The Velvet Collar

by C. P. Mandara

  "Yes. I want to play dirty."

  "Fine. You get a thirty-second head start to reach safety, but if I catch you, Mrs Matthews, you are going to be tied up and gagged for the rest of the day."

  "Make it a minute, and we have a deal." I smiled with unconcealed glee. That would give me enough time to get a book and a glass before I imprisoned myself in the bathroom. Result.

  "I think thirty seconds is more than enough time." Mark gave me one of his condescending looks, but I was having none of it.

  "Take it or leave it, darling. I really don't want to go to Escape, so it's not a problem."

  "You drive a hard bargain, Mrs Matthews." He eyed me up and down, as if loathe to let me go, but he finally released my wrists. "Fine. You get a minute and not one more second. Time starts now."

  "Ooh, you..." I didn't bother finishing the rest of my sentence because I was already fighting to get on my feet and run as fast as I could to get away from the bastard. He was not catching me this side of seven pm. The bet was on.

  Chapter Four - Mark

  My bloody wife was a pain in the ass. Now I know that thousands of men have probably said the same words before me, and it's a bit clichéd, but believe me, my wife was more trouble than most. The woman always wanted her own way, she never did as she was told, and she went out of her way to infuriate me on a regular basis. I was going to need a flipping manual to keep this one in check, and considering I'd been spanking women for years and years, you'd have thought I'd have nailed this discipline thing down by now. The trouble was, I couldn't upset her. I swear I felt as bad as she did if I reduced her to tears with anything other than pain. It probably just needed an adjustment period while I coped with this living together under one roof thing. I was positive I'd figure it out - eventually.

  Giving Jen far more than the sixty seconds she deserved, I listened as she sprinted towards our bedroom, probably to grab her smutty book by the bedside table and a glass of water. Then, as I suspected, she made a dash for the bathroom. This was a sensible bet, as there was a lock on the door. It wasn't going to save her from me, however, which was why I was in no rush to follow. It wouldn't do her any harm to have a bit of "me" time, anyway. I was shortly going to be pushing her body to the limit, so Jen might as well get comfortable for the time being.

  Heading into our bedroom, I grabbed a change of clothes and then got into the shower. After that I went downstairs, marvelling that nearly all the stiffness in my leg had finally disappeared. It had taken a while to recover from last year's stabbing, but my darling wife and several microwaved meals had just about seen me through the dark days. But it annoyed me that Khalil was no closer to finding Redcliff's whereabouts. Wherever that man was hiding it was very far away, and I hoped to hell he stayed there. If I ever set eyes on him again, I wouldn't be responsible for my actions. There was no punishment in the world severe enough to deal with that vile bastard. Well, none that I could think of, anyway.

  Heading outside, my thoughts returned to the matter at hand. Now, what would I need to get Jennifer out of that damn bathroom? Strangely, I had Leyland to thank for the answer to my little problem. He'd recounted his story of how he'd "interrogated" Marianna, over a couple of glasses of whisky, and the man had kept me royally entertained for just over an hour. Leyland also said he should have charged me for the episode, which sent me into a fit of hysterics, and I nearly laughed so hard I cried. Of course, I told him I'd given him his Christmas present for this year and that he shouldn't expect another anytime soon. Leyland took it well, considering. I nearly went ballistic when he told me he let Marianna go with barely a scratch to her name, but that was before I'd heard the whole sorry tale. Now I knew why she'd done my father's bidding I felt absurdly guilty. Was I that much of a monster she hadn't dared approach me? The answer to that question was indeed that I was, and I deserved to feel guilty. I told Leyland I'd take care of Marianna and her little girl, but he informed me that he'd already paid all of their medical bills and that my assistance wouldn't be required. It was my turn to laugh again. Surely the pharmaceutical giant and general oddball, Leyland Forbes, hadn't gone and fallen for someone? By the furious look he gave me it was rather obvious he had. Considering my own sticky situation as of late, I decided I wouldn't rub it in. Much.

