Freed (4 page)

“Shipwreck.”

He lowered his hand in surprise
.
“What’s the meaning behind your safe word?”

She flicked her long locks over her shoulder, inviting him to kiss her creamy flesh. “It’s always been my safe word from day one. As in, if my Dom goes too far and doesn’t stop, I’m going to crash.”

Interesting word choice,
Elliott thought. Though it also gave him a little insight into what Mary did with her free time. “Do you like sailing?”

She nodded, the passion shining through her bright eyes. “I have a small sailboat at my lake house on Lake Las Vegas.”

He had traveled there before, and understood why she enjoyed it. It was close enough to Vegas to frequent, but far enough for a weekend getaway. The things he liked about Mary were adding up. “I enjoy the water as well.”

“Do you?” she asked with raised brows.

He nodded, wondering over her shock—maybe she was as amazed by their chemistry as he was. “In my twenties, I traveled the French Riviera and the British Virgin Islands. Lately I haven’t gotten out on the water as much as I’d like.”

Her lips parted, and a small squeak came out before she clamped her mouth shut. Elliott narrowed his eyes in wonderment. By all appearances, it seemed as if she wanted to invite him to join her on her boat, but she stopped herself. He realized immediately that he wouldn’t mind the invitation, but would welcome it.

What is it about you?

He slid his fingers over her arm and paused, considering her. She fluttered at his touch, yet it was more his interest in her that made him curious. As was the fact that she heated up just so damn incredibly under his attention.

For a submissive who’d never played with him before, she was entirely in tune with him. More than anything, for a split second, he wondered if he’d finally met his soul mate, a kinky woman who had a lot in common with him.

He ran his hand all the way up to her shoulder, then tangled his fingers into her hair, gripping tightly. At her gasp, he winked. “All right, so
Shipwreck
keeps you safe. Is there anything else I need to know before I enjoy this sexy body of yours, Mary?”

Her breath whooshed from her lungs. “No, sir.”

So responsive. So beautiful.

He dropped his gaze to hers, staring into her dazzling eyes. “My preferences are simple: Respect goes far with me. So keep that in mind.” Closing his body against hers, he added, “Don’t hold back vocally with me. I like to hear how good I’m making you feel.”

“Yes, sir.”

She started trembling, and that encouraged him, as he now knew this was her body’s indication of her excitement. He lowered his voice, sensing a similar intense need running through him. If she reacted like this without sexual touches, how would she react once he got her deep into a scene? He wanted to find out. “As we discussed, the corset can stay, but the panties must go.”

With no hesitation on her part, she removed her panties and handed them to him. That simple action told him much more about her than words ever could. She had been trained by an experienced Dom.

Her panties always belonged to her Dom.

He tucked her lacy panties into his pocket and took a step back. “Widen your legs. Fingers laced behind your head.”

She responded instantly, and he allowed himself the right to admire her. Her pubic hair was trimmed, just as he liked it. The corset made her waist thin and her breasts popped out of the top, squishing them together and calling for his tongue to dive in their depths. Even if he preferred her out of that corset with her entire body available to him, she did look beautiful in it.

Her insistence on wearing the corset indicated to him that she was keeping him at a distance. She was telling him he needed to earn her trust, and that was something he didn’t mind working for. In fact, he rather liked knowing that he had to procure a few things.

It kept the game interesting.

He strode around her, getting a view of her fine ass. Round and perfect for a hand to slap. So nice that he couldn’t help himself from squeezing the flesh and giving it a light tap. She moaned deeply, almost yearningly.

Mary stunned him with her beauty. He couldn’t understand why a submissive as trained as Mary appeared to be had been out of the lifestyle for so long. Yes, he held sympathy for her husband’s passing, but four years was a long time to be without a Dominant’s touch.

A touch that a submissive needed in her life.

More so, a woman
this
connected to her sensuality should have indulged sooner, but why hadn’t she? Mary was an intriguing woman he wanted to explore. She kept some parts hidden from him, and that increased her appeal, whether she realized it or not. Nearly all submissives hadn’t hidden as much as Mary did, or pushed against his mastery like she had, but they also hadn’t revealed so much without words.

She’s an interesting little one.

Moving to her front, he noticed her pinkish cheeks and her swollen lips, which were all invitations for him to take what he wanted. He cupped her chin and shamelessly took her into his kiss. His tongue plunged into her mouth and she immediately caught up with him. Running his hand over her cheek, he tangled his fingers into her hair and deepened his affection.

