by Stacey Lynn
“It’s okay, sub. You’re doing so well.” I braced for another stinging whip but it didn’t come.
“I’ll wait. Relax, get back into position.” His breath was a whisper, thick with desire and filled with patience.
I wiggled into position, relaxed my shoulders and blew out a steadying breath. The next lash came quickly. He slapped me on an inner thigh, the leather stinging, but lighter than he had been. I relaxed further, sank into the hypnotic movements of the flogger and the rippling sensations from it searing my skin.
“Good job,” Simon said. He dropped the flogger on the floor beneath me and then his hands were at my shoulders, rubbing my arms and down to my hands. He helped me uncurl my grip from the handles and guided me to standing.
“You okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
His thumbs wiped my cheeks. “You’re crying.”
“Overwhelmed, sir.”
“It pleases me. I like seeing your emotions.”
I smiled tremulously and his lips brushed against mine. The soft kiss burned bright deep inside me and I moaned into his mouth, rocking toward him.
“Ah,” he pulled back and whispered in my ear. “I bet you very badly want to come, don’t you?”
“Yes, sir, please. Please let me come, sir.”
“I will.” I dropped my head against his chest and he laughed. “When you return. Think of the fact that while you’re turned on, thinking of me, I’m suffering alone, doing the same for you.”
He tapped my ass gently, swatting me playfully and stepped away from me. “Chloe?”
“Yes sir.”
“Don’t ever think you disappoint me. I’m always pleased with you, Little Bird. But I don’t like you hiding from me either. In the tub, earlier, you didn’t tell me the truth about why you liked seeing Gabby in her collar and leash, and I guarantee you, I will get the truth from you.”
I couldn’t tell him. I’d take a hundred floggings and even another caning but no way was I telling Simon I was in love with him. The pain from heartbreak would be worse than any lashing he could give me.
“Yes, sir.” Defiance rang clear even while my words were obedient.
He smiled, eyes gleaming, and pressed a quick kiss to my nose. “Go back to the room and do what you need to get ready while I clean up in here.” He glanced at a clock on the wall. “Gabby will be here in twenty minutes. I brought your overnight bag in from the car and placed it on the bed while you were in the bath earlier.”
“Thank you, sir.” I turned to leave the room.
“And don’t even think of getting yourself off while you’re alone. Your orgasms, all of them, belong to me, remember?”
I hadn’t even considered touching myself, but I nodded and returned to the bathroom. Splashing cold water on my face to cool down, it was suddenly the only thing on my mind. I was still naked, my swollen pussy, lash marks on my ass and the backs of my thighs visible in the mirror’s reflection.
What in the hell would I wear to brunch with strangers that wouldn’t cause me more pain?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chloe
I hadn’t brought many clothes to wear but I was thankful I had grabbed a simple cream sweater dress and brown riding boots in case we went out. It was that or yoga pants and an overly-loved, hooded sweatshirt I wore like a robe around my house, complete with holes at the neckline and wrists. It was my favorite to wear in the winter and I’d brought it to wear in the morning, not realizing my morning would consist of being naked, plugged, and flogged.
It wasn’t even eleven in the morning and I’d already had enough exercise to last me through the week.
I grinned, dug through my purse for a hair tie, and threw my hair into a messy knot. It was frizzy from air-drying but I was dressed casually yet classy in my dress and boots.
I’d just swiped on lip-gloss when the doorbell rang, echoing through Simon’s house. I grabbed my clutch from last night, tossed in my lip-gloss, and hurried down the hall. Every quick movement shifted the plug inside me in a way it lit up my sex with delicious little tingles. I was reaching the end of the hallway that opened into his living room when he opened the door.
Gabby’s friendly hello rang out and she walked inside.
She was tall and thin, her long, platinum colored hair pulled back into a messy knot similar to mine, her collar on unashamed display at the base of her throat. In a long sleeve T-shirt with a glittering G on the front and skinny jeans tucked into black heeled boots, she was just as casual as me, yet carried herself in such an elegant way she might as well have been wearing an evening gown.
“Hi,” she said as I stepped into view. “How are you, Chloe?”
“Good. Hungry.” I grinned at Simon and winked.
“Ah. Someone’s been a good girl this morning, I see.” Gabby laughed.
“Actually,” Simon said, playfully. “She’s been rather naughty this morning.”
Gabby clapped her hands and smiled from ear to ear. “Ohhh. Even better.”
I tried to look morose. Based on her laugh, I failed.
Simon rolled his eyes at her. “Don’t encourage her.”
I walked to him and rolled to my toes to kiss him. He met me halfway, bending down and wrapping an arm around my waist. “Be good while you’re gone. And think of me.”
“I will, sir.”
“When you return, I want you naked and on your knees in this very spot, and when I greet you, I want you to tell me what you want to play with in the playroom.”
My eyes flickered to Gabby who was still grinning at us. She didn’t seem to care at all that she heard what Simon was saying, and he was clearly unconcerned whether she could or not.
“What do you say, Little Bird?” He tucked a small wisp of hair behind my ear.
“I will, sir. Thank you for the choice.”
