Vulnerable [Club Pleasure 4] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Allyson Young

  * * * *

  Despite the disparity in their backgrounds, both sets of parents got along well at the little, private ceremony. Marjorie wore a simple dress of some silky material in a bronze shade that set off her coloring, and Dave wore his obviously new suit manfully, struggling out of his tie only after the first toast had been drunk.

  His mother wore her favorite shade of blue and looked elegant as usual on the arm of his dad who carried off the matching blue pinstripe with aplomb. Colleen had apparently abandoned all of her reservations about Elise, due in no small part, no doubt, to his dad’s expectations. Ross knew who wore the pants in his family no matter how it looked to the rest of the world. His dad had recognized Ross’s tendencies early on, and had given him books to read and encouraged him to find positive ways to express his dominance. Bill had recognized Elise as submissive immediately, and had approved. His dad had dealt with his mom, and Ross appreciated it, because if push came to shove, he would choose Elise.

  Elise looked beautiful in a form-fitting dress of pale-gold lace inset with cream at the neck and sleeves. She wore heels that put her well over six feet, and Ross revered her regal carriage and grace when she walked into the room, and on her wrist saw the sparkle of the watch he had given her. The justice of the peace conducted the brief ceremony, and Ross reflected that their deeper vows would be said with different witnesses in a week’s time. He planned to tell Elise that night.

  The small wedding party shared a meal at a newly opened restaurant owned by one of Ross’s clients, and Chef Haley Chalmers herself came out to offer a special dessert of flamed pears drizzled with a spicy, yet sweet, liquor. Chef Haley had been asked to come to Austin to open the restaurant, and Ross indicated his sincere hope that she could be convinced to stay. His client had discovered a gem. She laughingly shared that she had left her heart in San Francisco, and had only come to Austin as a short-term favor. Her white coat didn’t disguise the swell of her belly, and just as Ross noted his father’s flare of interest, he recognized the name. Warren Chalmers was well-known in the financial world and in the same circles Ross moved in, both business and social. He vaguely recalled that Chalmers had been injured by some crazed restaurant patron, and that he had married his submissive once he had recovered. His dad knew a submissive from miles away. Ross also thought Chalmers and this little chef were in a ménage, and he smiled back at her. When you found happiness, you held onto it with both hands.

  Elise was looking at Chef Haley’s belly, and the wistful look on her face reminded Ross that the medical procedures started in just over a week’s time. His dominant proclivities would be curtailed for a while according to what the doctor had shared, because Elise would be subjected to intrusive, if minor, surgeries. Ross caught her gaze and telegraphed his understanding, and she looked back at him with her heart in her eyes. With both hands.

  * * * *

  “The Club? A scene, like the one with that huge man Jonathon and his little Lois?”

  Ross didn’t miss the thread of excitement in Elise’s voice. “Like that, honey.”

  They had taken a room in a hotel for their wedding night. His parents and hers were in the same building, only on a different floor, and they would meet for breakfast before they returned to their respective homes. His mother had arranged for the pictures to be sent to all the family members, and Marjorie had promised to dry Elise’s flowers, three cream roses, and mat and frame them for her.

  Elise changed into a scrap of lace once they were in their room, and Ross recognized the chemise he had dressed her in that day in the lingerie store. His libido surged, and he tore the fine material of his dress shirt in his haste to get to her. Her teasing laughter echoed in his head as he struggled to get his shoes off so that he could pull his pants down. The complimentary champagne stood ignored on the table as he took her down onto the bed. The chemise gave way under his questing hands, and Elise’s arousal perfumed the room. She wrapped herself around him, and he did what most grooms probably did on their wedding night. He fucked his bride senseless and drained himself while doing it.

  Ross had thought to seduce her slowly and torment her in every way he could think of, but his ungoverned response had been the best one. Elise drifted, sated, in his arms, and he allowed his possessiveness full rein. He broached the ceremony at the Club when he woke her in the middle of the night for more lovemaking.

