Butterfly Style: The Dartmouth Cobras ~ A Cobra Short

by Bianca Sommerland

  A dangerous game, but she’d been aware of the risk.

  “No, I didn’t want him to hurt me. I saw him working with a Dom who is very skilled with floggers and he was given the go-ahead to move from pillows to flesh.” Laura’s lips slanted slightly. “I didn’t realize he’d brought his own, brand new, ridiculously large floggers.” She licked her bottom lip, looking from Chicklet to Sloan, then back quickly. “Or that he doesn’t have a dominant bone in his body.”

  That did make some sense. Offering to play the ‘victim’ for a Dom practicing a new skill could be fun, because the power exchange would still be there. Chicklet sensed the exchange was what Laura truly needed. And she’d failed to find that, not only once, but with every man she’d ‘scened’ with here.

  Leaning forward, hands braced on her knees, Chicklet held Laura’s gaze, noting the way her soft, pink lips parted and her pupils dilated. A blush spread over her cheeks as Chicklet stood. She looked down, but Chicklet wasn’t having any of that.

  Reaching out, she tipped Laura’s chin up with a finger. “Eyes on me, pet.”

  Still sitting at the bar, both Sloan and the DM were very quiet. Chicklet dismissed them from her mind, narrowing all her focus on the sweet little submissive standing before her.

  Covered in a plain, gray blanket, Laura appeared fragile, but Chicklet couldn’t forget that glimpse of strength in her eyes. Not that she only played with tough subs, but she avoided truly weak ones at all cost. A sub lacking a backbone could be dangerous. They wouldn’t negotiate hard limits, or they would make the list a mile long, showing absolutely no conviction for anything they ‘refused’ to do. A little pain might set them to wailing, or get no reaction at all.

  The way Laura had reacted to the flogging when it became uncomfortable, or…boring? Well, that put up some warning flags. She’d finally put her foot down when it came to leaving, but how long had she been willing to let the farce of a scene go on?

  Was she desperate or just stubborn?

  If you’re considering playing with her at all, you’d better figure it out.

  “Were you planning to have sex with that man?”

  Laura’s eyes grew big and she shuddered. “No, Mistress. I agreed to restraints, flogging, and some light petting.”

  Chicklet inclined her head. All her internal sensors were going off, but she detested making assumptions. “So you weren’t attracted to him?”

  “No.”

  “Would you like to do another scene tonight?”

  The sharp inhale betrayed the woman, even though she managed to appear composed. She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth in a way that made it impossible not to stare at that soft, rosy skin and imagine how sweet she would taste.

  But then Laura tore her eyes away from Chicklet and looked at Sloan. “Yes, but word spreads fast and I’m not a masochist. I’m sorry, Sir.”

  Behind Chicklet, Sloan let out a dry laugh. “Little one, if I was interested in a scene, I’d be asking the questions.”

  Laura bit her lip hard this time. Then her eyes returned to Chicklet. “You… Mistress, I don’t think—”

  “I’m not asking you to.” Heat spilled through Chicklet’s veins as she released the stranglehold on her desire and framed Laura’s jaw with her hand. Toying with this one would be risky. If she let herself, she would look past doing one scene that would satisfy Laura’s need to surrender control. She would consider how much pleasure she could give her. Use every one of her well-honed skills to get this woman into her bed tonight.

  Chicklet had seduced ‘straight’ women before, but they were simply experimenting. Looking for a night of naughty fun. She could leave them with memories they’d never forget.

  Or regret.

  This pretty little sub was deep in denial. She chose men, notably, men she wasn’t the least bit attracted to—though finding a man who did turn her on might be impossible—to fulfill one need and nothing else.

  That she’d looked to Sloan would probably be a nice little blow to his ego, but Chicklet would get to that later.

  All that mattered right now was Laura was attracted to her.

  “Give the DM the blanket and stand up straight.” Chicklet folded her arms over her chest, prepared for objections, pleased when Laura immediately did as she was told. She’d crossed her wrists over her breasts as though suddenly shy, but Chicklet could work with that. “Arms by your sides. You don’t have issues with men seeing you half naked.”

