Dark Redemption

by Barron, Melinda

  They studied her in silence, and then Gideon stood. He walked around her, staying outside the circle.

  “Have you been a bad girl?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Tell us what you did wrong. I want you to be very clear about why you’re being punished.”

  “I’m being punished for not telling you I can’t have an orgasm.”

  “That’s right. You need to remember to be honest. For the first part of the punishment we’ll go down to the public room.”

  “The public room?”

  Gideon stopped walking. “Did I give you permission to speak?”

  “No, Sir.”

  “You will not question your punishment. You will do as you’re told; do you understand?”

  “Yes, Sir.” Honor’s nerves were beginning to jump. She thought it might be excitement coursing through her veins, but she wasn’t positive. She’d never felt anything quite like it.

  “Now, we will go downstairs for the first part. You will do as you’re told. If you question us in public, if you put up a fuss, your punishment will go that much harder.”

  Ryker stood up and stepped toward the circle. “Come to me.”

  Her chest rose and fell with her increased heart rate as she stepped toward him. He held his hands out toward her, a piece of leather stretched between them.

  “In a normal situation it would be too early for this, but it’s not normal. You have to be accustomed to wearing a collar while we’re at Paragon’s. This collar marks your submissiveness, to us. You will wear it when we are here, and from now until we leave.”

  “Kiss it.” Gideon’s voice was deep and demanding. “Embrace your submission.”

  She closed her eyes, feeling a deep mixture of dread and excitement. After this afternoon, she’d thought she could face anything. But she knew once she put that collar on, and they took her downstairs, anything could happen. And although she had trust in them, it was still scary as hell.

  She told herself she was doing this for Heaven, so she could go to the resort and find out who her sister was with, what she was doing. But deep down inside she knew that was only part of it. These two men fascinated her. And they’d pegged her perfectly. Maybe they could help her to open up, to find pleasure and know it didn’t make her a bad person.

  She lowered her head to the leather, kissing it quickly.

  “Attach it around your neck,” Ryker said. When it was in place, she got back into position one.

  “Very good,” Gideon said. “Now, you walk behind us down the stairs. You’ll receive the rest of your instructions once we reach the punishment room.”

  “My clothes?”

  “You don’t need clothes for this,” Gideon said. “You need to get used to being naked. You’ll spend most of our trip naked, in private and in public. Keep your hands clasped behind your back when you walk.”

  They moved toward the door and she fell into step behind them. She wasn’t ashamed of her body, and she knew they were right. If she couldn’t do it here, she wouldn’t be able to do it at the resort, and that could result in disaster.

  While they were on the stairs, Honor tried to tell herself people weren’t staring at her. After all, there were a lot of naked men, and women, at Jaguars. She just fit into the mold. They passed through the main room and entered into a room marked ‘Penance’.

  There were a few people inside, three Doms and a male sub. The sub stood balanced between two chairs. A rock was tied to his hard cock, and he strained as one of the Doms slapped his dick over and over with a ruler.

  “Keep it up. If it drops again, I’m adding weight; do you understand me?”

  “Yes, Master Sir, forgive me, please.”

  “We’ll see, slut. Slap his cock again. Harder.”

  The sounds of wood hitting flesh made Honor jump. Honor cringed when the Dom said, “Slap his balls. Hard.”

  The sub cried out in pain as the ruler came down on his sensitive flesh over and over. Honor shivered and cut her gaze toward them.

  “You pay attention to us, not to them,” Ryker said.

  “Over here,” Gideon said. She crossed to him and he pointed to two circles on the floor. “One foot in each circle.”

  They were about three feet apart, and she knew standing in them wouldn’t be comfortable. The sub behind her cried out again as she put her feet in the circles.

  “Now, put a hand in each circle, the ones right above your head.”

  Honor lifted her gaze. There were several circles painted on the wall. She selected two that were a little higher than her head, but Gideon pushed her hands to the ones above it.

