Doms of Dark Haven 2: Western Night
Page 2
As if they were alone, he slowly took in her white leather chaps.
She knew he wouldn’t be able to appreciate the sexy pair of heeled boots that completed her outfit. But his slow smile told her he found plenty he liked.
He’d taken his time looking at her, considering her. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to be his sub and have his complete attention on her.
His gaze left her body, and he looked directly at David. “Do we have a bet?”
“This is an outrage,” David said. He slumped in his chair.
“Does that mean you’re not confident in that next card?” Master Trevor asked.
David sat up straighter and then leaned forward, glaring. “I accept your terms.”
Shelby gave up all pretense of minding her business.
“Let’s ask the sub if she agrees, as well,” Master Trevor said to Master Xavier. “I’m not willing to force the woman to do anything she doesn’t want to. But I think she’ll be willing.”
Was she that transparent?
Master Xavier folded his arms across his chest and nodded toward her. “Excellent suggestion.”
All eyes were on her. Her heart thundered. How the hell was she supposed to deal with this?
Instinctively she looked to David for guidance. He’d already agreed she’d be his stakes, but she had the opportunity to call off this ridiculousness.
She and David had been friends since college. They’d hooked up a few times in the last decade, but they hadn’t been exclusive for at least eight years. Despite their best efforts, their relationship was closer to companionship than spark and sizzle.
Still, she liked him, and she knew Janine’s defection had burned, at least a little. She felt torn. She didn’t want to cause his bruised ego any more damage, and her leaving tonight with Master Trevor would definitely batter David. On the other hand, the law center needed serious work. “Sir?” she asked David softly.
David drummed his fingers along his thigh. After a few seconds, he nodded without looking at her.
Master Xavier took control.
He walked over to her. He placed his finger under her chin and gently tipped her head back. “I don’t know you.”
“No, My Liege,” she said quietly. She could hardly hear above the racing of her heart, and her tongue didn’t want to form around any words. Now, of all times, she wanted to look at the floor.
“Tell me about yourself.”
“I…” She blinked. “I’m afraid I don’t understand the question.” Belatedly she added, “My Liege.”
“Your name.”
“Shelby. Shelby Salazar, My Liege.”
“And Shelby Salazar, I don’t see a collar around your neck.”
“No, My Liege. I don’t belong to anyone. I mean, I’m not a lifestyle sub. I…” She sought for the best explanation.
“She’s more of a dabbler,” David supplied.
“But she’s been here before,” Destiny said, walking over with a digital pad.
Shelby had been introduced to the club’s receptionist before. Destiny. Always outrageous, always welcoming, always on top of things. Nothing happened at Dark Haven that Destiny didn’t know about.
“Tonight is the sub’s fifth visit, My Liege,” Destiny said. “Always with Master David.”
Shelby nodded, confirming what Destiny said. “I live in Denver, My Liege, and I’m visiting San Francisco for the week.”
“Are you staying with Master David?”
“No, My Liege. I have a hotel,” she said.
“Do you know Master Trevor?”
“Only by reputation, My Liege.”
“I’ll amend my bet to say I’ll take the sub for the week she’s in town,” Master Trevor said.
“Generous bastard,” David muttered.
Master Xavier shot David a quelling glance. The other man shrugged and played with the few chips on the table. “Do you understand the stakes as Master Trevor has outlined them?”
She nodded.
“Tell me what you understand the stakes to be,” Master Xavier said.
“I understand that Master Trevor…” She trailed off and looked over at the dom. This was the opportunity of a lifetime. He was unyielding, uncompromising, and attractive as sin in a pair of jeans. This was the opportunity she’d dreamed of, with a man she had a crush on.
Hormones flooded her body. She wanted him, but suddenly nerves swamped her. Was she really going to agree to this? She looked back at Master Xavier. “Master Trevor wants me to be his sub for the week that I’m in town.”
“That means staying at my place,” he added.
Being cut off from her regular life, from David?
“Are you willing to agree to the terms, Shelby?” Master Xavier asked.
“If Master David says so, My Liege.”
“She does know how to behave,” Master Trevor said. “I’d wondered.”
Heat chased across her face. She wanted to show this man she could behave like a proper sub.
“I’ve already said I agree,” David said.
“Winner take all,” Master Trevor said.
“You’re not being coerced, sub?” Master Xavier asked.
“No, Sir.”
Master Xavier released her chin and stood. He nodded toward the dealer, and the man reached for the deck of cards.
The pot of money now a moot point, the dealer burned the next card before turning over the river, the fifth and final community card.
She held her breath, torn.
The jack of spades.
Several people in the room whispered. There were three spades showing. Definitely the potential for a flush. With the jack, a straight was a possibility.
She looked at David. His eyes were wide, and he nodded. Her friend definitely didn’t have a poker face. He squeezed her shoulder. She released her breath. As much as she wanted the opportunity to play with Master Trevor, she wanted David to win. His work meant everything to him.
