John shot Emma a look. “Don’t try to alibi him. I saw him leave last night in his truck.”
“Maybe,” Ginger said so softly that Diego could barely hear, “they are in it together.”
Diego glanced at Emma, who looked uncomfortable. He looked around at the other people, and with the exception of John, whose gaze held only hostility, none of them looked him in the eye. Just like that, he was the other, no longer part of the group. I don’t belong here. And yet he knew that in a way he belonged here the way he did nowhere else. Bondage Ranch was a place where his kinky, perverted self was accepted. Just not, apparently, his Latino handyman self.
He barely heard Alex tell John to back down.
“If Alex or Dylan would like to search me or my truck, they are welcome to. Otherwise, I’m heading into town. Do you want to come too?” He addressed the last to Emma.
“I don’t know,” said Emma, looking even worse.
Diego wanted to protect Emma from the suspicions Ginger had thrown on her. He just wasn’t sure quite how. Especially when Emma seemed to think he might have stolen the jewels, just like everyone else.
“Would you like to be searched, Diego?” asked Alex.
“If you have any doubts about me, then yes.”
“I don’t. But I’d like to put those doubts to rest with everyone else.”
“He could have easily ditched the jewels by now, since he drove off last night,” protested John.
“Drove off when?”
“Around midnight.”
“The jewels were on Constance until at least one,” said Alex. “So Diego wasn’t even around.”
It was good of Alex to say, but of course he could have doubled back. Consuela could give him an alibi, but would anyone but Alex believe her?
Sue opened her door and glanced around, obviously surprised to see everyone gathered in the hall. She’d dressed in a long-line leather dress, with a bustier that enhanced her bosom, and a red and black feather fascinator in her hair. She plucked her keys from her cleavage and wiggled them at Diego. “Thanks for letting me in. Got ‘em.”
“Glad you found them,” said Diego. And boy do I wish you hadn’t ever lost them.
“You’re looking hot, Mistress Sue,” said Alex.
“Indeed,” said John.
Diego stepped back and chuckled. Never underestimate the ability of breasts to create a distraction. He put his arm around Emma. He didn’t know what she thought, but until she said something, he might as well act confident. Her shoulders twitched when he touched her, but she didn’t move away. There wasn’t any point of slipping out while everyone was admiring Sue, however. The problem would still remain. “I’m going to get some breakfast with Emma. If you want to search me or have Dylan search my truck, by all means do so, Alex.”
“And you can search my room too,” Emma offered.
“May I get James or Selena to do it?” Alex asked.
Diego didn’t know either very well, although he’d seen them around. He knew they usually avoided public play and hung out in the Allisons’ living room or outside more often than in the dungeon. He’d heard that James was a cop, so it was natural that he was helping look for Constance’s missing nipple jewelry. “If you trust them, then that’s good enough for me.”
“I trust them,” said Alex.
“Then go ahead.” It irked him that Emma had gotten caught up in all this, but there wasn’t a lot he could do about it. The first step was to get her some breakfast.
The onlookers seemed to melt away, heading back to their rooms or to the living room. A few headed toward the dungeon, behind Emma and Diego, and he was aware that Alex was among them. The reason why became apparent when Alex made a beeline to where James, a big dom, and his tall, redheaded sub, Selena, were talking to Constance and Aidan, Constance’s tall blond master. Constance was a bit more covered today, wearing a white dress that was fully opaque. If that was Aidan’s idea, it was a good one. Having something stolen from one’s room was bound to make anyone feel vulnerable, and as delicious as Constance had looked the day before, this was the time to make her feel safe and protected.
And it was time to get his sub fed. Did he have a right to think of her as his sub, just because of a couple of play sessions? It didn’t matter. He felt responsible for her now.
The table surprised him. Rather than the bagels and doughnuts he had expected, there was a variety of gourmet pastries. The spring before, Constance had served her own baked treats to everyone, and clearly she had provided again this year. She hadn’t let the burglary stop her.
