Comforting Touch (Touch #5) (5 page)

Chapter 5

We arrive at Rio's house outside the city just as a catering van and some other truck leave.

"Of course he's hired party planners," Dante says, amused, as he parks in the large driveway. Looks like we're one of the first ones to arrive. Unless Rio has four cars. "You're in for a treat, Chelsea." He smiles at me in the rearview. "Rio's play parties are something else. Only Cade's would compete."

I eye the massive house resting on a grassy hill, his land surrounded by a tall wrought-iron fence. What I assume opens up to the backyard is hidden as the hill dips, and all I can see are the tips of glowing heaters and a few trees with lanterns in them.

"Damn," I mumble, more than a little intimidated. The house is modern, lots of windows and straight lines, and must've cost a fortune. "He's gotta be loaded, right?"

"Like a Rockefeller." Gretchen snorts. "He bought this house right after his fiancée died, but he's barely lived in it." Kayla's told me about that. The fiancée died in a car accident some five years ago. Gretchen's eyes light up. "Wait 'til you see his basement. Oh, my God."

"He has his own dungeon there," Dante supplies, and I nod in understanding. "We've borrowed it a few times while he's been on missions with Doctors Without Borders. In fact, I think others have played there more than he has. Such a shame." He opens the door and steps out, and we follow suit.

The asphalt sparkles with frost, and I'm thankful it hasn't snowed. We were given the option to change here, but Dante said if it was possible, he wanted us to change before. The only one who needs a minute to fix his costume is Dante. He's wearing a Roman tunic but tucked it into a pair of jeans since he knew he'd be stopping for gas on the way.

"Do you girls need any reminders of the protocol?" He eases into Master mode.

"No, Sir," I reply as Gretchen says, "No, Master."

"Good." He reveals two brown leather collars and fastens them around our necks. I shiver, and not just from the cold. "What will you call me when we step inside that house?"

"Dominus," we answer.

He nods and attaches a rusty-looking chain to the rings on our collars. The authenticity only makes it more enticing. "And a Mistress?"

"Domina," we say.

"Good slaves. I have your limits for the evening right here." He pats the pocket of his jacket. "I'll give them to your new owners after the auction."

Grabbing our bags in one hand and holding the end of the chain in the other, he takes the lead up the path toward the house.

Anticipation surges through me at the thought of tonight's events. Approximately ten Tops have been invited, all of them bringing one to three bottoms. In addition, each Top has been given a certain amount of fake currency, which is to be used during the auction. Afterward, there are different tasks that will need to be completed throughout the night. Meaning, it's important they use their money wisely and invest in as many slaves as they can in order to finish the tasks well and quickly.

Dante has barely lifted his finger from the doorbell before Miranda—naked as the day she was born—opens the door, averting her eyes to the ground once she's seen who it is.

"Welcome to the
domus
of Dominus Kelly," she says softly and opens the door wider. "The guests are gathering in the atrium out back. Please allow me to show you the way."

Atrium?

Some jealousy lingers, and I can't help but sneer at Miranda as I pass her. Like Gretchen, she's a redhead and incredibly gorgeous.

"Where do we put our belongings?" Dante asks curtly. I sneak a glance at him, a little confused when I see he's practically glaring at her. "I hope you won't be in charge of them…
thief
."

Gretchen and I exchange a brief look, and I wonder if that's Miranda's role or something. Thief? How odd.

"No, Dominus." Miranda's voice cracks, and she gestures down a hall to our left. "Everything will be stored safely behind locked doors."

Dante grunts then orders us to stay here while he follows Miranda down the hall. "You can remove your shoes, slaves," he adds over his shoulder.

"That was weird," Gretchen whispers as we obey his command. "I don't remember seeing thief as one of the parts."

Same here. Gretchen and I are foreigners, kidnapped by Dante, and our specialties lie in housework, sexual pleasure, and mending clothes and rope. Our weakness is our language barrier; we're not supposed to understand our owner's words very well. Dylan, I recall, is an injured gladiator, now being sold off as a common slave. He's been instructed not to use his right foot much. Another sub is to play the part of a former teacher who got his tongue cut off for teaching his Domina's children the wrong things, and therefore he's not allowed to speak tonight.

The list goes on.

No thief, though. Either we missed that one, or something else is going on.

The confusion grows when Dante returns. Miranda scurries toward the back of the house with tears streaking her cheeks, but no explanation is offered.

Dante grabs the leash again, and we follow Miranda past the large living room and out onto a patio.
Wow
. A huge tent covers the area, and now I see what Miranda meant by atrium. Heaters, richly colored fabrics, low sofas, cushions, and small fire pits make up the framework, and a rectangular waterhole sits in the middle. It's shallow with blossoms and candles swimming in the water. Just like I've seen in TV shows and documentaries about Ancient Rome.

It also reminds me of the Chamber—the new playroom added at Switch.

A couple subs are kneeling near the little pool while three Doms are chatting in a corner. There, two more subs are making sure their owners have drinks and snacks.

Rio is one of the Masters, and he rises from his seat as he spots Dante. The Tops are all wearing pretty much the same outfit, a Roman tunic in various colors, with or without metal ornaments. Dante's tunic is green to match Gretchen's dress, and he only has a simple rope around his midsection. Rio…oh, fuck me twice. Please. He looks primal in his dark red outfit with some kind of armor over his chest, cuffs on his wrists, a leather strap tied to his bicep, and a short-stranded flogger attached to his belt.

I'd hit that.

I stifle my grin and lower my gaze.

"Dante, my friend." Rio and Dante greet each other warmly and talk about this and that as if Gretchen and I aren't here. And it works; it changes my mind-set. I sink into my submission, the place I love the most.

"A shame Mark didn’t join us tonight," Dante comments as the doorbell rings.

