One corner of his mouth quirked upward as he looked into her eyes. “It’s time to have a more detailed talk. Once that is done,” he said, tipping her chin and kissing her lightly on the lips, “I want to make love to you until the sun rises.”
She gulped. “Wow. That is so not what I expected you to say.”
He chuckled and rubbed the tip of his nose against hers. “What were you expecting?”
“You’re a Dom and a sadist. I expected you to be more forceful, bordering on crass. Sort of, ‘I want to tie you up and fuck you, Miss Carrigan, until your legs don’t work anymore, until you can’t move the next day without feeling how sore I’ve left you. Then I plan to beat your ass.’”
He chuckled at her impersonation of his deep voice and intonation and shrugged. “I do want to tie you up. I do plan to fuck you. I doubt your legs will work when I’m done with you. And I’m delighted by the thought of you being sore the next day, sore enough to know I’ve been inside you. Marked you. And I do want to beat your gorgeous, bouncy ass. But I don’t need to detail what I plan to do. I’m just going to do it. And make no mistake, fiammetta, you’ll love every minute of it. And I’m not afraid of saying I’ll make love to you. I’m secure in my abilities in all facets of what I plan to do with you. But we’re having an honest, detailed conversation and discussing your limits first.”
“Well, you made that crystal clear, I think,” she quipped, feeling a little breathless. To be talked to like that, by such a self-possessed man was blowing her fuses. “But I understand you have responsibilities. My brain was still short-circuiting from earlier, and well…I feel terrible for saying that aloud.”
“I believe you and your apology is accepted, and no harm was done, although I think you might privately apologize to Jade.”
She nodded. “It’s the least I can do. Thank you for not expecting me to grovel publicly.”
Joseph shook his head. “I don’t think she would enjoy that any more than you would. And, yes, I’m aware of the tension between you.”
“I’ll fix it, Sir. I promise.” Or she’d at least try.
He smiled as he pushed back a loose lock of hair from her forehead. “You made that sound so effortless. I recall you regaling me with your rule of three F’s in the parking lot at the Dancing Pony, and outside the ballroom of my mansion. Let me see if I remember them correctly. If I’m not ‘feeding you, financing you, or fucking you’ then you don’t have to listen to me or obey me. I believe that’s what you said. So what happened to your three F’s?”
With warm cheeks, she flapped a hand. “I’m suspending the rules in favor of learning about this world of yours. See? I can be taught,” she added with a giggle when his smile widened into a grin. “I could just wander around and observe and let you do what you need to do.” She didn’t want him to think she wanted to leave. That was the last thing she wanted.
“I wouldn’t mind, but I want you to wear a club collar, the same as the other submissives, then everyone would know you’re under my supervision.”
Around my neck? She put a hand to her throat and shook her head. “Please don’t ask me to do that.”
Joseph sighed and looked at her. “You are a tough nut to crack, Miss Carrigan.”
Her lip slipped out, disappointed for not giving him what she knew he wanted but unwilling to comply. She grasped his hand with gentle fingers. “Why not just wrap it around my wrist? I’ll keep my hands to myself, and I won’t say a word. Then you can do whatever you need to do without me getting in your way.”
Cocking an eyebrow at her, he said, “Subs don’t give directions to Doms.”
“Okay, it was just a thought.” She pointed behind him. “You can stick me in the corner, and I can watch from there.”
He smiled at her. “I invited you here so you could learn. Perhaps I should’ve invited one of your friends to come tonight as well. Then you might be more at ease.”
“Sir, I don’t think Violet does BDSM and all that stuff.”
Joseph grinned. “I wasn’t referring to Violet, but I think you might be surprised about how much kink that little flower has discovered she’s into.”
Bunny zipped her lips on the smart-ass comment she wanted to make.
“Very nice, fiammetta,” he said, evidently reading her mind. “I’ll wrap the collar around your wrist. You will keep your hands to yourself, and you will not speak unless spoken to first, and you must remember the other rules of club etiquette I shared with you. And stay on this floor.”
