The Dom's Rules: A Dark Contemporary BDSM Romance (The Pleasure Wars Book 2)

by Harper West

  That was always a point of pride for me. To have a submissive who was so into what I was doing to them that they didn’t need sex to get off. It had happened at the demo on New Year’s Eve, and I wanted to see if I could replicate it.

  By the time I'd run through all the things I wanted to rub over Eve's skin, she was trembling slightly and moaning softly over and over again.

  There was still wax cooling and hardening on her skin, and I flaked some off with a fingernail before sliding a hand down her back.

  "How are you doing?" I asked her, checking in. "Still good?"

  "Mmhmm," she hummed, drawing it out. "Feels like floating."

  I laughed at that. "That's a good sign, then. Floating is very good."

  I hefted the paddle in one hand and showed it to her. "Now, you've experienced some sensations, and those are usually fairly mild. They don't hurt, they stimulate. But pain is a whole other side of the coin, and it can be just as nice if you're into that sort of thing. Are you?"

  She licked her lips and looked at me as best she could from the angle she was laying at. "I think so," she said. "I liked watching you flog that woman at the ball. And I watched you cane someone else at the club once. I wanted to try it."

  I smiled. Always lovely to find a fan. "Then we will try it," I told her. "You can always tell me to stop if it gets to be too much. You know your words?"

  She nodded.

  "Good." I walked around behind her and raised the paddle, catching eyes with Ash before I brought it down . . . hard.

  Chapter 14

  Killian

  Eve’s pants would absorb some of the pain, but I wanted to give her a good whack to start to see how she would handle it.

  She moaned and jumped, but didn't seem to be in too much pain.

  Ash watched with an expression I couldn't read, and I kept going, paddling one side of her ass and then other, giving her little breaks here and there so she wouldn't be too overwhelmed.

  "How's that?" I asked her. "Still good?"

  "Yes," she said, sounding breathless. "You can... I'd like more."

  Now that was surprising. "More? Alright." I hit her harder, putting more force behind each swing. The sound of the paddle hitting her ass was loud, ringing out in the room, impossible to ignore.

  Ash's eyes were wide as she took it in, watching each blow drop to Eve's ass with the resulting crack of the wood against her fabric-covered bottom.

  Eve cried out, shaking a little on the table, but she didn't ask me to stop, so I didn't, watching her carefully as I paddled her.

  She took it well, letting each blow build, and I could tell from the way she was squirming that she was close to coming undone.

  I still had it, which was good to know. Making women get off without even touching those intimate parts of them was getting to be a talent, and one day I was going to have to try it out on Ash.

  Of course, I was still thinking about her while I was paddling another woman. Her presence was impossible to ignore.

  I swatted Eve again and again, letting her feel the full force of it. She was close, and she moaned the affirmation of that, right there on the edge before I dropped two more hard swats to her ass.

  And then she was going rigid, crying out and shaking as she fell apart.

  Both Ash and I watched, unable to look away from the sight of her coming in her pants just from getting paddled in front of us.

  "Very good," I praised her. "Very, very good."

  "Thank you," she murmured, sniffling a little. "Oh my god."

  I kept contact with Eve for a bit longer, touching her and letting her know I was there. I praised her, telling her she'd done so well, asking her how much more she wanted to do.

  "C-can I just rest like this for a bit?" she asked. She seemed to be perfectly fine hanging out in the ropes, so I nodded.

  "Of course."

  "I feel like I've been hogging the spotlight for the whole evening," she said, glancing at Ash.

  Ash herself seemed surprised to be noticed, and she smiled quickly, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. Tonight was mostly for you, anyway. I'm fine."

  "We don't want to forget about you, though," I said, grinning at her. "Come here."

  She gave me a look. "I'm fine, Killian."

  I pinned her with a look of my own. I wasn't going to argue with her in front of Eve or press the issue, but I knew she wanted more than to just stand there. Anyone would. She just didn't want to admit it.

