“Relationship isn’t the right word for what we’ll have. This is a TPE arrangement between two consenting adults who want to explore the Master/slave dynamic.” He made it sound like some kind of adult-education course, only what she’d be learning with Adam was much more adult than anything those schools had ever listed in their curriculum.
“I’m not offering anything other than a Master/slave arrangement. If you safeword, then it ends.”
So, it was slave or going back to what they had before—which was nothing.
Karla pulled out of his arms. When she turned back to look down at him, she thought there was a bit of a smirk on his lips, as though he’d won some battle. Then she knelt beside him, resting her butt on her heels, keeping her back straight. She held her hands palm upward on her thighs, as she’d seen countless subs do in the club, and cast her gaze down upon them.
“I am your willing slave, Master Adam.”
She fought the urge to look him in the eye, but didn’t think that would be allowed. Dear Lord, how was she supposed to learn the rules for something like this? Did they have tutorials or books available? Maybe she could go online or seek out a slave at the club to answer her questions. But how would she know which were slaves and which were just subs, or even bottoms just out to play for the night?
“Eyes on me.”
Ka-thunk.
The sensation of having her stomach drop into her pelvis caused her heart rate to speed up. His commanding voice definitely excited her. She lifted her gaze to meet his.
“Are you sure about this, Karla? There’s no going back to what we were, once we make this commitment.”
Thank the gods, Sir. She never wanted to go back there. She wanted to move forward. To be in a relationship with Adam, no matter how difficult the transition and learning curve might be. As long as she and Adam were happy, who cared what anyone else thought?
“Yes, Sir. I’m sure.”
Chapter Five
What the fuck did she mean she was sure? She couldn’t want this any more than he did. Did she even have a fucking clue what she was getting into with a TPE, a Master/slave arrangement? Karla, as his willing slave? Bullshit. Karla didn’t kowtow to anyone—man or woman.
“Sir, may I speak?”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. What had he just gotten himself into? He remembered those early days after Joni had asked him to be her Master. Adam had constantly had to discipline her for various infractions. He’d watched her lose herself and her autonomy in the bargain. He’d never quite understood why she’d wanted to go to that extreme in the first place. It had killed something inside him, too. After a couple months, he’d slacked off on the rules a bit to make it more palatable for him. Luckily, she’d still gotten whatever it was she needed from giving up control like that.
Joni, at least, was submissive to the core. But Karla?
“Sir?”
“Speak.” She flinched at his tone. Fuck. Did he have the energy for this?
“This is totally new for me. Could we start training right away? And will you be patient with me until I get the hang of it?”
Damn. Why did she have to take to this so enthusiastically? He felt his cock throb as he looked at Karla kneeling on the bed beside him, her breasts pressed against her thin t-shirt, nipples erect and poking against the fabric. How was he supposed to train her as his slave and not want to take her to bed? But that was on his list of hard limits. No sex with Karla.
“Choose your safeword.” The sooner he could get her to safeword and end this arrangement, the better it would be for him.
She furrowed her brows, whether from thought or worry, he wasn’t sure. He waited.
“I’ve never really thought about having one before, Sir.”
“Why don’t you use red, then? Red like the stop light or stop sign.”
Her smile wavered, but she nodded. “Yes, Sir. Red will be fine.”
“Remove your t-shirt.”
Fuck. Where had that come from? He wanted to rescind the command as soon as the words left his lips, then found his gaze riveted to her hands, waiting for them to move, to do his bidding. Maybe he wanted to see how much she’d take before she safeworded. She sat upright, off her heels. He relaxed. Good girl. She was going to leave. At least one of them still had their wits about them. This hadn’t turned into the total clusterfuck he’d imagined a few seconds ago when she’d agreed to be his slave, of all things.
