He flicked the piece of lint onto the floor. “If you don’t follow what has been asked of you, you will be punished. If you refuse your punishment, you will be escorted from the dungeon and not allowed to return.”
Her breath became trapped in her throat, and as if he read her concern, he added, “A punishment can be a spanking with a hand or a paddle, a night spent wearing a gag, or whatever the Dom thinks is appropriate for your disobedience. But no punishment would ever exceed your limits. One thing you can count on is your punishment will be fair.” He tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling gently. “Now tell me how you feel about what I’ve told you.”
“It’s . . . well . . . I . . .” She swallowed, shifting through all the confusion coursing through her veins. Her body burned so hot that she wanted out of her skin. Her mind warned her how insane it was to agree to something that could, in fact, lead to a punishment.
After a moment, she realized the winner of the internal battle was glaringly obvious, because it was why she’d come here tonight. “God forgive me, I liked it.”
Dmitri gave her a long look before he threw his head back with laughter. Her embarrassment quickly turned to anger, and she stood so fast that the water spilled on the floor. “Stop laughing at me! This isn’t funny.”
He slowly looked at her. His eyes had darkened. He rose to his feet with a powerful grace, taking the glass from her hands, and slamming it on the end table with a clunk. “To your knees.”
In a swift move, she dropped to her knees, cringing when she connected with the hardwood floor. The second the pain eased, she realized what he’d asked and what she’d done.
Had she honestly responded to Dmitri without a single thought? Was she seriously kneeling for the man at his feet? And why had he told her to kneel? Because she snapped at him, or maybe she’d glared again? Her mind raced to understand what had happened in the last couple of seconds, but failed miserably.
Dmitri’s shiny black shoes rested in front of her, and his rich masculine scent wrapped around her. He didn’t move, nor did he say a word.
She did the only thing she thought would be appropriate in this extremely awkward moment. She whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Chapter Two
Dmitri stood over Presley and pursed his lips at the blond hair, stunned that she had dropped to her knees without asking the simple question why? Which had been exactly why he’d given her the test; he needed to see how she’d react. But he’d expected some push-back from her, as such a newbie, not her obedience, as if he’d removed the rug from beneath her.
While some Doms desired an obedient sub blindly responding, Dmitri didn’t crave a needy woman who had no guff to stand up to him; nor would he bring a spineless woman into his dungeon. He’d always been considerate of a broken woman, but his members needed to be strong-minded individuals, not the opposite.
Brushing the darker blond locks that curled at the ends over her shoulder, she looked at him, and he discovered eyelids lowered in shame. He glanced down into such a pretty face; her gorgeous emerald eyes opened and stared back at him. Her pouty mouth invited him to take kisses and demand pleasure.
He scanned over her tanned shoulders and along her gentle curves beneath her pink tank top that detailed her round breasts. He smiled when he noticed puckered nipples through her top. Skittish, maybe, but he currently had her revved high. He liked how she didn’t hide her arousal. Her heated reactions showed on her face and in her breath, and that made for a lovely submissive.
Clenching his fist, he fought the sudden urge to discover if her skin felt as soft as it looked. “Why are you sorry?”
“I . . .” Her eyes searched his, then she sighed. “I’m not sure.”
He inclined his head in approval. “That’s an honest answer, Presley.” If she’d given him any other bullshit reason, such as to obey you, he would’ve escorted her out of his house. Any woman who gave that level of submission to a stranger wasn’t a submissive who interested him. He craved a woman’s submission, but because he deserved it and they wanted to give it to him, not because they had no backbone.
It appeared that Presley held a strong desire to please him, since she’d responded, though she didn’t understand why. While she obviously had a few insecurities plaguing her, considering she took his laughter as an offense, she wasn’t an empty woman. Confused, yes. In need of guidance, definitely. But no submissive—especially a new one and at twenty-five years old—would come into the lifestyle without some baggage.
Dmitri took a seat on the couch. “Turn to me.” She scooted on her knees to face him, and he placed his feet beside her legs, caging her into his space.