  “I’m not sure about being naked in front of people.”

  “I’m not giving you that choice, Elise.”

  He felt her nipples bead. Elise might protest and question, but she needed to submit to him publicly, albeit amongst friends. He took her lips to forestall any further questions and let his fingers do the talking until her thighs parted and his cock found its way home.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Elise shivered in the thin silk robe and barely recognized herself in the mirror. Her face was pale, her eyes huge. Ross kissed her deeply, and she settled against him. She knew he had spent every lunch hour that week at the Club, practicing with a supple flogger as recommended by Patrick. Pat had arranged for the reservation of the soft dungeon, and his wife, Madi, had issued the invitations. Ross’s partner from work, Jason Holden, had cried off, primarily due to their continued plan to open their own company, complete with shareholders and a board. It was an enormous amount of work on top of their usual workload, and Ross had been less than focused of late. Jason had taken up the slack without complaint, however, and Elise knew Ross really appreciated it. He was bringing the most clients, but Jason was the nuts and bolts kind of guy. They would make great partners. It was still a disappointment to him that Jason couldn’t attend, and Kennedy and Graham couldn’t come, because she was about to deliver and Graham wouldn’t leave her side. That left Emily, who would be escorted by Jordan, Jonathon and Lois, Ivone and Jamison, Patrick and Madison, and Olivia and Cameron, who had driven up specially. Ten members felt like a nice intimate gathering to Ross, but Elise was terrified. However, she acquiesced. She had met all of those people on more than one occasion and had seen some of the women doing scenes with their Doms, and the intimacy and power of those were absolutely amazing. Elise wanted that for herself, and it was time she sucked it up. If only her knees would quit knocking.

  Ross had looked incredibly sexy in his leathers and loose white shirt, his hair tied back in a queue. Elise had chosen a little black dress to wear to what she called the cocktail hour, no pun intended, although not a drop of liquor had passed her lips or Ross’s. She knew it was to ensure that she was able to give total consent and for Ross not to be impaired in any way, but she would have sold her soul for a glass of wine, except her soul already belonged to Ross. She also wore another item beneath the little black dress, an item that Ross had put inside her after an anal douche and a syringe of lubricant. Elise didn’t find the butt plug terribly uncomfortable, although she was certain that everyone there knew she was wearing one. Olivia seemed to be moving and sitting in a similar manner, and the other woman had winked at her when their eyes met. Elise knew Ross would be taking her ass that night and that he wanted to ensure that he didn’t harm her in the heat of any moment.

  Madi circulated with trays of amazing little finger foods and whispered that Ross had arranged for Chef Haley Chalmers to prepare them, although she was already on a flight back to San Francisco. It never failed to warm Elise’s heart, the way Ross could be so thoughtful. She knew that this ceremony meant far more to him than the civil one, and she only hoped she could play her role well.

  She and Ross had amazing dominant sex. He had definitely corrected her and then rewarded her on several occasions, but aside from that one night when they’d first met, Elise didn’t think she had totally met his Dom side. Well, tonight was the night. Her sex dripped with the thought, and she glanced up to see him watching her with dark intent. He stood and offered his hand. Elise took it and felt him pull her to her feet, and the conversations around her faded and halted. She followed him out of the room and hea
rd the others begin to move. It was time.

  As soon as they had entered the member room, Ross ordered her to strip and put on a little silk robe he had obviously purchased for the occasion. It was in the golden-brown shade he favored for her to wear. Elise had instantly obeyed his command, and his eyes had glowed with approval. He leaned her over the vanity in the attached bath in order to remove the plug and was pleased with the result. He seemed larger, taller, more imposing tonight somehow, and she trembled with arousal and anticipation. The silk robe chafed her nipples, and Elise longed to tear it off. When he offered his arm, she placed her fingertips on it and felt the strong muscles contract. He escorted her down the hallway and into a room that took her breath away. Their friends stood around the periphery of the square-framed cross that was lit from the ceiling, in direct contrast to the muted lighting of the rest of the room.

