“I can be laid back,” she lied, sitting straighter.
“I’ve seen very little evidence of that so far,” he teased.
For some reason, she felt defensive. “Was I really that bad?”
He glanced at her again as he started moving through the intersection. “Honestly?”
“Yes.”
“Then yes. But I doubt you thought I was a bundle of good times either,” he consented.
“True.”
Flynn pulled into a parking spot on the side of the road and put the engine in park. “Look, we were working our asses off to climb the business ladder in a dog-eat-dog world. It’s in the past. It would seem we’re going to have to learn to tolerate each other if you’re going to join Club Zodiac. Let’s agree to bury the hatchet and start over.”
She liked this idea, even though she hated that he’d been the first to propose it. Always a competition with her… “You don’t think we’ll get into a fight over who gets to dominate whom? We could start vying for the attention of the best submissives in the club,” she joked.
He laughed, a sound she found she enjoyed more as the day wore on. He also didn’t answer her, which was fine. They seemed to have an unspoken agreement. Hell, he was almost a friend.
When Flynn pulled back into the parking lot at Zodiac an hour later, he shut off the engine and faced her again. “You know, I saw a different side of you this morning. You’re an amazing submissive. Have you ever given yourself a chance to experience the other side?”
She glared at him. “I’m not submissive. If you think you’re ever going to top me, forget it. No one is.” She sounded a bit too defensive even to her own ears.
“You didn’t answer my question,” he pointed out, his voice gentle.
She sighed. “Yes. I have. Feel better? Will the visual help you sleep tonight?”
He reached out and grabbed one of her hands, giving it a squeeze.
It took everything in her not to yank out of his grasp. That would be overkill, even though he was frustrating her with his questions.
“I don’t need a visual from your past. Our experience from this morning is all I need.”
She winced, and now she did yank her hand back. “Don’t go there. That was purely educational.”
“It was more than that, and you know it.”
“You submitted to me too,” she reminded him. Lamest response ever.
“Not the same.”
“Whatever.” Another lame response. She needed to find some better vocabulary.
“When? Tell me when was the last time you submitted to someone.”
A flash from the past raced through her mind, tormenting her with its uninvited reminder. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to shake the images. Stern eyes. A deep voice she would never forget. The burn up and down her butt and thighs from his whip. The bruises on her wrists and ankles from his cuffs.
Shit. She jerked herself back to the present, shaking the visual. It had been a long time since she’d let it creep into her psyche. She took a breath and met Flynn’s concerned gaze. “Not since I first started going to clubs. Twelve years ago. I didn’t know better at first. I had some image in my head that women submitted and men dominated. As soon as I realized that didn’t have to be the case and it wasn’t working for me, I switched and never looked back.”
He watched her face, seeming to absorb every syllable intently.
She had to force herself not to shudder under his scrutiny. What she’d told him was the truth. There was a lot she’d left out, but those were things she never spoke of. Not with anyone. Certainly not with Flynn.
He lifted a hand and gently stroked a finger down her cheek. “Okay.” That one word carried a lot of weight and too many possible meanings. She decided most likely he was simply tossing out that syllable in order to give her an out. She would take it.
“I should go.” She reached for the handle on the door. “Guess I’ll see you next weekend?”
“Yep. I’ll be here. Friday night.”
“Sounds good.” She scurried out of the car and nodded as she shut the door before hurrying to her own car, the only other car in the lot. It wasn’t until she was seated inside, air conditioner running, that she released a breath. She also didn’t glance back at Flynn, but she was aware of him pulling slowly out of the parking lot in her peripheral vision.
The entire day had been a series of oddities. She didn’t drive away for several moments. Instead, she sat there absorbing everything. It had been ages since she’d spent that much time with someone and engaged in that much conversation. They’d been mostly civil with each other, although flirty at times. Weird. She didn’t do civil. Nor flirty.
Finally, she shook the foreign feelings from her mind and headed back to her hotel.
