“You are going to take these things off of me aren’t you?”
Payne looked at her with a wicked grin that didn’t reach his eyes as he pulled on his pants. He purposely didn’t answer though. He wasn’t in the habit of explaining himself to the women he fucked. Besides, he enjoyed watching her squirm. She’d been pissed a few weeks ago when he left her cuffed to the bed while he took a phone call from his brother, Nate. He’d left the bedroom and ended up shooting the breeze with his younger brother for over half an hour, and when he returned Jill all but cussed him out for it. He told her then that if they had a contract and she were his sub, he would take great pleasure in gagging her and trussing her up in ropes, then leaving her there until she learned never to sass him again. She’d thought he was joking. He showed her that he wasn’t.
Payne Kelly was not a man to be trifled with. Not when he was working the streets for the Eastwood County Sheriff’s Department, and not off duty in a biker bar. And he certainly didn’t take any shit from his submissives. But therein lied the problem … they didn’t have a contract, and Jill was not his submissive. Not that he wanted her to be, because he certainly didn’t. Pretty as she was, she was nothing more than a temporary itch-scratcher for him, a dick soother until he finally found the time to contract someone proper. But with the crazy hours he’d been working lately who knew when that was going to be?
“Payne?”
Her impatience irked him. Part of him would love to give her a few sharp lessons in discipline and obedience, but he simply wasn’t invested enough in her to bother.
He took his time getting dressed, and then sat down to put on his boots, still ignoring the daggers she was shooting his way from her eyes. When he was finally put back together he turned to the mirror and slowly looked himself over, straightening his perfect light brown waves and smoothing the goatee at his chin. Then he turned toward her as he pulled the key to his handcuffs from his pocket.
“You know, not that it wasn’t hot as hell, because it was. But there’s something to be said for good old-fashioned missionary-style sex,” she said as he released her hands from their restraints and she rubbed at her wrists.
“Yes, there is. It fucking sucks,” he stated without humor as he stuffed his cuffs into his back pocket.
She smiled and rolled her eyes at him as she pulled on a t-shirt.
“So, my parents are coming into town in a few days. I can’t wait for them to meet you,” she said, sounding excited.
Payne frowned at her as he grabbed his gun and tucked it into the holster at the back of his jeans.
“Why would I meet your parents?”
She looked at him with a disbelieving air. “What is that supposed to mean? It won’t be anything fancy, just dinner or something.”
“Jill, I am not having dinner with your parents,” he announced, looking her directly in the eyes. “Frankly, I don’t know what would make you think I would.”
“What exactly are you saying, Payne Kelly? I’m good enough for you to fuck every once in a while, but not good enough for you to actually date?”
He stared at her like she had three heads. Then he leaned down placing his fists on the bed on either side of her as he got in her face and locked his eyes on hers.
“Okay. Let me make this perfectly clear again! And I say again because I know that I’ve said this to you more than once already. You and me … we are not dating. This is not a relationship. This is fucking, plain and simple. We don’t hang out, we don’t share a meal, there are no movie nights. We get together and screw. Period! You knew the terms going in, but you wanted to take the ride anyway!”
“You are such a fucking jerk,” she mumbled as he stood up, and Payne actually admired the flash of defiance in her eyes. If she were his sub, he would have so much fun working that defiant streak out. “You hide behind all this tough-talking BDSM shit because you’re afraid to get emotionally involved with a woman! You probably couldn’t make love like a normal man if your life depended on it!”
Her words were meant as an insult, but Payne laughed out loud because she had no idea how untrue that statement was. Every good Dom knew that a genuine emotional connection was paramount to gaining total trust from your submissive.
“Any abuser can bully a woman. That is not Dominance. True Dominance is the matchless ability to guide another on a journey through emotions never before imagined. Ecstasies and passions so deep they were never before dreamed possible.”
He could hear his mentor’s voice in his head even as Jill glared at him. His laughter subsided and he shook his head, pitying her.
“The things I could teach you if I only gave a damn,” he said. Then he took a deep breath. “But I don’t. And you don’t care to learn, so I think we’re done. You can go off and find yourself a nice normal vanilla guy to have nice normal missionary vanilla sex with, ‘cause obviously, darling, that ain’t me. Sorry we both wasted our time.”
“Get out of my house, you arrogant ass,” she yelled at him, and he smiled.
“Have a nice visit with your parents. I’ll see you around the station,” he said as he left her room. And he heard the small crash of a hairbrush hitting the wall as he made his way down the hallway and through her living room.
He had known when it started a month ago that it was going to end badly. It couldn’t have ended any other way. Jill, for all of her sexy-talking bravado, was a very traditional girl with traditional values, and he was a BDSM Master. A Dominant. Both in the bedroom and out. It was the lifestyle he’d chosen for himself many years ago, and it was one that he proudly lived by today. He never dated in the traditional sense. To him, dating was a tedious pointless exercise that more often than not led to confusion, hurt feelings, infidelities and lies, whereas his chosen method of companionship brought with it order and discipline and control - all virtues he valued in his life.
