Camellia (14 page)

"I could eat. Would you like something?" Lucy asked Danny as she began flipping through the menu.

Danny made a face. "Is it going to be more cheese and fruit?"

"You may not have had the food you wanted for lunch, but did you find that you felt exhausted afterward?" Lucy asked her without looking away from the menu.

"No," Danny replied, sounding contrite.

Lucy nodded. That much of an admission was enough. "Order whatever you want for dinner. There seems to be plenty to choose from." Danny sat up and Lucy handed her the menu, then waited while Danny quickly made her selection—a bacon cheeseburger and double order of French fries, naturally. It sounded heavy and greasy, two things Lucy tried to avoid, but Danny looked delighted when, half an hour later, their food was delivered.

Lucy's entrée, a delicate blackened Mahi Mahi with mango salsa, was about half the size of Danny's, but they both finished at about the same time. Lucy couldn't deny that Danny certainly enjoyed her meal, if the sounds she made were anything to go by. Danny made a few soft moans and each put Lucy more on edge until, blessedly, Danny finished her dinner. They were left in a comfortable silence as they cleared away their plates.

"Why was Natasha so upset by the idea of you punishing me?" Danny asked Lucy once the area had been cleaned.

For a long moment, Lucy considered brushing the question off. It wasn't likely to be information that would be useful to Danny, but since it involved her, Lucy supposed that Danny deserved to know the answer. "Reward is usually a simple exercise. Correction is slightly more complicated. I can use my crop to alter your position without any lasting consequences. But for there to be punishment between a dominant and submissive pair, there must be mutual respect and understanding of boundaries and expectations. These are things that the two of us could not have possibly accomplished in the short time we've known each other, which Natasha knew, and so she thought I had crossed a line and punished someone with no knowledge of such a thing."

Danny's face tightened as she pulled her feet under her on the bed. "I do understand it, though."

Lucy quickly shook her head. "You understand the concept, I'm sure. But a dominant person wields physical and emotional power over a submissive. Punishments aren't something to be taken lightly or given out without just cause. When a parent spanks a child, they have to be careful not to do it without being fully in control of all their faculties, or things can get out of hand. In the same way, a dominant person must never let themselves be emotionally tied to a punishment. It would be far too easy to do damage to their submissive otherwise, and that is something that should never be acceptable."

"What about rewards?" Danny asked her. As Lucy watched, Danny touched her tongue to her lips. Her shoulders rounded and she leaned forward over her knees, causing her tank top to slip down and expose some of the raven tattoo on her chest. Lucy forced herself to look away from that enticing display.

"I reward you because I want to, because it's the right thing, and because you've done well. There are some things we, as competent human beings, are expected to do simply because we know that we should. We do our laundry, clean our dishes, and pay for our groceries. These aren't actions that require rewards. But accepting a touch, doing well at a tea ceremony, opening yourself up to learning a new skill—that kind of initiative and caring should always be rewarded. I prefer to do so with my crop, for those who get pleasure out of it. As long as the reward or punishment matches the action, there is always a balance."

It felt good to share her knowledge and ideas with someone as eager to learn and understand as Danny appeared to be, especially with regards to the crop. Pain didn't have to equal wrong, and though Lucy didn't enjoy the hardest forms of physical domination, she understood them and welcomed those that enjoyed them responsibly into her life with open arms.

"What about you? Do you enjoy giving the rewards?" Danny asked the question hesitantly, and was blushing pink before she had a chance to turn away.

Lucy considered how to best answer this question. She could take a fair guess at Danny's reasons for asking it, but people didn't always ask questions they were ready to hear the answers to. In the end, honesty and a desire to be open with Danny won out. "I do," she said, letting that declaration linger between them. She would not indulge Danny's interest any further without her asking for what she really wanted to.

Danny looked surprised. "So ... uh ... you get ... turned on when you use the crop?"

Lucy gave her a slight smile. Unlike Danny, she felt no need to look away when she answered the question. "I find pleasure in bringing it forth from others."

"With your crop?"