  Anyway, to cut a long story short, he'd told me about how he'd got Marianna out of the bathroom with minimal effort on his part, and I'd stored that little detail away for future use. I hadn't expected to be using it quite so soon, but this would certainly put my wife in her place. It's time she knew there was no place on earth she could hide where I wouldn't find her eventually. Yes, I absolutely adore her - in case you were wondering - and haven't turned into a rogue stalker. At least, I don't think I have.

  Grabbing a screwdriver, and a magnetic wristband so I could keep the screws safe until I wanted to put the lock back on later, I returned to the house, ready to wage war on my abominably behaved submissive wife. It was high time to show her who called the shots around here. Now I just had to plot some deplorable kind of torment, to make sure she behaved herself impeccably around me in future. It had never worked before, but there was always a first time, right?

  "I know you're out there."

  She might, but she didn't know what I was doing because I was being exceptionally careful to be as quiet as I could. Sitting still for a second, until she decided her ears were playing tricks on her, the screwdriver was back in action, tackling the third of four screws. My objective had nearly been accomplished, and I was feeling rather pleased with myself. If only everything in life was so easy.

  When the final screw came out I wriggled the lock casing about with as much force as I could muster and tore it out of the doorframe. It was probably overkill, but it did the trick and my wife's shocked expression, as she sat in the bath reading her book, was priceless. Her face crumpled like a deflated balloon.

  "How did you...?"

  "No time for questions. Get your ass out of that bath and into the naughty room before I really lose my temper." My stern expression was in place, so she'd know I meant business.

  She bit her lip, gave a little worried sigh, and grabbed a bath towel.

  "No time for that," I said as I yanked the towel away, pushed her forward and spanked her ass. "Get moving."

  She didn't need to be told twice.

  Less than half an hour later Jennifer Matthews knew she was in trouble. She was in the bare concrete hole that I now referred to as the "naughty room", and I'd tied her ankles and wrists to the whipping post. Then I found a ball gag harness, featuring three straps that came across the face in a triangle shape, and I buckled it tightly behind her head. There was a point to be made today, and I intended to make it in style.

  "Darling, I have a feeling I've been far too lax with you lately, and if you're accompanying me to Escape we need a refresher on what type of behaviour is acceptable."

  The look she gave me was pure venom, as to be expected, but that turned me on, and she knew it. Wriggling about in her restraints also made my cock jump to attention, and I'd have to unfasten my jeans soon if she didn't stop bouncing around.

  Gripping her chin tightly, to focus her attention, I stared straight through her with my darkest expression; one that would generally put the fear of God into any submissive. Any submissive bar Jennifer, that was.

  "Your punishment, for the deplorable behaviour I witnessed earlier, is to be my pet for the next two days. That will mean lots of crawling, no talking, and you get to sleep on the floor." Letting that sink in, I wondered how she would take the news. Hopefully she wouldn't cry. If she cried I'd back down. Don't cry, don't cry. This would probably remind her of Albrecht, and I should have considered that before I made my threat. The trouble was she made me so mad I couldn't think straight sometimes. Honestly, what kind of Dom could deal with the trials and tribulations of marriage? Taking a deep breath I then said, "Do you understand?" I also crossed my fingers behind my back.

  There was a dis
tinct pause before her eyes closed and I braced myself for the worst. The fall out from this was probably going to haunt me for a week or two, so I prepared myself. Then the strangest thing happened. She dipped her eyes towards the floor and nodded. What the fuck!? Was she agreeing to this?

  "Look at me." I needed to see the expression in her eyes. If she was upset I'd get her out of the restraints, take her into the bedroom and smother her with love and affection until I made her see sense. Hopefully she wouldn't be able to dismember any vital body parts before I got a chance to apologise.

  When her head began moving slowly upwards, I searched around desperately for any indication that she was upset. So far there were no tears, no hiccups, and no snorts or sniffs, so I figured she would probably be angry with me. As her eyes finally connected with mine, though, they told me something different entirely. Her irises glowed with fire, and not the I'm-going-to-thump-you-kind. Jen was aroused at the thought of being my pet, and quite considerably so. I could smell the scent of her sex from where I was standing, so I knew she was wet, and when she drew a ragged breath slowly into her mouth, I realised that my earlier assumption had been incorrect. Women were truly odd creatures.