  Not a question, but Laura still shook her head. “No, Mistress.”

  One brow lifted, Chicklet waited as Laura lowered her arms to her sides. She was trembling, swallowing sporadically, but her flush and her erect nipples pressing against her delicate lace bra hinted at arousal, rather than fear.

  “Good girl.” Chicklet gave her an approving smile and took her time trailing her gaze over the beautiful woman in front of her.

  Her breasts were round and high, a nice soft handful, straining against the lace. There was some muscle definition in her arms, but they weren’t as cut as Chicklet’s own. The soft swell of her belly, the curve of her hips and thighs, spilled pure desire into Chicklet’s core. Laura was in good shape, but not hard or bony. Pure exquisite feminine beauty called to her carnal desires.

  The soft waves of her hair, not simply brown, but a rich mahogany that shimmered even in the dim light, spilled over her shoulders like silk, begging Chicklet to run her fingers through it. Pale skin, but that adorable blush gave her a good idea of how it would glow with the lick of passion, or under the steady falls of a flogger.

  No denying it, Chicklet wanted her. But there was still the issue of how deep in the closet Laura seemed to be. She couldn’t hide how turned on she was as Chicklet drank in every inch of her body with her eyes, but would she be willing to admit that to herself?

  “So lovely. I would enjoy you very much.” Chicklet stepped up to Laura’s side, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her cheek. “You chose to play away from home. I’m sure you have your reasons, but I need you to ask yourself one thing before we go any further.”

  As if woken from a trance, Laura inhaled sharply and stared at her. “Yes?”

  “Which of your needs are you willing to explore?” Chicklet laid a soft kiss on her shoulder. “Because I can help you with all of them.”

  Chapter 2

  Laura found herself following Chicklet away from the bar, straight to the back of the club where the play was very different from the scenes near the front. Something about the Doms here discouraged casual observation, though she saw a familiar face by a couple engaging in wax play. The man was a hockey player, one from the team back home. She wasn’t surprised to see him.

  Both he and the captain of the team frequented the sole club in Dartmouth often. The first time she’d gone there she’d recognized them—her foster father was a huge fan of the team. Seeing them hadn’t discouraged her from becoming a member. No, it was a glimpse of several detectives that worked with her brother that sent her backtracking out the door.

  And back online to explore other options.

  Mills Kellen, the man who’d been her Dom for almost two years, lived in Chicago, so she had connections here, despite living in Nova Scotia since her late teens. She’d actually met him through FetLife and spent months building a friendship with him before deciding to take the first trip.

  Long distance relationships rarely ended well, but it had been perfect for them. With her job as a police officer in Halifax and his as a neurosurgeon, neither had much time for dating. But every few months they’d set aside time to play.

  Time that lifted the weight from her shoulders. That eased all the tension that built up inside her, weighing her down like cement slowly solidifying around her soul.

  She’d been afraid she’d never be attracted to a man, but her Sir was so much more than his gender. His power went beyond anything physical. Just the sound of his voice brought her to a place where nothing mattered but her need to please. To s
erve.

  They’d parted ways six months ago, after he fell in love with a nurse who’d transferred to his hospital and decided he wanted to marry her. His new bride wasn’t the jealous type, and she’d been fine with their relationship, but Sir didn’t feel he could give them both what they needed. He’d spent one last night with Laura and told her she had to be honest with him, with herself, about what she was really looking for.

  He had been the only one to ask at that point, yet tonight, both the DM—Steve, who she’d met at C.A.K.E—and Chicklet had asked the same thing. As if it was a question that needed to be answered.

  For six months Laura had been too busy to dwell on anything, so she’d pushed the hurt and the loneliness aside. Even learning Mills had taken on another sub didn’t affect her. Much.

