Tell Me No Lies (7 page)

“Good girl.” He patted her again and she sighed, basking in
the praise like a cat in a sunbeam. She wondered what she could do to get him
to say it again. She was starting to believe she’d do anything.

* * * * *

Jake saw the moment it happened, that magical transition
from pain to pleasure-pain, as Tess’ body started to move in time with the
percussive music of the flogger’s blows. The swish and snap, the gasp and
groan, that give and take where time seemed to stand still. A glassy-eyed sub,
a hard-as-stone Dom, a balance between them where meaning redefined itself.
Perfection.

It couldn’t last, he knew. But it always seemed like
this
time, it might.
This
time, there might be transcendence. Magic that
outlasted the dungeon.

He almost resented the beauty of it, because he knew it was
only temporary. It happened but it faded, and this pattern would hold as true
with Tess as it did with anybody else.

There was every chance his motivation here was purely
selfish, that he was dooming whatever friendship had been between them. But he
couldn’t stop himself now, because there was always the hope that he was wrong.
This time, with this girl, would be different. And for once, the girl was
actually Tess. Not merely the Tess of his imagination, but the woman herself,
flesh and blood, giving herself up at last.

He would test her. He would push her. He might break her if
he wasn’t careful. But he might not. She was made of strong stuff, or at least
she used to be. She was clearly a natural at this. If he could have Tess, have
her this way, she would be the Tess of his imagination.

Jake tossed the flogger on the bed, reaching for the supple
rattan cane. He remained next to Tess, watching her serene profile as he
fingered the slim implement delicately, a maestro preparing to tune up. Then he
made it sing, a whistling note through the air, a muted crack on Tess’ flesh,
her almost-scream of indrawn breath as her head snapped up, eyes wide.

Too much
, the rational part of him assessed.
Too
much for her first time
. Deeper color bloomed across Tess’ backside, and
Jake’s cock swelled as quickly as the welt on that already-tender flesh. Her
groan masked his. He waited for the safeword, holding his breath until it was
clear the word wasn’t coming.

“Five total. That was one,” he told her, as much to limit
himself as to reassure her. She was coherent enough to nod, despite the haze of
apparent subspace clouding her features.

He wanted her now. His cock strained against the fly of his
jeans.
Now, now, now
, it demanded. Jake stepped behind her again and
could see her cunt, rosy and wet.

“Two.” A whistle and pop, another red stripe.

Three and four, the tops of her thighs, each mark punctuated
by a scream. Jake had no close neighbors, fortunately. The closest was Tess.

“Five,” he whispered, shifting his grip on the cane’s handle
and bringing it up smartly between Tess’ legs, tapping against her pussy and
clit.

She jerked against the cuffs and started to pant, straining
back toward him as much as she could in her current position.

Jake had his cock out and a condom on in seconds flat. He
didn’t bother with untying, just yanked the hook off the rail, freeing her
hands to let her flop forward at the hips. She bounced gently against the bed,
then he was buried to the balls inside her before he could even pause enough to
think he might want to savor that moment. Tease her, tease himself. Draw it
out.

Tess was already shuddering and spasming around him, her
guttural moans as she came hard serving as a spur to Jake’s own pleasure. It
hadn’t needed one. He came after a few rough strokes, riding the orgasm out
with teeth clenched until Tess’ cries eased and her body grew soft beneath his.

He fell forward, sides heaving, covering her.

Holy fuck, what was that?

Perhaps Tess knew what it was. But when Jake pulled back to
ask her, he saw he would have to wait. She didn’t look up to a conversation.
She barely looked conscious. And, he reminded himself, she wasn’t supposed to
talk. Which had been a pretty stupid dare on his part but it was too late to
rethink it now.

He stood up reluctantly, dealt with the condom and took his
pants off, then set about freeing the limp, half-asleep Tess from her
restraints by removing the tethers and shifting her all the way onto the bed.
He left the cuffs in place on her ankles but untied her wrists. Tess lay
quietly, sated and smiling, as he put away his first set of toys and pulled out
another assortment, arranging them on the nightstand. She showed more interest
when he started arranging
her
, his new favorite toy. Arms to her sides.
Legs wide apart and slightly bent.

Tess tried to bring her knees together, and Jake corrected
her with a sharp slap to her inner thigh.

