by Force, Marie
“It’s the dungeon. Only the five of us have access to it.”
The word dungeon trips my already heightened senses into overdrive as I try to imagine what goes on here. I see right away as we step into the huge room that pulsates with loud music… Cresley is suspended from the ceiling. Natural-colored rope has been wrapped around her body in an intricate pattern that is strangely beautiful. The elaborate scheme is held together by a single knot that falls just above her clit.
What that must feel like, to hand over that much control to another human being, to trust him with so much outside a committed relationship…
Flynn’s arm around my waist keeps me from losing my footing. “Talk to me, sweetheart,” he whispers gruffly in my ear. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“Why does she like it? She’s a successful, powerful woman. What makes her want to be dominated so completely?”
“It’s because she’s so successful and powerful that she enjoys giving over control to someone else for a few hours. It takes her away from all her responsibilities and gives her a kind of freedom she can’t find anywhere else.”
“I…”
“I wish I could crawl inside your head right now so I could know your every thought.”
Laying my hand on top of his arm, I want to share those thoughts with him. “I wonder what it’s like for her to give up that kind of control to someone she doesn’t love.”
“She does love Hayden. They’re old friends, and there’s trust in friendship.”
“Still, to do that with a man she isn’t in love with… That takes…”
“Balls?”
“Yeah,” I say with a nervous laugh, “that’s for sure.”
“It’s a form of relaxation for both of them.”
“Relaxation… Um, okay.” I’d be anything but relaxed in Cresley’s position.
“No, really, look at her. Take a good look.”
Cresley’s eyes are closed, her face is slack, her lips are parted ever so slightly, and she appears to be floating above the room in what I now see, upon closer examination, is a blissful state.
“We call that subspace, when the submissive reaches a place of total trust and absolute submission. She relies upon her Dom for everything in that moment. It’s total surrender.”
“Would they mind that we’re here?”
“No, sweetheart, they love being watched. Most of us do. It’s part of the thrill.” He leads me to a sofa I hadn’t noticed in a dark corner and positions me in front of him, between his spread legs with his arms around me.
The scene progresses slowly. I have no idea if we’re there half an hour or two hours, because I’m so caught up in what’s happening between them.
Flynn’s erection is pressed tight against my bottom, his hand is flat against my belly, and I’m on the verge of begging him to touch me when he tugs on the button to my pants.
I’m immediately filled with panic and excitement and desire that’s hotter and more potent than anything I’ve felt before.
He pulls down my zipper, slowly but insistently, as if he’s waiting for me to stop him. But stopping him is the last thing I want to do. I raise my hips against his hand, encouraging him to touch me before I die from wanting him to.
Flynn’s hand slides inside my pants.
Because they suddenly feel about ten sizes too small, I want to pull them off to give him room. I shaved down there earlier, so my skin is ultrasensitive. Every nerve ending in my body seems to have arrived in one place to party for the night. All it will take is one brush of his finger over my clit to detonate an orgasm for the ages. Naturally, he must know that, because he touches me everywhere but where I need him most.
“So wet,” he whispers as he slides his fingers into me.
“Flynn… Don’t tease me.”
“Who am I here?”
“S-sir. Please…”
“Do you like watching them, Nat?”
The whisper of his breath against my ear whips through me on a tidal wave of sensation. I raise my hips, trying to get him to move his fingers, but he won’t be rushed.
“Natalie? Answer me.”
“Yes, I like it. I like to watch.” Saying it out loud, admitting to it, is like gas being thrown on the already out-of-control wildfire that burns within me.
“Mmm, I can tell.”
He keeps me impaled on his fingers, pulsing them inside me in time with the insistent throb that beats through me. “Hayden can keep this up for hours. I can, too.”
“No…” The single word is expelled on a whimper.
“No, who?”
“Sir. No, Sir.”
“Are you saying no to me, Natalie?”
“I’m begging you, Sir. Please let me come.”
“I can’t… I have to…”
Flynn’s fingers find a spot deep inside me that triggers the epic release that’s been building for a long time now. As wave after wave of nearly unbearable pleasure overtakes me, it occurs to me that he never gave me permission to come. Anticipating the punishment I’ll receive triggers a second smaller orgasm.
“Someone is in big, big trouble,” he whispers as he brings me down slowly. His fingers are still buried deep inside me, snug against the spot that set me off. If he keeps pressing against me there, it’s going to happen again, which I’m sure he already knows.
“Sir…”
“Yes, Natalie?”
“Please take me home now.”
“As you wish, my love.”
Chapter 15
I’ve never experienced anything sexier than Natalie’s reactions to the club and the scenes we watched together. The way she positively detonated in my arms has me clinging to sanity as I drive us home as quickly as I possibly can. I can’t wait to administer her punishment and then fuck her until I slake this unquenchable need that seems to grow and multiply every day we spend together.
“When we get home,” I say after a mostly silent ride, “you have five minutes to go into the bedroom, remove your clothes and present yourself for punishment.”