“This is amazing,” said Emma, looking between various pastries before finally selecting a strawberry-rhubarb tart.
“Constance.”
“Sorry?”
“Constance, the woman whose jewelry was stolen. She’s the chef.”
Emma took a bite. “Oh God. It tastes as good as it looks! I have to tell her. Where is she?”
Diego wasn’t sure it was such a good idea, but on the other hand, Constance could probably use all the emotional support she could get. The loss of the jewelry was one thing. The sense of being invaded was worse. He hesitated for a moment as he watched Alex, James, and Selena walk together out of the room. Then he nodded over to where Aidan and Constance were.
“Oh. The girl with the jewelry.” Emma indicated her own breasts for a moment and then blushed. She was extra lovely when she turned colors like that.
“Yes. That was what was stolen, I think.”
“Oh, how horrible!” said Emma, who hurried across the room.
When she sees someone who has been hurt, she’s not shy at all. Diego followed, watching proudly as Emma introduced herself to Constance without even giving him a chance to provide an introduction. Aidan chuckled, breaking off and clasping him on the shoulder.
“Nice sub you have there,” Aidan said.
“Well, mine at the moment, anyway,” said Diego. For a moment he was jealous of the stability Aidan seemed to have found with Constance. Then he shrugged. That wasn’t for him.
“Maybe you should keep this one.”
She isn’t even sure I’m not a thief. “I see yours has tamed you nicely,” retorted Diego.
“Ha. She’s a handful sometimes. But I tell you, every day of my life is better for her presence.”
Diego followed Aidan’s glance back to Constance and Emma. The two were embracing. How women could go so quickly from meeting to hugging was beyond him. Emma might be shy on the whole, but he suspected that was primarily a dislike of small talk and awkward social niceties. She could talk to him, and she had no trouble making a new friend when she had something to talk about. And she loved being watched, whether or not she admitted it to herself.
If there was one thing Diego wanted to do for Emma, it was to get her to come to peace with that aspect of herself. She’d need to be able to express that to the next dom she met. A lot of people thought that a good scene was all about what the dominant partner wanted, but the best play happened when both people could express what they needed and provide it for each other. Open, honest communication was the best way to make sure things went well. And a sub couldn’t be honest with her dom if she wasn’t honest with herself.
“This is good for her,” said Aidan.
Diego nodded. Emma needed more people to talk to, and if a strawberry-rhubarb tart was what it took to get her to find a friend, he was all for it. The two women had leaned in close and moved a few feet away as Constance was pointing something out to Emma, and while he had been able to catch a word or two, he couldn’t hear anything they were saying anymore. “It sure is.”
“Since people started hearing about the theft, people have been giving Constance and I a wide birth. Except for the Allisons, and James and Selena, and that’s almost worse, with all the questions. Constance feels like she’s done something wrong, and of course she hasn’t. I thought our room would be safe.”
Right. Good for Constance. I’m a bit too focused on my ow
n girl, and she isn’t even really mine. “The locks aren’t all that good. But then, they shouldn’t need to be. We’ve got a pretty close community here. The Regency dance community is pretty tight too. Everyone knows each other. They usually have a lot more jewelry than we do, and I’ve never heard of anyone getting anything stolen.”
Aidan shrugged. “My fault for wanting to make an ostentatious display, I suppose. I just hope it hasn’t made Constance skittish about wearing jewelry in public. She looked fabulous.”
Diego nodded. “She did indeed. Does, still.”
“She does, doesn’t she?” Aidan grinned. “I think it’s time for me distract her. Excuse me.”
Aidan walked over and took Constance’s hand. “Excuse us,” he said to Emma. “It’s playtime.”
“Um, sure,” Emma said.
“Uh-oh,” said Constance, with a shrug whose attempt at apology was undermined by the shining look in her eyes. “Master calls, gotta go.”