  All eyes turned to them, and Elise let her gaze drift across the intent faces before dropping her eyes submissively. Ross guided her to the structure, and she tried not to tremble as he slipped the garment over her shoulders and off her body. She felt her nipples react even more to the cooler air and was glad she couldn’t see all those people looking at her, and then it became just about her and Ross. He ran his hands over her with what felt like reverence, and she gloried in his touch. Her wrists were restrained first, and Ross took care not to tie them too tightly or stretch her arms too high. Elise tightened her core once he fastened her ankles in order to stabilize herself, but Ross was quick to wrap a leather strap around her waist and secure it to either side of the frame, effectively taking up the strain.

  She felt stretched, exposed, and absolutely at home in this strange position, in this strange place, albeit with like-minded people bearing witness, people who were not strangers to her. It was where her husband, her Dom, wanted her to be, and as long as he was with her, Elise was content. Ross pulled her nipples out and away from her breasts, and she hissed as he slipped a silver circlet over each of them, pinching them to a level of just-bearable pain. She breathed through it and was rewarded with a tiny kiss on either nipple. She looked into Ross’s eyes and saw the true alpha male about to claim his female. It exhilarated her and terrified her at the same time, an arousing, exciting fear, and Ross recognized it, to judge by the look that crossed his otherwise impassive features. He left her then to move behind her, and Elise waited.

  The first stroke of the flogger landed right between her shoulder blades and felt like a tiny stinging kiss of a dozen static charges. Ross picked up the cadence and Elise lost track of where it landed, given the number of strokes and their varied placement on her body. Her skin sang, and when Ross began to address her breasts with the soft, supple leather, the clamps seemed to tighten and pull all the little pulses to that spot. Elise tried to stay present, in the moment, but felt herself drifting on the sensations, her brain overwhelmed by the effort to process it all. When the flogger landed on her upper thighs and naked folds, actually slipping against the copious moisture gathered there, Elise heard herself calling out for Ross.

  He was there in a heartbeat, and she felt his heat against her back, the reassuring press of his cock at her opening as he took her by the waist to hold her steady against his invasion. He seemed to merely flex his knees to drive up inside of her, and she climaxed instantly, without clitoral stimulation, and came again as the nipple clamps were magically removed. Ross pulled out and pressed into her anus, prepared as it was to receive him. She clung to the fringes of her sanity and rode the residue of the intense orgasms, only to feel Ross begin to work her clit as hard as he labored within her. Elise screamed in protest at the threat of yet another orgasm, and vaguely heard his murmured reassurance against the background whispers of the spectators. She fell off the cliff again just as Ross fairly bellowed his release, and knew no more.

  * * * *

  Elise finally cracked her eyes, but she still looked intoxicated, drunk on sex, her features slack, her body boneless. She squinted at him and promptly screwed her eyes shut. Ross couldn’t help but laugh, and the sound had her eyes popping open again.

  “How are you, honey?”

  Her lush mouth opened, but no sound came out, and she cleared her throat. Ross slid an arm under her shoulders and propped her up before holding the bottled water to her lips. She drank eagerly and then sagged back.

  “Elise?”

  “That was too much.”

  “I gave you what you could take, my love, and you were totally stunning in your submission. Thank you for that.”

  “Too much,” she mumbled.

  Ross felt a tinge of worry. Had he hurt her? Been too rough when he fucked her ass? He had been flawless with the flogger, and there wasn’t a mark on her from that, although she would be feeling the results for a few days, but in a good way. He drew the robe from her breasts and looked at the nipples. She would be tender, but that was all. He eased her over onto her belly and pushed away the fabric to pull her buttocks apart to check her bottom hole. She appeared to be fine.

  “Jesus, Ross, could you give it a rest? You and my ass.”

