Scavenger

by A. C. Melody

  There was no stopping the whimper of despair from escaping, though an undeniable thrill lay right below it. She yearned for these moments of torment, even without pain. Always, these little tests and challenges made her rewards taste all the sweeter. Made her orgasms far more powerful and gratifying. Felix had already confessed to knowing that much about her the night before. Had revealed just how willing he’d be to draw her torment out for days.

  “We’re going to spend some time on the beach,” he informed her. “If you do as you’re told, to my satisfaction, then I’ll reward you. If you don’t, then I’ll reward myself.”

  Winner takes all? But no, Felix would always find his pleasure no matter what, that much was a given. Tessa’s greatest reward would come when she passed his little tests and made him proud. To see and feel her Master’s praise in her ability to surpass a challenge was nearly as intoxicating as an orgasm, but the combination was like a super drug. An addiction, on steroids.

  After braiding her hair out of the way, he lathered her down with sunscreen—another torment he seemed to take immense pleasure in—and helped her into the white bikini. The material felt strangely present against her sex with the beetle keeping her spread open. Despite being sheer, the black cover helped her feel a little less exposed. She watched with curiosity as Felix packed a spare swimsuit along with a few other items in a small cinch-pack he slung over his shoulder. At the door, he attached her leash to the new collar and seduced her mouth with another hungry kiss, before giving her a rather smug smirk.

  “Let the fun begin.”

  More determined than ever, Tessa put her game face on. Halfway down the hall, she almost stumbled when he turned the damn thing on high. Air hissed between her teeth as pleasure sang through her clit all the way to her nipples.

  “Problems, little fox?” Felix arched a brow over his shoulder.

  “No, Master,” she ground out. “New shoes are always a little stiff.”

  He chuckled, amused by that fabrication, then continued onward. The stairs leading down to the main commons were a lesson in breathing. He kept the beetle on the whole way, and though it was at the lowest setting, the vibrations coupled with her movements had Tessa practically drooling on herself by the time she reached the bottom step. And she was supposed to wear it for the rest of the morning? There was no way in hell she’d make it.

  The submissive protocol of keeping her head bowed had never been more of a blessing, because anyone who saw her face would know. Her cheeks were hot with the desire stewing in her veins, and the resort was bustling with guests and their subs going about their personal business. Tessa was hyper-aware of everyone’s movements, highly conscious of the dirty secret between her legs and the voice in the back of her mind whispering that it was all so blatantly obvious. That everyone could hear the vibrations. Of course, that only added a dirty thrill to the whole experience, making her needier.

  Her Master was just plain devious.

  There was no denying she liked it. The torment, the awareness. The fact that she had a Dom who was thoughtful enough to keep her in those places, his mind constantly working, devising ways to turn everything they did into another new experience. Another way to break her down into something more. Maybe she liked it a little too much, but she could worry about that later when she wasn’t fighting off the ultimate pleasure building like a tempest between her legs.

  Felix led her outside through the main entrance and approached one of the staff members standing by an impressive collection of golf carts.

  “Good morning, sir, out to enjoy the sun?” the man greeted.

  It wasn’t his enthusiasm that captured Tessa’s attention, but that he used French without prompting. It added to her suspicions that Felix was a regular on the island. Otherwise, the man couldn’t possibly know, since not all of the dominants were natives to France.

  “Yes,” Felix answered, as he turned the blasted vibrator up to a higher setting and sent all thoughts flying right of Tessa’s head. “We need a ride to the west beach.”

  “Very well, sir,” the man jogged over to the nearest golf cart and pulled it around for them.

  Tessa slowly exhaled through her nose when the vibrations stopped. Felix gestured for her to climb into the back of the cart first, before sliding in right beside her. He sat with his legs relaxed apart, the entire right side of his body fused with her left. With the end of the leash, he patted the bare skin of her thigh, all the while peering around at the beautiful scenery—and hitting the medium-to-low speeds on the remote at random intervals.