Then there was the fact that Payne was a pretty solitary creature. He had four brothers and a host of cousins whom he loved dearly, but besides his close friendship with his best friend, at his core, Payne was a loner. Always had been. So romantic relationships for him just made more sense inside the context of BDSM.
He got on his 2014 black denim Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special still thinking about his situation as he fired her up and pulled out onto the road. He needed to just end the agony and go get a new sub already, this lag time in between contracts was killing him. He also knew that he should just point the bike toward home, but he was feeling restless all of a sudden. And it was still early. He smiled to himself as an idea formed, and instead of heading to his apartment, he took the next left and turned back toward his cousin’s place.
Storm Kelly was more than just Payne’s cousin, he was the afore mentioned best friend. They were so close in age that they had done just about everything together growing up. They’d even lost their virginities on the same night. To the same girl, no less. It had been a wild time!
Ten minutes later, he sat admiring the scenery as he relaxed on Storm’s back patio with a half empty bottle of beer in hand. The denim cut-off short shorts his girlfriend wore hugged the curve of her ass to perfection, and when she flipped her long red hair over her shoulder there was no denying that she was as sexy as she was beautiful. And from what he’d heard, she had turned into one hell of a good little submissive. It was just his luck that his cousin had found her first. Of course, back in the early days that wouldn’t have mattered much. Hell, back a year ago that wouldn’t have mattered much. He and Storm had never had a problem sharing, but it was apparent that this time was different. This time he suspected that his cousin had gone and fallen in love, and he was genuinely happy for him. But for some reason his best friend’s happiness only served to point out how mundane his own life had become.
It had been several months now since his last contract ended, and Payne kept saying that he was going to get a new sub, but he’d been so busy with his new case load at work and pulling some overtime that he hadn’t gotten around to it. But watching Nina as she stood on the far end of the patio, applying color to her canvas, it was difficult to ignore the wake up call his libido was sending him. He smiled slightly as he looked her over.
“You know, you have always been one lucky son-of-a-bitch,” he said glancing at Storm, who sat across from him in a matching lawn chair.
Storm followed his line of sight and smiled at his baby girl as he watched her paint. Then he looked back at Payne. “Don’t think I don’t know it,” he smiled.
“Gotta say, Cousin, I’m a little hurt that you haven’t offered me a taste,” Payne said, still looking Nina over with a sly smile on his lips. He wasn’t serious. He just wanted to try and get a rise out of the ice man. And when his comment was met with dead silence, he knew he had him.
Storm’s mind played quickly over the many subs he and Payne had willingly shared in the past, and he fleetingly wondered why the thought of giving his cousin a night with Nina suddenly sent him into a tailspin. Not that Nina would even go for it. With her spunky attitude she would probably threaten to kick his ass for even suggesting it, submissive or not. And he would probably be afraid! The thought tickled him, but he actually felt himself growing angry at the thought of her with someone else. Even Payne.
Payne chuckled. “Relax, man. I know this one is special. I’m just messing with you. You lucked out though with her taking to the lifestyle the way she has.”
“Yeah, I know,” Storm said, feeling relieved as he looked over at her once more. “If she hadn’t been into it, I don’t know what I would have done.”
“You would have done exactly what I’m about to do and gone to see Kimberly,” Payne said.
“I was wondering when you were going to do that. Actually I’m surprised you’ve gone this long. What’s it been since the last one? About four months?” Storm asked.
“Six. And I’m starting to feel it,” Payne answered, and Storm smiled at him.
“What happened to that chick from the Sheriff’s Department you were screwing? The dispatcher?”
“She’s a Records Clerk actually. And what happened was what always happens when you screw without a contract. She got clingy. She wanted a relationship,” Payne answered, and the distain in his voice was easy to hear. Then he squinted at Storm and asked, “You and Nina don’t have a contract, do you?”
“Nope,” Storm answered, a sparkle in his ice blue eyes as he smiled. “She knew next to nothing about the lifestyle when we met, so I just didn’t see the point. And really, it started out as just a fun, casual hook up, you know? I never imagined it would turn into this.”
“Yeah,” Payne answered, looking him in the eye with a matching set of ice blue peepers. A feature they’d each inherited from their fathers - Mitch and Mike Kelly. “Risky as hell.”
Storm laughed at him. “Maybe so. But the more she learns, the more curious she becomes. And I never thought I’d enjoy teaching a newbie, but honestly … it has been the best sex of my life. Now whether that’s because she’s just amazing in bed or because her excitement and willingness to please makes it all new, I don’t know. But it’s fucking hot!”
Payne smiled. “Yeah, well like I said … you’ve always been one lucky son-of-a-bitch,” he laughed. “Hey. So, I’m taking a ride out to Collars & Chains to get the ball rolling. Why don’t you come with me to see Kimberly. Tomorrow night?”
Storm took a deep breath and sighed. “Man, I haven’t been to Collars & Chains in a while.”
“I know. That’s exactly why you should come. I know Mistress Kimberly would love to see you.”
“I don’t know, Payne,” he said glancing over at Nina once more.
“You can bring the little woman along, you know?” he said, smiling.
Storm chuckled. “Yes, I know. But I’ve never collared Nina before,” he said.
Payne frowned at him. “Why the hell not?”
