The Keyholder

by Claire Thompson

  I did this, Nora thought, thrilled to her bones to have given someone a small taste of the passionate joy Charles gave her on a regular basis. Aloud, she warned, “This last one will test your fortitude. Stay where you are, and accept it with the grace I know you possess.”

  “Yes, Mistress,” Eva breathed in a trancelike tone. The last stroke sliced furiously through the air and thwacked against Eva’s already tender ass. “Ten,” Eva murmured, barely seeming to register the angry red welt rising over the others.

  Nora knew from experience Eva was now at the point where she had lost the will or desire to protest, even at the risk of real bodily harm. This was where the Dom had to step in and take full charge to keep his, or in this case, her, submissive safe. “Well done, sub Eva,” Nora said, lowering the cane and touching Eva’s shoulder with her free hand. “You may thank me.”

  Eva turned slowly and sank gracefully to her knees. She lowered her head until her lips touched the toe of Nora’s right boot. “Thank you, Mistress,” the lovely young sub girl breathed. Lifting herself upright, Eva twisted to regard the two men still seated on the couch, both of them leaning forward as if attached by invisible strings to the women. “Thank you, Master Charles,” she said prettily, and then, her voice rich with unmistakable love, “Thank you, Master Jack, my darling Sir.”

  “You’re welcome, beautiful girl,” Jack replied.

  Both men were beaming, and Nora realized she was grinning so hard her cheeks hurt. Then Charles said, “Now, the Mistress will again become a sub. The second scene will take place in the punishment room. Tonight at last we will explore Nora’s grace in handling the steel head cage.”

  Nora’s grin fell away, the cane she’d held clattering to the floor.

  ~*~

  The walls of the punishment room were painted a deep red, the hardwood floor stained black. As they entered, Jack put his hand on Eva’s shoulder and she turned toward him. He pulled her close, whispering into her hair, “You were magnificent back there, Eva.”

  She leaned into him, his words warming her from the inside out. Nora’s technical skill with the cane had impressed Eva considerably. But the real thrill of the experience, and one she hadn’t expected, came from the heightened element of erotic surrender that resulted from submitting to another sub. It had felt, in a way, as if she’d been submitting not only to the woman wielding the cane, but also to both their respective Masters, and the result had been all the more powerful.

  Nora’s gaze was riveted to the metal globe that hung by a chain in the center of the room. It looked like a huge, silver bowling ball, or the headgear for some kind of deep-sea diver. Unlike an ancient mariner’s mask, however, this device had chains soldered on either side, wrist cuffs dangling from the chains. Further examination of the globe revealed there were holes cut into the lower portion, no doubt to permit the wearer to breathe, but the metal appeared otherwise entirely solid.

  Eva could feel Nora’s trepidation as if it were an electric current crackling and swirling through the room. She was staring at the head cage, her right hand clenching Charles’ forearm in a white-knuckled grip. Charles placed his arm around Nora’s shoulders. “Remind me, sub girl. Who do you belong to?”

  The words seemed to have an instant calming effect, because Nora loosened her talon-like hold on her Dom’s arm and said softly, “You, Sir.”

  “That’s right. And what can I do to you, if it pleases me?”

  “Anything you want, Sir.”

  “Correct. But within that context of total control, what is my paramount concern when it comes to my sub girl?”

  “To keep me safe, Sir.”

  Charles hugged her closer. “That’s right, my darling. Knowing that, you also know I want to help you continue to grow as a submissive, and push boundaries that will lead you to where you long to go, right?”

  Nora nodded. “Yes, Sir. Thank you for reminding me, Sir.”

  “You pleased me greatly with your session with sub Eva.” Charles dropped his arm and turned to face Nora. He lifted her chin gently with his thumb and forefinger and gazed down into her eyes. “I want to reward you with a chance to show me, and to show our friends as witnesses, another step in your submissive journey. I wouldn’t suggest this if I didn’t think you were ready, more than ready, for this challenge.” He peered into Nora’s face, his dark eyes luminous in the soft light. “If I made a mistake in that, you just need to tell me. We’ll choose something else as your reward.”