“H-how shall I present myself?”
“I’ll leave that up to you.” Goddamn, this is fun. To be able to have this sort of relationship with the woman I love more than my own life is my every dream come true. Except even I never could’ve dreamed the perfection that my life has become since I met Natalie.
I park the Vanquish in the garage and glance at my watch. “Five minutes starts now.”
Without another word, she gets out of the car and goes into the house.
As I watch her go, my entire body is tight with desire and anticipation and love. I love her so fucking much, even more than I did before bringing her fully into my world. That I can have her and this, too…
Fluff’s frantic barking gets me out of the car and into the house to deal with her while Natalie prepares herself for me.
I take Fluff into the backyard so she can pee and then give her a few treats, hoping she’ll go back to sleep so we can get down to business. I crouch down and hold out my hand to her, a tiny dog biscuit sitting in the middle of my palm. A few weeks ago, she’d have taken part of my hand with the treat. Tonight, she approaches me and gently removes the biscuit from my hand and eats it while gazing at me adoringly.
“Thanks an awful lot for bringing your mom to me.” I scratch her ears. “I know we got off to a rough start, but I really am so grateful for what you did that day. I was lost until you girls found me.”
She leans into me, wanting more of the scratching that she loves so much.
“I need to go see Mommy. You go back to sleep like a good girl, okay? If you’re good, there will be more treats.”
At the word “treats,” she perks up, but she’s smart enough to know she’s gotten all she’s going to get for now. She trots over to the spot on the sofa that she’s claimed for herself and, after repeated circles, plops down. I pour a couple of fingers of Bowmore and down them in one shot before heading to the bedroom to see what my wife
has planned for me.
At the doorway, I’m brought up short by the sight of her lounging on the bed in black garters, thigh-high hose, four-inch black heels and nothing else. My hand lands on my chest, perhaps to see if my heart is still where it belongs. “Holy fucking hell, Nat. You ought to warn a guy before you do that to him.”
“And miss seeing that expression on your face? Never.”
“What’re you doing to me?”
“Just what I was told to do.”
“You’re awfully smug for a girl who has already earned one punishment tonight.”
“I’ve learned to rather appreciate your brand of punishment.”
“Perhaps I’m not doing it right, then.”
“Oh no, you’re doing it right. I’d let you know if you weren’t.”
I can’t help but laugh at her cheekiness. I love her confidence and how far she’s come from the first day when she told me she wouldn’t sleep with me, or any man, unless she was married. She was hiding then, running from her traumatic past. And now… Now she’s quite simply magnificent.
I remove my clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor to be dealt with later. “Are you the same virtuous girl I met all those weeks ago who gave me such a run for my money?”
“I’m the new and greatly improved version of her.”
Laying my hand flat against her belly, I lean in to kiss her. “You were perfect then, and you’re perfect now.”
“I’m more perfect now that you’ve helped me to see all that I’m capable of.” She gestures to her sexy outfit. “I never would’ve been able to do this, to be this, before you. You gave me wings so I could fly.”
“You had them all along. I just helped you spread them.”
She raises a brow in a sultry, sexy look that brings me to my knees. “Are we still talking about my wings?”
Smiling, I kiss her again. I love her this way, saucy and fearless and up for anything. “Talk to me about the club.”
“I-it was very… Interesting and exciting.”
Kissing her neck and jaw, I say, “Exciting how?”
“Watching, having others watch us… All of it.”
“I loved having you there, gauging your reactions, knowing you were aroused by what you were seeing.”
“Aroused,” she says with a laugh. “That’s one word for what I was.”
“Did it surprise you? To be so turned on by it?”
“A little. I expected to be more nervous and perhaps a bit intimidated. But I wasn’t either of those things. I was… Transported. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
“That’s a good word, and I know exactly what you mean. There’s something about being there, in a safe, sane environment where such things are encouraged and condoned, that allows you to let go in a totally different way than you can anywhere else.”
“Yes, that’s it exactly.”
“Do you know what it means to me that you get it? That you saw what I see at the club, why it matters so much to me? Why I enjoy it as much as I do?”
“I think I do. I also think I might like to try some of what I saw in our playroom sometime.”
I stare at her, wanting to take in every amazing detail of her face. “I wish there was some way for me to properly convey to you what it feels like, for the first time in my life, to be exactly where I’m supposed to be, with the person I’m meant to be with.”
“That part I get, because I feel the same way.” Her hand, which has been flat upon my chest, begins to slide down, leaving a trail of fire behind.
Though I don’t want to stop her, I place my hand on top of hers. “Are you trying to seduce me so I’ll forget about your punishment?”
The look she gives me is pure sexy innocence. “I would never do that.”
“Yes,” I say, laughing, “you would.” I sit up against a stack of pillows and pat my lap. “Come to me, my love. Assume the position.” I absolutely fucking love the way her face flushes and her lips part when she realizes my intentions. “Now.”
