Crack the Whip (2 page)

“Same here.”

“Although I have to say, seeing you here is a big surprise.

Especially considering how you used to feel about this lifestyle.”

“Wait a minute.” Clint stood in front of the desk, glaring at him. “You
know
her?” He shifted his gaze to Katie. “How is it when I gave you the name of my partner you never mentioned your history with him?”

She shrugged delicately. “I was afraid Reece would reject me out of hand, and I really wanted this job. It was the perfect opportunity to leave Atlanta.” She looked at Reece.

“Is this a problem for you?”

She looked so poised, so self-assured, but something lurked in her eyes, something she tried to suppress. What was that all about?

He shook his head. “Not for me, but I seem to recall this scene being very distasteful to you. Call me curious, but how did you happen to get involved with it?”

Her smile, slow and hot, was sinful and knowing, whatever shadows she’d been chasing effectively hidden. “We all grow up, you know. And our tastes change.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “That’s a pretty drastic change. Is there someone who should get the credit?”

As soon as the words left his mouth he wanted to bite his tongue. Her personal life was none of his business. Damn it.

But lust and anger were a boiling cauldron inside him.

Her smile disappeared. “How I got to this point isn’t important, nor is it any of your damn business. I’m damn good at what I do and I never bring my personal business to the club. I can provide all the references you want on that score and any others. But if this is going to be a problem for you…” She started to rise.

“No.” Reece hadn’t realized he shouted until the thunder of his voice boomed in the room and both Clint and Katie were staring at him. He cleared his throat. Jesus, he was making a mess of this. “Sorry. No, this won’t be a problem. And I guess we don’t need to bother with all the usual questions.”

There went that tempting smile again, as if she had a secret and she just might share it with him under the right circumstances.

“I’m happy to tell you anything you’d like to know.”

How did you get into this scene? How deep into the
lifestyle are you? Do you enjoy being a sub? Would you let
me strip you naked and spank your sweet ass?

Again he had to shift in the chair, his bulging shaft doing its best to poke through the fabric of his slacks. “We’re good.

You’re starting tonight, right?”

“Yes. Clint told me your current manager would like to leave by the end of the week. That only gives us three days together, but I’m a quick study.”

How quick? How long would it take for you to call me Sir?

Jesus fucking Christ, Reece. Get your head together.

“Then I’d better let you get to it.”

“I’m sure I’ll enjoy working here.” She stood and reached across the desk.

Reece took her small hand in his larger one, and the electricity sizzling up his arm and into his body nearly fried both his brain and his balls. The slight widening of her eyes told him she felt the same thing, but she took back her hand and moved toward the door.

“We’ll catch up at the end of the evening for a debriefing,”

he told her.

“Sounds good.” The professional face was in place now.

“And thank you. Clint, I’ll just go out to the front and get started.” A brief, professional smile and she was gone.

Clint closed the door after her and turned to look at Reece.

“This better not be a goddamn problem, cowboy.” His voice held a slight trace of irritation. “She’s damn good. I don’t want you screwing this up.”

Reece held up his hands. “On my word, Clint. No playing in the company dungeon.”

“Better not be.”

But somehow he didn’t look too convinced.

Reece stood outside the door to his private room, struggling to pull himself together and control the raging hunger consuming him. Closing his eyes he tried to summon the image of India on her knees, waiting for him, but the only vision that came to him was of Katie in the same position.

Seeing her again stirred up desires and emotions he’d been sure he’d buried long and deep. One look at her and they’d exploded like dynamite, driving home with uneasy clarity the reason he never took a relationship outside the club. And why he never brought his vanilla dates to Rawhide.

Katie Warren’s ghost always hovered near, stealing his emotions.

Shit.

He pulled in a deep breath and let it out very slowly. He owed it to the delightful sub waiting for him not to take his frustration out on her. Not only wouldn’t it be fair, but it also would take him dangerously close to breaking the club rules.