  "Do you understand and accept your punishment?" As I still hadn't managed to get a response I asked the question again. She nodded demurely, with her eyes trained on the floor once more. She'd gone from panther to pussycat in less than sixty seconds, and the transformation was quite incredible. I wondered how long this could last. "Good. Just so we're clear if you want to dominate me as per our discussion last night, your time starts now. You will be a model submissive obeying my every command for the next seven days, or you will lose your bet. Do you accept those terms?" She wasn't getting other terms so she had two choices.

  Unbelievably, she nodded again. Well, well, well. The challenge was on. I had seven days in which to make my errant wife misbehave. This was going to be the easiest bet I'd ever won. Nearly rubbing my hands together in glee at the thought of what I could do with her, my mind exploded with naughty possibilities. There was no question that Jen would wave the white flag at some point during the next few days, but I thought it might be nice to have a little fun with her for the time being. The thought of a meek-mannered pussycat crawling around the room servicing my every whim made me almost uncomfortably hot, and the peace and quiet of having her gagged was an added bonus. If I kept her tied up most of the time I'd barely even have to keep tabs on her. Oh, happy days.

  "Okay then, my little kittykat, you have yourself a deal." One she was obviously going to lose because there was no way in hell I was letting my wife dominate me. That wasn't my problem though.

  "So, before I find you a cute little outfit and get you kitted out, I definitely think some stripes are in order for your earlier display of disobedience. Strolling to the wall where I now hung all of my impact play toys, I let my fingertips linger on each one for a few seconds as I carefully considered what to do with my captive.

  "Hmm, shall we start with the paddle?" I mused out loud. "No, that would be far too tame. I think we'll need something you'll remember for the next few days." My fingers moved to the next toy. "Perhaps the crop, as its sting is a little sharper." Although it sounded like a question, it wasn't. All I was doing was working my little submissive up to the point where she'd be creaming her panties off - if she were wearing any. At the moment Jen's eyes were glued to the wall, and I could see the rise and fall of her delectable breasts as she tried to control her mounting excitement. It was no secret that my wife liked a little pain. Although I'd taken it easy on her since the poisoning incident, I figured we'd waited long enough. It was about time to take it to the next level and see if she'd sink or swim.

  "Actually, no, I think the crop is a little too tame for my liking this afternoon. How about we try something a little more challenging?" My voice was soft, but she heard me as my fingers continued to move along the line until I reached a leather, single-tailed whip. "Ah yes, a whip. There is nothing quite like the sting of being whipped properly, don't you agree, kittykat?"

  Jen was almost hyperventilating with excitement now, and her eyes were glued on the whip that I was now freeing from the wall. I'd wondered for weeks if she'd be ready for this type of pain, but it was obvious she was. It appeared I'd been tiptoeing around my wife for far too long. I should have done this months ago.

  When I got the whip down from the wall I walked behind her, trailing my fingertips across the top of her right shoulder blade. Her head followed me, watching, waiting, and listening for the first stroke. Frowning, I walked out of the room. She was not going to be keeping her beady eyes on my every movement. I wanted her unaware of where the next stroke was coming from, or what I was about to do next. Jen was going to anticipate each stroke, and she would need to rely on her other senses to make up for her lack of eyesight.

  Grabbing a two-inch leather collar from my toy box, featuring a large stainless steel D-ring, I smiled wickedly to myself. Now all I would need was some black rope. Perfect.

  When I walked back into the room Jen's head swivelled around to glare at me. My wife was an impatient little thing, but she'd just have to learn that I had my own timescale for our scenes. There was no rushing me.

  Smiling at her and waving the new additions I'd brought in the air, her eyes zeroed in on them, looking this way and that as she tried to figure out what I was about to do. Putting her out of misery I came to stand in front of her, holding the collar up at eye-level.

