Training the Dom

by Christine d'Abo

  A deep breath. Start with the basics, with what you know, and everything will come up aces.

  I moved so I stood behind him, but slightly to the side. “Start talking.” And I punctuated my words with a slap to his left cheek.

  Gareth groaned. “It stings, but you didn’t hit me too hard. You aimed a bit too low for it to really make an imp—”

  I spanked him three times, as hard as I could manage. He cried out as he squeezed the arms of the chair. “It wasn’t an invitation to critique my technique. Tell me what you’re thinking. Feeling.”

  “It hurts. I’m not used to feeling pain this way. I haven’t been on this side of things before.”

  There we go.

  I moved to his other side, knowing how things could change from a good pain to a bad pain if the blows weren’t spread out a bit. Another three slaps and his skin started to take on a light-red color.

  “I didn’t think I’d enjoy being spanked. I’m still not sure if it’s my thing. But I love your hands on me.”

  I could tell he was starting to sink down into his head a bit. That first time between us at the charity auction had been my first experience with what Connie called sub-space. It was weird and freeing, a type of mental numbness that allowed you to turn your brain off and simply exist for a while. And as much as he teased me about not having a switch in my head, I did. It seemed he did too.

  Another thing we had in common. Another connection.

  Instead of continuing the spanking, I dropped to my knees behind him and bit his ass. Now, when I did something similar as a sub, Gareth enjoyed directing me. He never let me play where I wanted, do to him what I really wanted to do. Oh he had no problem rimming me, so I don’t know what bothered him so much about me reciprocating.

  His body was clean, but the scent of recent sweat clung to him. I licked across the cheek, enjoying the feeling of his fine hairs against my tongue. Fuck, he’d stopped talking again. I bit down hard enough to pull a yelp from him.

  “Christ, that hurt.”

  “Tell me.”

  The growl that came from him was clearly his Dom self wanting to come out to play. I gave him a little slap to remind him that Mistress Elizabeth was here instead.

  “Tell me.”

  “I wish I could see what you’re doing. I want to see the expression on your face as you’re on your knees. I love seeing you on your knees.”

  Oh.

  I squeezed his cheeks hard with my hands, taking a moment to fight off the unexpected rush of emotions. Don’t lose it now, Liz. Work to do.

  Now, I haven’t done a lot of extreme things with Gareth in our time together. Nothing that people who are more experienced in the lifestyle than I am would consider out there. But there are lines Gareth has pushed me past that I’d never considered going across before.

  It was about time I did some pushing of my own.

  Spreading his ass cheeks, I leaned in and nipped along the inside ridge of his ass. The muscle tensed hard beneath my teeth and he tried to stand up.

  “Don’t you dare!” My words were hot against him, bouncing back to echo in my ears. “I didn’t say you could move.”

  “Liz, I—”

  “Are you safewording on me? Over a little rim job?” I could tell that caught him off guard. “Get your hands back on those arms and don’t move.”

  Apparently, Mistress Elizabeth really wanted to do this.

  Who knew?

  With my hand on the small of his back, I pushed him down and encouraged his legs wider. His cock, which was hard, hung heavy between them. Leaning in, I ignored the voice in my head that was freaking out about the fact that this couldn’t be sanitary, and licked a swipe along the back of his balls and along his perineum.

  The skin and the smell weren’t what I was expected. The overwhelming scent of Gareth washed over me, the same bitter saltiness coated my tongue that did when I sucked his cock.

  “God, that feels so good.”

  The problem with being a sub pretending to be a Domme, is that it’s really easy to lose yourself and forget your role. I mean, I’m not ashamed to admit I get off on getting him off. I love when I can cause those little slips in his control by doing exactly what he wants. So having him slip and become a moaning mess as I lick and nip my way along his balls and ass was heady shit.

  “Touch my cock, Liz.”

  And then everything came snapping back.

