by Dana Arden
“I’ll be out of town for a week if not more. I can let Mistress Mal take over for me if you’d like or you can wait until I get back.”
“I’d like to see Mistress Mal while you’re gone, Mistress.”
“Then I will arrange it. You are free to get dressed and leave.”
“Thank you, Mistress.”
“My pleasure, pet.”
I watch as he slowly rises and dresses. Before he leaves, he turns to me with an appreciative look and I give him a chin lift.
Gerry came to me almost two months ago feeling weak and incompetent. He’s been in this scene for years as his wife used to be his Domme. They divorced six months ago and he felt lost. A part of his life had been taken from him and he didn’t think he could fill the void.
We sat down and discussed what he needed and expected from me. At first, I wasn’t sure I wanted to take him on since he’d been with another Domme for years, but I decided that it was either help him get past his emotional and physical loss or let his loss consume him.
In the ole’ Razz fashion, I took him on and it has been a learning experience. He pushes my buttons and I push back tenfold. I don’t know how his wife dominated him, but I know he’s in a rude awakening with my best friend, Mal. She’s more aggressive than me and won’t take half the shit from him as I have, but I guess he’ll get a taste of her soon enough.
I change out of my outfit and put on jeans and a T-shirt along with my brown riding boots. I exit my room and head to the makeshift bar in the corner. Mike the bartender watches me approach and hands me a Beam and Coke with my much appreciated cherries on a cocktail knife.
“Thanks, Mike.” He nods and turns back to the other members.
I turn and lean my back against the bar surveying the open area. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, but my stomach as been fluttering since I lead Gerry onto the stage. I see Beanie and Mad Dog in a corner booth and decide to get this discussion out of the way so I can go home and wash the Upper Hand off my body.
Mad Dog sees me approaching and stands, which brings Beanie’s attention to me with a broad smile on his face. I return it and then it vanishes off my face when Trigger turns his head towards me. Jesus help me not kick this man in the head.
I take a seat in front of the three opposing men and set my drink on the table with a little more force than necessary.
“Where’s the Prospect?” I ask as I gauge their expressions.
“We didn’t bring one.” Beanie states as I glare at him.
“Then who’s going with us to Florida.” The look on his face makes me want to punch him. I shake my head. “I’m not going as a submissive, Beanie so you can strike that shit.” He chuckles, but stops when he realizes I’m not fucking around.
“Razz, you’re not submitting, but you might not like your only option.”
It clicks. Even after I told them I would not and could not play with Trigger they didn’t listen.
“Ahem.” Trigger clears his throat to get my attention. I watch him out of the corner of my eye, but don’t give him the attention he wants. “I’m going with you and you’re going to put me through my paces.” I finally look at him with disbelief. “I can do this, Razz. I know this all started off on the wrong foot, but I can do this. I swear on it.”
I look to Beanie and Mad Dog and they both nod. This should be hell’a interesting.
Chapter 8
Trigger
I watch enraptured in Razz taking in this new information and down her drink as there’s no burn from the liquor. Her eyes haven’t left mine. She’s so quiet with the most pensive expression on her face, I’m sure she’s going to shut this down before it even gets started.
She opens her mouth and snaps it shut like the words she’s about to speak leave a nasty taste. “Fine, but I swear if you don’t take this seriously the last thing you will have to worry about is a rope restricting the blood flow to your cock. I will not have the jokester be my sub and not take it for what it is.”
“I promise. I won’t step out of line and if I do, you can do whatever you want to me.”
“I wouldn’t say that so lightly, Trigger.” Razz murmurs and Beanie chuckles.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t give her that much power yet. I’ve seen her in action when her ‘pet’ has pissed her off and the rope and paddling is the least of your worries, brother.” Beanie says through his laugh.
I watch her take her eyes from me to Mad Dog and I instantly miss her attention. “You want to leave Friday morning.” He nods. “Beanie, why don’t you, Greer, Spook and Trigger meet me at my apartment tomorrow morning to get started. It might be good for them to have each other to fall back on to start since they both have never had to comply to someone like this and you can help me and vice versa.”
“I can do that since I have to figure out how to fit Spook into all of this.” Beanie replies while rubbing his chin in concentration.
“That’s the easy part.” Razz giggles and it’s the most magnificent sound. “He can be the watcher. I’ve done it before where the wife watches me make her husband submit and then she gets the happy ending after all my hard work.”
“Fuck.” Beanie’s eyes light up with the idea. “Only thing that sucks is him not wanting to beat the shit out of me everytime I touch her.”
“I think he can handle it.” I state matter fact. “He knows that this is a part of being undercover.”
Razz scoots her chair back and rises. “Well, this has been lovely but I have to be up at four, so come around ten and we’ll get started.”
Beanie stands and hugs Razz to him whispering in her ear making her laugh and making me want to junk punch him. As much as I’m being irrational, I also realize I haven’t thought about Sadie as much as I normally do. No pussy, no booze just the company and distraction of Razz.
Chapter 9
Razz
I slept like shit last night tossing and turning with the images of how making Trigger submit was going to be my greatest torment ever. Alpha plus alpha does not equal D/s. It’s not going to work. I don’t care how great an actor he thinks he can be.