Lucy took a sip from the bottle of water in front of her, buying some time. Danny was fixating on Lucy's favorite thing, and it was hard to remember just how little they really knew about each other when Danny seemed so eager. But far more was required for a successful scene than simply an eager sub, and Lucy wouldn't be the person to damage Danny's delicate skin or heart. "With my crop, with my hand, or with other instruments that I keep in my bedroom at home."

Danny leaned forward a little, putting her cleavage back on display. Damn it. "And using them on someone gets you off?"

It was the same question as before, slightly altered. Clearly Danny was stuck on the idea, although whether it was because she wanted it or was curious as to why Lucy wanted it, Lucy wasn't sure yet. "It isn't as simple as that, though for some people it might be. I enjoy bringing pleasure out in the people I find attractive. Red marks on tender skin, watching a beautiful woman struggle against silk ties ... Can you imagine it?" That was a dangerous question, Lucy knew, and as soon as it left her lips she thought she might have been better off not uttering those words at all.

But then Danny nodded and softly sighed. "Yes."

A full smile blossomed across Lucy's face. "I believe you can." Dangerous questions became even more complicated actions as Lucy took a chance she rarely allowed herself to indulge in. "Do you wish to see?"

Danny stopped breathing for an instant as she met Lucy's gaze. "See? As in ...?"

Lucy hesitated, unsure whether she should really go through with it or not. Beautiful women were easy to find. Submissive on top of that narrowed the pool somewhat, but not dramatically. There were a dozen women in the hotel that Lucy could have without risking any part of herself to get them.

While that would interest Lucy for an evening, she knew that Danny was different. There was something about her, more than just beauty, willingness, and that particular ability to transform pain into pleasure. Danny was a gift, one Lucy wanted to savor.

"Do you wish to engage in a scene?" Lucy asked her, her words clipped in an effort to hide her eagerness. If Danny said no, she would accept that without question.

"What would we do?" Danny asked as she got to her knees on the bed. Lucy didn't miss the hardness of her nipples or the way her pupils had expanded while they'd been talking.

Lucy had a dozen things she wanted to try with Danny, and even more ways that she wanted to see Danny laid out before her like a tray of delicate sweets, just ripe for the taking. She was a woman to be indulged in, to be caressed and lovingly petted. But she was also a woman that Lucy wanted to see bound with the black silk ties that hung from her bedposts as Lucy whipped her back and butt. There was a delicate balance between the two ideas for Lucy, both equally appealing and even better in concert.

Any more time spent considering and Lucy would be stalling. She had to come up with an answer. With limited supplies on her and no desire to go back down to the convention and buy something else right now, her choice was simple. "I would use my crop on you. With or without clothing—that would be your choice. You'd cry out, you would be sore tonight, you might be shocked at the marks across your skin. But you would enjoy it."

Danny squirmed a bit on the bed, and Lucy didn't have to guess at her level of interest. "What if I didn't?"

"Then we stop," Lucy said. "Of course. Do you remember the word that I told you to say if something became too much for you?"

"Apple," Danny answered instantly.

Lucy gave her a soft smile. "Yes, apple. Your favorite fruit. So, now you know what would happen. Take few minutes, decide what you'd like to do and how far you're willing to go right now. Whatever you decide tonight, should you ever come to me seeking such a thing in the future, I promise that I'll never do anything more to you than you want and have given me permission to do."

Lucy saw Danny swallow. "So how do you want me?"

"Are you going to continue wearing your clothes?" Lucy asked.

Danny looked down at herself and curled her fingers under the hem of her shirt. "I think so. Yes. For right now."

Nodding, Lucy got to her feet. "Come stand in front of me. Here." Lucy took her crop and pointed to a space on the carpet in front of her. Danny moved more eagerly than gracefully, but she stood obediently in front of Lucy a few seconds later.

Lucy examined Danny, looking at the flush of her cheeks and the wideness of her eyes before she cupped Danny's cheek in her hand. "You're safe here," she repeated. "You know the word that will stop this instantly. I won't touch you anywhere that you don't wish me to. You will address me as Mistress, and for this you are Danielle. If you like something you may ask for more. If I ask you a question, you will answer me. If you want something, you may ask for it. Are the rules clear, Danielle?"

"Yes, Mistress." The title was a whispered caress falling from her lips, and it made Lucy shiver.

