by Jenna Jacob
I was stunned, not that he was likely talking to the cops but that he’d raised his voice. I sent the Dom a sideways glance. Ending the call, Justice turned and stormed out the back door, leaving me with the group of anxious subs. I sent them the most reassuring smile I could before introducing myself and promising they weren’t in danger now.
“Symoné used her safe word and that prick, Kerr, just ignored it,” a tall middle-aged man spat. “He wouldn’t stop. If that big, bald wall of a dude hadn’t stepped up and gotten in Kerr’s face, the bastard would probably still be beating the poor thing.”
I knew instantly the big wall of a dude who’d gotten in Kerr’s face had been Max. Part of me wished that my secret Master had beaten the shit out of the slimy prick.
“We have a member who’s a doctor, along with a couple of ER nurses. Symoné is getting professional medical attention right now,” I assured. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of her and of you all. You have my word.”
Visible relief rippled over their features.
“Thank you, Mistress,” the angry male sub stated. “I’m Woody.”
After he introduced the other subs, I sent them a soft smile. “Try to relax. I’m going to check on Symoné. I’ll be back in a minute and let you know how she’s doing.”
“Thank you, Mistress Sammie,” a young, doe-eyed sub named Maple said with a respectful smile.
When I tapped on the door of my room, Max answered. He led me inside, where I found Savannah hugging Symoné—a pretty auburn-haired girl. Brooks and Cindy were applying a large gauze bandage to the upper part of Symoné’s thigh.
“Keep the wound clean and bandaged, sweetheart,” Brooks advised before lifting the sheet to cover her backside. “Take some over-the-counter ibuprofen or acetaminophen to help with any discomfort. All right?”
Symoné turned and brushed back the curls from her face. When she looked up at the doctor, her striking aqua-colored eyes were rimmed red. “Thank you, for both rescuing me and mending me up.” Her voice was soft, almost sultry, but held an undertone of self-assurance. She might have endured a submissive’s worst nightmare, but this girl had spunk. She wouldn’t let this deter her from achieving her submissive goals.
She hugged Savannah and smiled. “Thank you so much for keeping me calm. You all have helped me in ways I can’t put into words. Masters Dylan, Nick, and Max, thank you for un-cuffing me from that nasty cross, but mostly for taking my friends and me out of that disgusting place.” Gratitude shimmered in her unique-colored eyes, conveying her depth of appreciation.
“You’re welcome, pet. Kerr’s a pig,” Nick grumbled.
“That’s an insult to pigs.” Symoné smirked shyly.
“How did you get mixed up with him?” Dylan asked.
“I met him and the other subs that were in his club”—Symoné rolled her eyes—“online, a couple years ago. We’d meet up at Maple’s apartment and he’d scene with us…well, until he got shot. We thought our submitting days were over. But then Kerr messaged us and said he was opening up his own dungeon and invited us to come by…so we did.”
“And he’d never gone off the deep end before?” Dylan asked in disbelief.
“No. Not until tonight.” She shook her head, sending her chestnut-colored curls to bounce. “I should never have let him cuff me to the cross. I sensed something was off. He seemed different…angry. Once he had me bound, he turned into a monster.”
“Filthy prick,” Max mumbled under his breath as another knock came from the door.
Justice, Mika, and a uniformed officer stood at the portal.
“This is Officer Lennox. He needs to get a statement from the victim,” Mika announced.
“Are you up for answering some questions, Symoné?” I asked.
“Yes,” she answered forcefully. “I’ll do anything to get that animal behind bars.”
“He already is,” Mika replied as the three men entered the room. “Kerr’s been arrested not only for assault, but for breaking and entering my club.”
Justice moved in beside me. The second he laid eyes on Symoné, his whole body tensed as he stared at her, seemingly awestruck.
As Mika introduced Lennox to the group, I watched Justice continue to gape at the girl, but yet another knock on the door stole my attention. When James and Ian entered, floor space inside my small room became a premium.
“Lennox? Damn good to see you, man,” James greeted with a huge grin.