“Yes, Sir. I’ll be an absolute angel.”
He cocked an eyebrow, which made him resemble a pirate. “Right.”
“What about…you know,” she asked, glancing at his crotch and then smiling at him and biting her lip.
“What about it?” he asked with a growl.
She giggled and then made a lapping motion with her tongue. He laughed and leaned forward to kiss her forehead, a gesture she’d never taken as being all that intimate before tonight.
He shook his head. “We need to talk first.” Randall and one of the other Doms entered the seating area, and Joseph nodded at her encouragingly. “Behave yourself.”
A minute later, as she skirted the crowded dance floor, she realized she needed to pee and looked around. No signs on the walls discreetly indicated the restrooms. She was sworn to silence unless spoken to first, but she didn’t know anyone there.
Spotting Cecilia across the crowded space, she turned in that direction. The fit and lovely Domme would understand and allow her to speak without getting herself in trouble.
Looking down, she realized she was still in her panties and bra. She giggled but then covered her mouth with her hand. Her nipples and pussy were completely visible, a fact she’d completely forgotten. Laughing to herself, and feeling lighter than she had in a long time, she stopped at the bar, where Cecilia was taking a long stream of orders from a waitress, and waited to catch her eye. She pressed her thighs together and bobbed in place, hoping the waitress would be done rattling off her order soon. Like really soon.
“You lost?” a voice asked beside her. She jumped and turned at the light touch of a hand on her shoulder. A gasp escaped her as she recalled her unfortunate encounter with him a couple of weeks before at the fantasy weekend Joseph had hosted.
Recognition sparked instantly in the man’s eyes, and she chirped, “I know you,” and then slapped her hand over her mouth.
Surmising her predicament, he said, “It’s okay. I addressed you first. You surprised me, little red.”
“You are…”
“Conrad.”
Assured she wouldn’t get walloped, she said, “The last time I saw you, you were hogtying me.” She crossed her ankles, the need to pee making itself known again.
“Yes, I was. I didn’t think you were into this scene, judging by that confrontation.”
“I’m here as Joseph’s guest,” she said, lifting her wrist to indicate the collar Joseph had affixed there.
“I see,” he said with a nod and then looked over her shoulder and waved at Joseph, who nodded, smiling at her. “I hope you’re having a good experience.”
“It’s…interesting, so far,” she said, reaching back to rub her tender butt.
The lines around his mouth crinkled when Conrad chuckled. “Lucky Dom. Now, do you remember what I told you that night? If there is any way I can make that bad experience up to you, you let me know.”
“Oh, well, I’m…” She looked over her shoulder in Joseph’s direction, and Conrad smiled.
“I understand completely. And the offer still stands. And hey, if you ever find yourself here and free to play, you can always come and say hi,” he added, lifting an eyebrow. His meaning was obvious, and she nodded, but she didn’t think she’d ever have a desire to “play’ with anyone besides Joseph. But a girl couldn’t have too many friends either.
“Tell you what, Sir. You’d be helping me out if you could point me in the direction of the ladies’ room,” she said,
slight heat filling her cheeks at needing the potty pointed out to her.
“Of course, little red. It’s right over there, down that hallway. If you get to the stairs, you’ve gone too far and need to turn back.”
“Okay. I mean, yes, Sir. Thank you,” she said, bobbing and hurrying off before she made a puddle on the floor. The more she thought about it, the more she needed to go. She heard his laughter as she scampered away but only giggled and kept her lips tightly closed.
Chapter Eight
“Oh, glory hallelujah!” Bunny moaned as she ran barefoot across the tile floor to the nearest stall, thankful for a second that she was clad only in her undies. It made peeling the layers a whole lot easier.
She clammed up when one of the other toilets flushed down the row and the stall door opened. A pair of similarly bare feet passed, and the sounds of someone going about their business came to her over the walls of the cubicle.
When she emerged and saw who was standing at the sinks, she decided to take the bull by the horns. Grown-ass adults admitted their mistakes.