Chapter 9
Flynn couldn’t shake the memory of spending the day with Elizabeth from his mind for more than about an hour at a time all week. He was busy at work, but not so busy that images of her didn’t creep into his head often.
Flashes of her relaxing in his car while he showed her around town kept resurfacing, but more prominent were visions of her submitting to him. Because there was no doubt she had. She could deny it all she wanted, but that woman had slid into a light subspace as he used that crop on her sexy ass.
Hell, Flynn had masturbated several times to images of her pink butt cheeks, the soft moans she’d made, the way she’d squirmed when he tapped between her thighs. He had little doubt he could have brought her to orgasm if he’d tried.
In fact, he’d had to stop himself from attempting something like that Saturday morning. Reminding himself she hadn’t consented to an orgasm. They’d been at the club for a class, learning how to use a tool. No way would Elizabeth have agreed to let him touch her intimately. It would’ve been totally inappropriate. Besides, no one in any level of subspace could consent to deepening an agreed upon scene. That was one of the top rules of BDSM. Flynn knew it. Everyone knew it.
But none of that stopped Flynn from daydreaming about how wet she probably was, the kind of sound she might have made if he stroked her pussy, the tight grip he imagined inside her pussy.
Fuck.
Flynn shoved from his desk and ran a hand through his hair. This wasn’t the first time his mind had wandered away from work and the computer screen in front of him. Thank God no one else was in his office. He could hear the increasing volume that indicated more patrons were coming into the restaurant. They were entering the Friday evening rush.
Flynn wasn’t worried. Nor was he needed. It was rare for Jeremy, his manager, or any of his other employees to seek him out during busy hours. The restaurant ran smoothly. It always had.
Even when Flynn’s father ran the place, it was a well-oiled machine. Since his death three years ago, it had only improved. Flynn brought new ideas to the table. A younger perspective on things. Computers for one, he thought, chuckling inside.
Business was picking up, almost at a pace he couldn’t keep up with. If anything, it was time to consider a second location, though the prospect was daunting and made Flynn nervous. Too many things could go wrong. On the other hand, he knew patrons were being turned away, and that was frustrating also.
He glanced at his watch and decided to head home. He would enjoy a few hours of quiet, reset his mind, get in the club mode, and head to Zodiac. He couldn’t even lie and try to convince himself he’d been counting down the hours and days all week until tonight. He wanted to see her again. He craved it like a drug.
It was ludicrous, of course. The woman had her heels dug in that she was not submissive. Maybe she was right. Maybe he’d read too much into their interaction. But he didn’t think so. He felt confident there was more to Elizabeth Kepler than what anyone saw on the surface.
The way she’d so vehemently insisted that she was totally dominant replayed for the millionth time too. The lengthy pause between his question and her answer was eerie. She’d closed her eyes and gone someplace
he did not like, finally returning to give him a nonanswer. Something haunted her, and it wasn’t pretty.
Flynn arrived at Zodiac close to midnight. The club was just picking up steam. He spent a few minutes talking to Carter and then ambled around the main room, trying not to search for Elizabeth so hard that it would be obvious.
She wasn’t difficult to find. A crowd had gathered around her, and Flynn’s heart rate picked up when he got close enough to find her dominating Belinda. Granted, Flynn didn’t own Belinda by any stretch of the imagination. Hell, he barely knew her. She was introverted and private. But it was a bit of a shock to find her working with someone she couldn’t have known before two weeks ago.
Flynn shifted his gaze to the formidable Domme currently circling Belinda. Damn. Elizabeth was a sight to behold, and Flynn forced himself to really take her in. Gone was the jealousy and anger he’d felt two weeks ago in this space. It was replaced with respect and admiration. No matter what, he couldn’t deny she was an amazing dominant in her own right.
Elizabeth wore a black leather bustier, a tight black leather skirt that barely covered her ass, and those same black thigh-high boots he’d seen her in last time. Damn. Just damn. If only…
Belinda was on her knees in the middle of a padded mat. Her hands were bound behind her back with black, nylon wrist restraints. Her ankles were also restrained with a spreader bar that kept her knees almost too far apart. Elizabeth was good though. She knew exactly how wide Belinda could tolerate before the scene would be too uncomfortable.
