Twisting in my chair, I watched Julianna and Leagh enter the back of the dungeon through the velvet curtain. Julianna carried a gold tray that held a wide silver band. Tony joined Mika on the platform, each focused keenly on their women dressed in matching burgundy silk gowns.
The smiles they’d worn at the wedding had been replaced by serious expressions, underscoring the significance of the event. Even the air felt weighed in authority, and envy pulsed in my veins.
Julianna and Leagh stepped up to the platform, assuming positions strikingly reminiscent of the wedding.
“You look exquisite, angel,” Tony praised as he reached up and stroked her cheek.
“Thank you, Master. You look incredibly handsome, as always.”
Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to her forehead before pulling away. His expression fell sober. “Tonight is the last time I will ever ask you to kneel before me.”
Leagh’s breath rushed out on a ragged quiver and her whole body visibly shook. She lowered her head and sank to her knees on the pillow at Tony’s feet. With grace and beauty she spread her legs and rested her open palms on her thighs.
Tony’s chest expanded as he drank in her submissive splendor. “Raise your head and look at me, sub.”
Leagh obeyed his command, and they stared at one another for a long moment, enveloped in a private bubble of love. With a resolute nod, Tony took one step forward then cupped his hands and placed his open palms against Leagh’s lips.
“With these hands, I promise to mold you. Caress and soothe you in times of harmony and in strife. Punish you, when necessary, and soar you to the heavens, time and again. Never will you be alone, for I will always be by your side, treasuring your gifts and providing your fulfillment. You are my love. My slave. My slut. My angel. For all the days of my life, I vow to hold and protect you… in the palm of my hands.”
Tony’s deep, heartfelt vow echoed through the dungeon. Tears swelled in my eyes and Leagh’s shoulders shook in silent sobs. Struggling to hold back my own emotions, I had to fight even harder when I spied Sanna’s flowing tears.
Removing his hands, Tony stepped back. “I give you all I am, girl. Is there something you wish to give me?”
Leagh nodded ever so subtly, sniffed and inhaled a deep breath.
“I ache to give you my heart, mind, body, and soul to shape beneath your Masterful hands. Yield to your Dominant commands. Immerse you in all the love I possess, and fulfill your every fantasy. Ease your burdens and bring you joy, both day and night. Live my life as the embodiment of your command, to represent you in a golden light of devotion and honor. I vow to kneel at your feet, stand by your side, and follow where you lead. All that I am… all that I’ll ever be is yours. I beg your collar, Master. Please, grant me the precious gift my heart desires… make me whole.”
Oh god. A tear slid down my cheek and I raised my hand to my mouth to hold back a sob.
Leagh had put voice to all the longings trapped inside me and the floodgates burst open. The onslaught of the submissive desires exploding inside left me raw… exposed. There was no place for me to hide.
Joshua issued a murmured sound of understanding and squeezed my shoulder, drawing me closer to his side.
Julianna bowed her head in respect as she stepped up and presented Tony with the golden tray. He lifted the silver collar and bent to one knee before Leagh.
“I accept your gifts. Your love. Your commitment. I bind you to me, now and forever, my beautiful slave.” Clicking the metal fastener in place, Tony slid his fingers under her chin and tipped her head up slightly, then gazed into her eyes with a look of pure possession.
“You are mine,” Tony proclaimed in a beastly roar.
Lifting her from the floor, he devoured Leagh beneath a blistering kiss. A collective sigh of appreciation fluttered through the crowd. There was no thunderous applause or rowdy cheers, simply a potent sense of respect permeating the air.
I ached to feel the completeness their ceremony conveyed. Unable to hold back my tears, Joshua leaned over and tenderly sipped the moisture from my cheeks.
“It’s time you unlocked the cage and set her free, little one,” he whispered in my ear.
I sucked in a shaky breath and nodded. Did I possess the strength to perform such a feat?
Mika turned and walked from the platform. In proper submissive etiquette Julianna fell in behind her Master, leaving Tony and Leagh to revel in their bond. Without disturbing them, James ascended the stage, hauling a small spanking bench and table. Dressed in a tight black T-shirt with the word ‘Security’ emblazoned over his muscular chest, he arranged the furniture then set a black silk bag atop the table. Smiling at the kissing couple, James left the stage.
When Tony finally ended his claim of Leagh’s mouth she spied the equipment. Her blissful expression transformed into a look of sheer panic.
“Remove the items from the bag, angel,” Tony instructed with a wicked grin.
She hesitated for the briefest second before resolution replaced apprehension. Her mind might have coerced her to obey, but her hands trembled in as she removed a tube of lube; proof her body wanted to rebel at the task. Reaching in again, Leagh removed a bright pink butt plug and her cheeks blazed in a crimson blush.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Trevor whispered with glee.
“Shhh,” Drake admonished with an angry scowl.
Snuggling in deep against his Master’s chest, Trevor’s pretty blue eyes sparkled in longing.
“Thank you, angel.” Scalpel sharp, Tony studied Leagh’s reactions closely. No doubt he knew her anxiety at publically performing the ritual. “Off with the dress and there’d better not be a scrap of anything beneath it, my love.”
Her face burned a deeper red and she shook her head. Pulling the flimsy material up over her head, she placed it in Tony’s waiting hand. Her pale skin glowed beneath the harsh lights and her nipples grew dark and tight.
