by Abby Blake
“Hey,” he said quietly as she couldn’t quite hide her reaction, “Gina will be okay. She’s in good hands.”
“I know,” Sophie whispered, desperately trying to stem the flow of tears. “I’m so sorry I misjudged all of you. I should have…” She let her words trail away. There were so many things she should have done differently. So many unfair judgments she should have avoided. It made her feel sick to the stomach that she’d thought so little of good men.
“It’s okay, beautiful, misunderstandings happen.”
“It’s not okay,” she said quickly. “I should have been more trusting.”
“I don’t know if this helps,” Emma said as she handed the baby to Brick and turned her attention back to Sophie, “but not all clubs are like Viper’s and not all Doms are like the members there. I unfortunately know that from experience. It’s very sensible to be cautious.”
“But I—”
This time Adrian cut her off, moving his hand over her mouth to stop more words of apology. “If it makes you feel better, I will spank you for it later. Right now, let it go and enjoy dinner.” It was an order if she’d ever heard one, but one that she was happy to follow.
For the rest of the hour she tried to do as he said, but she couldn’t stop her worry increasing the longer Malcolm and Alex remained absent. Maya caught her glancing at the front door for the millionth time.
“They want to be here,” Maya said quietly. “Alex was very precise in his arrangements for tonight’s dinner.”
Sophie wasn’t really sure what Maya meant by that.
Maya must have read her confusion because she leaned over and whispered, “That’s a surefire sign that a Dom is nervous. They tend to get more dominating when they’re uncertain.”
“Oh,” Sophie said as that little bit of information seeped into her brain. Alex was the man she knew the least about. She’d been friends with Adrian for weeks and married to Malcolm for a short time, but Maya’s observation of Alex’s behavior made sense. Instead of leaving her bedroom the way Adrian had done when she’d been so rude, Alex had become even more dominating. He’d even threatened to embarrass her in front of her staff and customers if he didn’t get his own way.
At the time it hadn’t even occurred to her that his attitude was part of his Dom personality.
Of course, once Alex had realized who her ex-husband was, plans had changed and things had moved much faster than the three-day timeline he’d given her.
Malcolm arrived just as the entrees were placed in front of them. He immediately sat beside Sophie and then lifted her onto his lap. She could feel the turbulence of his emotions in the way he held her close, his fingers playing through her hair in an almost eerie reminder of the last few months of their marriage. Back then he’d instinctively pulled her closer even as she’d emotionally and mentally pulled away because of fears she’d never been brave enough to share.
Not anymore. It was obvious that whatever had happened with Gina had left Malcolm shaken. She wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling closer, not caring what anyone might think of her behavior. Malcolm needed to hold her, so that was where she stayed.
Eventually his embrace became less fierce, the fine tremor in his muscles finally easing as the conversation carried on around them. “Thank you, baby,” he whispered a moment before kissing her softly and then placing her back on her own seat. “Eat before it gets cold.”
She nodded, realizing that what Maya said about Doms was true for Malcolm, too. It explained a lot of the disagreements they’d had toward the end of their marriage as well. The more uncertain Malcolm had become the more dominating he’d been. And the more dominating he’d grown the more she’d pulled away. It had been a vicious cycle that, sadly, could only have ended the way it had. Neither of them had been particularly mature back then.
She was still trying to process everything she’d learned in the past few days when Alex finally walked in the front door of the otherwise deserted restaurant. She was out of her seat, ready to throw herself into his arms before she even realized what she was doing. She glanced at Adrian and Malcolm only to see them grinning widely.
“Go on,” Malcolm said with a smile. “After what he’s been through today, I’m sure he needs you right now.”
She nodded, her feet moving forward without her conscious choice. Sophie reached Alex quickly, his warm embrace fierce as he held her close. They stood that way, in the middle of Maya’s restaurant, just holding on to each other for a very long time.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” he eventually whispered as he moved away slightly. “I very much needed that.” He kissed her softly before turning her around and heading back to the table.
“Is Gina okay?” Emma asked as they took their seats.
Alex nodded. “Viper and Bianca are taking her home. Gina still has a long way to go and we’re organizing some specialist help for her, but hopefully this is the beginning of her recovery.”
Everyone around the table seemed pleased to hear that. They spent the next few minutes talking about the pros and cons of the therapeutic benefits of Shibari rope tying before the conversation wandered onto other topics.
“Is Bianca okay?” Adrian asked his brother quietly, apparently privy to some information that none of the others knew.
Alex nodded. “She’s a lot stronger than when we first met her.” He glanced at Brick, who sat to Adrian’s left, and then smiled. “I suspect she and Viper might even take the chance to work through a few of their own emotions while the baby is out of the house.”
Brick overheard their quiet words and nodded in agreement. He didn’t seem the least bit jealous that his wife and her Dom were probably skipping dinner for some “alone time” without him.
Just as their dessert arrived, Maya excused herself to go officially open the restaurant for the dinner menu.
“Did Maya open the restaurant just to fit in with my schedule?” Sophie asked worriedly. This was pretty much the time she usually ate dinner but it must have felt strange for the others to eat so early.
