by Cara Carnes
“Are you okay?”
She nodded but remained silent. The need to hear her voice rattled his resolve.
“I learned a valuable lesson today. I allowed work to interfere with a promise I’d made to you. It was my duty to be here for you, and I failed.” He took a deep breath. “Fortunately Master Santiago and the others were able to ensure your security during my absence.”
The tip of her pink tongue ran across her lower lip. His cock swelled with a need to feel it slide down his shaft.
“It won’t happen again.”
“I’m glad you’re here, Sir.” Her gaze swept upward to his, pausing briefly at the bulge in his slacks. “May I?”
“You may. But Master Santiago deserves a reward for his assistance, doesn’t he, Jane?”
Her eyes widened at the name. Her breathing grew labored in the silence. She swept her tongue across her lips once again and nodded. “Yes Sir.”
“Good girl.” He noted the hum in her voice. “I remember how good you tasted on my tongue. Perhaps he’ll appreciate it as well.”
“It’d be my pleasure,” Gabe replied.
“Get on all fours on the ottoman.”
She moved to obey. Santiago maneuvered them until she was straddling his face. He’d never scened with the Dom before but respected the fact he’d waited until Lorenzo had arrived and kept her secluded. Safe.
“The next time someone usurps my orders refuse them. Your experiences are ours to share.”
“Yes Sir.”
He undid his belt and unzipped his pants. Having her do the latter with her teeth would go a long way to appease the fantasy he’d had most of the day, but impatience rode him hard.
She leaned in and kissed his stomach near the navel. The caress made his body tense. Sliding down his boxer briefs, he gripped the back of her head. “I thought about you doing this all day. Open.”
A gasp escaped her lips. She shifted restlessly, but Santiago’s arms gripped her hips.
“Don’t move or we will punish you, Jane. Your pussy was meant to be enjoyed.” He squeezed her neck and repeated his command. “Open.”
Her tongue flicked across his tip, licking his pre-cum like a dessert. Heat engulfed the tip, her lips soft and hesitant. A sound emanated from his gut and rose within his throat.
She moaned, the vibrations fired sensation to his balls and scorched his insides with a need to thrust deeper into the sweet, hot depths of her throat. He thrust forward, held her head in place. She accepted his will and worked the added inches in and out of her mouth obediently.
He watched her take his cock, the complete surrender to his will empowered him, made his existence complete. Suddenly the day wasn’t quite as shitty. Her sexier-than-hell ass swayed as Santiago guided her hips in a gyration on his tongue and mouth.
Pleasure surged within him, a robust need to purge himself within the depths of Katey’s throat. She took his deeper, pulling him farther into the heated ecstasy.
“Any day now, Santiago.”
The man chuckled. Katie groaned. Challenge issued, Lorenzo took Katey’s mouth faster, harder. Each plunge sent him spiraling closer to an end. Her breathing was ragged, her skin sensitive to each sweep of his hands across her back and arms, down to her gorgeous tits.
He tugged on her hair. “Come for us, Katey.”
Her mouth tightened around his cock when she surrendered. Her orgasm swept his control away and he growled his own release. She worked his cock, urged his thrusts. Her gaze captured his amidst the lusty haze enveloping him and something inside him snapped into place.
This was what he’d been missing, needed more than the air he inhaled in ragged bursts.
Chapter Six
The room returned around her. Nestled between Gabe and Lorenzo, Katey was content to let the night go on without her.
Lorenzo kissed her with a languid ease that turned her body to goo. Gabe worked diligently on returning the lace-and-bow outfit back to its original state.
“Now that’s one hell of a way to begin the scavenger hunt,” Gabe stated. A warm smile adorned his sinfully handsome face. “You were a treasure worth discovering.”
She must’ve rolled her eyes before thinking because his gaze narrowed.
“Careful, sub. Disrespect is punishable.”
“It was a rather pathetic line,” Lorenzo affirmed. “Albeit true.”