  “Very good.” He held an object in front of her. “Do you know what this is?”

  “It’s a dime.” She gave him what she hoped was a sincere look instead of a ‘what the hell do you think it is’ look.

  “That’s right. I’m going to put this dime on the wall, and you’re going to hold it to the wall with your nose. It’s the smallest of our coins, so it will be a little difficult. Each time the dime drops, you’ll receive five swats. When it drops, you will pick it up, put it back on the wall, and get back into position. Your hands can only leave the circles to pick up the dime, and your feet may not leave their circles at any time. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Gideon put the dime on the wall and whispered, “Start now.”

  She moved her head toward the dime, capturing it quickly. Gideon moved behind her and she tried to concentrate on what she was doing, not on the sub behind her who was now crying for relief.

  Her shoulders started to ache from their unnatural position, and she moved slightly. The dime shifted and she panicked, trying to pull it back up with her nose. She lost her purchase on it, and it dropped to the floor.

  “Crap,” she said.

  “That’s five,” Gideon said. “Pick it up.”

  She had to twist her body to get to the dime without her feet leaving the circles. When she put the dime back on the wall and got back into position, she wondered if she wanted to play this game. She coughed lightly and the dime dropped.

  “Shit!” She laid her forehead on the wall.

  “Pick it up.” Gideon spat the words out, and she wanted to tell him to go to hell. She was scared, trying something in public for the first time. Her emotions were high, and his harsh words wouldn’t make it any better. At least this afternoon there had only been a slight chance of her being seen, and then only by Janice.

  “I said, pick. It. Up.”

  She bent to retrieve it, discovering it had fallen behind her.

  “I’m not a contortionist,” she said. “How am I supposed to get it?”

  “I suppose you’ll have to move your feet out of the circles, and get more swats,” Ryker said. “But you’re wasting time, and Gideon isn’t a patient man.”

  She tried to use the wall as leverage to keep her feet in place and reach behind her to take the dime, but failed. Finally, in frustration, she straightened and bent to pick it up.

  “There. Now you have more reasons to punish me because that’s what you want, isn’t it?”

  Gideon shook his head. “Get back into position. This time, don’t drop it. Then you won’t have to worry about picking it up, will you?”

  “Give me a break. This is my first time.” She stomped her foot and sniffled.

  Gideon slowly walked to her. If he’d moved quickly she wouldn’t be as frightened as she was right now. He caressed the small of her back and said, “Don’t think your tantrums will work with me. If you need incentive, then I can provide it.”

  As if to accentuate his words, the sub behind her cried out in pain and denial as the Dom said, “Put his balls in a vise. We’ll see how much he likes it.”

  “I think five minutes in the stocks might get my point across.” He caressed her gently, and her eyes widened.

  “Stocks?” Surely she hadn’t heard right.

  Ryker startled her by appearing at her side and attac
hing a leash to her collar. Gideon took it and led her toward the door.

  She glanced at the sub as she left. A man knelt by him, tightening a wooden device around his balls. The sub cried out, begging for relief. His Master told the tormentor to tighten the screws. She tried to block out his cries as Gideon led her through the door.

  Honor’s gaze roamed the main room. She wanted to pull back, to make him stop so they could talk, but she knew that wasn’t going to work. Surely when he said stocks he didn’t mean the ones used in the olden days. But as they neared the far side of the room, she knew he had.

  There were three sets of them, and one set was full with two females and one male. The stocks sat on a short dais and she wondered how she’d missed them before. She also wondered why the people in the stocks seemed to be so high up. It didn’t take her long to realize the stocks were on a hydraulic system of some sort. Once someone was fastened inside, it would be lifted to give everyone a perfect view of the person being punished.

  As they approached, a man wearing a black hood walked toward them and stopped, waiting on them. Gideon handed him her leash and said, “Five minutes.”

