by Harper West
So I was a fairly cranky when I waited for Ash, especially considering it was ten after seven and she hadn't shown up yet.
Finally, I saw her coming out the front door of the building, and she came over and got in the car.
"You're late," I pointed out.
"I know, I know. I couldn't get my mom off the phone. Sorry."
I hadn't been expecting the apology, and it helped a bit. "I understand about persistent mothers," I said, putting the car in gear and heading off.
"She always wants a full play by play of what's going on in my life, but there's only so much I can tell her usually."
"Especially now, I'd imagine," I said, looking over to grin at her.
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, exactly. I can't be like 'oh I'm good, Mom, just you know. Married to a millionaire who's mostly using me for sex'. That's not approved mom talk."
"Well, you could throw in that you're using me for money. Maybe that would make her feel better."
"It wouldn't," Ash said. "Honestly that would make it worse."
"Fair enough. At least we're using each other," I said. "It's an arrangement, not a hostage situation."
"I'm just going to stick to 'things are going great, Mom', if it's all the same to you. Where are we going?"
I chuckled at the quick change of subject, taking us back into the city. "To a little shop I like to go to. Be happy, I'm going to buy you things."
"Yeah, that line might work on someone else, but it's not enough for me," she retorted. "What kind of shop?"
"You'll see when we get there."
I already knew she wasn't going to make this easy, and I probably should have told her before we got there, but I wanted to see the look on her face, honestly. Exposing Ash to new things was half the fun of being with her, and maybe if she didn't know where we were going, she wouldn't be automatically dismissive about it.
Maybe.
I parked in front of a nondescript building on the outskirts of the city. From the outside it looked like a little boutique, with mannequins in the windows, posed and wearing sheer black dresses. It was white brick with a sign in flowing script that said simply Maison. It could pass for a specialty lingerie shop easily, and they did have a good selection of lacy things for customers to buy.
But the real reason I came here was for the incredible selection of toys and leather goods and the fact that I'd known the owner for years.
We stepped inside, and I was glad to see the shop was empty. It was quiet, save for the soft jazz playing over the speakers, and I led Ash to the back where the collars were kept, glancing at her face as we walked.
"A sex shop?" she asked. "Don't you already have enough stuff?"
"Can you ever really have enough things to play with?" I wanted to know. "That's like saying you can have enough cars."
"You can have enough cars," she said, giving me a look. "You only need one."
"There's a difference between needing and wanting, Ash," I replied. "And when you have enough money to make it happen, it doesn't matter if you need it."
Once again, she rolled her eyes, but I could see them darting around curiously. Finally, she looked up at the wall we were standing in front of, and her eyes widened.
The selection of collars was one of the best I'd seen. They had all different colors, materials from leather to metal. Some were thin and classy, designed to be considered a piece of jewelry and worn every day, and others were clearly for a play environment, decked out with long spikes and dangling rings.
Diana, the owner, was also a skilled leather worker. She made most of the collars herself, as well as a selection of the floggers and crops hanging on a wall just a bit farther away.
I trusted the quality, and I wanted to get something nice, even though I knew Ash wouldn't appreciate it. Still, that was no reason to skimp.
"Oh my god," Ash said. "I didn't agree to a collar. You can't just... I didn't agree to this."
Of course, she was going to make it difficult. "You'll need one for the club," I said. "It's not going to be anything ridiculous."
"They're all ridiculous," she snapped. "I'm not some dog you can put a leash on and expect me to behave."
"A leash is a good idea, actually."
Her eyes were full of fire, and she looked like she was on the verge of storming out right then and there. "You're an asshole."
"Yes, yes, you've said that before. It's just for the arrangement. I didn't want to pick something and have you hate it, so I brought you with me. You're welcome."
She glared, but before she could bite my head off, Diana herself was coming over, all smiles. I shot Ash a look and then reached out, taking Diana's hand in my own and kissing her on both cheeks. "Diana, you're looking as radiant as ever," I told her.
She rolled her eyes. "You can't flirt your way into a discount, Killian. I'm sure I've told you that before."
"You have, but it never hurts to keep trying," I said.
She looked at Ash, head tipped to one side. "A new play partner?" she wanted to know.
I shook my head. "Not this time. Diana, this is Ash. My wife."
It was the first time I'd ever introduced her to anyone as my wife specifically, and it felt strange to say it. Ash looked startled as well, but she recovered, smiling thinly and shaking Diana's hand. "It's nice to meet you," she said.
Diana looked surprised, and then confused. "You got married? I would have thought I'd have heard about that."
Both of them were looking at me, and I kept my smile in place. "It was a private thing," I explained smoothly. "Just family. Not even all the family, if you know what I mean." Ash looked uncomfortable, so I moved on. "Anyway, we're here because of course my beautiful wife needs a beautiful collar."
"Of course," Diana said, recovering quickly. She was a businesswoman through and through and the thought of a sale would take over her hurt feelings at not being invited to my nonexistent wedding. "What did you have in mind?"