Her heart rattled around in her chest, seeking purchase on the uneven terrain she found herself on every time he was near. Compliments still proved difficult to accept, but she’d grown accustomed to them when around the Brigade Masters. They gave her ego a mighty boost.
“What exactly is this scavenger hunt?”
“I have programmed a list of items and experiences you are to gather tonight. Once you have fulfilled at least four of the items on your list, you will return to me for your reward.” Lorenzo grinned. “Are you ready for adventure?”
She nodded, her pulse pattering that staccato pattern that’d become commonplace while in The Brig. “So I just go around and look for these items? Where’s the list for me to check off?”
Gabe grinned. “Afraid it’s not that simple. There are no checklists for you, only adventure. You will not know what you are to locate. You must kneel before the Masters present and seek their attention until you have found those who can fulfill an item on your list.”
Oh dear God. Seriously? She peered over helplessly at the huge hoard congregating within the common area and gulped. Okay. It could be worse.
Maybe.
At least Lorenzo was here.
“What if I go to someone who can’t help me?”
“You will see what happens,” Lorenzo commented. He kissed her lips softly. “Now, off you go.”
She rose on apprehensive limbs and looked about helplessly for her first friendly face. Where were Chase and Montgomery when she needed them? She looked at the two men grinning back at her and realized they weren’t going to be any help right now.
She was on her own in the most hedonistic and sultry game she’d ever played. Moisture pooled between her legs as she wound her way into the main portion of The Brig. A set of double doors leading outside had been opened—doors she hadn’t ever seen because a massive St. Andrew’s cross typically adorned the area. She shivered as a cool breeze brushed in. At least part of the crowd had drifted outside into the gardens.
“The longer you waffle the harder it is to jump.” The husky masculine whisper vibrated off her neck and jolted her.
She turned and stifled her appreciative groan. How the hell did they find all these sexy men? Was there a secret genetic allegiance somewhere? She slid to her knees even though she’d never seen the man before. He projected the same overwhelming control and breathtaking resonance Lorenzo did.
Warm blue eyes pierced her with a marked humor. Thick spiked chocolate hair added a dangerous tone to a rugged jaw thick with a couple days’ growth. Adorned in leather, he exuded tawdry potential. Broad shoulders, long thick legs.
“Well, this is a welcomed surprise.”
Yes, yes it was. She remained silent, her gaze cast downward in apprehensive curiosity. Would he send her away? She chanced a gaze upward and breathed a soft sigh of relief. He wore a Brigade insignia on his jacket.
“What is your name, sweetness?”
“Katey, Sir.”
“That’s an enchanting name.” He removed a reader from his pocket. “Your wrist, my dear.”
None of the others ever asked for that. The bracelet worked on a remote reading thing of some sort Chase always grumbled about being wonky when there were too many people around. Maybe that’s why he wanted her hand.
She offered it slowly. His fingertips brushed her pulse point and feathered around her wrist. Her heartbeat accelerated at the contact. Damn, he was smooth molasses. He knew exactly how he affected her and drew it out with a slow, practiced glide.
“You’ve had an eventful night.”
“Yes Sir.” How much of the
night had been marked? Surely not all of it.
“A great many of my fellow Masters have taken an interest in your safety and pleasure.” Warm fingers ran to her throat. “Tell me what you enjoy most about being here.”
The question was unexpected—an intrusion into the most secured part of her thoughts she hadn’t even shared with Lorenzo. How could she do so with a stranger?
“You guard your thoughts almost as intently as the guys do you.” He brought her gaze to his. His blue eyes danced with delight. His lips turned into a sexy grin that crumbled her worries into a pile of rubble buried between her legs. “I am Master Brendan.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir.”
“The pleasure is all mine, sub. I’d be remiss not to steal one of these adventures from your list.” He pulled on the wrist she’d forgotten he held. “Rise for me, Jane.”
The name slid her into a wonderland of potential. One simple name unfurled her desires. He guided her toward the opposite end of the room from Lorenzo and her stomach turned a few somersaults.
