Sanctum

by Lexi Blake

  He took a deep breath because he would very likely cause gossip if he did what he wanted to do. Yep, twisting Miles’s perfectly coiffed head off his body with his bare hands and then playing around in his blood would very likely get him in some trouble with the owners.

  Jumping him later in the parking lot was a better idea. He wouldn’t kill him. Just break his kneecaps so he would remember to keep his fucking hands off Ryan’s sub.

  He forced himself to talk. “Does anyone have any questions before we get started?”

  He wouldn’t be able to do it. How the hell was he supposed to watch Miles spank Jillian? He knew Adam was telling the truth. He had no sexual interest in her. It was blatantly obvious to anyone who saw him with his wife that he was madly in love, but he was younger than Ryan. Adam was successful. What if Jillian had a thing for him? She’d practically jumped over a table to get to him.

  Jeff held up a hand. “We’ve been playing at home a little. I think I might be spanking her too hard. She’s fair skinned and she moves around a lot. Her skin gets so red.”

  The sub at his feet looked down. Ryan noted that Jeff immediately set his hand on her hair and began to stroke her. He gently guided her head to his lap and whispered something to her that had her clinging sweetly to him.

  This was a problem he could solve. “You just don’t have the proper training. I assure you that if you use the correct technique, you won’t leave a mark on her. Does she enjoy the spanking?”

  Jeff nodded down, giving his sub permission to speak.

  “I think so,” she replied quietly. She kept her eyes averted. “I don’t mind it. Sometimes I think it feels good.”

  An idea played in his head. A sweet, slightly manipulative idea. Jillian was fair. Her skin was practically porcelain, so smooth and soft. And she’d loved spankings. Why should Adam Miles get the pleasure of spanking her? What had he done to deserve it? He got to go home every night to his submissive, his wife. He got warmth and comfort, and Ryan got a crappy apartment that would have fit into his old bathroom. And he stayed there alone. Always alone. He’d been alone since the moment he’d let her go.

  What if he could have just another moment with her? They were both here. He was a Dom. She was a sub. Maybe she was as lonely as he was.

  “I’ll show you. Jillian, I need a partner. Please come join me.”

  Chapter Three

  She stopped, her heart threatening to cease its intended function. “What?”

  Ryan was standing there, a chair at his side. He looked so tall, imposing, sexy as hell. And he couldn’t have said what she thought he’d just said.

  “If you wouldn’t mind joining me,” he offered. “You made yourself available for use when you took Miles up on his offer. You’re not wearing a collar. I require a submissive for training purposes.”

  What he wasn’t saying was that part of her contract gave him this right. She ran the bar, but she was also available for training purposes until such time as her status as an uncollared sub changed. Only Ryan, Ian Taggart and Alex McKay had rights to train, but she’d never dreamed Ryan would claim them.

  “Go on, sweetie.” Adam winked down at her. All the subs loved Adam because he was a big old softie, and getting through this training class wouldn’t change him. “For all the hell I give him, I hear he’s actually a great guy. He won’t hurt you.”

  Not physically. Nope. He would never do that. Now casually ripping her heart out of her body and tossing it around like a football—that was another story.

  Everyone was looking at her. She was brutally aware that if she didn’t get her ass up quickly, it would make Ryan look bad. It would make her look bad.

  She got to her feet though her knees suddenly felt a little wobbly. This hadn’t gone exactly as planned. Joe had mentioned that Adam would need a partner, and she was the only female around for another thirty minutes. It had seemed like a good experiment. She wanted to dip her toes back in the D/s pond, and Adam was perfectly safe.

  Ryan wasn’t. He wasn’t safe at all.

  But maybe this was the perfect way to prove that she was over him. She’d been in love with Ryan. That was what had made the sex so good, the attraction so heady. She wasn’t now. She’d moved on, so she could handle this.

  Maybe. She moved to his side.

  “Excellent,” Ryan said. “I’m going to demonstrate on the lovely Jillian, and then we can all practice. Jillian, remove your clothing and kneel.”