Instead of asking me, she was talking to Ash, who seemed surprised to be consulted. "I don't know," she mumbled. "He's the one who brought me here."
"Yes, but he's not the one who's going to have to wear it," Diana pointed out. "It's something for him to look at, sure, but it needs to be comfortable for you first and foremost."
"Oh," Ash said. "I didn't think about it like that."
"And most likely Killian didn't explain it," she said. "He's such a Dom sometimes."
"All the time," Ash muttered, and Diana laughed.
"Probably. See, it's really easy for them to get so wrapped up in the power play of it all. They just think about the outcome they want. A sub on their knees or tied up or in a collar. They forget the steps that come before that sometimes. Which is not to say he's a bad Dom, he's just impatient and impulsive. But a collar is a personal thing, and I think every submissive should have a say in picking it."
"That is why I brought her here," I interjected, making a face. Diana wasn't wrong, but I took issue with the idea that she thought I hadn't considered Ash's preferences when I brought her in.
"You're not completely hopeless," Diana said, and then firmly took over. She asked Ash a series of questions, wanting to gauge everything from her personal style to how she felt about collars in general. Ash tried to answer and was clearly holding back a rant about how much she didn't want one in the first place, which I appreciated.
I left them to it, wandering over to the section of crops and floggers and testing the weight of the newer ones with my hands. Maybe once I worked Ash up into being more into impact play, I'd get one of those.
The dildos and vibrators were interesting as well, but I had drawers and drawers of toys to introduce her to before I needed to buy more.
What I'd really come for was the display of plugs lined up on a velvet tray near the counter. Diana had everything from silicone to metal ones. Small ones meant for training and huge ones the size of my fist for people who were really passionate about stretching their assholes out. I wasn't i
nterested in anything that extreme, but I did want one for Ash.
I had a wicked idea about making her sit through class with a plug in, and my collection was lacking.
I scanned the selection, bypassing the metal ones in favor of the smaller, softer silicone ones. Some of them had jewels on the base, a decorative touch that I liked, and when I found one with a light green jewel that almost perfectly matched the ring I'd gotten for Ash, I knew that was the one.
I didn't know if she'd ever had anything in her ass before, so I got two sizes, one small, for beginners, and a slightly larger one that would give her a bit of a stretch. I couldn't wait to try those out on her.
When I went back over, Ash and Diana were talking softly, and Diana had two different collars in her hands. They were both black and leather, and one had a simple O ring at the front for hooking a finger or a leash into, and the other had a ring and a bell.
The bell was a surprise. I wouldn't have thought Ash would appreciate anything that seemed like it made her out to be a pet.
Diana was explaining the comfort of both, and I watched as she held the first one up to Ash's neck, letting her wrap it around and see how it felt.
She looked resigned, but the collar was gorgeous on her. The black stood out against her skin, and there was a slightly shy expression on her face that made me want to drag her over to me and haul her off to a back room to really show her what I thought of the collar. I kept my hands to myself and nodded my approval for whatever it was worth.
"I like that one," I said. "It's simple, but effective."
"A lot like you," Ash fired back, and her cheeks were pink.
I smirked at her. "That might just be the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
She rolled her eyes, just like I'd expected. "Don't let it go to your head."
"Too late. My head is swelling as we speak. Is that the one you want?"
"I don't want either of them," she said. "But it's fine."
Diana looked back and forth between us curiously, and I couldn't blame her. It wasn't the dynamic I usually had with a woman I brought here. The submissives I attracted were meeker, more intent on pleasing me, and it was clear to anyone who spent a minute around us that Ashlyn didn't give a shit about pleasing me.
I liked her that way. She wouldn't be the same if she was willing to bend over and take it whenever I wanted her to, and half of the fun was springing these things on her and watching her pretend to hate them while she came all over herself.
Just thinking about it had me more excited about showing her the special gifts I'd picked out. I paid for the collar and the plugs, and we headed out. Ash didn't bite my head off as we clearly drove in the direction of my house, so I could only imagine she knew what was coming next.
Maybe she was even interested in it. But even if she wasn’t—or pretended she wasn’t—I intended to have her panting and begging for anything I would give her by the end of tonight.
Chapter 12
Killian
When we finally got back to my apartment, Ash turned to face me, arms folded. "Well?" she asked. "Let's get it over with already."
"Get what over with?" I asked, feigning ignorance. "I thought you just wanted the pleasure of my company."
"That's not a thing," she said. "And I know you want to see the collar on me. That's why you bought it. So, let's just go ahead and do it so I can go home."
I sighed and opened the bag from the shop, pulling out the collar. "You know, you could make this so much more pleasant for yourself if you would just be a little more open minded. If you treat it like a punishment, then it'll feel like one."
"It's not a punishment, it's an obligation," she said. "It's like going to work so you can pay your bills. Only in this case my work is giving into your weird kinks."
"I pay you well for it," I pointed out. Her outlook was cynical, but she was still agreeing to the arrangement, so I supposed I couldn't be too upset about it. I already knew I was going to have her getting off before the end of the night. "Come here," I said, crooking a finger at her.
