex was back at the table, rummaging in the bag. “Unbutton her vest.”
Hunter’s fingers hovered over the leather vest she’d bought for that evening. She’d saved tips for over a month and had found it at a thrift store on Haight Street. Hunter looked down into her face. “What part of breakfast are we at?” He stroked the top button.
“Toast.”
He lifted a brow.
“Master.”
He smiled at her response, and for a moment her heart stopped and time stood still. She wanted to reach out, stroke her fingers over that tight little smile…into the tiny dimple that played at the corner of his mouth. Had he ever smiled at her like that before? She blinked, looked down, and the first button was open. And then the second. Holly looked to where Tex leaned against the table, watching intently.
Cool air kissed her skin.
“Hunter, does the bra unfasten in the front or back?”
“F…front.”
Holly didn’t look down; she knew what they were seeing—the smooth, white mounds of her breasts, not too large or small. Unmarked and firm. Rosy tips peeked through the black lace of the demi-bra. She hadn’t taken care with her panties, not expecting to display them. Her bra, though, was meant to showcase her breasts behind the leather of her vest.
Hunter’s fingers trembled slightly as he unfastened the bra, but he smoothly peeled it to the sides. She dropped her gaze, suspecting that this was a powerful moment for both men. Closing her eyes, Holly felt her nipples draw up and pebble in the cool air. Her breath came a bit faster.
A warm hand cupped one breast; a warm mouth covered the other. Opening her eyes, she then saw Tex’s golden head and Hunter’s dark hand. Her legs went weak, but her weight was supported by the ropes that bound her wrists.
Doms of Dark Haven 2: Western Night Page 15