Bind and Keep Me, Book 2 (9 page)

But now…I looked from him to Steph, who lay quivering and whimpering on the bed. There were bruises already, big bright blotches, and the leak of a tiny trickle of blood down into the cleft of her buttocks. They both needed me. I didn’t understand why, but I was torn between consoling her and hugging him. I had never thought Klaus was perfect. I could forgive him, but could she?

I put a gentle hand to her back and leaned in quickly to whisper in her ear. “It’s over. I’ll take care of you. Okay? Nod if you heard me.” When she nodded, I leaned over and placed my other hand on Klaus’s hip. “Sir?” I was lost as to what to say. I wanted, needed, to talk to him, but knew he might not take it well if I instructed him in any way. “Klaus?”

Then he turned and took my hand in his, entwining his fingers through mine and raising them to his mouth to deliver a kiss. He went to one knee before the bed to undo the gag, slipped it from Steph’s mouth and placed it to one side.

“We’re done. We’re square now. Okay. Done. I was angry at you, Steph. I never do this. I promise I will not again go beyond what you can take. You’re going to have some nasty bruising but you’re not badly hurt.” He looked at me. “I’ll get some ointment from the medicine cabinet. Stay with her. Do not release her.”

“Okay.” I smiled then let it fade as I turned to our captive. Crap. I sure hoped we could get past this. This was
not
beating her into submission? Oh my, Klaus. Oh my.

Gingerly, I sat on the edge of the bed beside her and stroked my fingers through her ebony hair. So glossy and heavy, like stroking cool black water. I let the rhythm of that caress calm us both, doing it repeatedly for a few minutes. Her choked sobs settled. Then she sighed and looked up at me. Her mouth moved as if she meant to speak but wasn’t sure how or maybe what to say.

“I’m sorry.” The apology slipped out before I could stop myself. I couldn’t quite figure out why I’d said it. I
was
sorry, but did that mean I should tell her so? “What he said, it was true. He rarely gets angry, and he almost never loses control.”

Steph coughed and licked her lips. “Almost never? I think once was enough.”

I raised an eyebrow and smiled crookedly. “Mmm.”

“I think my ass is broken.”

That made me snort. “You have no idea. That’s mild compared to what I can take, and like. The only other time he lost it, I nearly had a needle straight through my nipple.” Was that TMI? Maybe. But then, I needed to get her seeing things in a better light. I needed her to see who we were and that what he’d done wasn’t…oh hell, yeah, that was too much. The startled expression she wore seemed frozen on. “Umm. Too much that? The needle thing? It was, wasn’t it?”

Steph only blinked at me.

Right. No more mentions of needles.

I shifted to survey the damage to her ass. The welts…I ran a fingertip across one and jerked as she hissed. “Sorry. They are nice though. He’s marked you up good.” Was this what Klaus saw after he beat me? I had to resist touching her again. I’d love to see that delightful flinch when I hit a sore spot. And speaking of sore spots, there were definitely lots of those.

She groaned. “I’m not a fucking work of art. Did he mean that? We’re even now? You’re not going to blame me for the other night from now on? I’m tired, so tired of feeling bad about all this. Tired of being angry too.”

What was this? She’d had the biggest ass whooping ever and she was what, feeling guilty? I searched her face.

“If he said that, then he means it. He won’t do this to you again. Not like this. Klaus may be a sadist, but he’s my sadist.” At last I could hear him returning. From the time he was taking, he’d been dithering on purpose. I placed my hand on her back where her spine curved into that alluring dip at her lower back.

So warm, and soft where the mounds of her ass began. A man’s ass was hairy and nowhere near as nice as a woman’s.

Klaus stalked in, a tube of ointment in hand. He came to the bed and studied her. “How are you? Recovering?”

As if his concern stunned her, Steph bit her lip and hesitated a second or two. “I’m…” She frowned.

“Answer me.” Now I saw his Dom side returning. He went to one knee and laid his hand over her nape, but lightly.

“I’m sore.” Her lips twitched. I figured she was chagrined at her own acquiescence. She’d learn. Klaus could be so very persuasive. If he tried, really tried, she’d be putty in his hands.

“Thank you for answering, Stephanie. Keep still while Jodie applies this.” I moved away until I knelt near her bottom. Klaus handed me the tube and a square of gauze, sat on the bed beside her shoulder, and patted her.