  “Yes, Sir.” The man took the leash and tugged Honor toward an open unit. She grabbed the leash and pulled on it, trying to get away from him.

  “Stop fighting him, Honor,” Ryker said. “Or we’ll increase your time.”

  They stopped in front of the stocks to the left. She stared at them, her eyes widening. There was a place for her hands and neck, and a place for her feet. She knew from this position her head wouldn’t be facing the room, her body would, which meant anyone could see her anus and pussy.

  She turned pleading eyes to Ryker and Gideon. They both stared at her, their faces unreadable.

  “Step in,” the man said. “Fight me and I’ll pull out the whip.”

  She closed her eyes. The idea of the whip spurred her into action. She stepped onto the base, putting her hands on the designated slots. She started to lower her head, then stopped.

  I can do this. I can do this. It’s just five minutes, unless I screw up, and then it’s longer.

  She lowered her head into the slot, jumping when the wooden beam above her fell into place. The man slammed a lock shut and then stepped away. The base started to rise and Honor shivered. When it stopped, she heard a dial twist, and then there was the unmistakable sound of a clock counting down. She had to listen to the time dwindle? That would make waiting that much harder.

  The position was more than a little uncomfortable, and her mind whirled as she imagined people staring at her while she was being punished. It wasn’t fair. How could she be expected to hold a dime on a wall with her nose, while her arms and legs were being forced into unnatural positions? She wanted to scream that what was happening wasn’t right, but she didn’t, and she wasn’t quite sure why.

  “What did the slut do wrong?” A man’s voice sounded behind her. She couldn’t see around the wood, so she couldn’t see who was talking.

  “She’s in training,” Gideon said. “She seems to think talking back is acceptable. She has to learn to follow directions.”

  “I see. Do you loan her out? That’s an ass I’d like to fuck.”

  Honor stiffened and then gasped when neither Gideon nor Ryker answered. Were they considering the man’s offer? She tried to still her breathing as more people made comments about her ass and her pussy.

  Finally, when she thought she would scream out that she was done, that she didn’t want to play anymore, Ryker responded to the man. “Sorry. But until she’s fully trained, we won’t lend her out. We enjoy playing with her too much.”

  The clock continued to tick, and Honor tried to tune out the people around her. No one touched her, but the way they talked about her body made her shiver. She was sure humiliation was part of the punishment of the stocks, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. Ryker and Gideon had to know she was uncomfortable. Why didn’t they stop it? Surely by now they knew they’d made their point?

  Her back started to ache and her feet hurt from trying to balance on the base. The people next to her were lowered and released, so she was the only person on display. The comments increased, with soft feminine laughter making her more than a little angry. She knew if she screamed at the women she would get into more trouble.

  She wanted to scream out the word ‘smoke’, to let them know she was done. She hadn’t expected to be put into stocks as punishment. Finally, the clock dinged and the device lowered.

  When the hooded man finally slipped the key in the lock, she sighed in relief. Five minutes had never seemed so long before. He lifted the wood and ordered Honor to stand. She did so, turning to the crowd. Only Gideon and Ryker stood there. They didn’t look happy, just resigned. She walked toward them, and Ryker stroked her cheek.

  “Shall we go and try again?” The look Gideon gave her made her shiver.

  “Yes, Sir.” The stocks were definitely a practice she didn’t want to experience again. She was amazed, though, that she’d said yes. Why was she still allowing this to happen? She knew if she said no, then they would stop all play.

  “Good girl. Then let’s go.”

  Chapter 6

  On her fourth attempt she kept the dime up longer than a few seconds. She kept it nailed to the wall for twenty seconds and when it dropped, she lowered herself down gently, not moving her feet, picked it up, and did it again without complaining.

  “Very good,” Gideon said. “You may stop now, but stay turned to the wall. I think you’ve learned your first lesson in obedience. Did you count swats in your head?”

  “Yes, Sir. Thirty of them.”

