Licorice Whips

by Bridget Midway

  “I heard that.” Masaun stood in the doorway.

  “What did I tell you?” Sweet nudged Nikla in her side.

  She loved the relationship between the two brothers. She could tell they both would do anything for the other one. “You have a lovely home. I really like your dungeon.” Nikla smiled.

  Masaun scanned the space. “We’ll have to enjoy the room now. Once we have children, we’re going to have to keep our activities in the club.” Masaun turned off the light and closed the door behind Sweet and Nikla.

  “Kids? You two are already talking about having a family?” Sweet led Nikla to the family room where Kindle had a couple of trays of finger foods available, from crudités to stuffed mushrooms and spinach dip.

  “Of course.” Masaun assumed his spot next to Kindle and wrapped his arm around her. He whispered something in her ear, which made her giggle like a schoolgirl and squeeze him tighter.

  “I hope you all brought your appetites. Masaun made lamb with mint jelly.” Kindle kissed Masaun before heading to the bar. “Nikla, would you like something to drink?”

  “Water is fine. I want to be able to play tonight if Sweet is up for it.”

  The room became quiet at her admission.

  Nikla felt heat rising up her neck to her face. “Should I have not said that? I’m sorry.”

  “No. It’s fine.” Masaun held up his glass to her. “You’re absolutely right.” He pointed to Sweet. “You do have her trained well.”

  “I’m lucky.” Sweet stared at Nikla for what seemed like an eternity.

  If Kindle hadn’t placed a drink in Nikla’s hand, she wouldn’t have broken the stare.

  Nikla found Sweet’s brother and Masaun’s fiancée to be kind and generous. The love they had for each other came through so vividly that it overwhelmed the room.

  Conversation flowed easily between the four. Nikla felt like she’d known Masaun and Kindle all of her life, just like she felt with Sweet.

  When they sat down for dinner, Nikla looked down at her plate, then over to Sweet. She leaned in close to him. “What can I have?”

  Sweet rubbed the back of her neck as he smiled at her.

  “Come on. This is a regular dinner.” Masaun shook his head. “No topping at the table.”

  Ignoring his brother, Sweet whispered to Nikla, “Have the salad, but no dressing.”

  She exhaled at his directives and continued listening to him.

  “I’ll give you your portion of lamb, couscous, and sautéed vegetables. Take a bite of each and look to me for further instructions. I’ll wait on dessert to decide if you can have any.”

  Nikla crossed her legs. She never thought she would give up so much of her power to a man, or anyone. Something as simple as being told what to eat freed her from doing anything but being herself. With Sweet, she found her happiness.

  “Are you two done? Can we get going on our normal dinner?” Masaun asked. “You said you wanted vanilla. What gives?”

  “You of all people should know how hard it is to just stop.” Sweet kept his stare on Nikla. He continued rubbing her neck until she thought she would dissolve into a puddle of pudding on her chair.

  “Come on. Let’s eat.” Kindle held Masaun’s hand and smiled at him.

  Only after her touch did Masaun seem like he relaxed a little. After a short prayer by Masaun, dinner started.

  As instructed, Nikla took small bites from her salad and her meal. When Sweet tapped her thigh and nodded, she knew she could have more. Their unspoken bond connected her to him more intensely than when he played with her body.

  “So what is it that you do, Nikla?” Kindle asked toward the end of dinner.

  “I’m a yoga and Pilates instructor at the recreation center.” Nikla took a sip of her water, but she noticed Masaun giving Sweet an approving wink.

  “Don’t think I didn’t see that.” Kindle gave a hard but playful glare to Masaun.

  “Just thinking how great it must be for Sweet to have a submissive who is so flexible. He likes putting his subs through their paces.” Masaun wagged his finger at Nikla. “You were the one Sweet played with the other night, right? He had you spread eagle on the beam.”

  Nikla glanced down, a bit embarrassed that she showed her body to Sweet’s brother. Had she known he had been sitting in the audience at the time, she wouldn’t have done it.

  Who was she kidding? Nikla couldn’t deny Sweet.