  I had my ways of getting her to relent, so I went to her, moving closer and touching her gently. I let my hand start at the small of her back and then move upwards, sliding over her shoulder to touch her neck.

  The touches were soft, demanding nothing, and gradually the rigidness of her posture relaxed, and some of the tension went out with it.

  "Better," I said. "Why don't you tell me what you want, hm?"

  I knew that was going to be easier said than done for her, and her slight glare confirmed it.

  I could feel Eve watching us, and I played it up, sliding my hand up Ash's arm to tangle in her hair. We'd discussed the prospect of us playing like this in front of Eve, but I knew it was going to make Ash nervous.

  If she told me to stop, then I would. That was how it worked.

  I couldn't deny that the thought of pushing her to her knees in front of Eve and making her suck me off while Eve was tied down and helpless to do anything but watch was a huge turn-on.

  Ash's cheeks were pink, but she didn't push me away. She licked her lips and let me pull her closer by the hair, and when I kissed her, she kissed me back.

  It was timid and soft, but I could work with that, and I caressed her lips with my own, biting down on the lower one all of a sudden and savoring the moan she gave in response.

  "What do you think?" I murmured against her lips. "Do you want to put on a show for our guest? Do you want to show her what a good girl you can be?"

  Ash whimpered softly, and I could see the indecision behind her eyes. Part of her wanted it, but it was at war with the part of her that didn't.

  I could work with that. As long as there was a part of her that was interested, we could draw it out.

  "Don't you want her to see how I like it? How good it can be when it's done right? How good you are at pleasing me?"

  I glanced over, and Eve's eyes were huge, and she wasn't looking away from us for a second. She squirmed on the table, breathing hard, and even though she'd already gotten off, I knew she wanted to do it again.

  I wondered if we could make her.

  I took Ash's hand and guided it down to my crotch, letting her feel how hard I was.

  She licked her lips and I felt her rub me gently. "W-what do you want me to do?" she asked.

  I smirked. "I want my cock in your mouth," I said. "Can you do that?"

  She shook her head quickly, and I nodded. I appreciated her saying no instead of trying to force herself to do something she didn't want to do.

  "That's fine," I said. "Then just touch me."

  Ash nodded and with slightly shaking fingers she undid my fly and reached in, pulling out my cock. Her grip was light, and her fingers were soft, and I groaned at just the touch of them, keeping my eyes on Eve while Ash stroked me gently.

  “She’s a good girl when she wants to be,” I told Eve. “Not very obedient, but she manages.”

  That seemed to shake Ash from some of her nervousness, which was what I wanted, and she squeezed my cock a little harder than necessary, making me groan.

  "Don't be shy," I urged her in an undertone. "Let me see that fire in you."

  It was the thing I found the most attractive about her most of the time anyway, and it would be good for Eve to see, that you could submit without losing yourself. As much as Ash liked to pretend that I was a terrible person who was making her do everything, there were times when she rose to the occasion beautifully, and that was good to see.

  Her eyes flashed, and I watched her bite her lip and then sink to her kne
es in front of me, unprompted.

  It was like she had a point to prove, and I loved every second of that. It would spur her on to new heights, and I wanted to see it.

  Slowly, she worked my cock with her hand, stroking it up the shaft and then down, cupping my balls for a second before she worked her hand back up.

  When she got to the head, she gave a little twist, and then, when it was too dry, she held my gaze and spat right into her palm before applying it right back to my cock.

  "Fuck," I groaned. "Goddamn, Ash."

  She bit her lip, taking the praise for what it was and running with it. Her hand moved faster and faster, working me up before she slowed down suddenly, catching me off guard.

  So she was in the mood to tease. Interesting.

  Eve kept watching, looking comfortable where she was, and her lips were parted. I could tell she was turned on by the display, and how could she not be? Ash in her prime was sexier than she had any right to be, to be honest, and I was just along for the ride, no matter how I was tricking myself into thinking I was in charge.

