With This Collar (Mastered) Page 3

  He brought her against his body, her soft curves against his hardened planes. He owned a construction company, most often negotiating deals and working on the computer, but he often picked up a hammer or lent his muscle to a job, working alongside his men. He preferred the outdoors to being inside a gym, and he chose physical labour over a set of weights.

  He grabbed her ass with his free hand and dug his fingers into her flesh.

  No man behaved like this the first time he met a woman. That thought made him glad this wasn’t a date. The openness he found in BDSM relationships was the first thing that had attracted him to the lifestyle. Even though there were rules and protocol, there was more honesty than he’d experienced in half a dozen years of dating.

  But it still had all the hazards of a vanilla relationship. He’d learnt the hard way, with the one woman he’d collared—Katarina.

  He’d loved her. But somewhere in the gulf of years, she’d given up who she was. She’d relied on him for all her emotional needs. As he’d been building his business, he’d been less and less available, and that had led to a corresponding increase in her meltdowns, constant telephone calls, even showing up at job sites dressed inappropriately. His rules had been meant for flaunting.

  She’d interrupted a meeting with potential investors. As he’d punished her that night, he’d realised what was happening. She’d shown up precisely to get his attention and goad him into a reaction. It had become an unbalanced, untenable situation that had exhausted them both.

  The love he’d had for her drove him to support her financially for three years while she tried to establish her life, but the last he’d heard she was involved with an abusive Dom.

  Determinedly shoving aside the memories, he deepened the kiss he was giving Julia, fucking her mouth, giving her a taste of what she was in for if she continued down this path.

  Eventually he pulled back slightly. He bit her bottom lip then soothed the hurt with his tongue. She hadn’t been kissed like that in the vanilla world, he was willing to bet on it.

  “Scared?” he asked.

  “No,” she said, unlinking her arms. “Not of you. Or your caveman demonstration. I just don’t like domineering men.” She blinked at him, as if coming to her senses.

  Brave little fool. “Or maybe you’re scared of your inner sub.”

  She scoffed. “Bring it on, Sir.”

  He fisted her hair and pulled her head back, keeping her imprisoned and exposing the vulnerable column of her throat. He moved his hand from her butt and touched his fingers against her frantically beating pulse. Then he leaned in and gently bit her collarbone. “If I were giving you a caveman demonstration, I’d begin by stripping you.” He unfastened her top button.

  He watched the battle that raged on her face. Wordlessly, she reached for him, gripping his wrists tight. Rather than stopping him, she hung on, as if seeking reassurance. He sucked one of her earlobes into his mouth then bit the tender flesh.

  She moaned a little and didn’t try to pull away. The reaction pleased him immensely. That she’d responded in such a way to that pain made him wonder if it might be possible to eventually send her into subspace. For him as a Dom there was no more heady experience than giving a sub such pleasure that she lost herself in the experience.

  He loosened his grip on her head, but he didn’t let her go completely. Truth was, he liked holding her. “And then I’d force you to your knees with your hands behind your back. And I’d demand your honesty. Do us both a favour, Julia. Don’t lie. Don’t hold back.”

  “Okay,” she said, bravely meeting his gaze. “In that case, I want…”

  “Go on,” he said when she trailed off, bravado evidently failing her. “Ask for it. Tell me what you want.”

  “More,” she admitted.

  “More of what? The kissing? Me pulling your hair? Me undressing you?”

  “I want to experience what you’re talking about, but just for tonight. I’m a statistician. I like to understand how things relate to one another, and I’d like to be a better friend to Lana. But tomorrow I’ll go back to my regular, scheduled life.”

  “Is that what you want? One night with no strings attached?”

  “Most men would jump at that chance.”

  “I’m not most men,” he told her.

  In his arms, she shuddered. “So are you refusing?”

  “No. I’ll play by your rules, if you play by mine. Tell me your secrets, Julia, all of them. Hide nothing from me.”

  Though scarlet stained her cheeks, she continued to meet his gaze.

  “Is your pussy damp now?”

  “Jeez, Marcus. Could you be any more blunt?”

  “Master Marcus,” he corrected. “I don’t mince words. Since we only have tonight, we don’t have the time or energy for prevarication.” He lowered his voice a bit, ensuring she heard seduction as well as command in his tone. “Answer my question or I’ll find out for myself.”

  She tightened her hands around his wrists. “You can take my word for it. I’m more turned on than I usually get even when I’m having sex.”

  The admission fed his ego and drove his determination to give her an experience she’d never forget.

  “I liked the small amount of pain. I never thought I would. And…” She paused. “I think I’d like it if you squeezed my nipples.”

  Her boldness surprised him. He’d anticipated she might ask for a second kiss. This was considerably more than he’d hoped for. “And I’d like to. Unbutton your blouse the rest of the way, Julia.”

  Slowly she let go of his wrists and took a step back. He held on to her shoulders, keeping her balanced.

  She looked up at him, and he was tempted to compromise by undressing her. But he remained resolved. “I told you there will be no doubt this will be consensual. I’d love to play with your nipples, to make you squeal. I want to knead your breasts and hold them. And if you want that too, unbutton your blouse.”