“No. Keep them where I put them.”

Her eyes blinked all the way open and she stared at him for
a moment. Not challenging, he thought. She was still in a different headspace,
still zoned out, and needed time to process what he said. After a few seconds
she smiled again, nodded and let her legs fall open. Relaxed. Trusting.
Beautiful.

Jake’s cock twitched, already working itself up for another
round. Plans started to coalesce in his minds, all the things he wanted to do
to her, unwise though they might be. Especially for a beginner.

But the clover clamps were already in his hand.

Chapter Six

Oh wow
. For the longest time, that was the only
thought Tess could grab onto.
Wow
.

And then—
Jake fucking Hogan, oh my God
.

Who could have known? But then, hadn’t a part of her always
known? Some minute but vital piece of her soul, twisted in precisely the same
direction as his, like calling to like, that she’d ignored until he named it.
Now she couldn’t un-know this about herself. Whatever else happened, she was irrevocably
changed. He’d ruined her.

She found herself on her back, looking up at the open
rectangular frame of the bed, and automatically tried to close her legs when
she felt them pressed open. A sharp stinging blow brought her up from her haze
and she realized it had come from Jake.

Of course. How silly of her. How silly to try to hide any
part of herself from him now, when he’d already turned her inside out.

He was busy objectifying her again, she supposed. She gave
herself up to it. Spread her legs, waited for orders. She thought she probably
shouldn’t like that so much, but at some point she’d moved past
shouldn’t
.
It was what it was. And Jake gave very good orders.

“You’re enjoying this a little too much,” he remarked,
swinging one leg over to straddle her waist. He was naked now, and a naked Jake
was a truly excellent Jake as far as Tess was concerned. She thought she might
try writing some poetry about his cock, if he ever let her out of the bed. An
ode. “You don’t seem nearly concerned enough.”

Something cold brushed against her nipple, then a sharp
pinch brought Tess fully out of her semi-stupor. She almost cursed, biting her
lip at the last second. Looking down, she saw a silver clamp affixed to her
breast, and saw Jake readying another one for the other side. The chain joining
them snaked across her chest.

She shook her head, trying to squirm away, but it was no
use. His knees held her firmly and blocked her efforts to stop him. He fastened
the second clamp and seemed to take great enjoyment in watching Tess arch and
fidget as she tried to process this new pain.

It wasn’t as bad as she feared, actually, once the initial
bite was over. The acute pain eased, and when Jake bent and licked one tightly
clamped nipple, the sensation of his tongue over the tortured flesh sent a pang
of renewed need shooting through Tess’ clit.

“Don’t move,” he reminded her, then took the option away by
strapping cuffs onto her wrists, bending her knees and hooking her wrists to
her ankles. The pain from the clamps was settling to a dull throb now and each
beat communicated itself to her sex insistently, as though invisible fingers
were plucking at her most sensitive parts. She wanted Jake again already,
wanted his cock. Wanted to be touched and fucked and taken out of herself.
Didn’t care what that said about her.

Jake’s back was turned. He sat by her feet, messing with
whatever evil devices he was planning to use next, paying her no attention.
Tess tried whimpering and arching her hips, letting her legs spread shamelessly
wider. Wordlessly begging him to look her way.
Hello, naked girl here. Sex
me up. I won’t even try to resist.

“Be still,” he snapped.

Tess relaxed with a disgruntled sigh. She wiggled her toes
against the comforter, gripping and releasing the soft fabric. It took Jake
only a few more seconds to finish his preparations and turn back to her. He had
a black, fleece-lined mask in his hands, and he let her see it before slipping
it over her head and snugging the strap into place. It was well-made,
close-fitting and blocked out every bit of light.

Cozy
, was her first thought. She liked it. It felt
secret and private in there, like he’d locked her in a room with her thoughts.
Not her favorite place, but certainly one she was familiar with.

Then Jake tugged at the chain connecting the nipple clamps,
and Tess became aware all over again of how exposed she was, how helpless.
Bound up, flat on her back, naked and wanting, and now she couldn’t even see
what was coming. Not that she’d been able to earlier, facing the bed, but
still. This was more…
more
.

Whatever he does…take whatever he does
, she told
herself. He made it easy.