  “That’s right. You will choose the implement. We’ll use a wooden board, but there are several types you can select from, so make sure you examine them carefully.”

  “Can I ask questions about them?”

  “Yes, you may,” Gideon said, approval in his voice. They were alone in the penance room now. When they’d come back in, the male sub had been on his knees, the vise still around his balls. His Master was spraying cum on his face and chest. He’d then ordered the sub to scoop up the cum and eat it. Only after he’d completed the task was the vise released.

  While his Master praised him, the sub had jacked off into his Master’s hand and licked up his own offering. His cries of pleasure had been intense, and Honor had felt more than a twinge of envy. She wanted to feel that way. She wanted to come that hard and to receive praise from her two Masters. She wasn’t sure where the feeling had come from but it was there, strong and hard.

  “Come to us.” Ryker’s voice broke into her reflections. When she was standing in front of them, Ryker stroked her thigh. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t want to be enjoying this, because it’s punishment.”

  “But you are,” Gideon said. “Honor, remember what I said last night? It’s okay to like the pain. It’s fine to let yourself go and experience new things.”

  “But this wasn’t pain, it was humiliating.”

  “Yes,” Gideon said. “The stocks are humiliating. But they focused your energies on following your punishment like you were supposed to, didn’t they?”

  She nodded, looking down at the ground. “Are you going to whip me in public?”

  “No,” Gideon said quickly. “I’d like to, but for the first one I think a private session will teach you more. Half from me, half from Ryker. And then we’re going to fuck you.”

  Honor’s insides quaked. She loved the idea very much, since it had been almost a year since she’d had sex, barring the incident in Gideon’s office this afternoon. Still, she worried she would disappoint them once again.

  “What happens when I don’t come?”

  “You’re thinking about it too much,” Ryker said. “Just relax and enjoy the sensations. Don’t let your mind invade your physical pleasure.”

  “Will I be punished, though?”

  “No,” Gideon said. “But Ryker’s right.
You just need to relax and enjoy the sensations. That will bring you closer to orgasm than thinking about it ever will.”

  They led her out of the room, back toward room two. On their way through the public room she noticed three women in the stocks. These women were giggling as the hooded man spread apart their cheeks and displayed their rosettes to the people watching.

  “Is that punishment?”

  “No, it’s an auction,” Ryker said. “Sometimes subs who are not attached allow themselves to be put on display and auctioned.”

  “For real money?”

  “No, it’s fake money, and it’s done for the enjoyment of it. It’s much like Heaven would have been auctioned off at Paragon’s.”

  Honor tried to block the idea of her sister up for auction, but it ground into her mind. She had to remember Heaven was a grown woman, who did these things for pleasure. No one forced her into it, and no one was forcing Honor. She’d given up the idea she was doing this totally for Heaven. It would help keep her part of the search, true, but more than anything right now Honor wanted to experience BDSM with these two men, who were proving to be so fascinating to her.

  When they were in room two, Ryker sat down and Gideon led her to a table with numerous wooden paddles. Some were short and round, and others were long and thin, or long and thick. She stared at them, unsure what to pick, or what would be the proper one to use.

  “I don’t know,” she said softly. “I’ve never been spanked. Never. Not even when I was a child.”

  “You were a good girl?” Ryker said from his chair, amusement in his voice.

  “Yes, but not even Heaven was spanked, and she was a bad girl. Our grandmother wouldn’t do it, and our mother wasn’t around, and when she was, she’d just laugh off everything Heaven did.”

  “We’ll use two, then,” Gideon said. “I’ll use one, and Ryker will use one. Would you like an idea about how they feel?”

  “Yes, please.” Her voice shook as she spoke. The idea of receiving thirty swats was hard enough to swallow, but using two different implements was a tough idea too.

  “The thinner boards can hurt as much as the thicker ones. To show you the difference I think we should choose one of each. You decide whether it’s round or long.”