He liked how she looked at him, with an enchanting innocence that he doubted she knew she possessed. Every little touch he’d made was a gentle way of testing her reactions to him, and she’d passed his assessments.
A vanilla woman didn’t shudder under the hand of a dominant man. Yes, he’d tested her a bit forcefully by sending her to her knees, but the way she heated to his touch interested him more than her response to his verbal commands.
Keeping a strong hold on her chin, he gathered her full attention. “Again, if something I do upsets you, you are to tell me with words, not angry gestures.” Her gaze clouded, going distant, and he squeezed the skin beneath his fingers. “I ordered you to your knees not because I’m upset that you’re irritated; I want you to share with me—or any Dom, for that matter—when something bothers you. But I did so because you’re not telling me why and are instead reacting aggressively.”
She looked at his knees, her brow creasing. “I don’t like being laughed at.”
“I see that.” He softened his voice to ease her apparent stress, and she peeked up at him with those wondrous eyes. “But I won’t tolerate you not simply using your voice to tell me such. Clear?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Releasing her chin, he placed his arms along the back of the couch to give her some breathing room, and he noticed her long exhale. In fact, he quite enjoyed how she looked breathing heavily through her parted lips. “Tell me why my finding amusement in you is so upsetting?”
She nibbled her lip, no doubt contemplating how truthful to be with him, and said, “I’m uncomfortable being here with you, talking about all this, and I guess it’s making me sensitive.” Her cheeks flushed a beautiful deep rose. “It seemed like you were laughing at me because I’m new.”
Dmitri enjoyed how easily she blushed. “Now, isn’t that a much better way to tell someone how you feel rather than glaring at him and spilling water on the floor?”
She laughed softly. “Definitely.”
He liked her sweet smile and found himself smiling with her. Tilting his head, he noticed her squirm under his stare. Without any doubt in his mind, Presley was a good girl, desperate to be wicked.
“I realize you’re quite unsettled. That’s all right. I wouldn’t expect otherwise, but I would never laugh at you to make fun of you. I do, however, find it amusing that you look as if the devil is going to show up because you want to indulge in the lifestyle.” He smiled gently. “So yes, doll, this amuses me. Understand?” The crease in her brow lessened, and this confident woman he found more beautiful than the earlier glaring version. “Now that I’m aware of how you perceive my amusement, I’ll restrain it.”
As he slid his finger over her warm cheek, her pupils dilated. Heat sped through his veins like liquid fire at the sheer purity of her features. Blood rushed to his cock so fast that it hardened to steel. Her blatant reactions to him were impossible to ignore, and he suspected all the Club Sin Doms would appreciate her transparency. Christ, it made him rock-hard. “I cannot read your mind, and I want you to be comfortable. You need to tell me if you’re not.”
She leaned in to his touch, clearly without thought, since she quickly straightened. “Thank you. I’ll try to remember that.”
“Excellent.” He tucked her silky hair behind her ear, then tugged on her earlobe. “That, dol
l, was an introduction to discipline.”
She blinked. “Discipline?”
After a final swipe of his finger, simply because her skin pleased him to touch, he released her. Leaning away, he settled against the couch, cursing his hard cock pressing against his zipper. “You exhibited behavior I don’t approve of for Club Sin, which is why I ordered you into a submissive posture. As in, lashing out instead of telling me what is wrong.”
He waited for her to process, and when the confusion cleared from her eyes, he continued. “I’ve corrected the behavior, and now you realize it’s not tolerated in the dungeon. That, in BDSM, is discipline. It’s the understanding of what a Dom expects from you and the rules he sets for you to follow.”
“I understand.”
He rubbed his jaw, regarding how comfortable she seemed on her knees. A telling sign of a submissive—a vanilla woman wouldn’t have gone to her knees for him, nor would she have stayed there so easily. “The other reason was to determine if you would obey the request. As it seems, you have a willingness to submit, but it’s important I hear your thoughts.”
