All his life?
Connor shook off his jealousy, trying to work that one out. He had no right to feel jealous. Everyone had a past. So what if she’d missed having that Dom in her bed? It didn’t mean anything.
“Butch was your Dom?”
“What?” She laughed and tried to sit up. He held her down, his hand on her chest. “Of course not. Butch was my dog.”
Okay, that made a lot more sense.
“Where is he now?”
“I had to leave him behind.” Sadness filled her gaze. Leave him behind? With whom? When? The questions burned on his tongue then his attention was stolen by the way she started fiddling on his lap, trying to climb off.
“Stay still,” he growled. The blanket he’d wrapped around her came down a little, exposing the top of one breast. Fuck, her wriggling was really making it hard for him to keep his vow of not fucking her tonight.
“You should let me get off. I have to be squashing you by now.”
Oh, hell no.
“Those there are spanking words,” a deep voice growled. He glanced up as Joe took a seat in the armchair across from him.
Ria turned with a gasp. “What?”
“Any sub of mine talked like that and she’d be over my lap before the words were even fully out,” Joe promised in a dark voice. He gave Connor a look of censure.
“Ria already knows how I feel about her talking down about herself,” Connor told him. “I’ll be dealing with it.” In my own way.
Joe nodded in satisfaction.
“Are you two seriously discussing me like I’m not lying right here,” she said with disbelief.
“We are still in the club, sub,” Connor told her sternly. “You’re going to want to watch the way you talk to either of us. In here, I’m in charge.”
She bit her lip. “Sorry, Sir.”
“And just because I’m a friend doesn’t mean you get to disrespect me,” Joe told her.
“I wasn’t disrespecting you.”
“Master Joe,” Connor said. “Or Sir.”
“What?” She looked up at Connor in puzzlement.
“Her Dom didn’t teach her much about protocols,” he explained to Joe. “You call him Master Joe or Sir because he’s one of the club Doms. I’m surprised that wasn’t covered in your introduction.”
“It was,” Joe said dryly.
“Yes, it was, sorry, Sir,” she said to Joe. “This feels more than a little weird, though. I’ve been to a BBQ at your place. I’ve helped you paint your living room. And now I have to call you Sir or Master.”
Joe smiled at her. “It’s about to get weirder. Heard you did a scene. Heard she got her butt spanked good.”
“She did,” Connor said firmly. He had a feeling about where this was going to go.
“Show me.”
“What? No, you can’t do that.” Ria’s eyes were wide, she grasped hold of her blanket like a lifeline. Connor sighed. He got it. The scene was over and she felt more exposed. That was why Joe was doing it now. It was all part of the punishment. A bit of humiliation in return for what she’d done wasn’t all that bad.
He stripped back the blanket. “Roll over and show Master Joe your ass, Ria.”
“I-I can’t.”
He could make her do it, of course. But that wouldn’t be part of the lesson.
“Ria, roll over now or I’m going to get out my paddle, bend you over the edge of the sofa and paddle that bottom. And then you can show it to Master Joe.”
She stared up at him, and he had to firm his resolve to not give in to that pleading.
“Either show me that punished ass, little one,” Joe told her. “Or you’re going to be up on the stage next Saturday night, getting your butt paddled where everyone can see it.”
She firmed her shoulders then groaned. “Fuck it.”
Master Joe raised his eyebrows at him. Connor shrugged. “The swearing doesn’t bother me so much.”
“Guess you don’t also want to spend all night smacking that ass.”
“Are you guys saying I swear too much? Because that’s the pot calling the kettle black.”
“Stomach over my knees now,” he snapped at her. “Any more sass out of you and you’ll be wearing that ball gag again.”
Her eyes widened and she quickly rolled over. Joe studied her ass for a moment. There was some admiration. He nodded. “Nice plug. Good choice.”
Connor nodded. He thought so.
“That will do since it’s her first night here. But anything that big happens again and she’s on the stage getting her ass whipped, you understand me, little one?”