Belinda’s gaze was toward the floor, and besides the cuffs at her wrists and ankles, she wore nothing. Her blond hair was loose, permitting her to hide behind it. An interesting choice that Flynn also often permitted with this particular submissive. Something about her led him to believe she needed the perfect combination of exposure and obscurity. Allowing the woman to hide her eyes behind her hair gave her something she needed. Was it a coincidence that Elizabeth knew this too? Maybe someone had informed Elizabeth. Perhaps even Belinda.
Elizabeth held a flogger in her hand. One with fewer leather strands that were long enough to swat at someone on their knees. It took a lot of practice to strike someone so accurately.
Flynn was impressed. He was also mesmerized as Elizabeth circled Belinda several more times, dragging the lengths of leather over the submissive’s shoulders and back. Belinda shuddered when Elizabeth let the strands dangle over her nipples.
“Shoulders back,” Elizabeth ordered in the voice Flynn realized was reserved for when she was in her Domme persona. Commanding, but soft. It was nothing like the voice she used when she owned a boardroom. He was probably the only person in the room, or the state for that matter, who knew that tidbit of information.
Belinda pulled her shoulders back as told, pulling her breasts higher, accentuating the slightness of her frame. She was dainty. Not fragile, but simply proportionately small.
Elizabeth drew the strands of leather up Belinda’s front, teasing the woman’s nipples and then her neck and shoulders and even cheeks.
Belinda shivered. Gorgeous. It was amazing how much domination had nothing to do with impact and everything to do with control. Belinda couldn’t know what to expect, so she was on edge. No one in the room could know what to expect, including Flynn.
He was mesmerized even though part of him wished he could be the one holding that flogger and the submissive on her knees could be Elizabeth. Flynn took several deep, cleansing breaths as he continued to watch the show. He didn’t think Elizabeth had spotted him. Every ounce of her concentration was on Belinda, as it should be. Besides, the last thing he wanted to do was interrupt her mojo. She was as appealing to watch as Belinda. Or more.
When Elizabeth began to strike Belinda with a bit more force, starting with her shoulder blades, Belinda whimpered delicately. She had always easily slid into a lovely subspace. Tonight was no different.
Elizabeth moved around her submissive with fluidity, tormenting the smaller woman with the inability to predict what her Domme might do. As Belinda’s skin pinkened all over her shoulders, biceps, and the upper swell of her breasts, the crowd grew.
When Elizabeth reached a pause, she crouched in front of Belinda and cupped her face, whispering in her ear.
Belinda nodded several times.
Elizabeth finally stood and circled behind her sub, surprising Flynn when she bent over and unfastened Belinda’s wrist restraints.
Belinda immediately leaned forward so that she was on all fours. Her hair swung along both sides of her face, shielding her. Her small breasts hung toward the floor, her nipples tight buds. Her legs were still held awkwardly wide. She was a vision.
Flynn shifted his gaze back to Elizabeth as she conducted the scene, wondering what she would do next and then watching intently as she proceeded to flog her sub once more. Up and down her back, but now with the ability to better strike Belinda’s butt and thighs.
Belinda’s skin turned a gorgeous shade of pink as the woman began to sway forward every once in a while. Her soft mewl turned into a moan, which increased in volume when Elizabeth dangled the flogger between her thighs.
Flynn was unprepared for Elizabeth to position herself behind Belinda and swat her pussy dead on. He sucked in a breath when Belinda cried out and Elizabeth did it again.
He couldn’t figure out who to watch. The two were really one. Everything Belinda was experiencing was a result of the skill level of the Domme directing the scene. Elizabeth’s face was calm, perhaps even proud, as she continued to swing the flogger between Belinda’s legs, hitting the smaller woman just perfectly.