“I hoped you’d be here, Bartlett.” Lennox grinned as the two shared a manly hug and clapped one another on the back. “We sure miss your crazy ass at the station, bro.”
Grateful that the cop who’d arrived to take Symoné’s statement turned out to be a former co-worker of James’, I smiled and inched toward the bed.
“I’m Mistress Sammie. Your friends outside are anxiously waiting to see you. Is there anything you’d like me to tell them?”
“Yes. Please tell them I’m fine and I’ll be out to join them as soon as I can.”
“Will do. Sir Max and I will get them situated at the bar. It’s just down the hall past the archway. We’ll be waiting for you.” I smiled as I looped my arm through Max’s and started dragging him toward the door.
He arched his brows and flashed me a wicked grin. “Are you asking or ordering, Mistress?”
Leaning in close to his ear, so only Max could hear, I whispered, “I can’t very well beg, now can I?”
“You will later,” he mumbled as we left the room.
After I relayed the injured sub’s message, the visitors followed us down the hall. As I poured their drinks, all but Symoné, Mika, James, and the cop filtered into the dungeon.
Max flashed me a wink. “I’ll be right back.” He slid off the barstool and met up with Dylan, Nick, and Justice.
“This place is nice. And it’s clean,” Woody stated as he watched the various scenes being played out. “This is a real club. We should have hooked up here club instead of with Kerr.”
Joe introduced himself, and as the subs talked, I pretended to look busy while I listened in on their conversation. As Symoné had stated earlier, the group relayed how they’d met Kerr and the chain of events that led to the girl’s injuries.
“When Kerr told us he was opening a dungeon,” Maple chimed in, “we all jumped at the chance to help him. We should have told him to kiss off.”
“Were there any other Doms there?” Joe asked.
“Just one,” Woody replied with a roll of his eyes. “But he got scared when Symoné started screaming. When your friends quickly stepped in, the dude left.”
“What a douche,” Joe drawled as I bit back a curse. “If he was any kind of Dom at all, he’d have stopped Kerr and helped your friend.”
“Oh, my god, Woody. You know that idiot wasn’t a Dom,” Maple scoffed. “Every time he spanked me, he looked like he was going to cry. He told me to tell him to stop if he hit me too hard. I ordered him to shut up and keep spanking.”
“Oh, good grief,” Joe chortled. “You all need to join Genesis, but for shit’s sake, don’t ever try to order the Doms here around. Of course, you wouldn’t have to.”
When Mika and James led Symoné into the dungeon, her friends let out a cheer. I couldn’t help but grin as I watched their happy reunion. As the young girl introduced Mika to her friends, they respectfully thanked the owner before inundating him with questions about the club.
Symoné quickly darted a glance toward the front of the club as a slight blush colored her cheeks. I turned to see Justice standing in the shadows, intently watching her, too. When he caught me looking at him, he scowled and exited through the velvet curtain. I couldn’t decipher his behavior, but before I had time to analyze it further, Peanut requested a bottle of water.
At the end of the evening, Max and a group of Doms walked the visiting subs back to retrieve their cars while Joe and I closed down the bar for the night. I was exhausted and couldn’t wait to get home, take a hot shower, and climb into bed.
As I sat beside Max in the car, he gave me a play-by-play of what had happened at Control. He was as disgusted by Kerr’s disregard for the sub as I was. Thankfully, he and the others had been there to help Symoné and rescue her and the others.
As we left the city, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep. When I opened them again, Max was unlacing my corset. He peeled the fabric aside and leaned in, sucking an already erect nipple into his warm, silky mouth. I sent him a sleepy moan.
“I know you’re tired, baby. I was just going to tuck you into bed, but then this”—he nipped my pebbled tip between his teeth—“and this”—then the other—“well they were just begging for attention.”
“They were, huh?” I replied with a lazy grin.
“Uh-huh. And if you weren’t totally exhausted, I’d start at the bow of your ripe, lush lips and kiss my way down your sinful body…latch my mouth onto your hot little cunt, and make you scream my name.”
