Spring Training

by Roz Lee

  “What’s it going to be? Speak up. I don’t have all night.”

  “Where do you want me, Mistress?”

  Within minutes, he was secured by his wrists and ankles to a spider web made of chain within a steel frame. If he hadn’t been so busy rethinking his decision to allow her to punish him, he would have admired the apparatus for its simplicity and ease of use. Standing in the center of the basement room, the structure allowed for complete access to the subject’s back. She fished his cock and balls through an O ring in the center. The move could have been a safety measure, but the ice in his gut and her rough handling said it wasn’t. He’d violated a direct order, something he wouldn’t take lightly from his sub. There was no reason to think just because he paid her to instruct him, Mistress Lola would think any different.

  The room went completely dark, sending a shiver of dread along his spine. Spiked heels clipped the floor in a matter-of-fact way. The woman was on a mission. A spotlight blinded him before she narrowed the beam on his cock. Walking around behind him, she trained another beam on his back.

  “Your punishment first, slave. Then I’ll have what you took from me.”

  No. No. No. He struggled against the restraints placed at wrists and ankles, then spaced along his arms and legs, binding him to the chains. A leather band across the small of his back fastened to the chain running across his stomach. He’d agreed to let her punish him, but the other? “No.”

  “Oh, yes, slave. You took what was mine without permission. You’ll come for me. I’ll see to it.”

  “No.” Closing his eyes, he rested his forehead on a cold steel. “Please don’t do that.” The plea tasted bitter on his tongue.

  “You came to me with a specific need, Todd.” The words, spoken softly near his ear, weren’t a Dominatrix to her slave, but one Dominant to another. “I know you’ve forced an orgasm from your slave. The only way to understand what that means to her is to experience it yourself.”

  He breathed in deep, held it as long as he could, before letting it out in a rush of anxiety and acknowledgment. “I don’t want to do this.”

  “I know you don’t. But you’re going to. For yourself. For her.”

  He nodded. “I am.”

  The first lick of leather across his back burned straight through to his heart. No amount of bracing could make the pain any easier to bear—only thinking of the woman he loved could do that. For her, he’d endure anything. Brooke. I love you.

  Through clenched teeth, he counted the stripes on his flesh, knowing each one brought him one lash closer to a humiliation he was ill-prepared for and didn’t know how he would survive.

  When Mistress Lola laid down her whip, he panicked.

  “Shh.” The hand on his shoulder was firm, the voice gentle. “What would you tell your sub if you intended to force her orgasm?”

  His chest heaved, accommodating his lungs working too fast, stealing oxygen before his body could absorb it. Todd screwed his eyes shut, focusing on Mistress Lola’s words.

  On occasion, he’d forced Brooke to orgasm as a way to remind her of her subservience.

  “Everything you are is mine, girl. I’ll take what I want when I want.” He secured her limbs, exposed her pussy. “Your body is mine.”

  “I don’t think I can do it.”

  “You can, and you will.” Her grip on his shoulder eased. “Relax. It will be over before you know it.”

  “Relax, subbie.” He lubed her up before filling her pussy with a dildo. He teased her clit until she came, screaming his name. So fucking beautiful.

  The distinctive snap of Mistress Lola donning rubber gloves jerked him out of his reverie. Before he had time to process what that meant, she pried his ass cheeks apart, smeared cold lube in and around his anus, and shoved a finger inside him.

  “No!” He tried to expel the intruder, but she leaned into him, using her body to press him forward against the web of chains.

  “Breathe, slave. It’s done. Your ass is mine.”

  Flames licked his insides, set his skin on fire. With her free hand, she reached around to stroke his limp dick. By degrees, he gave in to the inevitable.

  “There. Much better.” She explored his inner recesses, twisting, retreating, and thrusting, finally settling on a spot that made his cock stiffen. “Go wherever you need to in your mind, slave. Go there and enjoy because you’re going to ejaculate. I guarantee it.” She sounded so sure of herself, so completely confident his body would betray his mind.

  He focused everything on defying her, but his cock remained hard, the promised explosion building.

  She fondled his balls, tugging them when they wanted nothing more than to coil tight. “Give it to me, slave. Give me your orgasm.”

  The fireball rolled, gaining momentum. He saw his hand, massaging Brooke’s breasts, stroking her stomach, watching the tension mount. Mine. All mine.

  His dick felt like a cannon, firing out of control, pulling him under, blinding him in a haze of humility. He’d never come so hard in his life. Brooke. Sweet Brooke. How do you endure this?

  She tended him where he was, gently cleansing his genitals with a warm cloth then rubbing salve into the welts across his back. Working in silence, she allowed him time to find his equilibrium. When she released him, he had to brace himself against the wooden frame for a moment until he was sure his legs would hold him.

  “Get dressed,” she said. “I’ll meet you at the front desk. We need to talk.”

  He nodded before heading on weak legs to the room down the hall where he’d left his clothes.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “Where did you go?” Mistress Lola sat across the table from him in the mostly deserted diner, her slim hands wrapped around a white ceramic mug filled with steaming black coffee. She’d told him her real name was Diane and to call her that in public, but he couldn’t get his head around the common moniker just yet. Not after what she’d done to him.

