by Avery Gale
Mitch smiled down at his sweet sub and said, “I think Master Trace has earned a hug. He has gone to bat for you today, baby, and he came out swinging like the loyal friend he is.”
Rissa’s quick nod was followed by her short sprint toward Trace, and when she launched herself the last few feet, he easily caught her in a tight hug. She spoke in between her soft sobs. “You are the best, Master Trace. I am blessed to have you as a friend. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Trace laughed and ran his hands over her now very much exposed bare ass and said, “Oh I’m really enjoying this, thank you, and the feel of your bare bottom, little one.” Rissa gasped and started trying to pull the super short dress down over her ass even as her face was lit up by a deep crimson blush.
God, how had she forgotten the crazy thing Mitch and Bryant had left for her to wear was little more than wide strips of very short fabric sewn to a ribbon band that was held just barely over her nipples by thin ribbons over her shoulders. When she’d first seen it she was sure it had at one time been a very short sundress that someone had cut in to strips, but Sally has assured her it was made like this for a good reason…total access.
Mitch had known exactly what would happen when she went to hug Trace and had thought this would break the ice a bit and help get things moving in the right direction. Alex and Zach’s news and suggestion for a punishment had changed what everyone had been dreading like death into something they would all be able to remember fondly and laugh about over drinks for many years to come.
Bryant stepped forward and grabbed her elbow. “Come along, love. I believe we have a punishment to deliver and an audience waiting for us in the Main Lounge.” Rissa took a deep breath and was suddenly filled with anticipation instead of dread. Oh they were still going to punish her, and she was sure they were going to push her to her last thread of control, but now she was looking forward to showing everyone just how devoted she was to both of her Masters and how much she trusted them to give her just exactly what she needed. She was ready to take that first step out over the edge, knowing in her heart they would be right there to catch her.
Chapter Sixteen
Rissa stretched and rolled over, feeling the smooth texture of silk sheet caressing her naked body. In her half-awake state she was dreaming of water softly flowing over her and the sun warming up the water around her as she lay back basking in the afterglow of amazing sex. Just thinking the word “sex” brought her more fully awake as the memories of last night’s “punishment” came more in to her mind’s focus. How could anything that was supposed to be painful feel so amazingly good? That was a mystery she planned to bask in and wonder about…later. Yes, she’d think about that later, right now all she cared about was stretching her tight muscles and enjoying the slide show of pictures from last night that was playing through her mind.
Mitch and Bryant had tied her to the St. Andrew’s cross that had been set up on the small stage at the center of the Main Lounge at The ShadowDance Club. They’d used a butterfly over her clit to wind her up to the point that she’d begged for release within five minutes. The soft leather strips of the pussy flogger had brought the blood to the surface so that her labia had literally throbbed with each beat of her heart. Her Masters had worked together to bring her to the edge of orgasm so many times she’d lost count. The other Dungeon Masters had watched with rapt attention until they’d know her Masters were finally going to bring her to completion and they’d quietly slipped out and given them privacy while she screamed her Masters’ names as they fucked her together for the first time. They had promised her it was going to give her an orgasm like none other, and they had been right. Rissa had been afraid she was going to shatter in a million pieces and evaporate in to a mist from the heat of their fucking. It had been beyond anything she had ever imagined could even exist.
Coming back to the present, she rolled over to gaze out the window looking down into what was known as the gardens that lay between ShadowDance and the mansion. She marveled at the Winter Wonderland that was spread out before her. Sunshine made the snow sparkle as if a million diamonds had been scattered atop the trees and shrubs. Jenna’s wedding was planned for just a few weeks from now, and construction crews were hard at work fulfilling every wish and command of the Lamont family matriarch, Catherine Lamont.