  The sun was shining, a warm fragrant breeze rustling the frilled palms and ferns around them, but all Tessa wanted to do was groan in misery. The switch-up game was even worse than the highest setting, because of the leash. Now he was really tormenting her, teasing her with feather-light slaps and low vibrations. He knew exactly what he was doing. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he wanted her to beg him for it faster and harder.

  Not squirming in her seat had become her sole focus and single most difficult challenge to date. She ached to lean into her Master with deliberate invitation, to express with her body what she wasn’t permitted to say with her mouth. In an attempt to keep herself away from the edge, she slid her hand down her right thigh to just above her knee and dug her fingers into her flesh. Both the act of squeezing and the bite of her nails helped reel her mounting orgasm back. Leather slapped across her knuckles so sharply, she jerked her hand away. Felix grabbed her knee and rubbed his thumb over the crescent-shaped indents, before tucking his mouth to her ear.

  “Do you want me to blister your ass right here on the side of the road for everyone to see?” he demanded.

  Her eyes widened on the floorboard and she shook her head.

  “Then do not ever mar yourself like that again,” he reprimanded. “That flesh belongs to me, and only I have the right to mark it, do you understand?”

  “Yes, Master,” she whispered.

  He didn’t move right away, as if he might say more. At last, he decided against it and straightened in his seat. He returned to playing with the remote buttons and patting her thighs with the damn leash handle, adding the torment of caressing it over her skin every now and again.

  It was the longest ride in a golf cart Tessa had ever been forced to endure.

  Chapter Two

  Provoke the Bastard

  Once they were dropped off at the beach, Felix turned the vibrator off to give his little vixen the break she needed. She was already more sensitive than he was used to, making it difficult to gauge her limits. He’d never make her do anything he didn’t fully believe she could accomplish. Her downfall was literally in the palm of his hand. It would be easy to push her over the edge, ensure she failed, but that wouldn’t prove a damn thing. Nor would it garner her full trust or submission, and those had become his two biggest objectives after this morning’s upheaval.

  With a steady tug on the leash, he forced her neck to crane back so he could peer into her face. He still wasn’t completely settled, he knew, but he was getting there. The arousal he’d been fighting since he’d first stroked his fingers over her delicious little pussy was both a helpful distraction, and its own kind of hurdle. It gave the lingering effects of his aggravation and disappointment an edgy punch.

  “Are you ready to take a walk along the beach, my pet?”

  “Yes, Master.”

  God, he loved how genuine her accent sounded when she spoke his language. To discover she’d soon be calling his homeland her own wasn’t helping him keep his bastard side in check. If he wanted to be severely honest, everything about Tessa provoked that beast in all the worst possible ways.

  “Let us see,” he said, inching the hem of her cover up to slide his hand between her thighs. A partial moan and growl formed in his throat from the wet heat he found there. “Already soaked through your bikini. Are you sure you want to continue, Tessa? I could ease your torment right now, take the vibrator away.”

  H
er lips parted in surprise. Then she eyed him with skepticism, and her features firmed with determination. “I’m sure, Master.”

  Pride and lust sang through his chest, pulling his mouth into a slow smile. He captured her soft lips and ran a possessive stroke of his tongue across the seam.

  “Good girl,” he praised as he tucked the leash into the neck of the cover. “Now, take it off.”

  Her resigned expression revealed just how much she’d rather not, but that was the sadistic twist to his little game. To make her feel more exposed in a swimsuit than she’d been in just chains and clamps the night before. The most arousing aspect of it all was how much she enjoyed it. That she longed for the suffering. Felix had never subscribed to the labels dished out in the community, but he'd be the first to admit that he had a sadistic streak. The ways his little fox still managed to trigger that side of him without being a typical masochist fascinated him to no end.

  Perhaps that was why he’d panicked when she’d threatened to go back to auction. In truth, the whole ordeal had come as a total shock. He couldn’t have been less prepared, despite picking up on her distant mood. Felix counted it a blessing that she couldn't hide it that well, because it meant she wasn’t schooled in the art of deception the way too many people were. The little lies at the breakfast table, the pretense of being asleep, irked and disappointed him. Yet, it had been her choice of leaving that had rattled him the most. Denial had lanced through him when she’d spoken those words, and he’d felt something dangerously close to desperation. Spending half the night debating with himself over his unusual and intense reactions to her hadn't helped. And the locks...God, those fucking locks of her collar and cage were a dangerous new element.