“Hey,” she murmured as she turned on the tap next to the one where Jade was washing her hands. “I need to apologize.”
Jade looked up from where she had been studiously washing her hands and frowned as they made eye contact in the mirror’s reflection. “For what?” She looked down at her hands and kept her gaze there, but her body language spoke pretty clearly.
Bunny soaped up and said, “I popped off when Joseph and Blake were talking to each other, but I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.”
“You didn’t. I didn’t even hear you.” The flush in her pale cheeks told Bunny she probably had and just wouldn’t admit it.
“I’m not known for being soft-spoken. Anyway, I’m sorry for saying that. It was a knee-jerk reaction. I’m not usually like that.” After drying her hands, she held one out. A truce offering. “I’m Bunny Carrigan.”
Jade kept scrubbing her already pristinely clean hands. “I know who you are.”
Leaning against the marble counter, Bunny said, “You don’t like me much, do you?”
“I don’t appreciate the way you act with Mr. Hazelle. He deserves someone who will serve him with respect. You don’t know the first thing about serving…or submitting.”
“You’re right. But I’m learning. Jeez, haven’t you ever been new at something?”
Jade turned fierce green eyes on her and moved into her space. Bunny found herself taking a step back. “You don’t know anything about this world, and you will only disappoint him.” She glanced at Bunny’s hair and then cast a scourging look at her curves. “You’re not his type at all.”
Man, hit a girl where it hurts. “And you are?”
“Jade,” Mona said from the doorway, her lips set in a hard line. “Master Blake sent me in here to find you. He said you’ve kept him waiting.”
Bunny put a hand out to Jade. “I’m sorry you feel that way. At least I’ve apologized. Live and let live?”
In an insistent voice, Mona said, “Jade.” She firmed her lips and then glanced out the door. “He is right outside in the hallway.”
Jade scowled at Bunny’s hand. “Go back to the trailer park.”
Ouch! That should not have hurt as much as it did.
Mona blocked the doorjamb with her arm when Jade tried to pass and whispered harsh words that Bunny couldn’t hear.
With hands bunched up in fists, Jade turned back to her and, in an even voice, said, “Apology accepted,” before she composed herself and swished out of the door.
With a sigh, Mona joined her at the sinks. “Well, Bunny, I’ll say this much. You sure liven things up around here. Don’t worry about her.”
“Who, Jade? It’s obvious she thinks Joseph is her property.”
“Actually, it’s the reverse. She thinks she is his property, or wants to be, and you’ve unsettled her plans. But I think Master Blake may have thrown her for a loop. I wouldn’t worry about her.”
“I made things worse by hurting her feelings.”
Mona shook her head. “She’d deny that. Yes, I think it’s true she’d like to be Joseph’s, but not in the way you and I think about it. Having gotten to know her, I think she’s more offended on Joseph’s behalf because he’s a well-reputed Dominant than she is actually jealous, in the sense you and I understand.”
“Huh?”
“Have you done any research about BDSM?”
“A little.”
“Good. Then hopefully you know not all submissives and Dominants were created equal. In Jade’s worldview, Joseph deserves the complete obedience, eager service, and kneeling respect and adoration of a well-behaved sub. She’s outraged that you back-talk him and challenge him as you do, and in her mind, that means you’re not serious about submission. Jade is having a hard time grieving the loss of the Dominant who introduced her to this lifestyle and, consequently, having a hard time replacing him, something she really wants.”
“She lives here, though?”
“Temporarily,” Mona replied with a nod. “I probably shouldn’t say more since it’s an invasion of her privacy. Just…try to ignore her comments.”
Bunny shrugged and smiled. “I’ve had worse directed at me.”
Mona grinned as she glanced at Bunny’s hair. “You are quite a surprise to Joseph’s friends.” She leaned close and added, “Don’t tell Joseph I said this, but I love watching him have his world shaken up.”
Bunny scoffed. “My butt’s not enjoying it all that much.”