The next thing he did was cover her pussy with his mouth, a
breathy tease that soon gave way to soft licks around her opening. Then
nibbles, then an incursion of tongue. And then, finally, his lips closed around
her clit and he sucked and she nearly came. Would have, if he hadn’t stopped
abruptly and started the whole teasing process over again. Soon she was bucking
against his mouth, wanting to beg, instead doing everything she could to show
him how much she wanted to come. She’d never felt so honest in her life.

“Not yet,” he said, so calmly she wanted to scream. He
licked a heated path down her opening then continued farther to press the tip
of his tongue against her ass. No, not a tongue, she realized. A finger, which
seemed to be lubricated. He pushed it slowly inside her, while his sensual
assault on her pussy continued.

Tess froze, body and mind at war over the competing
sensations. Looming bliss, frustration, the dark lure of the forbidden, a
flicker of embarrassment. The steady encroachment of Jake’s finger was only a
prelude, she knew enough to know that. She wasn’t sure how far she was willing
to let him take it.

His mouth went away, and she heard a click. More lube,
applied directly this time, a cold shock against superheated flesh. She gasped,
and her wriggle drove him deeper. He worked a second finger inside her with an
approving hum. His other hand held her pelvis down, preventing her from moving.
His thumb grazed lower, broad and firm, finding her clit and pressing out a
beat.

She was coasting at the edge of an orgasm, almost in pain
with need. Jake seemed in no hurry to push her over. He was stretching her, she
realized. Massaging the tight muscles of her ass to get them to relax, open up.
There was only one reason she could imagine he’d do such a thing. She’d never
done that, never been with anyone she even felt comfortable discussing it with.
And for a second or two she panicked, because Jake didn’t know that and she
couldn’t tell him, and—

“So damn tight, kitten. Am I going to be the first? You sure
about this?”

Sure
might not be the right word.
Willing to give
it the old college try
might fit her thoughts better. But she wasn’t
completely opposed to the idea. Not Wildcats opposed. What he was doing right
now felt weird but great. Fantastic, in fact.

She shook her head but wiggled her hips, writhing into the
pressure of his fingers against the curve of her ass, pulling the two that were
inside her deeper.

“Mixed signals. Interesting. You remember your safeword,
right?”

Tess mouthed the word, reminding her lips how to form the
sounds. Just in case.

“You okay?” he whispered. A secret question. A mini
time-out. She had to think a few seconds before nodding. Because she
was
okay. She was…better than okay. But she didn’t want to think about it too hard
yet. And Jake’s fingers were still on her, in her, all over her, and she felt
as if he wasn’t getting under her skin but had
always
been there, and had
only now decided to make her aware of it.

He pressed a kiss to her inner thigh, and she heard and felt
him take a deep breath. She could picture him, hair tousled, eyes keen,
gathering himself for whatever came next. Making his wicked plans. The thought
made her shiver and clench around his invading fingers.

His lips brushed her skin again, forming words she couldn’t
make out, then he was gone and she knew only coldness everywhere he’d been. She
almost cried out, stopping herself at the last minute, turning her head from
one side to the other to try to hear any clue as to his location.

She was bound, helpless. Alone? Had he left her alone in
here?

Don’t leave me!

“Just washing my hands, kitten.” The bathroom door creaked,
water splashed in the sink and Tess’ heartbeat slowed to normal again as relief
set in. “I’d never leave the room when you’re tied up, anything could happen. I
knew a guy who almost suffocated once that way. You have to keep an eye on the
sub at all times. And especially never tape somebody’s mouth during allergy
season then leave the room.”

She snorted, shaking her head in scorn. He seemed to get the
message.

“Common sense, right? But you’d be amazed.”

Tess heard him moving as he talked and wished she could see
him. Her shoulders relaxed when the bed sagged under his weight again.

“One last piece of business here, then we’ll move on.”

Something cool and wet pushed at the loosened ring of her
asshole. Cool, wet and big, bigger than a finger, too cold to be skin. It felt
enormous and it tugged on the way in, causing a flash of pain as it breached
the tightest point, then sliding home easily. Jake’s fingers soothed her,
stroking her thigh, drifting over her clit.

“Good girl.”

Oh
…

“We wouldn’t want you to close back up yet.”

Oh?