My mind was already spinning with ideas, overwhelmed. He smacked my ass, just hard enough to jolt the plug inside me, and I whipped my eyes back to him. “Don’t forget to think of me.”
Like I ever could.
We said another goodbye and Gabby grabbed my hand, leading me to her car. As we pulled out on to the road, she immediately put me at ease.
“So, I’m sorry for ambushing you this morning and I hope you don’t mind, but I really wanted to get to know you better. Haley does, too. We’re going to Portsmouth Inn because Haley owns it and she has to work today, but I think we’ll have some privacy there as well.”
“She owns the resort?”
“Yep. It’s been in her family for generations and she took over last year. She and Jensen are building a new house on the property so they can live there when it’s done. But she said she’ll have a meal prepared for us to eat in the kitchen at the main house and since it’s not quite lunchtime, it should be rather empty, especially since it’s off-season.”
Gabby continued to talk, telling me more about herself and Haley and asking me questions about myself.
The drive through Grand Rapids and twenty more minutes to Lake Michigan flew by and by the time we arrived, I truly liked Gabby. She was easy to talk to, told me about how she and Master Dylan had been together for over five years. She explained the importance of knowing other subs in the lifestyle, how having friends that know what subs deal with is different than regular friends and it made me think of Tyra.
She was a friend, one of the few I really had even if she was my employee. But yeah, I couldn’t exactly talk to her about being whipped and spanked and how crawling across the floor made me feel like I was worshipped. Her brown eyes would pop right out of her head.
We pulled into the resort in Denton. I’d spent many summers coming to the beach in this area and I’d always loved the feel of Portsmouth Inn. It was familial and not overly touristy, and had a gorgeous view of
the lake and sunsets. As a teenager, I’d first been kissed on a pier just down from the Inn while the sun had set and children had splashed in the water.
We walked into the Inn, Gabby going first and opening the door, calling out, “We’re here, Haley! Where are you?”
A beautiful brunette, leggy and willowy, gracefully walked around the corner wiping her hands on a white towel. “You don’t need to shout the house down, I do have some guests here this weekend.”
Gabby shrugged like it didn’t matter and waved her arm out to me. “Haley, this is Chloe. Chloe, this is Haley. She’s Jensen Rhodes’s sub and fiancée.”
I held out my hand but Haley embraced me in a hug like she’d known me for a decade. “It’s so lovely to meet you. I’ve gotten to know Simon in the last several months and I’m glad he’s finally found someone.”
I stiffened under her hold. She spoke like we were permanent and the reminder we weren’t made me ache.
“Thank you,” I replied. “It’s nice to meet you, too. Gabby says you’re new, too...to all of this?”
“Yeah, sort of. Follow me into the kitchen. I’ve got salad and soup and bread waiting for us.” She turned and walked through a dining room. “We have to eat in the kitchen, but there’s enough space. I figured it’d be more private in case the few guests I have this weekend interrupt us. And I’m sorry I had to work at all but my manager called in sick this morning.”
She tossed me a smile over her shoulder. “And I’m babbling, I apologize for it, but it tends to happen. Jensen’s working on breaking me of it, but well, I don’t mind the punishment so it’s a failing endeavor.”
I was stunned by the blatant discussion of being punished and quickly glanced around the room to make sure no one overheard. But it was then I understood the importance of why Gabby wanted to meet and why Simon encouraged it. Already, just being introduced to these women, I knew them on a level I didn’t know many people. There was something freeing about it and it made me comfortable around them while we filled our soup bowls and salad plates.
“So tell me how you met Simon,” Haley said once we’d dug into our soup.
I paused and figured out how much truth to give her. She covered her hand in mine, and smiled. “Forgive me for being forward, it’s normally not my style—”
Gabby snorted. “Please. Remember the night we met?” She grinned at me. “I was working behind the bar at G’s, which I own, and she saw my collar. Simply pointed at it and said, ‘Is that a collar?’ Like she didn’t care at all who heard.”
“I was new and curious,” Haley muttered. “Jensen and I had just started seeing each other and I didn’t know anyone in the lifestyle other than a couple of Doms I’d talked to on Kinklife. When I saw her collar, I was shocked a slave could work.” She blushed. “Anyway, it can be overwhelming and sometimes with Jensen, I never knew which end was up. Gabby helped me a lot.”
She sounded like she experienced something so similar to what I was currently feeling, I chose honesty. “Simon used to date my sister.” Haley’s eyes widened in surprise. “Cassie and I were out celebrating my twenty-first birthday when I pointed him out to her. We were giggling over how hot he was but when he came up to us, he wanted her.”
“And you liked him?”
I shrugged, but damn it, the memory still stung. “Yeah, but I was still in college, and he was enamored with Cassie from the very beginning.”
“Why’d they break up then?”
With my ass still burning from my flogging and the plug unforgettable every time I shifted on the wood chair, the last person I wanted to talk about was Cassie. I took a few bites of soup to stall. When I couldn’t without being rude, I explained. “They dated for years and at some point, Simon tried to bring some kink into their life. Needless to say, Cassie wasn’t thrilled.” I glanced between them to see both of them looking at me with worried eyes. “She threatened to have him arrested for assault if he ever came near her again. I had overheard her telling my mom about some of it and when I questioned her, she told me everything. All I could think of was how much I wanted the stuff she seemed to hate so much.”