“Do you know what I have planned for you, angel?”
“Yes, Master.”
“What?”
“You plan to claim me.”
“Indeed I do. Claim you how?”
Leagh’s eyes widened before she cast them toward the floor. “The way a Master claims his slave, Sir.”
“Stalling is not a wise choice, my beauty. Say it.” Tony’s command turned harsh.
“You plan to claim my ass, Master.”
“Yes,” he softened. “I’ve been hard for months dreaming about this day.”
Tony patted the padded spanking bench in silent instruction. Leagh slowly positioned herself upon the apparatus and closed her eyes.
Tony smirked. “Turn your head toward the crowd, girl and look at the sea of faces watching… waiting to witness the precious gift you intend to give me.”
She sucked in a ragged breath and did as Tony bid. Homing in on Sanna, her stare never wavered. My sister issued a tight but reassuring smile and nodded in support of her friend. “You’ll be fine,” she mouthed in encouragement.
Tony wore a grin from ear to ear as he slowly smoothed a palm over her butt cheeks. “So soft. So silky… so mine,” he triumphed before bringing his hand down with a hard slap.
Leagh jumped with a start before a dreamy expression spread over her face.
“I own your heart, body, and soul. Now bend over, angel. The heady offer of your virgin ass is too hard to resist. And granting this gift for all to witness is a potent declaration of your bravery and reinforces the vows you just made to me. This leap of faith proves that your word is as solid as the metal around your neck. Thank you, angel. You make me proud.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“Ahh, but you’ve also given me your mind, haven’t you, love?”
“Yes, Master.”
“You know I’m especially fond of crawling inside your mind, don’t you my love?”
“Yes, Master.” Her brows furrowed ever so slightly.
“Then it probably comes as no surprise that there’s still a sadistic bastard running around loose inside my head does it, angel?” Tony chuckled. “Do you understand what that means?”
“No, Sir.” Leagh swallowed tightly, her face lined in a pensive expression.
“It means I fully intend to claim your virgin ass, alone in the privacy of our own little room.”
Talk about a mammoth mind fuck. Tony was a sadistic bastard… a huge one.
Leagh closed her eyes and exhaled a huge sigh of relief. No doubt elated she’d not have to perform such an intimate act in a room full of people. Suddenly her eyes flew open and her expression hardened. Drawing her lips in a tight thin line, she shot a glance over her shoulder, pinning Tony with a look of a slow and certain death.
Tony arched his brows and wagged his finger. “Ah, ah, ah, my saucy slave. You promised to be the embodiment of my control and to represent me in a golden light of devotion and honor, did you not?”
I wasn’t sure if Leagh was going to scream, cry, or reach out and slap the wicked smirk off Tony’s face. Grappling to find her submissive place, Leagh’s expression slowly softened and she nodded.
“Good girl. I plan to hold you to that whether I’m fucking your luscious, hot body, or your pretty little mind, my love.”
“I understand, Master.” She shook her head and smirked. “This is what I get for falling in love with a shrink.”
“A shrink and a sadist, angel,” Tony added. Turning toward the crowd, he pulled a small note from his pocket. “Let’s see. Get married. Check. Collar my girl. Check. Claim her virgin…ah, fuck yes.”
The entire dungeon exploded with laughter. Even Leagh started to giggle. With a mischievous grin, Tony plucked her off the spanking bench and tossed her over his shoulder like a caveman. Leagh yelped as Tony turned and faced the crowd.
“If you all will excuse us, seems I have one last item on my to-do list.”
With a wave to the crowd, he raced from the platform and hurried toward the private rooms.
A buzz filled the air as guest clustered in conversation, while some milled toward the bar. Several Doms and employees began rearranging the dungeon for play.
Sanna sidled next to me while her Doms and Joshua gathered in a circle, talking and laughing.
“That was so beautiful,” she gushed. “I didn’t think I was ever going to stop bawling.”
“It was absolutely gorgeous,” I agreed.
Trevor squeezed past us, plying Drake with a hopeful expression. “Do you have a ‘to-do’ list, Daddy?”
“I do. But you’ll have to find it, boy.” The big Dom smirked. “I’ll give you a hint. It’s not in my pocket but it is in my pants.”
Trevor squealed and nearly crawled up his Master’s body.
Drake shook his head. “Why do you act so deprived… Like I never play with you, boy?”
“It’s not that at all, Daddy. I can’t help it. I’m totally addicted to your big, fat—”
“Boy,” Drake thundered. “To our room. Now!”
Laughing, Sanna and I watched Trevor wriggle with excitement as Drake led him away.
Joshua, Dylan, and Nick were still clustered together, engaged in an extremely serious conversation.
“Wonder what those three are plotting?” I chuckled.
“I don’t know, but it looks pretty intense. Maybe they’re planning to take over the world.”
“I’d like it better if they were plotting to put some sated smiles on a couple of sisters’ faces. All this wedding and collaring shit’s made me horny as hell,” I grumbled.
“Oh god, me, too,” Sanna lamented, eyeing the butt plug and lube sitting untouched on the small table.
“I know what you want, you dirty little monkey,” I teased with a laugh.
“Damn straight I do.” she grinned.
We were both laughing when Joshua came up behind me and slid his arm around my waist. I jumped with a start. “Come with me,” he murmured in my ear.