Rissa admired everything about Alex, Zach, and Jenna’s mother—she was gorgeous, brilliant, kind, and could orchestrate workers like a five-star general. Smiling to herself she thought how she had watched in awe as Catherine had single-handedly made sure the bridge and gazebo that graced it had been completed in time for her sons’ wedding to Katarina McKay. Everyone had sworn it couldn’t be done, but she and Bryant had designed it, and no one was willing to tell Catherine Lamont that her plan was impossible to complete. Rissa loved that she not only always looked like she’d stepped out of a fashion magazine, owing to her career as a model before her marriage, but also that she was no stranger to hard work and practiced her motto of “Don’t ask anyone to do work you are not willing to do also” by showing up at the bridge site on several occasions in boots and jeans and did whatever the job the foreman asked of her. She’d had every man on that crew eating out of the palm of her hand in less than an hour.
Rissa watched as Catherine made her way down the snow-covered pathway to what was affectionately known as “The Garage.” The staff had gone together and purchased a large neon sign with those words in bright blue because the lead mechanic was a fan of all things 1960s. The entire garage crew had spent most of Christmas afternoon installing their gift in a workshop that was every bit as sophisticated as the shop of any big city car dealership. The female staff loved the benefits of having on-site mechanical help that kept their cars in tip-top shape as a “benefit” of their employment with the Lamonts. Rissa had no doubt Catherine was planning to make a trip into town undeterred by the dangers of driving on the slick mountain switchbacks. Chuckling as she saw Catherine’s husband Daniel sauntering along behind his wife, she laughed out loud when she saw Daniel stop his love with a word. Watching from above, Rissa could see their discussion playing out below and knew that while Daniel didn’t exert his dominance over his sweet wife very often, it was always just below the surface. When it didn’t appear she was being convinced, he’d leaned over, placed his shoulder in her midsection and simply picked her up and was making his way toward The Club’s back entrance. Rissa could see Catherine’s laughing face, her eyes fairly dancing with joy as they disappeared in to The Club. Only then did Rissa become aware of Bryant standing alongside the bed watching her intently.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it? They have been married for almost forty years, and they still love to play. I’m not sure I have ever known a love story quite like theirs. Someday, ask Alex or Zach to share it with you, their story really quite remarkable.” He’d sat down on the bed and was gently drawing his fingers through her tangled curls. He let the silence stretch out, seemingly lost in the moment. Rissa loved these moments of quiet connection, she craved the intimacy as much as any other aspect of her relationship with Mitch and Bryant. The feeling of belonging to them and the ShadowDance family was humbling and a blessing she’d never expected to find. “What are you thinking, love? You look sad all the sudden.” Bryant’s voice was pitched with concern as he watched the emotions flit across her beautiful face.
“No, I’m not sad really. I just understand how lucky they are to have each other, you know? I have always envied that in couples I’d see together, no matter their ages. Sex is amazing…I mean you and Mitch have shown me just how incredible it can be.” She ducked her head with a shy smile when his eyes flashed with barely leashed passion. “But it’s the intimacy that is even more important to me, that feeling of belonging. When you grow up being moved around by a mother who just kind of floated between jobs and men before being left with your grandmother in the middle of the night, you understand the value of that level of commitment. And it humbles and awes me to
watch it.”
Bryant was stunned by her words and for just a moment couldn’t even speak around the lump that had formed in his throat. “Oh, love, you are so perfect. Your heart is open and huge, and your body responds to Mitch and me in ways that are so far above anything we’d ever even hoped to find, it is still almost more than we can believe, and your soul is pure light. Mitch and I will spend the rest of our lives trying to give you exactly what you just watched out that window.”
“What did she see out the window?” Mitch had just come in to the room and immediately lay down alongside Rissa. “Good morning, sunshine, or I guess I should say good afternoon.” Mitch leaned over and kissed her temple before turning his attention back to Bryant. “Now, what was so interesting about the Lamonts?”
