by Cara Adams
“The sense of smell is very important. It lets people know how excited and aroused the others around them are. Greg can recognize my scent instantly so he knows I’m close to him. Likely he knows your scent as well, so if I stood you behind him and asked you to paddle his ass he’d know it was you before you touched him. Not because of your inexperienced technique, but he’d smell you first, as soon as you took up your position. That would spoil the surprise of you paddling him. He would have already known you were there.
“Without scent the sense of taste becomes more important but since we’ve never licked your skin Greg doesn’t know your taste, so removing it from him right now has no meaning for him. But it can be a powerful tool once scent and taste are embedded in a person’s mind. Once a man has licked your cunt and brought you screaming to pleasure, the threat to remove the sense of taste from him would be potent indeed.”
Nevertheless Hadrian took out the ball gag and pushed it into Greg’s mouth. He wanted Ivory to think about it. To imagine what it’d feel like to have a ball gag in her own mouth, preventing her from speaking or tasting anyone.
Next Hadrian cuffed Greg’s wrists. Greg had been standing quite still, making no attempt to interfere in Hadrian’s talk, but nonetheless Hadrian needed Ivory to see the handcuffs and think about them.
“Touch. When people make love, touch is an incredibly important part of the process. Holding a partner in your arms, touching and petting them even if it’s just on the arms or the hair, not at all sexual, is still very powerful. As humans we need the closeness that touch can bring. Hugs, even platonic ones, are an important part of how we communicate with each other. By denying the sense of touch, the person is reliant on fewer and fewer means of defining his universe.
“And finally sound.” Hadrian took the last item out of the bag, a pair of heavy duty ear protectors, and slipped them on Greg’s head.
“We have now effectively removed all of Greg’s senses. Not quite, because he still has skin to feel air movement, and if there were any deep noises, he might feel them through the floor. But for our purposes he now knows nothing of what will happen. In a Dom/sub relationship, that person would now be on a knife-edge of excitement trying to work out what would happen next. The sub would be thinking about all the scenes their Dom had enacted with them in the past and wondering what would happen next. The sub would know what they liked, and the way their Dom was likely to think. This was what I was trying to explain to you, Ivory. At least half of the power of the scene is in the sub’s mind. As the sub stands there patiently waiting for her Dom to do something, all her nerves are on fire as she tries to imagine and to guess what will happen next.”
Hadrian gave one last look at Ivory and then began removing the toys from Gregory. He took the clothespin off his friend’s nose first, then the ear protectors, and one by one put all the toys back in the cotton bag. Finally he nodded to Greg who went and sat on his bed.
“Thank you, Greg and Hadrian. I think I do understand. I can picture how exciting the not knowing could be, especially with the trust built up between the Dom and the sub. The sub trusts the Dom to have planned a scene she’ll like. But because she can’t guess what it’ll be there’s a heightened awareness and greater receptivity to whatever might occur.”
Hadrian crossed the room and stood right in Ivory’s personal space, making her tilt her head right back to look in his face.
“And is that what you want, Ivory? Do you want two men to love you like that? Two men to possess you completely, bringing you intense pleasure? A Dom of your own who will know everything about you and plan scenes designed only for you?”
Ivory jumped up and stood beside the chair. “I need to think about it a bit more, but I definitely appreciate you explaining it to me.”
The door opened and Ivory left, silently closing the door behind her.
“Fucking hell!” Hadrian dropped the bag of toys onto his bed. “What was that you said about nailing Jell-O to the wall? That’s Ivory exactly.”
* * * *
Ivory had been within a hair’s breadth of flinging herself into the men’s arms and demanding they fuck her. Her panties were soaked with her honey and her heart pounded with lust. That little scene had sent her libido right into the red zone. Hell yes she wanted that experience for herself.
She was walking slowly back to her cabin, deep in thought when Tegan and another of the security guards came up to her. “Ivory, why are you alone? It’s not good for the women to be walking around alone.”
“Huh? It’s okay, Tegan, I’m fine.”
“Yes, but listen to me please, and don’t walk around alone. Jayden and I will escort you. Where are you going?”
“Just back to my cabin. It’s not far. I’m fine.” Ivory got the feeling Tegan wasn’t listening. Tegan and Jayden walked at her speed right beside her. Ivory stopped. There’d been a passel of security around the barbecue and she hadn’t believed Dorothea for as much as a second when she said it was because wolves were protective.
“Why is there so much security everywhere tonight?”
“Security is always here, twenty-four-seven. Our job is to look after everyone.”
“And we’re certainly grateful for that, but tonight there’s way more security guards than normal. Why?”
“You know male wolves. They never can resist a barbecue,” said Tegan.
Now she knew Tegan was deliberately misleading her. Tegan was usually very informative and helpful. Ivory could only assume there was some problem either happening, or anticipated, or possibly just feared. She started walking again and was content to be escorted back to her cabin.
Ebony wasn’t there, but then Ebony had been coming home quite late the last couple of nights. Ivory guessed she was busy getting to know the two men she liked much better. Ivory liked Benedict and Merek, and it seemed Ebony liked them even better than she did. Well, maybe she would give Hadrian and Gregory some more thought herself.