“Ah, I guess I’ll see you later, Sanna,” I squeaked as he whisked me away.
My stomach began fluttering the moment I realized Joshua was heading toward the hall.
“I’ve been dying all day to get you alone,” he murmured.
“To do what?” I asked with an impish grin.
“Well, to talk, of course. Why else would I want you alone?” He grinned.
“Talk, huh?”
“Or whatever,” he smirked with a wave of his hand.
“I’d prefer whatever over talking, in case you’re wondering... err, Sir.” I flashed him a sultry smile.
“Sir? I like where this is going, but save that look until I get the damn door unlocked, would you, girl?” he groused digging through his pocket for the key. “Because if you don’t, I’m going to lay you out in the middle of hall here and fuck you seven ways to Sunday. I somehow think you’d be a bit mortified giving such a display.”
“So you’re an exhibitionist? That kind of turns me on… just a little.” I couldn’t stop toying with him. His impatient and harried mien was… well, cute.
He pulled out his keys and drew his palm over my ass. “You’re still one swat short, little one. Don’t forget.”
“Trust me. I haven’t, Sir.” I purred in a vampish kitten-soft voice.
“Fuck,” he cursed, trying to jam the key into the lock. I swallowed down a giggle. Mr. Cool, Calm and Collected was unraveling, wildly.
“I’ll never force you to do anything, little one. But if you stop taunting the beast within me, I’ll make sure you wind up begging me to stop.”
He inhaled a deep breath, unlocked the door and practically dragged me inside. Slamming it shut behind us, he pressed me up against the cool wooden surface. His long fingers tangled in my hair and his mouth seized mine in a frenzied rush to own. Tossing my clutch to the floor, I wrapped my arms around his neck, giving back just as good as I got.
God, he drove me insane, stripped my inhibitions, and set my whole body ablaze.
Lips locked in a passionate duel of tongues, our impatient fingers tore at each other’s clothing. Slowed as he tried to set my corset free, Joshua issued a few colorful curses before we were both naked and tumbling into his bed.
Skimming his lips down the column of my neck, he nipped and licked, ramping me up with his gifted mouth. Dipping lower, he latched onto my nipple and sucked the aching bud in deep. I arched, crying out at the blissful sting racing beneath my flesh.
“You’ve been driving me out of my fucking mind all night, wanting to taste these sweet berries,” he grumbled against my skin. “I should spank your ass for wearing that damn sexy corset and teasing me like you did.”
“Spank Sanna, it’s hers,” I giggled. “Oh, wait… what am I saying? No. I mean yes, spank me, Joshua… spank me.”
Suddenly, he lifted from my body. A scowl knitted his brow. “What did you call me?”
A wave of despair slammed me, far harsher than a mere slip of the tongue should have. Where was this shit storm of shame coming from? Granted, I’d started to submit, but not a level lofty enough to elicit such remorse.
“Stephen, Sir.” My voice quivered and tears stung my eyes.
“Easy, Mellie. It was nothing more than a reminder. I certainly didn’t mean to toss you to the four corners under a landslide of rejection.”
I was unnerved by his uncanny intuition. He knew exactly how to pluck me off the ledge of panic and wrap me in a cloak of safety. Joshua seemed almost psychic when it came to my emotions. I’d read about that kind of thing in romance novels, but never thought for a second it could really exist—until now.
“I know. I’m sorry. I overreacted.”
But why? Why did you? I had no answer to give the enquiring voice inside my head.
“I’m not upset. But don’t internalize those things. Share them with me, or I’ll spank your ass for that, too.”
Still struggling to fathom why disappointing him had put me in such a tailspin, walls of protection shot up around me. Painting on a sassy smile, I deflected his instruction with humor.
“I think you’re looking for excuses to spank me, Sir.”
“I think you’re wishing I’d shut up and do it,” he laughed.
“Me? Think that? Why, I never…” Glancing around the ceiling, I whistled in feigned innocence. As long as I kept things light and breezy, I might just survive this test of submission.
“Right. Okay, little one. Let’s get this ironed out. Do you still trust me?”
“We’re not talking spankings anymore, are we?” I asked.
“Nope.”
“Trust you with what?” I taunted, attempting to steer him from delving too deep into serious waters.
“If you even have to ask then I think you need some time to think about it. I’ll give you ten minutes.”
Joshua rolled out of bed. I blinked and started to sputter, but he silenced me when he held a finger to his lips. Biting my tongue, I watched him open a dresser drawer, slip on a pair of sweat pants, grab his keys, and walk right out the door.
Stunned and chaffed. The son of a bitch had left me; put me in a Dominant version of ‘time-out.’ I fumed. Couldn’t he tell I was pulling his chain? The man obviously had no sense of humor.
He’s trying to teach you a lesson, and you know it.
“Yeah, yeah,” I scoffed aloud to the voice in my head. I knew exactly what lesson he wanted to teach me. It was time for me to shit or get off the pot, and Joshua was bent on maneuvering me exactly where he wanted me… at the fork in the road.
“So what’s it going to be?” I asked myself aloud. “You going to stay and fight, or wimp out and take a hike?”