Diego put his arm around Emma’s waist as Aidan led Constance to one of the crosses. The furniture was mostly idle, as people tended to mingle in the big room until late afternoon and do their scenes outside or in their rooms. By evening, it would be hard to get a station. There was, however, a naked woman getting a spanking on the bench from her dom, and in the corner of the room there was a metal cage, about three feet tall, with a male submissive scrunched in it while his Mistress sat on top, sipping tea, eating doughnuts, and chatting with passersby. Occasionally she would dangle her feet into the cage, and he would dutifully suck her toes.
Emma sucked the last of the tart into her mouth and made a smacking sound with her lips.
“Good, huh?”
“Great. She’s awesome!”
“Do you want another?”
Emma shook her head, “I think I’m broad enough already.” She made a slimming gesture in the general direction of her hips.
“You’ve got curves.” Diego ran his palm from her shoulder, over a breast and on to her tummy. He knew he shouldn’t be playing right now. The essence of play was trust, and if Emma didn’t trust him—but he wanted to be the one to take her to where she needed to go.
Emma looked around. “In front of everyone?” But he noted she didn’t grab his hand. “No one’s playing, except Constance and her Master.”
“That’s not quite true.” Diego closed the distance until his chest touched hers. Slowly, deliberately, he moved forward, making her step backward until her back was against the wall. He pressed his chest to hers and was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath.
“Are you sure you don’t want a tart, Sir?” Emma asked. “They’re tasty.”
“I like the way you say Sir.”
“Oh.”
“But I will taste one of the tarts.”
“Um.” The look of disappointment on Emma’s face, which she tried to cover up, was delicious to behold. He let it stay there for a moment, before he bent down and kissed her lips. She kissed him back, chastely at first, then more eagerly, opening her mouth for him. He slid his tongue inside and tasted the strawberry from her tongue. As good as Constance is, she can’t compare to this.
Emma’s eyes widened as she realized what he’d meant by tasting. Then she kissed him more eagerly. What she lacked in technique, she more than made up for with enthusiasm, giving him one of the wettest kisses he’d ever experienced. When his hand covered her breast, she didn’t object. He felt her sweet breath against his cheek.
Reluctantly, he pulled his face back. He didn’t want her passing out on him.
She gasped a little. “Wow.”
He wanted to see how he could push her. Wanted to take her further, even though he should have been satisfied enough with the morning’s pleasure. “You didn’t tell the whole truth, did you, when you said no one was playing?”
She looked around. “It’s mostly true. Do you always tell the whole truth?”
Ouch. “Always, to anyone I play with.”
He gave her a few seconds to digest that and then moved forward. “Tell me who is playing, Emma. I think you owe me something for not being quite honest.”
“I wasn’t—”
“—trying to be. I know. Tell me who is playing.”
“I don’t know their names.”
“Tell me about them.” His back was to the room, but he knew Emma could see over his shoulder just fine.
“There’s a woman being spanked.”
“That’s one.” He unbuttoned a button. “Is she naked?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a lot more dressed than you are, isn’t it?”
A sharp intake of breath rewarded him. “Yes.”
“Don’t worry. You’re not going to be naked. Not now. Just a little more exposed. Who else is playing?”
A mixture of relief and anxiety passed over her face. He’d measured his message carefully, letting her know that he was going to push her, but that there was a limit.
“There’s a man in a cage.”
He unbuttoned a button. “Is that all?”
“Those are the only two scenes, besides Constance and her Master.”
“Master Aidan.” He unbuttoned two buttons. Her blouse was wide open now, her breasts nicely displayed in the lacy black bra she wore.
“Why is that one worth two?”
“Because it was two people.”
“The others are two people too!”
He grinned. “Good point, and I do appreciate your eagerness. Tell me about them.”
“But I only have one button left.”
“Shame, that. I’ll come up with something.”
She gave him a doubtful look and took a deep breath. “There’s a medium-sized man, in leather jeans, who was doing the spanking. But he’s stopped now and is caressing his girl’s butt. And he’s kissing her neck. It looked all angry when I first saw them, but now it looks tender.”
