Uncharted Territory (The Compass Series Book 3) (11 page)

He’s lubing up my ass as he talks, his questions interspersed with his fingers sliding in and out, reminding me with every word and every thrust that he can do whatever he likes.

“Yes, sir.”

He takes up the plug and lays a hand heavy on my lower back. “Good girl. Now relax and breathe like I taught you. That’s right.”

He eases it in with one slow, steady push. Then it’s seated inside of me, the jeweled base pushing my cheeks apart ever so slightly. He gives me a good crack with the back of his hand across my behind and then slides my underwear back over my butt. I’m glad I get to keep it, even if I’m going to have to tug it down whenever he tells me to.

My breath is measured but heavy as I wait for his next instructions. I enjoy being plugged more than I thought I would, more than I’d like to admit. There’s something about it that makes me feel delightfully…
submissive
. He helps me to stand and then directs me toward the armoire where there’s a mirror on the inside of the door and an assemblage of jewelry and sex toys on the inside.

After a few minutes of browsing, he selects a thick, black collar and some emerald teardrop earrings. My parents had pierced my ears when I was young, which I’m thankful for. I’d never be able to get anything pierced now, at least not without passing out during the process. Hunter inserts the posts through my lobes, and it’s an apt metaphor. In the month we’ve been together, he’s speared right through me.

I miss him when we’re not together, I think about him all the time, and I feel more at ease in my skin than I ever have. I’m not muddling through my days anymore, trying to decide how to behave at any given moment. When I’m not on his time, I wear jeans and tie my hair up. I can be assertive as I want in class and dismiss people I don’t want to spend time with anyway. I’m not shy nor retiring. As long as I do well in my classes, I can be as opinionated as I care to be. I work incredibly hard and drive myself to the brink of exhaustion because I know that when Ben picks me up three times a week, I’ll be on my way to a place where I don’t have to make any decisions. Here I’ll be cared for, and Hunter will be waiting to punish me for whatever infractions I may have committed while I was away.

I didn’t know this was a thing I could have.

He slips the collar around my throat and fastens it. It’s a show collar, no heavy duty D- or O-rings. Not like my everyday collar that he likes to clip a leash to. There is, however, a spot on the front one could conceivably attach something to. Is he going to put a lock on it like Rey had? He reaches into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, but instead of a lock, there’s a heart-shaped disk. Silver.

“Go on, take a look. You should know what’s going around your neck.”

On one side are his initials carved in an elegant script, and on the other, it reads
Property of Hunter L. Vaughn. If found, please return to
, followed by his address. If anyone outside this house addressed me so blatantly as chattel I couldn’t take it, but this makes something inside of me come to a boil. As I hand it back, I breathe, “Thank you, sir.”

I’m sure he can see the exaggerated rise and fall of my chest as he clips the tag to my collar, but he doesn’t say anything. When it’s been firmly attached, he cups my face in his palm and tips my head up to look at him.

“I’m a proud man, India. I work hard, I have a lot of nice things, and I don’t lack for confidence. But I want you to know that when we go downstairs, having you on my arm, behaving so sweetly and obediently, is going to be incredibly gratifying. I’m going to be the envy of every Dominant here tonight because you are magnificent. And you’re only going to get better for me, aren’t you?”

My eyes shine with tears. No one has ever lavished me with that much praise. His words drip over me, coating my thoughts, making me feel languid and compliant indeed. I want more of that. I’d do anything to hear him say it again. I suspect he knows it, too. “Yes, sir.”

A benevolent smile broadens his mouth, and he bends down to kiss me.

“Let’s go greet our public then.”

My heart stutters at his use of the word “our.” This man has included me, has labeled me as his, and is about to show everyone we know that’s true. The collar, the tag, the plug, even my stockinged feet sinking into the plush carpet, are suddenly imbued with the most intense satisfaction I’ve ever felt. “Yes, sir.”