  “Yes, that was me. I was so scared doing it at first. Once Sweet started on me with the canes, I wanted more.” Nikla held Sweet’s hand under the table.

  “She’s been incredible. She picks up techniques very quickly. There’s so much more I’d like to teach her.” Sweet turned his hand around so that he could kiss the back of her hand.

  “I’m just glad you’re getting out of that apartment and you’ve gotten into real play.”

  “So how did you two meet?” Nikla asked the duo.

  Kindle smiled. “Masaun delivered a candy bouquet to me.”

  Nikla melted at that story. “That’s so sweet. That’s almost like us.”

  “Really? How’s that?” Kindle took a drink of her iced tea.

  “Sweet gave me a heart-shaped box of chocolates while I was out in front of your store.” Although Sweet had given Nikla the box as a dig against her, Nikla could laugh about the situation now.

  When she observed Sweet, he didn’t look as happy to recall that moment. He glared at her, his jaw clenched. Nikla swallowed wondering what she could have done to anger him. Did he not want his brother to know that they started on rocky terms?

  Masaun patted Sweet on his back. “Romance is still in you, I see.” He turned to Nikla. “What were you doing in front of our store? I don’t remember seeing you as a customer.”

  The smile slipped down Nikla’s face. No wonder Sweet looked so angry. He hadn’t told Masaun all about her.

  Nikla would rectify that right now. “I’m the one handing out fliers in front of your store.”

  Masaun’s face became serious as he stared at her. “I thought you looked familiar. I thought it was just from the club.”

  “And I thought you had told your brother about me.” Nikla slipped her hand out of Sweet’s grip.

  “I told him the important items like how you make me feel,” Sweet said. “Everything else is irrelevant.”

  “Irrelevant? Are you kidding me? Let me get this straight. You’re sleeping with and disciplining the lone protester, and you had the nerve to bring her to my home?”

  “Masaun, please.” Kindle put her hand on top of his. “She is still a guest in our home.”

  “No, she’s the enemy.”

  “Back that up.” Sweet sat up taller. “If I brought her here, that must mean that I trust her. If I trust her, then you should do the same.”

  “This woman is trying to shut down our business.” Masaun glared at his brother. “Sweet, have you told her how important our business is to us? To you?”

  “Let’s drop this subject and move on.” Sweet pushed back from the table.

  Without touching Sweet, Nikla could feel the heat emitting from his body. He could have thrown her to the wolves in this environment. Although she hated that Sweet never told his brother how he met her and her true identity, she loved that he defended her.

  “Hell no. I’m not moving on from this.” Masaun pushed himself from the table. “Decadent Treats is our life. We built that from nothing except for hope and a prayer. I just can’t believe you would side with her.”

  “It’s not a matter of taking sides.” Sweet started to raise his voice. “I’m not stupid or reckless. There’s a side of Nikla that you don’t see.”

  “I didn’t mean to cause an argument.” Nikla started to stand, but Sweet’s arresting grip on her wrist stilled her in her chair.

  “Get your head out of your ass.” Masaun never broke his glare on his brother. “Out of all the women out there, you had to bed and spank the one who hates us.” He shook his head.<
br />
  “I don’t hate you.” Nikla tried talking over the men but between their booming voices only thunder could compete with them.

  “Nikla is not what you think. I’ve gotten to know her.”

  Masaun leaned back in his chair and let out an exasperated chuckle. “Gotten to know her? Has she gotten to know you?” He directed his attention to Nikla. “Has he told you his real name? Did he tell you about his struggles growing up? Did he tell you about the panic attacks?”

  “Masaun!” Kindle put her hand on Masaun’s arm.

  “You son-of-a-bitch.” Sweet shook his head.

  Masaun kept his glare on Nikla. “It’s the reason I stay on top of him all the time. When he released his last submissive, he shut down. I can’t lose my only brother. That candy store gave him a goal. Gave him something to look forward to each day. I’ll be damned if you or anyone else try to take that from him.”

  Sweet balled his hand into a fist on top of the table. “No matter what I do, you will always see me as that lost kid, won’t you? I don’t need you protecting me. I just need you to believe in me. Be my goddamn brother and not my keeper.”

