BRANDED

by April Lust

  I was starting to, but it was a fuzzy picture at war with the misinformation floating around out there. “So, you want to… take care of me?”

  He smiled. “In a way, yes. Of course, I want to spread your legs and slide into you. I want to do dirty things to you and have you do dirty things for me. But that’s only part of it.” He hesitated, seeming to consider telling me something else, but shook his head. A moment later, before I could ask him about it, he said, “You need to understand that everything I do to you might be my idea, might be my command, but you are the one who controls it. I won’t do anything that you don’t want me to do. Not ever. That’s why there’s a safe word. That’s why you have your own room and a phone and a means of leaving. It is entirely your choice and I stop when you want me to.”

  I stared at him. I couldn’t believe this. He was sitting there in that chair, totally serious, telling me about wanting to do sexual, dominating things to me – and telling me at the same time that I had all the control.

  It was strange, because it was such a far cry from Shae. He never gave me a choice. It wasn’t always what he wanted, when he wanted it. He didn’t care if I didn’t want it, because it was all about him.

  I almost laughed when I thought about it. I was being offered more control in a Dominant/submissive relationship than I had in just a regular old ordinary one. How ironic.

  “Obviously, you are free to leave whenever, which I stand by, but you will forfeit the remainder of the money that I owe you. I don’t say that to pressure you, but it is a clause in our business arrangement.”

  I nodded quickly, the fear of losing that money sneaking up on me without warning. I needed that money and I’d do whatever I had to. With a sliver of fear, the first I’d had since meeting Jules, crawling up my spine.

  Whatever he asked of me, I would do it. It didn’t matter what it was, because I needed this money badly enough to suffer through anything.

  “I have no intention of leaving.”

  He stared at me, frowning a little at my quick response. He leaned forward a little and finally asked, “Allison, I think it’s important for me to know: Why are you here?”

  Chapter Eight

  Jules

  I had all but convinced myself that it didn’t matter. Whatever reasons she had for being here just weren’t that important. Maybe she wanted to move or buy a new car or go on a trip around the world. She didn’t look like she had a drug problem and she clearly wasn’t an alcoholic, but maybe a gambling addiction? Not something I needed in my life, but for a business arrangement like this, not really a concern.

  Since laying eyes on her, I’d been trying to believe that I didn’t need to know her motivations – but now I was sure I did.

  From the moment I started talking about commands and obedience and control, I had figured she would show some sort of fear. That was only natural for newbies, especially virgins. But she didn’t show a shred of it. No hints of it in her eyes or her posture. She remained nervous the entire time, but that wasn’t the same as fear.

  But now that we were talking about her not getting her money should she leave, that fear finally blossomed. Which told me two things.

  She was desperate for money.

  And she’d do anything to get it.

  The first was normal, the second was dangerous. Dangerous because in a Dom/sub relationship, both parties had to trust in the safe word. They had to believe it worked. That meant that the sub had to believe a Dom would stop immediately should the sub ask it of him, but it also meant that the Dom trusted that the sub would use that safe word if things were going too far. But if Allison was desperate enough to do anything, then she might ignore her own safety to ensure that she got paid.

  And that was unacceptable. It quickly became the reason I needed to know her motivations.

  She didn’t look at me as I asked. “Allison, I think it’s important for me to know: Why are you here?”

  Instead, she stared at her drink, chasing the condensation down the sides of her glass with her fingertips. She looked for a moment like she wasn’t going to answer me, and I decided right then and there that if she didn’t, this was over. I would be done. I couldn’t risk the consequences of being with a woman whom I couldn’t trust, not in a situation like this. If it were just about the sex, I wouldn’t be concerned. But this wasn’t just about lying on her back and letting me pop her cherry. This was about giving and obeying commands. And that meant trust.

  Just when I was about to tell her that I would walk her out, my cock fighting it every second, she opened her mouth and spoke.

  Her voice was small and timid, but she answered. “I have a little sister. Her name is Bree. She’s only sixteen years old.”

  I remembered that she’d mentioned a sister earlier and looking back on it, I wondered if maybe she’d avoided the subject deliberately.

  “When she was twelve, our parents died. I was only nineteen, but I was also her only living relative. No grandparents, no aunts or uncles. Just us. So, the courts granted me custody, because they figured it was better to let a nineteen-year-old raise a kid than put her in the system. They were probably right, but it didn’t feel that way.”

  She took a deep breath and let it out in a long whoosh, her shoulders caving in on her body as she continued her story. “It was hard. I had to drop out of school – I still haven’t gone back. I got a job at a diner where I still work. We fought a lot, because she was just a kid and I was just a kid, too. But things started to smooth out. We were getting better and I thought that this was it. We were going to make it. Everything was going to be alright.”

