by Gia Dawn
But she didn’t have time to ponder the implications as her teacher handed her a cloth napkin and took one for himself, folding it neatly and laying it beside him. He nodded his head for her to copy his movements.
She did manage to fold the napkin well enough, but she cringed when he took the top off the pot of boiling water and grasped the ladle. This was a tricky part. One had to scoop up just the right amount of water, pour it into the bowl without spilling a drop, and then rest the ladle on top of the pot before sliding one’s hand away gracefully.
Which he did as elegantly as his mother. Of course.
Sakura’s unease grew. She managed to scoop up the water well enough, but sloshed it down one side of the bowl as she tried to pour it out, earning her a grunt of displeasure.
“Iie.” Ian poured the water back into the kettle and motioned for her to try again. This time she did manage to pour it without mishap, but when she picked up the whisk and began to stir, she sloshed it around much too fast and spilled a decent portion of the water on the mat. “Begin again.”
Sakura was startled when her eyes met Ty’s across the mat and he gave her an encouraging smile. If he did know who she was, it stood to reason he would keep her secret as readily as Madame Manette. She moved to pour the water once more, buoyed by the soldier’s encouragement.
She closed her eyes and saw herself tied up in the purple silk rope—a bound and beautiful work of art. Then she pictured herself copying every gesture of the woman in the video, letting the images guide her hands. She was competent. She was graceful. She knew the ritual. She was sublime.
As Sakura let herself flow into the movements, she found she had learned much more than she’d given herself credit for. Her Bakushi’s grunts of displeasure grew few and far between as she cleaned the bowl, scooped up the powdered tea and poured fresh water into the mix.
When she was finished whisking the tea to its final consistency, she handed the bowl to the man beside her, pleased when he took several sips and passed the bowl to Ty. When he gave it back to her she drank, dumped out what little of the liquid was left and cleaned the bowl once more before placing it back in its original position and bowing to her guests.
Well that wasn’t hard at all. Sakura allowed herself a smile of triumph that she had actually managed to pull it off, even with the added stress of their unexpected guest.
“Well done, keisei.” Both men bowed to her in return. “A fine effort.”
Ty added his gratitude. “Thank you.”
“Now it is time for my other apprentice to practice.”
Sakura’s head shot up as both men stood. Had she heard correctly? What was Ty going to practice? Did they intend to tie her up together?
The thought was enough to make her want to flee. No way would she be a part of something so totally depraved. While she had agreed to one man roping her up, she had no intention of granting another the same permission.
In a fit of growing panic, she jumped to her feet tripping over the hem of her kimono to land sprawling on the mat, knocking over the kettle and sloshing hot water over her wrist. Determined not to let them see the angry red burn, Sakura tucked her arm into the sleeve of her kimono, fighting back tears of pain as she turned to lock herself in the bathroom.
“Stop,” her Bakushi ordered, but his voice held as much concern as ire. “Did you hurt yourself?”
She shook her head.
He reached out and took her chin in his hand, forcing her face to his. “Never lie to me, keisei. I will not see you harmed in any way. Show me your wrist.”
But she stubbornly refused to let him see. How could she have gotten herself into this situation? Sakura suddenly wanted to be done with the entire evening, her stomach churning as she thought of both men forcing the ropes around her.
“Let me see.” He wrapped his hand around her wrist, pulling her tight against his chest as he examined the burn. Then he turned to Ty. “Go get an emergency medical kit and bring some ice.” He led her to the bathroom where he held her arm under a gentle spray of cold water as Ty disappeared out the door.
“I am fine, really,” she protested.
He stared at her from beneath the mask, worry setting his mouth into a grim and unapproachable line. “You are most certainly not fine, and I should be taking you to the emergency room.”
She jerked back, shaking her head so hard she almost dislodged her mask, settling it hurriedly back into place when she heard a knock at the door.
Ty returned with the med kit and set it on the floor as their teacher held Sakura’s wrist out for the man’s inspection. He retrieved a numbing cream from the kit and smeared it gently across her skin before wrapping the injury in gauze and placing a bag of ice lightly over the whole thing.
“Nothing major,” he pronounced, giving her an easy smile. “Is it better?”
“Better,” she agreed, calmed by his professional behavior.
She didn’t protest as her Bakushi led her to the bed and sat down beside her. Ty hovered in the background as if unwilling to intrude. “Tell me what you were thinking when you did such damage to yourself.”
Her gaze moved from one man to the other. “I got nervous,” she admitted. “The thought of both of you—” She couldn’t finish the sentence.
Ty stepped forward. “Master, may I have a word with your keisei?”
For a long moment, Sakura thought her teacher was going to refuse. He held her so close to his chest she could feel the strong thump of his heart. But then he jerked his head in affirmation and let her go, standing stiff and alert on the other side of the room.
Ty bent down to kneel at her feet. “I understand if you do not want to go through with this,” he said. “I won’t be offended.”
He reached out to touch her arm and for the first time Sakura caught a glimpse of his hands. She gasped as she noticed the mass of scar tissue where his palms should have been and the way several of his fingers did not bend along with the others.