His hands distracted her again, petting and squeezing.
Exploring, moving from one place to another seemingly at random. Learning her,
it felt like. She never knew where the next touch would come, and Jake had
clammed up so he wasn’t keeping her informed. All she could do was wait to find
out what he’d do next, what experience he would decide to give her.

Around the time Tess realized the randomness was the point,
Jake nipped at her thigh, the same tender spot he’d kissed minutes earlier. Not
sharp enough to draw blood, but enough to make her yelp. More fondling then,
until the next nip fell on her belly. Then pinches, his hands moving in
symmetrical paths up her inner arms from elbow to armpit. Pinch, and pinch, and
twist
, and pinch, until tears prickled behind her eyelids and her cheeks
grew hot. And then those same brutal, torturing fingers found their way back to
her clit and circled there with affectionate gentleness. Rewarding her for
taking what he’d dished out.

“Clothespins work even better for that,” he remarked. “Then
I could leave them there and play with your clit at the same time. We’ll have
to try that some time.”

The imagery of that shot through her, a jolt of hot need,
forcing a groan from her and a fresh rush of liquid between her legs. Jake
trailed a finger down her slit then drew a chilly line across the back of one
thigh.

“The cane marks are still there but the rest of the pink is
fading. We need to fix that.”

He unclipped her cuffs and rolled her onto all fours,
ignoring her groan of protest as he fastened her ankles back together with some
slack between. With the blindfold still in place, Tess had no way to know what
he would use on her next, whether it would be the flogger, the cane, something
new.

She trembled as he moved around her, made whatever preparations
he needed to make. The plug in her ass felt immense, prominent, shameful. But
delicious too. Decadent and strangely satisfying. She wondered what it would
feel like if he hit it by accident. Would he hit it on purpose? Did she want
him to?

Jake’s hand smacked her ass, hard and fast. No buildup this
time, he laid into her on one side then the other until she was crying out with
each blow. He was thorough, merciless, a man on a mission. At one point she
tried to scramble away but he caught her, held fast to the strap securing her
ankles and never even lost his rhythm.

“Oh yeah. That’s better.” He stopped and squeezed her butt,
one cheek in each hand, fingers sinking into the tortured flesh. “That’s
looking very pretty now. And it should last awhile.”

She thought he was through but he wasn’t. He kept one hand
on her, a tight grip on brutalized skin, and tapped the plug. She’d all but
forgotten it, but now she was horribly aware of it again. Jake twisted it
slowly, nudging it in and out, his gentle handling and the shivers of novel
pleasure a sharp contrast to the pain his other hand still caused.

When he finally loosened his grip it was only to shift his
fingers, spread her wider, perhaps for a better view of what he was doing. What
did it look like to him? Did he see whatever he hoped to?

“Good.”

A paddle next, it felt like. He kept the ankle tether firmly
in hand, precluding escape, though Tess tried to yank away. She screamed at the
first strike, the second and third. It wasn’t just burning, it was agony, the
leather smacking on skin that felt raw already, broken. She couldn’t take any
more, she couldn’t. She had to say the safeword.

But even as she opened her mouth, determination to succeed
overwhelmed her impulse and she leaned on her elbows, pressing both hands to
her mouth to keep the word in. That accomplishment itself mattered more,
infinitely more than the pain, because achieving things was how she knew
herself—Tess, the girl who stepped into the breach and started making plans for
herself and everyone else, and followed through even if she had to drag people
with her kicking and screaming.

Tess, the girl who couldn’t back down from a dare. Jake had
challenged her, she had challenged herself and she would see it through no
matter what the cost. If she didn’t, who was she?

Her teeth bore down on the meat below one thumb, scoring the
surface until she tasted blood. But the pain in her hand was nothing, nothing
at all to the knowledge that she’d succeeded in stifling herself. A sweet buzz
took over in her brain, swept over her body, and for a heartbeat or two she
felt invincible, like she could go on forever under Jake’s blows.

She gasped, let out a long, shuddering breath…

And some part of her gave in.

Not the part that had wanted to call an end to this.
Something deeper, older, unconcerned with the moment she and Jake were having.
As the air left her body she heard a sound, keening, a wail or a sob, and then
more and more. The pain shifted and moved inside her, to her belly and her
chest, suffocating her.