Black Light: Branded

by Parker, Kay Elle

  “Given the length and girth of said penis I’m now waving around like a divination rod, and the ridiculously small hole it wants to plunder, would you be happy being in my position?”

  His expression turned thoughtful. His arms relaxed and braced his weight as he settled his body on top of hers, pressing her down without crushing her. “I see where you’re coming from, Ava. In your position, I’d have to ask myself a question or two.”

  “Oh, I’m questioning a lot, trust me.”

  He ignored that, searching her eyes for whatever answers he sought. “My first question would be, what am I afraid of? Do I think you’d hurt me intentionally or cause me injury? Or maybe it’s straining my trust. Will you stop if I say my safe word?”

  There was no escaping the directness in his gaze or the empathy. It was what she loved about him. Finn liked to have a connection, either with his hands or his eyes. He was so tactile.

  Ava abandoned the pretense of being the man in this relationship. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me intentionally, Finn, but you don’t see what I see when I look at that.” She jerked her chin meaningfully to where his cock teased her pussy through his jeans. “Safe word abuse has never been an issue between us.”

  He nodded slowly. “It never will, Ava. So, if it’s not that, I guess I have to ask myself, am I afraid you won’t respect me after?”

  She blushed, heat rising to her face quickly, as memories of Black Light assaulted her. He’d been respectful from the start, even when his hand was buried to the wrist inside her. “No.”

  “Hmmm.” He shifted slightly, and she flinched as the cool metal of his belt buckle touched her lower belly. “So, what am I scared of, then?”

  His lips skimmed over hers and her mind went blank. She didn’t know anymore. Her body finally submitted, relaxing under his as his mouth laid gentle kisses along her jawline, her throat. She was vaguely concerned she was leaving a wet patch on the front of his jeans.

  “I want to make it enjoyable for you, little dove,” he crooned softly, melting away the last of her resistance. “Tell me how I can make that happen.”

  It would be what it would be. If it hurt, he’d make it feel good. In their brief time together, he hadn’t yet failed in giving her pleasure with the pain. Satiating her addiction for the burn without damaging her physically or mentally in the process.

  Let him do what he does best, she advised herself. Give him control.

  “Just be you, Sir,” she murmured.

  His forehead rested against hers. “That’s my good girl, little dove. Thank you for trusting me.”

  Almost wriggling like a puppy at the sheer praise in his tone, Ava sighed. Trusting him was easy when he made it easy to do so. Still, there was a question she felt needed an answer. “Finn? You’re using lube, right? Lots and lots of lube?”

  “Think we’ll need any after I get through punishing you?”

  Oh shit, she’d forgotten about the ten strokes. She squeezed her eyes shut, aware of just how wet she got when Finn brought his impact implements out to play. Slowly, she shook her head.

  “Didn’t think so. But if I need to, I will. In fact, why don’t I be really nice and take your mind off things?” With a wicked grin and a quick brush of lips over hers, Finn levered himself off her and gave her thigh a sharp tap. “Move down the bed and lie on your stomach, Ava, with your feet flat on the floor. I want you to breathe to the count of five, in and out.”

  She immediately missed the heat of him, the delicious pressure his weight added to specific areas, but she realized he’d already slipped back into his Dominant headspace. She needed to follow suit and release her inner sub.

  The breathing exercise wasn’t quite their usual ritual, which was slightly worrying, but she supposed a little change never hurt anyone.

  As Finn moved away quietly on his ninja feet, Ava inhaled for five seconds and held the breath for five more as she rolled onto her belly. Exhaled for five while she inched down the bed until her feet were flat on the floor, tilting her bare bottom up in the air.

  The scars on her arms seemed to hum, begging her to add more, to feed the addiction. The craving surged through her blood like fire, and suddenly, a belting couldn’t come soon enough to satisfy the need.

  She moaned, low in her throat.

  “Eager, Ava?” Something cold settled on her lower back, sending chills racing up her spine. “Reach back and hold these cheeks open for me, darlin’. Do not let go unless you want your strokes doubled.”

  Oh no. Not the plug. Anything but the plug.