  Jill felt her eyes go wide with panic. He wanted her to get naked? In front of a room full of strangers? In front of him? She swallowed. The last few weeks had gone a long way in making her comfortable around him, but she wasn’t sure she was ready for this.

  “Is there a problem with my instructions, Jill? Was I not clear?”

  It was a challenge. A momentary anger flared up. What right did he have to challenge her? Then reason took over. This was D/s. This was BDSM. Nudity was accepted, even expected. If she wanted to get back into the lifestyle, she couldn’t be squeamish. Besides, it wasn’t anything Ryan hadn’t seen before. No one was going to laugh, and no one was going to jump her hot body.

  She shakily pulled off her T-shirt and jeans and handed them to Adam. He gave her a little thumbs-up. Hell, she’d seen Adam naked a couple of times. Everyone got naked here. It was normal. It was fine. When her bra came off, Ryan walked over and fingered the little gold rings at her nipples.

  “You kept them,” he growled and tugged one lightly. He’d been the one to talk her into her piercings.

  It was like there was a direct line from her nipples to her pussy. She immediately softened as she whimpered, remembering all the times he would run a delicate chain between the rings and a longer one that ran down to the piercing above her clitoris. He’d held her hand as the piercer had done her job, but only after assuring her that the woman touching her had been the very best.

  Jill could barely breathe, but something deep inside her was relaxing. This was where she had lived when she was with him. Nothing had mattered but pleasing Ryan.

  Ryan turned, giving his attention back to the class. “You see, this sub is very sensitive. Her skin is fine and fair. The key is to give only the stimulation needed to produce the appropriate result. Why do we spank subs?”

  “Because they like it,” someone answered.

  “Precisely,” Ryan replied in a distinctly academic tone. “Off with the panties, pet.”

  It was easier to get rid of the undies than it had been the bra. Somehow she was comfortable. She’d missed this, missed how free and accepted she’d been in clubs and around people in the lifestyle. She’d started out as curious and rapidly had found her place in the Dallas club scene. She’d had a ton of fun with Doms, playing and performing scenes with the ones she’d trusted. She’d even gone so far as to have sex with two of them, and then Ryan had walked into the dungeon. She’d been submissive sexually before, but one look at him and she’d lost her damn brain.

  She wasn’t going to lose it again, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a little fun.

  Ryan’s deep voice could still get her heart racing though. “The outcome we are attempting to produce is heightened pleasure for our submissive partners or as a disciplinary measure. A Dom who spanks his sub simply for his own pleasure is not a Dom who is welcome at Sanctum. Knees, Jillian.”

  Jill managed to drag in a breath as she sank to the proper position. Ryan had been very particular about how she was to greet him. Early on, he’d taught her how to sink back onto her feet and place her hands on her thighs, palms up. She remembered how pleased he’d been when she’d gotten it just right. She forced her knees open, displaying her pussy for all to see. She might not have kept up her diet, but she still followed a grooming routine, so she was perfectly shaved. She felt a wash of nerves until Ryan placed a hand on her head, acknowledging his pleasure in her submission.

  “Lovely, Jill,” Ryan breathed. “Do you wish to serve your Master, slave?”

  “Yes
, Sir,” she replied quietly. This was what she craved. She didn’t have to be insecure here. There was no place for it. She let it go. Eighteen months she’d been without this. She had thought all she’d missed was Ryan, but it wasn’t true. She missed playing. She missed being able to throw off all her inhibitions and just feel.

  Ryan sank down to his chair in a graceful move. He reached out and took her hand. She was trembling as she allowed herself to be laid over his lap.

  Ryan’s big hand caressed the cheeks of her ass. She fought hard not to groan.

  “As with everything in our world, the key is control,” Ryan explained.

  His hand came down with a smack. Jill gasped as the pain bloomed across her skin. Ryan murmured to her as he gently rubbed the spot he’d spanked. The pain subsided, and a sweet heat bloomed across her. There was another crack as Ryan struck again, but Jill just waited for the pain to change to something sweeter. She knew it would happen now and didn’t fight it at all. She stopped counting after the seventh swat and simply sagged across Ryan’s lap. He carefully placed the blows, never striking the same spot twice.