Rissa started to giggle, and before long it was a full hold-your-stomach, tears-rolling-down-the-cheeks laugh before she said, “Leave it to our resident empath to only get a bit of it before he—”
She didn’t even get to finish the sentence before Mitch had rolled her on to her back and was straddling her and had pinned both her wrists together with one hand. “Now, baby, you really might want to think about that taunting thing when dealing with your Doms. Because I have to tell you, I can be pretty wicked and creative with electronic gadgets, and I have several that are almost ready to be used on that sweet pussy and ass of yours.” His voice was all business, but his expression was brimming with mischief.
“And that is supposed to frighten me—Sir?” She tried to hide her amusement and was sure she had failed miserably.
“Well, Master Bryant, I think our little sub is just looking for trouble. What do you say we take her up on that this evening? We can reserve a room at The Club, or we could just play in one of the public lounges, what do you think?”
“Hmmmm, tough call. I say we do a bit of planning this afternoon and surprise her.” Bryant had known Mitch was going to try to arrange to have the evening off. They had big plans for their little sub and couldn’t wait to set things in motion. “Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, there should be a good-sized crowd at The Club tonight. I can hardly wait to show off our little princess here.” He leaned over and gave her a scorching kiss before they both got up off the bed and stood with arms crossed over their chests and watched as her eyes widened and she gasped even as her nipples became stiff points and they could smell her arousal.
“What? That’s it? You get me all…well, all…”
“All what, baby?” Mitch’s amused tone didn’t do a thing for her good humor…Nope not one single thing even remotely close to satisfying about that.
She was completely exasperated now. “Oh crap on a cracker, you know what I mean. You got me all hot, and now you’re just going to walk away? Well, you’ll see, I don’t need you to take care of this.” She knew she was skating on very thin ice and that waving the threat of self-satisfaction in front of a Dom was like waving a red flag in front of a bull, but she just couldn’t seem to stop the words from tumbling out. “Oh yeah, I got along for years before you two came along, and as long as they still make batteries, I’ll be able to do just fine on my own.” She didn’t even see them move it was that fast—they had her up and bent over the edge of the bed before she had even blinked. The first two swats landed hard, and Rissa gasped at the sudden fire spreading over her skin. The next three were harsher with the last one landing directly over her pussy. “Shit! That hurts! What the fuck is wrong with you two?”
Bryant growled, honest to God, she would swear he growled before saying, “Watch your language and your taunting just went way over the edge, pet. You know your pleasure belongs to Master Mitch and myself. You will not touch yourself with the intent of provided self-stimulation unless directed to do so by one of us—are we crystal clear on this point?”
Oh boy, Rissa was in full-on pissed-off mode now. “Crystal clear indeed…Sir!” She probably should have made an effort to keep the sarcasm out of her voice, but she didn’t and until the next several swats landed on her already-blistering ass cheeks, she hadn’t cared. But now? Damn, sitting was not going to be much fun for a while, that was for sure. She was pissed and she didn’t really even understand why, but everything was overwhelming her. She felt like she was being swept away by huge tsunami-strength waves of emotion. And each wave was different from the last one so that she couldn’t ever get her feet under her. When she was crying and apologizing, they finally stopped the spanking, and it was Mitch who helped her up and sat her on the edge of the bed.
Handing her a box of tissues, he tilted her chin up so she was forced to look at him. “Baby, you know better than that. You are better than that bratty behavior. If you are needy, tell us. We won’t always accommodate you, sometimes because we have something else planned and having you on edge for a while before a scene will serve to enhance your pleasure. But this blatant disrespect for your Doms and demeaning of yourself will not be tolerated. Do you understand?” Mitch waited even after she nodded her head.
“Y–y–yes, S–s–s–sir.” Shuddering with her sobs, she added, “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I did that. I knew I was saying all the wrong things…but my mouth wasn’t paying any attention to my brain.” Rissa only wanted to be alone, she would have told them anything if she’d thought it would get them out of the room sooner. She planned to head down the mountain and hide away in her small apartment above the local tavern and just sleep.