Fuck, no. As if in slow motion, her slender fingers wrapped around the hem of her thigh-length shirt, and he watched as she slowly pulled the tee up, exposing her sexy thighs, the springy black curls of her mons—Her naked mons? Shit!—on up to her flat abdomen. His dick bobbed. She continued to lift the shirt until her pert young breasts bounced free of its confines. Sweat broke out on his forehead as his heart hammered hard against his chest. In oh-so-painful slow motion, she continued to strip until she’d pulled the shirt over her head and discarded it onto the bed beside her.
Adam stared up at her, watching her nipples grow even more erect than they had been under the shirt, whether from the cold morning air or because she was as excited as he was, he didn’t know or care.
“Straddle me.”
He would go straight to hell for this, but he couldn’t shut his fucking mouth if he wanted to. Maybe he still thought he could send her running to safety.
Maybe he didn’t want her to run.
She smiled. Fuck. Before he realized he’d started to move, he’d slid over half a foot from the edge of the bed to give her room for her right knee. He needed to touch her again. Just his hands. He wouldn’t let it go too far. No way. Her thighs clamped against his sides like a vise, her pussy pressing against his dick, and all control fled from his mind. Adam reached up and spanned her tiny waist, then let his hands roam up her sides until he cupped her firm, high breasts.
Sweet Jesus.
She reached down and touched his nips. “Stop. I didn’t give you permission to touch me.” He hated the look of uncertainty that crossed her face, but knew that if she touched him like that, he’d be on top of her in no time, driving his dick…
She smiled when she felt him throbbing against her ass. What the fuck was he doing? Was there a point to asking her to straddle him? Hell, he’d thought she’d run for the door and hide in her bedroom. Why was she following his commands like this?
Why were his hands squeezing her breasts? Pinching her tits?
Jesus.
* * *
Karla moaned as Adam pinched her nipples. Straddling him gave her a sense of power, but she’d quickly learned who was in control. Learning what she could and couldn’t do was going to be a challenge, but she was a fast learner. Rule Number One: Touching him was out, unless he gave her permission.
Learning how to be his sex slave wasn’t going to be the easiest thing she’d ever done, but she might as well face it—nothing about Adam had ever been easy. Then again, the slave role certainly took the guesswork out of sex. For someone so new to everything to do with sex, that knowledge relieved some of the pressure she felt as she tried to determine how to please him. She’d just wait for him to tell her what he wanted. She didn’t have to wait long.
“Lean over me and prop your elbows on the headboard.”
Bending at the waist, she reached out and grabbed the headboard with her hands, then positioned her elbows along the top of the wood. Her breasts dangled over Adam’s mouth, and he lifted his head off the pillow and took one nipple and areola into his mouth.
Heat! Breath hissed from Karla’s throat like a steam vent. Oh, Lord. Her pussy clenched and she wiggled against his erection. His mouth broke away as he growled.
“Do. Not. Move. Not unless I give you an explicit command. Do you understand?”
She gulped air into her lungs. “Yes. Yes, Sir.”
His teeth latched onto her other breast and he nipped at the peak. “Ahhh!” His hand brushed the sensitive side of her breast as he cupped her almost reverently. But his mouth was any
thing but reverent as it ravaged her—nipping, sucking, licking.
“Oh, Adam! Yes!” Biting. “Ow!” He pulled away again, and she groaned. “What did I do now?”
“How do you address me, kitten?”
Karla didn’t even remember speaking. “Sir or Master.”
“Don’t forget it, or I’ll punish you to help you remember.”
“Yes, Sir.” Karla wasn’t interested in punishments. She just wanted him to suck on her breasts again. Please, Sir!
Adam’s teeth grazed her left nipple, then tightened around it, pulling as he lowered his head. She gasped and fought the urge to curve her back to relieve the tension. Don’t move. You don’t have permission to move. When she thought she’d break out in a sweat, he released her and her breast sprang back, then dangled above him once more like an apple on a tree.
“Good girl.”
Adam’s praise made her smile and a strange heat spread throughout her. She’d pleased him. She waited for another command.
“Your breasts are so beautiful. I know just how to bind them.” Her nipples tightened at the thought. “I see that excites you.”