"Now, before we begin, do you want anything? A glass of water? Something else to eat?" Lucy offered her. A sub Lucy had a comfortable relationship with wouldn't be asked such questions. Lucy would have known what Danny wanted before they started. Tonight was just a whim, though, a pleasurable indulgence that Danny wanted and Lucy was more than willing to give her.

"I'd like a kiss," Danny said softly, staring straight at Lucy.

"You'd like a kiss, what?" Lucy countered, trying to stay focused despite her heart skipping a beat.

Danny shifted her weight. "I'd like a kiss, Mistress."

Lucy leaned forward and gave her what she asked for. Danny's mouth was soft and warm as Lucy brushed their lips together. She felt Danny sigh and wanted to do the same as she held the caress for a moment longer before pulling away.

With the memory of Danny's lips still warming hers, Lucy took hold of the crop in her hand and trailed it over Danny's back between her shoulder blades and along the curve of her spine. Because her hand was still on Danny's cheek, she felt Danny's shiver as the crop rested at the small of her back.

"I believe you'll enjoy this, Danielle," Lucy whispered to her.

"Yes. But will you ... Mistress?" Danny replied, her voice just as soft.

Lucy nodded, already knowing that she would. "Get on your knees at the edge of the bed. Arms stretched out in front of you or bent for your head to rest on, but either way they must never leave the bed. Feet together. Quickly now, Danielle, I'm waiting."

Oh, this was a lovely position for Danny. Her bottom, perfectly rounded and hugged by her tight little shorts, stuck out in the air, tempting Lucy without saying a word.

Lucy moved up beside her and brought the end of the crop down against Danny's left cheek. She made a noise of surprise, and Lucy felt a rush of warmth go through her at hearing that sound. It was beautiful and delicate, a sound of pleasure and expectation. Lucy itched to see the mark on Danny's skin, to see how her crop changed the color of her bottom, to see the flush of red that came with such a strike.

"Do you wish for another?" Lucy asked her.

Danny nodded and mumbled something into the comforter.

"I can't hear you, Danielle. If you want to feel the bite of my crop again, you'll have to speak up a bit," Lucy said brightly.

Danny lifted her head away from the comforter. "Yes, please, Mistress."

Tilting her head to the side, Lucy considered her. "How many do you think you deserve?"

Danny seemed to fumble over the answer to that question and bit her bottom lip as she thought about it. "Ten?"

"Are you sure about that?"

Danny seemed a bit surer of herself as she slowly nodded. "Yes, ten. Mistress."

The title was tacked on, a clear afterthought in light of a much more interesting question. But Lucy let it slide this time. "I think you've been good enough to earn you ten strikes. As before, I want you to count these out. Now, that was one. We'll begin the count on two. Are you ready?"

Danny's fingers curled into the mattress. "Yes, Mistress."

Lucy twirled the crop in her hand and ran it over the outside of Danny's hip before sliding it into the seam of her cheeks. Danny turned her head and watched her, her mouth opening with her sigh when Lucy dipped the tip of the crop between her legs. She teased Danny, bringing her a hint of pleasure before the sting of pain. Maintaining the balance was important. More pain than pleasure would be cruel. Too long between a strike, Lucy knew, would be boring for nearly any submissive. Delicate lines existed within each person, so Lucy tested Danny with her timing before she gave Danny another stinging smack against the same cheek. It made Danny gasp and arch her back, but her hands didn't move from the bed. Lucy was pleased with that.

"Two," Danny sighed.

Smiling to herself, Lucy ran the tip of the crop over the backs of Danny's thighs and down her legs. Danny shivered. "I want to touch your hair. Would you like that?" Lucy asked her.

Danny bit her lip. "You ask before you do?"

"I promised not to touch you anywhere that you didn't want me to. I want to feel your skin and hair under my fingertips. Do I have your permission?" Lucy clarified.

Danny gave her a slow nod, and Lucy lowered herself to sit next to Danny on the bed. It was a more casual pose than she preferred, but it did allow her to have one leg pressed completely against Danny's side as Lucy's hand went to the thick locks of Danny's hair. She ran the crop over Danny's far side. "And Danielle?"