Comforting Touch (Touch #5)

by Cara Dee

  "Do you girls need any reminders of the protocol?" He eases into Master mode.

  "No, Sir," I reply as Gretchen says, "No, Master."

  "Good." He reveals two brown leather collars and fastens them around our necks. I shiver, and not just from the cold. "What will you call me when we step inside that house?"

  "Dominus," we answer.

  He nods and attaches a rusty-looking chain to the rings on our collars. The authenticity only makes it more enticing. "And a Mistress?"

  "Domina," we say.

  "Good slaves. I have your limits for the evening right here." He pats the pocket of his jacket. "I'll give them to your new owners after the auction."

  Grabbing our bags in one hand and holding the end of the chain in the other, he takes the lead up the path toward the house.

  Anticipation surges through me at the thought of tonight's events. Approximately ten Tops have been invited, all of them bringing one to three bottoms. In addition, each Top has been given a certain amount of fake currency, which is to be used during the auction. Afterward, there are different tasks that will need to be completed throughout the night. Meaning, it's important they use their money wisely and invest in as many slaves as they can in order to finish the tasks well and quickly.

  Dante has barely lifted his finger from the doorbell before Miranda—naked as the day she was born—opens the door, averting her eyes to the ground once she's seen who it is.

  "Welcome to the domus of Dominus Kelly," she says softly and opens the door wider. "The guests are gathering in the atrium out back. Please allow me to show you the way."

  Atrium?

  Some jealousy lingers, and I can't help but sneer at Miranda as I pass her. Like Gretchen, she's a redhead and incredibly gorgeous.

  "Where do we put our belongings?" Dante asks curtly. I sneak a glance at him, a little confused when I see he's practically glaring at her. "I hope you won't be in charge of them…thief."

  Gretchen and I exchange a brief look, and I wonder if that's Miranda's role or something. Thief? How odd.

  "No, Dominus." Miranda's voice cracks, and she gestures down a hall to our left. "Everything will be stored safely behind locked doors."

  Dante grunts then orders us to stay here while he follows Miranda down the hall. "You can remove your shoes, slaves," he adds over his shoulder.

  "That was weird," Gretchen whispers as we obey his command. "I don't remember seeing thief as one of the parts."

  Same here. Gretchen and I are foreigners, kidnapped by Dante, and our specialties lie in housework, sexual pleasure, and mending clothes and rope. Our weakness is our language barrier; we're not supposed to understand our owner's words very well. Dylan, I recall, is an injured gladiator, now being sold off as a common slave. He's been instructed not to use his right foot much. Another sub is to play the part of a former teacher who got his tongue cut off for teaching his Domina's children the wrong things, and therefore he's not allowed to speak tonight.

  The list goes on.

  No thief, though. Either we missed that one, or something else is going on.

  The confusion grows when Dante returns. Miranda scurries toward the back of the house with tears streaking her cheeks, but no explanation is offered.

  Dante grabs the leash again, and we follow Miranda past the large living room and out onto a patio. Wow. A huge tent covers the area, and now I see what Miranda meant by atrium. Heaters, richly colored fabrics, low sofas, cushions, and small fire pits make up the framework, and a rectangular waterhole sits in the middle. It's shallow with blossoms and candles swimming in the water. Just like I've seen in TV shows and documentaries about Ancient Rome.

  It also reminds me of the Chamber—the new playroom added at Switch.

  A couple subs are kneeling near the little pool while three Doms are chatting in a corner. There, two more subs are making sure their owners have drinks and snacks.

  Rio is one of the Masters, and he rises from his seat as he spots Dante. The Tops are all wearing pretty much the same outfit, a Roman tunic in various colors, with or without metal ornaments. Dante's tunic is green to match Gretchen's dress, and he only has a simple rope around his midsection. Rio…oh, fuck me twice. Please. He looks primal in his dark red outfit with some kind of armor over his chest, cuffs on his wrists, a leather strap tied to his bicep, and a short-stranded flogger attached to his belt.

  I'd hit that.

  I stifle my grin and lower my gaze.

  "Dante, my friend." Rio and Dante greet each other warmly and talk about this and that as if Gretchen and I aren't here. And it works; it changes my mind-set. I sink into my submission, the place I love the most.

