Defending it All: Dark Romantic Suspense (Punishment Pit Book 5)

by Livia Grant

  Tiffany gave Lukus one last pleading look, hoping to change his mind. Sensing it was a lost cause, she stepped away from him, moving to follow Brianna towards the stairwell to the basement. Lukus stood watching until they were out of sight.

  Markus moved to the wet bar to pour two shots. Lukus approached his best friend. Each Dom grabbed their shot glass, silently toasting their women, before choking the burning liquid down.

  Markus began to pour a refill, but Lukus stopped him. “No more. We need to keep our heads straight.”

  His friend met Lukus halfway; putting the Jack Daniel’s bottle down, he opened the mini-fridge to take out two cold beers instead. Markus opened them, handing one to his best friend before moving to the oversized recliner to sit. Lukus took a seat at the end of the couch. The men got lost in thought for a few minutes, each fortifying their resolve to do what needed to be done tonight.

  Lukus was curious. “So, what exactly are the dungeon rules that Brianna is teaching Tiffany?”

  “She’s not allowed to wear clothes, for starters. She’ll have Tiffany strip. Bri will put on her collar. Sometimes I give her special instructions of things to prepare to heighten her anticipation, but lacking any special instructions, she’ll be waiting on her knees just inside the door, legs spread, palms up, eyes down. Typical slave pose; awaiting her Master.”

  “She’s really taking to the lifestyle. I’m happy for you, man,” Lukus said.

  “Yeah, but she still challenges me. She’s so good at trying to manipulate me, like she clearly did to Tiff tonight. I totally believe Bri pushed the right buttons to get Tiffany to fold. At first, when you mentioned punishing them together, I wasn’t so sure that was a good idea, but the more I think about it, the better it sounds. Let’s face it, with her pain tolerance, most punishments, while they cause her pain, in the end fulfill a deep masochistic need Bri has at her core. I think watching Tiffany struggling to accept her first real punishment is going to hit Brianna harder than her own punishment will.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that, but I think you’re right. And I assume you’ll be laying some pretty heavy-duty things on Brianna. I won’t mind Tiffany seeing how things will escalate if she’s not careful.”

  Markus looked uncomfortable. “You know what I can’t stop thinking about?”

  “What?”

  “I’ve been pushing Bri pretty hard, but I haven’t found her limit, yet. I don’t think she’s even come close to safewording with me, in spite of some pretty powerful sessions.” Markus looked up in time for Lukus to see pure hatred cross his face. “Sometimes, I lie awake and think about what kind of fucked up shit that asshole Davenport must have done to her to make her scream her safeword with him. And, that he could ignore her, and proceed without consent. I’m beginning to regret getting the police involved.”

  Lukus knew how his best friend felt. He’d wondered the same thing on the long plane ride home tonight.

  “Don’t beat yourself up over him. He’s a son of a bitch, but we’re gonna make sure he pays. Guys like him will find justice in prison. The only thing worse than men who rape and hurt women are pedophiles. A few well-placed rumors… and he’ll wish he’d never been born.”

  Markus took a long draw on his beer before asking Lukus a hard question. “So, I’ve never seen you like this before. I’m happy for you and Tiff, but I’m worried, too. Are you gonna be able to handle tonight?”

  A few months ago, Lukus would have decked his best friend for insinuating he wasn’t man enough to punish a sub—something he’d done hundreds of times. Tonight, it was a fair question.

  “I have to, now, don’t I? I meant what I told her. Today it was Jake, but who knows when the next threat is gonna happen? I need to know she’s gonna listen and obey when her safety is in question.”

  “But twenty-four hours? That’s pretty harsh for her first real punishment,” Markus said.

  “Hey, don’t second guess me. You handle your wife your way. I’ll handle Tiff. This isn’t her first punishment. Up until now, they’ve been more playful, but I’ve been gradually layering in more. Tonight is different, without a doubt, but it isn’t anything I haven’t talked to her about before now. In fact, I think you should join in on the plan for tomorrow, since they’ll be together.”

  “Lay it out.”