  Holding on with both hands, he sipped from his own mug. He didn’t need to ask what she meant by her question, but he did need time to gather his scattered thoughts. The scalding brew helped clear the post-orgasmic fog from his mind so he could form sentences.

  Aftercare. Of the extended kind. He recognized the signs of a sub in need of attention. It had just never applied to him before. Until tonight. She had driven him into a place inside his head he’d never gone before, a place so foreign to him being there had shaken him to the core. Hell, he was still shaking.

  “I was with Brooke.”

  Nodding her approval, she relaxed against the back of the booth. “Want to talk about it?”

  “No.”

  “Think of it as post-game analysis.”

  Taking another fortifying sip, he contemplated telling her where she could go, but like any sub pushed past their comfort zone, he needed to talk about what happened. “I’m going to talk about it. Give me a minute.”

  She looked younger without the dark makeup. He never would have taken her for the pearls and sweater set type though. It was a bit disconcerting, knowing what he did about her.

  “Take all the time you want. I’m not going anywhere.”

  He drained his cup, ordered another then finished off a plate of chili-cheese fries before he felt stable enough to talk about what he’d experienced without breaking down like a nut case. “I don’t know how she does it.”

  “Brooke? She’s strong. All subs are, or they’d be certifiable in no time flat.”

  “She’s the strongest person I know.”

  “Tonight was the first time you’ve ever ceded control to someone else.”

  “Yes.”

  “How did you feel about that?”

  He shrugged, staring sightless at his crumpled, grease-stained napkin. “Vulnerable. Scared out of my mind.”

  “Is that all?”

  “Weak.” He sighed, slumping on his forearms crossed on the tabletop. “That was the worst. It was…humbling. Humiliating, not being able to control my own
body.”

  “Would you have been humiliated if you had told me to make you come that way?”

  “No. At least, I don’t think so.”

  “Was it that much different than a blow job?”

  “The end result was the same, but I choose when or if I’m going to end a blow job before it goes too far.”

  “And what about it made you feel weak?”

  He glared at her. She glared back. “You don’t seriously think I’m going to say that out loud in a public place, do you?”

  She glanced around, returning her hard gaze to him. “No one’s around. Besides, we were just talking about blow jobs.”

  “That’s different, and you know it.”

  “How?”

  He huffed out a breath. “It just is, okay?” He leaned in closer. “You know full well that was the first time anyone did that to me.”

  “That?” She laughed and leaned in so her face was less than an inch from his. “You mean, stuck something up your ass?”

  “Jesus, woman!” His gaze darted around the room, seeking assurance no one was close enough to hear her softly spoken words. Satisfied, though no less embarrassed, he sat up straight. She did the same, smiling as she resumed her relaxed pose on her side of the booth. “We’re through discussing this subject. Move on.”

  “Okay, okay.” She waved off his rapidly deteriorating mood.

  He resumed his position, slumped on arms crossed on the table. He was better than when they came in, but he hadn’t regained all his strength yet. He had a feeling he would need to conserve as much energy as possible to get through the rest of the conversation.

  “What were you scared of?”

  He was right about needing to conserve energy. He stared at her, determined to keep at least this one thing to himself. There was something about her penetrating gaze that said she already knew what he was going to say, so what did it matter? “Liking it. I was afraid of liking it.”

  “Care to elaborate on that?”

  He scowled at her from his guarded slump. “No.”

  “How did you feel about being restrained?”

  “It scared the hell out of me. All I have is Frank’s word that you aren’t the kind of woman to cut a man’s dick off.”

  “Is that all you felt?”

  What is she, a mind reader? He pushed his unused knife around with the tip of his index finger. “I felt…free.” Make sense out of that, will you?

  “It’s not an unusual feeling, Todd. The restraints are more symbolic than anything else. They tell a sub their Master is in charge. All decisions are taken from their hands. All they can, or need, to do is accept what happens to them.”

  “I didn’t want to accept.”

  “No, you didn’t, but I took the choice away from you.” She sat forward, mimicking his posture. “Tell me, Todd. Was the orgasm pleasurable?”

  His cock twitched as the memory exploded in his brain. He’d never come so hard in his life. The way his stomach muscles ached, it was a wonder he hadn’t ejaculated his guts through his dick, too. Pain. Pleasure. It hurt too good to describe. He nodded. “Yes. You know it was.”

  “I do,” she confirmed. “Do you think it would have been as intense if you’d had a say in how it happened?”

  He didn’t even have to think about his answer. “No.”

  She sat back again, silently observing him. He felt like a frog in mid-dissection, his skin split and pinned open. Nothing private. He studied her as intently. The smug expression on her face said only an idiot wouldn’t follow her questions to a logical conclusion.

  What the hell is she trying to get me to see?

  “Wait.” He ran an idea around in his head just to make sure it didn’t sound completely crazy. “Are you telling me Brooke knows this? She knows the orgasms are more powerful because she has no control over how or when they’ll come?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” She smiled like he’d offered her a million bucks instead of acknowledging that his sub had complete control over him, even when she had no control at all.

