“Sorry, Mistress, it was my fault,” Gentry said just as Antony said, “No excuses, Mistress.”
Antony met her eyes for a few seconds before dropping his gaze when she cocked an eyebrow at him in question. She took the key from his hand and opened the room that was set up as a medical exam room. Once Merlin, Dane, and Sloan were inside, she pulled the door closed before turning back to look at him, her Domme in full control.
“Pet, you will go upstairs, get your cuffs, put them on, and report to me downstairs for punishment. You have been a very bad boy lately and need reminding of your place in my household. You have five minutes to follow out my orders or gather your things and get off the property.”
* * * *
Gentry watched Mistress and Antony as a cold chill raced down his spine then out to his fingers and toes. Would she let his best friend back into their family after his punishment? Where would that leave him? Though Mistress still did not know, Antony had shared his news of leaving the Coast Guard with Gentry. They had discussed expanding Gentry’s furniture business or of Antony taking over the day-to-day running of the club.
Gentry was just worried that Mistress had changed her mind about having two men at her disposal. He liked the triad dynamic when Antony was with them and everyone got along. Right now he wondered if more than Antony’s being out of touch for a few days was causing Mistress to be upset. He just did not know what it was or how he could fix it in the next five minutes.
He stared at the floor as he had been trained until Jenna wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled his forehead down to rest on her shoulder. She kissed his cheek gently.
“Baby, you will stay here and guard this door. If Merlin needs anything, I want you to fetch it for him. When they no longer need you up here, join us at the St. Andrew’s Cross.”
“Yes, Mistress, I understand.”
“Good boy. Understand that you are not in any trouble, but pet needs to be reminded that he is my slave and that not finding a way to check in over the past few days was totally unacceptable. Don’t worry, baby, we will work it out, and we’ll have a wonderful Christmas.”
“Yes, Mistress,” Gentry whispered.
* * * *
Before Jackson had a chance to react to the aftermath of the baby drama, Sinclair had hopped off her barstool. She grabbed one of the spare bottles of disinfectant cleaner from under the counter and several clean bar rags before ducking under the bar.
“Sunshine?”
“Yes, Sir?”
“Where are you going?”
She smiled and held up the cleaning supplies. “Cleanup detail.”
“Thank you. When things slow down a little later, I’ll make it up to you.”
“I may not survive that, Sir,” she snarked before continuing on her way.
He watched as she set to work cleaning the leather couch. A moment later a pair of Doms looking for a stiff drink demanded his attention.
As he poured their drinks, his free hand slipped into his jeans’ front pocket and confirmed that throughout the evening he had not lost the diamond engagement ring he had carried the last four months. He had bought it the day after she had first refused to answer his proposal.
Though he had asked several times since and saw the wavering and want in her eyes, she continued to reply to each proposal with the same deferring answer of “later.”
He had quit asking a month ago, hoping that by backing off and easing the pressure she would have a chance to think. He wanted her to come to the same realization that he had while sitting in her hospital room waiting for her to be brought up from the Emergency Room more than six months earlier.
Tonight was the night. Before they left the club that evening he had decided that Sinclair would be wearing his ring and she would no longer worry about her status in his life.
He hoped.
* * * *
Taurus watched as chaos erupted in the audience. He felt for Dane as the big man panicked about Sloan being in labor. He was just as overprotective of his mouse as Dane was of his slaves. If Whitney ever told him she was pregnant, he would probably wrap her in cotton wool and keep her upstairs in their apartment until long after the baby was born, even if he had to tie her to the bed to do it.
“Master.” Whitney ran a hand from his elbow to shoulder and back down again. “I think we need to cancel the rest of the show. Or maybe postpone it until New Year’s Eve.”
“You’re right, mouse. Let me make an announcement to that effect, and then maybe I’ll give you one of your Christmas presents.”
“But Christmas isn’t for two more days,” she said, her voice betraying her excitement.
Wrapped packages with her name on the tags had been appearing under the tree in their apartment as well as the big tree just across the room. What Whitney did not know was that several also sat under Sloan’s tree waiting to be opened when they joined his cousin and her two masters Christmas afternoon for a midafternoon dinner.
Whitney had become the center of his life, and though he told her often enough, he still wondered if she understood just how much he loved her. Last year they had missed Christmas together. Her mother had demanded Whitney accompany her on a cruise so the two of them could spend some quality time alone. While on the cruise, Whitney’s mother died in her sleep the night before they returned to port. The autopsy showed that she had several brain aneurysms, one of which had blown, killing her almost instantly.
Since this was their first real Christmas together, Taurus bought her a gift for every year of her age. Some were small and some were big. Some were club related, and others had nothing to do with sex. His favorite was the nipple clamps with the silver mice dangling from them.
He could not wait to see them dance on her breasts as he flogged her until every inch of skin from shoulders to ankles glowed pink. He planned to arouse her to the edge then keep her there until she begged for release.
Just the mental image made him hot. But that would wait until everyone left in a few hours.
“Little mouse, have you not figured out that I am Master T and I can do whatever I damn well please?”