Scooting forward on the couch, he squeezed his feet around her thighs to cage her. “Would you enjoy exploring the dungeon, Presley?” Her deep intake of breath drifted over him, causing his groin to throb. “Ah, yes, I see you would.”
“You’re right,” she whispered.
Releasing his hold on her legs, he rested his forearms on his knees, studying her. While Cora had told him that Presley wasn’t a virgin, he hadn’t dug any deeper than that, because he liked to see things for himself. “Since you have a hard time talking about all of this, I’m assuming you have little experience when it comes to sex. How many lovers have you had?”
“One.”
Some of her innocence now made sense to him. She lacked experience in vanilla sex, too. Her purity intrigued him, and he rather liked the thought of removing that innocent edge from her. Having her look at him, somewhat intimidated but also with the heat she’d been offering him, was an appealing thought. “Did this man ever try bondage or spank you?”
“My ex-boyfriend, Steven—” She groaned. “He tied me to the headboard once and spanked me a couple times while we were having . . . sex.”
Dmitri fought his smile, since she had whispered sex. He wasn’t sure what amused him more: her pinkish cheeks or the slight horror in her eyes that she was discussing this with him. “Did you enjoy that?”
She gave a halfhearted shrug. “I liked the feeling of being restrained, but it was kind of . . .”
“Bland,” he offered.
She nodded. “It didn’t do what I thought it would. I know when I think about all that stuff, I get so hot.” Her eyes went huge, her mouth had clearly run away from her, and she slapped a hand over her lips.
Dmitri dug his fingernails into his palms to refrain from laughing. Her innocence was sweet. “Go on.”
She lowered her hand, giving him a shy smile. “Whenever my ex did that kind of stuff, it seemed like he did it wrong.” She exhaled, long and deep, the blush fading from her cheeks. “I was bored out of my mind.”
Bored because you need to be dominated.
Part of Dmitri wanted to touch her or say something erotically shocking to see those crimson cheeks again. But the subject matter was too important. “Did your ex-boyfriend ever try to boss you around in the bedroom?”
“A couple of times just for fun, like role-playing, but I couldn’t help laughing at him.” Her eyes twinkled and portrayed a playfulness he thought was about as sexy as her blushes. “He looked rather silly.”
“When I commanded you to kneel, how did you feel?” He deepened his voice, since he’d seen her heated reaction to his baritone. “Did you think I was silly?”
The twinkle he spotted faded to something naughtier, something he enjoyed increasing in those eyes. “No.”
“Did it turn you on?” He caressed the side of her neck, and his abdomen tightened at how her pupils dilated further, almost shedding the green. “If I touched you intimately now, would I find you’re wet?”
A blush crept over her chest, carrying all the way up into her face. “Yes.”
“I like you that way, Presley.” Standing from the couch, he offered his hand. “Come on up. Let me get a good look at you.”
She stared at his hand before placing her thin fingers there. Once she was on her feet, Dmitri tugged her into the center of his office, then he circled her purposely slowly. “If I restrained you, would you find yourself bored?” He ran his finger along the curve of her shoulder, and she shivered beneath his touch, igniting an equal burn in his groin.
“No,” she rasped.
Trailing his finger down the side of her cami, he inhaled the vanilla scent of her shampoo and stroked along her lower back. “Would you be amused if I told you to strip so I could take my pleasure in you?” She froze, her breath hitching. He walked in front of her, noting that she didn’t blink. “I asked you a question, Presley. You are to answer me.”
Her breath whooshed between her parted lips. “I wouldn’t be amused.”
Images of her panting and moaning while Dmitri pumped into her filled his mind, making his cock ache. Moving his fingers along her collarbone, he then trailed up her smooth neck, decorated with freckles. “Would you become aroused?”
Her eyelids fluttered closed, and when he removed his touch, she wobbled on her feet, snapping her eyes open. “Yes.”
“Very good,” he crooned. Dmitri moved away from her when she swayed, sucking in deep breaths, and he took a step back to give her space. He had coerced responses from her to acknowledge her submissive desires, confirming to him that she reacted under the touch of a dominant man, but he needed her clearheaded now.