Hunter offers me his arm and I notice as we make our way downstairs that my un-shod feet look slim and delicate next to his freshly-shined black leather shoes. Is that part of it? To make me feel small and delicate? Breakable? If so, it’s working.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when Hunter had put the plug in me, if he was just going to demand that I put my ass on display for everyone at the party, but he doesn’t. He waits. And waits. So long that I wonder if he’s going to make me do it at all or if it was just a mind-fuck. An effective one, clearly, because I’ve been thinking about it all night.

Rey arrives on the later side because he’s coming from dinner with his mom in the city. He’d warned me, knowing I was nervous, knowing I’d be watching the door for him. When he comes in, he scans the room. His face lights up when I offer a minuscule widening of my fingers as a greeting. Hunter is deep in conversation with an older gentleman about something work-related, and I don’t want to disturb them. From what I can gather, they work in the same industry though not at the same firm. Which, despite Hunter’s efforts to shrug off any conversation regarding his livelihood, I’ve figured out has something to do with speculating on foreign currencies.

Rey makes his way over, his trip across the room interrupted by myriad people who want to speak with him. By the time he reaches us, Hunter and his friend—I think his name is Jerry—have finished their conversation and Jerry is excusing himself to the playroom.

“Rey. Glad you could make it.”

“Thank you for the invitation.”

“Of course. Couldn’t have you missing her debut, could we?”

Rey’s jaw tightens. I suppose technically my debut was two months ago when Rey brought me here for the first time, but this is my first time out as belonging to Hunter.

“No, we certainly couldn’t,” Rey murmurs, looking me up and down, his gaze catching on my collar. “May I?”

“Be my guest.”

Rey picks up the tag and turns it over, his thumb tracing over the engraving. His expression is unreadable, and I want to ask what he’s thinking. Is he proud of me? Happy for me? Displeased? But when his eyes meet mine, he must be able to tell how thrilled I am.

“Very nice.” He smiles and gives the tag a tug.

“Why don’t you present for our guest, baby?”

Oh, shit.
I can’t stop the turn of my head, and Hunter tsks at me. “That’s ten. Do it now or you’ll get ten more.”

My lips part, and I look to Rey.

“That’s twenty. Don’t look at him. Look at me. You belong to me.”

So that’s what this is about. A pissing contest. A power play. Guilt tears at me. Though I know I’m going to get punished for it, my eyes slide to Rey’s again. The set of his expression is hard, but his eyes are not. I want something from him, some sign this is okay, but even if he wanted to, he couldn’t give me anything. Not without making this worse.

“That’s thirty. You’re going to give our guests quite the show.”

I turn my back on Rey and clench handfuls of skirt, drawing it over my behind as I bend over to keep the fabric from falling back. Hunter holds out a single finger in front of me. I know his commands well enough by now that I stretch to touch my nose to the tip. When I have, I grasp the sides of my underwear and pull them down, exposing my ass and the plug buried inside to anyone who happens to be looking. And to my ever-loving mortification, I’m sure a lot of people are.

“Should I administer her punishment, or would you like to? For old times’ sake?”

I can’t decide how I feel about this. Part of me is pissed that I’m being used as a pawn in their game. But another part of me is ecstatic. I mean enough to both of these men that they’re fighting over me. I’ve never really been made to feel like I was worth much, so this is intoxicating. That could also be the blood rushing into my head from being bent over that’s talking.

“It’s your party, Vaughn. And your prize. I’m happy to watch.”

That’s the second thing Rey’s ceded. Though it must make him want to rip Hunter’s face off, I know he’s doing it for me. A sick sort of bliss swells my chest. Rey loves me enough to back down, and Hunter loves me enough to fight for me, though his animosity toward Rey is somewhat misguided.

Hunter steps in close and grabs my hip, trapping me against his side. And then my punishment starts. I’m glad he’s only spanking me, not using his belt. This I can stay still for and not embarrass myself or him. I count out loud as the blows rain down and the blood gathers in my face from both gravity and embarrassment. When he’s finished, he replaces my underwear and helps me stand slowly, anchoring me when I sway, and smoothing my skirt over my smarting ass.