  Moaning for a completely different reason, Ava obeyed, her toes curling into the carpet. She stiffened for a second as fingers caressed her pussy, sliding obscenely through the wetness before drifting up to her defenseless pucker.

  “Five seconds,” Finn reminded her, circling her anus with a fingertip. “Keep breathing, Ava. Nice and slow. We’ve done this before.” He slicked her own fluids around and around, returning to the source more than once for more. “I love how fucking wet you get.”

  She hated her body for betraying her so wantonly. It was a natural reaction to stimulus, sure, but sometimes it felt like there was a huge neon sign flashing Slut! Slut! Slut! on her forehead.

  Something clicked and cool liquid dribbled down between her cheeks to where Finn’s fingertips were poised, ready to strike. Apprehension warred with excitement, then her breath caught and lost its rhythm as one thick finger pushed inside her rear, thrusting shallowly.

  The burn ignited, much to her delight. It grew quickly the deeper he delved, that single digit wreaking havoc on her system. It intensified with the introduction of a second finger, muscles protesting with every scissor and twist of those two lethal weapons.

  “Try not to clench, darlin’. It feels amazing when you squeeze my fingers this way, but it’s going to sting if you don’t relax a little. We’re going to stretch you a fraction more,” he said easily, ruthlessly adding a third digit to the mix. “How’s that feel?”

  Her pussy was screaming for relief. Throbbing in thick pulses like a beacon guiding him home. The breathing exercise was long forgotten, reduced to soft little pants. There was pain, but the kind she reveled in. The kind she thrived on. “You’re killing me, Sir.”

  “Color?”

  “Green. So green.”

  “Excellent.” The full feeling in her rear disappeared and was heralded by a long groan of protest which made Finn chuckle. “Don’t fret, my little masochist. This plug is larger than you’ve had before, but it’s not quite up to my personal standard.”

  A rounded rubber tip pressed into her, occupying the space his fingers had, then working deeper. Shaking, she struggled to keep her position. This one was wider, stretching the rim of her anus as Finn deftly inserted it to the hilt.

  “There we go. That’s my clever girl. Take a moment, Ava.” He patted her butt. “You can let go now, darlin’.”

  Um, no. She swore if she moved an inch, she would go off like a rocket, and while Finn hadn’t said she couldn’t come, he hadn’t told her she could. A shiver rippled through her at the sound of his belt buckle loosening, the leather drawing through the loops around his waist.

  “Ava, I said let go.”

  Oh boy, she was helpless when he used that stern tone. It strummed her submissive strings effortlessly, and he knew it. Willing herself to behave and not disappoint him, she made her fingers release their grip on her cheeks, then quivered as sensations assaulted her.

  The damn plug stirred all sorts of nerves to life, making her hypervigilant of its size and what it was doing to the rest of her body. There was a distinct possibility of spontaneous combustion if she wasn’t careful.

  Fingertips tapped the protruding end of the plug sharply, the vibrations skating along the sensitive flesh inside her. Ava choked on a breath, torn between laughing in delight or keening in distress.

  Finn’s palm clapped lightly on her butt, over and over. He always warmed her up with a spanking before any
heavy impact play. Gently at first, gradually working up to a faster, harder rhythm guaranteed to awaken the embers of arousal.

  Tonight, was no exception.

  By the time he was finished warming her up, Ava was on fire.

  Everything throbbed and pulsed in time with her heartbeat. Her body writhed on the comforter, her thoughts revolving around one thing—coming, and coming hard.

  His hand was as effective as a paddle, only he had the ability to curl around the curves of her cheeks, the tender undersides of her butt. Every sharp connection of flesh on flesh driving her crazy until she was ready to explode and fly high.

  “That’ll do nicely,” Finn murmured, his hand stilling against the heat of her ass. She almost sagged with relief beneath the slow circles he rubbed on her butt, until her foggy brain remembered the purpose of the spanking. “Color?”

  “Well,” she muttered into the bedspread, “if it’s not red after that, I’m sure it will be in a few minutes.”

  There was tense silence for a long, long moment as Finn heard the word red, then processed it in context. His laugh was devilish. “Sassy, even with a pink ass and matching plug. Answer the question, little dove.”

