It was after nine by the time they returned to their servant-themed room. Tru sat in a chair and undid the straps binding her high heels to her ankles. Liam wanted to bind her in other ways. Restricting her movement made him feel powerful, but he wanted more than a physical show of submission. He needed to see it in her eyes, on her face, and in her posture.
She looked up when he came toward her, a soft, tired smile on her lips. “I had a nice time at dinner, Sir.”
He lifted her up, took her seat, and put her on his lap. Jed perched on the foot of the bed across from them. Tru dropped her gaze, waiting for him to take the lead.
“Methotrexate is a chemotherapy drug.” And she’d chosen it for her safeword. Taking a breath, he decided not to pussyfoot around the issue. “How come you never told us that you were a cancer survivor?”
She stared at a spot on the floor, her spine stiff. “I don’t see that it’s relevant.”
He smoothed a hand up and down her spine. “Is that why you do dangerous things? Are you addicted to the rush, or do you feel that you’re not worthy of being alive?”
Slowly she lifted her gaze, and when her eyes met his, he was shocked by the sadness haunting the depths of her brown pools. “When I got sick the second time, I thought for sure that I was going to die. The second time leukemia comes back, the chances of recovery suck. Gram had me make a bucket list. We’re both realists, and neither of us saw a reason to pretend that I’d outlive her. She took me to swim with sharks and to see Australia. I dropped out of college because what was the point of continuing?” She swallowed and looked away.
Liam gave her time because he knew this wasn’t easy for her to talk about, and he never stopped the soothing pattern he traced on either side of her spine. Jed reached out and caressed her cheek, and she leaned into his tender touch.
“It’s going to come back again.” She sighed. “Third time’s the charm. So I travel. I see the world because I may never get another chance to do this again. My number could be up at any moment, so I’m not going to pass up any experience that appeals to me.” Turning to him suddenly, she cupped his cheek. “Like you, Sir. You appeal to me. Submitting to you appeals to me. Giving myself to you appeals to me. I know it’s just while we’re here, but I’m not going to pass up the chance to live out my dream.” She reached for Jed, and he gave her his hand. “You said you had plans for me tonight. Please don’t let something that’s so far in the past affect how you see me. I’m not fragile, and I’m not currently sick. I am your submissive, and I don’t want that to change.”
Liam loved the way she embraced life, though he disliked what it cost her to maintain that attitude. She hadn’t answered his question—it was likely she didn’t know the answer—and he realized that she’d never stopped checking the boxes on her bucket list. How many cancer survivors had this much trouble accepting the fact that they had survived? He needed to ask Avery if it was possible for someone who beat cancer to have survivor’s guilt this badly.
He frowned at Jed because his buddy hadn’t shared any plans with him. He didn’t even expect to have sex because the day had been long, and they were all tired. “What plans?”
“Anal sex.” Jed stood and pulled Tru to her feet. “We’re going to have her at the same time.”
They’d talked about double penetration, with Liam taking her pussy and Jed fucking her ass, but they hadn’t finalized anything. The kinky idea appealed to Liam, though he wasn’t one-hundred percent sure that he’d like it in reality. Incidental touching happened, as she’d teased them, but so far they’d kept it to a minimum.
Liam stood and traced a caress down the side of her face. “Are you sure about this? I thought this was a limit?”
“Soft limit.” Her subdued tone washed over his Dom instinct. “I promise to use my safeword if I need to. Please, Sirs. I want to do this. I want to be between you, to have you push me to a new level—to know what it’s like to have both of you claim me at the same time.”
He kissed her, a sweet show of affection as he tried to communicate that she didn’t have to live her life as if tomorrow would be her last day on Earth, but he wasn’t sure if the message registered. And so he silently vowed to claim her, to strip her of control and drive her out of her negative headspace.
“I want to flog you.” He sucked kisses down her neck, leaving pink marks in his wake.
“I saw a bondage frame in one of the playrooms we passed on our way back from dinner.” Jed wore his problem-solving face. “It would be perfect for this situation because her front and back would be open.”
