“I-I need to go, Daddy. I should get to bed.”
“What? Oh, ahh, yeah I guess I should too. You sure you’re okay?”
No, no she really wasn’t. But her father didn’t need to be burdened with that as well. She’d brought enough worry into his life.
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t need to come home?”
Was that a tinge of hope in his voice? Probably just wishful thinking on her part. “I’m fine, Daddy. It was just a shock, you know? I never thought he’d end up dead.”
“He probably pissed off the wrong people with that smart mouth of his. Put this all out of your mind, midgie. He doesn’t deserve another second of your thoughts.”
If only it were that simple “You’re right. He doesn’t. ‘Night, Daddy.”
“‘Night, Tilly.”
Chapter Three
Tilly opened the door to her apartment on Saturday night with what she hoped was a convincing smile. The look of concern that crossed Dylan’s face told her that she’d failed to fool him.
“What’s wrong?” he said, stepping inside. She moved back to let him in.
“Wrong? What do you mean?”
He clasped her shoulders and turned her to face him, staring down at her with a mix of concern and firmness.
“You’re pale and you look stressed. Haven’t you been sleeping?”
She cleared her throat. “I’ve had a bit of trouble.”
He just waited quietly. Tilly took a deep breath. She could tell him some of it. Maybe it would help scrub the images she had in her head of Javier being stabbed.
“Shouldn’t we get to the club?” she asked.
Dylan shook his head. “That can wait. What’s going on?”
“Last night I found out that someone I knew died.”
He drew in a sharp breath before taking a seat on the sofa and pulling her onto his lap. “Tilly, I’m so sorry. That’s awful. Was it someone close? What happened?”
She shook her head. “We weren’t close. Not anymore. It was my ex.”
“Your ex? The one who abused you?” he asked sharply. “He was a Dom?”
“I’ve never dated a Dom. Rory started the rumor that I was abused by my former Dom.”
“Why would she do that?”
Because she was a complete bitch. Tilly bit back that answer. Rory had been kicked out of the club and Tilly had been grateful to see her go.
“I think she was hoping to scare everyone away from playing with me. If they pitied me, then they wouldn’t be interested in me.”
And it had worked, to some extent. Some of the Doms had steered clear of her once they’d heard the rumor.
“Why didn’t you try to dispute the rumor?”
“Ever tried to fight a rumor?” she asked. “Usually it just makes everything worse. I figured if I just left it alone then it would lose steam and people would forget. My roommate, Taylor, introduced me to BDSM. He was a good friend, but that’s all. Neither of us were looking for anything more. When he moved to Dallas, I was at a bit of a loss. That’s when I heard about the opportunity at Club Decadence.”
His gaze narrowed. “When you first came to the club you were so quiet and shy. Scared. You were friendly with everyone, but if someone tried to get too close, you would shut down. That’s why I waited so long to ask you out. I figured you needed some time after getting out of an abusive relationship.”
“You should have seen me when I first moved here. I was scared of my own shadow. My ex was very controlling. We started going out when I was seventeen. As soon as I graduated high school, I moved in with him. The two years I lived with him were terrible.”
“He hit you?” Dylan’s face grew dark.
She shook her head. “No, he never hit me.”
Dylan ran his hand up and down her back. “Tell me what he did.”
“I really don’t want to,” she said, looking down at her hands which were clenched into fists. She didn’t want to bring up those old demons.
“Okay, baby, it’s all right. You don’t have to.” Dylan hugged her close and she realized there were tears dripping down her face. She buried her face against his neck.
She was hiding again. Taylor had tried to help her with this, tried to get her to open up. But Tilly had always hidden from things that really scared her.
Maybe now was the time to be brave. She pulled away to stare up at him.
“He used to call me fat all the time,” she confessed in a whisper. “That’s why I have such issues with the way I look. He’d tell me I needed to diet. He had this list…” she swallowed, unable to go on.
“List?”
Licking her lips, she lowered her gaze in shame. “A list of things I had to improve on. I had to slim down my thighs, tighten my ass, do stomach crunches. I had to learn to cook well, to be a proper wife, to be more obedient.”
Dylan swore harshly and she glanced up at him in surprise.
“Asshole.”
“Oh, that’s not the worst of it.” Was she really going to tell him this? “He put the list on the fridge door. Every time his friends came over…” She swallowed heavily, unable to continue.
“Shh, Tilly. It’s okay. You’re all right. Shh.” Dylan just held her. Finally, she sat up and took in some deep breaths.
“Sorry,” she said hoarsely.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he told her. “You know that was all bullshit, don’t you? You’re absolutely beautiful. He was just a fuckwad who was trying to bring you down.”
“Logically I know all of that. It’s just sometimes my old insecurities rear up, you know?”
“I understand. But I’m going to be reminding you just how beautiful you are every chance I get until one day those ugly thoughts are completely gone from your head.”
She clasped his face in her hands and leaning in, kissed him. “Thank you.”
“You’re most definitely welcome.”