Ash glared at me, but she came closer, standing in front of me. I had several inches on her, and I lorded them over her, reaching down to tip her chin up so I could see her pretty face. Even scowling, she was beautiful, and I couldn't wait to see the collar on her with nothing else on.
One step at a time.
I buckled the collar around her neck, fussing with it until it was straight and the ring in the center hung down perfectly. Then I took a step back, taking in the picture she made.
Gorgeous, but something was missing. I grinned at her and held up a finger. "Wait one second. Don't move."
"Is that an order?" she grumbled.
I raised an eyebrow at her. "You'll know when I'm giving you an order, sweetheart."
The blush on her cheeks was lovely, and I walked to the playroom, but still heard her grumbling under her breath to not call her sweetheart.
She was so contrary, so determined to be upset when there wasn't a reason to be, and I wanted to see just how depraved I could get her to be that night.
I fished in a drawer for a pair of handcuffs and brought them out, holding them up for her to see. "Since you responded so well to the restraints last time," I said, grinning brightly.
As expected, she blushed darkly. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I'm talking about how I tied you down and stuffed your pussy with a big rubber dick and made you come all over yourself," I said simply, smiling at her. "I think there was some begging involved, but I could be remembering wrong. We'll just have to recreate the experiment." She opened her mouth to tell me to go fuck myself or something similar, and I cut her off. "Put your hands behind your back."
There was a flash of hesitation on her face, and I waited. She had the right to safeword out of whatever I wanted her to do if she was really opposed to it, but that determination took over, cutting into the uncertainty.
She shook her head and glared at me but folded her arms behind her back all the same.
"Good girl," I praised, knowing she'd hate it. I took one wrist in my hand and wrenched it back further, enjoying the soft sound she made in response.
Usually I preferred leather restraints to metal because they were gentler while still being impossible to break out of, but of this, I wanted something that felt unyielding. I wanted her to know I was in control, and the only way she was getting away was when I let her.
I closed the metal bracelet around one wrist and then the other, ratcheting them tight enough that she wouldn't be able to wiggle her wrists free, but not so tight that they would cause her pain, and I latched them so they couldn't close any tighter. I was thorough when it came to things like this, taking safety just as seriously as everything else.
"See if you can get out of that," I said, and she did, twisting her arms and wrists, but not going anywhere.
"Fuck," she groaned, and I smiled. Already she was affected.
"You know, for someone who claims to hate this so much, you get wet so easily whenever I restrain you," I said. "Clearly you aren't that opposed to letting me tie you up and do terrible things to you."
"Yes, I am," she said, but it came out sounding breathless, and I didn't believe it for a second.
"So, if I reach between your legs right now, I won't find you wet and needy for me? You won't be soaking your panties just because I slapped a pair of handcuffs on you?"
Ash shook her head, and I grinned, taking that as an invitation to call her bluff.
"It's not nice to lie," I said, dropping my voice to a lower register just to tease her. "Because now I'm going to have to find out for myself, and you're not going to like it as much as what I would have done if you'd just told me the truth."
That pink tongue darted out, and she licked her lips, clearly trying to keep up her bravado. "Whatever, Killian."
That sealed her fate.
I reached between her legs roughly, grabbing her pussy through her jeans and cuppin
g it. I could feel the heat of her through the fabric, and she gasped softly, rocking into my hand. If she hadn't already been wet, then she would be soon.
With quick fingers I undid the button and fly and pushed the jeans down enough that I could work my hand in there, sliding into her underwear and finding her center.
She was hot and damp already, but not the soaking and desperate I wanted her to be. There were ways to fix that.
I pressed two fingers past her folds, finding her clit and rubbing it in slow, teasing circles. She could act as tough as she wanted, but I knew how to push her buttons.
When it came down to it, she could be as fiery as anything, but I knew how to stoke that flame into something different, something more pleasurable. I was a master at it.
She was gritting her teeth while I played with her clit, trying not to give anything away, and I let her have her little resistance. It would only be a matter of time before she was begging me and regretting being so hostile when I was trying to make her feel good.
I didn't want to do too much too fast, so I abandoned that little button of nerves and slid those fingers right into her hole, crooking them a little like I was beckoning her forward.
Ash gave a muted swear, and I grinned, stroking her inner walls and feeling them grow sticky and wet for me.
"Mm, it feels like you're starting to get turned on," I said. "Like you want something in this pussy. Do you want me to fuck you, Ash? Do you want me to bend you over and stuff my cock in you?"
She gave no response other than a little whimper, and I shrugged, continuing to tease her.
Before she could get too used to the fingers inside her, I was pulling them back out, going back to circling her clit, this time not touching it directly, but moving around it.
Her breathing was coming in short pants, and every other breath was a soft moan. Her hips rocked forward, clearly seeking more friction, but I didn't give it to her.
Every time it seemed like she was settling into a rhythm with one thing, I changed it up, going back and forth between her clit and her hole, never letting her have enough to make her come.