  She knitted her eyebrows together in apparent indecision.

  He folded his arms. In silence, he waited. More than a decade ago, Damien had mentored him in BDSM. Marcus had learnt when to be patient and when to push his submissives. Julia might not be a sub, or his, but he knew he needed to wait for her to act. What he really wanted was to rip the material from her, exposing her body to him.

  She dropped her gaze to the floor. If only she was aware how submissive she was intuitively behaving…

  Julia untucked her blouse from her skirt and unfastened the bottom button. Her fingers shook slightly. As she moved higher, the trembling became more pronounced.

  He ached to move her hands aside and finish the job himself. Instead he stood there, the sweetness of anticipation making his blood hum. He saw the creamy colour of her skin and the delicateness of her collarbone. With her blonde hair hanging in wild abandon and her shirt open to reveal the stark white of her lacy brassiere, she was femininity and seduction in one beautiful package. “Look up at me.”

  Her mouth was parted slightly and her chest rose and fell rapidly, but she did as he had instructed.

  “You’re absolutely lovely, Julia.”

  She parted the silk then shrugged it from her shoulders.

  He extended a hand, and she obediently hung the blouse from his index finger. “I appreciate your trust,” he said. “And I give you my promise nothing will happen unless you either ask for it or agree to it in advance. Understand?”

  She nodded.

  “Are you doing okay?”

  “I’m nervous,” she admitted.

  “I talked to you earlier about a safe word. Some subs like to use a code of red, yellow and green. Green meaning everything is okay, yellow meaning that you need to talk or go a bit slower. Red means stop immediately. It’s up to you. You can choose a safe word, or we can go with the colours.”

  “What colour would be for nervous?”

  “Your choice,” he said. “If you need to talk, then it would be yellow. You could still feel nervous but wan
t to proceed. In that case you’d say green, but there’s no shame in admitting your feelings. In fact, Julia, I’d prefer you tell me how you feel every step of the way. That’s the only way I can be sure you’re enjoying the experience. Bottom line, that’s what this is about.”

  “I’m not sure I follow.”

  “There’s no reason, ever, to participate in anything to do with BDSM unless you like the experience. It should add to an already happy life. It shouldn’t be a substitute for it.”

  He’d rarely had this kind of discussion, and never when an alluring woman had been standing in front of him with her blouse off. Then again, he’d never been with a statistician before. Maybe he should make her get dressed, for his sake if not hers.

  “It encompasses many things. Some people are into bondage, including rope art, and take it no further. Some subs are into pain, and they’ll do almost anything to feel their Dom’s wrath. Conversely, some Doms are sadistic and just like to wield an implement of pain. Some subs prefer to live a life of service, much like a slave. Some couples are into spankings, others into more extreme eroticism or punishment. Still other people hook up for occasional scenes that may or may not include sex.”

  “Where do you fall on that spectrum?”

  “I’ve had a couple of committed relationships that involved Dominance and submission. My most recent one was a twenty-four seven lifestyle arrangement. And no, I’m not still in it.” He suspected she could find out a lot about him just from asking around the Den. Some people had made gossip into an art form. “Currently I have a few playmates, no strings.”

  “And no relationship outside the BDSM world?”

  “Not interested,” he said.

  “You like being in charge, in control.”

  “You could say that.”

  “And that complicates regular relationships.”

  “By regular, I presume you mean vanilla?”

  She nodded.

  “I’ve found it makes it impossible for me. I like the protocol in a D/s. There are rules, along with consequences if they’re broken. I like tying a sub up and subjecting her to erotic beatings. While I’m not a sadist, I find a sub often has a more powerful experience because of a bit of pain, as you’ve already experienced. That said, I’d require you to use a safe word if there’s anything you can’t deal with it. Have you selected one?”

  “I’d like to use colours.” She worried her lower lip.

  Being with a woman for her first, hesitant introduction to the lifestyle was heady stuff, indeed. “In that case, remove your bra.”

  “We’re in front of a window.”

  “We are. I’d prefer not to close the blinds since the house is surrounded by a dozen acres of wooded land. Only wedding guests are on the property. And anyone outside in this weather would be concentrating on staying warm. On the other hand, they would get a lovely eyeful if they saw you.” He paused, then added, “If your modesty demands it, I will close the blinds.”

  “Are you always so accommodating and reasonable?”

  “Not at all.” He wondered, over the next half a minute, if she was going to snatch her blouse from his fingertip. She stared at him, looked out of the window, folded and unfolded her arms. Finally, determinedly tipping her head and meeting his eyes, she reached back and unhooked her bra.

  “Nice,” he said, taking the lacy scrap of material from her. “You have lovely breasts and nipples.” They were tight pink buds, and he couldn’t wait to see them harder and, later, pulled away from her body when he tugged on the clamps that he intended to affix to those tips.

  He placed her discarded garments over a chair back then faced her and said, “Please pinch your nipples.”

  “I thought you were going to do that.”

  “The voyeur in me likes to watch.” Sharpening his tone, he added, “The Dom in me likes to have my orders followed.”