  All right, she’d been a little hurt. For some reason, this woman wouldn’t threaten his marriage, but she would? Their relationship had never been about sex. Sure, Mills had fucked her, making her feel things she never thought she could with a man, but that pleasure was nothing compared to the connection they’d shared. When he made her mind go quiet with a simple command. When she was bound tightly in his rope, crying out as he pushed her over the ledge between pleasure and pain.

  She’d asked him about C.A.K.E and he’d encouraged her to take some time off and come down.

  Then passed her off to someone else with an email of recommendation.

  Thankfully Steve had figured out right away they wouldn’t make a good match. He was a handsome man, accustomed to women falling over themselves for his attention. Laura couldn’t hide that she didn’t feel anything for him physically. So she was left to find a playmate on her own.

  Yeah, and that’s turned out well.

  Lifting her gaze from the floor, Laura took advantage of the fact that Chicklet was studying the available equipment and let herself take in how fucking gorgeous the other woman was. She was very tall, and every inch of her was cut with sharp muscles. The leather vest she wore showed off her carved shoulders and rock hard biceps. But somehow none of this made her seem manly in the least. The vest displayed a nice cleavage, small breasts pushed up, but the soft swells were too damn tempting, making Laura wonder if all her sleek skin was so deeply tanned.

  And her ass. Damn it, Laura worked very hard not to let her eyes linger on any woman’s ass, but Chicklet’s was nice and round in those snug leather pants. She couldn’t help staring every time Chicklet turned to assess another prop. Wearing nothing but a bra and flimsy thong panties made Laura very aware of her nipples poking against the lace of her bra and her pussy dampening the swatch of cloth between her thighs.

  The one thing she could have clung to, that would have made Chicklet so not her type was the short, spiky hair. But it suited the woman, bringing out her elfin features. The ruffled golden brown strands brought out the bright green of her eyes and the high curve of her cheekbones. She had on only a little bit of makeup, black eyeliner, smokey eyeshadow and lips gloss, but it was enough to give her that sexy, seductive appeal that Laura found impossible to resist.

  Even without the makeup, or the tight leather, or those gorgeous boots, Laura had a feeling Chicklet would be sinfully tempting. If Laura let her guard down, the woman could ask for anything and it would be hers without a whisper of protest.

  Hell, they might have already reached that point.

  “So you agreed to mild pain and touching. Are there any hard limits I should be aware of?” Chicklet had turned to face her, expression unreadable.

  Swallowing hard, Laura clasped her hands in front of her. “I don’t play with women, Mistress.”

  “Don’t or won’t?” Chicklet tapped under her chin with a long, black polished nail when she dropped her gaze. “I prefer a sub to look me in the eye when we’re negotiating.”

  Laura nodded and looked up. “Don’t. I’m not…” Damn it, she couldn’t meet Chicklet’s steady gaze and lie to her. Other Domme’s had shown interest, but accepted her polite ‘I don’t swing that way’ without question. She seriously doubted Chicklet would buy it.

  And, more importantly, she didn’t want her to.

  She cleared her throat. “I’ve only scened with one Dom. We knew one another for two years, so we reached the point where he knew how much I could take and not much conversation was needed.”

  “Really.” Chicklet’s brow furrowed. “Is this the Dom whose subs wouldn’t let him come see you?”

  Cheeks heating, Laura inclined her head.

  “Did he ever challenge you? Try new things?” Chicklet lightly drew her nail down Laura’s cheek. Along the length of her throat, making her shiver. “Explore your attraction to women?”

  “No. He knew what he wanted.”

  “And what about what you wanted? What you needed?”

  “I needed to serve him. To lose myself in him.” The answers to the last questions were easier. Just recalling the peace Mills had brought her sent waves of calm flowing over her entire body, almost like stepping into a warm, tranquil pool of water. “I had gone years without connecting to anyone before I found him.”

  “How long has it been since he uncollared you?” Chicklet’s fingers glided over Laura’s shoulder, hooking to her bra strap before drawing it down. “It seems like you’re standing in place, waiting for him to come pick up the leash again.”