  Felix’s gaze refocused on the silver collar around Tessa’s neck, and though he couldn't see her newest lock resting against her nape, just knowing it was there stirred his blood. He took a moment to admire the way the white two-piece showcased her phenomenal body. A gold ring graced each of her bare hips where the narrow strings to her bottoms looped through. A matching gold ring held the top together between two triangles that failed to completely cover the full, firm swell of her breasts and tied at the back of her neck.

  The sorry truth was that Felix was so used to people leaving him, it didn’t even faze him anymore. He was numb to it and held no delusions that it would ever change. Everyone left. That was the way his life had begun, the way it had continued and eventually, the way he’d learned to guarantee it. Being a Dom gave him more control over how long people got to stay, and when they were expected to leave. It was always a scheduled event, not something that came as a surprise–out of nowhere—especially, on the first day of a new dynamic! Hell, that had to be an all-time record. He just wasn’t sure if it meant he was getting better or worse.

  It had to be the locks giving him delusions of control here. Because somehow, he’d gone his entire kink life without ever collaring a sub. He’d always associated them with a deeper kind of commitment. Many members of the community viewed collars in the same light as an engagement ring. It was a tremendous decision to take one’s dynamic to that level, not a halfhearted gesture.

  Tessa’s previous experience with pet play allowed Felix to try an area of kink where collars were safe and far from symbolizing a declaration of lifelong devotion. He just hadn’t foreseen the kind of pleasure he’d reap from knowing that in those moments, when all the locks were in place and the only keys were in his grasp, she was irrefutably his. The cage had taken that a step further, rendering her his without an escape.

  That was some twisted shit to get off on, even for a kinkster. Hence the nightlong debate. Some of which he’d made the mistake of expressing aloud. Felix was still grimacing over everything Tessa had heard, grateful for all she hadn’t. His mistake for allowing Louis to corner him in their suite. That would not be happening again.

  Needing the distraction from his unsettled thoughts, he slid his fingers under the strings on Tessa’s right hip and caressed her skin until he was able to sneak his entire hand under the material. As a rule, he never favored one ass cheek over another, but the one filling his palm had the heart-shaped birthmark near the bottom that he found both adorable and sexy.

  “Mmm, I can’t wait to use this ass tonight, little fox.”

  He massaged her flesh for a moment, then gave her a crooked smirk when he hit the remote in his pocket and watched her eyes glaze over with a jolt of lust. Delicious. After tucking her cover into the bag, he reclaimed her leash and led her across the sand.

  The west beach was the largest on the island, so it was no surprise that almost every guest was taking advantage of it, enjoying the sun and their new subs, if they’d bid on one. As a Vitalz destination, it had a different vibe than the clubs, where the energy always felt hyped. There was a new agenda molding the atmosphere of Dark Day Isle. One of leisure play and slow seduction. Surrounded by the natural beauty of cerulean waters, tropical forests and white sandy beaches, a dominant felt relaxed enough to luxuriate in all their tiny pleasures. Draw them out for an entire day, rather than trying to cram as much into a couple of hours as possible. It was hard to feel rushed in paradise.

  Of course, getting wrapped up in the whole vacation mindset had no doubt been the first and biggest mistake Felix had made. Under normal circumstances, he’d ensure his dynamic with a new sub was completely outlined from the start. Their roles, rules, all the bells and whistles clearly defined so there were no misunderstandings. Being a week-long getaway, that step had turned into an unintentional oversight. He should have known better. Submissives needed structure and definitive boundaries, even temporarily. Uncertainty caused them stress and anxiety, which Felix had gotten a big taste of this morning. It didn’t excuse Tessa for her bad decisions or behavior, but knowing he’d slacked off in his own responsibility had been another reason why he’d struggled with her punishment.

  “Master.”