Rough and raw, he gave Mary what she needed. He sensed in the way she arched into him that she’d longed for someone to treat her not so gently, but to treat her like a woman who was desired. A woman who wouldn’t break under his rough hand, but would soar into pleasure.

Her kiss told him all he needed to know about her. She gave him everything, so much it made him pause. It wasn’t only her lips following his; it was the way she sank into his hold. The emotion that came through her embrace, and the soft mewls she gave.

She kissed in a way that wasn’t an offer—rather, like she belonged to his touch. He withdrew his tongue from her mouth, stopping the sensual dance, then nipped her bottom lip, igniting her gasp.

Keeping his fingers tight in her hair, he looked into her dark, lustful eyes. “You hide nothing in your kiss. Quite the contrary to what you say.”

A heady sadness crossed her features. “I simply need to be reminded how to trust, sir.”

He gazed deeply at her, as it almost seemed like Mary was two different people. In his touch, she melted right into him without hesitation. With words, she hid and avoided him. “Ah, darlin’.” He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, and, not surprising him, she drew his digit into her mouth and sucked hard. Oh, this would be an unforgettable night. “I think you need a lot more than that.”

His touch…

His words…

They were all so familiar, so similar to what Charles used to say to her. Exactly how Charles used to touch her. More important, how Charles always made her feel. Mary’s mind raced to catch up as her body was tossed into a carnal state of lust that she couldn’t control, nor did she want to.

She had craved this for so long—to feel the hands of a Dominant, but just as she tumbled into the sensation, her heart recoiled…only remembering
her
Dom.

At Chains, Mary fought to take it all in. Dark atmosphere, with BDSM equipment located throughout the room, with screams of pleasure and pain washing over, and her stomach fluttering with nerves. She’d never done anything so sexually bold before in her twenty-three years, but after meeting Charles her small world had been forever changed. Even now, the shaking of her hands wasn’t all from nervousness, as heady warmth slid into her loins.

Mary wanted him to take her in front of an audience. She longed to feel the soft leather of a flogger, in the same way that she’d seen other Doms do to their submissives in the club. More than anything, she craved to be the woman that Charles set his intense focus on and took into euphoria.

Next to the spanking bench, Charles slowly circled her, as the warm air brushed against her naked skin. “I know your limits. I won’t overstep them.” Limits that were put into her agreement that she had to sign when she joined the club two weeks ago. Charles had requested she only watch and learn the ropes, so to speak. Now he had said she was ready to play.

Moving to her front, he slid his finger over her jaw. “Do you trust me?”

Her response was immediate. “Entirely, sir.”

He smiled, gentleness crossing his face. “I’m pleased that you do.”

She stared into his dark eyes, overwhelmed by him. What a whirlwind their relationship had been. First dating casually, then the conversation came when he told her he was a sexual Dominant. He had explained that he enjoyed playing in BDSM clubs, exploring a kinky lifestyle, and commanding a woman.

The idea hadn’t turned her away, it had intrigued her.

Many conversations later, she had agreed to explore the lifestyle with him and had joined a BDSM club, something she never pictured herself doing. Now she realized, with Charles by her side, her life would forever change from this moment on.

His gaze held hers before he walked around her, dragging a finger along her arm to her shoulder, over her back, then down her spine. “Such soft skin,” he murmured. “Skin that I will taste tonight. Skin that will heat under my touch, Mary.”

“Yes, sir,” she whispered, as a slow-building ache developed between her thighs.

No man had ever paid this much attention to her body. Not as if he was devouring her. No, as if he was savoring every moment and taking his time to experience every touch. She felt as if a man was finally paying attention to her
and truly saw her soul. She realized with a warm glow inside that he wasn’t only treating her as a woman, but he was treating her like she belonged only to him.

Her eyes fluttered as he caressed her bare spine, and she equated it to his tongue exploring her flesh. When she sensed him in front of her, she opened her eyes, and then she saw him. His powerful stare captivating, his confident presence commanding. He was just so self-assured, so aware of himself and of her. She shivered, consumed by the man who had stormed into her life after they met at a mutual friend’s dinner party. After dating for only a month, she was falling madly in love with him.

His eyes held hers, and a small smile lifted the side of his mouth. “Made for the touch of a Dom, aren’t you, love?”

“Your touch, sir,” she replied, feeling drunk on him.

His smile began to beam. “Indeed, you are.”

