Sugar Dust

by Raven ShadowHawk

  From her moisturizers and hair products claiming all the space in his bathroom, to the honesty she brandished like a blade every time they spoke. The exciting and sometimes ridiculous dinners cobbled together from the food at the back of the fridge. The passion and enthusiasm she brought to her PhD. The surprise gifts of DVDs and chocolate bars after a hard day. The willingness to try new things. The way her soft hands played with the curls of hair on his chest as she drifted to sleep after an intense play session. All of it.

  “Wait there,” he whispered.

  He opened one of the bags and riffled through the contents. Several coils of rope, soft and coarse, slithered to the ground. Slender lengths of chain went with them, followed by two spreader bars, a ball gag, two vibrators and a fake foxtail attached to a butt plug. Right at the bottom he found what he wanted.

  Deep breath. “I know what you want me to say. I know and I’m sorry. Those words are so heavy and the last time I said them it was a complete fuck up.” Dan shoved aside the mental image of glossy green hair and long, pointed fingernails. “I don’t want to do that with you. You’re different to anyone I’ve ever been with. Anyone I’ve known.”

  “I don’t know what to say to that, Dan.”

  Say you understand, he wanted to scream. Instead he held out a square, purple box tied with silver ribbon.

  “Then take this.”

  She stared at it.

  He shook it. “Please.”

  She did, holding the box in both hands. An age passed before she tugged on the ribbon, unfurling the extravagant bow. Resting inside, scrunched up tissue paper, again in purple, hid the treasures beneath. Her fingers pulled them free, a piece at a time. Dan watched her, swallowing to douse the taste of bile clawing up his throat. He longed to sit down, but worry that any movement would distract her kept him firmly in place. A little smile touched her mouth. She liked it already. One by one she spread the tissue paper sheets flat over her palm and stacked them on a low dresser. The ribbon she curled on top.

  “Karen, you’re killing me here.”

  “I like presents,” she whispered.

  “I know, but open it already.”

  She did and gazed inside, and gasped. “Oh, Dan.”

  A little of the weight on his shoulders began to lift. “You’ll need help putting it on. Can I?”

  She nodded. He closed the distance between them and pulled three silver rings out of the box. With them came a complex arrangement of thin chains studded with glistening white gems.

  “Give me your wrist.” He fastened the thickest chain around her left wrist and stretched the last three along the back of her hand. He then pushed the rings attached to each on to her middle fingers. It looked beautiful there, catching the light and sparkling. It dazzled like her smile and in that moment Dan knew he’d done the right thing.

  “I found it at the Karnival of Carnal Kink. I can’t just say...those words...but I can give you that.”

  Karen stroked the intricate piece of jewelry. Her eyes glistened with fresh tears, but these came with a dazzling smile. “It’s beautiful.”

  Seeing the slave band on her wrist almost took his breath away. What he didn’t add was that he’d found it at the Karnival four months ago and hidden it while gathering the nerve to give it to her. Collaring was no small matter and he wanted to be sure before offering it. He silently scolded himself for waiting so long. The bracelet looked so right against her skin, a physical mark of his ownership of her. His commitment to protect her. And her promise to serve him.

  “You know what it is?” he whispered. “What it means?”

  She nodded.

  “Do you want it?”

  Karen gazed up at his face. The tears coursed down her beautiful cheeks and dripped off the end of her chin. “Yes, I accept. And I love you too.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “He did what?”

  Karen held the phone away from her ear until sure Cindy’s last shrieks had faded. “Collared me.”

  “That’s a big deal. Isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” Karen gazed at her bracelet and paused to let her grin subside. When it didn’t, she kept talking anyway. “A very big deal.”

  “What’s it look like? Is there a big loop at the front so he can drag you around? Does it have studs? Sparkly bits? Spikes?”

  “No, you mad woman, it’s not an actual collar. That’s just the term. He bought me a slave band.”

  “A what?”

  “A bracelet attached to rings on chains.”