Storm shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I’ve just never thought about it, I guess.”
Payne continued to frown at him. “I don’t believe this. Is falling in love making you soft Stormy?” he asked, his voice sounding slightly accusatory. And he could see that Storm was instantly pissed at the charge.
“No, falling in love has not made me soft! I’ve just never had the need to collar her before. But now that we’re talking about going TPE 24/7 that will change.”
Payne didn’t respond because he could see that he’d hit a nerve, and he didn’t want to argue with Storm. Besides, who was he to try and tell the man what to do with his own submissive? They may have come up through the ranks in the lifestyle together and studied under the same mentor, but they were two very different men with two very different approaches to being Doms. Storm had always been more willing to venture outside the BDSM community for sex and companionship, whereas Payne was more inclined to go from contract to contract. Vanilla was not a flavor he enjoyed, and he only began sleeping with Jill from the department because she assured him that she knew all about BDSM and used to have ties to the lifestyle. She lied. But the sex had been pleasurable for a few weeks, until she got the idea they were building a future together. Meet her parents. Yeah, right!
“Well, the invitation stands, man. Besides, you said yourself that the more Nina learns the more curious she becomes. She might enjoy going to Collars & Chains, you never know. And it would enhance her education a bit to be around other lifestylers.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Storm said, taking a swig of his beer.
As if on cue, Nina wandered over, her bare feet silencing her approach. She hung back submissively, reluctant to interrupt the two Doms while they were talking. And besides that, Payne always made her slightly nervous. Whenever he was around she felt like he was watching her every move, and she wasn’t sure if it was because he found her attractive, or because he was scrutinizing everything she did and evaluating her effectiveness as a submissive. She’d thought Storm was intense when they first met, and he could be extremely intense and intimidating at times, but she could tell instinctively that Payne took the D/s lifestyle to a different level. Storm had been so patient with her in showing her the ropes, but she didn’t think Payne would have been at all.
She saw Storm reach out his hand to her, indicating it was okay for her to approach, and she smiled at him as she took his offered hand. He gently pulled her into his lap and looked up at her.
“Finished painting?”
“Yes. I was going to get cleaned up and start dinner while my canvas dries, if that’s okay,” she answered.
He nodded his head at her. “That’s fine.”
“Can I bring you another beer first?”
He glanced at the half empty bottle of beer on the small table beside him. “No, I’m good.”
“Another beer for Master Payne?” she asked, directing her question to Storm. She had learned never to address Payne directly, not unless he spoke to her first. It made Kelly family functions awkward for her when Payne showed up because she never knew whether she should treat him as her boyfriend’s cousin or as her Dominant’s fellow Dom. When they were in their own environment there was no question, but around other family who were not part of the lifestyle it was confusing for her.
She watched as Storm glanced questioningly at his guest, and then looked back at her. “No, thank you.”
“Will Master Payne be joining us for dinner?” she asked.
Again, Storm looked at Payne. “Want to stay for dinner, man? You know Nina’s a great cook,” he smiled.
“Yes, she is,” Payne said, returning his smile. “But I can’t stay. Thank you for the invitation though.”
She moved to stand, but Storm didn’t release her, so she settled into his lap again, looking at him expectantly.
“You and I are going to go with Payne tomorrow night to Collars & Chains,” he said. “You remember me telling you about that place?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
He smiled at the title. He was used to subs calling him Master, but for some reason that he couldn’t explain, he’d been opposed to Nina calling him that, and Sir wasn’t much better. They both suddenly sounded so cold and impersonal to him when he met her. But he liked Daddy a lot.
“You’re going to have to wear a collar. I would not take you into a club like that without collaring you first. If I did that you’d cause a riot, and I’d be fighting off assholes trying to touch what’s mine all night long,” he said, looking into her eyes.
Nina smiled at him. She knew it was crazy, but she loved his possessiveness. Loved being his.
Storm could see the excitement in her eyes as he talked, and he knew he needn’t have worried about it. She was going to enjoy the new experience like always.
Payne watched their exchange with great interest. He admired the quiet way Storm wielded his Dominance with his sub. Like all D/s relationships should be, it was respectful and caring, of course, but there was something more. An extra layer he couldn’t relate to. An obvious tenderness that was completely foreign to him, yet somehow it intrigued him. It was more than just the deep level of trust a Dom hoped to gain from his sub, it was a mutual affection. A genuine intimacy that Payne had never experienced himself. Storm and Nina weren’t simply Dom and sub, they were in love, and he knew it. And he wondered what that would feel like, falling in love with your submissive.
He knew that Storm wasn’t unique. They both knew plenty of Doms who had been involved in long-term relationships with the same sub, or subs, for many years. It happened quite often. But watching his best friend with his girl suddenly made Payne wonder if that kind of situation were even possible for someone as solitary as he was. And the more he thought about it, the more he tried to picture it.
He had to admit that the idea appealed to him in a strange way. No more going from contract to contract. Find someone he was truly compatible with and enter a long-term arrangement. Hell, for all he knew, he might even find “the one,” and fall sickeningly in love like his cousin. Stranger things had happened, he thought to himself as he watched Storm and Nina.