  Yes. Yes. Yes. This was what she’d longed for. A little floaty feeling started to take over Jill. It didn’t obscure the pain. The pain was a part of it. The pain was a gateway, and she didn’t fight it. Over and over again he smacked her flesh, heat and sparks flaring through her system. It had been so long. So long since she’d had hands on her, so long since she’d played this sweet game. And no one had played it the way Ryan had. Every play session had felt real, like she was the only woman in the world for him. Like the world was their dungeon and they could play forever.

  She nearly protested when he stopped.

  Ryan’s hands were warm on her body. One was between her shoulder blades and the other at her waist balancing her, keeping her safely across his lap. The hand at her waist moved lower, tracing the swell of her ass. She shivered at the sensation. He brushed his fingers lightly across her skin.

  “If you will note, her very fair skin is a lovely pink.” Ryan’s voice sounded husky as he ran a finger along the seam of her ass. She fought hard not to squirm. “There are absolutely no welts on her flesh. She won’t bear any marks or bruising in the morning.”

  “How can you tell if that was enough for her?” one of the Doms asked. She thought it was the cop with the redhead, but her brain felt sweetly fuzzy and she didn’t really care. For the first time in months, she felt alive and aware. The monotony of her days, the worry and stress, just floated away.

  Jill heard Adam chuckle. “I can smell her arousal from here. Trust me, if Ryan shoved a couple of fingers up her pussy, she’d come in a heartbeat. You sub fast, Ms. Jill.”

  That sounded like a really good idea to Jill. If Ryan didn’t want to provide the fingers, she had some of her own. She was so aroused it wouldn’t take long. Jill’s muscles felt like jelly as Ryan hauled her up.

  “Adam, you’re a flipping genius, aren’t you?” Ryan sounded out of breath. He cradled her against his chest, and she couldn’t help but recall how petite and feminine she felt when he carried her around.

  “I have been told so on many occasions,” Adam replied with a grin.

  “Good. Walk the rest of the students through your process. Talk about how you and Jake discipline your wife while I take care of my assistant. Aftercare is so important.” Ryan ended his lecture and pulled her close. Jill’s arms floated up around his neck.

  He swept past the crowd of avid students. Jill heard Adam invite Jeff and his sub up to the front of the room.

  “Hey,” Jill protested as Ryan scooped up her clothes. She was starting to come back to her senses. Being alone with Ryan didn’t seem like a good idea. It was one thing to work around Ryan, to have closed-door meetings with him, but it seemed very dangerous to be naked with the man who had broken her heart.

  Joe’s jaw was wide open as Ryan carried her across the dungeon floor toward the rooms in the back. Yeah, he wasn’t going to save her. The rest of the dungeon was quiet, but she could hear some people laughing from the locker rooms. And she still couldn’t find the will to tell Ryan to stop.

  He opened the door to one of the private rooms, and they were suddenly alone. A low light came on, and she could see the tense line of Ryan’s jaw. She hadn’t played at Sanctum yet, though her contract gave her rights to the club. She’d been in the dungeon out of necessity, but she’d never been in the aftercare rooms. It looked like Ian Taggart and the boys knew how to treat a sub. The room was luxurious, with thick rugs covering the hardwoods and gentle lighting. Soft music played, and the whole place smelled like a spa, soothing and clean. There was a long table with everything a Dom would need to take care of his sub. Jill saw various oils, a first aid kit, condoms, and other things she wasn’t sure of. There was a comfortable chair and a long, padded table.

  He gently placed her on the massage table. “Turn over.”

  “I’m fine. This isn’t necessary.” Jill was painfully aware she was alone and naked in a room with Ryan Church. Adam was right. She’d subbed out very quickly and was only now coming out of it. She tried covering her breasts with her hands.

  “I said turn over,” he demanded in a voice that allowed no disobedience.

  Jill turned over on her stomach. At least this way he could only see her ass. She was bigger than she’d been before. When she’d been with Ryan, she hadn’t worked, so an hour a day to exercise had been easy to come by. Not so much anymore.

  She heard Ryan open a bottle of something and listened as he rubbed his hands together. It wasn’t a moment before he rubbed something warm into the skin of her backside.