Exhaling a heavy sigh, I closed my eyes. Staying on my safe path had been easy… lonely at times, but I made my own comfort. Relying on myself to find happiness and comfort wasn’t always easy, or ideal. So what if I had a bad habit of satisfying my needs with a slew of short, but intense relationships? I’d never claimed to be a nun.
Yet, on the other hand, the morsels of submission Joshua placed on my tongue tasted sweet and creamy, like chocolate; I could easily become addicted. The new path might assuage my ache for submission, but I’d have to change my attitude… a lot. I’d have to stop getting my back up when he issued commands. And on top of all that, I’d have to find a way to temper my mouth and not allow my stupid knee-jerk reactions to rule my tongue. The modifications expected sent my head reeling. The challenge would be huge.
A slight smirk tugged at my lips. I never sidestepped a challenge. I’d definitely keep him on his toes, and I didn’t have to worry about him trying to collar or claim me for any long-term Dom/sub relationship. A few days of fun and fulfillment might last me another eight years… or it could very well break the seal and release a submissive nympho. It was a fifty-fifty shot… I could either take a chance, or take a hike.
The key clattered in the doorknob. Joshua entered and pinned me with a stern gaze.
What’s it going to be? Safety or Scamper?
“I trust you, Sir.”
“Good.” Skimming off his sweat pants, he stood in the center of the room. His cock was hard, thick, and ready, drawing me like a magnet to steel... hot, velvety steel. “Kneel before me, little one.”
I blinked in confusion. That was it? No conversation? No demand for an apology? Didn’t he want to know what I’d thought about while he was gone?
“Mellie?” He arched one brow. “I don’t like to repeat myself.”
“I know.” I nodded and rushed from the bed. “I mean, no Dominant does, Sir.”
Kneeling in proper submission fashion, I closed my eyes. The temptation of his bobbing cock so close to my mouth felt like torture. Saliva pooled and I wanted to suck him in deep and hard, slide my tongue over his glistening crest and feel the pulse of his thick throbbing veins again.
“Simply stunning.” The approval in his voice calmed me. “I think it’s time we fed your inner sub. She’s all but starving, little one.”
What an ironic choice of words. I thought on an inward chuckle. I vote we let the sub go hungry a little longer, and feed my mouth and my pussy first.
“Raise your head and look at me, Mellie.”
Eyes. Look at his eyes. Don’t stare at his cock.
Letting my brain have its way for a few torturous moments, I skimmed a gaze up his body and tipped my head back, locking onto his shimmering green pools.
“You’re doing excellent, sweet one.” He smiled. “I asked you to do me a favor at the reception, but I could see you weren’t ready. I think maybe now you are. I wanted you to make me a list, but I’m going to switch your assignment around, make it an oral test instead.”
I moaned out a tortured scoff.
“Is there a problem, girl?” He narrowed his eyes.
“No… I mean, yes, but I’ll suffer through it.”
He chuckled. “There’ll be no suffering unless I’m the one inflicting the pain. Tell me.”
“Oral test? Your cock all hard and ready. I…”
With a hearty laugh he shook his head. “I enjoy the way your mind works. Okay, let me rephrase. I want you to give me a list of hard… errr, rather unacceptable limits… verbally.”
Joshua seemed to enjoy my suffering way too much. Smartass.
“Hard limits, okay. No breath play, skat, snuff. No shaving my head or eyebrows.”
“Shaving your…? Oh, of course. Subs that claim they have no limits, I understand. Please continue.”
I nodded. “Um, no children, animals, daddy/daughter or diaper stuff. To each their own, but age play isn’t my kink. Forced prostitution, permanent marks…hrmm. I can’t think of any more off the top of my head.”
“That’s a well thought-out list, little one. Very nice, but let me ask you about some specific limits. Raise a finger for a mild limit, or if it’s something you’ve not tried and might like to, and we’ll discuss those individually. I’ll assume no signal means you’re okay with it. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Sir.” I nodded.
“Then let’s begin. Anal play, including sex and plugs. Bondage. Floggers. Paddles. Clothespins. Cock worship…hrmm, I think I already know the answer to that one, now don’t I, little one?” I smiled and nodded. “Fisting. Gags. Humiliation.”
I raised my finger.
“Humiliation doesn’t put me in much of a good Dom head space either. But if you needed it, I would see to it. Okay, let’s carry on. Clamps on clit and nipples. Play piercing.”
Again I held up a finger.
“You’ve had it and don’t like it?”
“No, Sir. I’ve never done it.”
“I’ll make note of that. TENs units. Violet Wand. Ménage.”
Slowly I raised my finger. Joshua studied me for a long time.
“You’ve not experienced two lovers at once?”
“No, Sir.”
“Tell me your feelings about it.”
My mind zipped back to the night of his opening and the comments his friend Ian had made. “I… the idea both arouses and intrigues me, but…”
“Continue.” His face was unreadable. His eyes like placid pools of ocean water. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking and I didn’t like it. “It is something you fantasize about?”
“Yes, Sir,” I whispered and cast my eyes toward the floor.
“That’s nothing to be embarrassed about, little one.”
“I can’t help it, Sir. I’ve not shared my fantasies before. It’s… awkward.”
“I understand, but you’re doing fine. I’m extremely grateful for your honesty.”
“You’ve shared women before, haven’t you?”
“Yes. I have. It’s a… remarkable experience.”
“With Ian?”
