Mastering Lexie (Stronghold Book 4)

by Golden Angel

  She had no doubts about what she wanted. At the very least, she needed to try, because all she could do was fantasize about Patrick, and it ruined every single relationship she'd ever tried to have. None of the guys she dated ever had the same kind of confidence or sexy authority that he did. Not even the other Doms in the club interested her as much, although some of them did get her kind of hot and bothered. But she knew Patrick, so her emotions were all tangled up in her attraction. She was tired of dating guys, constantly comparing them to Patrick, and finding them lacking. Maybe if Patrick would just give in, they'd find something amazing.

  Patrick watching her scene, rather than butting in caveman style and carrying her off to perform his own, kind of chafed, although she supposed it was better than him storming off to his office and ignoring her completely. Who knew, maybe she'd find out tonight that it was BDSM itself, more than Patrick, which got her motor running. Master Michael was supposed to be one of the best Sadist Doms in the club, although he rarely came in to play. Even the submissives who were supporting her tonight seemed a little jealous that she'd taken his services off the table for anyone else, for the evening.

  None of her boyfriends had ever been able to really do the dominance and submission thing with her, although a couple had been willing to try spanking her. Unfortunately, it had only reiterated the difference between a guy who was willing to try spanking and the authoritative dominants who came to Stronghold. If Patrick was just going to watch, then at least she'd be able to find out if she could hack it in the club. Maybe this was better anyway, she could have a scene with a seriously hot alpha Dom and see what she enjoyed without wondering if she was enjoying the scene for itself or because of Patrick. It's not like being touched all over by Michael was going to be a hardship. His deep, soulful eyes, framed by the hair that brushed his cheekbones, and his lean muscles made him a major hottie by her standards.

  "Come on, sweetheart," Master Michael said, his fingers stroking her neck again as he started forward. She knew the guy was an actor, but his complete nonchalance was still kind of astounding. There was nothing in his voice to suggest that Patrick had at all intimidated him; not even his hand trembled. Lexie felt like trembling, just a little bit. "Let's go introduce you to the Dungeon."

  Because she was peeking at Patrick, she saw his eyes flash at Master Michael's eager tones. She bit her lip, to keep from saying something snippy. Like, if he was jealous, then he should man up. Definitely the kind of thing she needed to hold back while she was in the club.

  Chapter 2

  The gentle sway of Lexie's skirt as she moved down the stairs was almost hypnotic. Although Patrick would have enjoyed the view more if it hadn't included seeing Michael's hand on the back of her neck. His own hands stayed clenched at his side, keeping him from reaching down and pulling the other man's hand away. Or punching him in the face for daring to touch her.

  Behind them, the submissives were already dispersing back to the Lounge. Patrick glanced over his shoulder in time to see Andrew pointing firmly at a table, gathering his friends’ girlfriends there. Angel tossed her hair but obeyed; the other three sat more quickly. Reassured that Andrew was going to handle them and contact their men, he turned his attention back to the woman in front of him and had to stifle a growl.

  Lexie was pushing the envelope, but Patrick had to stay hands off. He was definitely going to be e-mailing Jake tonight, begging him for a definite return date. Although he'd have to wait a day or two to let Jake settle in once he got home, before asking how Jake would feel about his best friend dating his little sister.

  Dating her. Tying her up and spanking her hot little ass. Again. Only this time with a more satisfying finale.

  He was so attuned to her that he heard her soft gasp, despite all the other noise, as she got her first good look at the full Dungeon. The only other times she'd seen it had been when she'd decorated the club for a theme night party, one of her better ideas even if he hated to admit it. She'd never seen the Dungeon when it was being used. Patrick looked around the room, trying to see it through the eyes of a newcomer, rather than as the familiar scene he was so accustomed to.