  "This is so you don't keep waving your head about everywhere, darling." Squeezing her cheek affectionately and ignoring the frosty look that was directed my way, I fastened it quickly behind her neck. I then held up the rope. "And this is so you can't look behind you."

  Her look turned to one of confusion, but she'd understand soon enough. Attaching one end of the rope to the D-ring, and the other to an eye bolt in the floor in front of her, with just enough tension to keep her in place, I was satisfied that she was going nowhere fast. Her eyes were now trained upon the floor, and that was where they would stay unless I chose otherwise.

  "Ready for my whip, darling?" A finger underneath her chin forced her to look at me, and though there was some of the fire I was expecting, there was a whole lot of heat too. Giving me a single nod of her head and a bucket load of sparks with her eyes, she assured me the challenge was on, and I could do my worst.

  Nearly rubbing my hands together in glee, I happily obliged.

  Chapter Five - Jennifer

  Watching my whip-wielding husband as he began to lay down the law nearly made me climax then and there. I probably shouldn't admit this, but being gagged and torn down a strip turns me on in the worst way, and when he began to lay out the details of my punishment - well, let's just say my adrenaline levels went through the roof.

  Since the poisoning incident Mark had been very careful around me, and while he'd delivered the odd spanking and flogging here and there, he'd also wrapped me in cotton wool. I've wanted to bring up the subject that I'm not breakable several times in the last few months, but I'm also aware he's still recovering from his stab wound, and I didn't want to rush him. It was a serious injury, and it took its toll for a while. In the last few weeks he seemed as if he was almost back to his old self, and I was hoping I'd get to see some heat soon. But it's kind of difficult to broach the fact that you want your husband to be evil every now and again. How did you bring that up in conversation? Thankfully it looked like I wouldn't have to. The expression on his face right now told me that I had a long afternoon ahead of me, and at the end of it my ass was destined to be bright red. I can't begin to describe the kind of exhilaration currently bubbling its way through my body, but it was incredibly intense. Even better was the knowledge that my husband felt certain I would lose our bet. While I loved the man to bits he was a smug, arrogant, and conceited bastard at times. If I had to go with him to Escape I was getting my end of the bargain. He would be mine for at least an evening, and boy, was I going to have
some fun with him. The next seven days were probably going to test me to the limit, but I was ready for it. Bring it on, sweetheart.

  After he'd collared me and I was pretty much forced to look at the floor unless I wanted to choke myself, he disappeared from view. It didn't take a genius to guess where he went. The man wanted me on my toes, unaware of where the next stroke would come from, and tension sprang into my arms and legs at the thought. A single-tailed whip wasn't a paddle, and it certainly wasn't a soft suede flogger. It was a mean and nasty beast, there were no two ways about it. The question was: could I handle it?

  Breathing became difficult for a moment as I was whisked away to Albrecht stables and the vile presence of Kyle Levison. He'd threatened to take a bullwhip to me. Making an involuntary keening noise through my mouth I had a wobble.

  Mark was standing in front of me in a heartbeat. "Jen, are you okay? Three nods of your head is your safe word. Remember? Do you need to nod?"

  He looked very concerned, and I wanted to hug him for being so sweet. Snap out of it, Jen, and focus. Shaking my head slowly from side to side I took a few slow breaths and tried to remember where I was and who I was with. Albrecht was behind me now. I was safe here, and Mark wouldn't give me any more than I could handle.

  "Are you thinking about Kyle?" Mark's face was dark. He knew me too well. I nodded in response and his gaze darkened further. "If I ever get my hands on that animal he won't be good for anything other than dog food by the time I've finished with him." Mark had his own demons to slay, as well as mine, with regards to that evil bastard. My father and Kyle had tried to kill him not so long ago, and when that hadn't worked they'd tried to kill him again with my help. I had a fantastic family, me.

  "This whip is not a bullwhip. It's not long enough, for a start. It'll sting a little, but the leather is quite supple. It won't break the skin. It's going to hurt, and it might leave a few marks, but nothing permanent. Do you think you're up for this?"