“Lately, yes.” He pondered for a moment. “Answer me honestly, Mellie. How would you feel if I wanted to share you with Ian?”
Heat flooded my face. My body screamed, ‘fan-fucking-tastic’. His friend was hands-down hot. But my brain flipped into hyper-analytical-overdrive, and a tide of insecurities swamped me.
“I’m torn, Sir. I think the bodily experience would be… like you said, incredible. But the emotional side of it… I’m not sure. I don’t have sex with someone I don’t feel a connect—”
I stopped in mid-sentence. Feel a connection with. From the very start I’d tried to convince myself that Joshua was nothing more than a scratch to my itch...A one night stand. Though I’d only had one in my life, the guilt after made me feel dirty and cheap. But that hadn’t happened with Joshua. Puzzled that remorse hadn’t swallowed me whole, I’d convinced myself that obsessing over him so fiercely was the reason the ugly self-reproach had never materialized.
It hadn’t been his dominant nature that scared the crap out of me that first night. He’d connected with me… touched something deep inside that I’d never realized. He’d somehow linked with me on some strange and primitive level I didn’t understand. It hadn’t been about bedding the famous artist, or flirting with the fringes of submission. No, it ran much deeper and subconsciously, I knew. It’s why I ran.
Keeping men an arm’s length away, I never had to worry about giving them a piece of my heart. The notion that Joshua had chipped off a fragment of mine, without my knowledge—like a thief in the night—sent panic slamming through me, with a red-hot shot of adrenaline.
“I’ve got to go.” Launching up from the floor like a rocket, Joshua reared back. The look of shock and confusion on his face surely mirrored my own.
“Whoa. Hold on,” he declared as he grabbed my arm and spun me to face him. “Take a deep breath. Close your eyes and focus on my voice. You’ve hit an internal trigger, and from the looks of it, a big one.”
Panting as panic consumed me, I shook my head. “I can’t.”
In a voice so calm I wanted to scream, Joshua placed his hand over my eyes and pulled me against his naked body. His turgid cock throbbed against my belly, and his arm banded around my waist scorched me. “Breathe with me, Mellie. Nice and slow. Breath in, now let it out. Again. In and out.”
Keeping time with his steady rhythm, I wrestled the bristling barbs of fear biting within.
“It’s okay. Everything is fine. I’ve got you.” The deep timber of his soothing voice sent a shiver down my spine. “It’s this crazy connection we share, right?”
How the fuck did he know that? Maybe he was a freaking psychic.
I nodded slightly as panic and confusion took on a whole new meaning. Sliding his hand from my eyes, his features were drawn in concern. He seemed as unhinged about it as me, and for that I was grateful. I didn’t want to be the only one spazzing out over this weird vibe we shared.
“I feel it too… that incredible draw, like a fiber that’s connecting us to each other. I felt it the first time I saw you at the gallery and how emotional you got staring at the sculpture I gave you. In some bizarre way she’s you… or the embodiment of you. I know that sounds totally insane, but I swear to god I’m not crazy. Whatever this is… whatever it means, we’ll sort it out. But running away from it… from me? It isn’t an option. I won’t allow it, Mellie.”
He’d actually felt it. What did it mean?
“Look, I’m sorry I panicked. I’m confused… I think you’ve ruined me.”
“Ruined you? How?” He blinked, shocked by my claim.
“After that first night… Scotty…I didn’t understand how… Oh god, I’m screwing this all up.”
“You were with Scotty? Scotty from Maurizio’s?”
“Yes… I mean no. I didn’t want to be with him… he wanted…”
A knowing grin tugged the corners of his mouth. “You did what I did, didn’t you?”
All the tension fell from my face. “I don’t know. What did you do?”
“Last night I was supposed to be with the guys at Tony’s bachelor party, but I bowed out. You knocked me clean off plumb the night before. I’d been seeing someone for a few weeks, so I called her. I thought I could…” He gave a sheepish shrug. “Fuck you out of my system.”
Boy, that sounded familiar.
“But sitting with her at dinner, I couldn’t stop comparing her to you. The shape of her face wasn’t right. Her eyes were the wrong color. Her laugh sounded like fighting chickens. I faked a headache and cut the night short. When I got home I lay in bed—the bed we’d shared—and relived every single second I’d had you with me.”
“But you knew who I was... you knew how to find me. Why didn’t you just come to the house?”
“For the same reason you ran away from me, Mellie. You scared the shit out of me.” His face fell; he looked… lost. “What happened with Scotty?”
“Nothing. I didn’t try to have sex with him,” I assured. “He kissed me at the bachelorette party and it felt so wrong I wanted to gag. I shoved him off me and told him no. He wasn’t being a jerk or anything; in fact, he apologized. It didn’t make sense; I mean… you’d done something to me. Okay, look, I met Scotty the night before and… I can’t lie… I probably would have gone to bed with him, eventually. But after being with you… I couldn’t stand the thought of being with him. What the hell did you do to me? God, none of this makes sense.”
Joshua chuckled. “No, it doesn’t. It’s a strange and wonderful feeling, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but…” A sense of foreboding landed in my gut. “But, you and me…it’s never going to work. You know that right?”
He didn’t answer, just clenched his jaw.
“It can’t, Joshua, no matter how badly we… I live in Phoenix… I have a company to run. I can’t just close up shop and shuck off my responsibilities for some crazy-assed connection that we don’t even understand. Seriously, it might just be the right combination of hormones and testosterone.”
