Branded

by Tilly Greene

  Strands of leather ran from the top of her head to her neck, easy for him to lace the mask closed as firmly as she wanted. The hood itself ended at her shoulders at a strip of leather with a buckle to secure everything in place.

  Court and Sunny had played with sensory deprivation before. They’d denied her hearing, seeing, and speaking, but never all at once. They’d also never played with the senses in such a finite way. He knew that each time they’d closed something down, her passion shot up to new heights. They’d talked about taking things further, yet they never had. The leather mask could either help Sunny experience great pleasure and many climaxes or scare the crap out of her. They’d soon find out.

  “Let me know how it works for you guys. I’d be interested in trying something like this with Molly. She’s interested in exploring the submissive role, except she’s not sure what it entails. We’ve talked about boundaries and she’s written up her list of what she’ll do and what she won’t, but she doesn’t know all the possibilities.” It was nice to hear Jon talking again. He’d been struck silent when he met his girlfriend. The strong silent act had been funny for a time, but Court was glad his friend was back to normal.

  “Why don’t you reverse things and make up a list? Write down the things you want to try and do, then give it to her to peruse. Going a different way might open her mind to a few more ideas, what you want to do, and how far things can be pushed.”

  “Great idea,” Jon told him. “Have you played with sensory deprivation before?”

  “Sunny and I have played a bit with cutting off one of her senses at a time or another, but never all of them together and not with a hood. Either way, it’ll be an interesting experiment,” Court said while thinking about his own sexy sub. Lately they’d been playing more with the horse he’d first seen her on in the club, and the leather dildo. He’d bought the toys and installed them in their barn. They may not go to the club anymore, but because of his purchase they were able to relive that first incredibly hot moment over and over again.

  Hands down, it had to be one of the best purchases he’d ever made, and hopefully the mask would be the second.

  Laughing, he shook his head and started to put the mask away. A picture of his lover with the erotically painted nipples he’d seen this morning made its way into his head. Her breasts were nice, tasty treats. They even looked like hard candies when she dressed them up in makeup.

  “Do you know if the nipple paint the ladies are into comes in flavors? I don’t know, maybe something like cherry for red or bubble gum for pink?” Court laughed as he spoke, but he was serious.

  “Bubble gum?” Jon queried over his shoulder as he made his way out of the barn. There was nothing casual about his cadence. Apparently his friend was in a rush, but that didn’t put a stop to their odd conversation.

  “What? You’d rather it tasted like cotton candy?” Court couldn’t help but think of the sweet, sugary town fair confection. Whenever he’d gone to a fair as a kid, the swirl of pink fluff was always the first thing he wanted.

  “Actually, it’s not a bad idea. I’ll ask. Are you going to dinner at the Wilsons’ tomorrow?”

  “Yah, we’ll be there. We can ask the ladies about the flavors then,” Court answered and looked for Sunny. She had gone to chat with Molly, nothing else, which meant they couldn’t have gone far.

  “Done,” Jon told him and nodded to where the ladies stood on the far side of his truck.

  Walking up to Sunny, Court wrapped his arm around her and started to lead her toward the house. He held the bag with the mask and struggled to not rush them inside. They were going to play, but first he’d talk to her about it. No, first they’d wave off their friends, then they could talk about the new toy.

  Seeing the other couple off had him thinking back to when he and Sunny started dating. They may have moved much slower than Jon and Molly, but they’d gone at the pace best for them.

  Five-plus years of sobriety, business on the upswing, and the woman he loved at his side. Things were looking better than good and he wanted it to continue. He took nothing for granted. He’d worked hard to get and maintain everything he had.

  Sunny and he had lived together for over two years, almost three. The length of time they’d spent together as a couple didn’t mean they couldn’t have fun with sex. Lately he’d thought about solidifying their commitment to each other even further. Their hearts were involved, connected, and he was thinking they were ready to take the next step.

  The idea of getting hitched had come up and ended with them agreeing to do it one day. Maybe that day was getting closer.

  Sex, trust, and marriage were surely a great combination and he was eager to give it try.

  As they waved the truck and its occupants away, Court took hold of Sunny’s hand and walked with her back to the house. It took a second for his thoughts to stop spinning with pictures of his lover bound to a pole while he fucked her over and over again. In the images she was wearing only a horse hood and all of her senses were blocked. Feeling his touch and experiencing what he did to her were all she’d be able to do, and he was excited to give her pleasure.

  “I ordered something a while ago and picked it up in Billings today,” he hinted.

  “So secretive.” She giggled and leaned closer into him. “Something? What type of something?”

  “Something black, leather, and—”

  “Ooo, clothes, like maybe shoes? The slinky stilettos I was looking at last month in the window of the specialty shoe store? They aren’t practical, but I’d wear them for you and nothing else.” Sunny sounded excited, and Court realized in a heartbeat he needed to go get the shoes she wanted and soon.

  “Nope, but I’ll keep them in mind for your birthday. No, this is actually for something we’d use when we get kinky together.” He opened the front door and held it for her to walk through.

