Masters 02 Master of the Abyss (11 page)

Ah, someone had been doing his homework and learning the positions. Jake watched as Evelyn knelt, spread her knees open, and placed her hands on her thighs.
Very nice.

Steve joined them, and Jake nodded approval. He added for the men’s ears only, “Subs in the kneeling position should keep their eyes down.”

Both men snapped orders, and the women complied.

Jake leaned against a tree and smiled at the pretty sight. “Look at them,” he murmured to the men. “All worried about what you have in mind. Anticipating pleasure but possibly pain. Knowing you might push them past what they’re used to. Quivering inside.”

“God, you’re right. I’ve never seen her like this,” Steve said.

“With her eyes on the ground, a sub can’t read your face, can’t see what’s coming,” Jake said. “It increases their sense of helplessness and worry. This is the space you want them in. Excited and eager to please.”

Nods.

“What else could you do to make them feel more vulnerable?” He smiled as the men considered. A lawyer and a professor, both with professional wives. Used to equality in their marriages, they needed some mental adjustment to take on the dominant role.

“Naked,” Andrew said. “Being without clothes would…” He gestured, a lawyer at loss for words.

“Good choice. Go for it.” When the men started to speak, Jake held up a hand. “A command can certainly be given at a distance, but in this case, with new submissives, you want to be hands-on. Enjoy your submissive’s body as she strips. Make her stop at your command. Savor the fact that you can touch as you please. Tease her. Let her know how much the sight of her and the softness of her skin pleases you.”

Two nods and the men strolled back to their wives. Walking taller. Yes, they were already beginning to own the power. Any idiot could use handcuffs. Dominance required more.

He checked the area. Kallie had finished stowing dishes away and was sitting near her pack, pretending to whittle. He’d expected her to turn her back or retreat into her tent when he started the lessons. But she watched instead.

When she glanced his way with a wistful look, his blood surged through his veins like a flash flood. Damn, he wanted her. Had she had enough time to think? How badly did she want to play? “Kallie. Come here.”

She opened her mouth to reply.

He lowered his voice. “Now.”

After setting her knife and wood on top of her pack, she came to him. Slowly. He could almost hear her arguing with herself.
Submit. No, don’t
. With eyes so dark they appeared black in the dim light, she stood in front of him and rubbed her hands on her jeans. He almost smiled. Sweating already.

“Did you finish thinking, sprite?”

“Yes.” She licked her lip and said resolutely, “I want to play.”

So do I
. In fact, he’d never met anyone he’d wanted so badly. Getting control of himself, he set a finger under her chin and lifted her face. “The commitment between us is only for one more night. Tonight. Can you live with that?”

“Yes.” Her acceptance showed in her eyes.

“Yes, what?”

A tremor ran through her. “Yes, Sir.”

“Very nice.” He stroked her hair, then ran a finger around the delicate curve of her ear and down the line of her jaw to that stubborn chin. Obstinate enough to be a challenge and vulnerable enough to pull at his heart…dammit. “I will enjoy having my hands on you again.”

The way her breathing deepened pleased him. He firmly grasped her upper arm to increase her feeling of being controlled. “There are many things I want to do to you, Kallie.”

Chapter Five

Kallie swallowed hard as her imagination went wild. What did he mean…“
do to her
”?

Hell, what was she thinking, agreeing to this? But she wanted tonight—wanted more than one, but oh, well. Over the past few days, she’d had time to think and had decided that she could handle the limits he’d put on their relationship. The other times she’d been tossed aside had come as a total shock. Knowing up front that he didn’t plan to stay with her, she wouldn’t be surprised when he moved on. That had to be better.

He undid the top buttons of her flannel shirt and slid his hand inside. The touch of his fingers on her breast and the slight abrasion from his roughened skin made her toes curl. She saw his lips curve up as he teased her nipple. God, her knees were liable to give out.

“What is your real name?” he asked, switching to the other breast.

“What?”

His eyes darkened.

Oops. A sub didn’t ask questions. “Ka-LEEN-da, spelled K-A-L-I-N-D-A. My mother said my father was born in India.”

“Ah. That’s where your gorgeous eyes come from.”