“I know.” He nodded. Disappointment flickered in his eyes. I felt the same hollow ache inside. “After what you said at the wedding reception, I tried to rationalize away my attraction to you. But when I’m with you, all rationale goes straight out the window. I want you, Mellie… want you for as many days as I can have you.”
“I want you too,” I sighed. “I haven’t felt this ridiculous since high school.”
“Look. We don’t have to figure this out right now. Not tomorrow or the next day. Things happen for a reason, and while we don’t know what that reason is yet, let’s just relax and let it happen. It’ll reveal itself in time.”
“And you don’t think all this is a little insane?” I asked, arching a brow at his passive acceptance.
“Oh, it’s as crazy as a shit house rat, but…” He shrugged. “Instead of trying to analyze the piss out of it, let’s just see where it takes us.”
“Where it takes us?” I gasped. “I feel like I bought a one-way ticket on a runaway freight train. I know where it’s going to take us.”
“No, you suspect. Look, instead of freaking out, try to take comfort in the fact that I’m on the damn thing too. If it goes down in flames, I’ll be right there beside you, okay?”
The inevitable end to this surreal bliss plowed through me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on. Willingly jumping on board, I knew I was in for a hell of a ride. I just hoped in the end it would all be worth it.
Without a word, Joshua picked me up and carried me to his bed. Silently holding me in his arms, I tried to sort my stormy emotions. I’d only known the man a few short days, but the instant attraction we shared was outrageous.
Trying to pacify all the riotous emotions, I worked on convincing myself that once I returned home and settled into a regular routine, the craziness would pass. But all that did was bring a stab to my heart with a well-honed blade. I didn’t want this to end. I wanted what I couldn’t have… Joshua.
The day had been a rollercoaster of emotions, but in a way our conversation felt cathartic. At least we shared the same mystified emotions, and lying in Joshua’s arms as he threaded his fingers through my hair felt better than right… it felt like perfection.
The fringes of sleep tried to pull me under, but Joshua’s soft lips drew me back to the surface.
“Make love to me,” I whispered on a wistful sigh.
“How could I refuse such a lovely request?” he murmured.
Inching his lean body over mine, I moaned at the feel of his hot, soft skin. Our bodies meshed together, and strangely, it felt more profound than the first time. His kisses were slower, more passionate; his touches teemed in adoration. The methodical way he unraveled me was the complete opposite from our rush to rut, a few short days ago.
“Mmmm, yesssssss,” I purred as his long, sure fingers toyed with my folds.
“You’re so soft, and silky, and so fucking wet. Oh… the things I want to do to you, Mellie.”
Joshua’s words came out raspy and low. Driving his fingers deep inside, he sent my desire spiraling high and hard.
“Pleaseee,” I whimpered. “Do anything you want.”
A roguish fire flickered in his eyes. “Anything?”
“Yess,” I hissed. My frustration clawed deep.
“Be careful what you ask for, girl.”
“I’m not asking. I’m begging.”
Easing his fingers out my pussy, he stared at the glistening juice on his digits. Drawing his hand to his mouth, he licked them clean, savoring the flavor as if it were the finest nectar in the world. Feeling coveted and treasured, I was rattled to the bone.
Reaching down, Joshua dragged his broad thumbs over my nipples. “I want to lose myself in you, little one. It’s been a long time since I’ve craved a woman as much as I do you.”
His confession pressed in on me from all sides. A blistering torrent of emotions suffused my heart. I’d never hungered for a man the way I did him. It was all consuming.
“Take me. Please?”
Bending low, he granted my request, claiming me in a ravenous kiss as he took control. Floating his lips and tongue down my body in whisper-soft strokes, he edged closer to my needy cleft. My belly rippled as the muscles twitched beneath his sensual indulgence.
Repositioning himself between my legs, Joshua parted them with gentle persuasion, then closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath. A slow smile of gratitude curled his lips. Gazing upon my sex, I knew what he planned to do, and I couldn’t help but rock my hips, impatient to feel his tongue on my sex.
Sliding a hungry stare over my body, his expression was tight, rugged, and ruthless, totally incongruent to the calming stroke of his fingertips up and down my inner thighs.
“So anxious. So needy. So fucking gorgeous,” Joshua lauded before leaning low.
His warm breath spilled over my pussy and I twitched. Placing a wide palm low on my belly, he held me to the bed before swiping his tongue up my folds. As he groaned in delight, my whole body quivered. With long and deliberate strokes, Joshua lapped at my labia, scraped his teeth over my clit, methodically driving me out of my mind. He was in no hurry, seemingly content to drive me up the mountain of ecstasy, one agonizing stroke at a time.
“I could stay here all night long, drinking in your sweet, slick juice, little one. You taste so warm and tart, it makes me dizzy.”
Floating on a cloud of surreal splendor, Joshua sailed me even higher when he inched his fingers back inside me. Curling and circling, he beckoned the growing fire as he crept deeper still. He pinpointed that secret bundle of nerves and I whimpered as he stroked the screaming tissue. Writhing and moaning, I ground my pussy against his mouth and hand. Circling my clit with his tongue, he purposefully prolonged the exquisite agony, and the maddening torture was glorious. I didn’t want it to end.