Ivory closed the drain and turned the hot water on in the tub. She collected her shampoo and conditioner, and her favorite bath crystals, and added her nail polish remover to the pile of things on the side of the tub. There was no reason why she couldn’t do some girl stuff while she was thinking.
She dumped a thick sprinkling of crystals into the water and then sat down, not turning the faucet off until the water was only an inch or two below the lip of the tub. Ivory rested her head on the edge and closed her eyes thinking about what she’d seen that evening in the men’s cabin.
Watching Hadrian demonstrate what he was talking about on Greg had brought it to life for her. Every time he’d spoken she could imagine what he said being done to her. Gradually having all her senses taken away one by one, making her rely ever more heavily on the remaining ones, until she was completely helpless and had to trust her Dom.
That was what she wanted. She longed for a Dom who would put her pleasure first. Who would do all the thinking and planning for her in the bedroom so all she needed to do was trust him. But that was a lot of trust. She’d trusted a man once before and he’d let her down. Of course she’d been much younger then, but how did she know her powers of discernment had improved? What if she trusted Hadrian and he let her down as well?
On the other hand, right here and right now was the best and safest opportunity she’d ever have. Every man here had to prove his suitability to be mated by passing tests and to come with a recommendation from his Alpha. Test answers could be learned and results faked, and Alphas could possibly be bribed or the results tampered with. But it was hard to imagine all those things would be done for one man.
The only way she could imagine a less than worthy man passing the tests was if he’d faked the tests or stolen the results and his Alpha was so desperate to get females into his pack that he’d vouch for anyone who passed the test even if they weren’t a good guy.
Yet still, the man or men had to have behaved themselves appropriately for the past three days. That was a long time fo
r a bad guy to wait patiently without trying to convince a woman to mate him.
Ugh! All this was so difficult. How was a person supposed to know what to do?
Ivory sat up in the tub and removed her fingernail polish which had started to chip. She shampooed her hair, rinsed off the shampoo, and then covered her hair with conditioner. She opened the drain just a fraction to let some water out.
It was no use tying herself in knots over the theory. The simple question was, did she trust Hadrian and Greg or not?
Unable to relax she left the drain open and turned the shower on, rubbing her hair vigorously and then rinsing all the conditioner away.
Twenty minutes later she was curled up in her bed. What she needed to do was plan a test to give Greg and Hadrian. Something that would clearly tell her if she could trust them nor not.
* * * *
Each morning Ivory and her sister Ebony taught three dance classes. The first one, at nine, was for those needing more practice with steps. The second one, at ten, was a faster, more advanced class for people comfortable with dance steps and looking for more of a challenge. The final class, at eleven, was set about halfway between the two with a moderate pace but more intricate steps. Each class lasted forty-five minutes with the remaining fifteen minutes needed to give the existing class time to leave and the next people to assemble.
The classes had swelled from around sixty people to about ninety attending now, some of them remaining for all three sessions and treating the classes more as a workout than actual dancing. Ivory was fine with that, although it amused her to see Ebony’s men, Ben and Merek, and the two men who’d expressed an interest in her, Hadrian and Greg, were among those who attended all three classes each day.
She and Ebony had taught their classes, returned to the cabin and showered and changed, and now were walking back to the main building for lunch.
“The classes are doing really well with the Lindy Hop. I wasn’t sure how they’d go learning all those new steps,” said Ebony.
Ivory grinned at her sister. “It helps that the wolves are so competitive. As soon as some of them mastered the steps, the rest tried twice as hard. But what surprised me was that even the nine o’clock class has insisted on doing it. They’re all determined to dance it on the final night. It should be fun watching them.”
“Let’s do that. Let’s refuse to dance ourselves and watch everyone else,” said Ebony.
Ivory high-fived her. “It’s a deal.”
“Which snack bar do you want to choose your lunch from today?” asked Ebony.
“I was thinking the build your own sandwich place. There are so many choices I don’t think a week will be long enough to try out all the things I like. But everything’s nice if you’d prefer we go somewhere else.”
“No. I like the sandwiches as well. I was thinking egg with some salad ingredients.”
“That sounds good.” Ivory smiled. Ebony was just thirteen months older than her and they’d always done everything together. They thought alike on so many things. They even worked together in a fitness center and dance studio. Many people would think after working together all day the last things they’d do is spend their free time together but Ivory couldn’t imagine not having her sister nearby and talking to her every day.
She knew that was one of things that worried Ebony about finding a mate here at this party. Since the wolves had come from all over Ohio and the nearby states, as well as some from a few more distant places, it was quite likely that they’d marry and live a long way apart. That was going to be a huge change for both of them. She wouldn’t even have considered such a future without the options of Skype and teleconferencing. Not to mention Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. But leaving Ebony would leave a huge hole in her life. That was just another reason for her to be absolutely certain about the men she chose. They had to be friends and companions as well as husbands and lovers.
With their sandwiches and coffee in hand, Ivory and Ebony chose a seat at one of the small tables just outside the building.