  Finally, she looked up at me. Her eyes were even bigger than usual, huge and brown, and beautiful. Soulful.

  “Then she got sick. I took her to the hospital and that was where they found out she had a defective heart.”

  A defective heart? Jesus Christ.

  I felt sadness wash over me, empathy for her pain. I understood how terrible it was to watch someone go to the hospital, to know that something serious was wrong, and to be completely helpless. My mother had cancer, and I didn’t have the money to pay those bills. It was the tattoo contest that had ultimately given me the money to do it. It was the reason I entered every year, but what if there was no contest? No luck floating your way. Nothing. Just a low-paying job that wouldn’t even keep your head above water.

  “She’s been in and out of the hospital since then. We got her on the list for a new heart, but that’s one of the hard ones. Between finding one that’s still in good shape and one that matches, we thought it was hopeless. But they did find a match. Our prayers were answered.”

  She winced, looking every bit like none of her prayers were being answered – or they were being answered in a way that was only to mock her.

  “So long as you could pay for it, right?”

  She nodded. “She needs it now, but it costs more money than I can even dream of. Between the visits she’s already had and basic things like rent, I’m so far in the hole, I don’t know if I can ever crawl out.”

  I let out a sigh. This was bad. For a lot of different reasons, this was bad. Because she had such an altruistic, honest reason for doing this. Not some bullshit about paying for college only to take classes in physical education and philosophy. No, she was doing this all for the sake of her only living relative, her little sister.

  “But this… This could save us,” she continued, and there was hope in her voice. “I mean, it’s not like I need my virginity. It’s just this concept created as a means of oppressing women, shaming them into staying pure. I don’t need it, but I need the money. And if this is all I have to give up to give my sister a new heart… How can I not do it?”

  This was a problem. I was now having a much harder time convincing myself that I wasn’t taking advantage of the situation. “Allison—”

  But she didn’t let me get any farther than that. Maybe she heard it in my voice, the hesitance and guilt, because she put her glass aside
and got up – only to get on her knees. I raised my eyebrows at her.

  “Allison, what are you—?”

  “You said you were going to tell me to kneel.” She crawled toward me, her big doe eyes staring up at me. “You said you were going to do things to me. And I’m trying to tell you, to show you that I know what I’m doing.”

  She moved closer and my legs spread automatically. My cock ached so hard that all I wanted to do was pull it out and shove it between those pretty lips.

  “I signed up for this and I know exactly what this is. I’m a big girl.”

  I groaned, despite myself.

  “Please?” she asked. “Remember, that’s not a safe word.”

  And that settled it. Whatever morals I had, whatever concerns, they flew out the window, because she was looking at me like this little sex kitten and crawling on her hands and knees, mewling in that sexy little voice.

  How was a man supposed to resist?

  When she reached for my crotch, I snatched up her hand. “No,” I told her firmly. “Not yet.” Because we were going to do this, but I would be the one giving the orders. “Get up.”

  She did as she was told, looking a little bewildered.

  “We’re going to do this, but I’ll be telling you what to do. Don’t forget, I’m the Dominant. Are we clear?”

  “Yes.” After a beat, she added, “Sir.”

  Good. I almost had to punish her, and it’s so early on.

  Not that punishments didn’t come with their own little pleasures.

  “We’re going to have sex in my bed first,” I told her. She shivered, which pleased me. I smiled a little. “The dominance will come later, but the first part of our deal was to take your virginity – and I want there to be no question left in your mind, when this is all over, that it is mine.”

  “Yes. Sir.”

  “Good.”

  My erection was so hard it was almost painful. God, I wanted her now. She seemed to be everything I was looking for. Smart and funny and sexy as hell. Painfully so. She seemed as naturally submissive as any woman I’d ever seen and if she followed through with it, maybe I’d keep her.

  Maybe I’d make her mine permanently.

  It had been so long since I’d had anyone like that. Someone to share the life with. And she seemed so agreeable to it. So willing. So pliable. I had hope, even if it was mixed with apprehension. I hadn’t had anyone like that since Sandra, and I was still scared that I might fail. But I had to try. This was part of who I was and I couldn’t give it up.

  “Do you need another drink?” I offered her.

  She shook her head quickly. “No thank you, sir.”

  So polite. I liked that.

  “Then make yourself at home in the family room, and I’ll come for you.”

  She shuddered, but nodded. I pulled her chin up, holding it between my fingers. She was beautiful. Perfect. I couldn’t wait to do dirty things to her. I released her and left to draw a bath. I’d need her to clean up first. I didn’t know if she was shaved or not, but I found myself hoping not. That meant I could command her to shave. And I could watch as she carefully removed the hair from her pussy lips, until she was smooth and maybe a little pink.

  “God, this is going to kill me.”