“Sounds like one hell of a plan. Don’t let my snoring stop you.”
Max clasped each nipple between his fingers and thumbs and pinched until I blinked wide and let out a cry of pain.
“Thank you for giving me permission, Samantha.”
I sucked in a deep breath between clenched teeth as the burn lingered, spreading out to warm my limbs.
“Until you’re ready to reveal to the world that you’re my submissive, you will leave your Dominant mindset at the club each night. Is that clear?”
As if Max had flipped an internal switch, the submissive in me ached for his forgiveness. I instantly wanted to please the man in any and every way I could.
“Yes, Master. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking about—”
“You should never have to think about it, girl. Yielding to me should be an automatic reflex and always in the forefront of your mind.” He laved his tongue over each throbbing tip. I exhaled on a blissful sigh and he stood. Max didn’t say another word as he removed my shoes and tugged off my leather pants, then drew the covers around me.
“Go to sleep, precious,” he instructed before kissing my forehead.
When he turned and left the room, I felt alone…orphaned.
Was he punishing me for not tossing my crop aside and peeling off the skin of my alter ego before leaving Genesis? Dammit, I’d tried to do my best. With the exception of a few awkward moments early on, I’d worn my Dominant veneer at the club seamlessly…the way I was supposed to.
No, you’re supposed to stay true to your heart.
Feelings of being a fraud stabbed deep once more. An oily film slid over my skin. My stomach coiled. I bolted upright. Tossing the covers aside, I gulped for air. I didn’t want to be branded a player like Kerr. Acid, caustic and hot, swirled in my belly. Launching from the bed, I raced to the bathroom and slid to my knees in front of the toilet.
Max gently gathered my hair back as I wretched and spit. I hadn’t even heard him enter.
“I’m sorry, Master,” I choked, swiping the tears dribbling down my cheeks.
“You’ve no need to be sorry, baby. They call it morning sickness for a reason.”
“No. Not for this…for failing you.”
Max didn’t reply, simply drenched a washcloth in cold water and dragged it over my face. “Are you finished now?”
I nodded.
Picking me up in his arms, he carried me back to bed. This time, he kicked off his shoes and crawled in beside me.
“You haven’t failed me, Samantha,” he softly whispered as he threaded his fingers through my hair. “It’s going to take time to figure out how to navigate the waters. The tides around you are rising and ebbing at the same time.”
“So why did you punish me by leaving?”
“That wasn’t punishment,” he bit out incredulously. “You were tired, girl. When, or if, you earn a punishment, you’ll damn well know it. I’ll tell you my displeasure in no uncertain terms. I was simply giving you parameters to help you transition from Domme to sub at the end of your workday. That’s all.”
“I should have stopped you before you left the room.”
“Yes, you should have. Communication is a must. You know that.” He kissed the top of my head as I lay against his chest.
I did. And I needed to keep that in the forefront of my mind if our relationship had a chance in hell of working.
“I’d like to discuss Saturday night with you, Master.”
“I think we should.”
Easing off his chest, I made my way off the bed and knelt on the carpet. Max sat up and smiled as he swung his legs off the edge of the mattress. He bent and traced his knuckles down my cheek.
“You may begin, gorgeous.”
As I taped up the last box in the bathroom, I dragged my arm across my forehead to wipe the sweat from my brow. The movers were scheduled to arrive at eight in the morning. Max had left over three hours ago to pick up the keys and oversee the cleaning crew he’d hired so we’d have a spotless house to move into. I wandered into the living room and stared at the stacks of boxes that held the contents of my life. Before I had time to second-guess my decision, the rumble of Max’s new half-ton pickup roared into the driveway.
Tearing open the door, I stood on the porch expectantly. He rushed from the truck. Wearing a triumphant smile I thought might split his face, Max raised the key in the air. I let out an excited squeal and ran across the lawn before leaping into his arms.
“Would you like to hop in and go see our new home, Miss Radcliffe?”
“You bet your sexy balls, Mr. Gunn.”