  Nikla felt something she didn’t think she would in the moment: anger. Despite being disappointed that Sweet hadn’t told Masaun about her, her heart broke for him when he realized that Masaun would always see him as a failure. She had the same feeling from her father.

  Nikla stood from table. She grabbed Sweet’s hand. “His name is Swithin Bartholomew Hawkes.” She watched Masaun’s face relax. “Captain Candyland was his favorite candy store as a kid. I know about his panic attacks because I had one in front of your store and he helped me. He’s the bravest man I’ve ever met, willing to try anything.” Nikla made sure to stare directly into his eyes. “He is enough of a man to let me be myself, even if it means picketing his baby.” She leaned close to Masaun. “And I will gladly, gladly do whatever he wants me to do in the bedroom and in the dungeon.” To punctuate her point, she reached under her dress, removed her panties and handed them to Sweet.

  Sweet accepted them with a smile.

  “Where would you like me, Sir?” she asked him.

  “Get your purse and coat.” He stood. “I think we’re done here.”

  “Please, don’t go like this.” Kindle rose to her feet. “We barely finished dinner, and we still have dessert.”

  Masaun waved his hand to his fiancée. “Let them go.”

  Nikla strolled to the bedroom where Sweet left her personal items. If he wanted to come in the room and take her right now, she would let him. Defiance coursed through her veins.

  When she returned to the dining room, she found Sweet moving over to Kindle.

  “Kindle, I appreciate dinner. Wished we could stay for dessert.” Sweet gave his future sister-in-law a hug.

  “You could stay.”

  Nikla heard the pleading tone in her voice.

  “Not tonight.” Sweet shook his head.

  Masaun rose to his feet but stared stoically at Sweet.

  “See you at the store.” Sweet stepped away from the table and held Nikla’s hand.

  With Sweet by her side, she felt invincible. For that reason, she knew she would have to tell him about her father.

  ****

  When Sweet got to his truck he opened the door for Nikla. Sweet jumped in and locked his door. He faced her. “I should have told Masaun who you really were.”

  “Yes, you should have. I felt humiliated. I felt set up.” Nikla crossed her arms over her chest.

  “I didn’t want that to happen.”

  “Oh, yeah? What did you expect to happen?”

  “I wanted him to see the amazing person I see.” Sweet stared at her. “I wanted him to understand how I could be so crazy about you.”

  All air escaped her lungs. Nikla couldn’t break her gaze from Sweet.

  “Breathe,” he said simply.

  On an exhale she said, “You’re crazy about me?”

  He smiled at her. “You’re all I think about every day.” He held her hand. “When it comes to me, my brother is very protective. I’m the same with him. He just wants to make sure I’m happy.”

  “I do, too.” Nikla put her free hand on his lap. “Can we go home now?”

  “Come back to my place.”

  “Wherever you want to take me, I’ll go.” She squeezed his thigh and felt his muscles flex. “However–”

  Sweet split his attention between her and the road.

  “If you can take me back to my apartment, I can pack a bag. I have late classes tomorrow so I can sleep in.”

  “Too bad I can’t.” He brushed his finger down the side of her face. “Duty calls. But every moment I can spend with you would be worth skating in to work on time.”

  Nikla smiled at his response. The real reason she wanted him to take her to her apartment wouldn’t be pleasant. She didn’t want what happened at dinner to happen when Sweet met her father. If she wanted a somewhat cordial meeting, she would have to break the news to both.

  ****

  Sweet didn’t take his stare off the road during the drive. From his peripheral vision, he caught Nikla’s surprised expression when he passed the exit going to her home. He knew where he needed to take her. From her silence, Nikla must have had an idea of where he headed as well.

  When he pulled into The Dollhouse parking lot, his stomach tightened into a ball. He parked, and Nikla waited in her seat until he opened her door and helped her out of his truck.

  Sweet felt her shaking as he walked to the door. He really hoped her reaction stemmed from excitement and not from fear.