“Yes, Master.”
He wrapped one arm around her back, slid it under her arm, and palmed her breast. She sucked a quick breath, but did not fight his odd hold. Her instant acceptance of anything he wanted to do to her was but one of the things he loved about her. Hopefully, as she opened her gifts she would realize some of the other reasons he loved her.
Keeping his arm around her, he moved to the center of the stage. “Well, folks, I guess our talent show has been preempted for the evening. Please stay and enjoy yourselves. There’s plenty of food and drink, and the equipment is open for your pleasure, except the new rack. I believe Mistress Jenna will have that tied up for much of the evening now that Antony has finally returned home. At midnight we’ll gather around the tree for presents. Merry Christmas to all.”
“And to all a good flogging,” someone from the back of the crowd returned.
“Absolutely,” Taurus agreed before turning and burying his face in Whitney’s hair. “Shall we go and get into some, my little mouse?”
She took a deep breath, pushing her erect nipple deeper into the palm of his hand. He tightened his hold on the mound and smiled when she pulled in a sharp breath. “Whitney?”
“Whatever you wish, Master,” she responded after swallowing and clearing her throat.
“What I really wish won’t be possible for a few more hours,” Taurus said softly, knowing his teasing would drive her curiosity wild. “But we’ll get to it eventually. Anticipation is a good thing.”
Chapter 7
Once the door shut behind them, Dane watched as Merlin shifted into professional mode. He had seen him like this with injured children a couple of times, but to watch him deal with Sloan as he did the kids under his care revealed once again the depth of compassion and love the man had.
Dane laid his armload of woman on the exam table afte
r Merlin had covered it with a large towel from the bathroom. Though he wanted to help in any way he could, he felt like a hippo at a swan’s ballet, large, clumsy, and completely useless. But by the way Merlin was moving around, opening drawers and pulling out supplies, Dane knew that his assistance wasn’t needed. At least not yet.
“Master, if you could help her take off her panties,” Merlin said without looking in his direction as he opened yet another set of cabinets.
Instead of helping Sloan, Dane reached down and slid a hand down each hip between the thin strip of fabric and her skin. A quick yank and the panties were off.
“Master! What am I going to wear now?” Sloan asked, her voice soft and laced with pain.
“Don’t worry, angel, we’ll figure something out. Or maybe I’ll just carry you out of here with nothing.”
He smiled when her eyes got big and she stared at him with the same shy expression that had won him over the night he had bought her at the charity slave auction more than a year and a half before.
“You wouldn’t.”
He moved up the side of the bed and leaned down until they were nose to nose. “Do you really want to test me on that?”
She blinked and moved her head slowly from side to side. “No, Master.”
He gave her a quick kiss, pulling away when she gasped with obvious pain. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it hard as another contraction swept through her body.
“Merlin, what the fuck is taking you so long?”
“Breathe, Master. I’m ready,” his man said, rolling a medical stand across the room. He had donned a pair of rubber gloves and moved to stand at the foot of the exam table. “Sloan, I need you to put your feet in the stirrups and drop your knees as wide as you can.”
“No,” Sloan cried, turning her head as she brought up her free hand to cover her face.
“Angel, we need to know what’s going on, and the only way I can tell is to examine you,” Merlin said, his soothing voice sounding a little strained as he moved one of her feet into a stirrup and strapped it in.
“Not you.”
“Why not, little one?” Merlin asked. He pulled her down the table before moving her other foot to the stirrup and wrapping the Velcro strap around it as well.
“Because…because…just because,” she replied, her voice tight with pain.
“Angel, I’ve seen your pussy before. I’ve touched it and licked it, too. Why can’t I see it now?”
Dane was shocked to see that using logic seemed to reach her. Plus the contraction seemed to be passing and she wasn’t squeezing his hand so tightly any more. With a deep breath that she released in a rush, she looked up at him as she dropped her knees apart.
“This is so embarrassing,” she whispered.
“As Merlin just said, we’ve seen, touched, and tasted every inch of you. There is no need to be embarrassed now.” Dane brushed some stray hairs off her damp forehead.
“Yeah, but…it’s still embarrassing.”
“Want me to take your mind off it?” Dane offered. “You could suck my cock if you wanted. I could play with your nipples. Or if you’re really feeling daring, I could get the flogger and—”
“No need, Master. I’m done,” Merlin said as he released her ankles. “But we do need to get her to the hospital and soon.”
Dane felt himself go pale and stepped away from the table so he could lean against the wall. He knew Merlin was lying, but at this moment refused to call him on it. Obviously something was wrong and his lover did not want Sloan to know.
“Should I call an ambulance, or should we just take her ourselves?”
“I do not want my babies born in a sex club,” Sloan stated flatly, though he and Merlin both ignored her.
“I’d feel better if we had an ambulance take her. Could you go have someone take care of that?”
Dane nodded and headed to the door, relieved to be able to do something. “I’ll also gather our gear and say our good-nights to Taurus and Jenna.”