“Not a pleasant sight,” he admitted with a sigh. “Severe nerve damage. I was hoping that by working on the rope technique I could manage to regain some mobility and be able to touch a woman again without being as clumsy as a child.”
Sakura could hear the self-hatred in his voice. It was terrible that a man who had risked his life in service to others should feel such loathing for himself. She glanced at her Bakushi to find him studying her with an intensity that made her toes curl. He knew Ty’s inhibitions, she acknowledged. Knew the other man’s pain and had offered her a chance to help Ty heal.
But he still should have asked her first.
“Okay,” she said in an unsteady voice, not quite managing a smile. “Okay.”
Her Bakushi removed his robe and let it fall to the floor, his stunning body taking her breath away as he sat on the bed and slid her kimono from her shoulders. “Good.”
She had another brief moment of hesitation as Ty stood and removed his robe, intimidated by being so close to two naked men, but when she saw Ty nod in appreciation she relaxed and let their teacher push her down onto the bed.
Chapter Seven
He placed his palm on her chest and held it there for so long she knew he could feel the pounding of her heart. Then her Bakushi seemed to make a decision. “Her wrist is injured. I will hold her to keep it from being damaged further. You will bind only her hips and legs.”
“Hai.” Ty reached for a length of black silk rope.
Then their teacher climbed onto the bed behind her and gathered her to his chest, holding her injured arm gently as he positioned her to his satisfaction. Now she could feel the beating of his heart. It thumped against her back and added its rhythm to hers. They did not beat in perfect sync but complemented each other as if they were singing different verses of the same song.
But Sakura stiffened again when Ty took her knees and spread them wide, exposing her fully to his gaze. To her consternation, she found herself trying to pull her legs back together, earning her a small smac
k on the inside of one thigh.
“Relax,” her teacher admonished. “No one here will harm you.”
But she shivered as Ty pressed her knees to the bed and knelt between them, especially when the man behind her ran his free hand up her stomach to pinch one nipple until she gasped. He turned his attention to the other breast as Ty ran his hands between her legs, brushing her clit as he bent over to wrap the rope around her stomach.
In the end there was nothing she could do but surrender to their touch. Ty’s hands were bigger than her Bakushi’s, his fingers thick and webbed with scar tissue. But he manipulated her gently, taking care to gauge her reaction every time his hands moved to graze her sex. He tied the rope around her hips, working it down one thigh before wrapping it around both ankles and anchoring them together. Then he worked his way up her other leg, grazing her sex on numerous occasions but never once with deliberate intent to arouse.
“Shall I give him permission to touch you?”
Desire drove out all other thought as her Bakushi cupped her chin and turned her face until it was close to his. His erection pressed hard against her back and she knew he was excited by the thought of another man giving her pleasure.
She managed a single jerk of her head before he bent and pressed his lips to hers, his tongue driving deep into her mouth as Ty’s hands moved to stroke between her legs. Her cunt clenched as the soldier manipulated her clit, rolling it hard between his fingers. Her hips jerked as he increased the pressure and tortured her aching flesh, the sensation a study in pleasure and pain.
Her teacher’s mouth continued to ravage hers in an intimacy she had not expected, swallowing every whimper and moan when Ty pressed his tongue into her cunt. Sakura arched her back and drove Ty’s tongue deeper, feeling him groan in satisfaction against her throbbing clit. He worked his tongue like a true master of the craft, slicking it against the front wall of muscle where he found the ultra-sensitive spot with unerring precision.
Then he returned to rasping his tongue along her clit while he snugged his finger in her cunt. It felt big and solid as he thrust it deep inside her, again and again while she thrashed against the ropes that bound her, needing both men to hold her down as she struggled to find her release.
“Not yet, keisei,” her master warned, both men removing their mouths from her body.
“No,” she begged as she felt him lift her up and place her beside him. “I need—”
He gave her a sharp smack on her ass. ”I know what you need,” he assured her, moving to admire Ty’s handiwork.
“Good,” he said, clamping his hand on the soldier’s shoulder. “Although I would recommend always tying a knot near the clit and another to slide along the opening of her ass. There it can be useful to introduce the art of anal play to a woman who is not fully open to the idea.”
“Hai,” Ty responded.
“I understand I did not give you permission to do that tonight, so it in no way reflects on your performance.”
“Hai,” Ty answered again with a bow.
“My keisei is just beginning her exploration of anaru. Would you care to watch?”
“Very much, Bakushi.”
Sakura nearly choked as she listened to the men discuss her as if she were nothing more than a slave for their amusement. But she was so turned on by the thought of what was coming next she couldn’t speak at all. And she had her safe word if things got too far out of hand.
Once again her teacher brought out his array of glass implements, spreading them across the bed as Sakura whimpered and tried to close her legs. But she was bound too securely to escape and could only stare in unwilling urgency as her Bakushi selected a thicker toy than he had used on her before.
“She is wet enough from your earlier ministrations,” their teacher said with satisfaction as he reached between her legs and spread the slick of her juices back between the cheeks of her ass. He flicked her clit with his fingers as she squirmed, the burst of pleasure making her weak.