His thinking had been brilliant. He’d spent six months fundraising, and he was at least another year away from being able to afford the much-needed building renovations.
Time for the showdown.
The dealer nodded to David. He turned over his pocket cards. The eight and nine of spades.
She schooled herself not to smile. But that flush was likely unbeatable.
She looked at Master Trevor. Unlike David, his face was set in unreadable lines.
The dealer signaled for Master Trevor to show his pocket cards. He turned over the two cards lying facedown on the felt.
Ace and queen of spades.
Royal flush.
David shoved back from the table and stood. Then, seeming to draw on the same reserve he used in the courtroom, he extended his hand toward Master Trevor.
The other man stood.
She was aware of the contrast between them. Master Trevor was a couple of inches taller than David. The other man’s shoulders were broader, his arms much more muscular, his thighs more powerful.
Soon, she would be alone with him.
Her heart beat impossibly fast in her chest.
“Congratulations,” David said as the two shook hands. His tone held no warmth. “I’ll leave you two to get to know each other.”
“She’s in safe hands,” Master Trevor promised.
“She means a lot to me,” David said.
Master Trevor nodded. As if she were a true sub, he didn’t address his comments to her. She was alternately thrilled and annoyed.
David crouched in front of her. “Behave yourself, sub.”
“Yes, Sir.” There was so much she wanted to say, needed to say. She ached to touch him, to reassure him.
“You’ve wanted something like this,” he said quietly.
“But—”
“We both know you weren’t getting what you wanted. Try to enjoy it. I’ll see you at the end of the week. I’ll take you back to the airport.”
She nodded.
“Call me if y
ou need anything.” He stood and gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. “Anything.”
He stood. He didn’t touch her again. After nodding to the dealer, to Master Xavier, and ignoring Master Trevor, he left the room.
A few seconds later, Master Xavier said, “Game’s over, everyone. I invite you to enjoy the other pleasures at Dark Haven.”
Destiny signaled to the dungeon monitor stationed near the door. Together, she and the man shepherded subs and Doms toward the exit.
Several people stopped to congratulate her temporary dom before they left the room.
Because Master Trevor had yet to give her any instructions, Shelby remained on her knees, her gaze downcast as the noise in the room diminished.
At this point, she realized it was probably a good thing he hadn’t given any commands. Nervousness raced through her body, and she wondered if she’d be able to follow any direction, no matter how simple, he gave her.
“You’re free to go,” Master Xavier said to Destiny and the dungeon monitor.
Without a word, they left.
Master Xavier came over. “I trust this is only about you wanting to play with Shelby,” he said to Master Trevor.
Time seemed to simultaneously drag and zip by. She wanted to be alone with her new dom, but the prospect also frightened her.
“I told Master David the sub is in good hands. You have my word.”
“I expected nothing less,” Master Xavier said.
“We’d like to use the punishment room.”
“Consider it done.”
“My Liege.”
She heard the tone of respect in Master Trevor’s tone, but also the signal that, as far as Master Trevor was concerned, the conversation was over.
Master Xavier’s steps seemed to echo off the wooden floor as he left the room.
The echoing silence, the realization that they were alone, and that for the next seven days she was his sub, suddenly overwhelmed her.
She remained on her knees, her pulse ringing in her ears.
“I want to know about you,” he said. “How much BDSM experience do you have, sub?”
She kept her gaze cast down. “I… Very…” Her voice cracked. She sounded squeaky, lacking her usual confidence. In her job as a high-powered corporate mediator, she spent her days utilizing all her senses to tune into people’s subtle nuances. Even when she wasn’t feeling confident in her abilities, she squared her shoulders and projected authority.
But being on her knees, mostly naked, in front of this powerful man undid her.
“Go on,” he told her.
She cleared her throat and tried again. “Very little, Sir. A handful of experiences.”
“I could have guessed,” he said. “You were given the choice, and you agreed to be my sub for a week. Does that mean you want more experiences?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I can’t hear you.”
She swallowed. “Yes,” she said again.
Continuing in his soft, probing way that reassured even as it demanded, he asked, “Do you know what that means?”
She could do nothing but look at his boots and be nearly overwhelmed by his presence. He was so close she breathed in his scent, that of crisp ocean air and raw masculine power. “Truthfully? No.”
“You have ideas.”
Who knew if they were close to reality, though?
“Tell me what you’re expecting. Or what you’re hoping.”
The sound of Master Trevor’s voice intoxicated her. It was deep, well modulated, firm, domineering. “I came to San Francisco because I want even more experiences. I’ve wondered…” She trailed off. She and David hadn’t even had this level of conversation. She just went along with what he wanted.
They’d visited Dark Haven a few times, so she’d seen other subs and Doms interact. She’d seen one sub attached to a collar and leash. The man had crawled behind his master and seemed happy to do it. Another female sub had walked in front of her master, her head lowered; her dom’s hand was fisted in her hair. And she did a fair amount of reading. Clearly no two D/s relationships were the same.