Mona burst into laughter. “Yeah, you don’t have much of a sense of ass-preservation, do you? I haven’t seen Joseph smile and laugh as much as he has tonight. If you ever need any help or have questions, don’t hesitate to call on me, okay?”
“Thanks,” Bunny said, smiling up at the tall blonde. “It’s nice knowing I have a friend here.”
“You have more allies than you realize. And don’t worry about Jade. Think of it this way, she wants only the best for Joseph, regardless of who it is. It’s just that her opinion on what’s best for him is on the extreme end of the spectrum. Hey, you okay?”
Bunny grabbed a tissue and blotted a tear off of her rapidly warming cheek. “Thank you.”
Mona flapped her hands and looked on in sympathy. “Don’t cry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Bunny sniffled and snorted, and they both giggled as Mona hugged her and made sympathetic sounds, and Bunny finally said, “When I first met you, I thought you were a snotty bitch but—”
Mona’s eyes goggled, and she snorted with laughter. “What?”
“You’re all glamorous, and tall, and thin, and you can actually walk in your high heels! And here I am, like some garden gnome with a bad attitude.”
Mona wheezed a little and then clamped her legs together. “Stop! I’m gonna pee!”
“You’re probably exactly what Jade thinks Joseph should have in a submissive, and I’m barely able to wrap my mind around what a submissive is, much less give him anything even close to submission.” She sniffled and became a little more serious. “Maybe Jade is right. I don’t fit his perfect sub mold, do I?”
Mona’s cheeks glowed as she patted her own tears from her laughter and smiled at Bunny. “On the surface, no. You don’t. But I don’t judge based on what others in the club think. I’m judging based on what I see in Joseph’s eyes every time he looks at you. Having a challenging submissive seems to be doing him a world of good.”
“But that’s just it. I’m not submissive.”
Mona looked as if she was swallowing laughter. “If you say so. Well, let’s get you back out there. Randall said I get to hang out with you for the rest of the evening.”
“But I thought you were here to play…er…you know?”
“We did earlier. Randall and I also come here to relax among friends. So let’s go get you acquainted. You won’t meet as many people hiding here in the bathroom.”
“I’m not hiding!”
* * * *
Joseph let out a breath when Bunny finally emerged from the hallway, held in tow by Mona, thank goodness. Maybe she could help Bunny stay out of trouble. He’d been about to start searching, worried she’d gotten turned around and found herself in the dungeon. The woman’s sense of direction was completely fallible, except when she was vertical, on a one hundred foot tower or a third-story roof.
He pondered the conversation they’d have if she became his. Would he expect her to quit climbing for him? He could imagine how she’d react. And more importantly, how many different ways would she tell him off if he attempted to broach the subject? Still, he’d never forget the fear in her eyes as he pulled her up to the balcony. The thought made him shudder. He’d asked if she’d climbed anymore during the week, and to his great agitation, she’d gone back to climbing the following day, not letting the mishap stop her from doing her job.
Randall and Samson were sitting on the adjacent chairs, and when he turned his attention back to them, it was to find them watching him, amusement in their eyes.
Samson shook his head and, in his raspy bass voice, said, “Another one bites the dust.”
Joseph hid his smile behind the fingers resting on his lips. “I heard from Juno today. Hector instructed her to call me to let me know they’d be visiting next weekend.”
Randall blinked. “Seriously? I can’t recall the last time I saw him, or her.”
Joseph shook his head. “It’s been a few years. Juno sounds great.”
Samson nodded. “I know you’re looking forward to seeing them. Looks as though your little sass-pot is learning a thing or two,” he added, casually pointing at one of the tables across the club, where Conrad was fastening a naked sub face up on a padded table. The case containing a violet wand lay open on the table beside him, and Joseph couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Wait until she gets a look at the wand,” Samson said, his rumbling laughter tapering off, only to rise to new heights when Conrad plugged in the wand and Bunny practically jumped out of her skin, although she did it quietly.
Bunny and the Beast [Divine Creek Ranch 22] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 9