  “Is that better?”

  “Yes,” she replied with a sigh. It felt really good. He knew just how much pressure to apply to get the knots in her muscles to release. It reminded her of all the times he had massaged her shoulders when they’d been together. After a heavy scene, he would sit her in his chair, pour her a vodka from the bottle they kept in the fridge, and work her shoulders and scalp until she just about fell asleep.

  His hands slid across her skin, relaxing parts of her and heating up other parts. She felt him spread her legs wide.

  “Don’t tense up on me,” he ordered.

  She tried to relax. All she could think about was how close his hands were to her very wet pussy. It had been so long since an actual man touched her there. She felt herself flush with embarrassment.

  “See,” he complained. “Now I can’t tell where I spanked you. You’re red all over. I can always tell when you’re embarrassed, Jill. Are you worried I’ll see how aroused you are?”

  “Jerk.” He didn’t have to mention it. “Are you done, yet?”

  “Are you satisfied?” Ryan retorted. He flipped her over suddenly and pulled her legs until they were hanging off the table.

  “What are you doing?” Jill’s head came up, and she watched as he got on his knees. The massage table had been adjusted perfectly. His face was right in line with her pussy.

  His gray eyes were filled with amusement as he placed her feet on his broad shoulders. “I told you, Jill. Aftercare.” He leaned in and swiped at her wet pussy. His tongue swirled in an outrageously intimate kiss. “You didn’t expect me to leave you like this. You’re so wet, baby. You need to come. God, I’d nearly forgotten how wet you can get. It’s so fucking beautiful.”

  “Oh, God,” Jill breathed as he used that talented tongue on her. He licked her up and back. He licked from her clit almost all the way back to the rosette of her ass. She was helpless against the pleasure he brought her. She watched his head working between her legs.

  “No, baby, it’s Ryan,” he murmured against her labia. He chuckled, the sound a vibration against her flesh. “I like the way you used to shout out my name when you came. I want to hear it again. I’ve been waiting to hear it for a fucking year and a half.”

  He breathed her in. Jill loved the way he did it. He really seemed like he reveled in her scent.

 
“I haven’t slept with another woman since you left me, Jill,” he confessed while he gently swiped up and down with his tongue.

  “I didn’t leave. You gave me away.” She wished he would leave the deep relationship talk for another time. She was past caring about embarrassment. She wanted to come. It had been so long.

  “Let’s not talk about that now, baby. I’m here. You’re here.” He pressed a finger deep inside her. She felt her muscles clench around him. “This is a beautiful pussy, sweetheart. I love it naked.”

  He used his fingers to part the lips of her pussy, revealing the jewel on her clit.

  “I also love the way this little pearl begs for my attention.” He grazed it with his pinkie. “I dream about this piercing.”

  She was still wearing the barbell with a diamond inlay that he’d given her when she’d gotten the piercing. She’d thought about taking it out, but somehow, she’d found comfort in it. Like he was still there, still touching her.

  Jill let her head fall back. She knew she should protest. She should push him away, but it had been far too long since she’d felt anything like this. She pressed her feet against Ryan’s shoulders, spreading herself further for his feast. She was utterly shameless in her desire to have this man bring her pleasure.

  “You taste so fucking good, Jillian,” Ryan growled.

  He lapped at her clit, little tantalizing movements that just made her want more. She lifted her hips, trying to force him to stroke her with more strength.

  Ryan slapped her already tender ass. She whimpered. “I’ll give you what you want. But we play by my rules when it comes to sex. Who is your Master in the bedroom, Jillian?”

  “Please.” She heard herself begging. She didn’t want to say it. It was true, but she didn’t want to admit it.

  “Give me what I want, and I’ll see to you.” Ryan’s voice was hard. She could hear the discipline in his tone. He really would deny her if she didn’t obey. It pissed her off and made her even hotter. “Who is your Master, Jillian?”

  “You are,” she said. The anger could wait for later. For now, she needed. She only knew that if he stopped, she would die. It was nothing less than the truth, she reasoned a little bitterly. He was her Master. He could get her to do anything he wanted.