Gorgeous? She had gorgeous eyes? She looked down to hide how much pleasure his compliment gave her.

“Considering the size of the Masterson men, you must have inherited your height from your father’s side.”

He was calling her a scrawny midget, wasn’t he? She scowled at him.

After threading his fingers in her short hair, he pulled her head back, and his voice turned rough enough to match the skin on his hands. “I don’t like being glared at by submissives.”

She tried to move and discovered his grip had her completely in his power. Helpless. Her whole lower half seemed to melt.

“I’ll accept an apology this once. The next time, you’ll be punished.”

Punished
? The thought sent warring sensations through her: heat at the memory of being spanked and the shattering orgasm afterward—and then anger at his threat.

“Kalinda. I’m waiting.”

She stared up at him. Firelight flickered over his stern face, heightened his cheekbones, and shadowed his eyes—and she wanted him so badly she shook with it. “I’m sorry, Jake,” she whispered.

“Very well done, sprite.” Still holding her head back, he brushed his mouth across hers and bit her jaw. The small pain jolted through her and sizzled her insides. His lips were gentle, warm, and he took his time, nuzzling under her ear, nibbling on the curve between her shoulder and neck. Never letting her move as he pleased himself. As he set her every nerve to quivering with need.

She wanted to touch him, to grab his shoulders, lace her hands behind his head, but somehow, barely, she kept her hands at her sides. The effort of obeying his unspoken wishes—of pleasing him—sent sparkles of excitement shooting into every nerve.

He straightened and studied her. One corner of his mouth turned up. “Good little sprite,” he murmured. “Working so nicely to stay still.”

She had only a second to enjoy the pleasure of his words before he took her mouth hard. Possessively. The way he kissed was more devastating than she remembered. When he lifted his head and pulled her into his arms, she laid her cheek on his broad chest. His erection pressed against her lower abdomen, and satisfaction filled her. He wanted her too.

A laugh rumbled under her ear, and she realized he was watching the others. She tried to turn to see. His grip only tightened. Not a chance. “Gentlemen, when you are finished, join me and my sub, please.”

His sub
. The sound of that was…much too nice. She shouldn’t like it, but she did. She put her arms around his waist and sighed when he didn’t stop her. He had the fragrance of soap—he must have washed by the creek—and a head-spinning, masculine scent. Pushing her face against him, she sniffed. Why did he have to smell so good?

He chuckled. “I enjoy the way you smell too, sugar. Like vanilla ice cream.”

She heard footsteps as the other two men arrived.

“Very good. Now look at your sub. Study her. Has her breathing increased? Is she flushed? Did your actions arouse her—and how can you tell? Each woman is different. Pay attention, and don’t assume anything.”

He paused. After putting his arm around Kallie, he moved her to stand beside him, facing the men.

Her cheeks heated. This was a mistake; these were her clients. She tried to pull away, but he had her trapped.

“Gentlemen, like your wives, Kallie is a career woman and the best guide in the area, as you’ve seen. For this evening, for the enjoyment of us both, she chooses to give up control to me.” He glanced down at her, and a corner of his mouth turned up. “However, if I tried this without her acceptance, she’d probably cripple me for life. As you work out the parameters of your play with your partner, remember that a woman can delight in submission with the right man and in the right place, and yet rip the guts out of someone in the boardroom the next day.”

Kallie met his gaze, warmed at the understanding. Her breath sighed out; she hadn’t realized she’d been holding it. All right then. It helped to remember the two women here also had careers.

Jake ruffled her hair, then closed his fist around the short strands, pulling her head back as he’d done earlier. His other hand cupped her cheek. She felt the warmth of his body as he pulled her closer. “Steve, Andrew, you’ve started seeing how verbal control works. Physical control is very similar—exerting your will and keeping your submissive feeling helpless. She must know she has no choice except to do what you want and take what you give.

“Holding a submissive by the hair succeeds on a couple of levels. Immobilizing her so you can enjoy.” Jake kissed her. “Baring her neck to you—the animal in us interprets that as the ultimate submission. There is nothing more vulnerable than a throat.” His free hand curved around her neck to press very, very lightly, and a flash of instinctive fear shook her.

