Under His Protection

by Doris O'Connor

  Lauren and Master Jake had attracted quite a crowd, and she winced as Jake raised the lethal looking cane in his hand again.

  The bamboo made sickening contact with an as yet unmarked part of Lauren’s behind. Her ass cheek wobbled from the impact, and Lauren cried out in pain, before she croaked another number.

  “Twenty-one. Please, Sir, no more.”

  Her friend’s whole body tensed when Jake stepped away and around her. Yanking her head up by her hair, he studied her, and Jacqui wanted to scream at him to stop. Seeing Lauren’s face all blotchy from her tears, her makeup smeared, made her want to snatch the blasted cane out of Master Jake’s hands, but the expression on his face stopped her.

  He didn’t look angry, but sad and disappointed, as he got to his haunches. Jake let go of her hair, dropped the cane to the ground, and framed Lauren’s face in his large hands.

  “Give me one good reason why I should stop, girl,” he said.

  The sounds of Lauren’s soft crying could be heard very clearly in the temporary lull of the music, and Lukas tightened his hold on Jacqui, as though he anticipated what was going through her mind right now.

  “Shush, just listen and observe. You’ll see.” His urgent whisper in her ear got through to her, and despite her misgivings she stopped struggling against his hold. “Good girl.”

  Those two words really shouldn’t make me feel pleased, should they? Besides her attention was taken up again by what was happening in front of her. It seemed the crowd was waiting, too, and it made Jacqui wonder if she was missing something here.

  “I asked you a question, pet. Did you or did you not deserve this punishment?”

  Lauren cried harder, and after what seemed like an eternity, she nodded.

  “Yes, Sir, I did. Thank you for making me see the error of my ways.”

  A huff escaped Jake’s chest, and a murmur went through the crowd when he picked up the abandoned cane and held it up to Lauren’s lips.

  A strangled groan escaped from Jacqui when the woman kissed the cane and looked up at her Master. There was no mistaking that look of adoration, and Jacqui found herself grateful for Lukas’s strong arm around her waist, or she would have been in danger of sliding to the ground as her legs gave out.

  Why on Earth did Lauren look at Master Jake as though he’d just done the best thing ever? That made no sense at all. Neither did Jake kissing her, before he untied her.

  “Good girl, then, let’s talk of this no more. Up you come, pet.”

  The gentleness in which he loosened her from her restraints, massaging her arms and legs to ensure her circulation spoke of his care, as did the way he pursed his lips and gently traced the welts on her behind.

  Jacqui winced anew as he did so, and Jake’s jaw tightened. He looked furious for all of one second before he grabbed a blanket someone handed him, wrapped it around her, and scooped Lauren up in his arms. In the next instant, Jake stood in front of Jacqui and Lukas.

  Jacqui blinked under his intense stare, and shifted her focus to Lauren. Eyes at half-mast she snuggled into her Master’s chest and smiled at Jacqui.

  She didn’t hear what the two Doms were saying to each other. Her attention focused on her friend.

  “Don’t look so worried, babe. I’m fine.”

  Some of Lauren’s usual spark returned when Jacqui snorted at that statement and glared at her.

  “You’re not fine. I’ve seen your ass.”

  Lukas’s silent chuckles against her back made heat rise in Jacqui’s cheeks. Maybe she had blurted that out a bit louder than she had meant to.

  Sure enough, Master Jake’s deep voice meant she had to look up at him. “The state of my pet’s backside is none of your concern, girl. It should be red raw after the stunt she pulled on me.”

  An uneasy silence fell between them, as Jacqui had no idea how to respond to that, especially as Lauren locked eyes with her, and seemed to be silently pleading her to let it go. Lukas’s arm tightening in seeming warning further reminded her that it wasn’t her place to judge. Even so, she couldn’t help but speak up for her friend.

  “She only did so for me.”

  Jake’s eyebrows rose, and his jaw clenched.

  “Careful, little dove.” Lukas’s whisper in her ear made her heart beat faster, but it also gave her courage. Had he not said mere moments ago that she needed to communicate, so that was damn well what she was going to do.