  It wasn't as full as it normally was at this time of night, probably because people had been drawn to Lexie and Andrew’s standoff upstairs, but more than one submissive was bent over a spanking bench. One was being spanked, another flogged, and the third was being fucked hard from behind, her glowing red bottom indicating that she'd already been thoroughly worked over by her Dom. The glazed ecstasy on her face was breathtaking, exactly the kind of thing that a dominant wanted to see. There were two more submissives across the room, restrained by the Saint Andrews crosses that were set up. One of them, Frank, was panting as Mistress Lisa snapped her crop at his dark red balls, which were tightly wrapped beneath his straining cock.

  Michael came to a halt, letting Lexie get in a good look of the room. Even from behind, Patrick could see her hesitation, and he remembered that Jake wasn't the only reason he’d been holding himself back from Lexie. She might think she was submissive, but it was one thing to fantasize about it and another to face the reality of submission. The trust necessary to give over control to someone else and let them take charge was easier in a fantasy. Lexie had taken the spanking in his office very well, and she'd done everything he'd told her to, but that didn't necessarily mean she'd be able to go deeper than that. A spanking now and then wasn't going to be good enough for him.

  As much as it was truly going to suck giant monkey balls to watch her scene with Michael, maybe it was better this way. If she safe worded, if she couldn't handle it, if it turned out she was just acting submissive because of her crush on him, then it would come out when she scened with someone else. Not being involved in the scene himself, Patrick would be able to watch every flicker of her expression, every nuance of her body language, as an objective observer rather than a participant.

  If she wasn't into it, if she freaked out, then they were never going to work anyway.

  After a good long look around the room, she nodded her head firmly and looked up and Michael, completely ignoring Patrick, who had moved to the side of them so that he could see her face. She still looked determined. But was her reaction that of a submissive who had been overwhelmed by the sudden visual stimuli, or that of a young woman who was determined to prove she was into kink because she had feelings for someone who did?

  He almost groaned aloud as Michael approached one of the chains hanging from the ceiling. Patrick had supposed that the Dom would put her on one of the benches or crosses, since this was her first time, rather than exposing her completely to the rest of the room. Of course, he'd only be able to access one side of her if he did that, which was probably why he'd chosen the chains. Setting down the bag he was carrying, Michael gave Lexie a reassuring wink.

  "Don't look so scared, honey. I'm not going to hurt you. Much." The leer that came at the end of his sentence was much less reassuring than his wink, but it seemed to ease her tension as well.

  Patrick ground his teeth, positioning himself about ten feet away from them along the wall in between the doors to the private rooms. Close enough to see and hear everything, but also remain outside of the scene. As Michael pulled some cuffs from his bag, Lexie fidgeted and glanced at Patrick. Something about the way she looked at him made him think that she wanted him to come barreling into the scene.

  Was that what this was about? Making him jealous? If so, it was working, but he had more self-control than to ever hijack someone else's scene. Especially if he kept reminding himself about all the reasons it was better to let Michael continue to handle this. Patrick honestly wasn't sure if Lexie would safe word if he’d been the one in charge of her first scene. She had a crush on him, and she wanted to prove herself to him. Not exactly the best combination for introducing her to BDSM. Maybe it would be better if he retreated to his office, and watched from a true distance, but he just couldn't convince himself to move that far away from them.


  In case something went wrong, in case she was frightened by something, he needed to be right there to take care of her.

  "Okay, honey, hold out your wrists." Michael held up the leather cuffs, lined with fur. Patrick's spine stiffened.

  ******

  "Did you go over limits?" The harshness in Patrick's voice made Lexie look at him, even though she was a bit insulted by the question.

  She wasn't an idiot, of course she and Master Michael had gone over limits for the scene before they'd come to Stronghold. They'd talked extensively in fact. Restraints, erotic pain, exhibitionism, and some contact were all okay. Real pain, edge play, humiliation, and sex were not. Dammit, Patrick thought she was a total noob, didn't he? Which, okay, yeah, she was when it came to actually doing things, but she wasn't entirely new to the dynamics of a scene.