“Yes, Sir,” she said, her voice muffled since she’d buried her face in the sofa cushion. No doubt her face was as bright red as her bottom. Connor tapped his hand over the butt plug lightly. She jumped and groaned. Yeah, she liked having her bottom plugged.
Connor ran his fingers lightly over her red cheeks. Joe didn’t move. Connor understood that he wanted Ria to remain in this position for a while. It might not be a public whipping, but enough people would see her here, her red, paddled ass on display while her Dom and Master Joe had a little chat.
“Can-can I move, Sir?” she asked.
Connor smacked his hand lightly on the plug again. “No, not until you’re given permission.”
She muttered something he was certain he didn’t want to hear. He didn’t call her on it; she was being pushed pretty hard. Being naked wasn’t something she was comfortable with. And even though it was only really her butt and her back and legs on display it still couldn’t be easy.
Joe started to talk to him about the Cowboys game. He answered. He didn’t have much interest in football, but he knew enough to hold down a conversation. He moved one hand lightly up and down her ass cheeks, massaging her gently. He felt the tension gradually drain from her body. Joe looked down at her, a hint of fondness entering his gaze. He couldn’t help but wonder if this was serving a dual purpose. It sounded like Joe knew her quite well. He probably knew about her body hang-ups.
Several people stopped by to speak to them. They all gave Ria admiring looks. Some making comments about her beautiful ass. How pretty it looked when it was plugged and red. At the beginning, she grew stiff each time someone approached. But as time passed she relaxed more and more.
Another Dom and his sub stopped by to talk to Joe. The Dom looked over at Connor. “Caught a little bit of your scene. My sub is now wanting me to tie her up but I don’t have a lot of experience with the ropes. You holding any classes?”
“Um.” He hadn’t been planning to. He looked over at Joe.
“Up to you. If you’re willing to help out we’d be glad of it. Seems like you’d have a willing subbie to play with.”
“Yeah, all right. I’ll see if I can work something out.” Wasn’t exactly part of his assignment. But then, he couldn’t see Roarke or Hunter complaining as long as it didn’t take him away from the job. If Ria wouldn’t mind helping out.
“Beautiful sub you have there. Heard what she did. Not a good idea for any sub to be thinking they can get away with lying about their needs and limits.” He sent his sub a firm look and she dropped her gaze immediately.
“I wouldn’t dream of doing that, Master.”
“Good, because you know you’d end up sitting on a hot ass and writing lines for me for at least a week.”
The woman’s eyes rose. They were wide and pleading. “Yes, Master.”
“Good little sub.” He ran his fingers down her cheek then nodded at them both and led her away.
“They’ve been married five years,” Joe told him. “But only just started playing recently. He didn’t think this was something she’d be into and she’d always been too scared to ask for what she needed.”
Connor nodded. Most people didn’t ask for what they needed. Too scared they’d be rejected. He wondered how Ria had found the courage to ask for what she needed. Hell, what was he saying? She had more courage than he was really comfortable with wh
en it led to her putting herself in dangerous situations.
A pretty, red-haired sub walked over. “Master Joe? Master Connor? Can I get you anything?”
“Yes, can you grab the two bottles of water I put in my bag and hand them to me, please, Kenna?” he asked, recognizing the sub who often worked in the aftercare room.
She reached in and grabbed them, handing them over.
“Thank you,” he told her.
Her smile was bright enough to warm a cloudy day. Then she turned to Joe and that smile dimmed. Interesting. Instead, she stared at him with a mix of longing and trepidation.
“Master Joe?”
“Nothing for me, Kenna. Thank you.”
She lingered for a few moments more. Just staring at him. Connor felt for the girl. It was obvious she was interested in the other Dom and he barely looked at her. Which was interesting. Because Joe didn’t seem the type to ignore a sub.
She left and he undid one of the bottles of water. “Ria, time to drink some water. You can sit up.”