“Nicely done, baby. You may have some time alone with your friend in the library if you’d like.”

Sometimes I think Hunter forgets that I don’t cease to exist when I’m not with him. I see Rey all the time at school. But I won’t refuse the chance to be with Rey now, especially after that little performance. “Thank you, sir.”

A few minutes later, I’m sitting on Rey’s lap on the self-same couch from my second visit here.

“You look lovely, India. Submission suits you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so radiant. He’s hard on you, yes? But I think you like the challenge.”

“Yes, sir.” I do. If something’s worth having, it’s worth working for. “But I—”

“Don’t apologize for him. I know what he’s doing, and frankly I don’t blame him. I’m just glad he hasn’t asked to brand you.”

The thought makes me gag, and Rey laughs while rubbing my bare back. His broad hand and its confident, consistent strokes are such a comfort.

“Don’t worry, little one. He’s not going to. That’s too rustic for Hunter’s tastes. But I hope you understand this is his way of saying he’s head-over-heels for you. I’ve never seen him in such a state over anyone. So well done, you. Bet he feels like a big man for snapping you up so quickly. Decisiveness can cut both ways and this time it won him the trophy.”

‡

Year Two

M
y hands are
shaking with adrenaline so it takes me longer than usual to throw my things into my bag. That was fun, and I’ve got the kind of high particular to a really good argument. I feel good, energized, ready to take on the world. I usually enjoy my welfare state class, but this feeling goes beyond enjoyment. Am I the only one who enjoys these academic throwdowns so much?

It’s not often that I get to go head-to-head with someone who actually seems capable of besting me. Well, maybe not. But closer than anyone usually gets. I want to thank Jamie because he’s one of the few people here who offers me a decent challenge, but by the time I pack up my notebook and take down the homework assignment from the board, he’s gone. No matter, I’ll see him next class.

The hall is crowded with students passing between classes, but I barely notice. I can’t wait to tell Hunter about this on Friday. Unlike my mother, he delights in hearing about my academic triumphs. Or is at least entertained by my stories. Maybe I’ll call him later.

I head toward the back door of the building where it’s quieter and find Jamie standing to the side of it, red-faced with arms crossed. He must just be worked up from our debate so I offer him a smile and a wave as I walk by.

“See you Fri—”

That’s when he grabs my wrist. And twists.

“How dare you, you fucking cunt.”

The pain in my arm and the shock of his words are a one-two punch. I try to pull away, but he holds me fast. “What the hell, Jamie? Let go.”

“Was that fun for you? Embarrassing me like that in front of all those people?”

The sharp burning in my joint tells me it’s probably not a good idea to admit that, yeah, it had been fun. But not because I’d embarrassed him. Humiliation on either side isn’t my kink. It had been a rush, a thrill. Like mental gymnastics, it had my blood pumping through my veins, spurring my thoughts faster, harder. “We were having a debate. I argued with you.”

“Well, next time, don’t. Just keep your bitchy face shut.”

After a last twist to my wrist that makes me yelp, he pushes out the heavy door. My eyes water and I stand there, stupid and sniffling. I haven’t felt that discomfited since Tobias grabbed me on that first night at Hunter’s. The yearning for Hunter overwhelms me. I want him to take me in his lap, kiss me where it hurts, and then beat and fuck me until I forget everything that isn’t him.

But I’ve got a big paper due for my mid-term on Friday and I don’t have time to go to him. Also, I’m a big girl and I shouldn’t let some smarmy dickless fuck scare me. So I try to shake it off. I put my shoulder into the same door, pushing it open to the bright sunshine of the day.

I’m still buzzing, half-exhilarated and half-terrified. I can’t call Hunter, though; he’ll flip his shit. So I pull my phone out of my bag and find my other favorite contact. He picks up after the first ring.