  "A shame Mark didn’t join us tonight," Dante comments as the doorbell rings.

  Miranda hurries out.

  "Aye," Rio chuckles. "He's never had a problem sharing before."

  Dante huffs a laugh. "That’s what love does to some."

  Me, included. Sharing is fun on occasion, but when I'm in a committed relationship, I have a rule that turns me into a hypocrite. Sharing my Master with a male sub is hot because we can offer the Dom different things. But sharing him with another woman would turn me into an insecure mess. I honestly don’t know how Gretchen can handle it. Not only that, but she loves it. She and Dante are perfect for each other, their love and bond so strong.

  "Yeah," Rio replies quietly, almost as an afterthought.

  The silence that follows doesn’t last long. Miranda comes back, this time with six or seven guests, and shortly after, the doorbell rings a final time. Over thirty guests fill up the patio nicely, and everyone finds a seat as Rio takes a stand in the middle.

  Gretchen and I kneel on the wooden floor next to Dante.

  "It's been a long time since I hosted regular play parties," Rio says, and a few Doms holler in agreement. Rio grins. "No dramas, mates. I'm getting too old to hike through jungles with too few supplies and too many rebels, anyway. I hope to make this a quarterly event, at least. Jeremy, you requested a university theme—perhaps for the next party we'll have a bunch of students and professors running around here."

  It's definitely more than just the Doms exclaiming their approval this time, though the subs pipe down quickly.

  University theme… Heh. Would Rio turn rooms into lecture halls? Hot. Maybe the dean himself would roam the halls and make sure no student was left behind.

  "But let's focus on this party first, shall we?" Rio lets out a whistle, summoning Miranda. "Tell the kitchen slaves to start bringing out dinner." He faces his guests again. "In the meantime, we have an auction to attend. Every Dominus and Domina have received the list of tasks for the evening, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of our slaves. Keep that in mind when you make your bids."

  Dylan is in the first group that gets called to the middle. A DM from Switch—Master Hill, I think—stands up and receives the bids, slave by slave.

  Dante bids on Mistress Judy's sub, Elysia, but not high enough to win. Rio bids on her too, though it appears it's only to raise the cost and cause the final buyer to lose more money.

  In the end, a Dom whose name I don’t know buys her.

  Dylan is next, and Rio's quick to make a decent bid. At Dylan's subtle eye-roll, it dawns on me that Rio might be bidding on him as a favor to Cade.

  "Fifteen," Jeremy bids.

  "Twenty." Rio smiles.

  It goes on like that until Dylan is Rio's for twice that much.

  I sit close enough to hear what he murmurs in Dylan's ear. "Don’t roll your eyes at me ever again, slave. Yes, Cade asked me to buy you, but don’t you worry. Play your cards right, and I just might arrange so you get that ass full of cock. Your Daddy only wanted a say in who gets to use you."

  Umph. That begs the question…is Rio straight? Bi? Watching him fuck Dylan would be sexy.

  "Understood, Dominus." Dylan ducks his head, his cheeks red.

  In the next round, Gretchen is sold off to Master Hill. Mistress Judy buys two boys.
>
  "You're up." Dante releases the chain from my collar.

  I exhale and join three other subs in the middle. And like with the others before us, Master Hill takes care of introductions, which is followed by a low murmur from the bidders who compare our strengths and weaknesses on the cards they have.

  A petite brunette next to me is first, and she's sold after two Doms almost argue over her.

  "And here we have a beautiful little blonde," Master Hill says, motioning for me to turn around. Little blonde? I'm five foot six, dammit. "Long, thick hair to grab on to." He gives my leather-bound hair a tug. "Experienced with rope and pleasing a Dominus's cock. But…foreign. Doesn’t understand our language very well."

  "Ten," Dante offers with a smirk.

  "Fifteen," another one says gruffly.

  I'd rather not go with him! First, I don’t know his name. Second, I've seen him use a single tail.

  "Twenty," Dante outbids.

  "Forty-five." Rio. His smooth voice silences everyone else.