  “But that’s not the reason she wants a twenty-four/seven relationship.”

  “No, it isn’t.”

  He rolled that around in his mind for a while. No committed relationship was entirely about the sex, not even the vanilla ones, but sex was an important element. Being able to express love through physical intimacy was necessary to the human condition, no matter what form that expression took. Signaling for a refill, he slid his cup to the edge of the table.

  “Have you ever had a slave of your own?”

  “I’ve had a few. One lived with me for over a year before he asked to be released.” She quieted while the waitress refilled both their cups, inquiring if they needed anything else. They both declined, sending her on her way. “Before you ask, he entered a PhD program in another state. He couldn’t stay, and I couldn’t go with him. We’re friends now.”

  “You didn’t love him?”

  “I did at the time, but we both knew from the beginning that it wasn’t forever. He had a life he wanted to pursue, and I have mine.”

  The coffee worked its magic. His hands weren’t shaking anymore. “I’ve been wondering. Why did Frank recommend you for this particular assignment? What makes you qualified to help me?” No sooner had the words left his mouth than he realized how offensive his questions might be. “Wait. I didn’t mean it to sound like I don’t believe you are…not after tonight. It’s just…you seem to understand the mind of a sub better than I expected.”

  His companion smiled. “No offense taken. I’m surprised Frank didn’t tell you.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “That I’m a switch.”

  Todd bolted upright in the booth. “Are you kidding me?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. I sub when the mood strikes me, but mostly I top.”

  “You’ve subbed for Frank.”

  “I have on a few occasions.”

  That explained a lot. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned this week, it’s that I’m not cut out to be a sub, much less a slave.”

  Her laughter brought a smile to his face.

  “If that isn’t the understatement of the year. But seriously, Todd, you’ve done better than I thought you would.”

  He sighed. “Yeah, well, I’ve learned a lot. Brooke serves me because it’s in her nature to do for the people she loves. When I take command of the details of our private lives, it provides her with a structure she needs. She’s a strong woman, capable of running her own business, but at home, she needs me to take the responsibility off her shoulders. In my own way, I’m caring for her so she can care for me.”

  “On a non-sexual level, that’s all true. What about on a sexual level?”

  “We both need for me to control that aspect of our relationship. I don’t know any other way. And Brooke…she wants to explore her sexuality, but she needs someone with a strong hand to guide her.”

  “Sounds like you have a good grip on the motivations, yours and hers.”

  “Better now than before.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Brooke woke with a start to total darkness. Pinpricks skirted over her torso in random patterns like tiny mice dancing, their sharp claws tapping out the syncopated rhythm. She tried to sit up, to run from the nightmare, but the cuffs binding her held fast. A scream rose in her throat, stopped short by something pressed between her lips. Increasing her struggles, she barely registered the voice speaking softly in her ears.

  “Brooke! Brooke! Babe, relax.” A warm hand on her shoulder brought her back to her senses. “Shh, girl. You’re safe.”

  Frank. Her heart still raced as reality crashed in on her. She was still bound and hooded. His voice soothed while his hands stroked along her torso then out to her fingers and toes, massaging life back into them. The mice had ceased their dancing. Christ, what a way to wake up.

  Surprised she’d slept, she had no concept of time. Had it been minutes? Hours? Was it mo
rning? Used to waking when most people were still experiencing REM sleep, she guessed the time at pre-dawn, even though her body didn’t feel in the least bit rested.

  “It’s time to play, sweetheart.”

  Oh, God. Frank’s idea of playing meant bringing her to the brink of orgasm then leaving her aching.

  “But first things first. If you need to relieve yourself, curl your right hand into a fist.”

  The idea of walking for a few minutes, even if it was only to the bathroom and back, lifted her spirits. She curled her fingers inward.

  “Good girl. It will just take a moment to empty your bladder, then we’ll have some fun.”

  Expecting to be released so she could go the bathroom, she nearly jumped out of her skin when fingers parted her labia. She tensed, her mind trying to make sense of what was happening.

  “Relax, girl.” Something hard surrounded her pussy, held firm against her skin.

  She renewed her struggle to free herself as shame washed over her. No. Please, no.

  A firm hand on her stomach held her hips against the table. “Urinate, girl, or I’ll make you.”

  Tears nearly choked her. Biting down on the bar, she relieved herself. She’d never felt as alone as she did in that moment. Her chest heaved as she cried out her humiliation and shame while her caretaker cleansed her pussy with a damp cloth then dried her. She longed for Todd’s strong arms to hold her. If only she could hear his soothing voice telling her how proud he was of her instead of Frank’s cold tone.

  After he washed her, time stretched out, endless it seemed. He didn’t touch her. There was only silence in the darkness of the hood. She lay still, trying to discern anything about her surroundings, but deprived of every sense except touch, she could tell nothing. She was hungry, tired, and cold. When he first bound her, the room had been warm, but now her nipples pebbled in the cold.

  Her imagination went wild, dreaming up all manner of things Frank could do to her while he held her so completely under his control. None of them were things she wanted. All she wanted was to be released. She needed Todd. Needed for him to hold her. His strong arms always made her feel safe and loved.