Punishing for Pleasure (13 page)

Ash watched Meri with the same intensity she studied the Wests. He was certain she would be able to recall every nuance of the entire scene. One of the many things they’d learned about her in the past few days was that she had a memory that was as close to a camera as anything he could imagine. She’d given them a scientific explanation that had been full of psychobabble and bullshit, but the bottom line was, if the woman saw it, heard it, or read it—she knew it—frontward, backward, and inside out. They’d playfully tested her one night by flipping through a movie scene involving a car chase that he’d watched a dozen times before he’d noticed all the details she’d recited in such a blasé manner he’d wondered for a moment if she’d seen the movie before. She’d simply laughed and waved them off. “The doctors have done these tests with me so many times. I used to try to view them as a game, because outside of that, it was damned annoying.”

Anyone who had listened to Kent recount for the audience all of Tobi’s transgressions had known immediately the little imp was topping from the bottom. After the lengthy list, Kent had turned to her and simply said, “Forgiven.” Tobi’s expression had been priceless. Hell, you would have thought someone had just kicked her new puppy. Ash had to cover his laugher with a cough and he heard several other Masters do the same. After several long seconds, Kent had crossed his arms and stared at his disappointed sub with a look of frustration that he rarely used on her. Kyle mirrored his stance and look, but Kent was the one who held her gaze captive with his own. “What we
do
plan to deal with however, is the fact you have been topping from the bottom in ways that neither of us have ever even seen in books or training films. Hell, we should probably write a fucking book because you, sweetness, are in a class all your own.”

Kyle stepped forward and turned her face toward his own, “Kitten, the real problem here is that you needed us and rather than asking for what you needed, you acted out. And at the core of
that
is a lack of trust—and in the end it doesn’t matter whether it’s us or yourself that you are questioning, because as your Masters, the buck always stops here.” He emphasized his point by pointing to himself and then to Kent.

Ash saw the tears rolling down Meri’s cheeks but knew they were simply an indication of how connected she felt to the scene. He reached forward and placed his hand on the top of her shoulder and squeezed gently. They continued to watch as Tobi was secured between two large wooden posts that rose from their hiding places beneath the floor. He smiled when he heard the collective gasp of the subs in the room as the Wests started showcasing some of the Woodshed’s unique features. Once Tobi was secured at both ankles and wrists, Kent wrapped a thick belt around her tiny waist and locked it tightly between the posts as well before tilting the entire apparatus forward approximately twenty degrees.

Ash knew the angle was enough to give Tobi the illusion of falling but more importantly, it would help Kyle pull the lashes he planned to give her. Tobi was going to feel a fast line of fire race over her skin, but it would be gone within a few seconds. What she was going to truly experience was the uncertainty of what they were going to do and the anticipation of pain would be tied directly to the sound of the single tail as it split the air with a deafening crack. Kent was standing directly in front of Tobi, he made sure she acknowledged and understood her safe word, and also made her explain to him when she was supposed to use it. Once both Doms were satisfied that she was ready, the first lash fell and a thin red line appeared before quickly fading. Tobi’s gasp had probably been more from the startling sound than the sting, but Kent held up his palm holding back the next lash while he spoke softly to her. They had both turned off their lapel mikes, but Ash knew Kent was checking her emotional state. This scene had been planned down to the gnat’s ass and both Wests had picked the brains of their core group of Masters until they’d all groaned when it was even mentioned.

This was the first major scene they’d had at the club since Tobi had given birth to the twins and Kent and Kyle were both nervous as hell about pushing her too far. Oddly enough they’d expressed the same concern Meri had—that Tobi would be so caught up in her desire to please them she wouldn’t safe word out if she truly needed to. It had been Peter Weston who had come up with this plan, and Ash noticed him standing just off stage. It was only at his nod that the scene resumed. With each lash Tobi’s response was more moan than gasp and the lines seemed to linger longer as well, so he knew Kyle was slowly intensifying the experience for her. Before the last lash fell, Kent flicked on his lapel mike before sliding his fingers through her soaking folds. And then at the precise moment the lash landed, his command, “Come for us, love,” boomed over the speakers.