  “I don’t know where you are with anal training with Bri, but I haven’t even started with Tiff. Tomorrow’s the day. I’m gonna send her off to the salon properly plugged. It’ll be a good little reminder for her. I’m sure she won’t be able to handle it all day, but she’s going to have to call and ask me permission to remove the plug. She’s gonna hate that,” Lukus admitted.

  “No shit. That’s devious.”

  “Like I said, this punishment will leave a long-lasting impression on my baby. You should consider sending Bri plugged tomorrow, too. Just knowing that intimate secret about each other will heighten their submission.”

  “I’ll think about it. You ready? I don’t want to put this off.”

  “I need a few more minutes. You go down and get Bri settled. I’ll be down in a few.”

  Markus stood and put his empty bottle on the bar. “Okay, but don’t wait too long. I want to get this over so I can get her back in my arms.”

  “I second that.”

  Chapter Nine

  Tiffany

  Tiffany couldn’t stop shivering, even though the dungeon had its own heat control. She suspected her topsy-turvy emotional state was the cause of her trembling.

  The dread of her first real punishment session was offset by the knowledge that Lukus loved her. He’d shown her he cared in many ways, but not until she’d heard him say the words did she realize how much she needed to hear them. She was relieved he chose tonight to tell her, because the passionate kiss and heartfelt proclamation of love were what she planned on clinging to in order to work through the pain of her impending punishment.

  While this may not have been her first discipline at Lukus’s hands, she suspected it’d be the first session during which she’d be tempted to use her safeword. The irony was, tonight was also the first night she knew her safeword would do no good. They may have been in a dungeon, about to partake in a punishment worthy a naughty sex slave, but she was under no delusion. This wasn’t a playful punishment delivered by her sexy Dom. Tonight’s discipline would be firmly meted out by the man she’d chosen as the head of her household.

  Her brain told her to flee, but every single other part of her body tingled with nervous anticipation. Snippets of hundreds of punishment scenes from dozens of erotic romance novels flew through her brain like a movie reel.

  Her body was physically preparing for what was to come. She glanced down to see her nipples peaking to hard nubs under her snug sweater. A pleasant ache gripped her pussy. She could feel the muscles of her womanly core throbbing with the need to be filled. Most surprising was the prickle Tiff felt on her ass and upper thighs as she anticipated what was coming.

  Lost in thought, she’d missed the sight of her best friend stripping to her birthday suit. They’d lived together for many years, so it was nothing Tiff hadn’t seen many times before. Yet, when Brianna turned to walk to a shelving unit to pick up her leather collar, Tiff got her first glimpse of the faint bruises covering Bri’s ass. The thought of Lukus applying enough power to mark her only deepened her desire to submit, albeit laced with a twinge of dread. It felt strange to want to wear his mark of ownership on her body.

  Bri put on a leather collar before walking back to where Tiff stood frozen, just inside the door. She heard her best friend’s regret as Bri apologized again. “I really am sorry you’re in trouble with Lukus, Tiff. I wish I’d thought things through a little bit better.”

  “I’d like to be angry, but this was going to happen at some point. We’ve been dancing around it for weeks and as much as I’m going to hate it, I plan on submitting with as much grace as I can, to show him I’m committed to making this work.”

 
“Wow, you’re taking this really well.”

  Tiff broke into a grin. “Lukus Mitchell loves me. Pinch me, will ya?”

  Bri grinned back. “You don’t need a pinch from me. You’re about to get tangible proof you’re awake from the man himself.”

  Tiffany wanted to jump out of her skin. “You have any advice? How do you get through the pain?”

  Bri blushed. Considering they’d never found a topic off-limits for their friendship, that Brianna was embarrassed by disclosing her trade secrets must have meant they were pretty juicy. “I’m not sure I can explain it, and even if I can, who knows if it’ll work for you,” she began. “You’ll tense up. It’s natural. Try to focus on relaxing into the pain. Submit to it. Then, when I’m in the most pain, I always picture Markus fucking me—hard and out of control. The anticipation of him taking what’s his turns me on, and morphs the pain into pleasure. I know that sounds lame, but it’s the best I can do.” After a pause, Brianna reached out to start helping Tiffany undress. “You need to get naked, too. Those are the rules. They’ll be here soon.”