  “I mean, she knew I’d never go along with this otherwise, not because I don’t want to, but because I’d never have had the courage to step outside of my comfort zone otherwise, and yes, I know she shouldn’t have lied to you, but I really don’t want her to get into any more trouble, and … I’m just gonna shut up now.”

  Lukas’s lips seemed to curve into a smile next to her ear, and she could hear the amusement in his voice when he spoke for her ears only.

  “Breathe, woman, and relax. Her punishment is over.”

  Jacqui drew a much needed breath into her lungs at his encouragement.

  “Look at me, girl.” Master Jake’s command, delivered in that quietly deceptive drawl of his meant she yanked her gaze up to meet his, and she had to blink twice at what she saw. He, too, seemed amused at her outburst if the twinkle in his eyes was any indication.

  “I see Lukas will have his hands full with you, and if you carry on with that sass, then I predict your behind will be as sore as my pet’s before this evening is over, but then that may be exactly what you need.”

  Shifting Lauren slightly so that he could grasp Jacqui’s wrist, he studied her black wristband and flicked a glance up at Lukas behind her, before he smiled and released her. “You’re in good hands, little one. We’ll see you around.”

  With that, he turned on his heel and strode off through the crowded club and up the stairs at the other end.

  Lukas released his hold on her, and spun her around by the shoulders until she faced him. “You, little dove, seem to have a death wish tonight.”

  Jacqui bit her lip and hugged herself, only to have him pull her lips away from her teeth with his thumb, as he grasped her chin. “Stop doing that. The only marks your beautiful skin will get tonight are the ones made by my hand.”

  She gasped at the sinfully erotic images that immediately bombarded her, and when she looked up it was to see him give her his most wicked smile.

  “With your consent, of course, and bearing that in mind, let’s look around, so you can familiarize yourself with the set up, and see what you might want to try out.”

  His grin deepened when she seemed utterly incapable of uttering a response to that, and spinning her around again, he marched her over to what she knew was a St. Andrew’s cross. Ropes had been erected around the area in a wide square, and it dawned on Jacqui why, when the leather clad Dom uncurled a whip and cracked it through the air as though to test it. Jacqui all but jumped out of her skin at that terrifying sound, and she scooted back into Lukas’s comforting presence.

  A crowd quickly gathered to watch this Dom, as he cracked the whip several more times.

  “He’s testing the strength, and getting a feel for it, judging the distance he needs to the cross, before he uses it on his chosen submissive.” Lukas murmured the words in her ear, and kept up a steady commentary of what was happening, as said submissive appeared, and was strapped to the cross. Some negotiation occurred, and much to her surprise the Dom started with a soft suede flogger.

  “He’s going to warm her up with that, before he starts on her with the whip.”

  Jacqui nodded to Lukas to show she understood. Even so she jumped every time that flogger hit the woman’s skin, even if she seemed to be enjoying it. Spread eagled against the cross as she was, the sub’s underwear was soaked through with her arousal, and she moaned through every harder strike with the flogger. By the time the Dom put down the flogger and picked up the single tail, Jacqui wasn’t even flinching anymore. She was dimly aware of Lukas stepping sideways, his attention on her reaction rath
er than the flogging they were witnessing, but she was too caught up in what she was seeing to pay him much heed.

  The Dom lifted the sub’s head to talk to her, and Lukas’s voice was in her ear again. “He’s checking to make sure she’s still with him. This is where the traffic lights come in. If she signals green, he’ll carry on, if it’s orange, he’ll give her a minute to compose herself, and if it’s red, this will all stop right now. I would wager a guess she said orange, as they’re still talking.”

  Sure enough, the Dom checked the woman’s restraints, by running his fingers underneath them, and up and down her arms and legs. Soothing moves over skin reddened by his flogger, while he kept talking to the submissive in hushed, low tones, which seemed to relax her further, as she sagged against the cross. When he lifted a water bottle she took a few sips, and nodded at something he said.