Liam was sure those rooms had to be scheduled in advance.
Tru confirmed this. “It’s signed out already, but I know Alex has one in his private dungeon that he’d let us use.”
“He won’t mind us using his private play space?” Jed lifted a brow. “I’m not sure I’d be so generous, especially if I planned to use it.”
“They’re not using it right now.” She grasped Jed’s hand. “Didn’t you notice how Jewell kept shifting while we were eating? He’s already had a session with her today, probably after she tackled me. I’ll call and ask.”
Asking to use another Dom’s equipment was something the Dom should do. Liam swiped her cell phone out of her hand. “Alex? This is Liam. We’re wondering if the bondage frame is free? No? Yeah, we’d love to use yours, if you don’t mind. Great, thanks.” He ended the call and set her phone on the table. “Let’s go, Princess. It’s time to earn your crown.”
Jed had already grabbed the toy bag. He slung it over his shoulder. “That’s my name for her.”
Liam shrugged. If they were going to share her submission and her body, then they could share the cute nicknames. “Now it’s ours.” He parked his hand on the back of Tru’s neck and guided her toward the exit.
Jewell answered the door wearing a luxurious robe, and she guided them to the basement. “Alex is in bed. He took a sleeping pill tonight, so don’t worry about being too loud. I’ll be up late because I’m on call at the Inn, so don’t worry about me either. The room has been soundproofed, so any noises will be dampened anyway.” She unlocked the door with a key on a string she wore around her neck. “Alex says it’s okay to use the rope and floggers, just don’t put them away when you’re done so that I can clean them.”
Inside Liam found the dungeon of his dreams, not that he’d started thinking about the type of dungeon he’d build if he had the space for one. This one, though, gave him definite ideas. The obligatory St. Andrew’s cross was positioned against one wall, the black lacquered timber dominating that space. Behind it, many implements hung from hooks on the wall. Alex had installed the peg board typically found in workshops, and he’d organized his impact play toys neatly.
The dungeon also contained a padded spanking bench that looked like it could be modified to bind the sub in several different positions. Chains hung from the ceiling in a few places, attached to the semi-exposed rafters with massive O-rings. The bondage frame occupied a third wall, but it was the setup on the fourth wall that drew Liam’s attention. The whole wall was tiled like a bathroom, and stainless steel restraints protruded from the wall at strategic intervals. Five feet in front of it, the floor was similarly treated, and it sloped toward two different drains. A hose was coiled near one side, and the other side had different detachable shower heads. Finally, a glass enclosure completed the motif.
“What’s this for?” Liam considered the different kinks he’d studied, and none of them fit what he saw.
“It’s a Houdini tank.” Jewell smiled. “We like water play.”
Liam didn’t judge. If Alex liked to bind his submissive wife and squirt water at her, more power to them. The enclosure mystified him, though. It was only open at the top. “How do you get in there?”
She pointed to a stepladder. “Master ties me up, carries me up the steps, and lowers me in.”
Jed tapped on the glass. “Plexi. How high does he fill it up?”
“A
ll the way. He likes to put me in there when it’s empty—he attaches weights to my ankles so I can’t float—and he watches me struggle to keep my face above the water line.” Her eyes softened and clouded over. “He won’t give me the snorkel until I beg, and I like to see how long I can go without begging.”
It didn’t seem very sexy or sensual. Liam couldn’t help but ask. “Then what?”
“Then he gives me a snorkel so I can breathe. Water calms me. It’s incredible, to be in there, unable to move, and to see him out here, watching me, and to know that I can’t get out unless he wants me out.”
Liam was about to ask another question, but Tru’s headshake caught the corner of his eye. “Okay. Well, thanks for letting us use your dungeon.”
Jewell gestured to a door on the far side of the room. “There’s the aftercare room. Feel free to use anything you want. I have creams and oils, blankets, towels, and I put a robe in there. I didn’t know if you’d remember to bring one for Tru or not.” She backed out of the room. “I’ll be around if you need me. Just poke your head in the hall and holler. Like I said, Alex will be dead to the world in about ten minutes.”