Rules, as a matter of fact, he’d put in place himself. Still, tonight she’d be getting a workout he hoped would leave them both exhausted.

He stared at the door, not opening it. For a moment he almost felt as if he was about to cheat on Katie. Of course, that was ridiculous. Not even possible. They’d just reconnected after all these years and she was working for him. They no longer had a personal relationship.

Still, he felt like ten kinds of a shit. If he used common sense he’d walk in, tell his sub he appreciated her commitment to the evening but something had come up—

other than his cock—and tell her he’d be very happy to list her as a top sub at Rawhide.

Get over yourself, Halliday. She’s probably in a relationship
and has no place for you in her life.

Sliding the key card through the slot, he opened the door and stepped inside. Soft lighting glowed from the corners, but a spotlight shone directly over the spot where India knelt.

Only she wasn’t exactly kneeling in the proper position.

Instead, she had half-risen to stretch her arms and upper body.

His first thought was,
Good! I can punish her!

His second was,
But be sure you don’t let things get out of
hand.

Another deep breath.

“You left the position I ordered you to maintain.” Somehow he managed to pull out his Dom voice.

“I’m sorry, Sir.” She bowed her head and clasped her hands behind her back again. “I apologize for that.” Her thick curtain of dark hair fell forward, shielding her face.

Reece crouched beside her, trailing his fingers lightly down her arm from shoulder to elbow, enjoying the texture of her skin. Brushing her hair away from her face, he tucked it behind her ear.

“You know I’ll have to punish you,” he told her.

“Yes, Sir. I disobeyed an order. Please punish me.”

“I think tonight we should use the cane. That way you’ll remember for a long time what it means to disobey an order.

Right?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Her voice was soft. In other circumstances, he’d found it soothing, but tonight he wondered if anything could smooth the hard edge he was riding.

Katie, Katie, Katie.

Damn it. Again he reminded himself to be careful he didn’t let his frustration with an unexpected situation fray the threads of his control. And that Katie was out of his reach.

“Lean forward,” he ordered. “You know how.”

Reece had arranged for special modifications to his room and those included manacles in the floor so he could restrain his sub in various ways. One of those was to have them on their knees but prostrate, as if paying homage to him. He snorted. What a twisted bastard he was.

Still on her knees, India reached forward until her arms were stretched out and her forehead rested on the floor.

Reece fastened the manacles around her wrists, locking her arms to the floor. Her ass poked up in the air in a very tempting position, and his cock, still aroused, swelled even more. On impulse, he leaned down and swiped his tongue across each of those mouth-watering globes. Her skin was like brushed satin, and it made his tongue tingle.

It reminded him of Katie’s skin. Of the taste and texture and—

Fuck! He had to stop doing this. Why the fuck did she have
to come back into his life now? Right now?

He wondered how much she’d immersed herself in the scene. Did she play when she wasn’t working? What did she like? Wax play? Being tied up and whipped? Tormented with vibrators? Fucked in the ass?

Shit. Shit. Shit.

He was so damn hard he was afraid his dick would break off. He had to stop tormenting himself this way.

Stripping off his shirt, he placed it on a small table against one wall, toed off his boots, and stuffed his socks inside them. He preferred to wear as little as possible when delivering punishment. He liked to feel the swish of air against his skin as he wielded the whip or flogger. Liked the feel of sweat beading on his skin as lust bloomed in his body and heated the blood in his veins.

Surveying the various toys and instruments in their racks against the wall, he bypassed the whip he favored. Distracted by thoughts of Katie and forgetting what he’d originally decide to use he chose the new flogger. One he knew would excite him. He’d enjoy running his tongue over every welt he laid on her beautiful ass. Ever since he opened the package, he’d been looking forward to this.

“Are you ready?” he asked, caressing the leather with his hand?

“Yes, Sir.” Her voice was slightly muffled.

Reece bent down and ran his hand over the smooth skin of her ass, idly drawing his fingers through the cleft and pressing the tip of one finger against her tight little anus.