  "Yes," Master Michael said, giving Patrick that same bland look that he had upstairs. It made Patrick scowl even more fiercely, and Lexie had to stop herself from giggling. Michael's indifference to Patrick's growling was pissing him off more than anything Lexie could have said. The Dom’s dark eyes returned to her, assessing and authoritative, but also with a little twinkle of amusement at Patrick’s expense. "Hold out your wrists, honey."

  Lexie held out her wrists. Even if she didn't have feelings for Michael, she found him attractive, and having him wrap the leather restraints around her wrists made her breathless. Especially since Patrick was watching. Up until now, she had thought that being on display in the Dungeon was something she would have to tolerate, not enjoy... but feeling Patrick's eyes on her was turning her on. Maybe she had a bit of exhibitionist in her after all.

  Or maybe it was just because it was Patrick.

  The restraints on her wrists were warm, snug. Michael tightened the buckles, checking the entire time to make sure that they weren't too tight. She smiled at him when he looked at her questioningly, taking the nonverbal cue that she was still doing good. Sure, she had her safe words of yellow and red, but she'd told him beforehand that she really didn't want to use them during her first ever scene, and he'd reassured her that he'd check in constantly with her throughout the scene.

  Safe words meant different things to different couples. Sometimes it meant the end of the scene. It could also mean the end of a relationship. Or some Doms liked to push their subs into safe wording. As long as both parties were on the same page, that was all well and good, but Lexie didn't want Patrick to think that she couldn't handle something. It was as much about that as it was her pride.

  Putting a chain through the D-rings on the wrist cuffs, Michael pulled her arms up above her head to attach them to the chain dangling above her from the ceiling. Lexie's breath caught at the sudden movement, the way her new position thrust her breasts out, and the very intimate knowledge that she was now trapped. There was just enough slack in the chain that she could spin around or even move about half a foot in any direction, but that was it.

  Fuck that was hot.

  Heat seemed to spread through her, from her pussy up to her face, making her cheeks pink. She was so entranced by these new sensations, especially the excitement that rippled through her when she tugged her wrists and reinforced her helplessness, she actually forgot Patrick was there. At least, she forgot until he shifted his weight, the movement catching her eye, and when their gazes locked, she really did feel helpless. Vulnerable. Like an animal caught in a trap being circled by a hunter.

  "Are you ready for me to take this off?" Michael asked, his question and his finger sliding along the edge of her bustier distracting her from Patrick's hot gaze. Fortunately, Master Michael didn't look too upset at her unfocused attention. Although he didn't show any expression on his face, looking into his eyes, Lexie would swear he was amused.

  "Aren't you just supposed to do what you want, Mr. Dom?" she asked, a little haughtily.

  Michael chuckled. "Oh, honey, are you trying to rush me along? Because it's not going to work, you know, no matter how bratty you are. Now, I want to hear you say that you'd like me to take off your clothes and expose you to the whole club."

  Her heart seemed to beat in triple time at his words as a rush of excitement went through her, followed swiftly by trepidation. Geezus. No wonder the subs upstairs had been jealous that she was here with him tonight. If Patrick had said something like that to her, she probably would have exploded from lust. Was it the domination that was getting to her, or was she more of an exhibitionist than she'd realized?

  Licking her suddenly dry lips, Lexie cleared her throat. "Please take off my clothes, Master Michael."

  "Good girl."

  Even if it wasn't as good as hearing Patrick say it, it was still hot.

  Master Michael was obviously pretty familiar with bustiers. It took him only seconds to unhook all the clasps along the front of the strapless contraption, which was kind of annoying considering how long it had taken her to hook them all together. But the rush of sexual excitement quickly dimmed any annoyance, as her nipples puckered in the open air.

  Holy fuck. She was topless, in Stronghold, with nothing at all covering her nipples for the first time. Hands above her head, breasts thrust out, with her shiny rings glimmering in the light.

  "Very pretty," Master Michael said, tugging on one of the rings. Lexie stifled a moan. Raising one eyebrow, he pulled it a little harder, making her gasp. "That's right, honey, I want to hear every little whimper, every moan." He leaned in, his lips right next to her ear so that no one else would be able to hear his words. "And I'll bet you the big man standing off to our side wants to, too."