“Not really,” Malcolm answered. “We all have rather strange working hours so this is usually around the time of day we manage to get together.”
“Well other than at the club,” Adrian added. “Although with Emma, Maya, and Bianca all having young children these days, they don’t often all get there at the same time anymore.”
“True,” Emma said, glancing at her watch. “In fact I have twenty minutes left of grownup time before I have to pick the kids up from day care.” She smiled happily as she searched her bag for something, finally coming up with a set of keys. “I used to think I had a demanding job. Compared to motherhood, it was a walk in the park.”
Maya and Emma weren’t anything like Sophie had expected submissive women to be. In her head all submissives were the young, nervous, dependent woman Bianca had been five years ago. From what Malcolm had told her even Bianca wasn’t like that anymore.
“It was lovely to meet you,” Sophie said, truly meaning it.
Emma gave her a warm smile and a quick hug. “Hopefully we’ll see you at Viper’s one day.”
“Maybe,” Sophie said, no longer terrified of the unknown. She was still quite nervous about the whole submissive and naked in public part—that much she remembered from the few discussions she’d had with Malcolm before their divorce—but it was now something she was willing to consider.
“There’s no rush,” Alex said reassuringly, his arm around Sophie’s waist. “But it is time to get Sophie home so she can get some sleep. She starts baking very early.”
Sophie was a little bit annoyed by the heavy-handed reminder until she realized just how tired Alex really was. Now that she truly looked at him it appeared that he hadn’t slept in days.
“When was the last time you slept?” she asked after the four of them said good-bye to the others, paid for their meal, and then headed outside.
“What day is it?” Alex asked with a mischievous smile, appare
ntly trying to sidestep her question with humor.
“It’s not funny,” she said, glancing at both Malcolm and Adrian before turning her attention back to Alex. “When was the last time you had a full night’s sleep?”
* * * *
That wasn’t a question Alex wanted to answer, but judging by Malcolm’s and Adrian’s reactions, he wasn’t going to get any help in the way of a diversion.
“I got a few hours last night,” he said, pulling Sophie into his arms so that he could glare at his brother. He didn’t want Sophie worrying about his lack of sleep. Surely Malcolm and Adrian knew that.
Since taking over Viper’s Dungeon about a year ago, Alex had been busy enough to not remember what a full night’s sleep felt like. The club was open six nights a week, but even most of his days off were filled with training and other issues. Thank fuck he had his brother to do the paperwork and accounting stuff because he probably would have gone insane by now otherwise. How the hell Viper managed it for more than a decade was a mystery.
Malcolm pulled his cell phone from his pocket, checked the time, and then suggested just a little too casually, “Why don’t you take Sophie home. Adrian and I can handle the club tonight.”
“Thursdays are too busy,” he said reluctantly.
“No they’re not,” Malcolm said, happily disagreeing with the man who signed his paychecks. “It’s obvious that you and Sophie are both exhausted. A good night’s sleep will work wonders for both of you.” He leaned over and kissed Sophie good-bye as if that ended their discussion. And then, perhaps because he knew it would annoy Alex added, “Make sure he gets some sleep, baby.”
“Okay,” Sophie answered shyly, perhaps uncertain how to react to her ex-husband suggesting she spend the night in the arms of another man.
“Malcolm and I will meet you at the shop in the morning,” Adrian said before leaning in and kissing Sophie as well. He turned to walk away but spun around quickly when he seemed to remember something else. “By the way, Sophie asked me to spank her. Perhaps that’s something you could handle tonight, Alex.”
Malcolm grinned, his hand touching Sophie’s face as she blushed bright red.
“I…um…was apologizing for…” She glanced at Adrian, shaking her head slightly. “I didn’t quite put it that way.” She squirmed in Alex’s embrace as Malcolm continued to watch her closely. “But if…um…I shouldn’t have thought…” She took a deep, faltering breath, clearly trying to gather her thoughts. “If it will prove to you how sorry I am for thinking badly of you all without really knowing what the lifestyle was about, then I’m willing to try it.”
“Submitting to a spanking will definitely prove that, baby,” Malcolm said, his thumb rubbing softly over her cheek, “but nothing happens without your consent. Your safe word is ‘red.’ Anytime you want Alex to stop you just have to say ‘red.’ Understood?”
She nodded, a shiver traveling through her body even as she continued to blush bright red.
“Good girl,” her ex-husband said as he stepped away. “Maybe afterward you’ll both get a good night’s sleep.”
Alex nodded, grateful to Malcolm for his trust. It would have been very easy for him to take control of the relationship with a woman he knew better than Alex and Adrian did, but this made it very clear that he was willing to try and make things work for all four of them.
Adrian grinned, apparently having realized the same thing. Sophie wished them both a good night, and then stood in the circle of Alex’s embrace as they watched Malcolm and Adrian both get in their cars and drive away.
A shiver traveled through Sophie’s body again. Alex had been a Dom long enough to know the difference between fear and anticipation. Sophie was nervous, but it was obvious to him that she was curious, too. “Are you really going to spank me?”
“Yes, sweetheart,” he said in a low voice, his teeth closing briefly over the shell of her ear, “I really am.”