She rolled over and tried to sit next to him on the sofa. Nope. He wasn’t having that. He kept her on his lap and drew the blanket up her to cover her, knowing it would make her more comfortable. There was a time for pushing and a time for giving care.
“Stay still. You’re not moving off my lap.”
And that was his final word on the matter.
She sighed, giving him a disgruntled look. “Be careful, little subbie. That looks suspiciously like a glare.”
She bit her lip, glancing down. He’d been right, her cheeks were a delicious bright red. She shifted a little and he knew that she was finding it hard to sit on her butt. The plug in her ass probably didn’t help matters. But that was staying in there for a bit longer.
She reached for the bottle of water he held, but he drew it out of reach. She stiffened, looked up at him with an almost hurt look. What was that about?
He drew the water back. “I’ll help you drink, little one,” he told her gently. He held the water up to her lips and tilted it.
He gave her a small smile when he pulled it away.
“Thank you, Sir,” she told him.
That smile widened. “You’re welcome, wildcat.”
Joe stood. He patted Ria’s shoulder. “Hope we see the two of you back in here soon. I better get back in there. Ajax has taken off early, so I’m in charge of the entire club.”
Ria stiffened. They both know the reason Ajax had taken off early. Sophie.
“He’ll take care of her, Ria,” Connor said once Joe was gone. “You know he’s a good man.”
“I know. Doesn’t mean I don’t worry.”
“Like to worry about the world, don’t you, little one? Tell me, who worries about you?”
“I don’t need anyone to worry about me.”
Didn’t she? He happened to disagree.
“If you’re feeling steadier, I’ll take you home.”
He saw a flash of disappointment in her gaze. Didn’t want the night to finish, did she? Well, that suited him just fine.
He brushed his lips over her ear. “You did so well tonight. I was proud of you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. We’re new to each other. There’s going to be a bit of pushing. Working out where the boundaries are.”
“Yeah, see, the thing is, I’m like this most of the time. I don’t have much of a filter on my mouth and I like being able to say what I think.”
“How about this? I don’t mind you saying what you think but you have to say it respectfully. No swearing at me. No calling me names. No lying. You give me respect, I do the same for you.”
“All right. I can deal with that.”
“At the club, I’ll be stricter. There might be times I don’t want you to talk unless I speak directly to you. I expect you to address me as Sir. To give me your submission. In return, I promise to take care of you. To put you first. Your needs. Your safety. All right?”
“Yes, Sir. Does this mean you want to play past tonight?”
“Yes. I do. Tonight wasn’t enough. I want to work out a contract with you. Thing is, I can’t promise anything long-term. I have to return home when my job is done.”
“I understand. A contract with a use-by date.”
He frowned slightly. “That doesn’t make it sound very good.”
“It’s okay, Connor. Really. It’s what I want too.”
He nodded. “Then how about we head back to your place?”
“I have my car here. I can drive myself home.”
He shook his head. “Let’s get this clear right now. When we go out together, whether that’s to the club or out to dinner, then I drive. I know it’s sexist of me or whatever, but when we’re together I drive.”
“But what about my car? I won’t have it tomorrow.”
“I’ll bring you back to get it. But I don’t want you driving home in it alone tonight. All right?”
“Okay, so you’ll come pick me up tomorrow to get it?”
“Actually, I was hoping that I might drive you to get it tomorrow after we have breakfast. Together.”
Ria’s breath caught. Did that mean . . .
“You want to stay the night, Sir?”
“If that’s what you want.”
Was it? She could say no—and spend the night alone. Lonely. “Yes, I do,” she added, knowing how much he liked verbal replies.
“Then let’s head home and get my baby tucked into bed. She’s had a hard night. She needs a bit of tender care.”
Oh, God, it seemed like he knew exactly the right words to say. She couldn’t help but feel like he was almost too good to be true.
He is. Remember he’s not staying. This isn’t a happy fucking forever after.
Yeah, well, she didn’t believe in those anyway.