  But what a way to go.

  I went to the bathroom upstairs, that way we could go directly to the bedroom after. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be in the mood to wait after that. The bathroom was large, tiled with soft blues and a swirling mosaic on the floor. The tub was large enough to fit several people, more like a Jacuzzi than anything else. I liked to use it as one of my toys; the women always liked the jets on their pussies.

  Maybe I’ll do that to Allison until she loses her mind.

  I shelved that idea for a later date.

  I drew the bath, adding in lavender oils mixed with vanilla. I lit several candles around the tub and when it was ready, I smiled to myself. I made sure that the water remained clear, no bubbles, that way I’d still have a view as she shaved herself.

  Making sure there were towels first, I finally went back to the family room to retrieve Allison. I couldn’t wait to unwrap her and finally get a look at the body that was driving me crazy.

  But when I got to the family room, she was gone. “Allison?” Nothing. I pursed my lips. Guess it was time to teach her the first real lesson in being a sub.

  Don’t ever disobey.

  Chapter Nine

  Allison

  I was too nervous to stay put. He had my emotions all tangled up and it was bad there for a moment when I thought he was going to send me home. I needed the million at least to cover the costs of the operation. And now that I was thinking about it, I needed the other half million, too. Debt, back rent… Hell, I’d need it just to cover the work I was missing this weekend.

  Not that I made that kind of money ever, but I was missing out a lot right now and if everything in the bank was going toward the surgery, then it was unlikely any of that would go toward covering costs.

  I’d seen just about everything in the house, I thought, except for that red door. I wasn’t stupid enough to sneak a peek without Jules there with me, no matter how curious I was. Looking around, however, was fair game. I skipped through the doors I’d already been through, moving on to the next.

  I was just about sure that I’d seen everything, when I found a room on the second floor that I hadn’t been in.

  It shocked the hell out of me.

  Floor to ceiling bookcases lined the walls of the room. And they were full. Thick books, old books, cook books. Everything. I felt like I could search for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Cassandra Clare and probably find them both here. There were several desks lined up in the middle of the room with reading lamps on them and one of those rolling ladders that allowed you to reach the upper shelves.

  The floors were marbled with a gigantic rose compass in the middle. It was amazing. I wanted to live here— but that wasn’t the only reason it was amazing.

  It was also the fact that this belonged to a man who tattooed people for a living. A man who was clearly a sexual deviant and who looked like some sort of dark sex god. And yet, he had a library in his own home.

  Just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover.

  I giggled a little at my own, stupid pun, but stopped abruptly when I heard a voice behind me.

  “You disobeyed me, Allison.”

  I whirled around to face him, my heart pounding and my face flushing as I saw Jules standing in the doorway. He looked just as handsome as before, but even more imposing. His muscles seemed more noticeable, his frame wider. He seemed to take up the entire doorway.

  “I-I’m sorry, sir,” I stammered, seeing the consternation on his face. It dawned on me suddenly that I was in trouble.

  He stepped into the room. “Do you remember what I told you earlier?”

  I wracked my brain for anything, but it was so full of his muscles and his blue eyes and his large hands that I couldn’t come up with anything. I shook my head, then saw his tiny, wicked grin.

  “I told you that if you disobeyed me, I’d have to punish you.”

  My eyes went wide. Oh, god. Why is this not terrifying me? Because it really wasn’t. Instead of striking fear within me, it was causing an entirely different reaction. Heat pooled between my legs. I felt need unlike any I’d ever felt before and it was so consuming, I didn’t know what to do with it.

  I shouldn’t have been so turned on by the thought of him punishing me – but I was.

  “W-what are you going to do? Sir.”

  He strode into the library, heading toward a large, overstuffed chair. He sat in it, making himself comfortable, then motioned for me to come to him. I hesitated a half a second, then hurried across the room to stand in front of him.

  “The first time is easy, pet,” he told me in a soothing voice. “All you have to do is lie across my lap, on your stomach.” I moved to obey instantly, but he held up a hand. “But you need
to push your pants down first. Your punishment is for me to spank you.”

  My eyes went wide, but with trembling hands, I undid the buttons of my jeans. It seemed to take an eternity to get the fly undone, all the while he watched me. I shimmied the pants down my legs. I was about to step out of them, when he stopped me.

  “No. Leave them there.”

  I felt a little awkward, but I did as he said. My hands went back to my hips and my thumbs slipped beneath the hem of my panties. Heat flushed my face, trailing down my neck to my breasts. Thank God I still had my shirt on.

  Or maybe I want it off, too…

  With herculean effort, I shucked off my panties, aware of the wet spot on them. Then I shuffled over to him. I swallowed heavily, then carefully leaned myself over his lap. When I was situated, I waited for what was to come.