“If you were mine I’d keep you in my sight at all times. I have no doubt he will do the same,” Brendan stated. His hand draped around her waist. “Focus on me, Jane, or I will be forced to punish you.”
“Yes Sir.”
The St. Andrew’s cross loomed in front of her—large, unyielding wooden temptation meant to draw out her darkest needs. Her steps faltered when Brendan paused before it. A gloom darkened his features, as if a part of him had undergone a metamorphosis she hadn’t witnessed.
“Your safe word?”
“Cobra, Sir.”
“Very good.” He turned and positioned her against the cross where she faced outward. “From this point forward, you will not speak unless I command you to. You will not come without permission. Nod if you understand.”
Katey nodded. Arousal settled in her, thick and tense like the air around her. He snapped the leather cuffs around her wrists and secured her legs.
“You’ve never been on the cross before so I will make this simpler by shackling your field of focus.” The ominous statement made her heart skid into her lungs.
He moved to the corner beside her to a small chest. He rifled the contents for a few minutes. “I see Chase is as organized as ever.”
Brendan held up a blindfold. “Removing one sense should bring the others into full focus, hone awareness to a precipice.”
The soft material slid into place and the world tunneled to what she could hear. Feel.
He’d stripped her voice from her already—a gripping reminder of the power he wielded with ease. She could still say the word and halt the pleasure before it began. But this was something she wanted.
“If you were more experienced I’d give you a sexy ball gag and some earphones set to a microphone of our heartbeats so all you heard was how aroused I am with you.”
Oh my.
“You aren’t my sub, though, and we haven’t played together. For tonight you will hear the sounds around you so you remember you are safe and near the Masters you trust more.”
Lorenzo drifted into her thoughts.
Brendan’s hand roamed down her body, across the scar she’d somehow forgotten. “Someone did a number on you. I admire you for not holding on to whatever happened. It takes a strong woman to trust someone she just met.”
Guilt made her glad silence had been ordered. It wasn’t her trust in him that allowed her the strength to experience this scene with him. It was Lorenzo. The knowledge he was near. The others were as well.
Even if she couldn’t see them.
“There are so many ways to enjoy a submissive as sweet and innocent as you. Your first experience on a cross should be memorable, a moment in time for you to recall instantaneously whenever you are aroused.” Warm tingles traversed her skin when he touched her. Deft fingers traced the lace hiding her hardened nipples.
“Whoever created this knew exactly how to tempt a hardened heart.” The bow’s clip snapped off the lace work. Cool air brushed across her nipples when the lace was pulled downward. “Stunning.”
Somehow not knowing if anyone was watching increased her arousal. One man or a crowd, it didn’t seem to matter. Pleasure coursed from her nipples, down her spine and to where fingers now slid across the thin black ribbon covering her wet slit.
“One day you will be in his house, in his private dungeon, on his cross.” Brendan’s voice was gruff sandpaper across her sensitive neck. She shivered under the intensity of his words, the context. The images. “At his mercy.”
Something brushed across Katey’s nipples, soft and tickly. The unexpected sensation was a welcomed diversion from the rush of need pulsating within her. She shivered when it trailed down her ribs, across her stomach—following a pattern all too familiar to her.
The scar had become a conduit, a roadmap to spiraling pleasure she happily traveled. She anticipated each stroke, each repetitive tract upward then downward. She knew the journey it would take though the driver was unknown to her.
She took a deep breath when the heightened awareness became too much, too intense to share with just anyone. This man Brendan seemed to understand her even though they’d never met. She gasped and moaned in anguished arousal, unable to do anything but experience whatever it was he planned.
The jaunt took a divergent path when the sensation ceased. She waited, her breath ragged and her awareness on high. He’d taken her to a cliff and abandoned her to anticipatory waves of potential scenarios.