It’s nine-thirty and I’m on my sixth cup of coffee. Even the grossest of medical anomalies could bring me out of my funk. Thirty more minutes until I have to put on my game face and this morning, I can’t help the feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach.
Wanting Trigger from a far might not have been easy but it’s a hell of a lot easier than having his perfectly sculpted body rubbed in my face and not being able to touch. Yeah, I’m going to put my marks on his skin, but it won’t be like my other clients. I won’t be able to take my pleasure from him and I’m sure he won’t find anything arousing other than seeing some of the surrounding skin that will be plastered in front of him.
I’m still lost in my mind war when there’s a light knock at my door. Looking at my cell, there’s still twenty-three minutes until show time. Getting up and peaking through the peep hole, I see a disheveled Trigger continuously running his hands through his dark hair and face. Maybe he’s come to the same conclusion I have…this isn’t going to work.
Opening the door, he stops in his fumbling and gives me his eyes.
“Mornin’.” He says gravelly.
“Trigger. You’re early.”
He moves his head up and down. “Yeah, I wanted to sit down and talk before everyone else got here.”
I step to the side and he enters taking in his surroundings. My place isn’t much, but it’s mine. It’s your run of the mill two bedrooms, one and a half bath, living room adjoining kitchen and a little laundry closet off of the kitchen.
He takes a seat on my couch and I take the adjoining oversized chair with an end table separating us.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Wha…” He starts but stops as though he can’t get the question out. After a few seconds of pondering, he continues stronger this time. “What happen to us?”
Well, shit. I wasn’t expecting that questi
on. More like,what’s the protocol or what’s the ramification for speaking out of turn since he’s known for being chatty.
“Trigger, I’m not sure exactly what you’re looking for. We have never been an us.”
He shakes his head vigorously. “When we were kids, we were an us…an inseparable us. Then we weren’t and I know I had a lot to do with that, but you used to tell me like it was. You used to put me in my place. And then you didn’t.”
I nod in agreement because he is absolutely right. I had no issue telling him what was on my mind, but when your heart gets stepped on one too many times you adapt. I adapted.
“We grew up, Trigger. We wanted different things and that’s how life is.”
“No. I went to Mom and Dad’s this morning because I couldn’t get the fact that we were so close and then BAM…nothing. Did you know that my mom has a photo album dedicated to me and you?”
That brings a smile to my face because it doesn’t matter how many times I stop by and see Queenie, she always brings out that album that is almost falling apart. “Yeah, I’ve seen it a time or twelve.” I laugh.
“You have?” He questions.
“Trigger, I see your momma once a week. It’s been a standing date between us since I was in high school.”
He looks so confused. “Why do I not know this?”
“It’s not a big deal. Queenie was always there for me when I needed a woman in my life. My grandpa wasn’t much on shopping or anything that related to girly shit. Your momma stepped in. She took me school shopping every year since I was fourteen, to get my prom dress senior year and she was there when grandpa passed. She’s been my rock.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when your granddaddy passed, Razz.”
“It’s fine. You were overseas. You were doing what you needed to do.”
“How do you know where I was when he passed?”
“You’ve been a part of my life in some form since we were in kindergarten. Your mom and dad were so proud of you for serving your country. I just listened when they spoke.”
He pulls a picture from inside his kutte and hands it to me. It’s a picture of a little brown-haired girl with glasses and a tall little boy with dark brown hair smiling at each other with his arm around her shoulders. We had to be at least nine or ten. I run my finger along our faces and think back to when we were in each other’s pockets.
His voice is gruff when he begins to talk. “That was at the clubhouse for our birthdays. It didn’t take but a second to look at that picture and it all came back. Your granddad was there. My mom got a girly ass piñata for you and a motorcycle piñata for me.” He puts his head in his hands and sighs. “What the fuck happen to us? We should still be that close, Razz.”
“It wasn’t meant to be that way.” I say nonchalantly.
“Fuck that.” He bellows. “There wasn’t a Tanner without Razzle Dazzle and there wasn’t a Razz without me.”
“Trigger, you need to let it go. We grew apart. Sometimes that happens. We can’t go back and change that.”
“Why did you let me walk away from you? Why did you let me ignore you?” He queries.
“Because what I wanted and what you wanted didn’t mix. You had your head and heart set on Sadie, and I let you focus on that because it was important to you. Just drop it, Trigger. It’s not worth dredging up all this for something that can’t be changed.”
“I know, but it hurt to look at all those pictures of us and wonder what if.”
Before he can finish, my door bell rings and I’m relieved to get away from him and the tortuous memories of my childhood. Trigger gets the door and in walks Greer and Spook looking as uncomfortable as ever and Beanie with a curious expression on his face, but I just shake my head. There’s no point in hashing it out now.
Beanie closes and locks the door behind him and proclaims, “Time for Domination!”
Chapter 10
Trigger
The playful banter between Beanie and Razz reminds me of what my mom had said when I went to her house this morning for answers.
“Tanner Nathaniel, what’s wrong with you? All this pacing your doing is making my skin crawl.”