Merlin chuckled. “Yes, Master. You do that.”
* * * *
Antony buckled on his ankle cuffs before leaving the apartment. On his way back to Mistress Jenna, he put both wrist cuffs on and buckled the left one. By the time he opened the back door from the foyer and their private entrance to the club’s main room, he finished securing the left cuff and was struggling with the buckle on the right one.
As he hurried down the hall past the restrooms, he checked the buckles. They were a little looser than they had been eight months ago, but not so much that he would pull out of them. Stepping into the main room, he saw that the talent show had come to an end and there was a line at the buffet in the corner and people were starting to play as they did every other night of the year that the club was open.
Scanning the room, he found Mistress standing in the scene area near a new piece of equipment. Seconds after his eyes latched onto her, she turned and watched him approach.
Though he tried to hurry to her, he was stopped every few feet by friends welcoming him home. He tried not to be rude, but he was in a hurry and told each of them that they would get together and talk in the weeks to come. When he finally reached Mistress, he knelt and assumed the slave position.
“You’re late,” she said.
“I’m sorry, Mistress. I was held up,” he replied. “I accept any additional punishment you feel I deserve for my tardiness.”
She did not answer, and he did not dare look up to read her expression. He had exerted too much disobedience already this week.
“Stand up, pet,” she finally ordered in a gentle tone that belied her dominant spirit.
He rose quickly, gracefully and took the standing pose she demanded. Arms by his side, legs spread shoulder-width apart, and staring at the floor. She stepped up to within a foot of him and wrapped a hand around his neck, sliding her pinkie under his leather collar as she did so.
He did not fight when she pulled his head down to rest on her shoulder. Closing his eyes, he sighed with relief. She would not hold him this way if she was not planning to keep him around, would she?
“Pet, I have missed you so very much there were times I thought I would go insane. Especially these past days when I did not hear from you. Tonight I’m going to flog you to remind you that you belong to me and only me. Then you will receive thirty-seven with the crop, one for each week you have been gone. Then you will receive a stroke with the cane for each day you did not call. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mistress, I understand and accept.”
“What is your safe word?”
“Red, Mistress. My safe word is red.”
“You will not count the strokes tonight, but you also will not come until I say you can. Understand?”
“Yes, Mistress.”
“After all, we don’t want you messing up your ribbons,” she said with what sounded like an evil grin. Now let me show you Gentry’s latest addition to the club’s playground.”
She released his neck and stepped back as he straightened. He laid his hand in hers and allowed her to lead him toward the wooden structure that filled the center of the alcove.
Antony looked the device up and down, intrigued by the structure that looked like an inverted U. The vertical posts that looked like telephone poles stood about five feet apart. The crosspiece was a not quite so heavy, but would easily take a large man’s weight if required. He noticed hooks every few inches all along the inside of the frame with lengths of chain attached to all four corners of the square.
“Stand in the center then spread your legs,” she instructed in her power-laced Domme voice.
Without a word, Antony moved into position. He took deep breaths to control the grin of delight that wanted to break out as Mistress attached his cuffs to the chains from the bottom of each post. He made no further move until she took his right arm, pulled it up, and connected it to one of the hooks near the top of the vertical post. Then she did the same with his left arm.
“
What’s your safe word again, pet?” she asked as she walked out of sight
“Red, Mistress.”
“Red it is then,” she said.
In the next moment, he felt the many strands of the soft suede flogger stroke across his back for the first time. Closing his eyes, he shut out everything except the feel of the flogger. It had been so long, too long since he’d been in this position or one similar, feeling the heat spread across his skin and deeper. He sighed as his nerve endings jangled and grew warm. It only took a few strokes before he felt himself fly to the place where mind separated from body and he floated in a limbo where all was right with the world. After that, he lost track of everything and simply reveled in being.
Chapter 8
Gentry jumped when the door to the medical playroom flew open and Dane emerged at a trot. The big man did not look his way, but headed down the balcony toward the stairs, obviously focused on whatever task the doctor had sent him to do. Turning to the doorway where the door remained half-open, he stuck his head in, but did not look at the woman on the table who was bare from her bikini top down.
“Merlin, is there anything I can do to help?”
“No thanks, Gentry. I’m going to wrap angel up in a blanket, and we’re going to walk downstairs and wait for the ambulance,” Merlin said as he stepped between Gentry and the table.
“Okay, do you want me to stick around just in case?”
“No, that’s okay. We’ll be fine. Won’t we, angel?”
“Yeah, fine,” the woman responded through gritted teeth as her head and shoulders came up off the table. “Why didn’t you tell me this was going to hurt so fucking much?”
* * * *
Merlin chuckled as he pulled Sloan into a sitting position. “Sweetheart, I couldn’t tell you. I’m a man, remember?”
“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” she asked as she hugged him for a moment.
“What makes you think that?”
“You lied to Master. And you look worried. And you asked for an ambulance to come instead of just driving me to the hospital yourself.”
McKenzie, Cooper - A Club Esoteria Christmas [Club Esoteria 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 5
