With her mouth open, as if to speak, she glanced up.
“It makes no difference which one.” He was eager to see which she would select.
She nodded before rising again. This time, maybe because she was thinking about his instructions rather than what she was doing, her motions were much more graceful. “You have one minute, Shelby.”
He told himself to look at the window and feign disinterest. Instead, he watched until she disappeared.
Her selection surprised him. She’d chosen a T-shirt he’d removed the previous day. “Why that one?” he asked when he was on her knees in front of him.
Bright pink stained her cheeks. “You didn’t give me any instructions. And…” She swallowed.
“And?”
“It smells like you.”
Sweet Jesus.
Trevor cleared his throat to cover the fact that she’d left him speechless. Then he gave a sharp nod. “Now put it on.”
“Should I stand?”
“No need.” He remained where he was, crowding her space a little. It shocked him how much he liked it.
She was so petite that the hem dragged the floor. Which was good as it meant it would cover her ass. In the past, he hadn’t minded if anyone caught a glimpse of one of his submissives. With her, it turned out that he cared a great deal. “We’ll be going to the dungeon.”
Her head snapped up. “But—”
Trevor raised his eyebrows in question.
“You really have one?”
“Of course.” He’d said so, more than once.
“I thought, well, since…”
“Go on.”
She gave a furious scowl. “Where? I thought when you showed me the guest room that you’d been teasing, maybe trying to frighten me.”
“Frighten you? I hope you’ll love the space as much as I do.” He crouched before her. “About the dungeon, I’m completely serious.”
“So where is it? Do you have a secret room? Like behind a bookcase or something?”
He couldn’t resist. “Novel idea.”
“Oh Sir!” Her little sound was a partial laugh, but mostly a groan. “You didn’t just say that. Let me guess. Puns are a part of your charm.”
They hadn’t been.
A heartbeat passed between them, where their gazes were locked, and they shared a smile.
Over the years, friends and colleagues had told him not to take things so seriously. But Shelby’s refreshing innocence appealed to a part of him he didn’t know existed.
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
“It’s beneath the house.”
He adored watching her eyebrows furrow together as she tried to make sense out of something.
“Isn’t that a garage?”
“I have one garage. And the other is your new playroom.”
“So the shirt…because we’re going outside.”
“Precisely.” He pushed to a standing position. “I’ll follow you.”
“So… I’m not sure what you want me to do.”
“Your choice. You may crawl to the door. Or walk.”
She unlaced her fingers then laced them again. “Does it matter what I do? I mean, am I being set up to make a wrong decision?”
“Not at all.” He stepped back. “If I have an order or strong preference, I’ll always inform you.”
“I appreciate that.”
It didn’t surprise him that she decided to stand. Would she ever make the other choice? “Shelby?”
“Sir?”
“My toy bag is next to the door. Will you bring it to me?”
Her steps were short, as if she was taking as many as possible, stalling. When she offered it to him, she was trembling. “As you scared? Excited, perhaps?”
“Uh… Yes.”
Both, then. “Shall we?”
Outside, she descended the staircase, then stopped. “To the right,” he instructed.
When she reached the entrance, he entered a code on the keypad, then turned the knob. “After you.”
For a fraction of a second, she hesitated, then after squaring her shoulders, she pushed on the door. He reached around to flick on the light switch.
“Oh wow.”
He closed and locked the door behind them, then picked up a remote control to lower the temperature on the air conditioner.
“This is amazing.”
“Does that mean you approve?” The floor was reclaimed cypress, able to weather any flood the area might receive. While he had no windows, and the walls were painted black, he had plenty of options available for lighting.
“I…” Holding on to her shoulders self-protectively, she glanced around. “I don’t know quite what to say. This is… Like your own personal Quarter.”
Where nothing was off-limits.
He’d installed hooks in the ceiling, on sliders that he could lock into place. A St. Andrew’s cross was attached to the far wall. Recently he’d added an adjustable spanking bench that he could bend a submissive over.
Drawers contained many of his necessities, while leather whips and paddles hung from hooks in a tall cabinet near a long table where he could stage each of his implements.
So he could extend a scene for as long as he pleased, he had bottled water as well as a small sink. Against a wall was an oversize leather chair for snuggling. It also provided a comfortable place for him to sit in case he wanted a submissive at his feet or over his knee. “Is there any particular music you like to scene to?”
“Did you mean it when you said this place is soundproof?”
“One hundred percent.”
“So, I admit it. That makes me nervous. Right now, I’m more scared than excited.”
“Completely understandable.” He nodded. “We’ll ease into it.” It was his job as a Dominant to ensure she was ready to begin when he was. “Come with me. I want you to unpack my bag and put everything away.”
“Is that supposed to help?”
“Not at all. It’s simply a task.”
He took her hand and led her to the place he stored his equipment.
He stepped aside, and she partially unzipped the bag before losing her grip on the hasp. Trevor said nothing while she took a steadying breath and tried again.
