by Vonna Harper
“Yes, yes.” For the first time, the man’s gaze left Reeve as he glanced at the car. “Let’s get her in the light where we can see her.”
Drawing comparisons between what the man had just said and ranchers at a livestock auction, Reeve nevertheless opened the back door. “Get out,” he ordered.
Slow and so graceful that she deserved an award for it, Saree extended her legs. He grimaced when she placed her bare feet on the gravel but made no attempt to help her. The other man stared at her chained ankles.
“No attitude, slave,” Reeve snapped. “You know what happened the last time you attempted that.”
A strained grunt followed his comment. Then, a long moment later, her head and shoulders emerged. Spotting the chain dangling from her collar, he snatched it and jerked. She grunted again, and he felt her effort as she scooted her buttocks to the end of the seat. Thanks to the wooden bar, she had to exit sideways, a nearly impossible task for someone denied use of her arms. Finally, her movements slow and reluctant, she straightened. That accomplished, she brushed her breasts against Reeve. The touch caused a hot current to arc through him.
“Marvelous,” the man breathed. “A truly special creature. Highly sexual I see.”
“Keeping her like that, I’ve learned, benefits me in many ways. She’s mine, only mine.”
“For tonight.”
“We’ll see.”
They should have talked about this, Saree thought as two pairs of male eyes raked over her restrained, silent, and turned-on body. Instead of Reeve touching and touching and touching her until she’d thought she’d go insane, they should have rehearsed their roles. But no, he’d obviously decided that all he needed from her was her body.
Well he had that, all right.
Hayley, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I might—I might be in over my head.
Not that she could do anything about it.
“They’re waiting for you,” the newcomer said. “Nice touch with the restraints, especially the gag. Hate all that blubbering. I also like the leg irons; she’s not going anywhere.”
Shrugging, Reeve gave her breast a possessive pat. “Necessary, I’m afraid. When push came to shove, it turned out that she isn’t as into our relationship as I am. Oh, she’s hot for me, but that’s only animal instinct. Until I’m certain she’s put her old life behind her—”
“Keep her like she is. It’s a hell of a lot more entertaining and challenging.”
When Reeve frowned, the man shrugged and started toward the building. Reeve’s hold on her chain tightened, forcing her to take a step. If she could have run, she would have fled.
No, she couldn’t. Not with Amber and other innocent women in there. Sis, it’s worth the danger. I swear it is—I think.
Gravel ground into her feet. Between that and the heavy chain between her ankles, she could barely shuffle, but at least the inner heat was backing off a bit. When they were leaving the desert house, Reeve had picked her up and carried her, but he wouldn’t do that now. Neither would he demonstrate the slightest amount of sympathy for his possession.
“Did you tell her where you were going tonight?” the man asked conversationally. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, I’m just curious.”
“Why do you think she’s gagged?” Reeve shrugged life-weary shoulders. “I did something that in retrospect I shouldn’t have—I showed her the e-mail. You’ve seen it, have you?”
“Of course.”
“I wanted to see her reaction. Good as it was, I now believe that keeping her in the dark would have been better. She can’t protest what she doesn’t know is going to happen.”
“She can’t know what goes on in here because you don’t.”
If Reeve was uneasy, he gave no sign. “To some extent. Just as you researched me, I did the same.”
“We expected nothing less. And for the record, I’m confident you won’t be disappointed. Indulgence is indeed the operant word.”
Thank goodness, they’d reached the nondescript metal door, but how was she going to manage that single step? And once she was inside, how would she survive what she saw and experienced and participated in?
The deceptively light banter continued while the newcomer rapped out a series of taps on the metal. With each sound, her heartbeat kicked up until her chest hurt. All too soon, the door opened, not that she could see anything in the unlit interior. Trying not to look at Reeve was nearly impossible, but if anyone guessed how complex their relationship was, both their lives might be in jeopardy.
