United

by Karen Nappa

  All attention turned on Suzie, her, and the cake, and Yvonne hoped she wouldn’t trip or do something else stupid.

  As Jim led Paula toward a closed door, the room erupted in activities. At least a half dozen men – half of them in uniform, the rest in street clothes – moved the desks around to create a makeshift aisle. With the room prepared, they pitched in to help Suzie and Yvonne set up for the reception.

  With cake and cutlery in place, Suzie turned away. “I’m getting the bouquets for the bride and the maid of honor. Be right back.”

  “Sure.” Yvonne folded her hands in front of her.

  A statuesque woman walked over, and Yvonne couldn’t break her stare. She had beautiful auburn hair and the most stunning green eyes Yvonne had ever seen. The woman caught Yvonne’s gaze and held her captive as she approached. Goosebumps erupted on Yvonne’s arms, but she wasn’t cold – she was hot like she was running a fever. Yvonne became acutely aware of the woman’s scent – a hint of lavender with something fresh and citrusy. To her embarrassment, she could also smell her own arousal. Yvonne had never been this turned on by a woman before. She had to lock her knees not to kneel.

  The moment vanished when Suzie interrupted them. “All ready to go?”

  Yvonne barely paid attention to the ceremony. She was half-focused on the gorgeous red-headed woman, who stood tall and proud next to the bride and groom, and the rest of her mind on the night ahead. In a couple of hours, she would be at a BDSM Club. She couldn’t wait to see Club Indigo and meet the lifestylers there.

  Friday night, Chris let go thoughts of work and a certain Dominatrix as he tapped along with Imany’s Don't Be So Shy on the bar top. They had decorated Club Indigo in a cheerful summer theme, and he liked the vibe.

  The door opened signaling new arrivals. His eyes widened as they fell on a beautiful, familiar blonde woman. He rose from the seat, aware of his wicked grin as he walked over and clasped her hand.

  “What are you doing here?” They spoke the question at the same time and burst out laughing.

  Chris gestured for her to go first. He enjoyed the hell out of the pretty blush on her cheeks.

  “Eh… I… um… came with Suzie and Connor.”

  After their introduction and Yvonne had overcome her initial shyness, they talked animatedly at the bar. At first, he was taken aback by her family connection with the McGruders.

  “I never expected finding a McGruder relative waiting tables at The Sweet and Savory Table,” he confessed.

  Her expression blanched. “Serious? Oom and tante aren’t snobs.”

  “No, I’m sure they’re not.” He held out his hands in surrender. “But they are part of the local elite. I don’t know many successful Wall Street investment bankers or famous Dutch fashion designers.”

  He wasn’t ashamed of his profession or background but he didn’t frequent the same circles as the McGruders.

  Chris looked around. James sat with Laura comfortably in his lap. Married and collared looked good on her, and he hadn’t seen James this relaxed and content since they’d discovered BDSM.

  A pang of envy shot through him.

  Chris’ gaze wandered to the other side of the room where Jim and his newlywed wife chatted with Kate. The police detective had fallen hard for Paula, but Jim had almost died in an explosion before Paula accepted she loved him, too.

  How would Kate react to Chris landing in the hospital? Would she sit at his bedside with him in a coma pretending to be his fiancée as Paula had done for Jim? Chris scoffed. So much for getting your mind off Kate, you moron! He forced his attention back to the people around him.

  The McGruders might intimidate Chris, but Yvonne was a refreshingly open girl with long blond hair, big blue eyes, and blushing cheeks he wanted to bite. Her English was good, although she had an accent, and her conversation entertaining.

  Maybe scening with Yvonne would help take his mind off Kate. She was the first woman he’d been attracted to since his night with Kate, now almost a year ago. He’d done his DM shifts and helped others with scenes, but his heart wasn’t in it, and he hadn’t had sex other than with his right hand.

  “So, you’re a masochist?” he inquired.

  Yvonne bobbed her head, her eyes big and blue. “I am. I played with a sadist back home. But I’m also submissive, and he wasn’t very dominant. He just got off on giving pain.”