Warm air brushed against her bottom, snapping Mary into the present and reminding her that she was half naked, except for her corset. She blinked twice before Elliott came into focus, and she sought to relinquish control to him in the way she had with Charles. As if she was right back at the very beginning of the BDSM game—being a slightly nervous and unsure submissive with a new Dom.

He traced her mouth with his finger, and the depths of his gaze held something she surprisingly wanted to learn more about. She shut her eyes, as heat pooled low in her body, causing her to tumble into delectable pleasure.

His touch was electric. All-consuming. Wickedly sensual.

When he dragged his thumb over her upper lip, she opened her eyes and they shared an understanding, as if he read her like an open book. But she saw him, too. There was something enticingly beautiful about Elliott. Powerful and sexy, yet also strong and confident.

She sensed a spark that wanted to burn brighter.

“So beautiful, Mary.” He smiled, dark and slightly possessive. “I expect you to stay with me until I release you, for however long that may be. Understand?”

“I understand, sir,” she replied.

“Good,” he said with a firm nod. “Because you are mine to consume tonight.”

Yes,
her body exclaimed.

No,
her heart whispered.

Tonight was just one night and was supposed to be about sex, raw passion—but trapped in Elliott’s stare, more than just a physical connection was ignited that she couldn’t ignore. Charles once owned her, consumed her, electrified her. Elliott’s touch requested the same thing. Mary yearned to give it to him. Though in the second her body agreed, her heart battled back.

Only minutes had passed since Charles had declared the start of their play session, but Mary was more ready for sex than she’d been, ever. And Charles had hardly touched her, only talking and gently caressing her. It didn’t matter that the club was busy around her or that she was a new member—only Charles mattered.

He grasped her chin and darkness drifted into his eyes. “Those lips, Mary, they haunt me. Look at how they part under my touch.” She pressed her mouth against his thumb. He groaned and said, “They make me want to demand pleasure until you are begging me to stop.”

Her mound clenched in desire. “I won’t ask you to stop, sir.”

“Of course you won’t.” His gaze flared in possessive want. “Because you are mine now.” He ran his thumb across her lip. “Such a beautiful woman, Mary.”

She snapped herself out of the memory, wondering why she was connecting these two men. Was it a sign from Charles that she should move on or was she losing her mind comparing them? Or was it just memories of when she used to play subliminally telling her how much she’s missed this? When she replied to Elliott, “Thank you, sir,” she really didn’t know who she was thanking, Elliott or a ghost from the past.

Elliott examined her with intent, obviously reading into her mind. “Now let’s see to this body that has been too long ignored.” He moved to the bedside, grabbing a flogger from the glass table, then spun it in his hand. Mary stayed firmly focused on the black leather tails, trembling in anticipation, forgetting what the sensation had been like.

One dark brow arched. “Come here. Place your hands on the bed.”

She did as told and bent at the waist, resting her hands against the soft duvet. Elliott’s heady presence surrounded her as his hand came down immediately on her back, pressing gently. “Spread your legs, arch your back.” He paused, then added, “Yes, that’s perfect. The lines of your body look stunning like this. Very nice.”

Her breath hitched as he dragged the flogger over her bare bottom. Something deep inside of her cracked and she shut her eyes, overwhelmed by leather against her flesh.
Too long.
A soft whimper spilled from her lips as the coldness inside of her splintered, emotions flooding her that were uncontrollable.

The leather vanished and Elliott ran a soft hand over her bottom. His low grunt reflected disapproval. “If you hadn’t waited so long to play, you wouldn’t be shaking this way.”

In fear that if she opened her mouth the emotion would release in a cry, she drew in a long, stabilizing breath. He returned the flogger to her, tickling the leather across her flesh, and a blast of heat rolled through her. She managed, “I had to, it was for loyalty, sir.”

“Loyalty is good.” His hand slid across her bottom behind the flogger, then a light slap caught the air in her throat. “But a submissive has needs.” He paused, and a moment later the first touch of the flogger landed on her butt cheek.

The strike wasn’t soft and gentle. Elliott wasn’t hesitant like a young man who didn’t know how to wield such a toy; the action was powerful. It was targeted and purposeful. It was the strike of a man who intended to take a submissive to a higher place.

Her knees buckled and her gasp echoed in her ears as the warmth slid across her bottom. Then another strike and her clit ached, almost as if the leather tails were a vibrator teasing her sex. On the third strike, and with the hard slap of the tails remaining the only sound she recognized, she softened and melted into each release on her body.