“And she must always have enough pleasurable stimulation to counterbalance the initial pain,” he continued, pushing two fingers into her cunt, his thumb never ceasing its torture of her clit. “And she should always know her safe word,” he added, lifting his head to look her straight in the eye.
She was melting beneath the skillful twist of his fingers, her body rising fast to the point of no return. And Sakura could already feel the need beginning to work its way in the puckered muscle of her ass as she remembered the painful pleasure she’d experienced the last time…and the explosive orgasm that followed.
“P-please,” she heard herself beg when he made no move to do as he’d promised, the glass rod still held negligently in his other hand.
Then she saw him smile. “Now she is ready.” But he frowned when he looked at the bandages around her wrist. “Hold her down to keep her from doing greater injury to her wrist. Her safety must always be a priority.”
“Hai.” Ty settled his body over hers, making certain he kept her arm well protected as he pulled her legs up toward her chest giving her Bakushi full access to her ass. The soldier’s eyes were as sharp as finely polished stone where they locked with hers, studying her with a gratitude and gallantry she found decidedly amazing…until her Bakushi lowered his head and sucked her clit into his mouth.
Unable to keep her eyes open as the pleasure swept her out to sea, Sakura whimpered in expectation as she felt the tip of the glass rod slide into her ass. Then she screamed as it breached the tight ring of muscle, bigger and thicker than before, her body refusing to grant it access as it burned its way inside her.
“No,” she pleaded. “Stop, please stop!” but she knew better than to say her safe word because a decadent part of her craved the rush of pain that left her gasping for breath.
Her master pushed the rod in deeper, stretching her unbearably as she continued to plead with him to stop, but Ty’s whispers of praise against her neck and her Bakushi’s fingers working hard against her clit were enough to soothe her until her pleasure broke free and she surrendered to the moment.
She could see herself in the mirror overhead, a beautiful woman being serviced by two men. Pain and need and hunger and bliss warred for domination as her body responded to their mastery. Contrary to her earlier expectations, she’d never felt more cherished or appreciated in her life. And she had no thought of embarrassment or pride as she stepped to the edge and prepared to topple over.
But before she could lose herself completely to the orgasm, she heard her Bakushi bark an order to Ty who straightened and moved to stand at the foot of the bed.
She opened her eyes to find her master staring down at her. He’d already put on a condom, she realized in a daze as he thrust his cock into her cunt, lodging it so deep his balls slapped against her skin. He took her with a need that lifted her to another state of being as he rode her with determination. The glass rod was still lodged deep in her ass while her master’s cock thrust in and out of her, the combination nearly too much to bear.
Before she could scream out a warning Sakura shuddered as the orgasm took her, her body clenching around her Bakushi’s flesh as she gave herself up to the ultimate pleasure. She felt him stiffen as he reached his own release, lowering his mouth again to hers as he called her his beautiful and precious gift.
When it was over he lifted himself from her gently. “I did not hurt you?” he asked.
“No.”
Both men worked to untie her legs, and before he left, Ty bent close to barely brush his mouth to hers. “Merci,” he whispered into her neck. “I am more than grateful for your acceptance.”
Contented beyond her wildest dreams, Sakura started to fall asleep. But when she reached out for her Bakushi to hold her, she grasped nothing but air. Refusing to cry because of his abrupt departure, she forced herself to rise and dress. Why did he always leave when she needed him to comfort her?
The answer was so obvious she felt like an idiot for not seeing it sooner. He was only i
nterested in her body. Not her spirit. Not her mind. In a fit of disappointment, she threw her mask against the wall, watching as the beautiful thing splintered on the floor.
She was finished with her lessons. She would never be coming back.
* * * * *
Ian paced across his hotel room until nearly dawn. Sakura had proven herself to be a worthy companion both in and out of his bed. But his deception would cost him a great deal of her trust. Trust she hadn’t handed over lightly.
When he’d first discovered the BDSM lifestyle, Ian found peace in its structure and order, enjoying the edge it gave him in other aspects of his life. As he’d grown into his dominant personality sexually—and learned his parents had the same inclinations—he’d also grown in power when dealing with his grandfather, refusing to bow down to the old man’s ceaseless offenses. Only his father’s words of wisdom had kept him from walking out without a second glance—that and his mother’s pleas for peace between them.
His parents were due to arrive tomorrow, and Ian intended to confess his every deceit, hoping they would give him some sorely needed advice. He understood he had let Sakura down; he hadn’t been able to completely commit and give her the comfort he knew she needed. Another mistake he would have to correct. But until now he hadn’t understood the dedication it took to be in an exclusive relationship—with or without the power exchange.
And he refused to let his precious gift go. He had come to crave her…every hour of every day, and knew he would never find another woman who could ever take her place.
Chapter Eight
If sleep had come with difficulty in the days before, it evaded Sakura completely that night. She had never been more confused in her life. She was as sexually satisfied as she’d ever been—and had thoroughly enjoyed being pleasured by two men, an experience she’d never had before—but for her it was like dining on sushi. The food was elegant, delicious, exotic, but she could not live on it every day. It offered no comfort, no true sense of sustenance.