  He laid his head beside hers, nose to nose, and she blinked like a little owl. He could see that she had come back to herself and asked again if she was okay.

  “I’m fine, Ross,” she said wearily. “I loved it. You must know that, considering how many spectacular orgasms I had.”

  “So what was too much, honey?”

  “What?”

  Ross patiently repeated himself, but Elise just looked at him blankly. Ross had heard of it happening before on occasion, but never thought that he would be gifted with a submissive who shared from the deepest part of the brain so long after a dissociative experience. He briefly envisioned the heights he could take her to, although would take care to do so sparingly. For a moment, he regretted the medical procedures that lurked just around the corner. He pressed a kiss on her nose and her eyes drifted shut again. It appeared they were staying the night. Ross got up and stripped and then efficiently removed Elise’s robe. She didn’t move when he got into bed and pulled her to spoon against her back, her body still slack and replete.

  * * * *

  They were having a light breakfast the following morning in the atrium restaurant at the Club when Elise asked. She looked slightly out of place in her elegant black dress, and Ross supposed his leathers wouldn’t appear any more appropriate during the light of day on the drive home, but he hadn’t brought a change of clothes for either of them. He hadn’t thought they would be staying overnight.

  “Who took the clamps off?”

  Ross shrugged and instantly regretted it. Elise hated it when he shrugged, seeing it as rude and evasive. He quickly answered. “Patrick.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  He waited, but Elise said nothing else. He was bothered for some reason.

  “Patrick and Jordan touch subs all the time, honey. Part of the job, and Madi is fine with it. Emily might not be so comfortable, seeing as she and Jordan…” Ross heard himself talking too much while Elise applied herself to the fruit plate.

  He shut his mouth and stared at her, waiting. She looked up and smiled at him, the smile that Adam probably saw, right before the apple was offered. “Not Jonathon though?”

  Ross ground his teeth, and then saw the teasing brilliance in Elise’s eyes. The bear hadn’t gotten laid that morning, and thus wasn’t sated or inclined to overlook that little challenge. Then the laughter bubbled up and out of his chest, and she smiled delightedly at him and winked. Point to her. So he was jealous. After what his friends had witnessed last night, he would need to guard his sub carefully. Mine.

  He reached down into his toy bag and unzipped the outer compartment, taking out the long, slim box. He placed it on the table between them and enjoyed the look that came over Elise’s face. It could have held an anal wand or a pen, anything, because she appreciated whatever he gave her, large or small. Ross flipped off the lid and lifted out the heavy white gold chain, crafted with G
reek key shapes. He stood to place it around Elise’s neck and her hands came up to lift her hair out of the way, trembling in reaction. The tiny lock snicked shut, and he placed a kiss on her nape, relishing the soft skin. It was a perfect fit and style for his Amazon who needed a collar of significant presence. She touched it with a fingertip and looked at him with tears in her eyes. Ross felt complete and needed to hear it from her.

  “We’re totally joined, Elise. I love you so much, honey.”

  She gave him another smile, this one devoid of laughter but fraught with love. “We are, Ross, and I think I’ve always loved you.”

  “The next while is going to be difficult, honey, so I’ll be thinking about last night and looking forward to the next one in the distant future. I’m glad for the experience.”

  “I won’t forget it either, Ross, and if we are lucky, the medical stuff won’t take too long.”

  He heard the tentative hope in her voice and surreptitiously crossed his fingers behind her back.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Ross took a deep breath and composed himself as he watched Elise stomp from the room. They had just moved into their new home a few weeks previously, and he ruefully admitted that it probably hadn’t been the best time to buy, but in his mind, the economy had dictated it. Everything had happened in the past year. He and Elise had married and had their other ceremony at the Club, he and Jason had resigned from the financial conglomerate and started R & J Associates, Elise had undergone three surgeries in an attempt to repair and reconstruct her fallopian tubes, and they had embarked on a house hunt before settling on this one.