Stronghold (Stronghold 1)

by Angel, Golden

  Yes, it was nice to have it confirmed by Michael that nothing was going on with him and Angel, and to get his take on why. Even better to know that Michael was apparently actively encouraging her to find someone else to play with. But he wasn't going to let anyone manipulate or push him into something that he wasn't ready for, and he wasn't ready to make up his mind about Angel.

  Dammit.

  "So you're a sadist?" he asked, casually. Andrew rolled his eyes. Patrick groaned. Michael just smiled.

  "It took me a while to come around to it, but yes."

  He nodded. That was understandable. Movement caught the corner of his eye and he looked over to see Angel getting up from her seat. She half-turned to look back at the group of men at the bar, her eyes flicking over him for a moment before she gave Michael a stiff nod and started towards the Lounge area.

  The lacy tiered skirt she was wearing flicked against the backs of her thighs, highlighting those long legs and the fact that she had a well-rounded ass because there was so much space between the lacy edge and her skin. The top she was wearing was, for the first time, not a corset although it did lace up the back and was held closed in the front by hooks. It was made of suede and looked incredibly soft to the touch, as well as making her upper body easily accessible. The high three inch heels made her hips roll as she walked, emphasizing the aura of easy sensuality that always hovered around.

  "Are you seriously going to let her get away?"

  Adam cursed under his breath and he was moving before he could stop and think about it. Before he could stop and ask himself what the hell he was doing. Not because Michael had goaded him, but because he could see more than one Dom at the bar watching her progress towards the Lounge. If she got there, she'd be followed and more than one of them would probably ask her to scene.

  He didn't try to explain to himself why the thought bothered him so much.

  With long, quick strides, he passed the distance easily and caught her by the elbow. Angel spun around in surprise, fast enough to break his grip, her body automatically settling back into a defensive posture.

  Putting his hands up in front of him he took a step back. "Sorry." Dammit. He'd almost forgotten that she taught self-defense and that she'd probably be a little bit on edge right now.

  Looking up at him, the startled, almost angry gaze softened and she relaxed. "It's okay. I'm just jumpy."

  "I also wanted to apologize for how your Introduction Scene ended."

  ******

  Studying Master Adam's face didn't give Angel much of a hint as to what he was thinking.

  "Apology accepted."

  When he'd first grabbed her arm she'd reacted instinctively, even as the thought went through her mind that no one was going to bother her here at Stronghold. She should have felt safe, but since she'd been on her way over to the Lounge area, cursing this man for not even glancing her way, she'd been bitten by an attack of nerves. Now that he was standing in front of her, looking down at her in a way that made her feel strangely vulnerable, she was feeling even more unsettled.

  Maybe that was partially just because she could still feel his fingers on her elbow. Damn he was hot. It wasn't fair that she was so darn attracted to him when he seemed completely oblivious to her.

  Although Leigh had bet that he would follow her if she headed towards the Lounge area, but maybe he just wanted to apologize where no one else could overhear? It would make sense.

  "You're planning on scening tonight?" he asked, with a jerk of his head towards the Lounge Area. The question sounded casual, but his blue eyes were looking at her with such intensity that she felt a wild hope springing up inside of her.

  "Yes."

  "I'd like to make up for the way your scene ended last time." He held out his hand, palm up. "Would you like to scene with me?"

  Damn his impassive face. From the way he phrased the question it sounded like he was just trying to set things right, to atone for his previous mistakes. Not because he wanted to scene with her again. The only hint that there might be something more, that he felt just as strong an attraction to her as she did to him, was in his eyes, which felt like they were boring into her.

  She'd told herself that she wanted to come to the club to experience scening, whether it was with him or with someone else. The truth was, she would have been willing to scene with someone else, but her first option had always been to try again with him.

  "Yes, please." Her voice was breathy, which made her cringe inwardly as she put her hand in his. Good job Angel, just go ahead and show him how much he affects you when he might only be asking out of professional courtesy.

  Whatever, she'd take what she could get. If it was anything like last time, it was still going to be really hot. And maybe she wasn’t totally crazy, maybe there would be something more than just professionalism.

  To her surprise he didn't immediately lead her off anyway. Instead he held her hand between them, his thumb rubbing over her knuckles. Who knew that such a tiny gesture could feel so very intimate? Yet she knew that if she tried to pull away, he would stop her. Control her. Even in heels it felt like he was towering over her and even though he hadn't moved an inch, it now felt like they were somehow standing closer to each other.

  It was so pathetic that just a little hand holding could make her pussy clench.

  But it wasn’t just his hand and the caress of his thumb, it was the way he was looking at her now, the fact that he looked so damned hot in his button down white shirt and dark blue jeans, exuding the kind of dominant aura that she'd always lusted after but never had entirely focused on her. Not until this man. The way he was holding her hand right now reminded her of the way he'd held it when she'd shaken hands with him at Chained, when she'd felt almost like he was testing her commitment to dominance.

  This felt like a different kind of test entirely.

  "The same limits as last time?"