“My rules are strict in regards to documentation. You cannot enter the dungeon without an STD test and a police check, so you will need to obtain those. Once you acquire all the necessary documents, you will need to sign the dungeon’s agreement, too.”
The pretty blush filled her cheeks, even darker now. “Right. Cora had mentioned something about that.”
“I’m glad she prepared you.” Realizing his normal procedure wouldn’t work for Presley, he had to improvise. If he made her wait the two weeks to obtain the reports, she’d be a mess of confusion and nerves. He strode over to his desk, grabbed his good friend Mary’s business card from his drawer, and approached Presley, drawn by those lovely nerves and anticipation.
He couldn’t remember a time he’d ever allowed into the dungeon a submissive who not only had no experience but couldn’t even think of sex without turning crimson. Typically, he wouldn’t have welcomed someone so skittish not only because of the time it took to train her; a wary sub also meant one not willing to push on limits. No Dom should be proud of a submissive pulling a safe word, and he wouldn’t set Club Sin Doms up for failure because a sub was too shy or too nervous.
Once he settled in front of her, she angled her head back, gazing up at him with heat. That was why, for Presley, he would make an exception. All this shyness conflicted with the sizzling stares.
She lacked experience, seemed intimidated by him, but without a doubt, was looking for sexual freedom. Seeing her discomfort, he thought she was brave for showing up in the first place, and that bravery he’d reward. He offered her the card. “I’ll contact Dr. Schmidt in the morning to tell her you’re coming. Are you free tomorrow at noon?”
Presley accepted the card, examining the plain white paper with black writing. “Yes, I’m going home to visit my family later this week, leaving on Wednesday, so that works. You’re sure the doctor won’t mind?”
He shook his head. “She’ll take you on her lunch hour and will give you the exam needed for the dungeon; plus, she’ll put a rush on the results.” As the unease deepened on her features, he gave her a small smile. “Mary is a good friend and will do this as a favor to me.”
Her eyes softened. “Oh, okay.”
He thought her sweet for caring a
nd found himself wanting to find out more about her. “As for the police report, would you mind if I used a friend to obtain it? One of Club Sin’s members works for the police force and can get your report by Friday instead of the typical two weeks.”
She hesitated, and he liked that she considered having someone invade her privacy and didn’t hurry her answer. “Yes, that’s fine. Do I need to pick it up at the police station?”
“If you’re agreeable, I can have the document delivered to me.” He waited for her nod before he closed the distance between them. He leaned down to her face and he loved how her breath grew raspy. He craved to rub his hard cock against her thigh. Fighting against that desire, he stroked her cheekbone, enjoying how she pressed her cheek into his hand. “That’s a lovely thing for a sub to do.”
Using her reaction to urge him on and perhaps even his own curiosity, he pressed his lips against her cheek. She jolted as if she’d been electrocuted, and her loud gasp simmered over him in an invitation.
Too bad he had to refuse her obvious request, even if he wanted to take her up on it. Not until she signed the dungeon’s agreement would he go any further with her. Besides, he had to wonder what it was that aroused her. Him, or thoughts of the dungeon, or was she this responsive to any man? Questions he discovered he wanted to find out answers to. He slid his mouth from her cheek until his lips rested nearly on hers, and he whispered, “Now you go home, Presley.”
He pulled away from her and she blinked, staring at him as if she didn’t see him, and her eyes were glossy. No doubt her first few nights at Club Sin would leave her in a similar state—totally unraveled.
The thought amused him. Little bundle of nerves one minute and soft aroused woman the next. A combination that appealed to him far more than he thought it ought to.
After another blink, she turned, and Dmitri grinned after her as she dragged her feet toward the door. The sweetheart had a similar effect on him, making his muscles twitch to go grab her and bring her back to him. “On Friday, you’re to arrive here at seven o’clock with your documentation from Dr. Schmidt.”
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