  Shaking her head, Laura frowned. “I’m not. Yes, part of me hoped we could have what we once did because it was easy. Uncomplicated. He never asked for more than I could give him, never demanded time I didn’t have to spare. But even without him, this is a place he went to. That he said was safe. And discrete. I came a long way to find a little bit of what he gave me.”

  “How long, Laura?”

  “Six months.” She took a deep breath, the admission, the truth of everything she’d said somehow loosening the tension within. Waiting for Mills would have been truly pathetic, but she really hadn’t been. She hadn’t even hesitated before exploring alternatives.

  Chicklet’s smile seemed to light up all the shadows around them. There was approval in her eyes, as though she somehow knew exactly what Laura had been thinking. “You don’t sound like you’ve been pining away. That’s good. Have you dated since?”

  “I haven’t dated since high school.” Laura let out a soft laugh when Chicklet’s smile faded. “It’s not a big deal. I love my job and I train hard. It might not show, but—”

  “It shows. I like what I see.” Chicklet moved closer, lacing her fingers behind Laura’s neck as their breasts touched. Her lips slanted when Laura gasped. “The girl you dated. What was her name?”

  Pressing her eyes shut, Laura tried to make her brain work as her pulse quickened and her blood rushed down to her core. A name that had haunted her dreams for almost fifteen years escaped her now. All thoughts of right and wrong slipped away. Chicklet’s body was offering what she’d denied herself for years.

  One touch and the mask she’d worn like a second skin disappeared. She didn’t want to pretend anymore. Not that pretending would have done any good. Chicklet could see everything. Something that would terrify Laura normally, but should it now? She’d come here to satisfy urges no one back home would understand.

  Why deny herself?

  “One touch and I can see you letting go. I would love to dig deeper, to find out why you’ve hidden for so long, but I want to keep you in this place. To prove that you were right to expose yourself to me.” Chicklet leaned in, brushing her lips across Laura’s cheek. Her breath was a soft caress as she spoke softly. “You found peace submitting to a man. You will find so much more when you surrender to me.”

  Kissing her throat, Chicklet backed her against a padded surface, lifting her arms over her head and deftly clasping cuffs around her wrists. She brought her head up, claiming Laura’s lips as she undid her bra.

  The soft kiss grew more demanding as Chicklet pressed against her and Laura’s breath caught in her throat. A dizzying rush made her head spin as those soft
lips parted and their tongues met. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had kissed her like this. Mills would sometimes give her a hungry kiss before shoving her to her knees, but even that seemed weak compared to the way Chicklet overwhelmed all her senses with the smooth dip of her tongue and the pressure of her lips.

  An onslaught of controlled passion, bringing on a floaty sensation somewhere between falling in a dream and being tipsy after a few too many. A tug at her wrist reminded her she was trapped. She whimpered, tugging hard as panic jolted her away from that beautiful edge.

  She couldn’t lose herself this fast, no matter how easy it would be. That kind of release took trust and she didn’t know this woman.

  This woman. She inhaled sharply. What the fuck are you doing?

  Mentally accepting she could indulge didn’t erase the deep awareness of how wrong this was. Or the inner conflict between what she knew she wanted, and how unbearable taking it could be. She’d lost everything once with that kind of honesty. She couldn’t do it again.

  “Shh… I’ve got you.” Chicklet wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, her firm grip bringing Laura back to solid ground. “It’s only a kiss, but you’re absolutely terrified. I thought some woman hurt you, and that’s why you stick to men, but there’s more to it.”

  That soft, lulling tone reached something inside Laura that short-circuited all her defensive instincts. She blinked fast as her eyes teared. “Yes.”

  “How old were you when you came out?”

  Laura winced, not sure she wanted to answer that question. But like any good Domme, Chicklet recognized a trigger and wouldn’t continue until she made sure Laura was okay.

  A kiss being a trigger was pretty messed up. But Laura hadn’t kissed another woman in a very long time. And Chicklet had figured that out, and why, without even trying.