“It’s too nice to stay inside. Do you mind if I join you?” asked a young woman with a wild mop of brown curls flying around her face.
“Of course you can. Please sit down. You’re the florist, aren’t you?” asked Ebony.
“That’s right. I’m Heather. I work at Hanson Mall. Marbella talked me in to coming here.”
“Marbella? She was the one who convinced us to come here as well,” said Ebony.
Heather shook her head, her curls bouncing everywhere. “Marbella is five foot three, she’d be lucky to weigh one hundred thirty pounds soaking wet and every ounce of it is muscle. But trying to change her mind is a lost cause. It’s much easier just to agree with what she wants.”
All three of them giggled as they opened their lunches and began to eat.
“Your Alpha must have been insanely clever to think of building a mall. That is the most amazing, awesome idea I’ve ever heard,” said Ivory.
“Well, it was the previous Alpha who used the pack lands to build the mall. But he was dead smart. He got all the local shopkeepers to take a space in the mall so if anyone nearby wanted to shop they had to come to his mall. He’s been gone for a while though. The new Alpha, Cadfael Hanson, has extended and improved the mall. It’s a good place to be. I’m not a wolf though.”
“Neither are we, although our father is. Our mom is human. How did you come to know about shape-shifters?” asked Ebony.
“I’m one hundred percent human, not even half like you. I just noticed there was no florist in the mall. I’d only recently finished my training and was working for a big company, hoping to save up enough to get a loan and buy a franchise. When I went into the mall one day and saw it had no florist, I marched into the professional suites and demanded an interview with the managing director.”
“Wow! That was incredibly brave of you,” said Ebony.
“Or possibly stupid. Fortunately the appointment was made for a week later so I had time to think about what I wanted to say and write down a business plan. And then, we met at the café in the zoo and spent most of the time walking around the animals. It was the weirdest interview I could ever have imagined but I was given a six-month trial, which extended to a year, and three years later I’m still there and doing okay.”
Ivory was entranced with Heather’s dedication and purpose. They talked and ate and time sped by.
“Are you going to date the big man with black hair? He’s always gazing at you,” Heather asked Ivory.
“Probably.”
Suddenly Ivory had a painful thought. While she’d been trying to make up her mind, had Heather fallen in love with Hadrian?
“Unless you—if you want—”
Heather laughed. “No, no, no, that’s not what I meant at all. But thank you for offering to share. I’ve just seen the way he looks at you and sometimes I wish a man would look at me like that, too.”
“If a man here has half a brain, he’ll want you,” said Ebony.
“Does he really look at me like that? I never knew,” added Ivory.
“Yes, he does. He’s not from a pack around here, is he?”
“Both Hadrian and Gregory work at the shape-shifter clinic, Thorne House, but they were both lone wolves. Hadrian originally came from Wyoming.”
“Wyoming? Really? Where?”
“A place called the Wind River Mountains. I’d never heard of it before.”
“The Wind River Mountains? I’ve heard of it. That’s where Lewis came from. Lewis Bowen. He’s just recently mated Dakota and Andreas, people from the Hanson Mall pack.”
“I wonder if Hadrian knows Lewis then. He said the pack was really tiny. He also mentioned two men a fair bit older than him leaving the pack when he was a teenager to find mates.”
“Lewis wouldn’t be one of them. He’d be younger than Hadrian, I’m sure.”
Ivory spoke slowly trying to remember exactly what Hadrian had said. “There was one younger man, but I got t
he impression he was still a boy. Likely those mountains are a whole lot bigger than I thought. There are probably half a dozen packs there. However, I’ll mention his name to Hadrian. Lewis Bowen you said.”
Heather nodded and stood up. “My lunch break is over. It was great talking to you both, but I really need to get back to the stall.”
“Have a nice afternoon.”
“It was good chatting with you.”
* * * *
Greg had developed a plan of dealing with the evening parties. Both Ivory and Ebony danced every dance, usually with a different person for every dance. Greg supposed as the dance teachers that might even be in their contract. Or maybe they just liked dancing. Dance teachers probably did like to dance. Although they danced with all different people, not just the best dancers. Which was good news for him.
Notwithstanding the fact that Dorothea had shanghaied him and Hadrian into her dance display on the first night, dancing wasn’t really his best sport. Or even his tenth best sport. Which was why the three classes each morning were good for him. Even this new stuff they were learning for the final night, with Truckins and Suzie Qs and Twists, and god knew what. At least he was finally getting a grip on it all.
Anyway, tonight he’d see if she’d dance several times with him instead of only asking her for one dance. Unfortunately tonight’s party was a disco theme, so he mightn’t even get to hold her as they danced. But he’d figure out something.
Dorothea had done an amazing job on the program. Every night had been different. There’d been different bands, different entertainment, even different decorations. No one could complain there wasn’t plenty of variety and the chance to find something to like on each night.
Greg was also looking forward to seeing Ivory in a dress again, hopefully a nice short one tonight with plenty of her skin exposed. She danced really well no matter what she was wearing. But the sight of her in a dress was special. The sight of her bare skin would be even better. After all, she’d seen him totally naked so surely him getting his hands on her skin was fair.