  A few minutes later, Tiffany waited naked on her knees, just inside the door to the dungeon. The delay here was worse than it had been in the corner upstairs. As least she didn’t have to wait long for the door to swing open and a pair of men’s shoes come into her line of sight. She was surprised she felt disappointed it was only Markus. She felt a full-body blush come on as he stood above her, inspecting the girls.

  She was relieved when he broke his stance. “Tiffany, stay. Brianna, follow me.” Markus was in Dom mode.

  Tiffany didn’t dare peek behind her. She relied on her sense of hearing to guess what was happening to her best friend. As ropes slid through metal, she suspected Bri was being immobilized. Lukus had tied Tiff down in play several times. He’d fucked her more than once after wrapping her in creative, vulnerable positions. She’d begun to associate bondage with ecstasy.

  Somehow, I think that might change tonight.

  Lukus arrived minutes later. He didn’t speak, but instead towered over her as she knelt naked at his feet. She longed to reach out and touch him—hug his legs and beg for his forgiveness—open his fly and suck his cock until he exploded down her throat. She dared raise her eyes to his cock, and wasn’t sure how to feel about the erection she found there. He’d been honest with her. He opened a damn sex club specializing in punishments.

  Of course, he’s going to get a boner at the thought of punishing me.

  They stayed frozen in place long enough for Tiff to wonder why the hold up. She’d prepared herself for Lukus in his full Dom glory, so when he weaved both hands through her long hair and pulled her forward to hug him around his waist from her kneeling position, she briefly hoped for a reprieve. It was short-lived.

  “Time to do this. To the spanking bench.” She moved to stand, but he stopped her. “No. On your hands and knees.”

  Her trembling returned as he released her and walked ahead to the sturdy bench in the center of the room. Sliding the heavy furniture several feet, he permitted her a first glimpse at what awaited.

  The contraption conjured taboo memories of dark erotic romances, heavy on humiliatingly harsh punishment. The restraint device looked complicated, with multiple padded surfaces and handle grips. She approached it tentatively, crawling up onto the kneeler pads. Lukus made quick work of arranging her how he wanted.

  Her body was thrust forward, placing her tummy against a three-foot–long, six-inch–wide padded rail. She had to extend forward to grasp two handgrips far in front of her, leaving her naked breasts dangling. Lukus secured a two-inch–wide sturdy leather strap across her back. He tugged it tight until she felt her bladder pressed against the ledge. Leather buckles secured her wrists and ankles next, ensuring she was going nowhere until he allowed it.

  She managed to hold her emotions in check until Lukus moved some mechanical controls. He was stretching her arms towards the ceiling while the pad under her hips raised as well, forcing her ass high in the air. With the leather strap across her lower back, Tiff was now forced to arch her back to better expose her naked breasts. She couldn’t stop her involuntary cry as he made the final adjustment to the apparatus, moving the pads she was kneeling on several feet apart. Tiff felt the cool air on her wet slit. Her pussy was now exposed to her disciplinarian, available to him should he wish to use her most private body part to teach her a hard lesson in obedience.

  Tiffany had closed her eyes, but hearing the men across the room talking softly, she opened them to check on Brianna. She wished she hadn’t. Only now did she understand why Lukus had moved the bench. She was only a few feet from Brianna, who was secured in a real pillory with devious upgrades. The women faced each other. No doubt, the men planned to enhance their punishment by forcing them to witness each other’s humiliating discipline and submission.

  Bri’s wrists were secured by the two blocks of wood, each with a small hole notched out just big enough for her slender wrists. A chin brace sat where her neck would have been placed in a similar hole in a traditional pillory. Her chin was secured in a way that forced her head up to maintain eye contact with Tiffany. There would be no missing each other’s embarrassing punishment. Brianna tested the waters by closing her eyes and was met with an immediate slap to her bottom.

  “Eyes open. Both of you. You don’t get to shut out one second of tonight’s lesson.”

  Lukus moved across the room to examine the impressive array of implement choices. Tiffany couldn’t see what he was contemplating and decided that was a good thing.