  Oh God, here it comes. “Green, Master Finnegan.”

  “Good girl.” He patted her tenderly, then took a step back. “Count every stroke aloud, Ava. At the end of each set, I want you to apologize for the rule you disregarded.”

  She grimaced, her hopes of staying quiet throughout her punishment dashed. Knowing what she said next would give him the signal to begin, she adjusted her position, fisting her hands in the soft material beneath her and taking a deep, bolstering breath. “Yes, Sir.”

  It came from nowhere, a single line of fire across her ass that brought her up onto her toes. It bit deep, ripping a yelp from her in the form of, “One!”

  The second and third lashes landed with barely enough time for her to count them out. He wasn’t holding back, but she knew he hadn’t given her the full force of his arm either.

  Swallowing hard, she said, “I’m sorry, Master Finnegan, for disobeying you and going out of sight of the house.”

  The belt tapped lightly on her thigh. Strikes four, five, and six were harder, landing a hair’s breadth apart from each other. Tears started forming, a combination of pain and regret and relief swirling together. “I’m sorry, Master Finnegan,” she whispered, “for disobeying you and riding through pastures you told me not to.”

  Leather brushed over her again, as comforting as a caress from his hand. It told her he was still with her, even as he used silence to drive home his displeasure at her actions. She used his voice as an anchor during their scenes, and not hearing it now was akin to having her heart torn out.

  Lashes seven and eight were bearable, just. Her voice cracked on number nine, the leather swinging up to crack against the underside of her buttocks. Though the fire was mellowing into the delicious burn she craved, she couldn’t catch the thermal and fly without Finn’s voice to guide her.

  Wallowing in misery, she almost howled the words he wanted to hear with tears flowing freely now. “I’m sorry I left my phone behind, Master Finnegan.”

  Reaching the end of her emotional tether, Ava screamed as the final stroke connected. It felt as though the wide band of leather knocked her clean out of her body, reducing her to nothing but ashes. It overlapped the marks, marks she was sure were thick red welts against the paleness of her skin, and tore her apart.

  Snot and tears strangled her, but it was the knowledge she'd disappointed him that finally broke her.

  “I'm sorry, Master Finnegan. I'm so, so sorry.”

  Through the roaring in her ears, she heard the jangle of his belt hitting the carpet. The tool of her destruction cast aside as though he hadn't just set a match to her pain to watch it burn. And burn she did, inside and out.

  Big hands skimmed lightly over her skin, carefully inspecting the carnage they'd handed out. Hands she trusted, even when they dealt out penance rather than pleasure. She'd given herself over to them the instant she'd said yes, and she wouldn't take that consent back. Finn had done his job and shown her the error of her ways, proved that her method of dealing with things didn't always bode well.

  “I dislike having to punish you like this, Ava.” Her Master's voice was somber, yet as gentle as the brush of calloused skin over her tender ass. “While I may lead you to believe I take great delight in reprimanding you, this isn't how I want to give you pain. I know you had your reasons for doing what you did, just as I hold myself responsible for how it came to be. I know you're sorry, little dove,” his voice softened further, driving her regrets deeper, “and I'm sorry for my part in it.”

  “You didn't do anything, Sir,” she mumbled into the bedspread, hating that he blamed himself for her actions. Yes, he'd been absent for the past week, but it was his work, his life, he'd been tending to. She was the one who'd breached that part of him, insinuated herself into his world. “Please, I don't want—”

  “No, I didn't, and that's the issue.” Finn's interruption was smooth. “I asked you to come here to be with me, Ava, and you came. My priorities have been in the wrong place for the last seven days, and that's unacceptable. If something had happened to you out there...well, let's just say you've had a greater impact on my life in the time you've been here than some people have managed in decades of knowing me.” His fingers stroked a line down her spine, eliciting a shudder. “Punishment leads to forgiveness, little dove. Your slate has been wiped clean of sins; can you find it in yourself to forgive me for mine?”