  Eva held her breath as she waited for Nora’s response, silently rooting for her friend to find the courage to face what was clearly a trigger for her. Nora was still for several long moments as she stared up into Charles’ face, as if finding the strength she needed in his visage.

  Finally she lowered herself in a deep, graceful curtsey that ended with her on her knees. Though her voice trembled slightly as she spoke the words, she said, “Please, Master Charles, will you place me in the head cage?”

  Charles held out his hand. “Yes, sub Nora. I will do that for you.” He pulled her to her feet. They stared intently at one another, as if they’d forgotten anyone else was in the room. Jack and Eva exchanged a quick glance, and Jack gestured with his head toward a velvet-covered bench set discreetly against one wall, directly across from the head cage.

  They sat down on the bench as Charles led Nora to the steel globe. Eva’s ass felt hot against the velvet, the delicious sting of the welts still lingering. They watched silently as Charles released clasps on either side of the globe, allowing it to split along the hinges of its vertical seam. The front half of the headgear lifted open like the visor of a helmet.

  Charles turned to his wife, who was also watching intently, her arms wrapped protectively around her torso. “Are you ready?” Charles asked. “You can still change your mind.”

  Nora drew in a breath and let it out slowly. She dropped her arms and lifted her chin. “I’m ready, Sir. Please place me in the head cage.”

  Charles nodded and guided her into position, the back of her head against the inside back of the open device. He adjusted the chain slightly so the cage sat at the proper height to cover Nora’s head and neck comfortably. “I’m going to close the cage now. Use your emergency hand signal if you’re in extreme distress. I’m going to use your body in a way that pleases me. Your only task is to submit.”

  “Yes, Sir.” Nora’s voice came out small, and her eyes were wide with fear.

  Charles leaned closer, whispering something Eva couldn’t hear. Then he kissed her and stepped back. Nora’s eyes had closed, and a soft smile played on her lips.

  Charles carefully closed the cage over Nora’s face and slipped the latches on either side into a locked position. An initial small, squeaking sound emanated from behind the metal globe, but Nora was otherwise still. She remained silent as Charles lifted her arms one at a time and secured her wrists into the cuffs that hung from the apparatus.

  When he was done, Charles glanced over to where Jack and Eva were sitting. “Isn’t she gorgeous?”

  “Stunning,” Jack agreed. “That head cage is really cool. We’ll have to try it soon, won’t we, Eva?”

  “Um…” Eva responded noncommittally, though she had to admit the image Nora presented was extremely erotic. She was still wearing her sexy black satin corset and high leather boots. Eva wondered what Charles had in mind for his girl, but knew she wouldn’t need to wait long to find out.

  Charles moved to a small sideboard and returned with a pair of bandage scissors. He tugged at the right hip of Nora’s tiny panties and snipped the fabric. He snipped the other side and let the bit of satin and lace fall away. A tap to Nora’s thigh made her spread her legs wide. A second pat on her ass caused her to arch her pelvis forward.

  She held that position, pussy exposed, while Charles reached for the top of her corset. Eva hoped he wasn’t going to cut the beautiful garment, and was relieved to see he’d already set down the scissors.

  He reached into the bodice o
f the corset with both hands. Out popped Nora’s pretty breasts, pushed up and together by the confines of the corset just beneath them, like perfect, ripe peaches. The gold hoops at her nipples caught the light. The sight of the exposed, cuffed and metal-masked submissive was at once unsettling and deeply erotic. Eva was glad she was sitting down, and she leaned gratefully into Jack. He reached for her hand and placed it on his groin. She grinned as her fingers closed over his rock-hard erection.

  Charles moved behind his sub girl and cupped her bare breasts, his fingers finding her nipples. He squeezed and twisted them until the pink nubbins darkened to red and stood like gumdrops on the soft mounds of flesh.

  Letting go of her, Charles reached for something in his back pocket. He produced what Eva saw was a pair of clover nipple clamps. Still leaning over Nora from behind, he grabbed one nipple and pulled it taut. He pushed one of the clamps open and let it close over the nipple.