He cupped her breasts and thumbed her nipples until they were harder than she’d thought possible. A pinch made her jump. The second sent pain to coalesce with need. As if sensing her conundrum, Brendan slid a finger along her slit.
“You’re wet.” His voice was a husky whisper. “Did you enjoy the pain of the clamps when you felt them last time?”
She nodded.
“Excellent. You’re very smart to remain silent. For that I’ll reward you.” Warmth spread through her like an out-of-control brushfire when he began sucking her nipple.
His fingers delved between her legs, thrust into her wet pussy. She gasped and groaned, welcoming the entry and begging for more. The onslaught left her clinging to the strength of the cross, the control of the man she sensed could do so much more.
“Ride my fingers, Jane.” His order was a husky whisper in her ear, a command her hips heeded quickly. “Good girl.”
“You’re so enchanting in your submission you’ve drawn quite the crowd. Let’s show them how well you can scream.” He rubbed her clit and whispered, “Come hard for us.”
The command set off an explosive stream of acute awareness, heightened arousal and deep-rooted need. Her limbs tensed, her mind melted and her throat seized. A firm hand on her hip pinned her in place, kept her centered on the fingers fucking her pussy with a sweetly deep penetration she longed to feel again and again.
The orgasm swept her into bliss. Awareness trickled into existence with strong arms bracing her weight as the restraints were removed. She sighed her contentment and heard a masculine groan in her ear.
“You are a treasure, Jane, but the scene is only half done. Are you ready to really soar?”
No. Yes. A part of her doubted she could handle much more, yet she couldn’t resist the offer.
“I’m going to turn you around so that your back is presented. Then you’ll feel the flogger for the first time. Would you like that?”
Katey nodded.
“Next time you’re on the cross this flip won’t happen. I did this only to give you a breather in between.” His voice was ruggedly soft. “You’re so close to subspace, my sweet little Jane. This time is meant to be experienced with another.”
He settled her into the cross once again and snapped the cuffs around her wrists and ankles. A kiss brushed across her neck as he drew her hair to the front.
“You remind me of my sweet Dana. I still remember the first time she felt the flogger on our cross.” Pain etched each wo
rd and her heart seized its tumultuous beats at the sadness she now felt as her own. “Losing her nearly did me in but your gift tonight gives me hope.”
His hands ran down her sides and she shivered. “Seize what you want most and hang on as if each day is your last. Give freely of yourself as you have tonight and enjoy each moment.”
She took a ragged breath and allowed a semblance of normalcy to return to her hazy mind. She focused on the footsteps, the hushed whispers behind her. He’d left, yet remained near.
Another approached and her heart cried its giddiness as the scent of woodsy musk filled her nostrils. Lorenzo. “Master.”
The word tumbled from her tongue on its own accord. He groaned his appreciation and wrapped his arms around her. “You did beautifully, bella donna. Do you wish to continue?”
She nodded.
“Very well.” He stepped back and the immediacy of the loss nearly undid her resolve to continue the scene. She wanted, needed his touch. His embrace.
“I’m right here, Jane.” His hand stroked her back. “You’ve watched many flogging scenes. Did they excite you?”
Her pussy moistened. She took a deep breath.
“You may speak, sub. I wish to hear your sweet voice.”
Katey wasn’t sure she had one anymore. Her arousal thrummed faster, furiously. It was hard to focus on the words he wanted.
“Yes Sir.”
“Soon, Jane. You’re almost there.”
A brush of leather slid across the swell of her ass, up her back and then down her thighs. Each sensuous stroke made her skin tingle in a silent welcome for a firmer strike, a strong command of her body.
The sweep became stronger, a stouter impression against her sensitized flesh until a soft hiss escaped as her skin stung in ribbons across her back. The rhythmic ministration continued, alternating between hard and soft in a sexy tango that left her entire body addicted to the decadent flick of each lash.
Each pause made her brace, wonder what Lorenzo had in store for her next. He rubbed her skin until she moaned and writhed under his touch. An appreciative groan made her pulse race.