“Needs that your trembling body tells me you’ve been wanting to feel.” Elliott’s voice was hard, a reprimand from a Dom. “Needs that now make me hesitant in the way I play with you.”

A firm reprimand.

Fingers tangled in her hair and her neck stretched as he pulled her head back. His voice was strong as he spoke near her ear. “Feel and recognize how hard you are trembling and how out of control you are.”

She grasped the duvet below, trying to calm herself. Failing miserably, she continued to quiver in both desire and raw emotion. A dark part of her heart had been touched tonight, intensifying her reaction to their play. Elliott was reaching into her soul, and with each touch and word spoken, she was falling deeper.

This wasn’t the casual BDSM scene that she had expected tonight. Elliott was getting right into her head and wanting to understand her.
Too connected. Too emotional.
She squeezed her eyes shut as her heart fought against allowing Elliott into that place in her soul where only Charles belonged.

A hard-rock song drumming through the speakers at Chains matched the rhythm of Mary’s heartbeat. Her wrists and ankles held tight to the spanking bench. “My body to touch,” Charles said in her ear. “My skin to heat with the kiss of leather.” The strike of the flogger landed flat on her bottom and she moaned, arching into him. He pressed his hand on her back and added, “Your bottom is mine to make red with my markings. No one else, Mary. Your body and your mind, it all belongs to me.”

“Yes, sir.” She gasped against the slap of leather.

“Your soul is twined with mine. This passion between us binds us together. We go deep together, Mary, because we are meant to.” His hand swirled over her heated bottom before another slap of leather landed on her cheek. “I know you need to feel…pleasure…pain…an escape.” Another hit had her gasping as he added, “Feel the leather touching you, caressing you.” The third hit had her drifting away. “Be mine to care for now.”

“Yes, sir.” She moaned, relishing the burn on her bottom.

Elliott’s fingers tightened in her hair, forcing Mary into the present. He stepped beside her, his thigh pressing against hers. The slap of leather sped up, hard and fast, warming her skin with each strike. She wondered if his attention wasn’t only about her pleasure, but
more
—more like what she and Charles had shared.

A Dom reading into his submissive’s soul.

When another strike landed on her bottom, her mind began to slip away, but she bit her lip and forced herself to not allow Elliott that right. This was crazy! She didn’t want another lover, best friend, Dom, she wanted one night of kinky sex. Experiencing the burn of the leather tails, she remembered when another Dom had staked a very similar claim on her.

In Mary’s small apartment just off the Vegas strip, Charles leaned against Mary’s back as she was pressed against the mattress and said, “My love, it looks like someone needs to be fucked.” He growled low in his throat and she quivered against him. “You need to take better care of yourself when things get rough for you. Look at how you’re trembling—so out of control. From now on, talk to me before it gets to this level.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” she whispered, sensing the chattering of her teeth from the intense flogging he gave. One second after he arrived at her doorstep, he had her pants down with her hands pressed against the bed, and was flogging her roughly. “I should have told you that med school was wearing on me.”

His low chuckle brushed across all her senses. “I won’t draw this out. You need me to shed the edge off you, my darling submissive. I’ll always give you what you need.” He slapped her ass with a firm swat as she quaked beneath him. “Whether that be pain to make you forget and ease the stress or pleasure to remind you how special you are to me.” He stroked the warm flesh on her bottom. “Or to hold you if you need that, too.”

“Be close, Charles,” she said, pressing the side of her face against the mattress with tears flooding her cheeks. “I need you close.”

“Mary,” he murmured in a sultry tone as he penetrated her from behind. “I always will be.”

A hand suddenly pressed against her mound and Mary sensed how easily Elliott’s fingers slid across her heat from behind. How wet she was for him. The desire all but burned her veins, and she realized now that the memories weren’t arousing her, Elliott was.

She needed a Dom’s touch for her own well-being. That is why she agreed to play tonight; she needed to become centered again. Mary craved to remember
herself.
But how deeply Elliott wanted to take her, how far he wanted her out of her mind, and how it shook her soul from the inside out that she had no control to stop it.

She heard the flogger drop and a hand squeezed one of her warmed butt cheeks. Elliott’s voice dropped lower—curt, almost. “Count your punishment for ignoring what your body has ached for.” One firm slap hit her buttock. “And for what your heart desperately needs.”