  As he held her hand, Sweet led her to the room where he wanted to push himself and her body. He pulled her down a darkened hallway to the rooms with the large bondage furniture. Sweet looked in one room and found Dominant Razor whipping Lolli as he had her strapped to a wooden sawhorse.

  At the next room, he found Mistress Extreme with a male sub in a stockade.

  “Damn.” Sweet wanted to put Nikla in that device.

  At the last room in the corner, the room many of the Doms and Dommes didn’t use because of its uneven temperature, Sweet found the space empty and darker than the hallway. He dragged Nikla inside and closed the door. The significantly cooler room didn’t seem inviting. What he would do to her would seem even less appealing.

  “Take off your clothes.” Sweet looked at her to see if Nikla would hesitate.

  Unlike when he took her to the voyeur room, she didn’t pause. Nikla removed her thin red belt then her dress. Sweet took the items from her and waited for her to remove her bra.

  When she placed the undergarment in his hand, she held up one foot as though to nonverbally ask him if she should take off her shoes or leave them. Sweet knew how much she loved walking around in bare feet.

  “Take them off.”

  Nikla smiled slightly as she stepped out of her shoes. Sweet led her over to a piece of furniture that had four legs and a bar across the top. Two bars across the bottom braced the piece. Before he had Nikla assume the position, he had to push her.

  “Stand right here and let me inspect you.” He stared into her eyes.

  Already he saw them turning red, either out of anger or sadness. Sweet maintained his stare. She would have to trust him in this exercise. He knew her father did this to her and her brother. He would do it in a different way.

  “Yellow,” Nikla whispered.

  Sweet kept his hard stance. He put his hands behind his back and raised his chest, knowing that it would remind her of a military stance. “I said stand there and let me look you over.”

  Nikla’s jaw flexed. “Please.”

  This time Sweet couldn’t look her in her eyes. He turned his head as he said, “You know the standard safe words. Green, yellow, and red. Do you want this to stop?”

  God, he hoped not.

  Please trust me.

  Nikla took a deep breath. She exhaled out of her mouth. She gave him one slight nod letting him know
he could continue.

  Sweet took a couple of steps back and scanned her body. “Hair up in a bun.” He regained eye contact with her. “Perfect.” He watched her shoulders relax a little.

  Good. Sweet could see her resistance melting.

  “Makeup. Flawless.” He approached her and pressed his lips against hers. When he pulled back he said, “Not so much now.”

  Nikla laughed then righted herself.

  “Eyes.” Sweet couldn’t think of a word to perfectly describe her soulful brown eyes that managed to suck him in every time he looked at them. “Mesmerizing.”

  He ran his hand down her neck to her shoulder then her hand. “Soft, glowing skin.” Sweet cupped her tits. The firm orbs felt weighty in his hands. “Firm, wonderful breasts.” He peered down. “Sexy feet.”

  Nikla’s smile widened.

  Sweet strolled around her body. He administered one hard smack to her ass that made Nikla gasp and jump. “The best ass I’ve ever seen.” He circled back around to the front of Nikla. “I’d say you pass this inspection with flying colors.”

  Nikla beamed like she wanted to hop around and do a happy dance. She started to approach him and raise her hands to hug him but stopped herself.

  Sweet leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You’re worthy. I hope you know that. You didn’t need me to tell you what’s so obvious.” He kissed the side of her face then took a step back from her. “Stand behind this, get on your knees and lie across the top bar.”

  “Yes, Sir.” Nikla did as instructed. She dropped to her knees, bent over, and grabbed the legs of the furniture.

  Sweet moved behind her. As soon as he spied her rounded ass, his mind filled with images of fucking her from behind. He had to snap out of those thoughts. In The Dollhouse, sex topped the list of no-no’s. Funny. Cutting, fire play, needle play and oral sex could all be performed there. No sex.

  Sweet went to a large, black armoire and opened the creaky doors, which triggered the light inside. He retrieved a few bundles of rope.

  Now beside Nikla, Sweet dropped down to his knees and first tied her wrists and arms to the legs. He moved behind her. With little effort, he pried her legs apart. Sweet emitted a moan at the sight of her glistening pink core.