  “There you are. She’s all right to carry on now.”

  Jacqui glanced up at Lukas as he said that to her, and she missed the first strike of the whip. She heard the crack, felt the air displacement as they’d been pushed closer to the rope fencing by the throng of people who’d gathered to watch, but the sound had lost its menace. Lukas smiled his approval as he studied her, and then nodded to the cross.

  “You don’t want to miss it. Master Aaron is an artist with the whip.”

  Sure enough, when she wrenched her attention back towards the action she was soon enthralled. Master Aaron’s skill was beyond doubt as the whip seemed to dance through the air, whispering across his sub’s skin in the lightest of touches, before it made contact.

  Far from the terrifying images that the crack brought to mind, this was a dance, and one the bound woman clearly enjoyed. Eyes closed, mouth slightly parted, every stroke of the whip, every fine line that appeared on her skin as Aaron stepped up the intensity of his whipping was another step in that macabre dance. He paused every few strikes to check on her, and Jacqui found herself blinking away tears at the care he showed. Made more astonishing, as far as she was concerned, because the unknown woman was not his sub. Her green wristband signaled her unattached status, not that Jacqui would have ever guessed that from Aaron’s interaction with her. The care he showed, especially as the scene drew a close, made that previously unspecified longing she always experienced when she read a good BDSM book spread from her belly to her fingertips, until she felt consumed by it.

  Reading about it was one thing. Seeing it firsthand was an entirely different beast, and without even realizing it, she snuggled closer to Lukas. The fact that he let her, that both his arms came around her as he rested his head on her shoulder, his even breathing ghosting across her jaw, made her feel safe, and almost as cherished as the young woman, who was now free from the cross, and sitting on Master Aaron’s lap, while he talked her down from her high.

  The people around them moved on, but Jacqui couldn’t bring herself to move, and she startled when Lukas spoke right in her ear.

  “Come on, little dove. Let’s take you upstairs.”

  Chapter Five

  Jacqui really had the most expressive face. She wore her emotions on her sleeve, and Lukas quietly congratulated himself on his foresight to switch her wristband. She seemed utterly oblivious to the attention she’d garnered from more than one Dom in this place since she’d moved into the play area, and that was with him close behind her.

  There was no doubt in his mind that, had it not been for the black band, he would have been inundated with requests from other dominants to approach her. Her curiosity shone through, and no Dom could resist such a delicious, receptive newbie. Maybe he wasn’t entirely fair to her in taking that choice away from her.

  Any other newbie would have been given the freedom to choose to scene with another Dom deemed safe by her sponsor. That was certainly the normal etiquette, but the mere thought of another man drinking in the small sounds she made at the back of her throat when she was enthralled and turned on by something, made Lukas want to punch something.

  It also made him wonder what sounds she would make as she fell apart. It wouldn’t take much stimulation to send her over the edge, he knew that. The sexually charged atmosphere of the club had that effect on most people. It was one of the main reasons why folks came, after all. To see, to be seen and observed, and to express their kink freely in a safe, nonjudgmental environment.

  “Upstairs?” She croaked the question, and when she ran her tongue over her lips in a nervous gesture he was fast beginning to love, Lukas had to resist the urge to simply haul her over his shoulder, and carry her up there, caveman style. Not least because Lance was making a bee line straight for them. The insolent smirk on the bouncer’s face meant Lukas wanted to thump one of his oldest mates and partner in the security firm they both ran.

  Jacqui was just Lance’s type, and his stint at door duty over with for the evening, he seemed intent on claiming her. His friend frowned when he drew close enough to see the black band on her wrist, but it didn’t stop him from stepping up right behind Jacqui.

  “Here you are, sweet lady. I told you I’d be back, right?”

  Jacqui’s response was both gratifying and comical in a way, because she gave a little shriek and grasping hold of Lukas’s arm, half hiding behind him.