  “Oh.” Cindy voice fell. “I have four of those. I didn’t know they were slave bands.”

  Karen put the phone on speaker so she could fix her hair. She dragged a comb through it while sneaking gleeful glances at the bracelet. “It isn’t, that’s just what we call them.”

  “I don’t get it. No collar?”

  “Collaring isn’t about a literal collar, it’s about the commitment. Like saying ‘I’m yours and your mine.’ It formalizes it.”

  “That’s so...cute.” The hitch in Cindy’s voice hinted at laughter, quickly suppressed.

  Karen ignored it, too high on glee to care much about teasing. “Dan has a thing for chains, we use them all the time. I saw a bracelet like it in the market last year with a bunch of other fetish jewelry and when I showed him that’s just what he called it. The name stuck.”

  “You two must live and breathe kink. So do you feel better now?”

  The loaded question forced Karen to stop playing with her hair. She stared at her reflection, taking in the sparkling eyes, easy smile and furrow free forehead. “I feel amazing.”

  “And you’re going to celebrate by...?”

  “Visiting the dungeons.” Another grin captured her lips. She gave a small squeak of excitement.

  “Oooooo.” Cindy whistled. “Because you’re a naughty girl?”

  “No. I asked to. Later!” Before Cindy could question her further, Karen blew a huge raspberry and disconnected the call.

  Karen adjusted her new skirt to sit low on her hips. The soft, purple leather stopped at mid-thigh with a daring slit up either side revealing bare leg and a flash of ass as she moved. She gave it one last tug then pulled off her bra, which she left beside the small basket filled with condoms and miniature tubes of lube. After a few nervous seconds of assessing her bare breasts, she left the bathroom. She found Dan sitting on the end of the bed. Beside him lay a pair of wrist and ankle cuffs, both in leather. Her favorite collar, again leather, but purple rather than black, with an enormous bell dangling from a loop at the front. He held a simple black headband with a pair of large, furry ears attached.

  “Tonight you’re my little kitten,” he said.

  She nodded. “Tail?”

  “No. You might need to sit. Maybe later. But ears and bell for sure.” He stroked up beneath her skirt. “Just checking you hadn’t sneaked them back on.”

  “I know better.” She spread her legs just enough to allow his fingers to creep up and brush her naked slit.

  He grinned, pride and pleasure shining in his eyes. “Good. Let’s get you dressed.”

  While it might not have the same significance for other couples, Karen loved the intimacy of “getting dressed.” Dan added each piece of clothing himself, careful to stroke, prod, and caress on the way. With the click of every clasp, the tightening of every buckle, Karen felt closer to him and more owned by him.

  A little shiver rippled through her as the first leather strap closed over her wrist. It cinched tight and the solid pressure reduced mobility there and made her heart quicken. The leather creaked as he fastened the second one, its faintly woody scent filling her nostrils. Hardening nipples drew her attention downward while the heat in her chest and stomach burst in long, fanning tendrils that flowed through the rest of her body. Dan’s hands teased down her legs until they reached her ankles, stroking each one before adding more leather.

  “Now the collar,” he whispered.

  Karen closed her eyes and tra
cked Dan’s movements with her ears.

  Feather light, his fingers whispered over her throat, lingering in the hollow where the faint ache reminded her of the sharp press of his teeth. He kissed her. Traced both her lips with the very tip of his tongue then kissed her again, invading her mouth with an insistent thrust.

  Beneath the brush of his stubbly jaw, her skin prickled. He tasted of mint and the scent of toothpaste lingered long after his lips left hers. Fresh sparks of pleasure filled her groin, and she rubbed her thighs together. The bell jangled. Thick leather creaked and a faint whiff of Dan’s shower gel filled Karen’s nostrils before the collar closed about her throat. She opened her eyes and found Dan watching her. His expression fanned the fire in her belly. She groaned.

  “Do we have to go back out there, Sir?”

  “No.” Again he traced her lips with his tongue. “But I want to.”

