by Mandy Harbin
She frowned at her things, but eventually eased everything back to where they’d been. New anger flashed through him when he thought about what might be hidden among her things. A gun, a recording device, mace, handcuffs. Any number of things she could use against him.
She wouldn’t get the chance.
Once she stood empty-handed, he turned without issuing the order again, knowing she’d follow him. He made his way to the master bedroom with her in tow. He walked in and waited by the door.
“On the bed. Back on the fire board.” He turned to lock the bedroom door and heard as she complied. When no more movement sounded, he rounded to face her, his back braced against the door. No matter how unemotional he stayed, the sight of her, naked, on his bed would be burned into his brain until the day he died.
He inhaled slowly, taking in her natural scent, noticing no chemicals altered it. Good, she’d obeyed him. Of course, she chose what she did and did not do on her own with no regard for him. She probably complied because of safety reasons and not because he’d ordered her to.
All of that was ending now.
“You will not speak unless spoken to. I don’t want anything breaking my concentration. I would gag you, but I don’t want anything unnecessary on your body. If I ask you a question, I expect a respectful answer. If it’s not ‘Yes, Master,’ it better be something just as appropriate. If you don’t comply, I will gag you anyway. Do you understand?”
She trembled. “Yes, Master.”
He gave her a curt nod before stepping to the foot of the bed. He reached down and pulled up shackles that were connected to it and closed them around each of her ankles. Her legs shook as he spread them, using the chain as leverage until secured to the bed. Her thighs would not be able to close. She’d be completely exposed to him. Looking his fill before he chastised himself, he mentally ordered his body not to fall victim to her allure again. Next, he moved to her wrists and secured them above her head before sitting in the chair beside her.
“What we’re about to engage in is fire fleshing. Technically, it’s consider edge play because the flame can get out of hand, which makes this dangerous. But I believe it’s pretty tame compared to other edgy style play. If using the proper precautions, then it’s as safe as any other kink.” He rattled off the description because it was the right thing to do. Even though they’d discussed this before, he was still her Dom in this scene, and he wanted her fully aware of what they’d be engaging in. “What’s your safe word?”
“Red, Master.”
His teeth snapped shut. He didn’t like hearing her use that term with him. He’d demanded it because he wanted her kept at a distance, but once he’d accepted her calling him by his given name, he liked it so much more. To any sub at the club, he was Master. She was the only one to ever call him Mason.
“The only time you are allowed to speak to me without being prompted is if you have to use that word. No other.”
He twisted, grabbed a fire wand, and lit it. The flame was high, and her tummy tensed as he neared her.
“Relax.”
He swiped it across her skin and followed with his bare hand, soothing any sting. The fire barely made contact with her. It was just enough to shock and confuse the senses. He continued this pattern for several minutes, and she jumped a few times, but he knew any discomfort she felt was mild. As with much of BDSM, it was a mental game more than anything. After she was sufficiently primed, he snuffed the stick and retrieved a thin Kevlar tipped tool and the can of hair mousse from the side table. She’d done really well with bouncing. Now he was going to try streaking. He shook the can but stole a glance at her. She was frowning at what he had. He could explain to her the alcohol content in it was sufficient for his needs or that he liked the control it gave him when creating designs, but he chose to leave her wondering instead.
After double checking the bowl of ice water and towels beside him were in reach, he began to spray the mousse onto her abdomen. She flinched at the cool sensation, and his gut reaction had been to caress her, let her know she was doing a good job.
He didn’t. Just the desire to do so infuriated him. He had her bound to his bed and her life literally in his hands. He spelled out liar on her flesh before he realized he’d done it, then he lit it and watched it flame. She gasped, and he wiped it away. He touched the wand to it a few more times in some of the places until the alcohol was completely gone. Then he spelled the same word out again with the mousse.
“Do you like what I’m doing to you?”
“Yes, Master.”
He set the fire wand to the word and watched as it ignited. He snuffed out the remaining flame before spelling the same word again. He repeated this process a few more times in the same area, but not exactly over the same spot. The last time, she moaned a little and he dared a glance between her legs.
“You’re wet, pet.” He chose a different word to spell on the tender skin at the apex of her thighs. “Are you wet for me?”
“Yes, Master,” she panted. Her hips lifted off the bed.
“Be still,” he barked. She whimpered, but dropped back to the bed. “My name looks beautiful above your pussy.” Then he lit it, and she wailed. When he rubbed his hand over the spot to soothe the burn, he let his fingers trail lower, massaging the skin, pulling it taut so it teased her clit. “You don’t get to come, Shelby. Only good girls get to come.”
He slapped her labia.
“Oh God,” she groaned softly, and tossed her head back and forth.
“You’ll be punished for speaking when I get done,” he said calmly.
“But,” she sputtered, and his glare flew up to her.
“Now you’ll be spanked and have to see to my pleasure without getting to enjoy the same privilege. Keep it up, Shelby. I’ll torture you all fucking day.” Jesus, he’d had no intention of getting off on this, but watching her squirm around had made him harder than steel. He was holding back the desire to yank his pants off and fuck her where she lay.