  Lance’s eyebrow rose at her action, and he put his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. “Hey, easy there, girl. I can take a hint. No need to look at me as though I’m going to eat you. Though—”he gave her body a slow appraisal that made Lukas’s fingers itch anew to wipe that blasted smirk of his friend’s chiseled features, “that thought has merit. Lukas will tell you, I’m rather fond of eating fresh cunt.”

  “Fuck off, Lance, she’s mine.”

  Lance grinned, tapped Jacqui on the nose, and flipped him the finger. “So, I see. Fast work even for you. Well, sweetie, when he’s had his fill, come and find me. Shouldn’t take him long.”

  Jacqui made that cock hardening sound in the back of her throat again, and he wouldn’t have been surprised, had she drawn blood with the sheer force of her fingernails digging into his biceps.

  “You’re such an ass, Lance. Go find yourself a different sub.”

  His so-called friend punched him in the shoulder, and mercifully left them to it.

  “Ignore that bastard, and let’s get you upstairs.” He uncurled the death grip Jacqui had on his arm as he said that, hating the way she frowned at him.

  “Why?” she asked, and the doubts he now saw in her blue eyes made him swallow a curse. Gone was the excited and turned on woman, and her stead was a—if not frightened version—certainly a wary one.

  Gentling his voice to the one he used when a sub was coming out of subspace, he brought his hands either side of her face and leaned in to rest his forehead on hers. Partly to keep her grounded, and partly so that she would hear him, because the music kicked off with a vengeance. The heavy beat pulsed through his veins, perfect for some impact play, less so for soothing a skittish submissive. Short of dragging her away, however, which she would not welcome right now, he had no choice but to work with what he had.

  “Why what, little dove?” he asked, and she pushed against his chest, as though to put some distance. When he wouldn’t let her pull away, she sighed.

  “Why do we have to go upstairs?”

  “I did promise you a birthday spanking, and unless you want that to take place in full view of the club…” He laughed when she pulled away and frantically shook her head. “I thought not, so I secured us a room upstairs. It should be empty and clean by now.”

  Releasing her, he stepped away and waited. The way she worried her bottom lip with her teeth again made his balls tighten in need, and Lukas shifted his weight to gain some relief. What he wanted, needed, was to have this delightful bundle of curves bent over one of the tables in the office themed playroom he’d reserved with him balls deep in her sweet pussy, but he was beginning to realize that may well not happen. Not if he allowed her to overthink this.

  “Why me?” she
finally asked. “I heard what Lance said, and I’ve seen you at your flat. I mean, I’m not your usual sort of woman.” When he gave a short laugh and raised an eyebrow at her, she blushed the most delightful shade of crimson.

  “So that’s what Lauren meant by that neighbor, then? Ms. Page, have you been watching me perchance?”

  He winked at her when he uttered those words, and if it was possible, her blush deepened. Her breasts rose and fell with her rapid breathing, and Lukas found himself wishing the corset would give up the fight to contain that bounty. Noble intentions be fucked. If she was willing, he would indeed fuck her tonight, and damn the possible consequences.

  “And what type of woman do you think I go for, my sweet little dove? Do enlighten me.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Forget I said that. Let’s just get this over with.”

  She surprised him again by her immediate turn around and the way she all but ran to the stairs. Or as much as a woman could run in heels. To his certain knowledge he had never seen her in heels before, and while the strappy sandals she wore were by no means as high as most women in his acquaintance, they still gave her a fair amount of trouble. They also emphasized the length and shape of her pins, and Lukas amused himself with the view she provided, as she climbed the stairs in front of him.

  He fell back on purpose as that gave him the perfect view up her tiny skirt. The flashes of purple lace he glimpsed covering her pussy only served to make him harder. They also confirmed what he already knew. His little dove was turned on, the tiny crotch of her thong soaked through with her arousal. She paused at the top of the stairs, seemingly unsure of which way to go, and the self-conscious way in which she pulled at the hem of her skirt made him grin. It also made him want to wrap her up and take care of her, and he didn’t have the heart to tell her that she had given him a most satisfactory peep show on her way up the stairs.