Tobi’s scream filled the open area at the same time Ash heard the clatter of the single-tail’s handle on the stage floor. Both men were inside her within seconds and even from his place several feet away, Tobi’s second climax was easy to see. Kent had caught the second scream in his kiss but the waves of release could be seen in the rippling through her muscles. When Ash leaned down so his face was beside Meri’s, he could see fresh tears streaming down her face. “Pet?"

“That was amazing. And I wouldn’t have ever seen it if you hadn’t told me to watch her Masters.” She still hadn’t taken her eyes off the stage and he was glad she was watching how tenderly they cared for Tobi now that they had regained their footing after what appeared to have been soul-shattering releases. There had been a lot of pressure on both men tonight and Ash was glad it had gone well.

Ash could smell her arousal and smiled when Dex slid his fingers through her pussy lips and the wet sounds were easily heard above the buzz of conversation around them.
Seems our pretty s
ubbie enjoyed watching as much as we’
d hoped she would
—
perfect.

*****

Dex had listened as Ash led Meri through a carefully planned dance of words during their earlier conversation, he couldn’t hold back his smile when she realized how he was leading her, but to her credit she had continued to follow. It was a small sign of her growing trust in them, but he was thankful he’d had the chance to witness it. When a submissive entrusted you with her body it was heady stuff to be sure, but knowing they’d put their soul in your care was the dream of every sexual Dominant Dex knew. Physical surrender was easy to coax from a woman, hell, teenage boys did it all the time. But being able to connect to a sub’s soul was the most powerful aphrodisiac known to man in Dex’s opinion.

Watching Meri as she followed Ash’s command to focus her attention on Tobi’s Masters had been fascinating. The emotions played out over her beautiful face in Technicolor and Dex had been grateful for the front row seat. He was willing to wager that for the first time she’d seen the intensity a good Dom brought to each scene. Being an effective sexual Dominant was never as simple as barking out orders, even though users and abusers regularly tried to play it that way. Those men and women rarely even made it through the Prairie Winds’ stringent screening process. Micah and Jax’s vetting process caught most wanna-bes, but any who managed to slip through that net were snagged during the personal interview with Kyle and Kent.

Hell, he and Ash had worked with all four men for years, but had still been required to go through each stage of the process before they’d been allowed to play at the club. The entire process had been a royal pain in the ass, but some of their questions had been thought provoking enough to make him consider closely exactly what it was he was looking for in a submissive. In the end, both he and Ash had been forced to consider carefully about where they were heading in life—something his family had been after him to think about for a very long time.

The lengthy interview had forced him to think back on his sister, Lizzy’s, words Christmas morning a few years earlier when she’d essentially told him he’d become another person, it had annoyed him at first. But it had also led him to recount the night several months later when he’d been lying under the vast starlit sky on a mountaintop in bum-fuck-classified-nowhere when he had been struck with the realization she’d been absolutely right. He’d often wondered how it was that a tiny bit of a thing with four wild kids had been the one to approach a glowering Navy SEAL and call a spade a spade.
Fuck, dealing with those four yard apes of hers probably takes nerves of steel—I w
as probably a walk
in the damned park.

Reaching down and sliding his fingers through her silken pussy lips made Meri moan and a fresh rush of cream coat his fingers. Dex knew full well he could fuck her with his fingers and bring her to climax in under a minute, but they had different plans for the gorgeous woman kneeling between them. Biting down on the shell of her ear, he let his words whisper over her skin, “Not yet, sweetheart. You hold that orgasm back or you’ll not get another one in a good, long while. We have plans for you, but I want you to know we are very pleased with how you responded to watching the scene. I can practically hear the wheels of that brilliant mind of yours spinning.”