“Twenty strokes tonight, India. I want you aroused enough for what I have planned after this.”

Just enough to take her to the sweet edge of pain, to stimulate her endorphins so she was high on the drugs her body produced. He needed to erase the effect of seeing Katie again after all these years. And under these circumstances.

“Thank you, Sir.”

Her soft acquiescence stirred his blood and made his pulse race. The thrill of domination always brought him more pleasure than he could ever have imagined. And he had enjoyed many satisfying sessions with India. For one brief moment, he wondered what Katie would look like manacled for him, her ass presented for his punishment.

Better get that out of your head, asshole. Just seeing her
got you riled up enough.

Focusing on the sub at his feet, he drew back his hand and applied the first stroke. The leather struck India’s skin with a soft
thwack,
and he was rewarded with the sight of the first red welts. She jerked slightly but otherwise held her position.

Another stroke and another. Slap, slap, slap, leather kissed skin until each cheek of her ass was a bright red. Each time her body reacted to the smack of the flogger, but she never uttered a word, never cried out. He almost expected her to ask for more. Pain was India’s aphrodisiac.

When he reached twenty he set the flogger aside and crouched down to run his fingers through her slit. Drenched.

He smiled in satisfaction and sucked her juice from his fingers. Turning her face so he could see her, he was pleased at the glazed look in her eyes.

“You are such a good little sub, India. You always please me.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

He smoothed his palm over the heated skin of her ass, then dragged his tongue over it, feeling the warmth radiating from her. He loved a freshly whipped ass steaming beneath his touch. Her pussy had been just as hot, the warmth from her ass streaking to folds swollen with need.

Usually, after he flogged her, he would suck her nipples until they were full and distended and put a set of clamps on them. Then he’d bend her over the padded horse he’d had specially designed, fastening her wrists to the legs and spreading her thighs wide. By then he himself would be so hard he could barely walk. He’d make her take a plug in her ass so the channel of her cunt would be compressed. Or sometimes insert a length of anal beads he could pull out when he came. And then, when he was sure she was as aroused as he was, he’d fuck her blind.

But tonight the only cunt he wanted his cock in was Katie’s and hers wasn’t available. And he needed more than just fucking India with a vibrator to keep his mind from wandering.

“I think tonight we’ll play with the candles.” Now was something he could easily be aroused by. And after she left the room…well…”You always like the hot wax, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?” he prompted.

“Yes, Sir.”

“And we’ll add that little something special because you love taking your punishment and you did it so well.”

He stroked his thumb across her cheek. Slowly, he rubbed his hand over India’s reddened ass, pinching each of the welts, rewarded by her little whimpers of pleasure. He knew her ass was sore from the flogging, but he was also aware the pain drove her response so much higher.

India enjoyed receiving pain almost as much as he enjoyed giving it, but he was always careful to only reach the threshold where it blended into pleasure. She held herself still for his caress, knowing she could only respond if he commanded her to. He’d trained her well. Even when he probed the cleft between the rounded globes and rimmed her asshole with a finger, she lay still, although he watched the muscles in her body tighten.

Satisfied she was sufficiently prepared, he unlocked the cuffs from her wrists, turned her over and stepped on a button hidden in the floor. Another of his special gizmos. The section of floor she lay rose slowly on a metal cylinder until it reached his waist. He refastened the wrist cuffs then spread her legs wide. Carrying another set of leather cuffs to the table, he wrapped them around her thighs, buckled them closed and hooked them to the table with eye hooks. Then he stood and stared at her, his gaze sweeping over her body.

Her pussy glistened wet under the spotlight. She kept herself waxed because he liked a naked pussy. Running his fingers over the bare skin, he was pleased to note there wasn’t even the slightest hint of bristle or growth anywhere, and he could tell she’d had it done again recently. Her clit peeped out from her outer lips, dark rose now, stimulated by the punishment.

Sometimes, like tonight, he ignored the whip, using the flogger often enough to know how very, very hot it made her.