This time, she managed to get it all the way open.
“Now lay out everything on the table. Group them in an order that makes sense to you.”
With great consideration, she did so.
“Excellent.” He fished a set of keys from his pocket and extended them toward her. “Unlock the drawers and the cabinets, then figure out where each thing goes.”
She shot him a frown, and her eyes widened. “I’m sorry, Sir! Right away, Sir.”
“Getting better all the time, subbie.” Trevor turned his head to hide his smile.
It took her some time to unlock each drawer, and he rested his shoulders against the wall and watched her, enjoying the dance of various expressions across her face, including a couple of slight grimaces and, when she saw his assortment of butt plugs, sustained wide-eyed shock. Her repeated gasps made him wonder if she might hyperventilate, and he reveled in the thought.
When she opened the drawer filled with nipple clamps and weights, she froze. He was tempted to reassure her that he knew most of them were on her limits list. But he schooled himself and remained silent.
She turned her head to seek his gaze.
“Yes?”
“You already know that most of them are a hard no.”
“I wouldn’t dream of asking you to try them,” he agreed. “For submissives with a lot of experience or who love nipple torture, they’re sublime.” It was his job as a Dominant to give each woman he played with whatever she desired. “At the club, you seemed somewhat interested in the tweezers. What’s nice about those is that they are completely adjustable.”
“Nice?”
“That’s in the eye of the beholder, perhaps.” Trevor went to her and pulled out a pair. He affixed one of
the tweezers to the web between his thumb and first finger, then adjusted the tightness. “Tug on the chain.”
Her eyebrows deeply furrowed, she did so. Shelby’s eyes widened when the toy effortlessly slid off.
He repeated the process, this time making the grip a little tighter. She had to exert a little more pressure to remove them. “See? Not a single mark on my skin. Why don’t you try it?”
She took a tiny, almost imperceptible, step back before finally extending her hand.
“I’m afraid I’m not one for martyrs.” He grinned. “Do it to yourself.”
“Are you a sadist? Like getting off on watching me do this to myself?”
“Now that you mention it…”
Their gazes met, and she smiled at him. It tore a chunk off the tension and simultaneously created intimacy.
Shelby accepted the set from him and placed the pinchers on the delicate skin and tightened them a little. “That’s not so bad.”
“Surprised?”
“A little.” She pushed the tiny metal ring a little higher, increasing the tension. “The rubber tips on them make it so they don’t bite as hard as I thought they might.”
“And?”
“I’m interested in trying them.”
He smiled. “Shall we?” Trevor loosened the clamp and tugged it away from her hand.
“When? Now?”
“Remove your shirt for me, Shelby.”
Her breaths were beautifully labored as she took it off. In the air-conditioning, her creamy skin was dotted with goose bumps, and her nipples were hard. Gently he captured and teased them until she moaned and grabbed hold of his wrists for support.
“Trevor…”
His name had never sounded sweeter on anyone’s lips.
He lowered his head to suck on one hard, making it even more erect.
“I had no idea I could like it this much.”
This was among the many firsts he wanted to give her. “Ready?”
Wide-eyed, she watched as he elongated her nipple, then placed the clamp. He went slowly. It needed to be tight enough to stay in place, but he didn’t want it to be overly uncomfortable. “Doing okay?” His gaze on her, he stroked her between the legs, wanting her to associate the pleasure with the tiny bite.
“Yesss.”
Her little hiss brought him immense pleasure, and he grinned.
Trevor put the second clamp on her, then slipped a finger inside her damp pussy. For the next couple of minutes, he toyed with her, taking her to the brink of arousal but not pushing her over the edge. Instead, he eased out his finger.
Her knees weakened, and she caught herself.
“Not as bad as you once imagined?”
“Except for the part where you didn’t give me an orgasm.”
Her response pleased him. At the club, she’d been less forthcoming, stammering over some answers. This time, he hadn’t had to coax anything out of her. It was progress. Maybe by the end of the week, all of inhibitions would disappear.
He removed the clamps and sucked on each nipple for a few seconds to ease any pain, slight as it might be. Then he offered the chain to her. “You may put them back, then continue unpacking my bag.”
She scowled. “This is different than being at the Quarter.”
“It is.” Things were more theatrical there. And a scene didn’t necessarily reflect real life, where toys had to be cared for, where there was an orderly discipline. She had played with Tops, watched scenes, enjoyed her evening, then gone out for a meal with friends. Here, it was just the two of them, with hours to fill, with the reality of BDSM front and center in their lives.
Trevor liked watching her economical motions as she put the rest of his implements where they belonged.
Once she was done, she looked to him for further direction. Yeah. “Please select a pair of cuffs and a blindfold.” He couldn’t get enough of her.
The softness of the breath she released filled the air, seeming to bounce off the walls. With trembling hands, she followed his order.
Trevor nodded toward the table, and she laid them out. “We’ll begin with the small flogger this evening.” The familiarity would soothe her, he was certain. “Then when I think you’re ready, we’ll experiment with the dragon’s tail.”