  I pushed him forward, more in an attempt to get separation than to punish him. Gasping, I was surprised to find that I was shaking nearly as much as he was. We’d both let our control slip and had briefly forgotten our new roles.

  I don’t remember that having happened before.

  “I think you’ve forgotten who’s in charge here tonight.” I licked my lips, the taste of him still lingering. “You don’t have permission to tell me what to do.”

  Gareth squeezed his eyes shut and chuckled. “Yes, Mistress.”

  “You forgot.”

  “Yes, Mistress. I did.”

  “If you’re not going to follow the rules when I try to do something nice for you, then you’re not going to have the treat.”

  Wisely, Gareth didn’t respond.

  “I think it’s time we changed things.”

  Gareth cocked an eyebrow.

  The poor man. He didn’t have a clue what was in store for him. “I think it’s time we took things to the bedroom.”

  * * * * *

  Connie really is the best friend a girl could have. When we came up with this idea, she immediately went off on a rant of, Here’s exactly what I would do to Stephen if I had a chance. I hope it never comes to that between them, because I’m not sure Stephen would survive. Once she got past her own fantasies, she helped me plan out what I was going to do for Gareth.

  More importantly, she helped me set everything up.

  The man in question was currently trailing behind me, buck naked. He’d been surprisingly quiet since I’d suggested the bedroom. Maybe this was where he was having his own mental freakout, knowing that I wanted to have sex with him. But proving once again that he is a stronger person that I am, he didn’t say anything about it.

  “I want you on your knees at the foot of the bed, hands behind your head and eyes down.” Gareth nodded, but that wasn’t what I wanted. I managed to land a smack on his ass as he moved past me. “What was that? I didn’t hear you.”

  “Yes, Mistress.”

  I think I might have preened a bit.

  “You have been a bad boy. Not listening to my commands. Questioning my authority. Trying to take over. I don’t know what your other Dommes have tolerated, but I won’t put up with a toppy sub.”

  I was impressed he managed not to laugh.

  “It occurs to me that even though you’re a Dom, you haven’t had the proper training. You’ve learned everything ad hoc. I intend to show you exactly what it means to be a sub so you will understand.”

  He looked up at that, a frown pinching his face. “I understand, Liz.”

  Okay, time to drop the mask for a second. “No, I don’t think you do. You try to. You are generous and kind and have somehow managed to worm your way into my head faster than anyone else I’ve ever known. But you don’t understand. You will though.”

  I had to look away from him then as another rush of emotion rolled through me. Dammit, why couldn’t I do this for him without turning into some sort of basket case? God, I would be a mess if it turned out his feelings for me weren’t the same as mine toward him.

  Connie had put everything we’d discussed on my dresser and had covered it with a tea towel. The blue-and-white checkered pattern hid the tools I was going to do my best to use. Flicking the towel away with a single swipe, I tossed it over my shoulder and stared down.

  “What to choose, what to choose?”

  It was all an act. I knew exactly what I wanted to use on him first, the order the other items would follow and what each would do to him. There really was an advantage to havi
ng experienced the sensations from all of those things before.

  First thing first. Restraints.

  “Stand up and walk over to the closet. Open the door.” I actually had to stop myself from throwing a please on the end. It really didn’t feel right bossing him around. It’s only one night, Liz, suck it up.

  I kept my back to him, remembering all the times when he did that to me. The feeling of wanting his attention, but knowing I’d never get it if I didn’t do exactly what he said. It’s weird how important one person’s opinion can become when everything else has been stripped away.

  The squeak of the closet door being pulled open, followed by a soft snort had me smiling. I was still holding the riding crop and had to rearrange a few things to make room for it.

  “Before you ask, it’s Stephen’s personal St. Andrew’s cross.” Did I mention I love Stephen as much as Connie? “I think you know how that thing works. Get yourself set up on it as best you can. I’ll do the rest.”

  I forced myself to count to thirty in my head after he finally stopped moving. God, this was almost as good as opening a Christmas present! I couldn’t wait to turn around and see the look on his face, the flush on his skin. I grabbed the first thing I planned to use on him and stuffed it into my cleavage.