  “Kinky,” she said and stopped to look at him. There was a serious look on her face, but also a hint of a smile. “Come on, I’ll make us some tea and we can talk in the kitchen.”

  They went through and she poured water into the kettle before putting it on the stove. Turning it on high, she went to the cupboard and pulled out a couple of mugs. The next cabinet over held a variety of boxes of tea and she chose chamomile. Court didn’t read anything into the choice, but figured she decided to go with it for the calming properties.

  Before the kettle boiled, she turned to look at him while leaning against the counter.

  “Talk to me, lover,” Sunny asked of him with an openness that always humbled him. Her upbringing may have been unusual, horrifying in some ways, but he loved her and was happy for whatever put her in his path.

  Opening the bag, he pulled the hood out and set it with reverence on the table. Sitting back in his chair, legs spread wide apart, he waited for her to take it in. He knew they were in a good place when she reached out to turn the stove off and joined him.

  Stretching out a fingertip, she traced it over the muzzle to its forehead and eventually on to the mane.

  “Tell me about it,” she asked in a soft yet interested tone.

  “After all the pleasure we’ve found using the horse and dildo, I knew it was a good idea to call our friend in Billings who made them. Found out he’d made a few hoods and I went to check them out. With a few changes, like making it look like a horse, he came up with this.” He gave her a brief background about what he’d done, even though it wasn’t what she’d asked to hear.

  “What does it do?” Sunny worked to unzip the muzzle only she struggled to get the zipper to move.

  “There are holes for the eyes and the covering snaps on to cover them entirely. The ears zip open and the muzzle, well, I have to admit it was all my idea with his engineering. The zip runs from one cheek to the other and can be flipped open so I can slip my cock in your mouth. The holes throughout this section are there to ensure you have plenty of air to breathe,” he told her as he pointed to the area above the muzzle.

&n
bsp; “And this?” she asked while holding the strands of leather dripping from the top.

  “I would use them to lace the hood closed and finally buckle it around the neck. Our friend said the final connection gave a sense to the wearer there was nothing they could do but take the pleasure being offered. A kind of forced-to-enjoy type of thing. It’s intense and we can go as far as we want with it.”

  Court hated to use the word forced, but it was the best way to describe what would happen. For sure she’d have an “out” of the scene. Maybe a ball she could drop if it became too much. It meant there was no real force per se, but he considered it there. Putting the hood on and how far they’d take it would be entirely her choice. He felt better about the issue, but the idea was there.

  He gave her a chance to think about what he’d told her and decided to finish making the tea. Standing up, he turned the stove back on and tried not to stare at the pot. Of course everyone knew a watched kettle never boiled, but he wouldn’t stare at his woman, either. From this point on, whatever happened was up to her. Then she asked a question he had expected, only not right then.

  “When were you thinking of trying it out?”

  Turning around, he looked at her and noticed the curiosity on her face. There was no sense in delaying and he jumped in with the best answer he had.

  “You know me, I work best with the here and now.” He gave her a half smile. He could trace that statement back to the first days in his quest for getting clean. It had worked well for him and he knew of no reason to change it now.

  “And you do it well. Now, tell me when you want to play with this new leather hooded horse. In case you couldn’t tell, I am interested and listening.” Sunny picked up the hood and placed it over her head. The eyes were uncovered and the ears were exposed. Because it was unlaced, she could easily pull the leather piece on and off.

  At first sight of the toy, she’d expected to experience a claustrophobic feeling, like being enclosed in a cave, when she put it on and yet she didn’t. Maybe it would be different with the eyes covered and the ears and mouth zipped. She didn’t know, but was eager to try it out and experience what it had to offer firsthand.

  There was no question. She knew exactly how much pleasure she’d get being under her lover’s undivided attention, and it was immense. Curiosity filled her and, while she wasn’t sure what he’d do, she also didn’t want to know. She wanted to be surprised by whatever Court chose to do to pleasure her. It would be interesting because they’d always worked from her list of do’s and don’ts. There were possibly things he wanted to try that she didn’t know about.

  “It’s up to you. This is a big step, Sunny, and you need to be ready, comfortable, with putting the hood on for real. How does it feel?” Her lover spoke calmly as he carried their cups of tea to the table. “Cookies?”

  “No, I’m good. Actually, I’m excited to try this out for real. What did you have in mind? Is there a scene brewing in your head?” She was excited to test the limitations of what the new toy had to offer.

  Pulling the hood off, she took a sip of the calming tea and ran a finger over the rolled, smooth edges surrounding each opening. Sunny looked up at Court and waited for him to share with her what was on his mind. She could see the activity in his soft brown eyes, but it was also all wrapped up in love.

  She knew him well enough to guess he was afraid to take their relationship into unknown territory. She feared nothing because she was with him. With his love, he became her solid rock of security.

  “Well, I was thinking we could take things into our room and, um, that’s when I lose the plot. All I can see is you in the hood, coming over and over again.” She sensed a bit of hesitancy about him she hadn’t seen in a long time. She knew he’d had more on his mind than usual, but this was different. Sensory deprivation was a serious step for them to take, and she was eager to take it.

  “Sounds fine by me. Let’s go play.” She made sure their eyes were connected when giving him her answer.