  Shit, he was going to set off the tears again. Carefully, oh so carefully, she rolled onto her back, hissing between clenched teeth as her sore butt made contact with cool fabric. She swiped at the wetness on her face, sniffled to clear her nose. “Do I get to spank you?”

  That full, sensuous mouth curved in amusement. “Not a cat in hell's chance, little minx. Believe me when I tell you what I suffered through this afternoon when I finally understood how negligent I've been in my duties as your Dom is worse than any spanking anyone could administer.”

  She imagined it was. If she felt she'd disappointed him by her actions, she dreaded to think what kind of pressure he'd put on himself. It was one of the reasons she'd do anything for him if he asked. His sense of responsibility was phenomenal, and he didn't hesitate to shoulder the blame or apologize if there was any possibility he was in the wrong.

  Ava stared up at him, studying his face and the lines around his eyes and mouth. Her lover bore his age well, with the slightest wrinkles at the corners. But these lines were new, born of stress. She hated she'd caused that, that he should bear the marks of her decisions. “I forgive you, Finn. We both have clean slates now.”

  His eyes closed, relief washing over his face. Had he honestly believed she wouldn't give him what he needed, when he went out of his way to ensure she got everything her heart wished for? Evidently, by his reaction, he believed his transgression to be so serious, he stood a chance of his slate being permanently marred. “Thank you, Ava.”

  She shifted on the bed, intending to sit up, but the pressure inside her became so intense she only whimpered. The fucking plug rubbed and pressed on a spot that made her want to babble indecipherable nonsense. The discomfort was on a par with the simmering warmth caressing her ass, and both were encouraging her pussy to prepare itself for an invasion.

  The sound of her whimper had Finn's eyes popping open, the gray rapidly darkening to near-black with predatory desire. A wolfish grin crossed his mouth, his teeth flashing white. “Well then, with the unpleasantness behind us, I think we should move on to the reward.”

  Chapter 4

  Finn

  She didn't look thrilled at the idea of a reward, Finn noted in amusement.

  His little dove was a fearful creature sometimes, her impressive imagination blowing situations so far out of proportion, it was concerning as much as it tickled him. A little apprehension was normal, healt
hy even. A sub with no limits wasn't the Holy Grail as many would expect—no limits often meant no fear, and that could be dangerous to control.

  He'd rather play with a frightened little bird, her wings fluttering frantically, than with a tigress with her claws unsheathed. Persuasion was, in his opinion, a better weapon to wield than brutal force.

  His eyes drank in the sight of her on the bed. She'd taken the belting well, better than he'd expected, but then he'd pulled all but the last stroke of his belt in deference to his role in her fall from grace. How could he punish her severely when the root of the issue grew at his feet? He couldn't, not in good conscience. So, though the leather had cracked against her perfect ass with enough force to let her feel the lashes for a day or so, he hadn't pushed her to the limit as he might have done under other circumstances.

  There were still tear tracks on her cheeks, and those cheeks were flushed with rosy color. But her eyes were clearer, filling quickly with nerves and anticipation. She was starting to fidget, legs moving restlessly, offering him quick glimpses of pink flesh at the apex of her thighs. Whether she denied it or not, her body was fully receptive to what he had in mind—the gleam of wetness on her thighs gave him a thumbs-up of approval.

  Small, delectable breasts heaved as she breathed. Hard, shaky breaths that kept catching in her throat. Nipples tightly beaded and begging for attention. All indicators he wouldn't have as much of a fight on his hands as he originally expected.

  “Do not move,” he growled softly, rounding the bed and yanking open his bedside drawer. He removed two items and shut the drawer with a snap, then snagged one of the bigger pillows from where it rested against the headboard. He wanted simplicity this first time—just the two of them, without the trappings of toys and gadgets. Walking back to the foot of the bed, he dropped the items onto the bedspread and considered his options.

  He made his choice quickly. Not keen on scaring her with orders and demands, he leaned over her, bracing his weight on one hand and using his other to cup her breast. Teasing her nipple with his thumb, he watched her eyes flutter closed and smiled. “This is something I've wanted for a long time, Ava. Do you remember the night at Black Light, the first time I touched this pretty ass?”