The physical pain hadn’t been so much she couldn’t stand it, but this had just proved to her that she was in way over her head. They wanted to get inside her head and she wasn’t ready to be that open with anyone. Her counselor had told her time and again that it was time, but opening up was harder than she’d ever imagined it could be. She’d wondered a thousand and one times if she would ever be able to overcome the PTSD triggers. Even she realized her reactions were inconsistent and there was no question they’d be noted by two experienced Doms. She needed time to process everything that had happened, and she couldn’t do that here at ShadowDance. She had agreed to the time at the cabin, but since they’d returned to The Club and Mansion, there wasn’t any reason to continue delaying the inevitable.
She could tell when Mitch started picking up her thoughts again. Thank God strong emotion blocks him temporarily at least. And she purposely blanked her plans from her mind. He looked at her intently before speaking softly. “You’re learning to block, I don’t like it.”
Bryant stepped forward. “She’s learning to block her thoughts from you? Really? I didn’t know that was possible.” Reaching over, he cupped the sides of her sweet face and used his thumbs to remove her remaining tears. “I hate having to punish you, I would much prefer the only spankings you get are erotic and meant to bring you pleasure. But I won’t ever hesitate to take you in hand if you act out like a spoiled brat.” When Rissa didn’t answer he let go of her face and said, “We’ll stop in to check on you later. Get cleaned up, dressed and go downstairs, and get something to eat. We’ll tell Selita to be expecting you.”
After they had both left the room, Rissa hurried to get herself cleaned up and quickly made her way out to the garage and was halfway down the mountain when her cell phone started to ring. Glancing at the screen, she saw Kat’s phone number. Hitting the button for speakerphone, she immediately heard Kat’s frantic voice. “Are you okay? Holy shit, I overheard the men talking downstairs, and then when I looked for you, I couldn’t find you anywhere. I called the garage and they told me your car wasn’t in the lot. Oh damn, girl, you are going to be in deep shit when Mitch and Bryant get wind of this. I bought you some time by telling the garage guys I had forgotten you were going to the store for a few things, but it won’t be long before it hits the fan. Oh man, I hate being a hippo…I’m missing all the action…We could have escaped together, damn and double damn…I haven’t had a good spanking orgasm in so long I think I will have forgotten how.” Damn, but Rissa loved her bosses’ fireball wife; they had become good friends over the past few month
s, and Rissa never tired of Kat’s rapid-fire, out-loud thinking. After a few beats of silence Kat’s voice came through the phone in a much softer tone. “Really, Rissa, are you okay? I’m worried about you. Talk to me, girlfriend.”
Rissa wasn’t sure she would be able put her feelings of being overwhelmed into any words that would make sense even to her sweet friend. She was little more than a bundle of raw nerves, but she took a deep breath and let it out slowly before speaking. “Thank you for checking on me, I’ll be fine. I just need some time to process everything. I haven’t felt that vulnerable and powerless for a long time, and it sort of shook me, you know?” Chuckling to herself, she continued. “Of course you know, I’m sorry, that was insensitive of me.” She took another steadying breath and then spoke again. “I’ll be all right, I just want to sleep in my own bed covered up by the quilt my Granny made for me and eat a quart of ice cream and a package of cookies.” She tried to put laughter in her voice so Kat would be appeased. “That cures everything, right?”
Kat wasn’t convinced, but she’d been in Rissa’s position and knew when it was time to back off and let a friend work through a rough patch. “Well, you make sure you keep that phone on you, I heard that there has been a man in town asking about you and that mega bitch Rachel Sutton is still on a rampage about you also. Watch your back and lock your damned door. Please call me later and let me know you are okay. It’s not nice to make a preggo woman worry you know…bad for the ole high blood pressure.”
Rissa had to laugh, leave it to Kat to pull that card out when it was convenient. “Oh all right, mother hen…I’ll call you later. I know the guys will be busy at The Club tonight so we’ll trash talk them and both feel better. Now, I have to go, the road is slick, and my tires are not in the best shape so I need all my attention on not making car skiing a new sport. And, Kat…thanks…for caring…You are a great friend.”