  “Let’s stay here.” She touched his hip with one hand, thumbing an erect nipple through his shirt with the other. “Let me suck you again.”

  Grinning, Dan kissed her fingers then stepped back. “Later, little Kitten.”

  Karen sighed. Nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

  “That’s my girl.” He moved close again, near enough to touch her nose with his. His eyes were dark and filled with the need she felt in his trembling hand as he cupped her cheek. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

  She squirmed beneath his touch. Her cheeks warmed, a softer heat filling her lower body. “Thanks, Sir.”

  He fitted the headband on to her hair. “Let’s go.”

  ***

  Karen glanced at Dan from her position on the floor. Pressed close to his legs, she could feel the rumble of his voice through her chest. She pawed the carpet and glanced over her shoulder at the milling crowds.

  The soft murmur of conversation filled the air, broken occasionally by the crack of a whip, or a surprised shriek from one of the demo stalls. One in particular, with a large crowd jostling for space, demonstrated a selection of violet wand attachments. The scent of ozone and singed hair rapidly filled the space.

  Dan stepped forward, peering at a selection of riding crops. The motion tugged the leash attached to her collar, and she shuffled across the soft carpet. A couple of mewling cries didn’t catch his attention nor did a gentle “paw” against his foot. So she lowered her head to his ankle and bit him through his pants leg.

  “Ouch!”

  A crop bounced off Karen’s head.

  “What’s wrong?” He bent to rub his ankle.

  Swallowing the urge to smirk, she mimed eating from a bowl on the floor.

  His expression softened. “Poor, Kitten. Okay.” He handed some cash to the vendor and retrieved the fallen crop.

  The shaft was blue with black stripes and a flat, heart shaped head. He gave it an experimental swish, swatting at her shoulders. “Very nice. What do you want?”

  Karen craned her neck. Then mewled.

  “Oh, go on then.”

  Both knees creaked in gratitude as she bounded to her feet. When Dan unclipped the leash from her collar she stretched then cast a pointed glance at the buffet table. Another mew.

  “Find yourself something nice,” he said, still swishing the crop. “Bring it back to me.”

  Spurred by the growling of her stomach, Karen bounded over to the table and began piling snacks on a plate. She reached the mini sausages and bumped hands with a tall, broad figure wearing a full-head leather mask, thong, and little else.

  “Sorry,” he said, muffled by leather.

  “It’s fine.” She waited for him to move aside but he didn’t. Instead, he stepped closer and dropped a heavy hand on her shoulder.

  “You’re Spanx’s kitten.”

  Her breathing quickened as she recognized the figure as the one looming over Bethany earlier that night. Bones. She searched the area behind him for his companion.

  “It is you, right? Karen?”

  She stepped back and brought her plate close to her stomach. “Yes.”

  He made a sound like a purr, though through the leather it sounded more like a growl. “Pretty little pussy, aren’t you?”

  Stunned, her mouth opened and closed twice before words came out. When they did, they were soft and strangled. “Thank you.”

  “How long are you staying?”

  “Two nights.”

  He smiled, or seemed to, through the narrow mouth slit in the mask. “Same here. We’re looking for playmates to pass some of the time. Don’t suppose you know anyone?” He touched her shoulder again, this time with the tip of his finger, tracing a lazy swirl down her arm.

  Karen jumped. Frowned. Stepped back until her hip bumped the buffet table. “I—” She fought back the tiny flutter of unease. He’s just trying his luck, like any idiot in a nightclub.

  “I only know Master.” She made her voice clear and firm.

  Bones glanced past her then back again. This time there was no mistaking the motions of his mouth. A sneer. “Yes, Spanx. Lady Bee told me about him. A bit soft, isn’t he?”

  The plate creaked as Karen tightened her grip on it. “Depends what you mean by soft.”

  “A bit vanilla.”

  Unease became irritation at the attack on her master. “Everyone has their own style.”

  “If you say so.” This time Bones grabbed her arm, a tight, crushing grip. His gaze lingered on her bare breasts. “Why don’t you come with me? Experience my style.”