  That was the thing about doing this with Ash. The give and take was amazing. People who weren't willing to go with that were a waste of time.

  She kept her eyes on me while she worked my cock, and I couldn't tear mine away from her, either. Not when she looked so amazing on her knees.

  Even though she'd said she didn't want to suck me off, there was a moment when she leaned in and licked my cock from root to tip, and I hissed out another low swear, wrapped up in how good it felt.

  I was helpless to resist whatever she wanted to do. The tables had well and truly turned, and if Ash was trying to prove a point, then she was doing a damned good job at it.

  I could already feel the pleasure building and spreading, though admittedly, the audience had something to do with that.

  I did love to show off, after all.

  Ash lowered her head and went to suck on my balls while she kept her hand moving, stroking over my hot and hard flesh while she licked and sucked with her mouth.

  It was too much almost, and I was going to come before I'd even gotten started, but I couldn't help it. She was just too damned good at that.

  "Ash," I groaned, warning her.

  She lifted her head to look at me, those eyes dark and determined. Very deliberately, she went back to my balls, sucking first one and then the other into her mouth, humming slightly while she worked her wrist and twisted her hand around my cock. The vibrations were enough to end me, and I shouted softly before spilling all over her hand, hips rocking into her grip as I came.

  Things wrapped up after that. Together we got Eve untied and dressed again, and spent some time talking to her about how it had all gone.

  She asked if we were okay with meeting again, and I agreed, though Ash said she couldn’t guarantee she’d be there for another round. She said it without looking at me, and I knew the shame of what we’d done was starting to set in. That was alright. She had a lot to process.

  I was proud of her for being involved at all, even though I definitely knew better than to say that to her. There was no way she would take it well.

  Chapter 15

  Ash

  I felt a lot of things in the aftermath of what we'd done with Eve. Shame, arousal, anger. They were all tripping over each other, each emotion trying to be the one that got felt the most.

  There were things I did with Killian that I couldn't imagine ever doing with anyone else, and I didn't know how to feel about the fact that watching him do things like that to someone else had made me hornier than I'd been in a long time.

  Which was saying something considering every time Killian got his hands on me, I was having an orgasm for the books.

  There was just something about the way he'd pushed her. I'd stood there and watched for the most part while he'd taken her to new heights. He'd made her come without even touching her sex. Without even getting her pants off.

  He'd made her fall apart with his words and his toys, and she'd been panting for more, begging for him to hit her harder, to do more to her.

  She wasn't even embarrassed about it, either. When she'd left that night, her eyes were bright and she looked like she'd just fulfilled some kind of lifelong dream.

  I didn't understand that. If I'd just fallen apart in front of strangers, I would be so ashamed. Hell, I was ashamed that I'd gotten wet from watching it, and no one had even been able to tell.

  Well. Killian had probably known because he was a bloodhound for shit like that, but still. It was a lot to deal with, and I didn't know how I was supposed to feel about it.

  It had never been my intention to be a good submissive for him.

  That wasn't the point. The point was that Killian was making me do this kind of stuff to fulfill the agreement, and I was going along with it kicking and screaming because I needed the money.

  Somehow, watching Eve made me feel like I wasn't doing enough.

  Me. Not doing enough. Even though every week I was letting Killian touch me and fuck me and do whatever he wanted to do for his own pleasure.

  The sense of being inadequate was there all the same.

  I knew Killian was holding back with her; of course he was. It was her first time, and he didn't want to overwhelm her, but judging from the way she'd taken it, I knew he was going to do more to her.

  Next time would be harder, more intense, and she'd probably love that, too.

  Jealousy curled in my stomach, making me feel like I'd swallowed something sour.

  She wasn't better than me. Just because she enjoyed being toyed with, being at Killian's mercy. That didn't mean she was better than I was.