“Sexy balls, huh?” he laughed.
“The sexiest. Let me put some shoes on and grab my purse. I’ll be right back.”
Max cinched his arms around me tightly. “Are you asking or instructing, pet?”
I rolled my eyes and flashed him a saucy grin. “Oh, great Master of my heart, mind, body, and soul, may I please beg your permission to put on some shoes and fetch my purse so we can see our new house?” I was so excited my voice rose to a near scream by the time I finished my over-dramatic plea.
“Oh, I’m going to have fun taming your smartass tomorrow night, pet.” Max swatted me on the butt. “Get in there and get your things before I take you over my knee on the front porch and embarrass you in front of your soon-to-be ex-neighbors.”
With a laugh, I hurried into the house. After gathering my things, I ran to the truck and jumped inside.
“Let’s go. Let’s go!” I giggled like an impatient child.
“Still trying to push limits, huh? Fine. It’s your ass,” Max warned with a wicked grin.
“It’ll be my lucky day. A new house and a red ass? What more could a girl want?”
Max’s eyes twinkled as he shook his head. “I didn’t say anything about a red ass, pet.”
“But you said…” My eyes grew wide and I found it hard to breathe. “But we haven’t done much in the way of anal training yet, Master.”
“We’ve done enough. You can handle my fat cock in your ass, Samantha.”
“But…but…”
“I can’t think of a better way to christen the house, can you?”
“Sure I can. How about a blow job on the kitchen table?” I offered as a slow-roiling wave of fear careened through me.
“I can’t think of a better house-warming gift than a blow job before I flip you over the kitchen table and claim that perfect puckered hole of mine!”
Once he’d discovered that anal play turned me inside out, he pushed that sizzling hot button as often as he could. But images of Max trying to shove his fat cock in my tiny opening filled me with fear. There was a huge difference between his thick fingers and his massive cock invading my crinkled passage. He’d likely split me in two.
The air froze in my lungs as a shudder quaked through me.
“Relax, pet. I’m not going to claim your ass yet.”
“Then why did you—”
“I was teasing and we were having fun, but then you stopped bantering. Why?”
“Are you giving me some kind of test again?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Answer my question.”
“I didn’t know if you knew something I didn’t. I mean, I can’t tell how wide you stretch me with your fingers. It feels like you working open the Grand Canyon, but then I know perfectly well how big you are and…well.”
“So you were willing to trust me but still had reservations, is that it?”
“Exactly.”
“Next time, you’ll voice your worries to me. Understand?”
“Yes, Master.”
Max sent me a brilliant smile. “Good girl.”
I never understood why two simple words, good and girl, filled me with pride or calmed and centered me the way they did. Maybe there didn’t need to be a reason. Perhaps it was simply because being in a submissive headspace was an amazing and glorious place to be.
Instead of pulling to the curb of his new house, Max whipped the truck into the driveway this time. My stomach tumbled and he took my hand.
“I hope you like it, Sam.”
“I know I will.”
He leaned over and kissed me, then vaulted from the truck and raced to my door. He took my hand and led me up the curved walkway to the porch. The white door framed with rainwater glass panels looked both homey and inviting, but when Max shoved the key in the lock and opened the door, I couldn’t keep from gasping. Glossy hardwoods beckoned me inside. Sunlight streamed through huge picture windows throughout, and when Max led me into the kitchen, I instantly fell in love. Rich marble countertops lent an airy vibe. Double doors led to the backyard with its inlaid slate patio and hot tub near the house. Huge fir trees surrounded the property line, and I grinned knowing we’d be cloistered in privacy for a little hot tub fun.
After we checked out the finished basement, Max led me upstairs. Of the three empty rooms on the second floor, I chose the one directly across from the massive Master bedroom as the nursery. It still seemed surreal that I was actually moving in with the man. That we were going to have a baby soon was even more mind-boggling. When I checked out the master bath with its Jacuzzi tub and glass and travertine shower, big enough to hold a football team, I was ready to toss my pillow on the glossy marble floor and sleep right there.