There was a collective silence. It was common knowledge that Belinda didn’t orgasm during a scene. At least not with men. Interesting. Flynn had never seen her this close to the edge.
Finally, Elizabeth landed a stronger swat, and Belinda’s entire body stiffened before shuddering. She lifted her head, her hair falling away from her face to reveal her expression of total bliss. Her eyes were closed, but her mouth hung open. She most likely didn’t realize how many people were watching her shatter.
When Belinda was spent, she lowered her shaking thighs to her calves and dropped her forehead to the mat. She breathed heavily. Perfectly sated.
Elizabeth gracefully released Belinda’s ankles, helped the submissive draw her thighs together, and covered her with a soft blanket. After making quick work of tidying up her space, Elizabeth helped Belinda to her feet and led her to a black leather loveseat in the corner of the room. She settled the small blonde against the armrest and then sat next to her, rubbing her back and whispering.
Flynn had to jerk himself away from the finished scene. At this point, he was almost being rude. He didn’t need to continue watching the aftercare of someone who’d just experienced nirvana. Besides, he needed to regroup, pull himself together, and locate the submissive he’d agreed to dominate tonight.
Chapter 10
Over the next two hours, Flynn didn’t speak to Elizabeth except briefly in passing. He’d apparently arranged a schedule exactly opposite hers. He wondered if she watched him as intently as he watched her in between submissives. He doubted it. Obviously, his obsession with her was one-sided. Nothing in her demeanor tonight had insinuated she wanted them to have any kind of club relationship.
It was late when Flynn finally left the club. He hadn’t seen Elizabeth in a while, and decided she must have left without him noticing. He was disappointed, but not surprised.
When he left the club, he dropped his bag in the back seat and then climbed behind the wheel. He was just about to start the engine when he spotted Elizabeth’s royal blue Toyota 86 still in the parking lot. It made him smile. Sporty but practical. When he swung his head toward the entrance to Zodiac, she was stepping outside. Apparently, she’d either been in the changing room or perhaps upstairs with one of the owners when Flynn lost track of her.
He watched as she headed for her car, forcing himself to remain seated and let her
go. If she’d wanted to engage with him tonight, she would have. As it was, she wasn’t even glancing around the parking lot, an obvious sign she didn’t know or care if Flynn had left yet.
She climbed into her car, put on her seat belt, and then pulled slowly from the parking lot.
Flynn sighed, fully intending to head home and lick his absurd wounds. However, just as Elizabeth turned onto the road, a truck that was parked near the entrance to the lot, suddenly started up and pulled out behind Elizabeth.
What the hell?
The hair on the back of Flynn’s neck stood on end. He hadn’t noticed that dark truck at all until now, which meant the occupant had been sitting in the cab, choosing the exact moment Elizabeth left to pull out.
Perhaps Flynn was overreacting and it was nothing, but he didn’t like it, so he made the split-second decision to follow the truck. His hands were shaking, and it took some effort to maintain his distance so he wasn’t too obvious, but damn if that fucking truck didn’t stay right on Elizabeth’s tail.
Flynn had no idea where Elizabeth lived or was staying. All he could do was pray he didn’t lose either of them in his effort. Every damn time Elizabeth turned, the truck followed. Flynn tried to get the license plate, but he was never close enough. He only knew it was an older model black Ford Ranger. He’d never seen it before, and had no idea if someone from the club drove it.
Finally, Elizabeth pulled into the parking lot of an extended stay hotel, and son of a bitch, so did the fucking driver of the truck. Flynn’s body was on high alert as he sped up and pulled into the lot less than thirty seconds later.
Elizabeth was already out of her car and heading for the entrance to the hotel as Flynn accelerated to cross the parking lot. The truck was now idling where Elizabeth had parked, and the moment Flynn approached, the driver hit the gas and sped off.
“Fuck.” Flynn was furious as he tried and failed to get the license plate. He jerked his gaze to Elizabeth to find she had spun around a few feet from the entrance and was staring his direction.
Tempting Elizabeth Page 5