“Your cunt is sweltering,” he murmured against my folds. “And the way your silky tunnel sucks at my fingers… it feels incredible, baby. Fucking incredible. My cock’s so jealous right now.”
Each raspy syllable vibrated straight up my spine.
“Please,” I begged. “I need…”
“You need what, little one? Tell me.”
Even as he asked the question, his tongue didn’t stop dancing its taunting trail alongside my clit.
“I need to come, Sir. Please.” The desperation in my voice was shocking, even to my own ears.
“Yes, I know you do.” Joshua increased the tempo of his coaxing stroke. “You’re going to give it to me, because I demand it from you, little one. And I want it. Now. Right now. Come for me, girl.” he commanded in a harsh roar.
Latching my throbbing clit between his lips, Joshua sucked. The pool of blood behind the tender nub seemed to expand and the muscles in my legs tightened and trembled. I tried to arch from the bed, but his powerful hand held me down.
His wicked fingers strummed.
His ravenous mouth consumed.
A sizzling ball of electricity shot through my limbs, collided with my brain, and slammed down my spine. Shards of light exploded behind my eyes, and I threw my head back, screaming to the heavens as I shattered all over his face.
Contracting, my tunnel sucked at his fingers in brutal spasms. Still, Joshua didn’t relent. He continued licking my clit while his fingers churned in silent demand for more.
“Again,” he bellowed. “I want to drink you in… possess every drop of you, girl.”
Another wave started cresting over the one still annihilating me. Helpless, I swirled in the eye of the cyclone as Joshua drove me up, fast and hard. Streaking to the crest once more, I fisted my hands in his hair, holding on for dear life, and sailed over the edge. Shrieking, the convulsing explosion felt as if it had obliterated every cell in my body.
Boneless, panting, and spent, I felt Joshua crawl up from between my thighs. Lifting my heavy eyelids, I watched as he smiled and licked my offering from his lips before wiping his chin on the back of his hand. A sated smile curled one side of my mouth as he reached up and brushed strands of sweat-soaked hair from my face.
“God, you’re amazing,” he praised, gazing at me as if I were the most beautiful creature on the planet.
“No,” I choked out on a hoarse whisper. “You’re the amazing one… the things you do to me…”
“I’ve only just begun to unravel you, little one.”
A twinkle of delight danced in his eyes as an aftershock rippled through me. Oh yes, he’d unravel me, all right. I just prayed that his masterful hands would be able to weave me back together when we were through.
I managed to lift one limp arm and drape it around his shoulder before pulling his mouth to mine. Tasting my essence on his tongue, Joshua bathed me in a poignant kiss so brimmed with emotion I felt tears burning the back of my eyes.
Careful. You’re in over your head.
As if challenging my internal warning, I moaned and fell deeper into his kiss. Shifting his weight, Joshua positioned his body over mine. The heat of his steely erection pressed against my stomach, igniting the fires I thought had been extinguished.
His unique sexual magic left me utterly amazed. He’d taken me from quenched to parched with just a kiss and the touch of his body. I was unaccustomed to such unrelenting pleasure; Joshua stoked an insatiable side I didn’t know existed. But I knew one thing: I’d never get my fill of the man.
“Whatever this is… whatever it means, we’ll sort it out.”
His reassuring words sang in my brain as he reached out and palmed a condom from the nightstand. I put my ponderings to rest as he sheathed his stunning shaft.
“Fuck. You test my control, little one. The need to be gentle and not hurt you battles with my demand to consume you,” he hissed through clenched teeth. Stroking his thick shaft as if trying to soothe its ache, he edged in, aligning the wide crest with my swollen folds.
“Don’t be gentle. I won’t break. I need to feel all of you, again.”
He lunged inside me, fast and hard. That unforgettable burn flared through my core and rippled like a bubbling brook. Joshua stilled and I held my breath, struggling to relax my quivering passage and accept his glorious invasion.
“Christ, girl. You’re strangling me,” he growled.
“I’m not trying to,” I gasped, closing my eyes to focus past the exquisite sting.
“It’s okay. I’m not complaining. Trust me. I’m going to stay right here until you relax and give me room to move in that pretty pussy of yours.”
I tried to widen my thighs, but it only served to stretch my searing flesh further. I hissed and bit back a curse.
“Easy, baby. There’s no rush,” he whispered.
Circling my nipples with his tongue, he flicked the hard tips. I moaned and pressed my lower back into the mattress, then drew up my legs and wrapped them around his narrow hips. The pain had lessened even as Joshua wedged in deeper. I closed my eyes, enveloped in sensations too wonderful for words.
He slanted his mouth over mine and we became fused together in every way possible. I wasn’t sure where I ended and Joshua began, until he started slowly rocking in and out of me and the universe seemed to settle into an unfathomable rightness.
As he devoured me in fervid kisses, I moaned in a carnal melody of delight. With his long, languid strokes, he seemed as if he were struggling to hold back. A part of me felt cheated. I didn’t want him censoring a single need or emotion, not when he demanded I give him my all. Watching the growing toll play across his face, I dipped my chin and swiped my tongue over his flat nipple. His body grew even more rigid as a growling curse rolled off his tongue. Determined to find the key to release the beast he held caged, a wicked idea slid though my brain.