  I could handle those things too, if I wanted to. It wasn't that I couldn't do it, I just didn't want to do it. That was a totally different thing altogether, and in a split second, I was determined to make sure Killian knew that.

  I felt out of control, getting in my car and driving to his place unannounced. It wasn't even one of the days when we were supposed to get together, but I didn't care. I had a point to prove, and logistics weren't going to stop me.

  I buzzed his apartment and he let me up, looking surprised to see me standing there outside his door when he got around to opening it.

  "I'm beginning to think you like being here," he said, smirking.

  I didn't respond to his teasing or his smarmy smirk, instead marching right into his apartment and preparing myself to make my case.

  "Is everything okay?" he asked, frowning when I didn't take his bait. "You seem sort of... intense right now."

  He was dressed like he'd just come from being out, in nice pants and a sweater, and his hair was as expertly styled as always. He looked unruffled, unbothered, and I wanted to wipe that look off of his face.

  "I want you to stop playing with me," I said.

  He frowned. "In the literal or figurative sense?" he asked.

  "Both. You don't take me seriously."

  "Excuse me?"

  "I saw how you were with Eve. You listened to her. You cared how she felt about things. You want to go harder with her."

  Killian sighed. "If I had known Eve was going to be such a sticking point with you, I wouldn't have done anything with her at all," he said.

  "Yes, you would have," I fired back, "Because you like getting me riled up."

  He lifted an eyebrow, but he didn't have an argument for that because we both knew I was right. "Okay, fine," he said. "And what do you want me to do right now?"

  "I want..." I trailed off because I didn't know what I wanted exactly. Some of my resolve was trickling away because it was like I had barged into his home to tell him to have sex with me, and that was weird, even I could admit.

  And how was I supposed to say something like that anyway without seeming like a crazy person?

  "I want you to stop taking it easy on me," I finally settled on. "You toy with me all the time, like I can't handle whatever depraved shit you come up with. But Eve's new, and you think she c
an handle it, so it can't be all that bad."

  I folded my arms, giving him a defiant look, but all he did was lift an eyebrow at me again.

  "You know, Ash, for someone who claims not to be jealous, you're acting very territorial," he said, sounding like he couldn't care either way.

  That got my hackles up, which was an unfortunate comparison. "I'm not territorial. I'm just saying if you're holding back because you think I can't take it, then you shouldn't. I can take it."

  "You have no idea what you can take," he pointed out. "And you have no idea the kinky, depraved things I can do to you."

  I swallowed hard because he had a point, but I was past the point of caring. I was running on adrenaline and determination, and it was a cocktail I couldn't ignore. The refrain in my mind was 'anything she could do, I could do', and it looped over and over again, making me want to prove myself.

  Which was stupid! It was so stupid. I didn't have anything to prove to Killian Abernathy of all people, and I should have been grateful to Eve for taking some of the heat off of me. Since he had her, I could go about my business and I wouldn't have to do things I didn't want to do in the first place.

  Instead, I was standing in the living room, demanding he pay me the same amount of attention.

  Later, I would probably kick myself for being stupid. But right then, all I was too far in to back down.

  Killian dragged his eyes over my body slowly, like he was trying to decide what he wanted to do and how he wanted to do it. I waited, braced and anxious, half worried he was going to tell me to get out and stop being dumb, and half worried he'd take me up on my boasting.

  It seemed like he was going to do the latter.

  "Fine," he said. "There is something I've wanted to do with you. Something intense and a little scary." He grinned at me, and I rolled my eyes at him.

  "I'm not afraid of you," I snapped.

  "Oh, it's not me you should be afraid of. Come here."

  He motioned for me to follow him, and I obeyed, stepping after him into the playroom. When he flipped the lights on, I glanced around, looking for telltale signs that he'd had another woman in there. It was just as clean and neat as it always was, the spanking bench in its place of honor right in the middle of the room.