Glancing up, he noted Ash’s quick nod and pulled his fingers out of her pulsing sheath just as Ash slid the small remote controlled egg deep inside. Dex wanted to laugh because he didn’t even think she realized what had happened. Meri had been working so hard to fight off her release, her entire focus was on that task and she’d missed a very important detail. They both pulled their hands from her and sucked her juices from their fingers bring her to her feet as they stood.

“Come along, pet, we have business to take care of before we see to your pleasure.” Her eyes were still glazed over with arousal—a look that was fast becoming his personal favorite, as they led her to the stage. They had pre-arranged with the Masters who planned to be in attendance to turn their subs away from the stage or blindfold them during their scene. They’d known the bruising on her ass and legs would be misinterpreted by some and likely frighten others who didn’t know about Meri’s particular kink. A few had chosen to leave because they were spending the evening with newbie subs. Those Masters hadn’t known exactly how the novices would react to being blindfolded and they hadn’t trusted the little darlings to keep from peeking either.

Dex turned Meri so her back was to the audience as he explained how unhappy he and Ash had been when they’d seen what their lovely submissive had chosen to conceal from them. His dramatized version brought smiles to the Masters’ faces. No one had to worry about monitoring their reactions since none of the submissives present could see them. Stepping back, he watched as Ash began unbuttoning the shirt she was wearing. “Sir?”

“Be still, pet.” Ash’s words might have been commanding but his tone was soft and he was relieved to see her shoulders relax fractionally. Her silent nod followed and Dex watched as Ash pushed the shirt slowly over her shoulders and it slid in a silent whisper over her luscious curves until it puddled at her feet. Even though the other Masters had been briefed in advance, their wide-eyed reaction was genuine. Many cursed out loud, and frowns of concern replaced their earlier smiles. Ash’s fingers held her chin tipped up so she was focused on his face and Dex saw her biting her lip, something he’d noticed she did when she felt particularly vulnerable.

“As you can see, we’re caught in something of a dilemma here. Further impact punishment is not an option for a couple of reason. First of all she’d like it far too much.” When the chuckles died down as he went on, “But most importantly, her health and well-being are not only our privilege—they are our responsibility as well. What our sub fails to understand is that scenes are a very small piece of the picture.” Just as he stepped to the side, Dex heard the distinctive sound of a camera shutter. It sounded as if it had come from the small curtained off area to his left, but he hadn’t been sure until he saw the curtain sway ever so slightly. It didn’t take long for him to realize he hadn’t been the only one to hear it.

Peter tossed him one of the soft subbie blankets used for aftercare as he sprinted past them. Dex quickly wrapped Meri in the blanket and sat her with the other subs that were now huddled together in front of the stage. Their Masters had ordered them to stay together before taking off in various directions. After seeing the terrified expression on Meri’s face, Dex decided against joining his teammates. He knew her fear wasn’t for her physical safety—after all, cameras were rarely deadly in his experience, but the images they captured certainly held catastrophic potential.

Meri had already confided that John Stevens’ threats to expose her lifestyle choices was what she feared the most. She’d said on several occasion she didn’t believe the man would harm her physically. Hell, he wouldn’t need to—all he had to do was see to it compromising pictures of Meri were
leaked
to the media. Even if they were suppressed, the rumors and innuendo alone would devastate her reputation. He’d reap all the
shattered boyfriend
points with the public and the future Meri had always envisioned for herself would be left in shreds.

During his last few missions, Dex had sworn the earbud communication devices they wore had been designed by Satan himself. Newbie team members tended to chatter endlessly when they were nervous and the more seasoned members of a squad often wanted to send the small bits of electronics sailing off the nearest tall structure. Tonight was the first time he realized how much he’d depended upon the ability to speak with his fellow soldiers. This might not hold the same deadly potential they were accustomed to facing, but it was damned well as important. Glancing around the small group of subs sitting together speaking quietly among themselves, Dex realized that each of them had her own reasons for worrying about public exposure. Several were prominent businesswomen, one was a prosecutor, and he’d just recently learned the eldest in the group was a federal judge.
Oh yeah, a prosecutor and a judge? Score a big one for the good guys if they could catch whoever had taken that shot.