  All her hard limits, plus the no sex thing. Angel jerked her head yes. She knew she needed to confirm 'no sex' now, because during her Introduction Scene she would have done anything to have him fuck her properly. It was what her body craved, but her brain knew it wasn't a good idea. Especially if he was just scening with her again because it was a responsibility or a make-up session.

  Maybe it would have been different if he'd approached her for no other reason than he'd wanted to, but even then she wouldn’t want him to think that she was too easy. It was just, for whatever reason, she felt very comfortable with him. And was extremely attracted to him.

  "Is there a particular room or piece of equipment that you want to use? I don't believe the office is in use this evening, or we could wait for one of the other rooms. It shouldn't be long."

  Possibilities whirled through her head from the tour that she'd taken the last time. But when she had no idea what he was thinking or feeling or if he was even as attracted to her as she was to him, the last thing she wanted to do was give herself a false sense of intimacy by being alone with him. And there was another piece of equipment down in the Dungeon that she’d always been wildly curious about.

  "The Saint Andrews Cross," she said. "And um... not a whip but... something."

  "Something." A little smile creased his lips for just a moment before it disappeared again. "I can work with that." His thumb brushed over her knuckles again, this time with a little bit more pressure and he lowered his hand, although he didn't let go of hers, and started moving.

  As she followed him down the stairs, she tried not to think about how nice it was to have her hand in his, or how warm his palm was, or how considerate he was as he made sure she didn't stumble on the stairs in her high heels.

  He's just trying to make things up to you from last time, she scolded herself. He even told you that. She just couldn't take it personally that he was being so darn attentive to her this time around.

  Last time it had gotten her kind of hot that he'd been pissy. This time it was making her all warm and tingly that he wasn't. So basically, a
ccording to her body, the man could do no wrong.

  Delightful.

  They were lucky, there were several Saint Andrew's crosses free, despite the number of people in the club. It was definitely more crowded than it had been during her Introduction Scene, obviously because it was a Saturday night rather than a Thursday. To Angel's surprise, a fair number of them were just watching the scenes rather than participating in one.

  She looked up at Master Adam as he led her towards one of the open crosses. "There's so many people here... don't they want to play?"

  "Not always," he answered, glancing around the room at the various scenes and their audiences. "Sometimes watching a good scene can be just as satisfying as being in one. Some people just enjoy watching, period. And sometimes, if you don't feel like playing, you still want to be involved in some way."

  "Do you ever watch?"

  He paused for a moment and she wondered if she'd stepped over the line by asking him something personal. "Sometimes. Usually if I'm not here to scene I just stay up at the bar though."

  Angel wondered how often he came to scene. Mostly it was just curiosity, flavored with just a tinge of jealousy. Definitely not her business though, so she didn't ask.

  When they stopped in front of the St. Andrew's cross, Master Adam let go of her hand and stepped up to inspect the gleaming wood and the restraints that were screwed into it. Angel just watched him, silently. Apparently satisfied, he turned back towards her and she braced herself for the order to strip. It would be a lot scarier with so many people in the club, but she was ready to do it.

  "Hands at your sides," he said instead, stepping towards her.

  There was a little gleam in his eye as if he could see that she was unsettled by the deviation from their previous scene's structure. But she put her hands at her side, tilting her head up at him almost defiantly until he raised an eyebrow at her, giving her a hard look. A blush spread across her cheeks and she dropped her gaze to his feet.

  Peeking at him, he was too tall for her to see his face, but she could see him unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt. He rolled them up to his elbows, the quick, brisk motions of a man getting ready for work. Why was it so damn sexy? It wasn't like revealing forearms was something that was inherently hot, but waiting for him to roll up his shirt sleeves while she stood here, knowing that she was going to be punished, pleasured and who knows what else... well, she was drenching her panties to say the least.

  "Stand still." His voice barked out and she stilled, realizing that she'd been shifting her weight. Trying to peek at him from under her eyelashes again, she caught her breath at the hungry, almost predatory look that went across his face.

  He didn't look at all grouchy or disinterested or any of the other emotions that she'd seen him show before. As she licked her lips to wet them and then followed it with a drag of her teeth across the lower one, her gaze flicked down, right to his crotch where he was definitely starting to sport a bulge. It wasn't super obvious in jeans, but it was definitely there.

  So he wasn't entirely immune to her. Unless he just got hard every time he played, which also seemed possible. Might not have anything to do with her at all. But how to explain that look?

  Then he moved forward to stand directly in front of her and began to unlatch her top. Angel's breathing stuttered and restarted as his fingers pulled apart each hook and eye, slowly revealing the curves of her breasts and then her stomach, until the entire top was gaping open. Her body was practically trembling with how much she wanted him to touch her, but despite how close he was standing and despite the fact that he was undressing her, his fingers hadn't actually brushed her skin once.

  It was unnerving. Exciting. Scary. Anxiety-inducing.

  When he finally put a finger under her chin and tipped her head back to look at him, she barely managed to stifle a moan at the fact that he'd finally touched her.