  Making sure my eyes were actually open, I smiled as I turned to saunter toward him. “See, you’re getting better at following directions already.”

  There was that glorious ass again. Gareth had stretched out along the cross, his hands coming up high enough he could cup the top of the wood. The restraints were simple Velcro cuffs attached to ropes. When Stephen first brought the homemade cross home, I couldn’t get my head wrapped around what they would use it for. Yeah, accidently walking in on your friends while they are playing will really enlighten you.

  “I’m going to tighten you up.” I touched his shoulder before I made a grab for the cuff. Gareth would do that with me—touching to make sure I knew what was going to happen. Well, he did in the beginning until he broke me in. “I know we haven’t talked about limits yet. Is there anything I should know? Anything to stay away from?”

  “Liz, I don’t think there is anything you could do to me that would push my boundaries.”

  “Still, I need to know. You have to say the words.” Okay, so I knew he was right, but this was as much about reassuring him as it was setting limits. I needed him to know that I cared about him and what happened. Otherwise, this whole evening would lose its significance and meaning.

  “No scat, golden showers or blood. I don’t mind bruises, but not to my face. Everything else will be fine.”

  “And what’s your safeword again?”

  “Book.”

  God, he was such a nerd.

  I managed to get him secured to the cross without coming across as the amateur I was. The boots gave me the added height I needed to lean in without touching him. When everything was done, I walked around the cross so he could see my face. I must have had an odd expression on my face, because he was frowning again.

  “Wondering what I’m going to do to you?” I didn’t bother to wait for him to answer, reached between my breasts and pulled out the nipple clamps I’d shoved there.

  “Shit,” he muttered and closed his eyes.

  “There’s an expression. Something about turnabout and fair play? Ever heard of it? No?”

  He thumped his head on the side of the cross. “Yes, Mistress.”

  “Now if I remember correctly, I need to get you ready before I just clamp them on. How do I do this again? Right.” Leaning in I sucked on the closest nipple, ignoring the way he tried to jerk away from me.

  The nub grew hard beneath my tongue, as I teased it with my tip. Even when I closed my eyes I could feel his muscles straining as he fought against my moist attack, wanting to pull away, but unable to. Only when I thought he wouldn’t be able to take another swipe, did I pull back to admire my handiwork.

  “That looks beautiful.”

  The nipple clamps Connie had let me use were different from the normal ones Gareth used. I took a deep breath, wiped off the saliva that still lingered on his skin and slipped the clamp in place. I didn’t have a lot of skin to work with, and honestly, I was a little freaked out that I’d do this wrong and hurt him in the not good way. But the BDSM gods must have been smiling down on me because I was able to slip the first one in place.

  “How does that feel?”

  “It fucking hurts. Mistress.”

  I stood up straight and couldn’t stop the grin from coming. “Excellent. Time for number two.”

  He groaned but couldn’t do anything to stop me from tormenting him again. The second clamp went on with no difficulty, partly due to my newfound confidence, and partly because Gareth was smart enough to stop moving.

  Payback. Thank you, universe.

  “Ouch.” Gareth’s growl was almost cute.

  Time for phase two.

  “That first night we met, I was pretty naïve about a lot of things. I’d heard about nipple clamps, but I hadn’t used any. Hell, I’d barely dipped my toe into the kinky pool and you had me trussed up and clamped tight before I could say whoa Nelly.”

  I tried to not run back to my dresser to get the next item on my Gareth-torture list, though I might have possibly skipped a bit. The paddle I’d picked out myself. It was one of my personal favorites, leaving a sting that melted into my muscles whenever he worked me over.

  “I was so curious and more than a little nervous that it didn’t occur to me to be scared. You were a complete stranger and for all I knew you would tie me up and do things to me that I wouldn’t enjoy. And I’d even paid for the pleasure.”