“Yes, Sir. I’d like that.” Her words came out on the breath of a whisper. When would he put her in rope bondage again? Soon, she hoped, but he hadn’t given her permission to ask questions. She’d just have to be patient. Having gotten this far with him was more than she’d dreamed of a few hours ago.
“You do enjoy the embrace of the rope, don’t you?”
She sighed. “Very much, sir.”
“Tonight, then. Right now, I want you to go to your bedroom.”
Karla couldn’t hide her disappointment. He was sending her away? Earlier, when she’d laid siege to his bed, she could just ignore his command. If she was going to be his slave, she needed to obey him. Even when the order pissed her off, like now. How could he leave her waiting and wanting like this?
“Sit up.” She did. His hands cupped her breasts once more and she saw what looked like regret in his eyes. Then he spanned her waist and strained as he lifted her off his lap and set her beside him on the bed. She knelt as she had earlier, hands in her lap. “I want you to wear one of your band t-shirts and black jeans today. No corsets or bustiers except when I ask you to wear them in the bedroom or on stage.”
“Yes, Sir.” She thought he’d found her sexy clothing hot, but apparently not.
“For tonight’s Shibari session, you’ll wear a blouse and skirt—something loose and frilly—and a bra and thong."
She nodded. That sounded a little sexier at least.
“You are not to talk to anyone about our new arrangement.”
“Not even Cassie?” Adam scowled, and she added a hasty, “Sir?”
“Especially not Cassie. She won’t understand. It would freak her out.”
That was an understatement, but Karla wasn’t sure she understood the arrangement herself, so maybe it was best she didn’t try to explain it to her best friend. Still, surely Cassie would see the change, if Karla went all docile and obedient out of the blue.
“We’ll need to communicate silently when others are around. For permission to begin eating, raise your fork or spoon and look at me for my nod. Same with your glass, when you want to drink. You’ll never begin eating before I do, however.”
“Yes, Sir.” She’d have to think about every movement she made, it seemed. Well, that’s certainly what he’d laid out for her—what she’d agreed to do. “Do I need permission to breathe, Sir?”
Master Adam reached out and smacked her ass cheek with the open palm of his hand, the sound like the crack of a whip. “Don’t be insubordinate.” Her ass still stung when he reached out and picked up her t-shirt. “Put this on and go to your room. I’ll meet you in the kitchen in twenty minutes. Make breakfast for whoever shows up. Marc will be here to pester me about the bandages soon.”
Karla looked out the window and saw daylight. When had the sun risen? She’d been so focused on Adam, she hadn’t notice.
“I plan to be dressed and out of bed before Marc gets here so he’ll lay off me with the Doc shit from now on. It’s getting old.”
Karla smiled. Adam definitely was on the mend.
“Yes, Sir. Would you like your slave to help you get dressed, Sir?”
His eyes opened a little wider, then he scowled. “I can dress my damned self. Now, go do the same.”
Karla hid her grin until she had scooted off the bed backward and turned away from him. She would definitely have to find ways to push the envelope with this slave role. For some reason, she didn’t think he’d expected her to take to it. Well, she was going to be the best slave he’d ever had.
Even better than Joni.
She hoped.
* * *
Karla walked down the hallway, past the theme rooms, and into the club’s great room where Adam had told her to wait for him. For tonight, based on his instructions, she'd chosen to wear a black-lace bra and thong panties under a see-through red blouse with a long wrap-around skirt. Loose and frilly, just the way he'd ordered. Thank God Cassie was in her room working on sketches tonight, because Karla would die if Cassie happened upon her in a slave scene with Master Adam. Not much was private in a BDSM Club, she’d learned since being hired here. She’d also seen Cassie’s odd glances at the dinner table when Karla had cursed under her breath the times she’d messed up and not looked to Adam for permission before starting to eat or drink. She'd hoped Cassie didn’t think she was cursing her wonderful meal, though. It seemed everyone could cook like a pro, except her. Now cooking was one of the duties Master Adam expected of her.