Moving hesitantly, she crawls to me—which is fucking sexy as hell—and drapes her body over my lap, presenting that delectable ass to do with whatever I like. And there are so many things I’d like to do… I cup her supple cheeks, squeezing and shaping them. “How many do you think you deserve tonight?”
“None?”
I spank her right cheek, and she gasps from the surprise as much as the impact. “Try again.”
“That counts as one.”
“Are you topping from the bottom again, my love? Do I need to remind you who’s in charge here?” She is. We both know it, but what fun is it if I don’t try to pull rank on her once in a while?
“N-no.”
That little stutter makes me harder than I already am. “So what’s a good number for coming without permission at the club?”
“Five?”
“Nowhere near enough.”
“Seven.”
“Getting closer. I think twelve would do it. A nice even dozen.”
She moans, but the way her back arches in anticipation tells the true story. She loves this as much as I do.
Afterward, I look up to find her watching me tend to her, a small smile on her lips.
“What?”
“Just looking at what’s mine.”
I love that she’s possessive of me when that quality has driven me insane with other women. This woman is welcome to be as possessive of me as she’d like to be. “So am I.”
She holds out her arms to me.
I drag the covers up and over us. We come together, arms and legs wrapped around each other, bodies pressed tightly. It’s the only way I can sleep now, with her warm, sweet softness snug against me.
“I want you to know that I wish I’d told you the truth about myself from the beginning, that I’d had the faith I should’ve had in you and that core of inner strength that is so much a part of who you are.”
“While I wish I’d heard it from you rather than your ex-wife, you were probably wise to hold it back from me. I wouldn’t have been able to handle it at the beginning, and I might’ve done something stupid like run away from you.”
“I would’ve run after you.” I stroke my hand over her hair. “Go to sleep, sweetheart. We have a very special day ahead tomorrow.”
“Can’t wait to marry you all over again.”
“Me, too.” Long after she’s asleep, I remain awake, enjoying the simple pleasure of holding her while she sleeps.
Chapter 16
Tired after our late night, I force my eyes to open on a new day, one in which we will celebrate our marriage with Flynn’s family. I’m disappointed that neither of my sisters could get the time off from school and work, and that Leah couldn’t get anyone to cover her shift at the bar. Aileen had another round of chemo on Friday, so she can’t come either.
I tell myself I’m okay with none of my people being here, but I can’t deny I’m disappointed that none of them could make it work, even after Flynn offered to fly them out for it.
I need to get up. I need to take a shower and wash my hair so I’m ready when the hair and makeup people get here to help me get ready. I told Flynn and Addie I didn’t want all that, but he insisted on full pampering today.
“Hey, you’re awake,” he says when he and Fluff come into the room. Wearing only a pair of basketball shorts, Flynn is carrying a tray, and the scent of coffee has my full attention. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
My stomach growls loudly at the sight of eggs and bacon and pancakes. “Did you make all this?”
“No, Fluff did. But I supervised.”
Fluff barks and jumps up on the bed to “help” with my breakfast.
I sit up in bed, and when I’m settled, he places the tray on my lap. “I’ve never had breakfast in bed before I met you.”
“What do you think of it?”
Taking a bite of bacon, I smile at him. “I could get used to it.”
“We’re fine with that.”
&nbs
p; “Have you been up long?”
“Couple hours. I took a run and did some work.” He accepts the bite of pancake I offer him. “It’s no fun being awake without you.”
I waggle a finger at him to bring him closer so I can kiss him. “Happy Valentine’s Day to you, too. Sorry I slept so late.”
“Don’t be sorry. You were worn out.”
“Extremely.”
His eyes heat at the reminder of our night together. “Ready for that hot bath?”
“Sounds heavenly.”
“You should have plenty of time to soak before the masseuse arrives.”
“Masseuse?”
“You heard me right. I want my wife nice and relaxed for her big day.”
“You’re too good to me.”
He leans over to kiss me. “You’re good to me, too.” Then he’s gone to the bathroom to turn on the tub for me, Fluff following close behind him.
I meant what I said about having no regrets. I love happy, satisfied, relaxed Flynn, who isn’t wound so tightly he might burst from trying to deny who and what he is. I said I wanted all of him, and I got that last night. I have absolutely no regrets.
Flynn returns to the room with Fluff once again hot on his heels.
“Have you noticed she follows you around now the way she used to follow me?” I ask.
“Does it bother you that she likes me now?”
“Of course not. I want you guys to be friends.”
“I thought you wanted us to be father and daughter.”
I giggle at his indignant expression. “That, too.”
He comes over to the bed and removes the tray, placing it on a nearby footstool. “My love, your bath awaits you. Put your arms around my neck and allow me.”
I do what I’m told and enjoy the way his strong arms scoop me up like I’m weightless. “Hey, what happened to my garters and the rest?”
“I took them off after you conked out last night.”
“I’m worried about how much time you spend awake while I’m sleeping.”
“I’m always watching over you, sweetheart.” He deposits me into the tub, which is full of bubbles and something else.
“What is that? What do I smell?”