  Another squeak emanated from behind the head cage.

  He clamped the second nipple and gave the chain a gentle tug, which Eva knew from experience would cause the clover clamps to tighten against Nora’s already compressed nipples.

  Remaining behind her, he reached over her body to cup her pubic mound. As his middle finger disappeared between her spread legs, another sound issued from the cage, this one a low, sensual moan. One hand tugged at the clamp chain while the other massaged Nora’s spread cunt. The rich scent of female arousal filled the small room, and Nora’s body began to tremble. After a while, a muffled but steady moaning was audible from behind the head cage, and it was clear Nora was holding on by a thread.

  Say it! Eva telegraphed urgently to Charles. Let her come! She could feel the heat emanating from Jack’s erection, and her own pussy was moist and throbbing between her legs.

  Finally Charles intoned, “Come for me, sub Nora. Now.”

  As she danced, Charles released the nipple clamps, adding what Eva knew was the perfect spice of erotic pain to the sweetness of Nora’s orgasmic pleasure.

  Eventually Nora’s passionate cries died away, and she sagged in her confines. Jack jumped up from the bench and moved to help Charles as he released Nora’s wrist cuffs and opened the head cage. Jack pulled the cage back and held it away as Nora fell into her husband’s arms.

  Eva joined them, wanting to see firsthand that her best girlfriend was all right. Charles lifted Nora into his arms. She opened her eyes, which were fever-bright. Her cheeks were flushed, a radiant smile on her face.

  Charles carried Nora through a doorway Eva hadn’t noticed before. Jack and Eva followed. Charles sat on the daybed that nearly filled the room, Nora still in his arms. There was a small refrigerator in the corner of the room, and Charles gestured with his head. “A bottle of water,” he said.

  Eva moved quickly to retrieve the water. She twisted off the cap and handed the bottle to Charles. He helped Nora to sit more upright and tipped the rim of the bottle to her lips.

  She drank deeply, sighed happily, and said, “Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. That was one of the most amazing, intense experiences of my life.” She lifted her face to Charles. “Thank you, Sir. Thank you for knowing I truly was ready, at last.”

  Charles smiled and leaned down to kiss Nora’s lips. “You’re welcome.” He lifted his head and flashed a grin toward Jack before looking back down at Nora. “Now the question is, how do you repay me? In fact”—he fixed his gaze on Eva—“it seems to me both subs in this equation have had satisfaction. What about us Doms?”

  Eva glanced at Jack’s crotch, which still sported a huge, telltale lump beneath the soft black leather of his pants, and said, “I have an idea. If Nora’s up to it, we could thank our Masters properly, on our knees.” She licked her lips suggestively. Jack laughed and winked at her, and she was certain he knew precisely what she was offering.

  Nora, too, seemed to get it. She rolled from Charles’ lap and knelt up, apparently fully recovered from the erotic ordeal with the head cage. “That’s an excellent idea,” she enthused, rubbing her hands together in her eagerness.

  Charles stood and reached for his fly, pulling the zipper down past his own sizable bulge. He looked at Jack with a conspiratorial grin. “What do you say, Master Jack? Care for a little friendly competition? The girls will service us without the benefit of their hands. Whoever comes first, wins.”

  Jack moved to stand beside Charles, grinning broadly. “Sounds like a plan. Though somehow I think we’re both going to end up winners. This whole night has me so hot I’ll be lucky if I last thirty seconds.”

  Charles replied with a grin, “I give myself twenty, max.”

  Eva knelt beside Nora and placed her hands dutifully behind her back, her mouth watering in anticipation of worshipping her Master’s cock.

  The men opened their pants and pulled out their erect shafts. At a signal from Jack, Eva fell hungrily to her task of satisfying her Master, Nora working busily beside her.

  Life, she thought happily, was good. So, so good.

  Chapter 16

  “That was fun. Maybe I’ll even win a set one of these days.” Jack grinned as he toweled his hair dry in the locker room. He enjoyed coming with Charles to his gym and was considering getting a membership of his own.