She squeezed her lips into her mouth, so he took that as her understanding of how serious he was.
The next twenty minutes were hell. He’d burned the word liar all over her body, except the few places he’d inscribed “Mason’s” at tender areas. At one point, he’d written “beautiful”, and cursed himself when the words “Mason’s beautiful liar” branded her chest. Because she was a beautiful liar, just not his.
He reached up, roughly unhooked one of her arms, and released the slack on the chain at her ankles. “Roll over,” he said harshly.
He’d had enough of this. His frayed control was slipping, and he just might fuck her if he didn’t stop now. His dick didn’t care that she’d used him. He didn’t feel vindicated. He was angry. Hurt. Turned on.
After she did as instructed, he pushed the fire equipment out of the way, locked her into place, and climbed onto the bed. He kneaded her bottom.
“Tell me what you’re thinking, pet,” he ordered softly.
“I-I don’t know what’s wrong.”
His hand came down hard on her buttocks.
“You’ve been a bad girl, so I’m punishing you.” He spanked her several more times on both cheeks, her ass a rosy bloom. “Say, ‘thank you, Master, for spanking me’.”
“Thank you, Master, for spanking me,” she mumbled into the bedding.
“Do you want me to fuck you, Shelby?”
“Yes, Master.”
His dick leapt inside his pants, and he squeezed her ass to keep his body still while he battled with reason. “Even if you don’t get to come? You’d still let me have you?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Goddamn it, Shelby. I want you to be truthful. Don’t say what you think I want to hear. Tell me the truth.”
“I’m telling you the truth.” The truth? What did she know of it?
She let out a breathy moan and wiggled her bottom, but that only enraged him.
He swatted her again and again and again. He spanked her so many times
that his hand burned and he had to switch to the other one. He was so absorbed in delivering her comeuppance that he barely held himself back. When he stopped and sucked in a breath, his dick throbbed with a want greater than he’d ever experienced before. Her legs trembled, ass in the air in a silent beg.
“God, baby, you’re so wet.” He unzipped his pants because he couldn’t stand the pressure anymore. He could come just by watching her, looking at her like this, and still the anger inside him swelled. “Looks like you’re telling me the truth, but I need more proof.”
He spread her ass cheeks wide and spat onto her puckered hole. He rubbed his thumb all over it and pushed. “You ever been fucked here?”
“No, Master,” she squeaked.
He spread her a little and spat again. He used another finger to push in and stretch her. The knowledge that he could take something no other man had experienced had his primal side roaring, but he did his best to ignore it. This was about punishment, not pleasure. If he touched her core, she’d come…and then he’d cave hearing the beautiful sounds she made. Playing with her like this would buy him some much needed time. If he gave in, he’d hate himself for falling victim to the allure of her body when he’d sworn to himself he would deny it.
“I’m inclined to believe you.” He leaned over her, his cock poised at her anus, and gripped her hair so she’d be forced to look at him. “Though, I don’t know why. All you’ve done is lie to me, Agent Landry.”
Her eyes grew wide as she stared back at him, understanding dawning in her gaze as to why he was so pissed.
“What’s your safe word?” he asked, deadly soft.
“Red,” she whispered.
“Are you going to use it now?” he challenged. No matter how much he wanted to keep pushing her, punishing her, he would stop if she wanted him to.
“No, Mason,” she whispered.
He growled at both her disobedience and his inability to just walk away. “Head down.”
She immediately obeyed.
“You want me to fuck you like a dirty whore?” he asked as he rubbed his cock along her cheeks. “You’re getting paid to fuck me, aren’t you?”
“Mason,” she said, pleadingly, though she didn’t deny it.
“That’s not an answer.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
He did not want to hear that! She wasn’t sorry, and he wasn’t dishing out forgiveness. He reared up. He was too enraged now, his control a thing of the past. He fisted her hair so she partly faced him as he started jacking off. He wouldn’t let himself fuck her, but if she got paid for being a whore, he’d fucking treat her like one by coming all over her face. She opened her mouth, though, willing to accept him, even now with everything that had happened…even now with the appallingly awful way he was treating her.
And he felt played all over again. He couldn’t do anything right when it came to her.
Not. One. Fucking. Thing.
Instead of wanting to punish her more, he just wanted to get as far away from her as possible. He wanted to end this nightmare. He was so damn screwed because, deep down, he knew he’d never be rid of her. She was burned into his soul.
“Goddamn it!” he roared, letting go of his dick and unhooking her restraints. He worked quickly, not looking at her, not acknowledging her presence. Nor his raging hard-on. When she was free, he stomped toward his bathroom and yelled, “Get the fuck out,” without sparing her a glance.
He slammed the bathroom door shut between them and banged his head against it once as he heaved in the air his lungs were starved for. He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there, burning in the Hell of his own making.
When he heard her soft sobs, he still didn’t come out.
Chapter Nineteen
Shelby had sent a text to Rick the moment she was out of Mason’s house, informing him Mason knew she was an agent and requesting a few days off. She hadn’t really asked for the time, but her boss hadn’t argued with her on it either. Why would he? Her assignment was effectively over. She couldn’t work undercover if her mark knew she was an agent.