“I can’t quite believe he’s dead. It’s going to take a while to sink in. He was so charming in the beginning. It was just small things at first. He’d criticize my clothes or my hair or my friends. By the time I figured out what he was doing, I couldn’t see a way out. Things got to the point where he didn’t let me leave the house without him. I wasn’t to call anyone or let anyone in that he hadn’t already approved of.”
“What about your family? What did they think of him?”
“They didn’t like him. But at the time my brothers were living somewhere else or busy. They all tried to talk me out of moving in with him, but I thought I was in love.” She snorted.
He clasped her face in his hands. “You were just a kid and he took advantage of you. He’s the one at fault. Not you.”
She was silent for a long moment before she nodded. “I know. You know, I’ve had enough of talking about him. Shall we head to the club?”
Dylan studied her. “Are you sure you want to go tonight? We could just stay here and watch a movie. I’m happy with whatever you want to do.”
Could he and Javier be any different?
“No, I want to do this. I’ve been looking forward to it all week. I’m not going to allow him to take anything more from me.”
“Brave girl,” he said admiringly. “All right, let’s go.”
***
Tilly took a deep breath in to calm her nerves. Her phone rang as she placed it in one of the lockers in the dressing room of Club Decadence. She took a glimpse at the number but didn’t recognize it. With a shrug, she stuck it in the locker without answering. Probably a wrong number.
She checked her appearance one last time, making sure there was no lipstick on her teeth or toilet paper stuck to her shoe. She was dressed as Dylan d requested in a short, black skirt and her red corset. The corset sucked in her stomach and made her waist appear smaller. Her breasts spilled out the top.
“You look hot,” Tara told her as she stood next to her, fixing her long hair into a braid.
“Yeah?”
&
nbsp; “Yep.”
“If I was into girls I’d definitely go for your curvy body,” Reagan added. The tall blonde stood on her other side.
“Okay, wish me luck,” Tilly said nervously.
“Luck,” Tara said, blowing her a kiss. “Just go out there and have fun. Let yourself go and stop worrying about everything.” Tara knew her too well.
“I don’t believe in luck,” Reagan said. “You make your own luck, so go out there and get what you want.”
“All right, I’ll try.”
As she stepped into the main area of the club, she saw Dylan standing there, patiently waiting. A slow grin appeared on his face as he ran his gaze over her body. He held out a hand and she took hold, letting him pull her toward him. Leaning down, he kissed the curve of her neck.
Tilly shivered.
“You look sexy,” he whispered. “Of course, you’d look hot in a potato sack.”
“Thank you, Sir,” she said. She held out the locker key to him. “Would you take care of this for me?”
He took the key. “Of course. Come,” he commanded and moved through the club. She followed him, her hand held tightly in his. She was uncomfortably aware of everyone staring at them. By the time Dylan came to a stop, she was feeling tense and embarrassed.
As soon as Dylan turned towards Tilly he knew something was wrong. Her shoulders were hunched and her face held a guarded look. Over the last week, she had really opened up to him. He’d made certain to touch base with her at least once a day. What the hell had happened in the last five minutes to make her shut down on him?
He gazed around the room and noticed how many people were watching them. Nosy bastards. Unless he could get her to trust in him enough to shut her brain off for a while he knew that tonight could end up disastrous.
Dylan swept her into his arms and kissed her thoroughly. She felt stiff and uncertain, but gradually relaxed against him. He pulled back and cupped her face.
“I want all your attention on me tonight. Can you do that for me, Tilly?”
She blinked and studied him for a long moment then she took a deep breath. “I can try.”
Dylan ran his thumb over her cheek. “They’re only staring because you look so hot.” He drew his hand down over her shoulders to where the top of her breasts were pushed up and over the corset. She shivered as he caressed her skin with his thumb. He rested his other hand on her hip, holding her steady.
“They’re nosy.”
His lips twitched. “That too.”
“I don’t want to disappoint you,” she whispered, getting to the heart of things.
“The only way you could disappoint me is if you shut me out. Do you still want to do this?” He hoped he wasn’t wrong to give her a choice, but this had to be up to her.
“Yes.”
His heart skipped a beat in relief.
“We’ll operate on a traffic light system, okay?”
Her shoulders relaxed as she nodded gratefully. They’d spoken last night about her hard and soft limits. He knew what was in the contract she’d signed when she’d joined the club, but he’d wanted to go over them to see if anything had changed.
“Then step back and raise your arms.” She stood under the chain that was secured to the ceiling and raised her arms. The soft leather cuffs attached to the end of the chain were fastened around her wrists.
“Spread your legs.” She widened her legs and he placed a spreader bar between them. He fastened the cuffs attached at each end of the spreader bar around her ankles.
“How are you?”
“Green, Sir.”
“Good girl.” Cupping her face between his hands, he kissed her. Gently at first, he kept the kiss soft and light. When her lips parted, he deepened the kiss, clasping her tight against him. She was so small and delicate, particularly in comparison to him. He knew he had to go slow. The last thing he wanted was to scare her off. His size intimidated a lot of people, but he wanted her to see him as protective, not aggressive.
Stepping back, he ran his hands down her raised arms and over her sides. Reaching under her skirt, he grasped hold of her ass firmly. She gasped and arousal filled her gaze. Hmm, something to consider.