  The word was barely audible, filled with agonizing need and ripe panic. Felix turned the Eve off at once. His sensitive girl, how that excited him.

  “Yes, my pet? Is there something you’d like to ask?”

  His tone goaded her to give up. He didn’t need to see her face to know how flushed her cheeks were. Her lips were parted to accommodate her erratic breaths. Felix needed to be more careful. It would only take a glance for someone to know just how aroused his little fox was, an island full of dominants for sure.

  “Can we get something to drink, Master?”

  His mouth quirked up, pleased with her ability to remain within the rules of the game. Proud that she’d yet to give in.

  “We can,” he answered. “I think that would be a good idea.”

  Rather than torment her with the Eve again too soon, Felix directed her to walk beside him, so he could tease the back of her thighs and ass with swats from the leash handle. There were open huts on either end of the long beach, so guests wouldn’t have to travel far to get refreshments. Designed to look exactly like any other Tiki bar in the South Pacific, the square, thatch-roofed gathering spots on Dark Day Isle were only serving juice, water or soda this week.

  The closer they got to the loosely organized queue, the more he noticed that all the other guests were keeping their subs just as close. He understood that in a way only another dominant could. The excitement of something new. The electric spark of intrigue from the challenge of a mysterious puzzle. An addictive thrill triggered by the unknown and all the delicious pleasure still waiting to be discovered by unraveling the layers of a new submissive. For Felix, there was just a little more at play. The predatory bastard that refused to stay in his place, which should be nowhere near his beloved lifestyle. Even when he’d confessed that separation to Tessa earlier, he doubted she could appreciate the full scope and necessity of it.

  Felix was well aware of who he was outside of BDSM, and that he came with some royally fucked-up baggage. Through all his years in the community, he’d managed to keep that nonsense out of his m
oments of joy. By sheer defiance and willpower, he refused to allow it to taint his happiness. It didn’t bleed over into his dynamics, no matter how long or short-lived they were. Yet, it had snuck right into his and Tessa’s bubble in just a few short hours. Now that he understood it was a combination of his rare attraction to her, his misstep of forgetting to put her boundaries in place, and Louis’s delusional meddling, Felix was pretty confident he’d have everything back to normal before sunset.

  They just had to survive her punishment first.

  After joining the short queue, Felix slid the leash handle up over Tessa’s ass and back down again in long, lazy strokes. He nodded in greeting to guests he was personable with, and was amused by those he only knew of, when they tried not to stare at him or his sexy little pet.

  “Bonjour Monsieur, we have a popular crushed ice smoothie this morning made with coconut water, fresh pineapple and lightly sweetened with papaya,” Lucas greeted in horrid English, no doubt for Tessa’s benefit.

  Felix didn’t correct him, he merely addressed Tessa in French. “Does that sound good, my pet?”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “Would you like to see what else they have?” he offered, not wanting her to settle just to appease him or make it easier. “You can look at the menu.”

  “Thank you, Master.”

  When she stepped into him, curving her body toward him in a way that was almost bashful, Felix was intrigued. He noticed it allowed her to view the menu while keeping Lucas out of her direct line of sight, which captivated him even more. After a few moments of consideration, she lowered her chin right in front of his chest.

  “The special still sounds best, Master.”

  “We’ll take two,” he ordered, barely glancing at Lucas. “And an extra cup of pineapple.”

  “Coming right up, sir.”

  Felix stared down at Tessa’s bowed head. Curious on why her reaction piqued his interest so much, he gripped her shoulders and turned them both, until her back was to the bar. It took little prompting to lift her chin, and the moment their eyes met, he had his answer. She was miserably aroused. Her pupils were dilated, her cheeks glowing rosy and warm to the touch. The whole package was a flashing neon sign that his poor little fox was more than ready to win his game. He couldn’t stop the pleased smile from crossing his lips. He saw the remnants of worry in her eyes, which had caused her to turn into him to read the menu, afraid of failing his challenge by allowing a stranger to see the tell-tale signs of need all over her face. He ducked his mouth to her ear, keeping his voice just above a whisper.