“Good girl,” he said. “Be my eyes for me.” And be your eyes for you. Because being a voyeur is the other side of being an exhibitionist.
“The man in a cage has a domme, and she’s been letting him suck her toes. Oh no.”
He undid the button on her sleeves.
“Oh no?”
“Another person—a man—has started kissing the woman, the domme, right in front of the man in the cage. Oh, I’d kill if someone did that to me.”
“Kissed you?”
“No. Kissed you like that in front of me, just to tease me.”
“That’s why he’s in a cage, I imagine. That’s not my thing either.” He unbuttoned the other sleeve. “Is that everyone?”
She nodded. “I guess I did have two more buttons after all.”
“Yes, but they only count half, so you still owe me for one person.”
She blinked. “That’s not fair.”
“I don’t have to be fair. Just good for you. Take your blouse off.” He backed up an inch and put his hands on the wall to either side of her. He didn’t want to give her the feeling she could just move away, even though he’d let her go instantly if she used her safe word.
He watched as she seemed to be fighting a mental war with herself. “Why don’t you take it off for me, Sir.”
“Would that be easier for you?” He noted with pleasure she wasn’t suggesting she wanted it to stay on.
“Yes.”
“Exactly. Take it off. But Emma?”
“Hmm?”
“Everyone here knows that you’re only taking it off because I’m ordering you to.”
Emma looked around. “I don’t think anyone’s paying attention to us, actually.”
“Well, that too.”
Emma smiled and exhaled, a half laugh. Then, sheepishly, she took her blouse off and let it drop to the floor. “Happy? It’s not like you haven’t seen them before. Or like my top was doing much once you’d unbuttoned it.”
“I like seeing them. As much as possible.” He cupped her breasts, rubbing his thumbs where her pink nipples were visible thr
ough the black lace. “Thank you for displaying your lovely tits, Emma.”
Her breathing was getting faster. He smiled. Some people could walk through the dungeon at Bondage Ranch stark naked without feeling a thrill. And this level of exposure was minor compared to what they’d done the night before, or what she’d thought they had been doing with the mirror. He moved his hand slightly to feel her heart race.
He wanted to keep her distracted, as much viewer as viewed. “Tell me what Constance and Aidan are doing, Emma.”
“He’s binding her to the cross, using cuffs made out of some kind of fabric. He’s just attached her other ankle, so she can’t close her feet anymore, and her hands are stretched out. But her dress is still on. Some people let their subs keep their clothes on.”
“Silly people. Besides, you’re wearing some clothing. Last night he had her breasts bare with those lovely jewels dangling from them, as you know, so he’s not above stripping her. I think he’s concerned that she’s feeling vulnerable because of being burglarized.” Diego rubbed Emma’s nipples through the lace and was rewarded with a pleasant stiffening and a sharp breath and the scent of arousal.
“Or maybe she’s only willing to be naked if she’s got pretty gems to distract people. Speaking of which, you’re distracting me.”
“Oh, I don’t think it works that way, no matter how pretty the gems. I think it rather focused everyone’s attention, actually.”
“If she’s so vulnerable, why’s he tying her up?”
“Because he also wants to distract her. And show her he’s still in control.” He grinned. “Who is in control between us, Emma?” He plucked at her breasts, tugging her nipples and then letting them go.
She gasped. “You.”
“Good girl.”
“He’s fondling her bottom. I think he’s going to spank her.”
“Her bottom?” He momentarily stopped teasing at her choice of words.
“Not everyone is fixated on breasts!”
“I wasn’t questioning what he was doing, I was questioning your language. Don’t you think that’s a little genteel for what he’s doing?”
“Okay, okay. He’s groping her ass!” Emma pushed out her breasts, obviously missing the attention, and he resumed his play. He pushed his thigh against her crotch, and she moaned, moving to rub against him. That’s it, girl. Give everyone a show. He saw her look around, hesitate, and then move her hips to press against his thigh again.
Bondage Ranch 5: His Little Treasure Page 7