He cupped her warm pussy. She wasn’t wearing any underwear, just as he’d ordered.
“Good girl,” he told her as he pressed down on her clit with his hand, rubbing back and forth. “Are you getting wet for me, Tilly?” He didn’t intend for them to have sex tonight, she wasn’t ready for that. But she would be finding pleasure in his arms, that was for damn sure.
Tilly flushed, but bravely met his gaze. “Yes, Sir.”
He grinned and gently split her lower lips apart with his fingers before lazily running a finger up and down her slit. Moisture coated the digit quickly. He brought his finger to his mouth and sucked. Slowly, he undid the top of her corset.
“Where are you at, Tilly?” he asked as he slowly pulled one breast free. Her nipple was puckered and he blew on it softly, making her groan.
“G-green, Sir.”
“You tell me if that changes.” He freed the other breast. They were firm, round and tipped with dark brown nipples. He took one nipple into his mouth, sucking on it before flicking it with the tip of his tongue. He plucked at the other nipple with his fingers until he heard her whimper.
Glancing up, he took in her glazed look with satisfaction. She wasn’t worrying about who was watching them anymore.
Dylan kissed his way over her breasts, up her neck to take her mouth with his once more. Reaching around, he tucked her skirt up, leaving her ass bare.
Moving behind her, he rubbed her round ass. He knew she thought it too round and large, but he thought her ass was damn sexy.
“I intend to have this ass one day,” he whispered in her ear.
She shivered.
“Does that turn you on, Tilly?”
“Yes,” she replied so quietly he could barely hear her.
“Me too.” He pressed against her, letting her feel how hard he was.
“Has anyone ever had your ass?” he asked.
“No, Sir.”
Pleasure filled him. “Good.”
He smacked his hand down on her butt, slowly warming her up. He paused after a few smacks to just take in the sight of her, bound and waiting on his pleasure. He slapped his hand against her soft bottom, loving the way she jolted then groaned.
When her ass was bright red, he picked up a flogger.
“Where are you at, Tilly?”
“Green, Sir,” she replied.
Dylan twirled the strands of the flogger over her skin before flicking it down against her butt. He worked his way slowly down her thighs and legs. By the time he dropped the flogger a sheen of sweat was coating her skin. He grabbed a leather paddle, giving each of her ass cheeks a firm smack.
“Tilly?” he asked, checking in with her.
“Green, Sir. Green for go. Green as grass. Green like Kermit the Frog.”
He bit back a laugh.
“That just earned you five more.”
She shuddered.
He covered both cheeks with the paddle this time, loving the way she groaned. Using slow, measured strokes he savored each smack of the paddle.
“Green, Sir,” she murmured as he finished, putting the paddle down. He lowered her skirt over her red ass.
Dylan chuckled. “I think you’ve had enough tonight, babe.”
She let out a low moan of protest, but he wasn’t letting her sway him. This thing between them had been building for a long time and he wasn’t about to rush it. Slow and steady would win him her heart. He was in this for the long run, not just a short, happy sprint.
Dylan untied her ankles then her wrists. He tucked her slumped body against his, holding her tight and breathing in the sweet scent of her. His cock protested the need to wait, throbbing painfully. Drawing on all of his self-control, he ignored his pounding need and sweeping her up into his arms, carried her over to one of the small aftercare areas.<
br />
Laying her on the sofa on her side, he grabbed a soft blanket from the back of the sofa and placed it over her. Crouching down, he pushed her hair back off her face and kissed her gently.
“Stay here, I’m going to go clean up and then I’ll be right back.”
She nodded sleepily.
Dylan moved as quickly as he could. But he obviously wasn’t fast enough because when he returned he found her fast asleep.
***
Tilly was absolutely mortified. She couldn’t believe she had fallen asleep. She snuck a glance over at Dylan. He didn’t seem angry, but he had been pretty quiet during the drive home. She’d woken up as he’d carried her out of the club. She was wrapped in a blanket, thank God, since her boobs were still hanging free.
He must have asked Tara or one of the other women to grab her stuff from the locker room because after he’d deposited her in the front seat, he’d placed her backpack at her feet.
“Have you changed your mind about me disappointing you?” she asked.
Dylan glanced over at her quickly, and then back to the road. Reaching over, he grabbed her hand.
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep and ruin tonight.”
“You did not ruin tonight,” he said firmly. “And I am definitely not disappointed.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
He pulled up outside her building then undid her seatbelt and tugged her across the bench seat and onto his lap. She wasn’t sure she would ever get used to how easily he moved her around. Like she weighed nothing. She guessed that was the advantage of having arms like tree trunks.
Dylan kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m sure. You were obviously tired. I like that you trust me enough to let me take care of you. Now, give me a proper kiss then let’s get you inside.”
She kissed him. Tentatively at first, but she gained more confidence as he made small sounds of encouragement. When she pulled back, his eyes were heavy-lidded as he gazed down at her.
As they walked into her apartment, her cell phone rang. Who would be calling her this late? She pulled out her phone. Unknown number.
Sinfully Yours, Sir Page 3