Her eyes went wide, and her deep swallow betrayed her nervousness.
Trevor had never been with someone like her. So curious. So innocent.
He traced one of the vines etched on her collar. Again, a sense of protection walloped him. This wasn’t possession; it was much deeper. Which made it more troubling. Possession, he knew what to do with. Tenderness was new, unchartered waters.
Because it was uncomfortable, he started to steel his emotions.
Yet she was looking at him, studying him, and he was lost. Trevor moved his finger higher to stroke the column of her throat.
Her breath caught. In that moment, neither of them breathed as something passed between them. A spark? Recognition? Whatever it was, it seared with an emotional connection that shouldn’t yet be possible. But once again, he was thinking of his life and the possibility of having her in it.
That idea was beyond ridiculous, and he shook his head to clear it of uncharacteristic nonsense. Yet even as he dropped his hand and turned away, the thought persisted.
Trevor put some distance between them, positioning a small wooden platform in the middle of their play space. Then he went to the side to lower the overhead bar before facing her again.
Silently he crooked his finger, and she came to him, hands twisted together, but with little hesitation in her step. Nerves, yes. But most of all, trust. “Step up onto the box.”
While she did so, he collected the cuffs.
Obediently she extended her arms, and he wrapped each of her wrists with the soft bonds before securing each to hooks in the bar. “I’ll raise your hands above your head, but I want you to keep your feet flat.” In the future, he might force her onto her tiptoes, but definitely not for her first experience.
With her eyes closed, she nodded.
Slowly he raised the bar until he had her where he wanted her. He returned to her, and the position was perfect. She was tall enough to look him in the eye, and she did so boldly.
Trevor crowded her, smelling the heat that rose from her naked body, loving the way she panted, and the thickness of her nipples, still swollen from his clamps. He’d like to fuck her here, like this, with her helpless to resist his most carnal demands.
Forcing himself to focus, he checked to be sure her shoulders were relaxed and that he could slip a finger beneath the cuffs.
Then before he could change his mind, he walked away. “Did you have any input on what we listen to?”
“Anything that will drown out my thoughts. Help me get lost.”
He agreed. It had been a long damn time since he heard the sound of his own pulse during a scene.
“Rock? I like the energy of Journey. REO Speedwagon. Maybe Pink Floyd?”
“All excellent choices.” Aware of her tracking his every move, he told his virtual assistant to play an assortment of greatest hits. “Volume at forty percent.”
Within seconds, bass bounced off the walls, haunting and reassuring. He allowed the beats to rush through him and forced himself to focus on the moment and shove away unwelcome thoughts of a future he’d never before contemplated.
Once he was centered, he returned to stand behind her. After rubbing his palms together to warm them, he massaged her shoulders, then her buttocks, then the backs of her legs.
Even though the music pulsed, it didn’t drown out her soft, satisfied purrs.
Trevor squeezed her buttocks, and she jerked forward, and her sighs became moans. He wanted to cover every inch of her beautiful skin with his flogger, marking her as his. “Are you ready for the blindfold?”
“I think so.” She closed her eyes while he grabbed it and settled it in place.
“You’ll have your safe word.”
She
nodded.
After he selected a small flogger, he stood in front of her and drank her in. With her arms spread wide above her, her nipples puckered, and the satin snuggling her face, there was an added dimension of sensuality that made his cock even harder. “We’ll start easy; then I’m planning to add the clamps and use the devil’s tail on you.”
Her body went rigid.
“Keep breathing, Shelby. You’re safe with me.”
She forced out a breath but kept her muscles locked.
Realizing that coaxing her to change her position wouldn’t help, he decided to let the scene itself reassure her. He skimmed a finger across her forehead, above the blindfold. Then he cupped the back of her head to hold her while he dropped a gentle kiss on her full lips.
“Oh… Yes.”
He placed the thongs of his flogger on her shoulder, then drew the thick suede strips lower, over her chest, relishing the sight of her swaying in response.
He repeated the action with her other shoulder, soft, gentle, and her body relaxed. This was what it was about. Her surrender.
Trevor kept a hand on her as he circled behind her and danced the falls over her shoulder blades, down her back, across her buttocks. “Keep your legs apart for me, precious sub.” He explored all of her—her calves, the backs of her legs, between her thighs. With rhythmic strokes, he covered her breasts and rib cage and the slight swell of her belly.
“This… Is…” Her words slurred.
He grinned.
Using the music to set the pace, he increased the power behind his strokes, making her skin pink. Her face flushed, and her head lolled to one side. Somewhere along the way, she’d fallen silent, maybe lost inside her head. “Are you still with me, Shelby?”
“Mmm.”
He lowered the flogger, then trailed kisses over her right shoulder.
“Nice.” Her words were a mixture of a purr and a sigh.
While he was always a considerate Dominant, the affection between them was unique.
His to Love (Titans Quarter Book 2) Page 11