Chapter Seven
Sophie could barely sit still in the passenger seat of the car, her imagination running wild with what might happen when they reached her apartment. She was jumpy and nervous but somehow also gripped by a feeling of anticipation.
She’d just agreed to be spanked.
How the hell did that leave her eager for it to happen?
Alex didn’t say a word on the trip home, the almost foreboding atmosphere in the car just seeming to add to her nervous excitement. By the time they pulled into the parking area of her apartment block, she was about to leap out of her own skin.
But instead of exiting the car, Alex turned to watch her, his face devoid of emotion, his gaze intense.
“As soon as we step into your apartment, I will take a seat on the sofa.”
She nodded, swallowing hard even though she couldn’t explain why this entire thing was turning her on.
“You will not speak. You will lower your panties to your knees. Not your ankles. You will not take them off. You will hold them in place with your knees closed. Is that clear?”
She nodded.
“The correct response is ‘yes, Sir.’”
She had to drag in a nervous breath before she could speak. “Yes, Sir,” she finally managed, even though her heart was pounding and her muscles shook with fine tremors.
“You will place yourself facedown over my lap, lift your skirt up, and offer that beautiful ass to me for a spanking. Any questions, little sub?”
Again she swallowed hard, the idea that she was being treated as a submissive at this moment warring with the independent woman who’d feared this exact scenario.
Alex smiled softly, apparently interpreting her body language correctly. “What is your safe word, little sub?”
“Oh,” she said as it finally dawned on her that she really had a way to stop this if she wanted. Nothing happened without her consent—Malcolm had told her those exact words—but she was only just beginning to realize what it meant. “Red. My safe word is ‘red.’” He watched her steadily, apparently waiting for something more. The answer finally occurred to her and she quickly rephrased her response. “My safe word is ‘red,’ Sir.”
The warm smile he gave her then made her feel like the most desirable woman in the world. She’d never been one to seek the approval of others, but having it given to her like that seemed somehow more precious.
When she wasn’t so turned on, she was going to have a good long think on everything that had happened so far. She heard the soft click of Alex’s car door opening and had to nervously drag in more oxygen. Holy heavens, she’d think later, right now all she could do was feel.
He opened her door for her before she could settle the nervous butterflies swarming in her stomach. She took his hand gratefully, worried her knees were shaking so badly that she’d hit the concrete hard, but when something held her back, all she could do was shake her head in confusion.
“Look at me, Sophie.”
She didn’t hesitate to do what he asked.
“Is it fear making you react this way?”
She shook her head quickly, worried that he might change his mind. It seemed completely ridiculous that she wasn’t trying to find a way out of this situation, but she needed to know, she needed to understand. And she desperately wanted to make amends for the way she’d treated Alex a few days ago.
“Not fear, S–Sir, just nerves.”
He smiled, his expression one of relief as he leaned over and undid her seat belt. She stared dumbly at the contraption that had been holding her inside the car, and could feel heated embarrassment climb her face at the realization. She was a grown woman. How could she forget to take off her seat belt before trying to exit the car?
“Come on, sweetheart,” Alex said in her normal kind tone. “Let’s go inside.”
* * * *
Alex could feel a fine tremor going through his own muscles. He’d never wanted to spank a sub as much as he wanted to spank Sophie Richards. Her agreement meant so much more than just kinky fun. It signaled a willingness t
o try a new lifestyle and an effort to face the fears that had crippled her marriage to Malcolm.
He placed his hand against the small of her back, guiding her gently but also monitoring her nervousness. Alex had always been confident in his abilities as a Dom to gauge a sub’s reaction, but with Sophie it was so very important to get it right. A bad experience right now could destroy the future they were all hoping for.
Yes, she’d essentially asked for a spanking, and after her unfair judgments of them she certainly deserved it, but Alex had to make certain the experience was a positive one. It was a fine line to walk, and he was grateful that Adrian and Malcolm trusted him enough to let him handle this himself. He also appreciated them realizing that Sophie’s first true experience of being dominated should be one-on-one so as not to make her feel outnumbered.
She opened the door, her hands shaking slightly but not badly enough to make her uncoordinated, and then stepped into the small foyer. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but as soon as he closed the door behind them, she lifted her skirt and shimmied her panties down her thighs. Just as he’d instructed she held them in place with her knees.
He nodded, touched her face with his fingertips for just a moment, and then walked past her to the sofa. Her apartment wasn’t very big so it was only a few steps but to Sophie it would feel much longer. He’d deliberately given her the task of holding her panties at her knees so that it would give her a few extra moments to consider what she was consenting to. In his BDSM world and ideals she needed to come to him willingly. He knew it wasn’t that way for everyone, but for him and the people he called friends, it was the only way BDSM worked for them. Everything was consensual, even punishment.
Alex helped her to lie over his knees and waited patiently as she awkwardly dragged her skirt up to her waist and exposed the soft pale skin of her beautiful ass. He stroked his hand over her exposed cheeks as she tried to get comfortable. He tilted her forward a little more, pushing her head lower and her ass higher. She couldn’t quite keep her feet on the ground and he smiled at the shudder that ran through her at the realization.