  My pulse quickens. He warned me, said I better pray he doesn’t buy me as his house slave, but how can I not want this?

  "Sold—to Dominus Kelly."

  I look helplessly to Master Hill, given the role I have to play, and then to Rio, who smiles darkly and crooks a finger at me. Come.

  Dante slides over my card of limits to Rio, and I walk around two "kitchen slaves," who I assume are waitresses from Switch or something, as they bring in trays packed with food.

  "Kneel." Rio taps two fingers to the floor near where he's sitting on a low couch. I tilt my head at Dylan, and he nods at the floor where he's kneeling, too.

  Mirroring his position, I kneel down and sit back on my heels, my gaze firmly glued to the ground.

  "Such pretty slaves." Rio cups our faces and makes us look up. Behind me, the auction continues with the last group while Rio inspects his new wares. "I hope you'll prove to be useful, too." He sits back as he's served with wine and food, though his eyes never leave me or Dylan. "I think I want you both naked. Strip."

  I make it my thing to look to Dylan for instructions since I'm not supposed to understand English. So when he stands up to remove the leather piece covering his privates, I take the hint to do the same. Rio nods at me in approval.

  The wispy fabric falls from my body, but instead of cooling down, I feel hotter with Rio's predatory gaze on me.

  I want him to like what he sees. I want him to see a grown woman, not the sixteen-year-old girl he met in New York ten years ago.

  "Fucking flawless," he murmurs, leaning close to slide a hand up my thigh. A shiver runs through me as he traces the designs of the henna tattoo. "Come here." With a single pull, he has me down on his lap.

  I freeze momentarily. Fuck, this is new. My hands flatten against the armor across his chest, and he tugs me even closer. One hand on my right butt cheek, the other cupping my left elbow.

  "No game, Chelsea," he whispers in my ear. "I need to know if this is okay, that I bought you. The correct response ends with 'Master Rio.'"

  He's giving me a choice.

  I nod jerkily, willing my breathing to even out. "It's more than okay, Master—" Before I can voice his name, he pinches my ass hard enough for me to gasp.

  His eyes spark with something I can't decipher. "Good girl. You've pleased me."

  Swoon.

  *

  Dinner passes in a haze of decadence. Wine, wandering hands, the finest meat, salads, laughter and conversation among the Tops, fine cheeses, pasta, servitude, and teasing drops of juice from berries and fruit.

  Rio decides when Dylan and I eat, and every now and then, he feeds us from his hand. In return, we make sure his plate and cup stay filled.

  "I believe they're sending out invitations within a week or two," Rio tells Master Hill, who was wondering about Nicholas and Kayla's plans. "Their closest will be invited down to the wedding in Mexico, and the rest to the ceremony at Switch shortly after their return." He holds out his fruit plate to me, and I'm quick to fill it with grapes, sliced pears, and plums.

  "Definitely a feast to look forward to." Mistress Judy raises her glass.

  They toast to Nicholas and his little one before moving on to the next topic. Entertainment. They want something tantalizing to watch while the kitchen slaves clear the dinner and make room for dessert.

  "I'm happy to volunteer one of my slaves." Jeremy orders a male sub to stand up and then turns to Rio. "How about your gorgeous Chelsea?"

  The exhibitionist in me gets a thrill at the prospect, but I don’t even know the sub in question, and…dammit, I want Rio!

  "A fine idea," Rio replies with a tight smile, "but I'm afraid I need her assistance on a surprise I have for all of you." He begins to rise. "In fact, we'll go prepare that right now. Slave," he addresses Dylan, "you stay here and talk to no one."

  "Yes, Dominus."

  Rio nods and gestures for me to follow him.

  Chapter 6

  Keeping my head bowed, I follow Rio into the house.

  "We're going to get a cross from the basement." He stops at a door in the foyer, opening it to reveal a staircase. "Have you ever been crucified?"

  I open my mouth to answer, but then I remember I'm not supposed to understand everything.

  Rio looks back at me and grins.

  The bastard's testing me.

  "Cross, Dominus?"