  A beautiful red flooded her cheeks again. Clearly this woman hadn’t had many sexual experiences of this nature. Idiot men. What was better than taking a woman to the heights of sensuality, letting her explore, and enjoying her discovery?

  She sucked her lower lip between her teeth, glanced around the room then looked out of the window. In future, she’d find he didn’t normally possess this much patience. As it was, his reserves were waning. He wanted to play with her, and he wanted to see her responses.

  Returning her gaze to him, she took hold of her nipples and squeezed gently.

  “Thank you,” he said. “Now squeeze them again.”

  She closed her eyes and did so.

  “Harder.”

  Her eyes opened. She looked at him with her eyebrows raised. “Show me,” she said.

  Her words startled him. She hadn’t phrased it as a question, but rather as a request. In an instant she’d gone from shy to demanding. His dick responded. Sexy little sub. “Like so…” He brushed aside her fingers. “Actually, place your hands at the small of your back.” After she complied, he added, “Keep them there, unless you’d like me to bind them?”

  “Uh…no. Thanks. I’m good.”

  “Later, the correct response will be, whatever pleases you, Sir.”

  “You want me to call you Sir?”

  She sounded shocked. But he didn’t relent. “During a scene, yes. It’s a reminder of the rules. I won’t insist you use it all the time, but I’d prefer if you did.” He liked the way she was solely focused on him, no longer looking out of the window or nervously towards the sunroom entrance. “Pull your shoulders back, Julia, and thrust your chest towards me.”

  For a few seconds, she hesitated. He waited. Then slowly she straightened her posture, offering herself to him.

  “I’ll start slow,” he told her. “And I’m offering you one last chance to have me bind your hands.”

  “You say that as if it would be a kindness.”

  “It would be. Not doing what I say will earn you a punishment.”

  “I’ll keep them in place.”

  “You may rue that decision.”

  “I’ll take my chances.”

  He nodded then cupped her breasts, closing his hands around her firm flesh. “Keep breathing,” he instructed. “It’s tempting to hold your breath, but it’s easier to manage emotionally, mentally, physically if you remember to breathe.”

  She nodded.

  He squeezed for a moment, then brushed his thumbs across her nipples, making them harden even more.

  He released her, made sure she took a couple of breaths, then repeated what he’d done, this time holding a little longer, adding more pressure, then abrading her nipples.

  Her knees sagged.

  “Is that too much?”

  She dragged in a breath. “Green,” she said.

  “You delight me, Julia.” This time he gripped each nipple between his a thumb and forefinger, studying her reactions as he inexorably tightened the pressure.

  She closed her eyes and her lips parted. She swayed towards him.

  He pinched harder and she moaned in perfect response. Then he pulled on her nipples, distending them from her body.

  “Oh.”

  He hadn’t thought she could take this much. He studied her features, watching carefully for the expression that would indicate real pain rather than exquisite pleasure. There was a line, he knew, and he wouldn’t cross it.

  She cried out and grabbed his forearms.

  She was obviously overcome with the sensation enough to forget his rules. It was going to lead to her first punishment. He continued with the pressure for a few more seconds before backing off in tiny increments. Releasing his grip at once would have caused another layer of pain that he wasn’t sure she was ready for. “How are you doing?”

  “I… That was…” She blinked a couple of times, then focused on him. “I’ve never felt anything like that.”

  “Is that a good thing?”

  “Very.”

  “And your pussy? Are you wetter than you were before?”

  She glanc
ed at the floor. He knew it wasn’t from respect, but rather to cover her shyness.

  “Show me,” he said.

  “Are you serious?” There was no outrage in her voice—rather she appeared stunned by his request.

  “I mean everything I say, Julia. I want you to remove your shoes and undergarments, and I want you to lift your skirt and show me your cunt. Prove how wet you are.”

  “I… Do you need to be so crass?”

  “I don’t consider that crass,” he said. “I don’t use flowery language, and I won’t apologise if it offends you. I find that being direct cuts out a lot of nonsense. Furthermore, I’ll expect you to speak the same way. Now…” He nodded at her. “If you please.”

  She hesitated for only a moment before she slid out of one of her high-heeled pumps. He offered his hand to help her balance. Without looking at him, she accepted his assistance.

  Even without shoes, she was a tall woman. She looked up at him, her eyes wide as if she were hoping he’d changed his mind about her removing her lingerie. He looked at her pelvis. “Continue.”

  After releasing her grip on his hand, she reached beneath her skirt and removed her stockings. He was looking forward to touching her bare skin, all of it.

  He extended his hand, and she wordlessly offered her stockings.

  Beautiful, lovely, trusting sub. Her panties were plain cotton, white to match her bra.

  “I wasn’t expecting to be showing a man my underwear,” she admitted, sounding apologetic.

  “I’m glad.” He held her lingerie while she reached for the hem of her skirt.

  As if performing a striptease, she took her time revealing her thighs, then her pussy. Her pubic hair was nicely trimmed, but if she played with him, he’d ask her to shave completely. Once she was bare, he’d decide whether or not to let her grow it back out. “Pull your skirt up higher.”