But she needn’t worry about being seen here by Cassie. Her sexually repressed friend wouldn’t be caught dead in this part of the house, even on nights like tonight when everything was quiet. Karla looked at the dark, empty stage. She’d missed several performances while Adam was recovering but figured she’d be up there again tonight. Fridays were their busiest nights.
Her heart pounded as she anticipated having Master Adam’s big, strong hands on her again. Where should she wait? Should she kneel, sit, stand? There were so many things she wasn’t sure about in pleasing him as a slave. She really should have asked more questions, and wished Adam was more forthcoming about what he wanted and expected.
Kneel for him.
The voice in her head was becoming quite familiar; it gave her the direction she needed. She looked around the room and decided the rope station would be the logical place to wait. She crossed to the darkened corner where a large steel ring looking like the ones used by male gymnasts was suspended from a ceiling beam.
Nearby, short wall shelves held a number of various-hued ropes of multiple thicknesses. A black curtain hung from the bottom shelf. They didn’t look scratchy like twine or some other types of rope might be, but were smooth and silky looking. She couldn’t help but reach out and touch one bundle. Soft and silky, indeed. She felt her nipples growing tighter just thinking about the rope against her skin.
Would Adam bind her over her blouse or ask her to strip? She’d seen some Shibari-demonstration videos on the internet that usually involved a clothed woman. She’d find out soon enough. Knowing he would be here at any moment, she went to the large, square cushioned pad on the floor underneath the dangling ring and knelt. She knew how to assume the position, head down, gaze on the floor in front of her. Perfect. She hoped.
She waited in what she hoped her Master would find as pleasing as the Doms found it to be with their subs. Only she was a slave waiting for her Master to arrive and take her in hand. Was she supposed to pose differently?
The time stretched out, and she wondered if he would see her kneeling here in this dark corner. Nervous, she glanced up and across the great room to find Master Adam standing near the center post, staring at her. He wore shiny black leathers and a black vest, his muscled chest otherwise bare.
Ka-thunk. She could see from the bulge in the front of his leathers that he liked what he saw and felt a
warm glow seep into her bones. Without meeting his gaze, she returned hers to the floor in front of her.
And waited.
Why didn’t he come over to her? Was she doing something wrong? Insecurity assailed her, and she felt her confidence drifting away. Pleasing Master Adam was all she’d ever wanted to do. But what if she couldn’t be what he wanted?
Please, Sir. Accept me as I am.
His body’s warmth reached her first, and she felt him kneel behind her on the mat. His arms came around her, large hands cupping her breasts as he nuzzled her neck. “I told you to wait for me here, but I didn’t give you permission to kneel. You were to wait for my instructions.”
But the voice… Oh, yeah, tell him you’re hearing voices, Kitty.
She’d displeased him, even though she hadn’t meant to. “I’m sorry, Sir. I’ll do better next time.”
“Yes, I’m sure you will.” He trailed kisses down the column of her neck. “But it’s fucking hard for me to be upset when you looked so beautifully submissive kneeling here for me. When I came into the room and saw you there, waiting gracefully for me… Well done, kitten. Thank you.”
His mixed messages threw her off guard, but he seemed pleased now and that’s all that mattered. Karla’s head leaned back and rested against his chest, giving him easier access to her neck and breasts.
“Remove the blouse.”
Here we go.
With shaking hands, she straightened her spine again, pulling away from his warmth with reluctance. He didn’t remove his hands from her breasts so she began unbuttoning the blouse from the bottom. When her hands met his, he released her breasts and unfastened the top two buttons for her. His wrists brushed against her erect nipples, causing them to grow even more rigid. He opened the blouse and cool air hit her skin; her nipples puckered with need. Before she could finish removing the blouse, his hands moved up again to cup the undersides of her lace-covered breasts. Warm fingers and thumbs latched onto the hard peak, squeezing hard.
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