Rock Bottom (Tristan & Danika #2) (22 page)

We’d basically stuck to vanilla so far.
 
It was not my preference, but I liked her company, and I wasn’t ready to give it up just yet.
 
Breaking her in ran the risk of losing her.
   

I pulled back, breathing hard, feeling way too much for this woman I barely knew.
 
The look in her eyes had me wanting to kiss her again, but I restrained myself, instead pulling her back into my side, and pointing at a small platform that had been erected in the corner of the room.
 
Our entertainment was about to begin.
 

“If you want to know what I like, you should watch this.
 
No one can put on a show like James.
 
This is a real treat right here.”
 

He strode onto the well-lit makeshift stage, shirtless now, his deeply tanned skin, his sleek muscles, set off to perfection under a spotlight.
 

“Wow,” Estella breathed.
 

I didn’t blame her.
 
At least, not too much.
 
James was a sight, hard even for me to look away from when he was putting on a show like this.
 

His dark gold hair was tied back, setting off his perfect face.
 
He was a combination of utter masculinity and enough stark beauty to make anyone stare.
 
And those eyes of his burned through a person, even at a distance.
 

Jolene followed him up onto the platform, wearing nothing but a corset that cinched her waist in but left her, aside from some piercings, completely bare above and below.
 

They were striking together, but I always thought to myself that he could do so much better.
 
He wasn’t only a beautiful shell, like her.
 
With James, there was just as much to admire on the inside.
 

He used a firm hand on her neck to lead her to the St. Andrew’s cross that had been erected at the back of the stage.
 
It said a lot about his presence that Estella only seemed to notice it then.
 

“What is that thing?”
 

“A St. Andrew’s cross.”
 

“What is it for?”
   

“You’ll see.”
 

It was shaped like an X, and slightly tilted back, so when he pushed Jolene against it, face first, she was leaning far forward, showing us everything we needed to see of her privates.
 
She was pierced there, too.

“She’s very beautiful,” Estella told me quietly.
 
I didn’t particularly want to hear that from her, but I kept that to myself.
 

“Yes, very.”

“Do you like her piercing?
 
Is that something you’re into?” she whispered.
 
I was going too easy on her.
 
She should have been addressing me as Mistress Abelli and staying quiet, but I found that I wanted to indulge her curiosity, wanted to know the reason for it.
 

“I like piercings,” I allowed.
 

“I don’t have any.”

I smiled.
 
I’d seen enough of her that she had to know I’d have noticed that.
 
“No, you don’t.”
 

“Would you like me to get some?”

I tugged lightly on her hair, making her look back at the stage, since I knew she’d been staring at my profile.
 
“If you want to get some, I’ll do them for you, but only if it’s what you want.
 
Don’t do it for my sake.”
 

She went so still that I tilted my head to study her.
 
Her expression was stiff, as though I’d said something to wound her.
 
I couldn’t imagine what.

I brought my attention back to the stage.
 
This was no time for a chat about her feelings.
 

James tied his sub’s ankles and wrists to the posts, spreading her wide for our viewing pleasure.
 

“Have you…been…with her?” Estella whispered, and I could feel her staring at me again.

I pursed my lips, wondering if I should chastise her for talking during a presentation.
 
In the end, I didn’t.
 
It seemed counterproductive to, since she’d come here because of all of her questions.
 

“No.
 
She’s his.
 
We don’t share like that.
 
And I don’t like her.”
 

“You shared
me
.”
 
It was an accusation.
 

My mouth hardened, with guilt as much as annoyance, I knew.
 
“That was just a kiss, and I wasn’t talking about kisses.
 
And I got your point.
 
I won’t pass you around again unless you ask me to.”
   

I felt her stiffen, and then, unbelievably, impertinently, she was kissing me, rubbing her tits against mine, and moaning into my mouth.
 

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

FRANKIE

I pulled her back, turning her until I was hugging her from behind, essentially forcing her to look at the stage.
 
“What was that?” I asked her through my teeth.
 

“I want you.
 
I want to get you off.
 
You never get off with me, and I want you to.”
 

“Well, then, my sweet, watch the show.
 
There is only one way to get me off, and if you’re interested in seeing what it is, it’s about to go down on that stage right now.”

“Touch me,” she whispered, bringing my hands to her breasts.
 
She was being completely impudent again, but I fondled her.
 
She was getting a pass tonight.
 
If anyone had a problem with it, they could talk to me.
 
And of course, I loved her tits.
 

“Don’t you ever wear a bra?” I said into her ear, pinching her nipples hard.
 
Her little black dress was not the sort of thing you were supposed to go braless in, with a chest her size.
   

She moaned and rubbed against me.
 
“Not for you.
 
I know you love to see them bouncing around.
 
I’ve seen how it distracts you.
 
I’m not wearing panties either.
 
I wanted to give you easy access.
 
I love it when you touch me.”
 

I shushed her, because she was driving me wild, and because James had just pulled out a large flogger, showing the crowd.
 
It was a heavy-duty cat o’nine, with braided tails that ended in small silver balls.
 
Some hardcore shit.
 

He said something to Jolene, his voice sharp, as I nuzzled into Estella’s neck, and Jolene responded in the affirmative, her voice pleading.
 