The man was still naked, and for the first time I saw her remember. Her gaze traveled to his groin. Her eyes widened. My chuckle was only half-suppressed. Though he didn’t have an erection, it was getting there. Way to go Klaus.

Well, I was naked too, but with all the screaming and struggling, who’d had time to dress?

With a good dollop of ointment on my hand, I got up higher on my knees and inspected her butt again. Her first whimper when I put my finger to her skin, made me smile. She had her face hidden by Klaus’s thigh so she couldn’t see me. I could smile all I wanted to. Klaus cocked an eyebrow at me but I only shrugged.

I used the gauze to dab up a few spots of blood. I let my fingers follow a wheal over the round hill of one cheek then down toward the split of her ass. I went a little farther, perhaps, than the end of the welt. Applying this was going to be fun. I stared at her engorged sex, at the sheen of moisture. The temptation was there—to slip my fingers inside her. Wow. I hadn’t thought of her this way much before. Something about having her tied up, freshly beaten…I was going to have to think this through.

“This might hurt some more, Steph. But it’ll help you to heal.”

“Thank you.” Her speech was hushed, but distinct.

The warmth that grew from hearing her gratitude surprised me. I blinked. “You’re welcome, Steph. Maybe you should bite down on something…like Klaus.” I flashed him a grin.

Luckily he was occupied with stroking her hair and only growled a little at me. “You wish, woman. I’ll make sure you choke on something of mine yourself, later.”

“Yes, Sir.” At last though, the mood had lightened, just as the morning sunshine was lightening and warming the room. Struck by some weird impulse, I leaned in and kissed Steph on her lower back. “She has a pretty ass, Sir.”

He nodded and said quietly. “Yes, she does. Though my marks improve it.”

From the odd noise Steph had made, she was struggling not to make some cutting remark.

“Good girl,” Klaus patted her again. “Just remember in future, this is our ass. Jodie’s and mine.” He winked at me.

Easy to say. Too easy. I examined her, from head to toe. All tied up and compliant—collared, wrists bound at her back, ankles cuffed, and her ass colored up like a blossoming rose. Time would tell if Stephanie agreed with that statement of ownership, but I reached down and pinched her skin enough to make her jerk. I was beginning to like this idea.

When I was finished, Klaus rose and declared he had to shower and get ready for work. Then it struck me—I was going to be alone with Stephanie for the first time. The prospect both scared me and intrigued me. I’d get to have a say in what she did all day until my Sir returned.

After the shower, Klaus drew me out into the kitchen and leaned me against the counter, his hands either side of my hips. Steph we’d left in the bedroom, chained up near the mat. A chain, this time, I wondered why he’d swapped the leather? Was he worried she’d chew through it?

Most of our kinky gear was tough, but none of it was meant to be indestructible.

“You be careful.” He kissed my forehead then stirred his finger around in the curls of hair at my shoulder. “She’s a thinking, breathing human being who isn’t predictable. The house is secure. Keep your phone on you always. It’s passworded like the laptops and PCs?”

“Yes.” I rested my hand on his at my shoulder. “And I know where the house key is. On top of the fridge in the fruit bowl and the other copy is in your study.”

We’d played so many games of captured slave and I’d never known where the keys were. This was new. I was the slaver; Steph was, in a way, the slave. To me, it had added to the excitement, to the utter dominance of the role-play, if I knew I was locked in with Klaus. All our glass was double-glazed and tinted—a good move in the tropical sun. With the air-con on and windows shut, with all the uncuttable security screens, no one could spy on our kinky frolics. Though this was no longer a game. This was so real it tied my stomach in knots now and again when I thought back.

As if he read my thoughts, Klaus added, “Time to move on. We cannot worry about discovery anymore. I am shutting that down. We take precautions. We make her like us. We progress toward building a relationship. We aim for letting her go, one day.”

“Okay.” But my forehead wrinkled up anyway.

“What?”

I breathed out all the worry then attempted to address his question. “I don’t think I can stop worrying by order. I’ll try though. And I still can’t see how we can let her go. Won’t she be recognized? If the police pick her up…no matter how much we trust her—that will be it. We’ll be done for. Arrested. Jailed.” I shook my head.

“I’m still thinking on that one. If we help her relocate…that’s my best thought so far. Give us time to figure out options.”