Jake turned her and pulled her back until her bottom rested against his thighs. After trapping her with an arm around her waist, he started flipping open the snaps on her shirt.

“Hey!”

“Be still.”

She bit her tongue to silence a protest. Her heart pounded. Hellfire, this
would
be the time she went without a bra or tank top.

“Good girl,” he said, the roughness in his voice gone. He nuzzled her cheek in approval, and warmth filled her.

When he stopped, her shirt hung open. “Part of the exchange of power is that your submissive agrees that her body belongs to you: to use, to show, to share at your will. However, each sub has her limits, and you must discover those. Some won’t want any play except in private and in the bedroom, some desire a little public exhibition, some won’t mind if you let others touch her, and some will be thrilled if you give her to others to enjoy.”

Horror went through Kallie at his last words. Share her with these men? She shoved at the immovable arm around his waist.

“As a dominant, you’ll have your own limits also. For example, I enjoy sharing the beauty of my submissive, but I’m too possessive to let anyone touch.”

Oh
. She relaxed slowly, curling her fingers around his muscular forearm and leaning back against him.

When he closed his hand over her breast, she inhaled sharply. No questions, no hesitation; he just took what he wanted. Like he’d been saying. His warm palm covered her.

“Your heart is pounding, little sub,” he whispered in her ear.

Fear, trust, worry. Arousal. She felt as if she’d climbed on a rollercoaster of emotions, and it was a good thing he was holding her up.

“Gentlemen, you’ll find blindfolds in my pack. If you are uncertain at some point or feel that you’re taking too long to figure out a piece of equipment or bondage technique, simply blindfold your sub. Not only does it remove the pressure of someone watching, but it also increases the sensual enjoyment and anticipation for your woman. Touch her as you’re restraining her. Watch how she strains upward toward your hand.”

His fingers closed on Kallie’s nipple, squeezing the sensitive peak, and the pleasure was so acute she arched her back.

Jake chuckled and continued, “I’ve set up equipment around the campsite and flagged the spots. Show each one to your sub. Keep your hands on her, listen closely to her, and discover which type of bondage sets her heart to pounding. If it also appeals to you, then use it. Call me if you have questions or problems.”

From the flushed faces and obvious erections, the two men were definitely ready. Of course, watching Jake playing with her breasts probably hadn’t cooled them off any. Sure hadn’t cooled her off.

While the men headed back to their wives, Jake guided Kallie over to the fire and took a seat on a log. He made Kallie straddle his legs, facing him. “Last time, we didn’t discuss all the various types of play. Bearing in mind what you’ve read or seen, is there anything that you hate the idea of doing?”

He slid his hands under her open shirt and settled around her waist. Not only steadying her on his knees, but the unwavering grip let her know he intended to keep control.
My body is his
. She shivered at the appalling…erotic…thought.

“Kallie, answer me.”

Oops
. What did she hate in the reading she’d done, or at the party? “I don’t want holes poked in me or scars or anything to make me bleed.”

He nodded, his gaze on her eyes, her mouth, her hands, her body. Reading her like he’d told the other men. “Go on.”

Why did he have such a rumbling, deep voice? As his thumbs stroked over her lower ribs, everything on her body seemed to scream
more
! Her breasts had swollen and were now so sensitive she could feel the cool air alternating with his warmer breath. Between her legs felt so puffy that her jeans were uncomfortable. What would he do if she yanked her clothes off and just climbed on him?

Probably spank her.

She shivered.

His lips curved. “I think your mind went off task, little sub.” He brushed his knuckles over her bunched nipples. “You’re supposed to be thinking of what turns you off, not the reverse.”

She leaned into his hand.

“Not yet, sugar.” He moved his hand. “Continue. Are there activities you’re not sure about?”

She snorted. “Everything?”

“Not exactly. We both know you enjoy being restrained. Using toys. Being spanked. Being exhibited as you just were.” Amusement danced in his eyes. “You watched the flogging last weekend. What about that?”

“Well.” All those strands of a whip hitting her bare skin.
Fear. Heat
. She licked her lips. “I-I don’t know. I didn’t know I’d like being spanked until…”