9
She felt ridiculously nervous as she climbed into bed. She’d pulled on an over-sized T-shirt she’d bought from a thrift store. It had a picture of cats playing with a ball of yarn on it. She was aware it wasn’t lingerie. She didn’t own any lingerie. She’d never really wanted to dress her curvy body up in pretty things.
Now she wished she had something a little sexier to wear. God she was ridiculously nervous. She’d never actually slept with a man before. What would she do about her hearing aid? If she took it out, she would be vulnerable. Could she do that? She’d actually locked the bathroom door while having a shower because she had to take the aid out, so did she really think she could sleep beside him without it?
Now she was sitting here, like a sixteenth century virgin on her wedding night, filled with anxious trepidation. Waiting for her man to climb into bed. The water turned off and she tensed. Maybe she should just turn off the light, pretend to be asleep. But that seemed a little rude. What if he needed something? Like a glass of water?
Jesus, what the hell was the protocol for this? She groaned. She had no idea what she was doing.
Pretty pathetic for a twenty-five-year-old.
“Ria? You okay?”
She moved her hands away from her face and stared over at him. He was standing in the doorway with just one of her skimpy towels wrapped around his waist, looking like a damn Greek God. Honestly, had she ever seen anything more perfect in her life? She knew he’d been hiding some muscle behind his loose shirt but she hadn’t been expecting this.
Sure, he wasn’t as wide and muscular as Joe or Ajax. He was built along slimmer lines. But his arms were sculpted, his chest firm. There was a spattering of hair that led down his stomach to his . . . she gulped. Oh, God. What would happen if his towel slipped a little? Was she ready for that?
Yeah, you are.
Oh, so now that voice stopped being negative. Horny little hussy.
“Ria?”
She forced her gaze away from those notches at his hips, resisting the urge to fan herself. Man, she really had to get out more.
“Yes?”
“Everything all right?”
She nodded. �
��Oh, yeah.”
He grinned. “Like what you see, wildcat?”
Did she ever.
“Maybe.”
He chuckled. “I’d say it’s more than maybe. Want to see more?”
“Definitely.”
His chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh. She smiled. She liked that she’d made him laugh. Even if it was because she was being an idiot.
“You know, if these towels were any smaller you’d be able to see everything. I’ve never had to dry myself off using a dish towel.”
“They aren’t dish towels.” Although she’d often wondered if they were meant for characters from Middle Earth.
“They aren’t much bigger. We’ll get you better ones.”
Um, no they wouldn’t. Before she could argue, though, he’d taken his off and thrown it into the bathroom, and she became incapable of speech. Hell, incapable of anything except staring and praying to God she wasn’t drooling.
Because that would be very, very embarrassing. But if there was a man who deserved to be drooled over, it was Connor Maxwell.
She’d seen a few cocks in her time. You didn’t play at a BDSM club without encountering a lot of naked men and women. She’d never seen one she liked more, though. One she wanted to touch quite as much. Or take in her mouth.
“Jesus, baby, the way you’re looking at me right now, it’s fucking killing me.”
It was killing her too.
“Lose the T-shirt.”
Her heart raced.
“What?”
“Lose the shirt. And by that, I mean lose it forever. It’s horrible.”
It was horrible. But . . .
“What will I wear to bed?”
“Me.”
Her mouth went dry. “You-you want to have sex with me.”
He looked down at his cock then up at her, puzzlement on his face. “Baby, I know you know what an erect penis looks like. You also know what that means. Of course I want to have sex with you.” He gave her an assessing look. “Unless it’s too soon for you?”
“What? No. I want to, it’s just I wasn’t sure you wanted to.”
“Not want you?” He shook his head with a chuckle. “You are so naïve in some ways, aren’t you?”
She didn’t like the sound of that. It sounded almost condescending. She scowled at him. “I’m not naïve.”
Reveal Me, Sir (Doms of Decadence Book 9) Page 15