“Sure. I will, Sir.”

Easy to say. He was right though. There was no point in bringing up details now. I’d think about it by myself. Maybe I could see this from a new angle.

“Chin up, sweetheart.” After kissing me again, he pushed away. “Keep the phone handy. Contact me if you need to. And—” His stare was level, serious, sobering. “Be a good jailer.”

As often happened, my gaze dropped to trace out the hints of his scrumptious musculature that showed under his dark suit. Broad shoulders, thick neck…solid man in every way.

Years of judo had honed a body that looked capable of stopping a small tank. Heck, Klaus
was
a small tank. I’d once tried lifting him under the shoulders and hadn’t budged him an inch. He’d just given me that evil laugh of his and taken me to the floor. Stomach down, with my arm locked at my back, the side of my face to the cold tiles, I’d smiled as I heard the tinkle of his belt as he fumbled one-handed to unbuckle it. Then came the slide of leather through the loops. He’d given my butt an impromptu belting and spanking then he’d gone out, leaving me to poke and stare in the mirror at my new throbbing red marks. How I loved this man.

“Breakfast?” I asked.

“I’ll pick up something on the way to work.”

“Something healthy?”

“Sure. Is a donut healthy?”

I groaned. “Not in this universe.”

Before he left, he gave Steph a little talk about the consequences of misbehaving. Having him staring down at me, lecturing, I would’ve been toast. I wondered how it affected her.

“Behave for Jodie. This house is secured and locked. You can’t get out even if you escape the restraints. You have seen what I’m capable of. I am a sadist. If you even attempt to harm Jodie or escape, I will make sure you regret it. Be good.”

Then, to my surprise, he’d bent and patted her head. I almost swallowed my tongue at her shocked pleasure and the following dramatic frown. She put her head down as if to hide her thoughts. What a little storm he’d provoked.

I searched myself for jealousy and, no, it wasn’t there. If anything, there was a sort of delight. Was it because I liked seeing him dominate another woman? This was all as new to me as it was to her.

When the front door closed behind Klaus, I locked it, put away the key in the kitchen then I ran through the facts. He’d be back at five thirty or so. A day to fill. What to do with Stephanie? Again a curious interest spiked in me. There was a certain appeal in this. A certain illicit, kinky appeal. I had someone to both care for, and to order about.

Do this, do that, bend over and lick the floor with your tongue? I snorted. I’d never been into playing with dolls, but a person? A woman? Seemed like it could be a yes.

She could be so dangerous. How was I going to deal with that every day for however long this took?

I padded back into the bedroom. Ignoring Steph, I headed for the en-suite shower. Being naked all day was nothing for me, but not with her here. Not that I was embarrassed…

After putting on black panties, I changed into my boot-cut blue jeans out in the bedroom. The way she tracked me had me wondering at her sexual orientation.

I sorted through my cupboard and drawers for a cute black bra. The t-shirt I chose was just a red one with some sporty slogan across the breasts, but it hugged my curves like glue…like kinky ass glue that had naughty designs on my tits.

As I slid it on and tugged it into place, I also watched Steph in a casual way. A “nothing unusual here, just your jailer checking you’re in the right spot,” sort of way. Except I was really checking her reaction to me. Though her perusal was done sneakily, I’d bet a million she liked women. The last two days, and during that trip in the car, I’d sensed this vibe off of her—past the terror and the temporary hate, there had been a latent sexuality.

I stalked over to her. Sitting there naked, with her legs to one side, and with that chain leading to her neck, she looked so pretty. When she shifted on her knees and sent me an inquisitive look, I tsked. “You need a shower too.”

“Yes. That would be nice.”

Nice. Such a cautious word.

There was no point in taking chances. “Give me your wrists.” I pointed. “We’re going to have a talk after. You can shower, then we’ll sort a few things out.”

For a few seconds, wrinkles flickered into being on her forehead, vanished, and reappeared. Was she doing it, or not doing it? I didn’t want to resort to falling back on repeating Klaus’s threat this early.

Be assertive?

“Now!”

After a last disgruntled noise, she held up her wrists.

I nodded. What small hands women had—this was what Klaus saw when I gave him mine. Funny. The world had brightened somehow with her offering her wrists. I’d focused down, locked in. I’d liked her doing that.