I explained the rest, how upset Cassie had been, but how much I’d always enjoyed seeing Simon when I came home from breaks. I might not have seen him in three years before we began this D/s relationship, but we had a relationship before. I told them all of it, all of the times he was at our house for holidays with his mom and how much fun we had, and how betrayed my dad felt toward him when Cassie was so upset and vehement he’d abused her.
Haley tilted her head. “So your family hates Simon, then?”
A weight slammed into my stomach. “Yeah. They do.”
“Well, then it’s a good thing he’s just training you, isn’t it? Do you know what kind of Dom you’re looking for after? Gabby and I could help you.”
“Um.”
“Haley, you’re oblivious,” Gabby said.
I stared at my soup. I’d suddenly lost my appetite.
“What? Oh.” Her hand covered mine again and I forced myself to look at her. “Oh, no, you’re still in love with him.”
The truth, I imagined, was branded in my expression.
Haley cringed. “I’m so sorry. What do you think you’ll do?”
God. She was so kind. No wonder why Simon liked her. She hid nothing.
“Don’t know. Finish up my time with him, deal with my heartbreak and move on like most people do.”
“Is there any way to make it work? Can you talk to your family and explain things?”
“I don’t imagine walking into my parents and saying, ‘Hey, I know Cassie hated being tied up and spanked, but I think it’s glorious so you don’t mind if Simon comes over for dinner, do you?’ would go over too well.”
Haley had the grace to blush. She poked at her salad and frowned. “Yeah, that probably sucks.”
“I don’t know,” Gabby interjected. The hope in her voice hurt almost as much as the pain I was feeling. “It’s been years since then right?” At my nod, she shrugged. “You’re an adult, Chloe. They don’t have to like it, although I’m sure with time they’d manage to deal with it.”
I tore off a chunk of bread and shoved it into my mouth. I didn’t feel hungry but I still needed food. “Yeah, I’ve considered that. We’ll see what happens, I guess.”
A heavy, almost mournful silence thickened the air, and Gabby finally broke it by sharing Luminous was having an open visitors’ night on New Year’s Eve. Dylan was planning on having live demonstrations in the social meeting room and closing off the playrooms completely. He wanted to open the doors to people curious about the lifestyle but who maybe had been too nervous to explore it. He figured News Year’s Eve, New Year resolutions and goals, would be just the push people needed. He was looking for experienced couples to provide the demonstrations, where there would be different rules, including no full nudity in order to entice the guests.
Each member was allowed to invite two friends, and my mind immediately went to anyone who’d be interested.
I came up blank, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t excited about the possibility of the night. Or the upcoming year.
Perhaps I would have a new Dom who would want to demonstrate with me.
The idea wasn’t nearly as exciting as it would have been a few weeks ago.
* * *
Gabby pulled into Simon’s driveway and grinned at me. “You remember your instructions?”
Like always, Simon had been constantly on mind, but I’d completely forgotten his instructions.
“Damn. No, I haven’t.”
“You better think quick,” she said. “What does he have?”
I described all the implements but there was one that made her smile the most. “Sex swing. Choose it. He has to be gentle with you, can’t whip you. It’s more intimate
than the others.”
“I’m not sure I can handle the intimacy anymore.”
I grabbed the handle and opened the door.
“You guys will figure it out. If it’s any consolation, Chloe, I’ve known Simon a long time. I’m guessing he joined Luminous a few years ago right after the thing with Cassie. I was mostly quiet today at lunch while you were talking because I’ve heard all about it. But with you, he’s different. And it’s a good different, so don’t give up what you want too easily.”
I slid out of the chair. I appreciated the hope but getting my hopes up too high risked them shattering at my feet in a few weeks. “Thanks, Gabby. And thanks for lunch.”
“My advice?” she said. “Be honest with him. He deserves it—not only as your Dom, but as the man you love. You hide that from him and it could make things worse. He can’t care for you like he’s supposed to if he doesn’t know what you’re feeling.”
“And if he doesn’t return them?”
She gave me a sad smile. “Then you know where you stand, and can move on to something better. But I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
I thanked her again and said my goodbyes. She waited in the driveway until I’d opened the door and waved her off.
As I shut the door behind me, I stared at the living room and tried to gain control of my breathing.
The room wasn’t quiet. In the gas fireplace, a fire had been lit, warming the large room and from the kitchen, soft music was playing. It was romantic and comfortable and did the opposite of settling me.
But I’d been given a command, and I intended to obey.
Knowing he was waiting for me, I concentrated on the task at hand, mostly, pleasing Simon.
I dropped my clutch on a table near an oversized chair that matched the couch and returned to the spot Simon had told me to be naked. I pulled off my boots, setting them up nicely and pushed down my underwear. The cotton abraded my sore ass and thighs as the underwear fell to my feet. I kicked them off and removed my dress and bra before I lost my nerve. Once I was naked, I took the time to fold and stack everything near my purse and sank to my knees.