The heavyset man started to step inside, then stopped. He nodded at her feet. “Got a bit of a problem here.”
“The hell I do.” With that, Reeve grabbed both ends of the wood behind Saree’s back and hauled her toward him. Shaking his head as if the inconvenience was all her fault, he hoisted her inside. “Last bit of help you’re going to get. Now, get your ass in here.”
Reeve was to her left, the other man to her right and slightly behind her. As a consequence, she doubted Reeve saw the stranger grab and squeeze her buttocks. Much as she hated it, her body responded to the intimate touch.
“We keep the entryway unoccupied,” the man said, still pinching. “It’s kind of a buffer zone. In case you don’t know, this place is called Segun, the conqueror. Men like you and me, we’re the conquerors. As for the conquered—”
“Where are they?”
Thank goodness, the man had stopped manhandling her. Now if only she could relax enough to take in her surroundings.
“We’ll get to that. First, perspective.”
“Not necessary.”
“What?”
Folding his arms, Reeve looked down at the shorter man. “As I said earlier, I’ve done my research. I’m a cautious man. That’s part of why I’m successful—cautious and shall we say arrogant. Segun exists so participants can engage in a number of practices that go under the umbrella term of BDSM. You already pointed out that as long as everyone involved approves of those practices, they’re legal. Adult activity, nothing more or less.” Reeve had spoken the last sentence in a slow and measured tone, and his eyes never left the other man. “At least that’s what outsiders believe, isn’t it?”
“You tell me.”
A shake of the head was followed by a quick and dismissive glance at her. “You didn’t invite me and my slave here to play games. What’s the second layer?”
The second layer, as Reeve called it, was eventually revealed, but not before they’d spent some time in a large room lit with low-wattage red lights. The space was broken into a number of what seemed like cubicles, somewhat like an office, but that’s where the resemblance ended. No attempt at sound baffling had been attempted, and even with the hard rock music loud enough to shake the walls, Saree heard occasional cries, grunts, curses, and of course laughter. As far as she could tell, each cubicle was occupied. Instead of the flimsy portable walls seen in offices, these were solid, reaching nearly to the ceiling. They had to be because of the use they were being put to.
Jeffrey, as the heavyset man introduced himself, took great pleasure in taking Reeve, and as a consequence her, around to each space. She witnessed women in various forms of bondage doing everything from being whipped to servicing their so-called masters. Someone who’d never witnessed anything like this would have been appalled, but although her senses were on overload, she saw beneath the surface. True, one woman was anchored to a wall via chains that held her arms out from her ripe body and a cord woven into her long hair, but even as she writhed and begged the man she called Lord to stop lashing her midsection and thighs with a thin whip, her false nails caught the light and her artificial lashes fluttered like a drunken butterfly. Her skin had been oiled, her muff was newly shorn, her pedicure immaculate.
The slaves came in all sizes and physical conditions from a nearly cadaverous woman who looked to be in her midforties to one who couldn’t have been more than eighteen and was built like a wrestler. Saree even spotted two men in bondage, one
who was busily servicing his mistress without use of his arms. The other sniveled as his nude mistress gyrated in front of his tethered body.
From the moment she’d known where they were going, she’d wondered if the air of saturated sex would be her undoing. After days of being kept on the edge of sexual insanity, could she handle watching people fuck? She now had her answer, a resounding yes. There was nothing erotic about what she was seeing, certainly nothing that came close to what she provided for The Dungeon’s paying members. Where was the slow buildup, the heat and power?
“That’s what I came here for?” Reeve demanded, his voice heavy with distain. “I can get this in any number of cheap BDSM clubs.”
“I trust you noticed the doms checking out your property.” Jeffrey ran his nail over her throat. “You have prime stock here; they’re jealous.”
“Tell them to get their own prize. Look, if this is the best you’ve got, I’m leaving.”