  Now she did moan again, her pussy clenching at the reminder that Patrick was watching this. Watching her. Hearing her. She was going to make it as fucking hard as possible for him to stand off to the side, in his determined hands-off position.

  Michael's hands ran down her sides as he went to his knees in front of her. Funny, that he could be on his knees and still retain his utter authority. His fingers curled over the waistband of her skirt as he looked up at her and winked.

  Damn. If she wasn't already in love with Patrick...

  The skirt fell to the floor, leaving her in nothing but the little lacy thong. She could swear that she heard Patrick's swift intake of breath. Not like he'd never seen her naked body before, but it still felt good to know that he was affected. She refused to look at him though, concentrating on Michael. Even though she knew that part of what he was doing was putting on a show for Patrick, Master Michael still deserved her attention. He was the one acting as her Dom right now, after all.

  Slowly, his eyes locked with hers, Master Michael peeled her thong away from her pussy and down her legs so that she could step out of it. She could see him assessing, gauging her reactions and her comfort level. Lexie didn't mind being naked, even with the room slowly filling up with other people. Most of them weren't looking at her anyway - or were pretending not to - because of Patrick standing off to the side. Such a Sentinel. Ha.

  "Spread your legs, sweetheart," Master Michael said, standing. "Let me see that pretty pussy."

  ******

  Fuck. This was more torturous than anything any Dom or Domme could have ever devised for a submissive. His cock was hard as a rock, and at the same time, he wanted to tear another man apart. All because of Lexie. Little Pixie.

  But no matter how hard he tried, the vision of her as a little girl had been completely replaced in his mind by the sexy, curious, submissive woman in front of him. There was no doubting anymore that she was submissive. Something he'd known from the moment he'd bent her over his desk. Why did he keep trying to talk himself into putting up more road blocks?

  Oh right, because he wasn't going to go there until Jake got home. And the more road blocks she tore down, the harder it was for him to hold to that conviction.

  Her bright blue eyes were already slightly dazed, her pretty pink nipples erect and looking oh so suckable with their dangling silver decorations. The lacy thong she'd been wearing hadn't covered much
, but when Michael had stripped it off, Patrick's possessive fury had pounded even harder in his head. Like some kind of primal instinct from caveman days, demanding that he mark his territory and chase off the interloper. God, if he could only do just that.

  It made him want to punch his fist through the wall as Lexie spread her legs, spread her pussy, for another man.

  That could have been me.

  No, it couldn't have been. Not yet anyway. Even if Jake had been home, Patrick wasn't sure if he would have managed to talk to his best friend about Lexie yet anyway. He still didn’t know how Jake would feel about Patrick wanting to date her, much less whether or not Lexie could even handle what Patrick needed in a relationship. Until he knew that, it was easier to just put off talking to Jake. Now he was going to see if Lexie really could handle a scene, if submission was something she truly desired. Michael wasn't going to do anything but an Introduction scene. Patrick knew Lexie, knew that she wouldn't have included sex within the limits of this scene. At least, he really fucking hoped he still knew Lexie.

  Michael attached a spreader bar to her ankles, to force her to keep her legs spread. With her feet spread so wide, it lessened the amount of slack in the chain restraining her wrists, inhibiting her movements even more. He could see the moment she became aware of that, the sudden flutter of fear accompanied by arousal and excitement. The kind of reaction every Dom loved to see when a pretty little submissive was first restrained.

  "What's your color, honey?" Master Michael asked.

  Lexie smiled at him beatifically, making Patrick clench his fists. "Green."

  "Good girl."

  Her smiled widened. Patrick's chest ached. Dammit. That smile could have been his. Should have been his. Hell, he'd be jacking off to it later tonight. To this whole image. Lexie, splayed and restrained, and being so perfectly submissive it fucking killed him. Just like she'd been in his office.