The door closed, and the three of them stared at the water tank in silence. Finally Jed cleared his throat. “Well, that’s a new one.”
“Yeah.” Liam shook his head. “To each their own.”
“Jewell loves water bondage.” Tru spoke softly, hesitantly. “I’ve read that the pressure on the sprayers can be changed to feel like different floggers. But I don’t think we should use any of that equipment without permission.”
“And training.” Jed crooked his finger at Tru. “I want you on your knees, Princess.”
She went to him, her position submissive, but she didn’t kneel. “Sir, that’s a hard limit, remember?”
“Why?” Liam had a suspicion that she was trying to keep from submitting completely, which was unacceptable. She stared at the floor, and she showed no sign of answering. “Do you have an injury we should know about?”
“No, Sir.”
“Then that’s not a hard limit I’ll honor.” Liam gripped a handful of hair with the intention of forcing her to her knees, but Jed put a hand on his shoulder.
He regarded Liam with empathy in his brown eyes. “You can’t disregard a hard limit. You can question it, and you can disagree with it, but you have no choice but to honor it.”
“This is bullshit.”
“I agree.”
Tru looked from Jed to Liam. “I’m not ready to kneel before you, Sirs. It isn’t personal. Please be patient. We’re only together for a few days.”
Liam vowed to get to the bottom of this. Her reticence had its roots in something deeper, and it was probably related to her post-cancer issues. Since he had his hand tangled in her hair, he pulled her to him and kissed her roughly. She yielded to the onslaught.
Once he released her, Jed did the same. His kiss controlled and possessed, and it communicated his displeasure. Tru melted in his arms, and when he finished, he pushed her into Liam’s arms. They took turns, violently assaulting her with their ardor because they were going to have her submission whether she knelt or not. By the time they had enough, she stood between them, gasping for breath but begging no quarter.
Liam’s ire fled, and he peppered her neck with gentle kisses as he untied the stays on her corset. Jed removed her skirt, and she was naked in no time.
The footings of the bondage frame were bolted to the floor, and the device was situated perpendicular to the wall. Jed grasped the crossbar and swung from it. The thing barely dipped under his weight. “Solid.”
Liam joined him, and the contraption held them both. “Safe enough for Princess.” They dropped to the floor, and he faced Jed. “Have you ever used one of these things before?”
Jed shook his head. “I’ve seen a demonstration, though.”
“Sirs?” Tru stood before them, her head bowed in a show of submission. “I’ve used a bondage frame before, both as a sub and as an alpha sub or beta Domme. I can help.”
While she talked, Liam studied the placement of O-rings. “Thanks, but we can figure it out. I brought a gag for you, Princess.”
It took longer than he thought it would to get the rigging right. Jed had an idea of weaving her into the ropes like she was caught in a makeshift spiderweb, but Liam remembered Jordan’s advice—keep it simple until he was ready for complicated. They ended up tying Tru’s wrists and ankles to the frame so that she was spread out but still able to stand up.
They circled her, looking for weak points in the design or places where the rope might cut into her circulation. Liam had spent some time studying the issue, and he’d ended up wrapping the rope almost to her elbows so that it didn’t dig in at one point when pressure was applied.
A sharp crack rent the air, and Tru yelped, reminding him that he hadn’t yet gagged her. The ball gag he’d purchased with her in mind wasn’t all that large, but it would muffle her screams. Power surged through his veins as he tightened the strap that held it in place. Bound and gagged, she was at their mercy. With the feeling of power came a profound peace that confirmed once and for all that he was right to pursue this path.
He and Jed touched her everywhere, gentle caresses turning rough as they prepared her for the torture they’d planned. This was something he and Jed had talked about at length while they’d been waiting to rejoin her. Communication between the two of them during the scene was of paramount importance. Jed pressed squishy, bright red foam balls into each of Tru’s hands.
“Drop these if you need to safeword, Princess.” At her nod, Jed continued. “We’re going to blindfold you.”