If she hadn’t been keeping her eye on Jeffrey, she would have missed his knowing nod. “No, this isn’t the best we’ve got. Far from it. I simply wanted you to get an idea of what law enforcement sees when they come in here. That’s why we’ve stayed in business as long as we have. The so-called moral majority might turn up their noses at what goes on, but no laws are being broken. Consenting adults, you know.”
“Your point is?”
Up until now, there’d been something unassuming about Jeffrey. Even with the way he’d copped a feel, he’d treated Reeve with the utmost respect. However, that changed with nothing more than the way he folded his arms over his chest. “My point, there are video cameras in use all over here.”
“I figured as much.”
“With a select group of men watching those consenting adults.”
“Watching me and my property, that’s what you’re saying, isn’t it?”
Jeffrey nodded. “The two of you have been on camera since just before you pulled into the parking lot. You’ll be pleased to learn that you’ve officially passed your first test. If you’re interested, it’s time to experience what the invitation you received was really about.”
No, she didn’t want this! Forget everything she’d said about wanting to rescue Amber and the others!
“Before we do,” Reeve drew out his words, “what did the first test consist of?”
“Behavior. We were looking at the relationship between you and your property, the kind of communication you have going.”
“And?”
“And there isn’t any. She’s desperately hot but not looking to you for any kind of protection ’cause she knows it isn’t there. Your hand on her chain tells her what to do when. She could be a dog you’re taking for a walk for all you care.”
“Oh, I care.” He shot a glance in her direction. “I’m a man who appreciates the finer things. The pathetic creatures in here can’t hold a candle to her.”
“Then I can take that to mean you’re ready to go where the candles burn bright?”
If Jeffrey hadn’t just said what he had about people watching them, she would have slipped to Reeve’s side. Instead she gazed up at Reeve, her expression hopefully that of a well-trained dog waiting for her next order.
“I’ve been ready since we got here,” Reeve said. The slight tension on the chain telegraphed something she didn’t understand.
Jeffrey laughed. “Something tells me you’re going to get along with the men you’re about to meet. Money indeed breeds arrogance.”
“Call it what you want. I just don’t like having my time wasted.”
Nearby, a woman started gasping. Recognizing the unmistakable sound of a climax, Saree struggled to hide her reaction. Even if the scenes here did nothing for her, she wanted to share that woman’s experience. However, after making sure Reeve—and she—were following him, Jeffrey headed toward the rear of the building. The pace was faster than while they’d been studying the various activities, forcing her to concentrate on her progress. Just the same, she caught the look on several doms’ faces as she passed them. They wanted her, chains and gag included.
15
Jeffrey led them to a short hall with three doors on the left. The first two were marked as restrooms and the last was labeled MAINTENANCE. Jeffrey stopped in front of the third door, and after looking around to assure himself that no one else was around, he slipped a key into the lock. The door swung open. “Step in and then wait for it to close. When it does, the light’ll come on.”
Try as she did, she couldn’t force her legs to follow Reeve into the dark space until he reached back and grabbed her hair. “She knows something’s up,” he said to Jeffrey. “One thing about this slave, she doesn’t like the unknown.”
“You could beat that out of her.”
“I could and maybe I will, but she’s no good to me with all the life sucked out of her.” He released her hair but only so he could run his hand under her breast. More primitive heat plowed into her.
When muted overhead lighting came on, she discovered that they were in a space about five feet wide and twice as long with another door at the far end. She could no longer hear the loud music let alone any human sounds.
“What the hell—” Reeve exclaimed.
“Relax,” Jeffrey told him. “You haven’t been kidnapped, far from it. I’ve no doubt that you’ll appreciate the effort we’ve put in to ensure that only those we want to know about the rest of this operation actually do. The sound-deadening properties are excellent, aren’t they?”
“Yeah.”
Tension radiated out from Reeve. To Jeffrey, Reeve’s hand on Saree’s breast probably came across as domination plain and simple, but she understood—or hoped she understood—that he was communicating with her on another level. Stay calm. I’m here.