  Chris gripped the hair at the back of her head and tugged; she melted on the spot. Oh yeah, the girl was submissive. He bent forward. “Would you like to do a scene with me?” he whispered in her ear.

  “Umm, yes.” She squeaked.

  Chris kissed her cheek and released her hair.

  Yvonne sighed at the loss of his touch.

  He chuckled. “Since we’ll be doing a short introduction scene, we don’t need excessive negotiations, but we need boundaries.”

  More than her decisive nod, her answer showed her experience in BDSM. “My safeword is ‘Appel.’ It’s, umm, it’s Dutch for apple, I don’t know if I’ll remember to talk English, would you recognize it?”

  He inclined his head. “Sure. Why apple?”

  Yvonne chuckled. “I’m allergic to apples.” She tilted her head. “Very inconvenient, but an easy safeword to remember.”

  “What about limits?” Chris inquired.

  “I like clamps and clothespins. I’m open to a lot of impact play. No permanent damage, of course. Umm, no knives or burns. Wax play or fire cupping is okay, and I love electrical play. I think that’s about it.” She peeked at him expectantly.

  “We don’t allow blood play at the club. A lot of what you describe, I won’t do in a first scene and maybe not ever. I’m more dominant and not a sadist myself. There are sadists in the club.” He pointed at Kate, who was wearing a dungeon monitor vest. “Kate is a very accomplished Domme and sadist. How do you feel about playing with a woman?”

  Yvonne chewed on the corner of her mouth. “Umm, I don’t know. I never tried it. I’m more attracted to men, I think.”

  Chris smiled widely. “Good to know. How about sexual touching?”

  “I… I like sex. Mark, um, my friend back home, had a physical problem, so we didn’t…” She fell silent and sighed. “We didn’t have sex. But I’m open to it.”

  “All right. Anything else we should cover?” Chris wanted to know, and Yvonne shook her head. Chris rose, pulled her to her feet and led her to the St. Andrew’s Cross in the main room.

  “Strip,” he ordered and watched as she shed her clothes with an easy acceptance. Nudity in a room full of people was clearly not a problem for her.

  Chris contemplated his options for tonight’s play. A Dom always had the responsibility for the sub and the scene, but especially with someone new, he needed to pay attention to every detail. On the one hand, Chris liked the challenge it provided, and truth be told he hadn’t met a submissive yet who kept his attention for more than a few play sessions. On the other hand, after seeing his closest friend James fall in love, he wondered if he could find that special connection. But am I a ‘one-woman man’? And if not why do I have this yearning inside?

  He forced himself to focus on the woman at hand. He’d warm her up with a heavy flogger, paddle her a bit and try taking a cane to her ass and upper thighs. He wanted to find out if she really was a masochist. She wouldn’t be the first person to overestimate her pain threshold. If she needed more, he would introduce her to a member with more sadistic tendencies. He wasn’t opposed to using a single tail, like James, but electro play wasn’t his kind of scene. Kate on the other hand… Chris stopped his train of thought.

  Why did his mind always wander to her? She was a Domme and a sadist and clearly not interested in him. When she couldn’t avoid him, she was distant and painfully polite. He hated it!

  Chris still wanted to investigate his submissive side, but not tonight. He tied the now naked Yvonne to the cross and stroked her back and shoulders.

  He pressed his chest against her back, giving he
r his weight and adding to her sensation of being restrained. She let out a shuddering breath.

  Nice!

  “Ready for the flogger?”

  “Please, Sir.”

  Good enough, Chris took the multi-strand whip and alternated light strokes with caresses of his free hand. When her eyes fluttered closed and she relaxed into the touches from both the leather and his hand, he ramped up the pace and intensity. When he thought she was warmed up, he pressed into her back and touched her pussy. Not completely dry, but not dripping. He looked at her face. Calm, no signs of pain.

  All right.

  Chris resumed the flogging, hitting harder and faster. The world narrowed to only he and his sub remained as he slit into Topspace. Her skin now glowed hot and pink. He paused, Yvonne’s face was lightly flushed now. He checked her pussy.