  ******

  God she was beautiful. Her eyes were dark, her pupils fully dilated, and her breath was coming in soft pants that would have told him how aroused she was even if her nipples were drilling holes through the soft suede of her top. The fists clenched at her sides opened and closed again as she struggled to stay still, even though she obviously wanted to move, to touch him.

  That turned him on too.

  "Do you remember the color system from your Introduction Scene?"

  "Red, yellow and green, Sir."

  "What color are you right now, Angel?"

  "Green, Sir."

  "Are you wet?"

  A blush rose in her cheeks as her eyes flicked away for a moment in embarrassment. He tapped her under the chin with one finger and they refocused back on him.

  "Answer me, sub."

  "Yes, Sir," she whispered, her blush intensifying. Funny how she was perfectly comfortable having him begin to undress her in a club full of people, but admitting that she was wet, just to him, made her blush. Funny and rather endearing.

  "Keep your eyes on me."

  Putting his hands on her shoulders, he began to push her top off, revealing her entire upper body. Angel sucked in a breath, practically vibrating beneath his hands as the suede slipped off and hit the floor. For her Introduction Scene he'd been too angry for anything but a punishment scene. This time he wanted to show her a softer, more seductive side of BDSM.

  He ignored the small voice in his head that taunted him, asking if it was because he now knew that Michael was a sadist and he wanted to show Angel that he enjoyed parts of BDSM that had nothing to do with pain and could give her something that Michael couldn’t.

  The eye contact created an incredible amount of intimacy as she was bared to him, as he skimmed his hands over her shoulders and down her body, barely brushing the sides of her beautifully rounded breasts with his hands. Her rosy nipples were puckered up tight, hard and begging for attention. He ignored them and continued to skim his hands down to her waist before grabbing her hips and pulling her hard against him.

  Angel squeaked as she fell into him, her hands trying to come up and not making it, trapped by his arms. She had very little control over her movement, and he could see the change in her expression as she realized it, as the amount of power he had over her came crashing down. It was different from being bound by restraints and yet it obviously affected her just as much.

  For himself he had to ignore how soft she felt against him, how warm, how inviting as her muscles relaxed and she looked up at him with trembling awe and anticipation. He hadn't done anything to earn the trust in her eyes, didn't really deserve it, but it still made him hard as a rock to see it.

  The constant eye contact allowed him to watch as hers began to glaze, his hands skimming down her back to the zipper on her skirt. He could have turned her around to do this, but he'd decided to have her pressed against him instead. It enhanced her vulnerability and allowed him a pleasure that he otherwise might not have had.

  His eyebrows raised. "No underwear?"

  "No Sir."

  "Why not?"

  "I came to play."

  The fact that she'd been walking around with no underwear under that short skirt, as well as the sudden image of her doing a scene with another man flashing through his head, sent conflicting reactions raging through his body. He had to stamp on them, struggling for his usual control. Reminding himself that she hadn't seemed eager to play, hadn't jumped right into the Lounge area helped.

  Reminding himself that she was here, with him, helped even more.

  Maybe he couldn't completely sort out how he felt about Angel, but one emotion kept coming up almost as often as attraction, and that was possessiveness.

  Chapter 13

  Pressing Angel against the St. Andrew’s, Adam secured her wrists to the restraints that were already attached, adjusting them for her height. He'd chosen to position her facing outward, because he wanted to be able to see the expressions on her face. As well as the fact that he could tell she was fascinated by the other scenes going on in the room and both embarras
sed and aroused by the people who were beginning to watch them. It had been one thing, last Thursday, when there hadn't been as many viewers and she'd been bent over so that she hadn't been able to see them for the most part.

  Now every time she looked out into the crowd, she blushed.

  "What's your color, Angel?"

  "Green, Sir." She licked her lips and he resisted the urge to kiss them.

  Kissing was for something more than just a scene. He wasn't sure how she felt about him, but he didn't want their first kiss to be while she was bound and unable to move away. Especially not if she misinterpreted and thought the kiss was only a part of a scene. Because he was beginning to realize that, for him, it wouldn't be just part of a scene. He wanted to see her outside the club, to see if they had as much compatibility as they did chemistry.

  And he was just going to have to work on his trust issues.

  After all, she obviously trusted him. That, in and of itself, should tell him something. People who lied a lot usually weren't very trusting, because they expected others to behave as they did. And vice versa.

  "Can you hold your legs apart in place? Or should I restrain those too?" He wanted to give her the choice of following an order or having some help with it, although his preference was bondage. Having her completely helpless, open and spread for him.

  "Umm... I can try?"

  He chuckled. "You don't sound very sure of yourself."

  "I'm not sure I could have held myself in place last time, if it hadn't been for the restraints," she admitted.

  There it was again, that honesty that made him want to trust her, despite her original deception. Since coming to Stronghold, as far as he could tell, she'd been completely honest the whole time. The least he could do was return the favor, so he grinned, rather wickedly, and saw her short, sharp intake of breath.

  "Well then since my preference is for full restraints..."