She wanted to believe him
She also wanted him, plain and simple.
Again Jeffrey led the way. Another key opened the second barrier, and she found herself looking down at a well-lit flight of stairs. “It’s a different world down there,” Jeffrey said. “I’m certain you’ll appreciate the effort that was taken to separate what you’re about to see from the, shall we say, tawdry quality of where we’ve been. After all, men of means such as ourselves deserve the best—in both our trappings and possessions.” He stared at Saree as he said the last.
“We’ll see.” After releasing her breast, Reeve positioned her in front of him so she was sandwiched between the two men. Reeve kept his hands on her arms to steady her. The chain between her ankles was barely long enough to allow her to take the stairs on her own, and Jeffrey watched her every move with an amused and aroused expression. When had she last worn clothes or felt free?
Sis, sis, hang with me, please. I really need to know you’ve got my back.
She was shaking by the time she’d tackled the last step. She’d also learned that this wasn’t the only way into the underground space they’d just entered. According to Jeffrey, another door at the back of Segun labeled SERVICE led to a second set of stairs, designed so those who had a right to come here didn’t have to parade past the players on the main floor. “I wanted you to see what we offer the public,” Jeffrey explained to Reeve. “That way you can make your comparisons between a membership that can be bought for a couple hundred dollars and one available only to a discriminating and wealthy few.”
“Point taken.”
They were at yet another door. For some reason this one unnerved her more than those that had come before. Unable to stop herself, she slipped closer to Reeve. Jeffrey took note.
“We like seeing that in a slave. She might be scared to death of her master, but she’s also aware of how dependent she is on him. If you don’t mind, how did you prepare her for tonight?”
“I told her to behave herself or she’d get punished. I couldn’t say more because I didn’t know. I still don’t.”
“Oh, I believe you do. At least you have a fair inkling. It goes without saying that whatever you see, hear, and experience goes n
o farther than these walls.”
“You’re right. It goes without saying.”
If Jeffery was bothered by Reeve’s sharp reply, he gave no indication. Reeve’s body was giving out a heat that Saree hadn’t noticed before, proof that he was as tense as she was? They should have discussed this ahead of time, developed a plan.
But if they had, whomever they were about to see might sense it.
Trembling despite the heat she was absorbing from the man whom Jeffrey—and soon others—saw as her master, she battled the nearly overwhelming urge to fight her bonds. Jeffrey seemed to be making a show of unlocking and then opening the door. In contrast to the ear-splitting music upstairs, soft instrumental music speaking of refinement reached out to embrace her. Refinement in a world of masters and slaves?
The lighting had a blue hue, not cheap but subtle. And as her eyes became accustomed to it, she began making sense of what she was about to enter. The floor was richly carpeted in off-white. The room, maybe thirty by thirty feet, had been arranged with several groupings. Closest to her were a number of leather recliners angled so whoever was in them could carry on a conversation. At the moment only two were occupied by men she didn’t have the courage to study.
Beyond that and to the right was an alcove of sorts designed for one thing—bondage. It had been furnished with a cage so low to the ground that whoever was in it would have to stay on her hands and knees. The cage was occupied by someone curled into a tight and unmoving ball.
A number of rings and hooks dangled from the ceiling, and one wall of the alcove was well stocked with bondage devices ranging from collars and chains to an assortment of metal locking devices.
To the left was another area designed for the pleasure of those in charge. There was a bed with metal framing designed to anchor arms and legs. Several comfortable chairs, obviously for viewing, had been placed around the bed. Nearby was something the uninformed might mistake for an elaborate sawhorse, but she understood the difference—and purpose. A slave could be forced to straddle the sawhorse. Once there, her legs would be anchored to the ground while her arms were cuffed overhead. Immobilized, she’d have no way of escaping while what she was forced to sit on began vibrating. Operated by electricity, the sawhorse could tease and then torture a helpless pussy into endless climaxes until pleasure became intolerable.