  Better!

  He put the flogger away and selected a narrow wooden paddle. Returning behind her, his eyes roamed her shoulders and hands. Still relaxed. He walloped her ass four times in quick succession, not using all his strength but not holding much back. This time when he touched her, she had a soaking wet pussy. It gaped open, the labia swollen with blood and her clit peeked out from under the hood.

  Masochist, indeed!

  He gathered her hair in a makeshift ponytail and bent her head to the side and backward. He took her mouth in a demanding kiss, and she leaned into him and gave it her all.

  Submissive as well!

  “What’s your safeword, sweetie?” he inquired next to her ear.

  “Umm.” She swayed a bit. “Appel.”

  “Good, girl! Use it when you need it.” He let go of her, and she leaned against the cross. Time to send her flying, Chris decided. He took the cane to her upper legs and had her dancing around in no time. Chris grinned, happy with his decision to leave her legs free. He wasn’t certain if the pain had been enough for her, but he was about at the limit of what he was willing to dish out.

  He put the cane back and returned with the vibrator he had selected. He hadn’t used any clamps on her. He could find out with his mouth and teeth how sensitive her nipples were. Wasn’t it nice he was a breast man, and Yvonne had a beautiful pair of them? He suckled and bit at her areolas and nipples while pressing the vibrator on her clit. As always when playing with a new person, Chris was hyper-alert. The blush had spread from her face to her breasts, and she was sweating and bucking. Chris pressed the vibrator harder against her clit, and Yvonne keened her orgasm. The satisfaction of bringing her over the edge waned as he became unsettled by the guttural sounds she made. Was she choking? How? He started untying her, but she kept gurgling.

  He glanced around, alarmed, and made eye contact with Kate, who walked over immediately.

  “What’s wrong?” A concerned frown marred her forehead.

  “I don’t know,” Chris replied. “Listen to the noises she’s making. I was afraid she was choking, but her breathing seems okay.”

  Kate helped him lower Yvonne to the ground and put her in the recovery position. She positioned herself behind Yvonne, hand to her back to monitor the girl’s breathing.

  “Sweetie.” Chris knelt before Yvonne, stroking her arm and shoulder. “How are you doing?”

  Yvonne mumbled something they couldn’t catch.

  Kate leaned in. “Angel, can you hear us?”

  Yvonne made a couple of nonsensical sounds.

  “That’s not English.” Suddenly Kate grinned. “Isn’t she from the Netherlands? I bet she’s speaking Dutch.”

  Chris gave her a befuddled look. “That’s a language? With all those gargling sounds.” Chris mimicked the sound she made.

  The next moment Yvonne opened her eyes and exclaimed, “Geweldig!” before dissolving into giggles.

  What?

  Chris and Kate looked at each other and back to Yvonne. She was utterly oblivious to the language problem and snuggled backward into Kate while gripping Chris' arm and pulling at him.

  Kate’s laugh rang through the room. “Let’s get close to her and coax her back from subspace. When she’s running on all cylinders again, we’ll make sense of what she said.” She stretched out on the floor behind Yvonne. Chris followed her lead, slid to the floor, and cuddled Yvonne to his chest.

  As she returned to her DM duties, Kate threw a last glance over her shoulder at the couple deep in conversation. After their uneasy truce, she’d avoided Chris, but helping him take care of Yvonne felt natural and right. The three of them had an easy rapport, and Chris acted affectionately toward both of them, but – although clearly dominant to Yvonne – he hadn’t tried to smother or dominate Kate.

  Yvonne had caught her eye at the reception, first because of her of fresh appearance and demure nature. Later she'd noticed how eager the young blonde had been to help and how she enjoyed serving. Yvonne had blushed beautifully when someone complimented her and Kate had wondered how long it would take to turn her ass cheeks the same lovely shade with her hand.