Liam fit the padded mask over her eyes. He’d tried it on himself, and he’d found that the thing let in no light. This was the moment he’d anticipated for weeks, ever since he’d briefly flogged Layla. This was different because Tru was his submissive, not a loan from a friend. He started on her back with a deerskin flogger. She relaxed into the rhythm quickly, and he knew the random jerks and muffled cries had to do with Jed who was playing with her nipples.
Soon he switched to something with more bite, a classic cat made from elk hide. Malcolm had used this one on him, and so he knew that it would hurt at first, but the sensations would soon blend together and take her to subspace. She cried out, a high, clear sound that penetrated the ball gag as if it weren’t there. Liam looked to her hands to see if she’d dropped either ball, but she still had them squeezed tightly in her fists, so he kept going.
Jed stood in front of her, and Liam was grateful to have him there. It gave him more confidence to let loose and give her exactly what he wanted her to experience—and if he accidentally entered Dom space, Jed would get him out of it.
Tru’s back was on fire, and the sensations moved to her ass and upper thighs. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been flogged like this. Alex had never been much of a sadist, but it didn’t seem that Liam had that problem. Each lash fell forcefully on her backside, and his heavy-handed style didn’t wane.
Dimly, she heard Jed tell Liam to switch hands, and the bite eased a little.
In front of her, distracting her from concentrating on the pain, Jed wrapped a rope twice around her left breast. He plumped her right one and bound it in a similar fashion. Blood pooled in her white globes, making them tingle with pain. Then he alternated flogging each boob. The tingling sting came from the restricted blood flow, and though the flogger didn’t hurt, the impact of each blow sent delicious prickles that radiated in her pussy and her toes.
Behind her, Liam’s unwavering enthusiasm picked up, and she figured that he’d switched back to his right hand. For a beginner, he’d sure discovered his inner sadist quickly. The pain was beginning to blur together, though, and the haze of light subspace clouded her thoughts.
Then a searing pain in her breasts cleared some of the fog away. Jed had freed her breasts, and now he didn’t have to touch them to make her scream through the gag. Tears rained
down her cheeks, and she was sure drool did as well since she’d forgotten to swallow the saliva a ball gag stimulated.
Sharp pinpricks of pain traveled up the underside of her arms and radiated over her ribs. Her body jerked as much as it could in this position, but the agony followed her wherever she moved. Suddenly her mind took flight, and the pain became a distant sensation that morphed to pleasure. Each pinprick was a caress, and each lick of the flogger was the pressure of a snuggle. Vaguely she was aware of her knees giving out.
When her mind remembered how to function, she found herself stomach down on the spanking bench, unrestrained, with her face resting on the pad meant for her chest. The ball gag was gone, and someone had cleaned her cheeks and chin, but the blindfold was still in place. Behind her, she felt a cock enter her pussy, and she didn’t know whose it was. She waited for the feel of thighs against hers—Liam had more leg hair than Jed—but the sensation never came.
The puzzle helped her brain return to rational thought, and she realized the thing inside her pussy wasn’t a cock. It was harder, and as the right term came to mind, the thing purred to life. She meant to gasp, but a soft sigh was the only sound she heard.
Her arms moved. One of her Sirs was positioning them behind her back. She had no energy to help or resist. When they didn’t fall back down to her sides, she figured he must have tied together the ropes that were still wrapped around them. Next, they slid her completely onto the bench, and her head was no longer supported. She let it hang down because she didn’t have the energy to lift it up.
The Sir behind her spread her legs wider and tied her ankles to the posts of the bench. He moved the vibrator, fucking her with long, slow strokes. Pleasure filled all the points pain had vacated, and she whimpered.
“You’re going to climax, Princess.” Liam’s voice sounded near her ear, and she figured he was the one near her head. “You did beautifully tonight. You’re so fucking gorgeous. With a room like this, I could torture you for hours. I’d flog you, bind you, fuck you, and force you to orgasm—whatever I wanted.”
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