“Harder, Master Stephen,” I whispered. “Use me. Use me hard. I want so bad to… God, please… let me please you, Master.”
“Fuckkk,” he roared.
A streak of something wild flashed in his eyes. Joshua clenched his teeth and began to drive into my cunt like a man possessed.
Inside I cheered. This is what I wanted… For him to shuck off his kid gloves and unleash his animalistic desires. Wild and untamed, Joshua claimed me in a frenzy of thrusts, grunts, and growls. Pounding into me, I realized that neither Joshua nor his alter ego Master Stephen had allowed their inhibitions to run free for a very long time.
An unexpected wave of submission swelled, swallowing me whole. Stripped of my resolve to never unfurl my surrender, I floated like a bird toward the heavens. Surrounded in the surreal, white peace, I tried to claw my way back to reality, but the hold of completeness was too strong. Serenity saturated my pores, seeped into my bones, and left me feeling small and fragile... breakable, and so very frail.
“You’re fucking perfect,” he spat. His tone held an icy, savage edge, and damn, if it didn’t turn me on even more.
“Take me… all of me, Master Stephen,” I cried. “Use me hard. I’m yours.”
There was no need to bait Joshua’s beast further, but I couldn’t stop myself. My submissive pleas nurtured us both. Freed, he feasted on my acquiescence, ruthless and feral, as I willingly fed him the pieces of my resurrected submission.
“When I tell you to come, girl, come hard for me. It’s mine,” he hissed.
Jerking back, he yanked me onto his thighs. Pinching my waist in a grip so tight I’d be wearing his bruises for weeks, Joshua hurtled me up and down his cock. Burnishing my clit against the root of his shaft, the swell of release burned. Clawing at his back, I held tight to his body… to my orgasm… and to what shards of sanity hadn’t slipped through my fingers.
A fierce expression etched his face.
Narrowing his eyes, he delved deep into my soul, and in that one precious moment in time, he owned me. Remnants of my independence vanished like smoke. Losing myself so freely, I waited for the toll of pain to pierce my heart, but it didn’t. Instead, an unequivocal liberation consumed me—all because of his command.
“Give it to me now, girl,” he insisted. “Come for me. Now. Fucking come hard!”
As if I were a bird, Joshua snipped my wings and I plummeted into a swirling abyss of pleasure. I closed my eyes to savor our mingling screams, and the feel of his cock jerking and sputtering as he spilled his hot seed into the latex barrier.
He gripped me to his chest and my pussy compressed around his shaft, gnawing with spontaneous spasms. His drumming heart pounded against my cheek. Sweat soaked, we clung to each other, holding tight long after our breathing evened out, and the rippling quivers of pleasure faded.
He was unusually quiet. In fact, Joshua hadn’t uttered a single word since he’d ordered me to come. Silently he lifted me off his cock and stood.
“I’ll go get a shower started for us,”
“That’s okay. I’ll grab one back at Sanna’s place.”
He froze as if I’d cast a spell on him. Turning slowly, he pinned me with an angry scowl. “No. You’re staying the night here. With me. In my bed.”
Without another word, he stormed into the bathroom. I watched as he flushed the soiled condom down the toilet, then twisted the knobs inside the shower.
My inner sub bowed her head in compliance, while the sovereign woman I feared had been lost bristled at his callous directive.
“Joshua, I’d like—”
“So, it’s back to Joshua again now, is it?” Standing in the doorway of the bathroom he arched an arrogant brow.
What the hell?
Undaunted, I raised my chin; all semblance of submission disappeared without a trace. “I’d like to discuss the fact that you want me to spend the night with you.”
“No, you’re searching for an excuse to run from me again. Christ, it’s written all over your face,” he spat in disgust.
“What is wrong with you?” My tone was combative, but I didn’t give a shit. He was acting like a pompous prick and I aimed to find out why. “I’m not running, but it sure seems as if you are. You’re not even listening to me. You’re shutting me out behind an impenetrable wall of Dominance. I didn’t give you my submission to toss in the garbage like a pile of dog shit. Why are you being so callous and rude?”
“Is that why you’ve decided to lock the sub back in her cage?” he countered with an angry sneer.
“I asked you first.” My reply sounded stupid and childish, but he’d backed me into a corner. Right or wrong, I came out fighting… it was my nature.
He lowered his jaw and flashed me a condescending smirk as if to say; ‘Really? That’s the best you can do?’
Blinded by a red haze of rage, I leapt from the bed and gathered up my purse and clothes. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. You’re going to think exactly what you want to regardless of anything I try to say. But just for your information, I wasn’t questioning the great and powerful Master. I was trying to communicate with you. But you’ve got your bad-ass Dom persona slathered on so thick you can’t see past your own fucking ego.”
Storming out the door, I slammed it behind me. Naked as a jaybird, I nearly collided with James as he walked down the hall.
“Whoa,” he declared in stunned surprise.
Rage oozed from my every pour. James’s expression immediately softened with concern. He didn’t say a word. He simply wrapped his hand around my elbow, in a tender show of compassion and drew me to his side.
“Come on,” he whispered softly. “Let’s get you someplace quiet.”
The door to Joshua’s room opened with a bang. Wearing nothing but his pants and pissed-off glare, he stepped into the hallway. Zeroing in on James’ hand clasped at my elbow, Joshua’s nostrils flared.