  She jerked free. “You’re a sub.” Confusion tightened her lips.

  “Only for Lady Bee. I switch quite comfortably when the mood takes me.” He slid forward, close enough that his hip pressed into her side and his long arm draped around her shoulder, pulling her in to his chest.

  Karen’s stomach lurched. Stiffness crawled across her neck and shoulders. She looked for Dan, but he faced the other way, talking to another vendor selling nipple clamps and matching weights. “Let go.”

  “Come to our table.”

  “No.”

  “Come on.” White teeth flashed through the gap in the mask. “Bring Spanx if you must. I’m sure Lady Bee won’t mind spanking his ass. Where do you think he got the name?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Master doesn’t sub.”

  “That’s not what I’ve heard.”

  She sucked her teeth, and took the proffered bait, fighting to control her temper. “Meaning?”

  Instead of answering, Bones steered her around, plate and all. His arm became an immovable weight, inexorably guiding her away from the table, away from the food, and away from Dan.

  “Wait—”

  “It’s fine,” he cut across her. “We’re just going for a walk.”

  She heard her heartbeat flood her ears. Felt a hot flush of blood through her veins. Tightening in her throat that had nothing to do with the collar. Thinking of the collar reminded her she was trapped. Locked in the social niceties expected between dominants and submissives. This was nothing like a nightclub.

  At a loss, Karen tossed back her head and screeched, high and shrill. The call fell somewhere between harpy and cat’s tail stuck in a door, but it had the affect she wanted. Bones grunted and leaned back, taking his rough hands with him.

  A hush rippled through the crowd. The whip stopped cracking. Several heads turned in her direction. Two ushers paused their conversation and watched closely, one taking half a step forward.

  “What the hell?” Bones looked angry instead of alarmed. His arm snaked out yet again and she opened her mouth to repeat the call.

  Then, Dan stood at her side, slapping at Bones’ approaching hand. “Down,” he snapped.

  Karen’s knees immediately hit the carpet, hands forming fists that she let rest in her lap. The abandoned plate rolled away, leaving a trail of mini sausages, scotch eggs, and grapes.

  Just as her own anger began to burn, the comforting warmth of Dan’s fingers touched the back of her neck. Sighing, she leaned against his shins and closed her eyes while her heart
rate returned to normal. He was here. Master would protect her.

  “What are you playing at?”

  It took several seconds to realize the question wasn’t aimed at her. She risked looking up and saw Dan staring at Bones with an expression she had never seen before. Dark. Cold. Angry.

  Bones chuckled. “Talking to the pussy.”

  She hissed at him, falling back into her role easily with Dan at her side. Her nails raked Bones’ shin, and he flinched back with a cry.

  “Kitten,” Dan corrected. “And you weren’t talking. You were touching.”

  Bones rubbed his scratched leg. “Was I?”

  “Yes. It’s not allowed without permission.”

  “Your permission, I suppose? Big, bad dominant that you are.”

  Dan took a single step forward. “Hers.”

  The response seemed to catch Bones off guard. His mouth twitched beneath the mask. “Hers?”

  “Damn right. And if you don’t understand why then you shouldn’t be here. Come.”

  This last part Karen knew was meant for her and she followed Dan on her hands and knees as he stalked away. Her crawl turned into a lope, then an awkward half gallop as his pace became too much. She cried out.

  “Sorry, Kaz. Two legs now.”

  She stood just as the ushers arrived.

  “Everything, okay?” said the first, a sandy haired man with a body shaped like a bowling pin. He wore a black net shirt over a bare chest and tight leather pants.

  Dan blew a deep breath through his nose. “Minor misunderstanding. We’re fine.”

  “Sure?”

  “Yes, thanks. I’m taking her downstairs now.”

  In any other situation Karen might have resented the conversation about her welfare failing to include her opinion. Here, with her heart still racing, her head still light and dizzy, she could think of nothing more than her narrow escape.