  From their aftercare, Kate learned the blonde woman liked to snuggle and was a serious masochist. She would like to play with Yvonne herself sometime. Yvonne had mentioned she enjoyed electrical stimulation, an activity ranked high on Kate’s list, too. Yvonne had been comfortable with a woman’s touch, so she might be interested in more. Kate shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself. Yvonne had been in subspace, hardly a basis for judging how she felt about women. Tonight, Chris would take Yvonne home and Kate needed to concentrate on monitoring the safety of the club’s members.

  She forced her mind back to the here and now. About fifteen minutes ago, she had gotten a signal from a new Dom, Derek. He had taken Sonja upstairs. The voluptuous African-American submissive was a sweetheart underneath, but had a bratty mouth and attitude. Kate was curious how Derek would handle her. She walked upstairs to check on them. Sounds from the medical room gave away the pair’s location, and Kate stuck her head around the corner. Derek had tied Sonja securely to the gynecology chair, and her dark skin gleamed with perspiration. The submissive didn’t notice Kate’s arrival, but Derek acknowledged her presence with a polite nod. Three fingers of his right hand were buried in Sonja’s sopping wet pussy with his other hand splayed on her belly, the gesture more possessive than restraining.

  Kate’s eyes roamed over the bound woman. Sonja looked relaxed, although a bit dazed, restraints snug but not too tight. Derek bent his head between Sonja’s legs, and from the sounds Sonja made, Kate had a rather good idea what Derek was doing to her. It looked like an excellent scene, and from the prominent bulge in Derek’s pants, he was enjoying it as much as Sonja.

  Good enough!

  She would return before she handed over her duties to Mitch.

  On Wednesday afternoon, Kate sat across from the best-looking man in The Sweet and Savory Table. Chris seemed at ease, even in his work clothes of open flannel shirt, faded BlackSmith Construction T-shirt stretched over his broad chest, permanently stained blue jeans, and steel-tipped work boots. Chris had texted her on Saturday morning to thank her for the help, tell her Yvonne was doing fine and had gone home to her aunt and uncle, and to invite Kate to this lunch.

  Kate’s heartbeat raced and she eyed Chris warily. Why had she agreed on this lunch in the first place?

  “It was one night, Chris. We can’t do this. It won’t work.” She tried to sound reasonable. She needed to calm down and think straight.

  Mealybugs on an orchid! I’m the Domme, and he’s topping from the bottom. No, she corrected herself. He isn’t submissive, so that’s wrong.

  Chris shook his head. “Why don’t you let me explain what I have in mind before you decide if you like it or not?”

  She lifted her head and gave him a ‘don’t push me’ stare.

  Chris lowered his gaze and pleaded. “Please, Mistress Kate.”

  She didn’t know if it was the use of her title or his tone of voice, but she urged, “Go on, imp!”

  Chris cocked his head at her use of the pet name and he gave a
boyish grin. “It’s been a long time since anyone had called me a small devil.”

  “Topping from the bottom makes you an imp in my book.” Kate couldn’t hold back a small smile herself.

  “Fair enough.” He turned serious again. “After years of denying my attraction to you, I don’t want to fight it anymore. Our night together was the best sexual encounter of my life.”

  She agreed with him – their night had been spectacular.

  “I discovered that I liked submitting to you, Kate.”

  She opened her mouth to argue but closed it again. She’d promised to listen to him.

  “However, I do like to dominate other women, but you play with women, too. Would you consider it cheating if we co-topped?”

  The appearance of the server at their table gave her a few moments of reprieve, and she considered his suggestion. She’d abandoned hope of finding a way to live her bisexuality a long time ago. What Chris suggested sounded appealing.

  “You think you’ll never have the inclination to top me?” She voiced her biggest worries.

  “I loved being bound and dominated by you. I liked how you kept me on edge. Hell, I never came as hard in my life as I did with you.” He raked his hand through his dirty blond hair and confessed, “I enjoyed feeling your nails rake over my body, and I almost came the next day when I saw your marks on my body.” He made eye-contact and leaned toward her, and all she saw was sincerity. “You know I talked and scened with Bob?”

  Kate shook her head.