  “Hey, you kidding?” Charles said, pulling on his jeans. “I can’t believe you’re new to the game. You got in some excellent slams today. I predict my days as the reigning racquet ball champion of the Hawthorne Dungeon Keyholders are numbered.” Charles looked at his watch. “I have a few minutes before I have to be at the office. You have time to grab something to eat before we head out?”

  “Yeah, sure. Eva’s taking a jewelry making class all week through adult education at NYU, and I don’t have to teach until this afternoon.”

  “Jewelry, huh? I thought she was into painting.” They walked together out of the locker room and into the club’s snack bar. They both ordered orange juice and an English muffin and carried their food to one of the small tables.

  “She’s into everything—watercolor, oils, ceramics and now jewelry,” Jack said enthusiastically, unable to hide his pride. “She’s even interested in sculpting, and she’s really good. I’ve been working with her informally in our studio with clay. She’s got incredible talent. It’s gratifying to watch her develop as an artist.”

  Charles smiled at him. “You do realize you’re beaming like a proud papa, right?” he teased. “Seriously though, in the fifteen years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you like this, Jack. Eva is it, isn’t she? It’s not just the D/s thing—she’s the one for you on every level, am I right?”

  Jack nodded, a flush of warmth and happiness moving through him to say it out loud. “Yeah. I really, really love Eva.” He leaned forward, adding earnestly, “You know, I’ve spent my life devoted to my art. I told myself I had plenty of time, and someday, somewhere I’d find the right person. But I always secretly worried that she wasn’t out there. I mean, maybe she was, but I was never giving myself a chance to find out.”

  Charles nodded. “It’s weird how things can work out. You never know what life’s going to throw at you. I guess what you do with it is what matters in the end. I met Nora on a subway platform on one of the hottest days of a very muggy New York summer. It was rush hour, and the train had broken down, and we’d been waiting like thirty minutes. She was standing there holding all these bags, and she looked really miserable, and exhausted, and gorgeous, of course. I’d just had a really rotten day at work, and my plan was to spend the evening alone drinking beer, watching the game and feeling sorry for myself.

  “My girlfriend at the time and I had just broken up, and I’d sworn to myself upside down and sideways that no way was I going to get involved with anyone any time soon. I wasn’t interested in rebound sex, and I certainly had no plans to pick up a stranger on a subway platform. But there was just something about Nora. I kept stealing glances at her, and thinking, should I say anything? I remember looking at her ring finger and doing
a mental fist pump when I saw no ring there.

  “Then, when the train finally came, Nora hoisted her sacks and started to move through the throng to get closer to the door. I knew right then I just couldn’t let her disappear. I struck up a conversation with her and somehow convinced her we should go out for a coffee. The rest, as they say, is history.”

  Jack nodded, smiling indulgently at his old friend, who had told him this story more than once. “Pretty amazing that you share the same kink, huh, meeting the way you did?”

  “You got that right,” Charles said emphatically. “Nora actually had more direct experience with BDSM than I did at the time, but we’re both hardwired that way, no question about it. If one or the other of us hadn’t been, it wouldn’t have lasted. It’s too essential a part of who we are.”

  “I get that,” Jack said. “Same with Eva and me. D/s is at the core of our relationship, but it’s not the only thing. To have someone I love share my passion for art is just amazing. I keep encouraging her to apply to the fine arts program at NYU, but so far she’s just not ready, I guess.” He shrugged. “I mean, not that I can blame her. Choosing art for a career is kind of insane. But really, you don’t choose it, it kind of chooses you, if you follow me.”

  “I do,” Charles replied. “When something is right, it’s right.” He patted Jack’s arm. “I think I’ve been with Nora long enough that her sixth sense about people sometimes rubs off on me. And I sense you’re talking about more than just art school. Here’s my advice, not that you’re asking.” He grinned. “But seriously, when the time is right, you’ll know. Trust Eva, and trust yourself.”

  That night over dinner, Jack asked, “How’s the jewelry class going?”

  It was the only opening needed. Excitement bubbled through her words as Eva eagerly related the latest techniques she’d been learning for working with gold.