  He chuckles and descends the stairs. I follow and stop waiting for a reply; it's obviously not coming. Instead, I scan my surroundings, the glossy, black concrete floor, red-painted walls, heavy wooden doors leading to God knows what. One has a barred hatch in the middle with the sign "Cell" above it. Another two have the signs "Dormitory," which I think might be the slave quarters.

  How friggin' big is this basement? It feels like it's as big as the house, with hallways and locked doors everywhere. Due to the faint light from sconces along the walls, I can't even see the end of some hallways.

  "Since your English isn't good, I suppose I can say whatever I want," Rio muses. "For instance, I told myself earlier not to bid on you today."

  What game is he playing?

  I narrow my eyes at his back.

  "But then you got here, and…" He sighs, slowing down. Then stops and unlocks a door. "Looking like a damn sin."

  Heat pools in my gut.

  Rather than opening the door, he abandons it and comes to a stop right in front of me. A few steps and he has me backed into the cold wall behind me. So close. Closer, still. Until his armored ribcage brushes against my breasts.

  "It would be so easy," he rumbles in a low voice as his hands trail up my arms, "to take you right here, right now." My knees nearly buckle. "I've thought about it many times." And there goes my breath. "I've wondered what that sweet cunt of yours would taste like, how it would feel to fuck it."

  "Oh my God," I whimper breathlessly. My mind swims with images of us together. Him owning me, using my body for his pleasure, controlling me…

  He lifts my chin. "I assume that reaction was to my close proximity and not my words, slave girl. Hmm?"

  I can't speak even if I wanted to. He's reduced me to a mess of need, and I'm beyond ready to beg. At this point, I'll take anything. Anything to ease the ache between my legs and snuff out my thoughts. Anything to please him, serve him, and make him want more of me.

  He stares at me so intently that my body starts shaking. My vision blurs, as if I'm about to burst.

  Maybe I am.

  "To hell with it," he mutters, and then his mouth is on mine. A thousand emotions unleash with a snap, pummeling through me as forcefully as he kisses me. For ten years, I've fantasized about this, and nothing comes close to reality. The taste of him, feeling his power, surrendering to it.

  Locking my arms around his neck, I kiss him back as hard and deep as I can. He groans and picks me up, allowing me to wrap my legs around him. Jesus Christ, yes. He's hard and big under the thin fabric of his costume, and if we continue this much lo
nger, I'm gonna leave a damn spot.

  "I want you on me like a leech tonight," he says, breathing heavily. In between words, he kisses, nibbles, and sucks at my flesh. "Worship, obey, and serve me. The correct answer is 'Yes, Master.'"

  Not Master Rio? In the communities I've been involved in, it's what Doms usually make subs call them—title and name—unless there's ownership involved—Who cares! Answer him, fool!

  "Yes, Master." I moan as he presses his cock against my pussy. "Yesss."

  Rio curses and stills our movements. Forehead to forehead, the only sound our panting.

  "Fuck, you tempt me," he breathes out.

  I search his eyes, looking for things that are probably only there in my dreams.

  All I want is a chance.

  I swallow my nerves and exhale shakily. "Please don’t avoid me after this. Don't write me off."

  He's holding back, I can tell. Maybe it has to do with me, maybe it doesn’t, but there's certainly something.

  His gaze softens, and he kisses the spot between my eyebrows before releasing me. "It's not about me writing you off. But if you wish to talk after tonight, we'll arrange something. Okay?"

  "Yes…" What do I call him now? It's getting a bit confusing.

  Rio notices. He smirks faintly and taps my nose. "Dominus, my foreign slave."

  Pity. "Yes, Dominus."

  *

  That was only the beginning of what turns into one of the most erotic play parties I've attended. The tasks we perform turn it into a real competition with lots of fun and playfulness, but every act is laden with sex, dominance, and submission.

  After the first four tasks have been completed, I've lost count of the number of orgasms I've heard and seen.

  None for me and Dylan so far, though.

  "One more before I present my surprise," Rio declares.

  "I could use some rest." Mistress Judy laughs, having just won the last round in which the goal was to represent as many fetishes in one scene as possible. To everyone's amazement, she and her two sub boys managed to include sixteen fetishes in a single oral scene. Among them were kitten play, CBT, orgasm control, dollification, and edging.