“I love it when you call me your sweet,” Estella whispered, distracting me again.
 
“It makes me feel pretty.”
 

“You are pretty, you silly girl.
 
So pretty it hurts.”
 

“You really think so?” she asked, sounding downright ecstatic about it.
 

She was distracted, we both were, by the loud sound of the flogger making contact with flesh.
 

Estella gasped, and I brought one of my hands up to her neck, gripping, the other still kneading at a soft breast.
 
“Watch,” I breathed into her ear.
   

He struck again, and again, the sound startling and arousing.
 
I glanced up at him briefly, watched his stark muscles playing across his back as he worked his sub over harshly.
 
I’d seen it before.
 
I wasn’t looking for me, but more wondering what Estella thought of him, how he moved her, how this moved her.
 

James worked Jolene over with textbook accuracy, reddening her perfect little ass and thighs, using less force on her back and shoulders.
 
He knew exactly where to strike and in what order.
 
He was a pro.
 

When he finally let up on Jolene, she was quivering and moaning loudly enough that he barked at her to be quiet.
 

He acknowledged the crowd with the slightest lift of his brows as he undid his dark trousers, pulling out an impressive erection.
 
The man certainly didn’t have stage fright.

“Holy shit,” exclaimed Estella.

“Yes, I know,” I said wryly.
 
“He even has a perfect cock.”
 

“He’s big…and very nicely shaped.”
 

“He’s basically the most perfect man on the planet if you don’t mind a bit of pain,” I told her tonelessly.
 
“He’s even a billionaire.
 
Basically God’s gift to women.”
 

He pulled a condom from his pocket, opening the packet and rolling it on with swift, economical movements.
 
He didn’t bother to take off his pants as he moved back behind Jolene, gripping her neck and driving into her, flogger in hand, whipping hard at her hip as he fucked her.

“I’m not sure I have that kind of a pain tolerance,” Estella said, her voice small and afraid.

“The amount of pain you receive from your Dom is purely subjective.
 
A good Dom will never give you more than you can handle.
 
A good one will know how to read you.
 
Jolene is a glutton for punishment.
 
Those two are demonstrating an extreme, rather than what I would consider the norm.”

“I’d like to try it, but maybe not with that whip he’s using.
 
It looks very…harsh.”
 

My heart tried to pound itself out of my chest.
 
I couldn’t believe that she had watched that, and still wanted to try to please me.
 
I’d been so certain it would scare her off.
 
Her reaction was more than I could have hoped for.
 
“As your Domme, you’d need to trust me to know what to use.
 
I’d never start you out with something like that.
 
I don’t need anything that extreme, either.
 
Not ever.
 
But I do need
something
.
 
I’d probably begin with a riding crop, since that can be one of the softer ways to break you in.”
 

“Okay.
 
I’d like that.
 
Can we try tonight?”
 

I pinched her nipple hard enough to make her yelp.
 
“You need to learn how to behave yourself.
 
I’ve been spoiling you, when what you need to be learning is that
I
am the one in control here.”
 

“Please, Frankie
—
“

“Mistress Abelli.”

“Please, Mistress Abelli, take control.
 
Do whatever you want with me.
 
Whatever you need.
 
Whatever it takes to please you, because that’s what I want.
 
I can’t stand the way it’s been, with only me enjoying our…encounters.”
 

“You don’t know what you’re asking,” I warned her.
 

“I’ve seen it tonight, right?
 
I think I do know.
 
I want to be with you.”

I began to kiss the side of her neck, one hand moving down, tugging up her dress until I found her hot core, fingering her.
   

Jolene got really loud with her pleasure and, annoyed, I pulled my hand free.
 
I didn’t want to get Estella off while we were listening to
that
.
 
It would surely tarnish the beauty of it.
 

I watched, my hands on her hips now, as James pulled out of Jolene, still hard.

He untied her, pulling her to the front of the stage, then pushing her to her knees, in profile to their captive audience.
 

“Open your mouth,” he told her, his tone indifferent.
 
He was completely submerged in his Dom role, all of his emotions turned off.

She opened wide, and he shoved himself down her throat.
 
It was an impressive display.
 
Jolene certainly had some oral talent.
 

After an impressive amount of deep throating, James dragged himself out of her mouth, pulled off his condom, and promptly came all over her face.
 

The small crowd burst into enthusiastic applause.

He barely spared Jolene another glance as he tucked himself back into his pants, giving his audience a self-deprecating little smile, and a slight bow of his head.

“That was…interesting.”
 
Estella sounded as appalled as she was impressed.
 
The money shot had perhaps taken her out of her comfort zone.

“These demonstrations are generally…over the top.
 
He was showing off, the hedonist.”

“Do you do…demonstrations?”
 

That had me studying her intently, because I thought I’d detected a hint of more than idle interest in the question.
 
“I’ve had quite a few brushes with exhibitionism.
 
Is that something that might interest you?”
 

She chewed on her lip so hard that I raised my hand to her face, making her stop by tugging it out of her mouth.
 
“It does, as long as no one else touches me.”
 

I flushed, feeling more and more shitty about what had happened with Jolene and James, seeing for the first time that she had a keen sort of vulnerability about her.