But she knew she wanted to experience more spice than she had with David. Their scenes were more like casual interludes with kinky clothes. At the end of the night, he dropped her at her hotel. What would it be like to wake up in the morning and be expected to continue the role of sub?
Master Trevor waited patiently for her answer.
“I have heard that you are harsh but fair.”
“Probably accurate,” he said. “And…?”
“If I am staying with you for a week, I understand you’ll probably have a set of rules you’ll expect me to follow.”
“I do. And if you break a rule?”
“I imagine…” Oh God. Oh yes. The idea of his supple brown leather belt against her exposed buttocks definitely made her shiver. The fantasy just got better and hotter.
“Tell me what you just imagined.”
She stalled.
“I don’t tolerate shyness or hiding, sub. Tell me what you just imagined. Now.”
“I imagined you…” She exhaled a shaky breath. “I imagined you punishing me.”
“Sir,” he said.
“I imagined you punishing me, Sir.”
“Punishing you how, sub?”
“Your belt.”
“Good to know,” he said. “Shall we begin?”
Chapter Two
Trevor saw her shoulders shake just a little, whether from fear or excitement he wasn’t sure. Maybe it was a combination of both feelings.
Since David had entered the poker room with the sub obediently following, Trevor had been intrigued.
He’d been in the scene a long time. He’d had subs. Twice, he’d even committed to 24-7 lifestyle relationships. But he’d gotten bored. On her way out the door, his last sub had accused him of being jaded.
He’d shrugged. She’d been partially right; he was jaded. But worse than that, he was bored, mind-numbingly, ready-to-change-anything bored.
As far back as high school, he hadn’t been interested in conventional relationships. He’d always been a leader, captain of the football team as well as the debate team. He’d had jobs throughout high school and college, but after graduation, he’d started his own company. For the first two years, he’d lived on packaged noodles and slept in his beat-up pickup truck.
Despite the odds, he’d never given up. Even when his family encouraged him to get a real job, he’d continued to live on fast food so he could spend his meager earnings buying the finest tools available to hone his craft.
In work, in life, in his relationships, his standards were exacting. He asked for what he wanted, and he never settled.
The woman kneeling in front of him did so imperfectly. She allowed her gaze to stray, and she wasn’t subtle about it. She shifted often, letting everyone know of her discomfort. Over the time that he’d watched her, she’d made little pretense at behaving well. She either didn’t know how to suffer for her dom or she’d never had a dom with exacting standards.
Shelby wasn’t the type of sub who would generally draw his eye. He played with experienced women who’d been trained by the best, women who knew his moods better than he did, anticipated his needs, and saw to them.
Perhaps, he reflected, that was exactly why she intrigued him. Her lack of expertise combined with an air of innocence was refreshing. Maybe for the next week, he wouldn’t be bored. “Stand.”
She rose slowly and a bit unsteadily, as if nervous and fighting cramped muscles.
“Do you want me to call you Shelby?”
“Yes,” she said.
He cocked his head.
“Shelby is fine, Sir. Thank you.”
She was a hot little number, no doubt. Shelby Salazar’s dark hair flowed over her shoulders. The vest and bolo tie were sexy, white leather chaps wrapped around her slender legs. The feminine pink thong she’d added provided a splash of color and a hint of intrigue.
She did, exposing her bare buttocks. He looked forward to stroking the flesh there and holding her cheeks apart while he took her anally.
“Nice. Spread your legs and bend over.”
For a moment, she hesitated. He suddenly looked forward to helping her improve her reaction time.
“Grab your ankles.”
“I…”
“Is there a physical reason you can’t do what I asked?”
“No…Sir.”
“I don’t tolerate embarrassment in my subs, Shelby.”
She slowly complied.
“Legs farther apart,” he said softly but uncompromisingly.
She wiggled on those sexy heels. It took her several seconds to get into position, and he enjoyed every moment spent watching.
Trevor took a few steps toward her. He heard the soft sounds of her rapid breaths.
He crouched behind her and said, “Reach back, sub, and spread your ass cheeks.”
It took her so long to respond that he wondered if she actually would. Since she was bent over, he could see her eyes, wide and blinking. A little furrow was buried between her elegantly shaped brows.
Her breaths were even shallower. He wondered if she were on the edge of panic. “You’re okay,” he told her. “Just listen to me. Stay focused. Know that it’s okay to surrender. I’ll keep you safe.” If she truly panicked, he’d let her go.
Even though Xavier kept the club warm, she shivered.
He gentled his fingertips down her back. “Go for what you want, Shelby.” He kept his tone even and reassuring but also uncompromising. “I want you to know that when you do what I tell you, when you push past your comfort zone and do something that you might think is nasty, you’ll be pleasing me. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
Then, commandingly, uncompromisingly, he snapped, “Now show me your submissive ass and cunt.”
After several seconds and another half dozen shaky exhalations, she closed her eyes and reached back. In the future, he wouldn’t permit her to close her eyes.