  “Don’t you want to wait, think more about it first?”

  “Nope. Like I said, I’m excited to see what happens when all my senses are gone and I can only feel. It doesn’t sound like a hardship to me, not when I get to experience all you offer. In fact, it makes my heart race thinking about the possibilities. I’m ready, lover. You bought the hood because it intrigued you and it tickles my lust bone. Shoot, I’m already wet and we’ve only talked. Let’s go for a kinky ride.”

  Sunny gave him no out except the obvious. To pleasure her endlessly would be something they’d both enjoy.

  “Fine. Let’s talk rules.” He took a deep breath as he lifted his head and smiled at her while taking her hand to kiss it. “I love you so much, Sunny. The best thing to ever happen to me was the night I watched you being fucked by a dildo on a full-sized fake horse. Seeing you completely lost in the moment, vulnerable in your pleasure, drew me to seek a closer look. You’re a tiny little bit of all I find good in the world.”

  “Flattery will get you more than you’re asking for, and more again. You know exactly what telling me you love me will bring. I love you, have from our first date. Steaks and dancing, still can’t believe you got me out on the floor. I have three legs and no rhythm. There, you have my embarrassing confession, which you already knew, now come on. It’s time to hash out the finer points of this scene.” The more he hesitated the more she wanted to get into the scene.

  “The big issue we need to settle would be how to pause or stop the action. Your mouth will be covered with the muzzle. I don’t want to rely on maybe hearing you scream. What I’m thinking is I give you a ball, possibly a belt, something comfortable for you to hold. If we hit a point you want to halt the action, you could let it go.” Apparently he’d given the whole sensory deprivation thing some serious thought. She never would’ve considered seeking a different way for saying stop.

  “Yes, I’d hold a belt or tie, not a ball. Not unless it’s one or both of yours,” she said with a laugh in a bid to lighten the mood.

  “Wicked woman, I’ll get you for that.” And she knew he would.

  “Are you going to tell me what you’ve planned, or do you want to surprise me?” Sunny would actually prefer not to know what he wanted to do. It wasn’t being unprepared for what might happen as preferring to be in the moment and experience it all first hand. She had an immeasurable amount of trust in Court and how he’d treat her. They’d set up a stopping mechanism and she’d use it if needed. She needed to know nothing else about stopping the action.

  “Which do you want?”

  “Honestly, I’d prefer you don’t tell me. I want us to let events happen organically. We’ve played together sexually, endlessly, both easy stuff and hard. At this point I think we know each other’s preferences. I trust you to give me a great deal of pleasure in this new experience. If at some point I feel the need to pause or stop, I’ll drop whatever is in my hand.”

  He looked at her carefully and she sat calmly, returning his gaze. There was no hesitation with her. No nerves or second guesses. She wanted what he offered and apparently he found what he was looking for.

  “Okay, fine, then we might as well do it now. Go upstairs to our room, strip, and kneel facing the foot of our bed. I’m going to gather what we need and bring it upstairs.” Court stood, gathered their cups, and put them in the sink. Leaning against the counter, he watched her as she remained in her seat.

  “We can wait,” he told her in a soft voice she loved and had her going to him for a hug.

  “No, no, I’m excited to do this and a little anxious with the unknown, which is fine. Expected. No, it’s good. I’m good. I love you,” she told him and stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. “And I can’t wait for whatever happens next.”

  With a self-conscious giggle, she left the kitchen and made her way upstairs to their bedroom. Sunny was beside herself with excitement. Since they’d last talked about it, she’d considered what it would be like to cut off a
ll her senses except the ability to feel. She had no idea what it would be like, and not knowing fed her curiosity further. Now she was going to find out and couldn’t wait to get started.

  While she started to take off her clothes, she wondered how many orgasms she was about to experience. Too many to count, she was sure, but the quality would far surpass the quantity.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Kneeling with her arms behind her back, head down and facing their bed, Sunny was ready for their adventure to start. For a while her lover had walked in and out of the room. First he built a fire in the fireplace behind her. It wasn’t roaring, although it felt nice and warm, soothing. The crackling relaxed her nerves.

  She wasn’t sure what he was doing, but it entailed a lot of back and forth. Unable to see him, she guessed he was bringing in what he wanted on hand for when she wore the hood. No way would he leave her alone once they were playing.

  They’d established a high level of trust when playing. There was no guessing where they stood with each other. Actually, there was little she didn’t know about her man, and yet he managed to surprise her. Marriage had been an occasional topic of discussion between them and it was something she wanted.

  They both wanted to get married, but had agreed not to rush. It was a big step to take and would eventually happen—maybe next year, or when they were fifty, sixty or possibly eighty. Whenever. She already was his partner for life in their hearts. In her mind, finalizing their vows wouldn’t make it more important than it already was.

  Grinning, she shook her head to dislodge where her brain went and let it drift on to something else, something less serious that also involved sex. Of course, she thought of the present and the scene they were about to start. Sunny assumed he would do things with her besides the sensory deprivation, but nothing new or different. She had no idea of any specifics, only how setting it up meant him walking in and out of the bedroom.