  While they waited for Lukus, Markus continued preparing his wife’s body for what was to come. He licked his fingers, then swiped them across her nipples. Tiff saw Bri’s nips turning to hard nubs. Not wanting her to enjoy his touch, Markus pinched her first nipple, hard. Brianna’s breathing turned shallow until evil-looking clawed clamps were snapped onto her first breast, bringing on both tears and panting as she worked through the sudden pain.

  Tears tracked down Bri’s face. Tiff tried to comfort her silently as the second clamp bit into her other tit. Brianna managed well—until Markus reached into his pocket and pulled out heavy magnetic weights. Tiffany watched with fascination as her best friend allowed the pain to settle in with each layer of additional weight pulling towards the ground, swaying with even small movements. Her best friend’s breasts would be in agony once the punishment to her bottom began, as there was no chance Bri would not flinch. Each movement would increase the pain in her nipples.

  Lukus was back too soon. The silence in the room was unnerving as all four occupants seemed to hold their breath. Tiff wished she could see Lukus, but she had to settle for watching Markus as he hardened himself for the job at hand. He was looking past her. She imagined the men were silently steeling themselves to do what needed to be done to make sure their subs followed instructions in the future.

  Tiff’s gaze shifted to Brianna. The men may have been hardening their resolve to be strict with the women they loved, but the women used this time—vulnerably laid out before their Doms—to slip deeper into their yielding mindset. Gone were the sassy retorts and snappy repartee. What remained was guilt and anticipation. As she felt the first connection of Lukus’s large palm on the globes of her ass, Tiff settled into her submission.

  The slow, yet steady connection of his hand on her flesh wasn’t painful—yet. With each slap increasing in power, Tiff felt heat rising on her bare bottom. Just when she began feeling overwhelmed by the escalating pain, Lukus placed his left hand on the small of her back, right above the strap holding her immobile. How he knew that was the precise moment she needed his touch, she didn’t understand. Even his caress wasn’t enough to stop panic from erupting as the burn surpassed that of any previous punishment.

  Brianna had it worse. Tiff tried to take her mind off her own discomfort by focusing on her best friend, as Bri’s husband provided a stern warm-up spanking. She could tell Bri was trying her best not to move her body, bu
t as the spanking got harder, she couldn’t stop from jerking away from the contact, which only brought agony to her clamped nipples, their weights dangling heavy towards the floor.

  It was hard for Tiffany to feel relief when the men finally stopped, since she knew that meant it was time for the real punishment to begin.

  Lukus wasted no time with transition. Tiff got a split-second warning from the alarm on Brianna’s face, just before she felt a lick of fire lighting up her right butt cheek. She was vaguely aware that it was her voice piercing the quiet room with a short cry of surprise. The next strike was thankfully on her left ass cheek, spreading pain as she registered a heavy thudding sound. Whatever implement he was using, it was heavy and made of wood.

  Behind Brianna, Markus produced the scariest looking paddle Tiffany had ever seen. It briefly distracted her, until the next volley of heat was delivered to her own sit-spot. Tears blurred her vision, thankfully obscuring the scene confronting her of Markus swinging a thick Lexan paddle, connecting with a crack to his wife’s ass. With a howl, Bri lunged forward as far as the pillory allowed, attempting to escape the punishing device, only to endure a second wave of pain courtesy of the swaying weights stretching her tits.

  The men continued their onslaught by adding a stern and humiliating lecture.

  Markus started, after delivering three full-force swats with the evil paddle. “I can’t believe you defied me, Brianna. Were my instructions unclear?”

  She had opened her mouth to answer, but only a wail erupted when his next swing connected sharply with her bottom—so hard that Tiff saw her knees buckle under the strain. The weights biting into her nipples swung wildly. Bri managed only to emit a long groan.

  Lukus joined in the interrogation. “I’d love to hear you answer that question, Tiffany. Were my instructions to you unclear?” Like Markus, he gave her no time to answer before delivering his next rapid volley of heat. She suspected he was using a large wooden hairbrush. She remembered reading her romance novels and thinking that implement sounded lame. Boy, had been she wrong.