“Ma, what happen to Razz and me?”
Ma looks at me confused and then her eyes light up. “Sadie happen. Jesus, when that girl came here you were smitten. She’d say jump and you’d say how high. It was the funniest shit watching you follow her around like a lost puppy. Sadie blinded you. You didn’t see anything but her. You told me she was the girl you were gonna marry and have babies with. She was going to be the one you loved until the day your body turned to ash. I thought your infatuation with her would die when you left to join the Marines, but it only got stronger.”
“But where was Razz?” I felt like a kid asking all these questions or maybe a man who had his memory wiped clean.
“She was on the sidelines. You had your eye on the prize and Raquel was no longer on your radar. The day you got on that bus to ship off was the day Raquel finally gave up on you. You may not have realized but you were that girl’s everything. She needed you like she needed air to breath.”
“We were just friends, Ma. She didn’t feel that way about me.”
Ma strides to the bookcase against the living room wall and comes back with a scrap book that looks like it had seen better days. She pushes it across the kitchen counter to me and the first picture is of me and Razz in kindergarten, toothless smiles and bunny ears. I’m hugging a little Razz to me like my life depends on it. The next picture is of me and Razz at the river floating on noodles lost in conversation. Then there’s a picture of me and Razz at Halloween when we were eight. She was GI Jane and I was GI Joe. Continuing to turn page after page of picture after picture of my childhood friend does nothing to soothe the torment my head and heart are battling. We were each other’s everything, but I know I was more hers than she was mine.
She only had her grandfather while I had a club and blood relatives behind me. I’m thankful that my mom continued to be involved in Razz’s life after I drop kicked her out of my life all for my own selfishness, but I was young and in love or so I thought.
“Take me to your torture chamber!” Beanie roars bringing me out of my mental dilemma as he throws his arm over Razz’s shoulders and walks her down the hallway.
I follow along with my sister and Spook to the second door on the right. Razz slowly opens the door and steps back as we all enter.
The room would be spacious if it wasn’t crowded with all her torturing devices. The walls are painted a bright teal. She has a banister across the ceiling with eye-hooks and pink rope attached. There’s a cross against the back wall and a bench in the far corner. She has a tall thin mahogany dresser settled against the wall closest to the door.
On the wall opposite of the dresser is a closet. Beanie opens it and turns on the light. Floggers, crops, whips and more rope are highlighted by the light and he runs his finger through the flogger.
“This is new, Razz.” He affirms and the green-eyed monster starts to come back to life.
“Yeah, isn’t it delicious?” She stands next to him and copies his movements with her fingers intertwining with the leather strips. “Mal bought it for me for my birthday.” She giggles. “Who would have thought that sex toys would ever be acceptable as a birthday present, but it’s my new favorite.”
I tense the closer they get to each other and want to interrupt their small talk, but a squeeze on my forearm has me looking at my sister who apparently can sense my mood. She shakes her head and mouths no. I relax my stance and remind myself she isn’t mine and I can’t go all alpha on her when she’s supposed to be alpha’ing me.
I cough to catch their attention. I have two days to get this shit situated before we head to Florida and I don’t want to waste a second admiring a damn flogger.
“Sorry.” Razz says as she turns with a slight blush on her cheeks. “Beanie, how do you want to get started?”
“I think a dem
onstration.” He winks at her and my blood boils.
“Ah, you want to be my bitch.” She says teasingly.
“Nope.”
She glares at him. “Seriously.”
“Yep.”
“Fine.” She huffs. “I hope ya’ll are comfortable with some skin.” She proceeds to take off her shirt along with her yoga pants and socks tossing them to the side. My breath stales as she stands in front of me in a matching purple lace bra and panties. She has a tattoo of a dragon on her left side. I begin to sway as the memory of Razz and I sitting on the bleachers at a football game in sixth grade rocks me. I don’t have a chance to relive it in depth before Razz continues. “Greer, you’ll probably be in some sort of lingerie and if your comfortable with nudity then topless.” My sister shakes her head in the negative. “Lingerie it is. We’ll go shopping and I’ll help you pick out a few pieces.” She turns to Beanie. “I’m all yours.”
Those words rip a growl from my throat and they all stare at me. I give my normal cocky grin as though it didn’t come from me, but from the snigger from Spook and Beanie, I think I failed.
Beanie’s face contorts from easy going to hard in an instant. “Kneel.”
My sister, Spook and I step back to give them space as I become mesmerized with Razz going to her knees. She places her palms flat on her thighs and bows her head. Her ankles are crossed behind her.
Beanie struts to the pink ropes and tugs. “Can I restrain you?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Beanie holds a hand out to Razz and she takes it pulling herself to her feet. He binds each of her wrists and bends forward as hushed whispers can be heard but not understood.
“Yes, Sir.”
He walks to the closet and lifts the infamous flogger from the hook. He dangles it in front of her and then glides it from her heel to her shoulder blades before he pulls back. The clatter of the leather against her skin makes me flinch, but the moan that releases from her lips makes my already hard cock turn to stone. It pulses against my jeans and aches to be released.