She’d also fired off a message to Viola, so she wouldn’t worry when Shelby didn’t show up for work. Both texts had ignited a barrage of incoming calls by Viola and some of the others on their team. The constant soft buzzing of Shelby’s phone had made her realize it’d only be a matter of time before they gave up on electronic means of communication and just showed up at her house. She wasn’t ready for that. Without much internal debate, she quickly packed a bag and got in her car.
Shelby was in Mayflower, Arkansas by nightfall.
She’d considered renting a vehicle, using a fake name to book a hotel in some random town, and paying for everything in cash. As she ate up the miles, though, her desire for solitude slowly shifted and the thought of going to the small southern town gradually took over. Shelby didn’t have many friends outside her close-knit team, but there was someone she could talk to there. Someone who knew what it meant to be on a difficult assignment involving a man she loved. Someone who’d been faced with the dilemma of professional life versus personal life. Her former teammate, Anna Sue Fisher.
Although Shelby and Anna no longer worked on the same team, they had worked on a major assignment together, the assignment that changed everything for Anna, forcing her to confront her feelings for Blade and altering the path of her career. Anna had been ordered to stick by Blade while Shelby had been stationed at the Bang shift Garage, digging into the guys who worked there. It had caused heartache and tested bonds, and frustratingly enough, that assignment was also all because of Mason Showalter.
Yeah. If anyone could relate to what Shelby was going through, it was Anna. Not that Shelby was sure she wanted to talk just yet.
When she pulled up to Blade and Anna’s house, she killed the engine and stared at the front door. How was she even going to explain why she was here?
Taking a deep breath, Shelby got out.
“I wondered how long it was going to take you,” Anna said from the porch. Shelby’s gaze shot to her. The woman held up a bottle of wine and wiggled it enticingly. “Viola called.”
“Of course she did,” Shelby muttered. At least she didn’t have to explain now.
“Get your bags. You’re staying here.” She’d planned on driving into Conway and getting a room there, so she opened her mouth to protest. Anna stopped her short. “Don’t argue, girl. We’re drinking, which means you driving anywhere else is out. C’mon. I’ll open bottle number one.”
Anna walked back into the house, and Shelby rolled her eyes, but got her stuff before following. She’d been questioning whether she was ready to talk, but wine sure did sound nice. She dropped everything just inside the door.
“In the kitchen,” Anna called out.
Following the sound of Anna’s voice, Shelby asked, “When did you get so bossy?”
“Oh, I’d say right around the time I got engaged.” She pushed a full glass toward Shelby and looked at her. “Blade wants to get married in a barn just like Brody and Xan did. A barn.”
Shelby chuckled, and it felt good to let go just a little. “It was beautiful, and you know it.”
“Yeah, but that was before Roc started using it. I refuse to walk in horse shit.”
“In heels, no less.” Shelby laughed. “I’m surprised Blade’s family doesn’t want you guys to do it in Louisiana.”
“Girl, I can’t tell you how many times his mom has called me with locales down there, trying her best to talk me into it. When I told her I was planning an engagement party for up here, she about had a fit.” Anna waved a dismissive hand before taking a sip, her huge engagement ring sparkling in the low light.
“I still think that’s got to be the biggest diamond I’ve ever seen in real life.”
Anna smiled down at it. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Brax was overcompensating.” She wagged her brows. “But I do know better.”
“Lucky you,” Shelby said, her humor fading a bit. An
na was lucky. She’d come up against impossible odds and won. Both in life and love.
“I’m not gonna lie. It feels really good being on this side of the truth.” She motioned for Shelby to follow and they went into the living room, glasses in hand.
Shelby made a noncommittal noise and took a sip of her wine. Then she took another, bigger drink. “It feels super awful being on this side.”
“I know that, too.” Anna’s smile was sad. “But eventually, you’ll feel better.”
“Will I? No, I mean, really? ‘Cause I gotta say, this sucks.”
“Yeah. Granted, I knew Blade before that last case. Hell, we’d slept together.” Anna took a sip.
Shelby grinned. “Can’t believe you didn’t share that info immediately.”
“We all keep some secrets.” Anna raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t think I’m ready to go into all of that.” Shelby took a big drink.
“Fine. We have all night. Just don’t get too hungover because tomorrow, I’m sending you to the garage.
Shelby gaped at her. “What?”
“Girl, they are behind, and you could use a distraction. Besides, you’re better than every one of them when it comes to cars. Well, except for Blade.” She wiggled her ring finger. “I feel like I’m contractually obligated to be on his side on all things now.”
She wasn’t concerned with that. Shelby knew she was the shit when it came to auto repair, but she hadn’t been back at the shop since everything went down on the last mission. There hadn’t been time. She’d immediately been tasked to work the case in a different way.
“Are they mad?”
Anna tilted her head to the side as if she was thinking. “They were. Yes. I’d venture to guess they still don’t trust the government.”
“They’re mercenaries. When did they ever trust us?”
Anna chuckled. “True. That’s probably always been a touchy subject and will never change. But I think they know we were just doing our jobs.”
“Knowing it and accepting it are two different things.”