  Once more behind him, I ran my hand down along the swell of his ass. The pink from earlier had gone, leaving the skin pale and unblemished. I was going to have to do something about that.

  Gareth was breathing heavily and his chin had dropped to his chest. I knew he was fighting through the pain, trying to control the surge of sensations flooding him. It wasn’t going to work. Control wasn’t what he needed then. He had to relax into it, accept the pain for what it was and let it flow through him.

  “You showed me things that I didn’t even know would turn me on. You taught my body that it was capable of more things, surviving more, enjoying sensations that I wouldn’t have thought pleasurable.”

  I made sure I was standing in the right spot and that I was holding the paddle the way Stephen had showed me. It was heavier than I remembered it being, and my muscles in my biceps and shoulder pulled as I lined it up with his ass.

  “You also helped me turn my brain off. I’m always thinking things ten steps ahead, worrying and wondering. I can’t do that when you have me bound and clamped. I don’t know, it’s as if when you’ve got me pinned down, my brain has permission to switch off for a bit. I want to give that to you, give you that gift so you can understand too.”

  I wasn’t really prepared for the vibrations up my arm when the paddle connected with his ass. The sound was impressive to say the least. I’m so used to being the one to feel the effects that go along with that noise, my pussy had dampened. Pavlov was a jerk and really frigging smart.

  Gareth groaned. Yeah, I recognized that noise too. It’s the one I make when he’s pushed a bit too hard, too fast, I need a few minutes to adjust. He never gave it to me.

  I made sure the second slap landed in the same spot.

  “Tell me what you’re feeling.” Oops, there was that Dom growl again from him. I made sure to land two smacks to his other ass cheek. “I don’t hear you talking.”

  “It fucking hurts.”

  “More.” Another smack.

  “It burns. Really burns. I didn’t think it was that intense.” Smack. “Fuck! My dick and balls are tingling.” Smack. “Dammit, Liz.”

  “Not Liz. Not tonight.”

  I landed three more spanks with the paddle before tossing it aside so I could admire the result. Not too bad for an amateur—self-high-fiv
e. His skin was nice and red, without a trace of white to be found. Gareth was panting, leaning heavily on the cross. I could tell he was in that stunned awareness phase, where your brain is trying to catch up to all the sensations your body is throwing at you.

  Embracing my newfound inner bitch, I raked my nails down his ass. “I think I understand why you enjoy spanking me so much.”

  My hands were shaking, which threw me. Sure I was turned-on seeing him in this position, but I didn’t think I’d have reacted so strongly. And shaking hands right now were bad because I wanted to try the flogger. The last thing I wanted was to miss my mark.

  Ah fuck it. I’d make it work.

  The flogger I’d picked out wasn’t one that would cause a great deal of harm if I was careful. Honestly, it was one of my favorites for Gareth to use on me. It was only fair that I show him firsthand what the appeal of it was.

  I walked around the front of the cross, needing to make sure he was still okay. A peek down to his nice hard cock told me everything I needed to know. Hands still warm? Yup. Gareth slowly becoming a drooling mess? Oh yeah.

  All going according to The Plan.

  Holding up the flogger, I tapped the end of his nose with it. “Exactly how horny are you right now?”

  He looked up and I don’t think I could ever remember his eyes being that dark before. “I could fuck you through the floor.” He licked his lips. “Twice.”

  “Excellent.” Hell yes, I was grinning. “No coming until I say you can. I’m going to flog you now.”

  “You’re not being Mistress Elizabeth anymore. This is Liz I’m seeing.”

  Of course he would pick up on that. “I believe Mistress Elizabeth can act however the hell she wants. If that means I get to be excited about being able to flog my man, then I’ll be excited.”

  That was him told.

  Gareth had the nerve to roll his eyes. “Yes, Mistress.”

  I gave the chain linking his nipple clamps a solid tug before moving around behind him. “Don’t be a jerk or I’ll get out the butt plug.”

  “You know, there will eventually be payback for this.”

  “God, I hope so.”