Miranda hurries out.

"Aye," Rio chuckles. "He's never had a problem sharing before."

Dante huffs a laugh. "That’s what love does to some."

Me, included. Sharing is fun on occasion, but when I'm in a committed relationship, I have a rule that turns me into a hypocrite. Sharing my Master with a male sub is hot because we can offer the Dom different things. But sharing him with another woman would turn me into an insecure mess. I honestly don’t know how Gretchen can handle it. Not only that, but she loves it. She and Dante are perfect for each other, their love and bond so strong.

"Yeah," Rio replies quietly, almost as an afterthought.

The silence that follows doesn’t last long. Miranda comes back, this time with six or seven guests, and shortly after, the doorbell rings a final time. Over thirty guests fill up the patio nicely, and everyone finds a seat as Rio takes a stand in the middle.

Gretchen and I kneel on the wooden floor next to Dante.

"It's been a long time since I hosted regular play parties," Rio says, and a few Doms holler in agreement. Rio grins. "No dramas, mates. I'm getting too old to hike through jungles with too few supplies and too many rebels, anyway. I hope to make this a quarterly event, at least. Jeremy, you requested a university theme—perhaps for the next party we'll have a bunch of students and professors running around here."

It's definitely more than just the Doms exclaiming their approval this time, though the subs pipe down quickly.

University theme… Heh. Would Rio turn rooms into lecture halls?
Hot
. Maybe the dean himself would roam the halls and make sure no student was left behind.

"But let's focus on this party first, shall we?" Rio lets out a whistle, summoning Miranda. "Tell the kitchen slaves to start bringing out dinner." He faces his guests again. "In the meantime, we have an auction to attend. Every Dominus and Domina have received the list of tasks for the evening, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of our slaves. Keep that in mind when you make your bids."

Dylan is in the first group that gets called to the middle. A DM from Switch—Master Hill, I think—stands up and receives the bids, slave by slave.

Dante bids on Mistress Judy's sub, Elysia, but not high enough to win. Rio bids on her too, though it appears it's only to raise the cost and cause the final buyer to lose more money.

In the end, a Dom whose name I don’t know buys her.

Dylan is next, and Rio's quick to make a decent bid. At Dylan's subtle eye-roll, it dawns on me that Rio might be bidding on him as a favor to Cade.

"Fifteen," Jeremy bids.

"Twenty." Rio smiles.

It goes on like that until Dylan is Rio's for twice that much.

I sit close enough to hear what he murmurs in Dylan's ear. "Don’t roll your eyes at me ever again, slave. Yes, Cade asked me to buy you, but don’t you worry. Play your cards right, and I just might arrange so you get that ass full of cock. Your Daddy only wanted a say in who gets to use you."

Umph
. That begs the question…is Rio straight? Bi? Watching him fuck Dylan would be sexy.

"Understood, Dominus." Dylan ducks his head, his cheeks red.

In the next round, Gretchen is sold off to Master Hill. Mistress Judy buys two boys. 

"You're up." Dante releases the chain from my collar.

I exhale and join three other subs in the middle. And like with the others before us, Master Hill takes care of introductions, which is followed by a low murmur from the bidders who compare our strengths and weaknesses on the cards they have.

A petite brunette next to me is first, and she's sold after two Doms almost argue over her.

"And here we have a beautiful little blonde," Master Hill says, motioning for me to turn around.
Little
blonde? I'm five foot six, dammit. "Long, thick hair to grab on to." He gives my leather-bound hair a tug. "Experienced with rope and pleasing a Dominus's cock. But…foreign. Doesn’t understand our language very well."

"Ten," Dante offers with a smirk.

"Fifteen," another one says gruffly.

I'd rather not go with him! First, I don’t know his name. Second, I've seen him use a single tail.

"Twenty," Dante outbids.

"Forty-five."
Rio
. His smooth voice silences everyone else.

My pulse quickens. He warned me, said I better pray he doesn’t buy me as his house slave, but how can I not want this?

"Sold—to Dominus Kelly."

I look helplessly to Master Hill, given the role I have to play, and then to Rio, who smiles darkly and crooks a finger at me.
Come
.

Dante slides over my card of limits to Rio, and I walk around two "kitchen slaves," who I assume are waitresses from Switch or something, as they bring in trays packed with food.

"Kneel." Rio taps two fingers to the floor near where he's sitting on a low couch. I tilt my head at Dylan, and he nods at the floor where he's kneeling, too.

Mirroring his position, I kneel down and sit back on my heels, my gaze firmly glued to the ground.

"Such pretty slaves." Rio cups our faces and makes us look up. Behind me, the auction continues with the last group while Rio inspects his new wares. "I hope you'll prove to be useful, too." He sits back as he's served with wine and food, though his eyes never leave me or Dylan. "I think I want you both naked. Strip."

I make it my thing to look to Dylan for instructions since I'm not supposed to understand English. So when he stands up to remove the leather piece covering his privates, I take the hint to do the same. Rio nods at me in approval.

The wispy fabric falls from my body, but instead of cooling down, I feel hotter with Rio's predatory gaze on me.

I want him to like what he sees. I want him to see a grown woman, not the sixteen-year-old girl he met in New York ten years ago.

"Fucking flawless," he murmurs, leaning close to slide a hand up my thigh. A shiver runs through me as he traces the designs of the henna tattoo. "Come here." With a single pull, he has me down on his lap.

I freeze momentarily. Fuck, this is new. My hands flatten against the armor across his chest, and he tugs me even closer. One hand on my right butt cheek, the other cupping my left elbow.

"No game, Chelsea," he whispers in my ear. "I need to know if this is okay, that I bought you. The correct response ends with 'Master Rio.'"

He's giving me a choice.